The Luna’s Choice by Kat Silver

Chapter 255: Ayla My eyes were locked on Alpha Torin’s as we waited. He should feel the change. He should have been able to tell a difference. Instead, he shook his head once.

“Keep trying,” Luna Aniya said.

| took another deep breath, bolstering my determination with the hope I could feel from the others in the room.

“Alpha Torin Arden, you will heal yourself,” | commanded again.

Torin shook his head again. His posture fell. It was a nearly imperceptible shift, but | saw it. It wasn’t working. | felt the tears start to sting the back of my eyes. Then Theo took my hand.

‘Together,’ he linked me. ‘We'll do it together.” | nodded, squeezing his hand.

‘Ready?’ | asked.

‘Ready.’ “Alpha Torin Arden,” we commanded in unison, “you will heal yourself now.” The energy we both put behind the command filled the room like a wave. Everyone fidgeted in discomfort under the weight of it. But | barely noticed. Torin began to breath heavily. He fell to his knees with a grunt before grabbing his chest. He was gasping for air until he stopped breathing altogether. Collapsing onto the floor.

Luna Grace stifled a cry as she rushed to him, the pack doctor right behind her. | was by his side in seconds. My heart beating so fast | thought my chest would explode. ‘Theo wrapped his arms around his mother as the doctor began doing chest compressions. My vision started to blur with unshed tears and | my stomach threatened to rebel. a Had I killed him? Was it the command too much? If it was so powerful, the words may not have mattered. We shouldn't have tried so soon. We didn’t know enough about the consequences. We were foolish to think this was possible.

| felt hands on my shoulders trying to pullaway, but | wouldn't budge.

“Torin Arden, you won't die,” I commanded. “You will not die.” My voice was shaky. “Please, don't die.” | fell against someone’s chest as a hard so b escaped me. I'd never be able to live with this. Theo would never be able to live with this. We should have never done this. | tried to make my brain work. Tried to make sense of what was happening.

Suddenly, the room filled with the sound of a deep gasp and Alpha Torin shot straight up.

He was alive.

Everyone was frozen. We just stared at him for what felt like an eternity as he caught his breath. Luna Grace moved first. Throwing herself at him as she embraced him. Torin chuckled as he held her in return. Theo was next, helping to lift his father to his feet for a strong hug. | was still frozen on the floor until their attention turned to me.

The hands that had been holdingbelonged to Mina, who was now pulling off the floor, | found my feet just in tfor Torin to liftoff them in a tight bear hug. | laughed as | hugged him in return.

“I thought I killed you,” | sniffled. “How are you feeling?” “Honestly,” he replied, settingdown, “pretty d amn good.” “So, does that mean it worked?” Theo asked hopefully.

Alpha Torin put a hand on Theo's shoulder and looked around the room at the other pack leaders.

“There's one way to know for sure,” he stated. “But I'd rather not do it here.” We all followed Alpha Torin and Luna Grace out of the packhouse. | clung to Theo as we did, still shaking from the ordeal.

‘It’s okay, Ayla,” Theo linkedas we walked. ‘He's okay. We did it. | know we did." “That was a bigger risk than imagined, Theo,’ | said. ‘If he..." ‘But he didn’t.” Theo insisted, rubbing my hand that was wrapped around his arm. ‘We will address the what-ifs later, baby. Right now, look at my father. We did that.” ‘We don’t know for sure it worked,” | replied.

‘Yes, we do, Ayla,” Theo said. ‘You know it in your heart. It worked." | watched Alpha Torin walking a few feet in front of us. He moved so easily. He had a grace and agility | hadn't seen in him since the first day | met him after my father died. It was now that | realized just how much he must have been hiding. How stiff his movements actually were before. This man beforewas completely renewed.

‘Yes, | think we did,” Alpha Torin led us to the clearing we were in just the night before with Luna Aniya. We had accumulated a few other pack members to the group on our way who were now eager to see what was going on. If this worked, he wanted to run. His wolf had been cooped up for too long. He needed this.

Before he went to the center of the clearing, Alpha Torin cto me. He reached up and cupped my cheeks.

“I never doubted who you were, Ayla,” he said tosoftly. “From the moment your father told me, | knew. | didn’t know why | was so sure, but | never doubted. Thank you for all the gifts you givenand my family.” | smiled as he kissed my forehead and turned away before | could say anything. This the stripped all the way down naked. With the crowd hold there breath, and a wink toward Luna Grace, Torin shifted.

It was smooth and beautiful. And within seconds his gorgeous ebony wolf was standing before us in all his glory.

There were cheers from us. When we quieted. Torin’s wolf, Maximus, bowed towardin gratitude. | swiped a tear away as a smaller brown wolf rushed to Maximus.

It was Leona, Luna Grace's wolf.

Suddenly, the rest of our pack mates started shifting along with their Alpha. Maximus let out a strong, clear, and commanding howl and the pack chorused it before taking off into the trees.