The Wolfless Luna's Revenge: Returning With His Secret Twins-Chapter 291

~Samantha~

We made it back to camp but Killian barely made it out of the car.

He stumbled toward the fire someone had built and collapsed beside it, curling into himself like he was trying to hold his body together through sheer will.

Black energy crawled under his skin. Visible through the veins in his arms and neck. Pulsing with his heartbeat like living shadows trying to break free.

"He’s getting worse." I moved toward him but Dominic grabbed my arm.

"Don’t. Not until we know if he’s still him or if the shadow’s taken over."

"He saved us back there." I pulled free. "The least we can do is not abandon him when he needs help."

"The least we can do is protect the twins from a potential threat." Dominic’s voice was harsh but his eyes were worried. "I’m not losing them because we were too kind and considerate."

He had a point. A frustrating, logical point.

"Fine. But I’m checking on him from a safe distance." I moved closer to the fire, keeping enough space that I could react if Killian suddenly attacked.

He looked awful. Skin pale and sweaty. Eyes closed so tight the muscles in his face were twitching. Every breath seemed to hurt.

"Killian?" I kept my voice soft. "Can you hear me?"

No response. Just the black energy continuing its crawl across his skin.

A small hand tugged at my jacket.

Diana. Holding something wrapped in a napkin.

"What are you doing up?" I crouched to her level. "You should be resting in the tent with your brother."

"I wanted to give Uncle Killian this." She held out the napkin and I saw it was one of the honey biscuits from dinner. "Mommy says sweet things can drive away bad stuff. Maybe it’ll help him."

My chest squeezed. "That’s very kind of you, sweetheart. But Uncle Killian might not be feeling well enough to eat right now."

"I’ll try anyway." Before I could stop her, Diana walked right up to Killian and held out the biscuit. "Uncle? I brought you something."

Killian’s eyes opened. Still his normal color, thank god. Not purple.

He looked at Diana for a long moment. Then at the biscuit. Then took it with a shaking hand.

"Thank you." His voice was rough. Barely audible. "That’s very sweet of you."

"You’re welcome." Diana smiled. "Feel better, okay?"

She ran back to the tent before I could say anything.

Killian stared at the biscuit. Didn’t eat it. Just held it like it was something precious he was afraid to break.

Then his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

I tensed but he wasn’t attacking. Just holding on. Desperate.

"Your mother." His grip was tight enough to hurt. "Your mother used royal blood to save me. But the price was..."

He didn’t get to finish.

Dominic was there in a second, fist twisted in Killian’s collar, yanking him up and slamming him against the nearest tree hard enough to shake leaves loose.

"Stay away from her!" Dominic’s voice had gone Alpha. Low and dangerous. "Whatever you think you know about Sam’s mother, keep it to yourself."

"Dom, let him go!" I grabbed Dominic’s arm but he didn’t budge.

"He’s compromised." Dominic didn’t take his eyes off Killian. "The shadow is using him to get information. To manipulate you."

"Or he’s trying to warn me about something important!" I pulled harder. "Let. Him. Go."

Dominic held on for another few seconds. Then released Killian, who slumped against the tree, coughing.

"Talk." Dominic crossed his arms. "And make it quick before I change my mind about not killing you."

Killian pressed a hand to his ribs, wincing. "Your mother saved my life some years ago. Used her royal blood to burn out shadow corruption that should’ve killed me."

"I know that story." I frowned. "You told me about it when we first met. Mom was traveling through the pack territory and found you wounded. Healed you. That’s how you knew her."

"That’s the version I told you." Killian looked up and the pain in his eyes wasn’t just physical. "That’s the version everyone knows. But it’s not the whole truth."

"Then what is?" I demanded.

"I wasn’t just wounded." He took a breath. "I was a test subject. For shadow experiments. Black Moon’s early trials before they perfected the process."

"What?"

"I was captured during a border raid. Taken to one of their facilities." His voice had gone flat. Detached. Like he was reading from a report instead of talking about his own trauma. "They used me to test how shadow corruption interacted with Alpha bloodlines. Injected me with different compounds. Monitored how fast it spread. How much pain I could endure before breaking."

"Killian." I barely recognized my own voice.

"I was there for five years. Five years of torture disguised as research. And then your mother found the facility during one of her missions with the Silver Claw Clan. Burned the whole thing down. Freed everyone she could save."

"But some were too far gone." I connected the dots. "Too corrupted to be saved normally."

"I was one of them. The corruption had merged with my wolf. Removing it would’ve killed me." He looked at his hands where the black veins were still visible. "But your mother refused to let me die. Used her royal blood in a ritual that transferred the corruption from me to her."

My blood went cold. "She took your corruption into herself?"

"Only temporarily. Her royal blood was strong enough to burn it out. But it cost her." His eyes met mine. "It cost her years of her life. Power she could never recover. And it marked her. Made her a target for Black Moon because they knew she’d interfered with their experiments."

"That’s why they came after her." The pieces were falling into place. "They weren’t just targeting her because she was Primordial Luna. They were targeting her because she destroyed their research and saved their test subjects."

"She saved twenty-three of us that night." Killian’s voice cracked. "Twenty-three wolves who should’ve died in those experiments. And Black Moon never forgave her for it."

"Is that why you’re here?" Dominic’s voice was still hard. "Guilt over what Sam’s mother sacrificed for you?"

"Partially." Killian didn’t deny it. "I owe her everything. My life. My sanity. My freedom. And I swore to her before she died that I’d protect her daughter if anything ever happened."

"You knew she was going to die." I couldn’t breathe. "She knew they were coming for her."

"She knew Black Moon would never stop hunting her after what she’d done. But she also knew you’d be strong enough to finish what she started." He looked at me. "That’s why she left you all those clues. All those safeguards. She was preparing you to face Black Moon when the time came."

"And you’ve been watching." Dominic’s fists were clenched. "All this time. Following Sam. Making sure she survived long enough to complete her mother’s mission."

"At first, yes." Killian admitted. "But then I actually got to know her. Got to see how strong she is. How brave. How much like her mother but also completely her own person." He smiled slightly. "I’m not here out of obligation anymore. I’m here because you’re my friend, Sam. And because I believe you can actually do this. Stop Black Moon. End the corruption. Finish what your mother started."

"By sacrificing yourself." I’d seen the black veins spreading. Seen how much pain he was in. "The curse is killing you. You know that, right?"

"I know." He didn’t look away. "The corruption your mother burned out of me left scars. Weak points in my system where shadow power can get in easier. That’s why the curse took hold so fast. Why it’s spreading despite everything I do to slow it."

"There has to be a way to cure it." I looked at Dominic. "We cured those shadow wolves with the pendant."

"The wolves were possessed. Controlled." Killian shook his head. "My corruption is internal. The pendant won’t work on me."

"Then we find another way." My hands were shaking. "There’s always another way."

"Sam." He pushed off the tree and swayed. Dominic caught him before he fell. "Some things can’t be fixed. Some prices are paid in full, no refunds."

"I don’t accept that." Tears were burning my eyes now. "I didn’t know my mother. Barely got any time with her before she died. But I know she wouldn’t have saved you just so you could die ten years later from the same corruption."

"She saved me so I could help you." His voice was gentle. "So I could be here. Now. When you need allies the most. That was always the plan."

"A plan that ends with you dying?" I was openly crying now. "That’s a shit plan, Killian."

"Most heroic plans are." He managed a weak smile. "But I’m not dead yet. Still got enough fight left to make it to the Moon Wolf Altar. To help you stop Black Moon once and for all."

"And after?" Dominic asked quietly. "After we stop Black Moon and the twins purify the shadow. What happens to you then?"

Killian didn’t answer.

He didn’t have to.

We all knew what happened to wolves whose corruption was too deep. Not yet.

Not ever.