# Chapter 262:

# Chapter 262:
Melinda's POV

Luna's magic pressed down on me like a physical weight, making it impossible to breathe. My vision darkened around the edges as I struggled against the invisible force crushing my chest. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, a voice cut through the fog in my mind.

"Melinda, don't give up."

"Leah?" I called internally, suddenly feeling a warm current spreading through my chest.

"I can help you now," Leah's voice sounded clearer than ever before, "but it will use all my strength. I'll be very weak afterward."

My heart raced. "Is there another way?" Despite being immobilized, my mind felt unusually clear.

"I can open a portal," Leah said, "to get you and Michael out of here." The suggestion made my heart leap with hope.

I glanced around—Michael writhed on the ground, the Alpha King stood like a statue, Luna towered over us with a triumphant smile, and Selena sobbed in the corner. We needed to escape, and we needed to do it now.

"Do it," I told Leah, feeling something gathering inside me. "But Michael has to come with us."

I closed my eyes, sensing Leah's power surging through my veins. My palms grew sweaty, but my chest felt strangely calm, as if I instinctively knew what was coming next.

When Leah's power erupted, my entire body burned like I'd been electrocuted. I'd expected a small portal to appear, but instead, a golden shockwave exploded outward in all directions.

"What's happening?" I panicked, watching golden ripples pass through the entire hall, shattering Luna's magic like glass.

"Don't know... too strong," Leah sounded surprised. "Maybe because Selena became human..."

I struggled to sit up, dizzy and nauseated. When my vision finally cleared, I nearly cried out—the Alpha King's eyes were no longer vacant.

My entire body felt like cooked spaghetti, and I could barely lift my hand. "Leah?" I called mentally, but received only a faint response, as if she'd fallen asleep.

Through half-closed eyes, I saw Michael crawling toward me, his face creased with concern. I wanted to tell him I was okay, but my lips moved without producing sound.

My head alternated between clarity and confusion. I blinked hard, fighting unconsciousness. When the Alpha King rose, the air seemed to grow heavier, making breathing even more difficult.

"He's awake," I thought, feeling both fear and hope. "Will he help us or kill us?" I could only lie there and wait.

Michael's hand steadied my shoulder, warm and firm. I leaned against him, watching the Alpha King and Luna.

Every word the Alpha King spoke made my ears ring, and even the floor seemed to vibrate. I shrank back, sensing his fury even from across the room.

Luna's proud face turned ashen, her eyes wide with fear, lips trembling. Seeing her scared like that almost made me want to laugh, though I was still too weak to lift my head.

"She deserves this," I thought, resting against Michael's chest, listening to his heartbeat. His body heat made me feel a little safer.

The Alpha King raised his hand, and a golden light shot toward Luna. Her scream pierced my eardrums, making me close my eyes instinctively, only to open them again immediately.

Luna had transformed into an ordinary human! I blinked, thinking my vision was blurry. Her red eyes had turned blue, her skin was no longer pale but had a healthy flush. "Justice," I thought. "What she hated most was ordinary humans."

My stomach churned with conflicting emotions—I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. After everything she'd done to my friends, to me, I should be happy, but I only felt relief that it was finally over.

I watched her stare at her hands in horror, thinking this punishment fit her better than death—letting her experience life as the human she despised so much.

Just as I was beginning to relax, Luna's expression changed. I recognized that manic glint in her eyes. I tried to shout, but my throat felt constricted, no sound coming out.

She pulled a dagger from her boot, its silver blade glinting. My heart sank—silver, designed specifically to harm werewolves, and something was dripping from the tip. Poison?

"She's going to kill me," I realized, my heart nearly stopping, but my body wouldn't respond to my commands.

My muscles screamed to run, to yell, to do something, but I was pinned in place. Fear turned my blood to ice as I desperately tried to wake Leah, but there was only silence.

Suddenly I was pushed aside, falling onto the cold floor. I looked up to see Michael—standing between me and Luna, the dagger buried deep in his abdomen.

"No!" My voice finally returned, tearing from my throat. Michael collapsed, blood pouring from the wound, staining his jacket red.

I lunged forward, pressing my hands against the wound, blood seeping between my fingers, warm and sticky. "Hold on, Michael!" I sobbed, tears falling uncontrollably. "Don't die, please, don't die!"

His eyes, those golden-brown eyes I loved, were losing their light. He tried to smile at me, but his face contorted in pain. My chest felt like it was being ripped open, worse than any injury I'd ever experienced.

"Leah, help me," I cried internally, "save him!" But Leah only responded weakly: "I'm sorry..."

I looked up at the Alpha King, tears streaming down my face. "Save him!" I choked out, my voice unlike my own. "He was trying to save me when he..." I couldn't finish.

The Alpha King immediately commanded, "Treat him now!" Guards rushed into action, but Luna's laughter suddenly echoed through the hall, raising goosebumps on my skin.

"It won't work," she laughed, her eyes filled with malice. "The blade is coated with an unbreakable poison. He won't survive." Her words felt like a knife straight into my heart, and I could barely breathe.

Fear and despair engulfed me as I gasped for air that seemed insufficient. I clutched Michael tighter, his breathing growing shallower. "No, there must be a way, there has to be!"

I looked pleadingly at the Alpha King. "Isn't there an antidote?" My voice shook with sobs. I couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it.

The Alpha King didn't answer, instead barking rapid orders as the entire palace burst into activity. A flicker of hope sparked in my heart, but Michael's skin was growing colder, paler.

I gazed at his closed eyes, my tears dropping onto his face. "Hold on," I whispered against his ear. "I won't let you die, I swear." Even as I said it, I had no idea how I would keep that promise.