Chapter 34 Blood Moon Wilderness
Briar's POV
I walked back into Lucian's room, trying to project confidence after that mortifying phone call with Rowan.
Lucian was standing by the entertainment console, holding a different VR headset than the one we'd used earlier. He glanced up as I entered, and I forced myself to sound casual. "New game? What are you playing now?"
He held up the sleek black device, a slight smile playing at his mouth. "This is Blood Moon Wilderness, the entertainment version of a rehabilitation system we developed for wolves struggling with transformation control. It's called Lunar Stabilizer in clinical settings, but the game version is significantly more intense." He paused, studying my face. "Think you can handle it?"
I raised an eyebrow, refusing to back down from what was clearly a challenge. "It's just a game. You're not seriously questioning my psychological resilience, are you?"
"Not at all." He adjusted settings on the device. "I'm just saying Delta-ranked warriors have been known to scream during certain sequences. But if you get scared, you can always grab my arm. I won't judge."
The provocation made me want to prove him wrong. "Set it up."
He moved closer, his fingers brushing my temples as he adjusted the straps. "Ready?"
The world dissolved and reformed. A mechanical female voice echoed around me. "Welcome to Blood Moon Wilderness Trial. Hunt three silver deer before the full moon rises, or survive until dawn. The trial begins now."
The forest was breathtakingly realistic. Moonlight filtered through dense canopy, casting silver shadows across moss-covered ground. I could hear rustling leaves, distant night birds, even feel a phantom breeze. I started tracking what looked like deer prints, completely immersed in the experience.
Then something crashed through the underbrush behind me.
I spun around and immediately regretted it. The wolf that emerged was wrong in every way. Its eyes bulged from their sockets, one hanging partially free and leaking dark fluid. Its neck twisted at an impossible angle, head nearly backwards on its shoulders. Patches of flesh had rotted away, revealing bone and muscle beneath.
The scream tore out before I could stop it. I stumbled backward and crashed into Lucian's chest, my fingers clutching his shirt.
His arms came around me immediately, removing the headset. "Easy, I've got you."
My heart hammered against my ribs, and I was genuinely shaking. "What the hell was that?"
"Corrupted hunter. Main enemies in the game." His hand rubbed slow circles on my back. "They trigger the same fear response newly turned wolves experience when they lose control. It helps them build resistance through exposure."
I pulled back, trying to regain composure even though my legs felt unsteady. "You could have warned me they looked like that."
"Would you have believed me if I'd just described it?" He was still holding me loosely, his hands resting on my waist. "Besides, I did warn you it was intense. You're the one who insisted it was just a game."
I forced my heartbeat to slow. I wasn't letting a game beat me, no matter how horrifying the graphics were. "I was just caught off guard. Now that I know what to expect, I can handle it."
"Are you sure?" There was genuine concern in his eyes. "There's no shame in stopping. The game is specifically designed to be overwhelming."
That just made me more determined. "I'm sure. Just tell me the actual rules. Give me the headset back."
He studied my face for a moment, then reached for my wrist instead of handing over the device. "If you're continuing, let me show you the controls properly. You have weapons, you just need to know how to access them."
He guided my hand through gestures, his fingers wrapped around my wrist. "Reach to your right hip like this, then pull up and forward. That draws your blade. Left hip is projectile weapon. Crossing motion to reload or switch."
His body was close behind mine as he demonstrated, walking me through each motion. "Got it?"
"I got it." I reached for the headset. "Now let me try again."
He helped me put it back on. "Remember, it's just a game. You're safe."
The world shifted again. Instead of dense woods, I found myself in an open clearing with scattered rocks and dead trees. The mechanical voice returned immediately. "Warning: Five corrupted hunters approaching. Survival countdown: sixty seconds."
I spun in a circle, trying to spot them, my hands moving through the weapon-draw gesture. Nothing happened. I tried again frantically. Still nothing.
The first corrupted wolf burst from behind a rock, and panic overrode everything. In the real world, my hands shot out and grabbed Lucian's shoulders, then I was scrambling upward without thinking, my legs wrapping around his waist as I tried to climb higher.
"I can't find the weapons!" My voice came out panicked, still immersed in virtual reality. "They're coming! I need to get higher! If I can just reach the top, maybe I can hide!"
I felt Lucian's hands catch my thighs, but I was too focused on approaching monsters. I grabbed what I thought was a branch—Lucian's head—and started shaking it vigorously, trying to dislodge virtual fruit or rocks to throw.
"Come on, fall down already! I need something to throw at them!"
Lucian's voice came through strained. "Briar, you're shaking my actual head, not a tree branch."
I shook harder, desperation overriding logic. "Just a few more seconds! They're almost here!"
Suddenly the headset was pulled off. Reality crashed back, and I became horrifyingly aware of my position. I was wrapped around Lucian like a koala, legs locked around his waist, hands gripping his hair, his nose almost against my collarbone.
His hands were firmly planted under my thighs, and his expression mixed patience with something I couldn't identify.
"Oh my god." I released my grip on his hair. "I'm so sorry. I got too into it. I didn't mean to basically assault you."
"Nearly give me a concussion?" There wasn't real anger in his voice. "It's fine. I should have expected that level of immersion."
I started to unwrap my legs, but his hands tightened on my thighs. My heart kicked back into overdrive for entirely different reasons.
"Lucian, you can put me down now."
"Can I?" He tilted his head, and I became acutely aware of how close his face was to mine. "You nearly shook me into a brain injury. I think I deserve some compensation for that."
"That's not—" I couldn't form coherent sentences with his hands on my thighs and his eyes locked on mine. "It was an accident. You said yourself the game is designed to be immersive. Besides, you didn't actually get a concussion, so there's no basis for compensation."
"Didn't I?" His voice dropped lower. "I'm feeling pretty dizzy right now. Might need to sit down. Or maybe I just need to stay exactly like this until I'm sure I'm stable."
"You're clearly fine." I tried to sound firm, but my voice came out breathier than intended. "Now put me down."
"Make me."
The challenge sent heat through me. I started pushing at his shoulders, but he was solid and unmovable. I tried kicking at his legs to make him release me, but that just made him laugh and tighten his grip.
"Fine. You want compensation?" I reached down and rubbed his neck where I'd been gripping. "There. Compensation delivered. Now let me down."
"You're really bad at apologies." His voice had gone rough, his eyes darkening. "You're the one who climbed me like a tree. I'm just making the best of the situation you created."
"Because you dared me to play that nightmare game and didn't warn me properly about the weapons!" The words came out heated. "If anything, you owe me an apology."
"For what? Catching you when you jumped on me? Preventing you from falling?" He leaned in closer, until his nose almost touched mine. "Or for wanting to be this close to you. For not wanting to let go. For thinking about doing this since you walked into my room tonight."
I stared at him, my mind going blank, unable to process what he'd just said or the way he was looking at me. The moment stretched between us, heavy with something too significant to name.
Then he lifted one hand and flicked me gently on the forehead.
"There. Punishment complete." His voice shifted back to casual. "You can get down now."
He released me completely, and I slid down, stumbling back a step.
"I should—" I gestured toward the door. "I'm going back to my room now."
"Want me to walk you?" He leaned against the couch, looking composed.
The thought of prolonging this moment when I could still feel the phantom warmth of his hands was too much. "No. I'm fine. I can walk myself."