Damien’s POV
Pain.
That’s all there was at first. Just pain. Everywhere.
My chest burning. My lungs refusing to work. My heart stuttering. Stopping. Starting again weakly.
Then nothing.
The pain faded. Everything faded. Like soone had turned down the volu on the world until there was just... silence.
This was death. Had to be. I’d fought it as long as I could. But the poison had won.
Voss had won.
The thought should have made angry. Should have made fight harder. But I was too tired. Too far gone.
At least I’d tried. At least I’d fought for them.
Sera. Adrian. Lily.
Their faces flashed through my mind. Clear. Perfect. Like photographs burned into my consciousness.
Would Sera forgive ? For dying? For leaving them alone?
Would she ever know the truth? About Gabriel. About Emma. About how I’d never betrayed her?
The questions dissolved. Unimportant now. I was dying. Nothing else mattered.
My consciousness started to slip. That final slide into darkness. Into nothing.
Then I felt it.
A pull. Subtle at first. Like a thread tugging at sothing deep inside .
Alex stirred.
My wolf. Who should have been dying too. Who should have been fading along with .
But he wasn’t fading. He was... waking up?
That didn’t make sense. We were poisoned. Dying. There was no waking up from this.
The pull got stronger. Insistent. Demanding attention.
Alex pushed against my consciousness. Urgent. Excited. Like he’d sensed sothing I couldn’t.
*Mate.*
The word echoed through my fading thoughts. Clear. Certain.
Impossible.
Sera was miles away. Safe at ho with the kids. She couldn’t be here. Wouldn’t be here.
And even if she wasâ€"her wolf was dead. Gone three years ago. There was no mate bond to sense anymore.
I was hallucinating. Had to be. The poison making see things. Feel things. Hope for things that couldn’t be real.
The pull intensified. Alex howling now. Not in pain. In recognition. In joy.
*Mate. Mate. MATE.*
My body was still shutting down. Heart barely beating. Lungs barely breathing. But Alex didn’t care. He was trying to reach her. Trying to respond to whatever he was sensing.
Then sothing touched my chest.
Hot. Burning. Like molten gold being poured directly onto my skin.
The sensation spread. Fast. Following the path of my wounds. Seeping into torn flesh. Into poisoned blood.
The darkness receded slightly. Just enough for awareness to creep back in.
What was happening?
The burning intensified. Not painful though. Not like the poison. This was different. Healing. Restorative.
Like life itself flowing into .
My heart beat. Strong. Steady. No more stuttering. No more weakness.
My lungs expanded. Drew breath. Actual air filling them. Oxygen reaching blood.
The poison—that deadly mixture that had been killing —it was dissolving. Breaking apart. Being pushed out by whatever this was.
The wounds closed. I felt it happening. Torn tissue knitting together. Broken bones fusing. Everything healing faster than should be possible.
Alex was going crazy now. Howling. Celebrating. Pushing toward consciousness.
*Mate! Our mate! She’s here!*
Her voice reached then. Distant. Broken. But unmistakably hers.
"Damien."
Sera.
My wife. My mate. The woman I’d thought I’d never see again.
She was here. Actually here.
And she was crying. I could hear it in her voice. That desperate edge. That grief.
"Damien, please."
The words wrapped around . Pulled up. Toward consciousness. Toward life.
I had to respond. Had to let her know I was alive. That I was coming back.
But my body wouldn’t cooperate. Still too weak. Still recovering from being dead.
The healing continued. That golden warmth spreading. Fixing everything the poison had destroyed.
Sera’s voice kept calling. Kept begging. Each word making stronger. Making fight harder to wake up.
"I know the truth!" Her words tumbled out. Fast. Desperate. "About Gabriel. About Emma. About the setup. I watched the videos. I know you didn’t betray !"
She knew.
The realization hit like lightning. She’d seen the evidence. Believed it. Understood finally that I hadn’t chosen Emma. Hadn’t betrayed our marriage.
"I’m sorry." Her voice cracked completely. "I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you. I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I made you think I hated you."
The grief in her words hurt worse than the poison had. She thought I was dead. Thought she was too late.
I had to wake up. Had to show her I was alive. Had to—
My heart stopped again.
But not from poison. From shock.
Because I felt it. Clear as day. Impossible but undeniable.
Soone bonded to Sera.
Her wolf.
But that was impossible. Ayla was dead. Had been dead for three years. Wolves didn’t co back. Didn’t resurrect.
Yet I felt her. Felt that presence. That power. That unmistakable mark of an Alpha wolf.
Wait.
Alpha?
Ayla had been oga. Small. Gentle. Brown-furred.
This wolf was different. Stronger. Bigger. Silver-white.
An Alpha wolf.
Sera’s Alpha wolf.
Understanding crashed through . Clear. Undeniable.
She’d never been oga. Never been weak.
Alpha blood. Pure Alpha blood. Just like mine.
That’s why our bond was so strong. Why our children were so powerful. Why we’d been drawn to each other from the first mont.
True mates. Alpha mates. The rarest bond in existence.
And her wolf—this new Alpha warrior—she was using their bond. Their mate bond. To heal .
To bring back from death.
The golden warmth pulsed one final ti. Bright. Overwhelming. Then settled.
I felt whole again. Healed. Alive.
My heart beat strong. My lungs worked perfectly. My body responded.
I could move.
My fingers twitched first. Just slightly. Testing.
Sera gasped. I felt her hand against my face. Felt her tears still falling.
"Damien?" Her voice shook. "Damien, can you hear ?"
I forced my eyes open.
Slowly. Like lifting weights. But they opened.
Light flooded in. Too bright. I blinked. Adjusted.
Then I saw her.
Sera.
My wife. My mate. The most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
She was a ss. Blood everywhere. Dirt and tears streaking her face. Her clothes torn. Her hair wild.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
"Sera?" My voice ca out rough. Weak. But it ca out.
Her face crumpled. Fresh tears streaming. "Yes. Yes, it’s . I’m here."
My hand lifted. Shaking. Barely. But I managed to touch her face. To cup her cheek. To feel her warmth.
Real. She was real.
"Am I dreaming?" The question felt important. Necessary. Because this seed too good. Too impossible.
"No." She grabbed my hand. Pressed it harder against her face. "No, you’re not dreaming. I’m really here. You’re really alive."
Alive.
The word echoed. Settled. Beca real.
I was alive. Against all odds. Against the poison. Against death itself.
Because of her.
"You saved ." The realization ca out wondering. Awed. "Your tears. They healed ."
"I don’t know how." She was crying harder now. "I was justâ€"I thought you were dead and I couldn’t—I didn’t know what to do—"
"Shh." I pulled her closer. Despite the weakness. Despite everything. "It’s okay. I’m okay."
She collapsed onto my chest. Sobbing. Her whole body shaking.
I held her. My arms wrapping around her. Keeping her close. Keeping her safe.
This woman. This incredible woman who’d sohow brought back from death.
My mate. My true mate.
"Your wolf." The words ca out soft. "I felt her. She’s Alpha."
"Through our bond." I touched her face again. Marveling. "She’s beautiful. Strong. Just like you."
"I didn’t know." Fresh tears fell. "I didn’t know I could shift again. Didn’t know she was there. But when I saw you dyingâ€"when I thought you were goneâ€""
"She ca back." I understood perfectly. "To save . To save us."
Sera nodded. Unable to speak through the tears.
"Thank you." The words felt inadequate. Insufficient for what she’d done. For what she’d given. "Thank you for not giving up. For finding . For bringing back."
"I love you." She said it fierce. Desperate. "I love you. I’ve always loved you. Even when I was angry. Even when I thought you’d betrayed . I never stopped."
"I know." I pulled her close again. Pressed my forehead to hers. "I know, love. I’ve always known."
We stayed like that. Just breathing. Just holding each other. Just being alive.
"The videos." I said finally. Pulling back enough to see her face. "You watched them?"
"Yes." She nodded rapidly. "I saw everything. Gabriel confessing. Emma admitting it. All of it."
"And you believe now? You know I didn’t—"
"I know." She cut off. "I know you didn’t betray . I know you were drugged. I know everything."
Relief flooded through . Overwhelming. All-consuming.
She believed . Finally. After all these months.
"I’m sorry." Her voice broke again. "I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you before. I should have trusted you. Should have known you’d never—"
"Stop." I touched her lips. Gentle. "You had every reason to doubt. The evidence looked real. I understand."
"But I hurt you." Tears stread faster. "I pushed you away. Filed for divorce. Made you think I hated you."
"But you ca back." I wiped her tears with my thumb. "You found . You saved . That’s what matters."
"I almost lost you." The words ca out choked. "You were dead. Actually dead. And Iâ€""
"But I’m not dead." I pulled her closer. "I’m right here. Alive. Because of you."
She buried her face in my neck. Crying harder. Her tears warm against my skin.
I held her. Let her cry. Let her release all the fear and grief and relief.
My own eyes burned. My own tears threatening. But I held them back. Focused on her. On comforting her.
"You’re a gift." The words ca out soft. Reverent. "You know that? You’re a gift from the Moon Goddess herself."
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