She reached out as if to grab , her expression turning frantic. "Please," she begged, her voice breaking. "I am asking you as his mate and as the Luna of this pack."
Before I could respond, one by one, the werewolves of the Silver Moon pack began to gather, both the injured and the unhurt. They fell to their knees in the dirt, heads lowered, eyes filled with fear and remorse. The sound of their bodies hitting the ground echoed loudly in my ears.
"Please forgive us."
"Save our Alpha."
"We beg you."
Their voices overlapped, desperate and tired, crushing down on from every direction. My chest tightened painfully as I looked at them, seeing not the faces of my torntors, but of people terrified of losing their leader, their ho, their sense of stability.
It was just too much. ’Why can’t I do what I want? I don’t want to be the bigger person here. When he was hurting what were you all doing? Did you plead for as you are pleading for him now?!’ I wanted to yell those words in their faces so badly.
I stood abruptly and turned away, pushing through the crowd as I rushed outside the pack grounds. The cool night air hit my face, but it did nothing to soothe the storm raging inside . A single tear fell from my eye, trailing down my cheek before I could stop it.
I pressed my hands to my chest, trying to breathe.
Just as I was struggling to gather myself, strong arms wrapped around from behind, pulling into a firm embrace. I stiffened at first, then relaxed as a familiar scent of chocolate and pine surrounded . I knew at that instant, at least I had soone by my side, I had Damon.
He did not say anything right away. He simply held , letting the silence stretch between us, giving space without pushing. Slowly, my racing heart began to calm, my breathing evened out as his presence surrounded .
After a while, he spoke quietly. "It is your choice," he said. "No one can force you to heal him. Not them, and definitely not ."
I closed my eyes, letting the silence linger.
I knew how much the alliance ant to Damon. I knew how fragile the balance between the packs was, and how easily it could crumble if Alpha Caelen died. The thought made my stomach churn, but I also knew this decision was not only about politics.
Maybe he fears I might regret it as ti goes by. But I really didn’t give a shit about it. Or did I?
After a long mont, I nodded.
I gently unwrapped his arms from around my waist and turned to face him. Standing on my tiptoes, I kissed him softly, pouring everything I could not put into words into that single mont. "I know what to do," I whispered.
Damon kissed back, his hand brushing my cheek before dropping away. I bit my lower lip and looked at him one last ti, then turned and walked back inside.
Alpha Caelen lay where the witches had left him, his breathing shallow and uneven. I stopped beside him, staring down at the man who had shaped so much of my pain.
The emotions swirling inside were ssy and conflicting, anger, resentnt, grief, and sothing that felt uncomfortably close to pity.
I lifted my hands and hovered them above his chest.
Golden light blood from my palms, warm and bright as it flowed into his body. Slowly, visibly, his wounds began to close. Torn flesh knitted together, broken bones realigned, and the damage inside him repaired itself under my magic.
A gasp escaped his lips as his eyes fluttered open.
Surprise filled them when he saw standing over him.
’What? Surprised that soone you threw away is the sa person saving your ass? Who is it because the fae you all considered an abomination is saving you all ass?’ I thought inwardly.
I lowered my hands and stepped back, already turning to leave when his voice stopped . "Thank you," he whispered weakly.
I did not respond and continued walking away from where he was.
Evelyn instantly rushed towards him, hugging him so tightly like so cuddling birds. ’Such an eyesore.’
Once all the injured were treated, Damon gathered everyone together. He announced that it was safest to evacuate the Silver Moon pack to the Bloodshade territory, as too much damage had been done for them to remain here.
I opened a portal, the air shimring as it took form. One by one, the werewolves stepped through, leaving behind a ho that had been broken, and moving toward an uncertain future that I knew would change everything.
When it was ti for Maddie to step through the portal, she gave a disdainful look, before rolling her eyes.
Seeing her attitude, I really... really wanted to tell Damon we should leave her behind, or find another pack to send her to.
I had so much on my hands that I didn’t want to add her pettiness to my schedule.
After we got back to the Bloodshade pack, the elders began to delegate so areas to the packs, as it was not only Damon and I who had gone to rescue the packs.
Alaric, Seraphina, and Theo had gone to different packs to help them. Although not all of them were brought back, they only brought back the packs that were heavily attacked.
The ones who were not attacked yet or had no serious injuries were fortified.
Cough. Cough.
My chest tightened as my shoulders jerked, I quickly hurried to a hidden spot where no one would notice .
Blood spurted from my mouth. The tightness in my chest worsened and for a second everything blurred, just as I was about to hit the ground.
Soone grabbed from behind.
My vision cleared slightly, and I turned to see who the person was. "Seraphina?" I muttered before I fully lost consciousness.
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