The pack answers with a chorus of howls, a storm of grief and rage, but all I can focus on is that first, desperate cry. The one that means something has gone horribly, irreversibly wrong.
Jaxon sobs quietly against Callen’s shoulder, his tiny hand clutching his uncle’s shirt. His soft cries cut through the chaos like a knife.
Parker tries to sit up, but his limbs tremble too violently. “He’s still alive,” he gasps. “He has to be.”
Callen crouches beside us, voice low and rough. “He is. If he wasn’t, the bond would have snapped clean. He’s still out there.”
I nod numbly, my throat tight, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. I want to believe him. I want to believe that howl was a battle cry, not a farewell.
Callen barks orders I can barely process, and behind us, the pack begins moving again. The noise swells as Jake and Poppy lead the way forward. I stare back toward the darkness we fled-the trees hiding flashes of light and echoes of chaos.
“Remy,” I whisper, voice trembling. “Please hold on.”
A gunshot cracks in the distance-sharp, unmistakable. The sound reverberates through my bones.
I press my hand firmly on Parker’s shoulder, steadying both of us. The words slip out before I can stop them, a promise I’m not sure I can keep.
“I’m coming for you.”
“Remy, please,” I murmur softly, but no reply comes-only that faint, fragile hum threading through the bond, growing thinner, fraying at the edges.
Callen pivots toward me, urgency carved deeply into every line of his face. “Paige, take Jax.” His voice is rough, strained as he tries to pass our son into my arms. “Run-go with Poppy and Jake. Now. Don’t look back.”
But my feet refuse to move. I’m rooted in place, caught by something shifting inside me-something fierce and unyielding.
The world’s edges blur, sounds swelling painfully loud-the crunch of leaves beneath hurried footsteps, the ragged panting of wolves circling us, Jax’s soft whimpers, his tiny hands reaching for me. My hands tremble, but it’s no longer fear coursing through me.
It’s fury.
It begins as a low coil in my belly, winding tight, spreading through my veins like wildfire. I lift my face to the moon, letting its cold silver light wash over me. It doesn’t soothe the blaze inside; instead, it fans the flames.
Callen curses under his breath. “Shit, Paige…”
I barely register his words. When my voice finally breaks free, it’s raw, cracked with emotion. “No one’s taking this from me.”
He freezes. “What?”
The crushing weight of all we’ve lost crashes down-poisoned water, relentless dread, the steady heartbeat of my son pressed close as I wonder if we’ll see dawn. I’m done with fear. Done with running. This rage isn’t reckless; it’s sharp, purposeful, born from love and desperation. If the Goddess made me for something, maybe it’s for this moment.
I meet his gaze, steady and fierce. “No one takes our home. Our pack. My family. Not again. I’ve lost too much already.”
The air thickens around me, charged and heavy. Something ignites deep within-a bright, merciless flame. My skin tingles, the atmosphere humming against it. Flickers of light dance at the edge of my vision-first soft silver, then warm gold. My heart pounds painfully, each beat echoing with an energy that feels both foreign and familiar, as if it’s always been a part of me.
Callen’s face shifts from worry to horror. “Paige, don’t… whatever this is, don’t let it consume you…”
But I’m already moving.
The ground blurs beneath my feet; the forest whips past in a dizzying rush as I run faster than I ever have. The wind tears at my hair, whipping strands into my face, but I barely notice.
Behind me, Callen’s raw shout of my name cuts through the chaos. Paws thunder close-Leo, Parker, others-but I’m already gone, too far, too fast.
The forest pulses with sound: gunfire, howls piercing the night, the metallic tang of blood thick in the air. Somewhere ahead, through smoke and turmoil, I can feel him.
Remy.
The bond tugs at me like a thin thread woven through my ribs, pulling tighter with every heartbeat. Each tug twists like a knife. I can sense his pain, his fading warmth.
“Hold on,” I whisper, voice breaking. “Please, hold on.”
The deeper I run, the louder the chaos grows-shouts, growls, the sharp crack of bullets. My lungs burn, but I refuse to slow. The glow inside me intensifies, spreading over my skin, flickering defiantly in the darkness.
When the trees finally open into a clearing, my heart halts.
Ryder kneels in the mud, his hands pressed desperately to Remy’s side. Remy lies still beneath him, blood gleaming dark and wet in the moonlight. Ryder’s face twists with desperation, trying to stem the flow, but the blood is everywhere-on his arms, soaking into the earth.
Remy’s chest rises shallowly once. Twice. Then falters.
“NO!” The scream tears from me before I even realize I’m making a sound.
Ryder’s head snaps up, eyes locking with mine. For a fleeting moment, hope flickers across his face.
Then a gunshot cracks through the night.
Ryder’s body jerks violently, shock and disbelief etched across his face as blood gushes from his chest. He collapses forward onto Remy.
The world shrinks to a pinpoint. Just like that, two of the men I love lie broken in the dirt.
In the distance, hunters shout. The metallic click of reloading echoes. Leaves rustle as movement stirs in the bushes. But all I see are the two I cherish, shattered and still.
I stumble forward, breath ragged and shallow. “No,” I whisper again, trembling. “No, please…”
A sound rises inside my head, faint at first, then swelling-a voice neither mine nor my mates’, ancient and soft. “It’s time.”
Confusion slices through my grief. “What…”
“You know what to do, child of two lights.”
The voice vibrates through my bones, through the earth beneath me.
“You must restore the balance, Paige.”
The words resonate inside my skull-too clear to be imagined, too old to ignore. My vision flickers between gold and silver, the trees around me seeming to breathe with me. This power no longer asks; it demands release. It longs to protect-and I am ready.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply