I drop to my knees, hands trembling as they press into the cold earth. Gold and silver light spills from my palms, flowing into the soil like molten fire.
The air grows heavy, pressing down on my chest, and I scream-not in fear, but in pure, unfiltered fury. All the anger, sorrow, and helplessness I’ve swallowed for months bursts free in a single, shattering cry.
Light erupts from me in a blinding shockwave of silver and gold, rippling outward in perfect, dazzling rings. The ground trembles beneath the force, grass flattening, trees bending away as the energy surges. The first wave envelops Ryder and Remy, wrapping around them like a protective silk. The glow pulses gently, warm and alive. The next wave crashes into the tree line where the hunters stand-their shouts turning to screams. I hear bodies hitting the ground, the rush of panicked footsteps retreating. But I don’t stop. I can’t.
Every buried feeling pours out of me: fear, rage, heartbreak, love. It blazes through me, unstoppable.
Images flash through my mind-
Jax’s bright, joyful laughter.
Poppy’s fierce, unwavering smile.
Remy’s teasing smirk.
Ryder’s steady hand resting on my waist.
Parker’s quiet warmth, the way his eyes find mine when I falter.
Callen’s wild, reckless laugh-the spark that keeps darkness at bay.
My mates. My son. My sister. My pack.
No one will take them from me.
The light swells, enveloping me until I cannot tell where I end and it begins. My vision floods white. Power burns beneath my skin. My heartbeat thunders like a storm in my ears.
The voice whispers one final time, gentle but commanding: “You are the bridge between sun and moon. Burn, and be reborn.”
A final scream rips free-half rage, half agony-as I slam both hands into the earth. The world shatters in a blinding explosion. A dome of pure energy erupts from where I strike, expanding in a brilliant flash. It sweeps through the forest, flattening undergrowth, scorching the air itself. The hunters’ cries vanish beneath the roar.
When silence falls, it is deafening. Smoke drifts lazily through the clearing. The light fades, leaving behind faint trails of gold and silver sparkling where it had been.
My vision blurs. The glow pulses faintly beneath my skin but fades quickly. I force my gaze toward Ryder and Remy. They remain there. For a moment, breath catches in my throat. I stare, terrified to blink, afraid to break the fragile spell.
The light clings softly to them, sinking into their skin like sunlight on water. Ryder stirs first, lifting his head slowly. His eyes find mine-wide, dazed-and I catch the faint rise and fall of Remy’s chest beneath him. He’s breathing. I didn’t destroy; I healed.
A sob of relief escapes me, but it’s short-lived. The world tilts violently, edges darkening.
Energy drains from me all at once, leaving only bone-deep exhaustion. Behind me, distant voices echo-Callen shouting, wolves howling, Jax calling my name-but they sound muffled, fading away.
The last thing I see before darkness claims me is the gentle shimmer of light still glowing around Ryder and Remy, guarding them.
Then my face falls into the cool, damp grass-and everything goes black.
The first sensation that washes over me is warmth. It spreads slowly through my chest like a rising tide-thick, overwhelming, and all-consuming. For a fleeting moment, the sharp sting of pain fades from my memory, replaced by this strange comfort.
Then, suddenly, air floods my lungs in a harsh, desperate gasp. The sound shatters the stillness around me, followed by a rough cough and the unmistakable metallic tang of blood where it shouldn’t be. My heart pounds wildly in my ribcage, a frantic drumbeat that reminds me I’m still here.
I’m alive. But by all rights, I shouldn’t be.
The last image burned into my mind is Remy’s body going limp beneath my hands. Then there was her-my mate-standing just a few feet away, bathed in moonlight and radiating raw fury. The air around her seemed to shimmer and dance with threads of gold and silver light, wrapping her skin like a wildfire desperate to break free. Her eyes locked onto mine, and for a single impossible heartbeat, time froze. I saw it then-the storm raging inside her, a power so immense it could cleanse the world in flames. Fear was absent from her gaze; instead, she blazed with righteous anger, our own avenging angel.
And then, the sharp crack of gunfire shattered that moment, followed by a searing pain that tore straight through my chest. Death was already creeping in when the world exploded into blinding light.
Now, the clearing around me glows softly with golden and silver hues, shimmering like a dream that refuses to fade away. For a brief second, I remain still, suspended in that fragile moment.
Maybe I’m not truly alive. Maybe this is the space between worlds-the place people whisper about, where lost wolves wander before the moon calls them home. The air feels too gentle, too still. No pain, no breath-only light.
I press my hand to the earth, expecting it to pass through emptiness, but the ground beneath me is solid. The scent of damp soil fills my lungs as I draw in a shaky breath. A cold breeze brushes against my skin, cutting through the haze. Somehow, impossibly, I am alive.
The earth beneath me glows faintly, tracing a perfect circle. The trees around the clearing bend away, and the grass lies flattened. Then I catch it-the faintest scent carried on the breeze.
Paige.
Summoning every ounce of strength, I push myself upright. My muscles tremble violently with the effort. My skin feels stiff, crusted with dried blood, but beneath that, it’s smooth and whole-no wounds, no scars. Only the faint hum of an unfamiliar energy buzzing just beneath the surface, making it difficult to focus.
A low groan draws my attention to the side.
“Rem,” I rasp, crawling toward him.
He lies a few feet away, pale but breathing steadily. His chest rises evenly, and the side that had been ripped open is completely healed. I breathe in deeply, surprised to find no trace of the toxin remains.
“Remy,” I say, shaking his shoulder gently.
He stirs, blinking as his eyes struggle to focus. “What the…? I thought…” he trails off.
“I know,” I whisper, my throat tightening. “Me too.”
A faint glow catches my eye, and I turn toward the source-a figure slumped in the grass.
Paige.
She lies crumpled on the ground, one hand stretched out toward us as if trying to reach us. Every instinct in me screams to move faster. I stumble forward, dropping to my knees, my hands shaking as I brush her hair away from her face.
Her skin is warm-almost too warm-but beneath my fingers, her pulse beats steady.
“Paige,” I whisper urgently. “Come on, Tink. Open your eyes.”
Nothing.
Behind me, Remy’s voice cracks with worry. “Rye… what the hell happened?”
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