Ch. 261..270

Chapter 261

“I’m ready,” I reply, straightening my shoulders and sitting up, away from my mother, who is also the Goddess. “What do I need to do?”

“You must go,” she urges, her eyes clear and untroubled despite the turmoil in mine. “Into the desert beyond this temple. There, I can communicate more clearly, more fully. I will make your path clear to you.”

“Seriously?” I cry, wrinkling my nose in distaste and looking over my shoulder to where the desert surely waits. “Out into the desert? It’s not something that we can do here, in the comfort of this really nice temple?” My wolf inside me howls at the idea – she wants trees and shade and cool damp places, not the hot desert sun.

The Goddess smiles at me and shakes her head lightly, her glowing blonde hair shaking over her shoulders. “No, my child,” she intones. “You must learn the lessons that this earth has to teach you, and it’s not something you can glean from a structure built by man.” Her eyes drift, then, to my stomach, where my child is growing. “It will be dangerous for you,” she whispers. “You are weaker than you think, girl.”

My stomach sinks at her words and my hands fly to my stomach, instantly wanting to protect my little boy. “Will it…will it hurt him? To learn what I need to know?”

She looks at me evenly, not giving a hint of affirmation or denial. “The future is not written, my child,” she whispers, her voice soft. “Your body is weak, but your child is strong. Your time in the desert will be a trial, your deliverance of my gift to your people will be worse. It is your choice, whether to take these risks upon your body. And in the end, there is no guarantee that it will work. You are…late. The war is well progressed. Those against whom you fight are strong.”

I look around the room at everyone, all of their eyes and their hopes trained upon me in this instant. My hands move over my stomach as I look each of them in the face, but my heart is with my little boy – our little boy, mine and Sinclair’s. This miracle we made together.

as

I would do anything to save him, to keep him safe. This I know as a truth as deep as my soul, deep as my love for Sinclair. But I think as well of the world he’ll grow up in if I do nothing. A world torn apart by war, in which he will always be hunted, always be a target. And one day he’ll grow big and strong, like his father – big enough to take it all on. But until then, when he is just an innocent child…

Until then, it’s my job to fight for him.

“All right,” I choke out, my fear as well as my determination shining on my face. “All right, I’ll do it. Let’s go.”

My mother gives me a soft, worried smile and leans forward, taking my face in her glowing hands. “I will be with you every step,” she murmurs, her voice soft enough that I’m the only one to hear it. “Do not doubt that I am there, guiding you, little one.” Then, pressing a kiss to my forehead, she begins to glow with a fierce, burning light.

As she pulls away, she turns to Cora and gives her a bright smile. Cora blinks her surprise, shocked to be singled out by the Goddess. And then, all at once, the light is blinding, forcing all of us to close our eyes against the glare. When we open them again, the Goddess is gone and the room is cast in relative darkness.

“What!” Cora cries, jumping to her feet and looking around. “But she didn’t give us any instructions – what are we supposed to do!?”

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head at my sister. “No, I know what to do.” I press my hand to my forehead, where the goddess had pressed her kiss. With it, she gave me her love, but also all of the instructions I need to carry us forward. “Come,” I order, getting to my feet definitively. “We have far to go, and not much time.”

Everyone stands, ready for action, ready to follow me out into the desert to meet whatever the Goddess holds for us there.

In the end, we don’t all go into the desert. Instead, it is only Cora, Regina, and I who prepare to set out into the sands. Roger puts up the biggest fuss at being left behind, of course.

“I can’t let you go out there alone,” he growls at me, though his eyes are on Cora the whole time. “I promised Dominic that I’d keep you safe –”

“It doesn’t matter what you promised,” Regina intones evenly, coming over to us when she hears him putting up a fight. “This desert is sacred to the Goddess, it is no place for a man.” She looks him up and down, a bit of a sneer on her face.

“And them?” Roger snaps, throwing an arm towards the priests who work the temple. “You’re going to tell me that they’ve never been out there?”

Regina glances calmly over at the priests and then turns her gaze back to Roger. “They are castrati,” she says, raising her eyebrows. “Unless you’d like to join their number…?”

I burst out laughing at this and slap a hand over my mouth to muffle the sound. It feels wrong, somehow, to laugh like that in the goddess‘ temple – but the look on Roger’s face when Regina so casually offered to take his balls away –

I glance at Cora and almost lose it again when I see that she’s also holding back her hysterical laughter.

Regina raises disapproving brows at us, but walks quickly away to where preparations are being made, to busy to scold.

“Well, Roger?” Cora asks, crossing her arms and smirking at him. “You gonna…lighten your load? And join us out in the sand?”

I hear the growl deepen in my mate’s Beta’s chest and take two steps towards him, putting my hands on his arm and looking up at him with my sweetest sisterly gaze. “Come on, Roger,” I coax. We need someone to ready the ship, anyway – when we get finished with what we have to do out there, we’re going to need to move. Fast.”

Cora says nothing, just continues smirking, even when he turns his heavy gaze on her. I see the longing in his eyes, the worry that’s not simply the assignment given to him by his brother, but the worry of a wolf for the woman he loves. Looking between them, I can feel his anxiety in the air, as well as Cora’s daring. If Cora had a wolf, I know that right now it would be crouching in her mind, her hackles raised, her tail slowly wagging, thinking come get me.

But, as much as I’d like to see this play out, we’re out of time. “Well, whatever,” I breathe, stretching my arms over my head and pretending a nonchalance I don’t feel. “If you want to come, Roger, we’ll see you out back once you’ve had your uh –” I flick my eyes to his crotch, letting my gaze linger there, “load lightened.” Then I look back up at him with a big smile. “Otherwise, we’ll see you at the boat!”

I turn, moving to Cora and wrapping my arm around hers, pulling her away with me.

“How long will it take?” Roger calls after us, his hands sunk angrily in his pockets.

I look over my shoulder and shrug at him. “Honestly?” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t know. Hours. Days. Weeks? It will take as long as it takes,‘

He growls again and opens his mouth to reply but Regina opens a door at the back of the temple, waving us forward towards the dark room there.

“Come,” she demands, lowering her brows at us. “There is no time for this nonsense. We have work to do.”

Nodding, chastened, Cora and I duck through the low lintel of the door, into the coolness of the dark room. But I don’t miss the glance Cora sends to Roger over her shoulder. The one that promises a return, no matter how long it takes.

 

Chapter 262

In the darkness of the back room, Regina instructs us to strip down to our skins and then hands us two rough robes that we pull over our heads, hardly more than bleached potato sacks with cowl necks and long sleeves.

“Is this part of the ceremony?” I ask, curious and disliking the feel of the fabric on my skin. Honestly, given my choices I’d rather wear the leggings and simple shirt that I arrived in.

“No,” Regina answers, looking at me evenly, not a hint of emotion on her face. “It will simply keep you cool in the heat of the desert. But your nakedness beneath,” she notes, letting her eyes travel down my small body beneath my robe, “that is to honor the goddess. When you perform the ceremony, you must be naked before the moon. You can bring nothing with you from your earthly life.”

I run my fingers lightly over the claiming mark between my neck and shoulder, suddenly glad that wolves don’t do wedding rings. I’m not sure I could leave this memory of my mate behind, even to lay myself bare before the Goddess. My fingers move again to my stomach, and I look down again to the swell of my child.

“Will it matter?” I ask, suddenly looking up at Regina. “That my child is a boy? Like, if there are no boys allowed on this trip

_་་

Regina smiles slightly, coming forward and laying a hand on my cheek. I stop mid–sentence, surprised to see her express any positive emotion at all.

“While he is within you, he is part of you, and part of the sacred cycle of womanhood. He will be safe, child, have no fear.” Her eyes crinkle a little as her smile deepens. “A boy, then? How wonderful. A

blessing for the kingdom.”

I join her in smiling and give a little nod. A blessing indeed, though I admit I hadn’t really thought about his role in the kingdom. But if Sinclair did win this war, then he would be King, and his son…

Well. Questions for another day. My wolf yips within me, somehow sensing in a way that I do not our need to get moving.

“The sun is falling,” Regina declares, taking her hand from my face and walking towards another door on the far side of the room. “It is time to go.” With that, she opens the door wide, revealing the golden desert beyond. “Let us begin.”

Cora and I give each other a glance and then, together, head through the door.

Cora, Regina, and I walk through the white sands of the desert, which now glow orange in the light of the setting sun. It’s an incredible sight, the way the entire landscape seems to take on the nature of the sun, glowing and hot and alive. I look out over it admiringly, wondering if this is the sun putting on a last show before the moon takes its place as queen of the night.

I walk at the head of the group. Regina is, technically, our leader, but I’m the one with the soul bond to the Goddess now, to my mother. I shake my head, still marveling over that fact. I had always wondered who my mother was and never, ever, had this possibility come into my mind. As we walk and the sun takes its final dip below the horizon, my hand again drifts to my stomach.

Will it make a difference in my son’s life, having a goddess as a grandmother?

Will he, too, have powers?

And what were mine?

I sigh, knowing that I’ll have answers soon enough, but wanting them now now now so I can get out of this scratchy potato sack, away from this place, and back to Sinclair. My wolf gives a restless little stir inside of me, wanting to be with him, in his arms, smelling his delicious scent…

“Ella,” Regina warns, her voice low. “Pay attention.”

I give her a little apologetic grimace and look around, realizing that we’ve reached the crest of a dune and that the desert is spread out below us. Night fell without my noticing and above us, stretching huge above the sky, a full moon hangs.

“We are lucky.” Regina murmurs, looking up at it. Cora and I follow her gaze. “The full moon will make the connection stronger.”

“This is it,” I declare, nodding with certainty. I don’t know how I know, but I know. I feel it, in my bones and my stomach. Inside me, my wolf turns in a circle and curls up, alert but content. We have reached the place we’re supposed to be. I do a little turn, marveling out at the silvery desert spread around us, the shadows of the dunes purple and blue to match the richness of the velvet sky. It’s an incredible sight. I wonder, passingly, how many have had the chance to see it. For a brief moment, I feel myself blessed.

“What do we do now?” Cora asks, likewise looking all around. As beautiful as it is, we are in an empty place. There is nothing here to with any script regarding what to do next.

“Sit,” Regina instructs, pulling her garment over her head in a single graceful movement and spreading it out on the ground. Then, she folds her legs beneath her and sits patiently upon it. Wait.”

I wrinkle my nose at the idea of waiting. Though I know this is where I need to be, and my wolf is calm inside of me, I still want to be home in his arms

–

“Ella,” Regina warns again, giving me a stern look. I frown at her. How did she know what I was thinking about? “Concentrate.”

I sigh and nod, knowing that I have a job to do. Then, I pull my potato sack over my head and spread it on the stand before sink to my knees on top of it. I place my hands on my thighs, sitting my butt back on my heels. Cora sits down next to me on her own bit of fabric, staring up at the moon, and I close my eyes, slowing my breathing. I’m not really someone who meditates – who has time for that? – but I know, somehow, that this is what I need to do.

“Breathe,” Regina instructs, and I start taking deep breaths, letting my mind wind down to its basest state, trying to clear all my thoughts and make space for the Goddess to do her work.

It takes a minute before I notice a change. But then, slowly, in the darkness of my closed eyes, as if on the back of my eyelids, a small purple light begins to glow. I barely notice it, register it as strange, until it begins to pulse lightly and then spread. The growth is slow, just–a minute bit at a time, but, eventually, the purple light takes over the space of my entire internal vision.

And then, I gasp.

Inside my head, my mind, my body, I feel the shuddering warmth of my mother’s love. And it’s an incredible thing, because it’s a love for me, specifically, but also, somehow, a love for everyone. I am filled with it, with my mother’s ceaseless love, with the love of a mother for her child, with the dedication of a moon for the earth around which it orbits.

And then, very suddenly, I know. I understand. I have everything I need, inside of me.

When I open my eyes, I see Regina still sitting quietly with her eyes closed. Cora, however, is starting at me dumbfounded.

“Ella,” she whispers. “You’re…you’re glowing.”

I give her a smile and look down at my arms, somehow not surprised to see that I am glowing – or shimmering, or something. With a glorious silver–white light.

“Cool,” I murmur, admiring it. Then, I look back to my sister. “Are you ready to go?”

“Is…is that it?” she asks, hesitant. “Do you know like…what to do?”

I nod, my smile growing. “Yeah, it’s way simpler than I thought it would be.” Then, I push myself to my feet, shaking out my sack and pulling it again over my head.

I take a few steps towards Cora, then, but a sudden wave of dizziness overtakes me the moment I do. Cora is on her feet in an instant, Regina next to her, and I stumble into Cora’s arms, feeling my breath come short.

“Oh my god,” I murmur, looking up at Regina. “I feel like…why am I so weak?”

“The ceremony has taxed you,” Regina warns, “you must take care.” Then, she turns to Cora. ” Come, we must get her back to your ship. The time is short.”

With that, Regina stoops under my arm, wrapping it around her shoulder, supporting my weight. Cora, on my other side, does the same. Together, we begin the journey back, and I’m horrified to find that every step is a struggle for me.

Worse, as much as I search for it…I can’t feel my bond to Rafe. Not anywhere.

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Chapter 263

God damn it, I think, looking around at the hastily set–up headquarters that looks like a little more than a rickety table surrounded by anxious wolves. If this isn’t hell, then I don’t know what is. We arrived at the edge of the capital days ago and set up here, in an abandoned warehouse that Damon didn’t bother protecting because it’s not worth his time.

–

A mistake, I think, one of many that he’s making. The fact is that Damon made a huge misstep in releasing the secret of our being to the humans he expected, I think, to cow them with fear, to take control of their resources and use them against mine. What he didn’t expect was that the humans would entrench and fight back. And now, his army is fighting on two fronts – against the humans and against me – stretched thin. Being pulled in two directions is making him miss things, like this warehouse at the edge of his territory, which we were able to sneak into and set up shop.

–

Still, though, looking around, it’s nothing like the quality of accommodation that I’m used to. The walls are crumbling, the ceiling has fallen in a few places, and what rusted rafters are left look ready to fall down at any moment. My wolf grumbles within me, pacing unhappily. Let’s get this moving, he growls, we have to get back to her – we have to get to the baby –

–

“I know,” I mumble to myself aloud, angry. God damn it, I know. I don’t need my wolf inside me constantly nagging me about it. My mind is on her every minute my beautiful mate, with her rose–gold hair and that troublesome smirk. God, what I could do to those smirking lips if she were here now with

that teasing mouth. I’d use my tongue to part those lips, slip inside. I’d holding her against every inch of me while I tasted her, feeling her moan reverberate in my own mouth…

I press my eyes tightly shut, forcing my mind back to the subject at hand and gritting my teeth almost to dust as I dismiss these thoughts of what I’m going to do to my mate the moment I have her in my arms again. This is better, at least, than the thoughts of what can go wrong with her not by my side at every moment, but –

–

Damn it. I take a deep breath and open my eyes, forcing myself to look at the tactical maps on the table in front of me. This would all be much easier if she was here with me, so that I could protect her. I can’t stand her being away. Inside of me, my wolf gives a little howling yip of agreement. He wants her back too, wants her near.

“Sir,” James says, walking over to the table where I consult with a handful of the other Alphas.” The mission is in place. We are ready to proceed.”

I take a deep breath, straightening up from the table and looking around at the men around me. Okay, everyone,” I snap. “This is the big push. Our only shot at the element of surprise. Are we ready?”

We’ve been working on this plan for days, putting it together piece by piece. Everything needs to happen just so but…if it works? We could take the city by nightfall.

Around me, all of the Alphas nod. Everything in its place, everyone ready, It’s zero hour and time to attack.

“Goddess’s speed, then,” I growl, my eyebrows drawn down and my eyes alight with the fire of the wolf within me. “And good luck.”

With that, everyone springs to action. And the war truly begins.

3rd Person

Damon stands at the head of the empty table in his board room, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the door. His left eye twitches slightly with the intensity of his gaze. Any minute now, he thinks, almost willing the door to open so that his plans can finally come to fruition.

He received a message this morning, from his ally.

We’ve got him.

That’s all it said, but that was all he had needed to hear. He knew that he could use Sinclair’s foolish trust in his so–called allies against him. That all it would take was one well–placed bribe, and all of his little soldiers would fall one by one. Like dominoes.

As the prince stares, the door begins to creek open. With it, Damon’s smile grows.

“Welcome, Kieran,” Damon purrs, quickly scanning the group he sees before him. “So nice to see you on this…momentous occasion.”

“My Prince,” Kieran replies, giving him a deep bow.

“King, now,” Damon growls, glaring at the weak Alpha to whom he has promised a kingdom. Promised, Damon thinks, but not yet delivered. He smiles at his own cleverness, knowing that this is just the start of his plans.

“King when you are crowned,” Kieran replies evenly, stepping into the room. “Until then? Prince”

–

“Formalities,” Damon snaps, watching the rest of Kieran’s group filter in. Guards, mostly – his own, as well as Kieran’s – the stupid man had insisted upon his own troupe – but…there. Damon’s grin glows as he sees Alpha Sinclair being dragged into the room, his huge shoulders struggling against the chains wrapped around him, against the handcuffs behind his back.

The guards bring Sinclair forward, throwing him to the floor at Damon’s feet.

“Well well,” Demon teases, his cruel smile showing all of his wicked teeth. “How the mighty have fallen.”

Sinclair glares at him from his spot on his knees, shouting some curses that are muffled by his gag. Damon just laughs, lowering his face so that it’s nearly even with Sinclair’s.

“Do you not wish,” Damon jeers softly, “that you had just bent the knee weeks ago? When you had a chance? All of this could have been avoided. You would have been powerful, under my rule. Comfortable. At peace. And now? Now you have lost everything.”

Sinclair glares at Damon as if the look could burn him. As if he could light him on fire with just the force of his eyes. Damon just laughs, straightening up and shaking his head at the man.

“I don’t like this,” Kieran insists, looking around the room anxiously, drawing Damon’s eyes to him. “Killing him like this – I don’t think it will have the effect you think it will”

“Cut the head off the snake,” Damon responds, his voice harsh. “And the body will…” he draws a hand through the air and then lets it fall limply to his side. “Die.”

“I don’t think it works like that here,” Kieran refutes, shaking his head. “It’s not like with you, with one leader to whom everyone bows. In the past weeks Sinclair has rallied many to his cause – has convinced them of the morality of his position. If you kill him here,” Kieran looks seriously at Damon,

hoping he will understand. “Another will simply rise to take his place. Perhaps you should let him go, or keep him as prisoner instead. Don’t make a martyr for them to rally around.”

“Never,” Damon snarls, glaring at Kieran. “He will die today, solidifying my position as King. And if you suggest any alternative again, you will go with him. Am I made clear?” The last word is a horrible growl that sends shivers down Kieran’s spine. His eyes go wide as he takes a step back, clearly believing Damon. “Besides,” Damon continues, looking back towards his prize, taking pleasure at how Sinclair looks on his knees. “I’m going to enjoy killing this one. And we wouldn’t want to take away any of my fun. I’ve been deprived for so long.”

Damon takes his time pulling a wickedly bladed knife from his belt, pressing it close to Sinclair’s throat. “After all,” he whispers, low enough that Sinclair is the only one who can hear. “It’s been so long since I killed your first mate. And then I’ll take you. And then, when I’m done, I’ll bring this knife to your new mate’s pretty little neck. And I’ll drink the blood I spill with it.”

A menacing snarl rips from Sinclair’s throat as he hears this threat. As the knife presses closer, a single drop of blood begins to drip down his neck.

 

Chapter 264

“Now!” Kieran shouts, just as the knife starts to draw Sinclair’s blood, just as he was instructed to do. The blood, after all, would throw Damon’s guards into a frenzy, giving Kieran and his men the slight advantage they will need to pull this off.

At his word, every single one of his guards goes into action, turning on the royal guard closest to him and engaging in battle. Damon was no fool, of course – Kieran had been allowed to bring only a few guards, not so many that they outnumbered Damon’s. It was a risk, engaging the enemy when outnumbered, but it one they had to take.

As Kieran too whips a knife from its hiding place in his boot, Sinclair whips his body away from Damon, sheering the skin of his neck across the length of the blade but avoiding any true wounds. Rolling away from the prince, Sinclair roars, ripping his gag away with the force of his jaw, twisting his wrists and wrenching his handcuffs apart at the weakened center chain that his men had placed there just for this moment. Sinclair then makes quick work of the chains wrapped around his shoulders placed there for show, rather than for restraint – and turns on Damon.

The glow still burns in Sinclair’s eyes, but now a deep and hungry grin spreads across his face as well. The prince goes pale. “Mine,” Sinclair growls. “You are mine, and it is your blood that I will lick from my teeth when this is finished.”

Barely a moment passes before the prince responds, throwing himself as far from Sinclair’s grasp as he can as Sinclair takes a mighty swipe at him, the claws growing from the edges of his fingertips as he moves. A chase begins, with the Prince moving away from Sinclair as quickly as he can and shifting as he goes. Sinclair gives chase like lightening, taking his own gigantic wolf form to face the prince’s.

The prince and the alpha ignore the other battle across the room, though Kieran glances their way when he can. The gambit seems to have paid off the prince’s guards, distracted by the scent of blood

in the air, were not expecting the assault. Prepared for the blood, Kieran’s guards press their advantage, slaughtering as quickly as they can, dispatching the prince’s forces until they are even. Sinclair’s teeth pull back from his slavering jaws as he stalks slowly towards the prince, backing him into a corner. One huge paw slams on the ground after another, coming ever closer to his prey, his hackles high, his nose wrinkled and tense with his rage, his fury, his need to kill.

–

How dare Damon – on top of everything he had done – how dare he threaten Ella, his perfect mate. The thought of Damon with her blood on his hands, licking it from his paws Sinclair with a fury that lights his own blood on fire. He will see this wolf in pieces today, torn it fills apart with his own jaws.

Damon doges back and forth in the corner, his tail low between his legs but his ears pinned back in a snarl. He knows he is at the disadvantage – that there’s no way he can take on Sinclair’s gigantic wolf alone. But still he is not without his own advantages – Damon is clever, ruthless, and fast. And has nothing to lose, whereas Sinclair has everything.

—

As Sinclair draws close enough to strike, Damon feints left and then dashes right, squirming past Damon’s snapping jaws and darting under the table, seeking to get to his men, to hide behind their safety and regroup –

Just as his forelegs disappear under the table, though, a great crack sounds through the air and a horrible howl. Even the guards across the room, caught in their own battle, pause at the sound, twisting to see Sinclair hauling Damon out from beneath the table, the prince’s twisted back leg held tight in his jaws.

With all of his might, Sinclair hauls the other wolf into the air, slamming his body onto the table. The wolf yelps, the sound echoing through the room over the noise of his cracking bones. Kieran is the first

to recover from his shock and horror, yelling “move!” to his forces, who press their attack, taking advantage of the distraction to cut the throats of some of the prince’s guards, to trap and tie others, rending them useless.

As they work, Sinclair leaps onto the table, which shudders under his weight. He crawls over top of the smaller wolf’s shuddering, whimpering form, his face still curled in a wolf’s rage, his jaws slavering with his hunger for vengeance.

Beneath him, there is a flash, and then, in the blink of an eye, the wolf transforms back into its human form. The prince is so tiny below the gigantic wolf above him, his leg twisted unnaturally beneath him, his ribcage oddly flat in places it should not be.

“Please,” the prince pants, looking up at the alpha above him with rage and fear in his eyes. Mercy

”

The wolf above the prince snarls dreadfully at the sound of the word, placing a paw on the center of his chest and pressing down, causing the prince to cry out in pain. Sinclair lowers his face until his fangs are just inches from the man’s face, their eyes level. His fierce green gaze speaks his intention: he wants to let the man look one more time into the eyes of the wolf who will kill him. To know who, precisely, took his life. And why.

The prince’s face twists, the fear turning into a nasty, pain–filled sneer as he spits up at Sinclair, the spittle missing its mark and flying back to smack onto the prince’s on cheek. “You pathetic excuse for an Alpha,” he hisses, “you will never lead them – you will never –“

”

But his final words are lost to history as Sinclair raises his head to roar mightily to the sky and then snaps his head down, sinking his jaws deep into the prince’s throat, and ripping it out. Blood pours from

the man’s neck as the light dies from his eyes and, slowly, Sinclair turns to look at Kieran, at his men, at the prince’s guards either dead or incapacitated on the floor. Blood and gore drips from his maw and his piercing eyes are lit with an unearthly green light.

Slowly, a little awed, Kieran sinks to one knee. The surviving men they brought with them quickly follow suit, bowing their heads to Sinclair, who still stands as a wolf on the table, heaving heavy breaths.

“My King,” Kieran murmurs.

There’s a bright flash of light and suddenly the giant black wolf is gone, replaced with the Alpha who would be King. He stands on the table, looking down at his people, ignoring the corpse at his feet. Then, he raises his arm to wipe the blood from his face, licking the blood slowly from his teeth. Savoring it

“Come,” Sinclair says to his men. “We have work to do.”

Kieran and the men stand to attention as Sinclair steps down from the table, striding quickly past them out the door. This part, at least the killing of the prince had gone according to plan. But the rest

They walk to the front of the palace, out onto a third– floor balcony where they can see the war raging within the city itself.

“Release a statement to the press, photos,” Sinclair orders, his voice low. “I want the prince’s corpse on every news channel. Unlike our side, the prince truly was the head of the snake.” He snaps his gaze over to Kieran. “With him gone, the wolves he led will fall in line under my control.”

Kieran nods, agreeing, though his face is still worried. “Sir…”

“I know,” Sinclar interrupts, his voice snapping as he turns his face back to the city. “That only ends half a war. What the hell was that man thinking, revealing our secret to the humans?”

“He underestimated them,” Kieran suggests, sinking his hands into his pockets and looking out at the smoke rising over the city. “Humans are not wolves, but they are not sheep either. They will fight for their freedom.”

“Now, our job is to convince them that we have no intention of taking it away,” Sinclair thinks aloud. “But how the hell can we do that?”

 

Chapter 265

As soon as the boat pulls up to the dock, I’m by the gangplank, eagerly waiting for the sailors to lowes it. One of my hands rests on the underside of my swollen belly, holding my child close. The doctor that Sinclair assigned to come with us examined me the moment we stepped foot onboard after our trek home from the desert and confirmed that Rafe’s heartbeat is still there, though fainter than he’d like.

I need to get of this boat, now, I think, my eyes wide as I watch the sailors hurry to lower the plank so that I can scurry off of it. I have a job to do, and the sooner it’s done, the sooner I can rest.

Stop, my wolf begs inside of me a word I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say. She’s usually run!, or fly! or go! Never stop, caution, wait. But today, I can feel her pacing inside me, worried.

We are weak, she cautions. The pup…

I can’t, I growl back at her, impatiently watching the plank finally touch the dock next to us. We have a job to do – we have to help everyone survive

“Ella!” Cora calls, running out of the boat’s small cabin. “Ella, wait!”

I turn to her, my face fierce. “Either come with me or stay here, Cora,” I warn, my eyes flashing. But you can’t hold me back –”

–

“Ella,” she says, grabbing my arm as I put my foot on the gangplank, ready to rush forward.” Please, you barely made it out of the desert – you are not well enough for this – your doctor ordered you onto bedrest weeks ago – he told you to walk no more than forty minutes a day! You’re risking your health, your child!”

“And if I don’t?” I bite out, spinning on her. “How many will die, if I don’t get to that temple and deliver the Goddess’s gift?” My eyes fill with tears and my lip trembles as I look my sister in the eye, my hand still pressed against my poor child. “Are their lives worth less than mine? Worth less than my child?”

“Yes,” Cora says, and I can see her guilt as she utters the word. “At least, to me – Ella, I can’t see you harmed like this –”

“Then stay,” I declare, ripping my arm from her hand. “Don’t watch. But you can’t stop me.”

Cora is right, of course I am weak, perhaps too weak to do this. But I can’t not not anymore, not knowing what I know. I can do so much good if I can only get to those temple steps…

Free of her grasp, I hurry down the gangplank and am surprised to hear footsteps following me. When I stand firmly on the dock, I turn, my eyes going wide when I see Cora hurrying after me.

She shrugs when her feet too hit the wood.

“I can’t let you go alone,” she protests. “If you insist on killing yourself, I’m going to be there to witness it. You idiot.”

I nod, ignoring the insult, and feel honestly a little lighter now that I have my sister at my side. I turn and as one we head out into the streets.

“Cora! Ella!” We hear Roger’s voice call out behind us, but neither of us turn. If he wants to stop me,

–

he’s going to have to chase me, and damn it – weak or not – I’m faster than him. Cora and I pick up our pace, determined not to waste any more time on negotiations.

We plunge through the city, which is filled with smoke and rubble. I’m horrified by what I see. Some houses look almost untouched while others are in total ruin. Whole neighborhoods which I used to walk through are demolished, their beautiful tree–line streets ripped to shreds. It’s horrible to see what Damon has done to this place, what the humans have been pushed to in order to keep hold of their freedom.

But if I do this right, if I can get there….damn it, but I can make a difference.

I caught a little sleep on the boat on the way here. My anxiety kept it light, kept me from the dream state that would have allowed me to speak to Sinclair if he, too, were dreaming. It was a huge disappointment, not to have been able to talk to him. Just one word from him, one embrace, one press of his hot mouth to mine

–

It would have given me such strength.

Instead, I feel my weakness in each of my steps. I feel as if I could sleep for days, my adrenaline the only thing that’s keeping me going. And of course – of course I know that my poor baby is the one paying the price of all of this. It’s the cause of all of my anxiety, the only thing that I thought about during the long trip here. The all–encompassing question that kept me up at night: was my child the price we would pay for peace? And then, was it a price I was willing to pay?

Every motherly atom within me screams no, but the human in me – And yes, the human. Biologically, I am wolf, but I was raised as a human on purpose, so that in this moment I would know the meaning of the word. The human in me feels the suffering of thousands and knows that I must do this.

In the end, it comes down to my faith. My faith that my mate and I are strong, that our love is strong, that our bodies are strong, that the child we have made is strong. My son is the grandson of a Goddess

– he is not made of tender stuff. He will not be snuffed out by the bringing of peace. And so, with clear eyes and a steady heart, I plunge through the war zone towards the temple. know is at the center of the city.

We arrive what feels like hours later, our breath coming short, our mouths wide as we pant. The Goddess’s temple is a shining white building that stands across the street from the palace.

It’s so obviously a temple, I think, leaning on Cora and catching my breath as we look across the palace square at it. What on earth did I think it was, before I found out about werewolves and wolf society? I shake my head clear of the question, though it’s not important now.

–

“Oh my god,” Cora gasps, grabbing my hand and pointing up at a huge screen on the left side of the square. It’s on the side of one of our city’s mega news organizations, a screen as wide as a billboard. And there, on it –

“Oh my god,” I echo, my eyes going wide as I see the graphic image of the prince’s corpse laying on a board room table. Beneath it, text scrolls:

Prince Damon declared dead…forces requested to cease fire….Sinclair declared leader of all werewolf kind….peace talks to begin…

“Why,” Cora demands, looking around at the still–smoking city which still echoes with the sound of gunfire and bombs. “Why haven’t they stopped, if the prince is dead?”

“Because,” I pant, my breath just now starting to come back to me. “The human’s war was never with the prince – it was with all of us.” I shake my head at her. “It’s humans versus werewolves now. This war has just begun.” My voice is desperate, shaking.

“Unless we can stop it,” Cora whispers, taking my hand. Her face takes on a new, determined look as she sets her jaw and then looks towards the temple. “Come on, Ella,” she demands, tugging me forward into the chaos of the square. “Let’s end this.”

 

Chapter 266

We dash across the square, my hand clasped in Cora’s, adrenaline moving my legs for me even despite the face that I don’t have the strength for it. As we run, debris and smoke fly around us. The humans are pressing their advantage, shelling the center of the city with abandon after they heard the prince is dead. They know Sinclair must be regrouping, so they’re doing as much destruction as they can while they can.

My eyes are on the temple steps ahead of me but for a moment – just a moment – my mind turns to my mate.

He is the one responsible for the prince’s death I know it for a certainty, without having to ask. He wouldn’t let anyone else take the final blow – it was vengeance and it was his. But the prince – that photo of him on the board room table – it had looked like it was in the palace My eyes flick to the palace building to my right – does that mean is Sinclair in there?

We’re close to the temple steps now, just feet from them, really. But I have to try.

I tug at that bond within me, the one tied to that deep place somewhere behind my ribcage.

Dominic? I call, my inner voice breathless with the hope of it. My wolf gives a few excited nips, anxious inside of me, wanting to be with him, to smell him –

I wait, heart pounding, as Cora and I reach the steps, our feet thumping to match my heart’s frantic rate. Cora takes the steps two at a time, pulling me up behind her until we reach the clear and empty marble expanse at the entrance of the temple. The temple, miraculously, has been untouched by the human’s fire. Perhaps the Goddess has had a hand in shielding it for us, just until we got here.

“Are you ready?” Cora asks, panting. “Do you know what to do?”

I turn my attention to her, nodding, but can’t help myself from glancing back at the palace.

“What?” she demands, following my gaze. “What is it?”

“Sinclair,” I breathe, studying the façade, trying to see him – desperate for a glance “Ella!” My sister shouts, taking me by the shoulders and giving a little shake. “Pay attention! We’ve got work to do, and hardly any time to do it!”

“I think he’s in there,” I confess, turning my eyes suddenly full of tears – back to my sister. “ Cora, this could kill me if I have a chance to say goodbye –”

Her face screws up with rage and she shakes me harder. “No, Ella,” she yells, her voice desperate and angry at once. “No! You are the daughter of a damn Goddess, you will not die in the deliverance of her gift!”

I meet her eyes, then, and pause, shocked by her passion. But then I nod my head, fervently believing. I have to believe this, or else I won’t have the strength to survive it. I place my hands on my stomach, reaching for the bond that I know still exists between me and my baby, but which has grown so weak in the past few days that I can barely sense it. I pour my strength down that bond, telling the baby how much I love him, how I can’t wait to meet him, how we’re going to live live live.

Cora, I think, senses what I’m doing and lets me have this moment alone with my child. But when I open my eyes, my gaze newly steeled and prepared for the challenge to come, she nods once and turns to face the square. I set my shoulders and stand next to her. I take her hand and close my eyes.

I work to slow my breathing, to get to that state I found in the desert under the moon when my mother gave me my instructions, told me how to deliver her gift. My heart rate falls to a peaceful resting rhythm, my vision starting to go violet behind my eyelids. I sink lower into myself, seeking the base of my being. My wolf curls up inside of me, finding peace as well.

But then, very suddenly, I feel that tug. The one behind my ribcage. The one tied to him.

Ella?

My eyes fly open as I gasp and I cry out. “Dominic!” I shout, my eyes frantically searching the square for him.

“What?” Cora pants, looking around, frantic. “What is it? Is he here?”

“He’s here,” I breathe, my eyes still searching and failing to find him.

“Ella,” she says, looking at me with sorrowful eyes. “There’s no time people are dying

“I know,” I reply, closing my eyes again and setting my jaw. “You’re right, I know. I’ll – I’ll press on.”

It’s a lie, though. I can’t do this without a word to him Dominic! I shout in my mind, my wolf already on her feet, raising her nose to catch his scent. Where are you?

Here – he cries to me, and I can feel his anxiety, his love, his pleasure at hearing from me, his terror that I’m here in this horrible place, in the middle of the war. I’m in the palace – I’m working – where are you? I’ll come find you now you’ve got to get inside –

NO, I reply, fervent. Please, Dominic, there’s… there’s something I have to do.

Goddess stuff? He asks, and I can hear the humor in his tone, even beyond the fear. I can’t help the little smirk that plays at the corner of my lip.

Yeah, I respond, Goddess stuff.

Are you…are you safe? He asks. Are you okay?

I’m…I’m weak, baby. But I have to do this. I was born to do this.

Ella, his voice is a warning now, and the wolf in me responds instantly, eager to follow his lead, to listen to him, to trust him. Stop whatever you’re doing – it’s not worth it, if you’re weak – Please, I say simply, letting him feel the strength in me, the assurance, the need. Trust me, Dominic. I can do this. I’ll come back to you. I’m strong. We’re strong.

There’s a pause before he replies. I can feel his worry, his dread. But also, that he believes in me.

All right, trouble, he responds, and I can almost see him folding his arms over his chest and smirking at me. Do what you’ve got to do. But the minute you’re done, I’m in charge.

Yes, Sir Big Alpha, I respond, letting him feel the sass in my message. I feel his laugh rumble down my bond to me, let it wrap around me, strengthening me further. One last thing, and then you’re in charge.

He lets me go, then, and I take a deep breath, settling myself on the cold marble of my mother’s steps. I hadn’t realized that I’d needed that moment with him, that it was the last piece of the puzzle before I could do this right. But I should have known. He is such an intrinsic part of me, of my journey of who I am. How could I do this without him? Together, we are complete.

I settle my hands on my stomach, keeping the lines to my bond between my mate and my child open, returning to that base state. My wolf settles down again with me, brushing her warm fur up against those bonds, against my soul.

It’s time.

As my breath and my heartbeat again slow, as my vision turns lavender, I open up my third bond that new one, between my mother and I.

And I let her power fill me.

 

 

Chapter 267

I roar as I stumble through the doors of the hospital, my bleeding mate clutched in my arms.

Everyone in the emergency room freezes – doctors, nurses, patients. Everyone. The noise that comes from me is unending, a demand, a plea, a threat. I am halfway between states now – my eyes filled with the wolf’s flame, my hands ending in razor-sharp claws.

She breathes against my chest, barely. Blood drips from her.

The bond – I can barely feel it, between she and I –

And my child –

I take a breath, then, glaring around the room, and open my mouth to shout again. “DOCTOR,” I cry. “Get me a doctor! NOW!”

The room collectively jumps at this, patients clearing away from the desk and heading towards the sides of the room, the nurses leaping to their feet. A doctor strides forward – one I don’t recognize – but he’s here, damn it, he’d better be good –

“Come,” he commands, stopping a few feet from us and then gesturing backwards towards the door to the treatment rooms. He doesn’t need to look any closer to know that she needs immediate care. “This way, fast.”

I stride after him as he shouts out commands on his way. In my arms, Ella is deathly pale, passed out, hardly breathing. I glance down at her, at her beautiful face, her rose-gold hair falling across it.

She’s strong – I know she’s strong –

But she’s given so much. I grit my teeth, growling, livid with the universe for asking this much of her. I will not lose her to this.

A swarm of doctors gather around us as we move down the hall, the doctor who first met us at the entrance taking lead and giving commands left and right. They move quickly, efficiently, bringing forward machines and tools as we approach a bed at the back of the room.

“How many months?” The doctor asks, looking closely at Ella’s face as I lay her down on the bed as gently as I can.

“Three,” I say. I could tell him the exact number of days, but frankly I don’t think it will help at this point.

“Halfway,” he murmurs, and then glances up at me. “Too soon for an early cesarian. The child…it would not survive…”

“This child will survive,” I growl, grabbing the man by his coat and bringing his face close to mine. “And she as well. You will do everything – you will move mountains, if I command it –“

The doctor, to his credit, does not quail.

“Sir!” he barks back at me, his eyes angry as he grabs my offending wrist.

I blink, surprised, and then release him. The doctor takes a step away from me and brushes off his coat, keeping his eyes on mine. “I will move mountains for her, sir,” he bites out, his voice still low. “I will do everything I can to help her survive. We owe you that. But it will not be helped by you losing your temper. Is that clear?”

I feel my lips pull back from my teeth in a snarl as I close the distance between us. “You dare take that tone with me?” I ask, my voice low with warning. “I am your King – you will –“

He steps up to me, then, our chests almost meeting, glaring up into my eyes. “You may be our King, sir, but I am the Alpha in this surgery. And if you want me to save her life, you must back down.”

I feel the growl rip from my throat then, but I turn my head to look at her. So small – so fragile, in that bed –

My pride is not worth her sacrifice. I glare at the doctor but step away. “Do your work,” I snarl, folding my arms across my chest and stepping to the head of her bed. The doctor holds my gaze for a moment more and then does as I say, getting down to the business of saving my mate’s life.

A moment later, the room is swarming again with people, with beeping machines and IV’s and tanks of oxygen. They work quickly. Almost before I can comprehend it, Ella has a mask over her face to help her breathe, wires and tubes plugged into her arms. The nurses cut the clothes from her poor fragile body, strip her naked so that I can see the blood thickly coating her thighs. I almost flinch away at the sight, but I refuse myself that indulgence. If she can endure it, then I can surely stand to watch. So I stare, following their every move.

The professionals murmur to each other as they work, speaking in a medical language I can’t comprehend. It’s almost more than I can do to stand still, helpless. I have basic medic experience, of course, but I know that her life is in their hands, not mine. And it kills me to realize that, to stand here and watch her fight knowing that there’s nothing I can do. As I watch, a nurse comes forward with an ultrasound machine, plugging it in as another quickly spreads clear jelly on Ella’s stomach. Then, they turn towards a screen, murmuring as they try to look at my child, assess his state.

I cannot see a heartbeat on the screen. My stomach drops and I hear a moan. A moment later, I realize that the noise dropped from my own mouth.

“We need to take her in,” The doctor commands, stripping off his bloody gloves and turning to me. “Her uterus is torn, leaking blood at the cervix, and her organs are in failure – she needs immediate surgery

–“

“The child,” I growl, focusing my eyes on him. “Is he alive?”

The doctor hesitates, glancing at her, and then quickly nods. “There’s a heartbeat,” he says, turning back to me. His voice is apologetic as he utters his next words. “It’s not good, Sir. If it were anyone else, I’d…I’d instruct my team to let the child go, to concentrate on saving the mother.”

I snarl at him, taking two instinctual steps forward. “You will save them both,” I demand, my voice steel.

He doesn’t flinch, but instead nods. “I will fight for her,” he responds, solid. “I will fight for both of them, as my Queen and my Prince. Trust me, Sir.” He bows his head then, briefly, before again meeting my eyes. “I will do everything.”

I clenching my jaw against the desperate need to threaten him further – to tell him that if I lose either of them I will rip his head from his shoulders –

But. My breath shakes as I force myself to exhale, my whole body trembling against my need to do something – anything –

A single nod, that’s all I give him. It’s all I can manage before he returns the gesture and begins delivering more commands. They’re on the move before I can react, wheeling her entire bed towards a door at the far end of the room – taking her away from me.

I stride after her, refusing to be parted.

“Sir!” a nurse demands, daring to put a hand on my arm to stop me. I snarl at her as well, unleashing the full strength of my fury as I bare down on her. She quails next to me, giving out a little shriek and covering her head. I start again after my mate.

“Sir, please!” the nurse shouts after me, her voice shaking. “You can’t go into surgery – it’s not safe!”

I ignore her, though, storming through the doors through which Ella just passed, following her into the surgery. Two more nurses move towards me, protestations on their lips, but the doctor interrupts them.

“Let him in,” he calls to them, his attention not wavering from Ella. “He won’t be parted for her. It’s not worth the lost time trying to keep him out.”

The nurses hesitate but then give in, returning to her bedside. I move again to the head of her bed, accepting the surgical gown and gloves that someone hands to me.

“You will stay out of our way as we work,” the brave doctor informs me, briefly meeting my eye. “You can stay as long as you don’t interfere. I won’t lose her to your impatience.”

I consider it for a moment and then nod, agreeing to his terms.

The doctor begins his work then, turning his attention to my mate and beginning to deliver his commands. Then, he raises a shining scalpel and begins to cut.

Chapter 269

The hours pass slowly for Dominic Sinclair as he sits at his mate’s side in the post–surgical suite, willing her to live.

Her hand is held tight within his and his eyes are trained on her face, watching her eyelashes flutter every minute or two. Her chest raises and lowers slowly, shallow breaths coming less frequently than they should. She had survived the night. But just barely.

Sinclair wipes a hand down his face, willing himself to stay awake. The surgery took hours and he had stood stoically at her side for every moment of it. It had been agony, watching them cut her to ribbons, listening to them mumble words he couldn’t understand, trying to fix her like some kind of broken car

As if she wasn’t the most important thing on earth. As if she wasn’t the daughter of the Goddess, the future Queen, the mother of his child and – most important of all –

His f**king mate.

It had taken everything in him to stand there and not wrench the tools from the doctor’s hand, to do something, anything, to fix her out of the sheer will of his desire for her to live.

But in the end, after hours of work, the doctor had just nodded to Sinclair, wiping a bloody hand across his forehead. “We’ve done everything we can,” he had murmured, looking down at Ella. “It’s in her hands now.”

Then, they’d wheeled her into this room, hooked her up to what looked like a thousand ridiculous machines, and just left. Left Sinclair here, holding her hand, waiting to see if she lived or died. But damnit, he wasn’t going to let her die. No f**king way.

Nurses come and go periodically, of course, checking on her, checking on him, letting him know that there have been no turns for the worse, asking if he wanted any food, any water, anything at all. He’d ignored them all, focused only on her. His Luna. The light of his world.

A few hours later, a knock comes at the door. Sinclar glances towards it, expecting another nurse, and blinks and surprise when he sees Cora and Roger standing there.

“Dominic,” Roger, his face full of sorrow, his eyes not going to Ella and instead focusing on Sinclair. Roger opens his mouth to say something else, but Cora interrupts.

“Is she alright?” Cora breathes, hurrying to her sister’s side, glancing between Ella and her mate.

“No,” Sinclair murmurs, unwilling to lie to spare Cora’s feelings. “She survived the surgery…but the doctor says it could go either way. And that it’s it’s not…”

Sinclair covers his face with his hand, unable to say it.

“The child?” Cora asks, desperate. “The baby?”

Sinclair just nods, letting Cora know that he’s still there. He can’t feel my son anymore, can’t feel the bond, but he hopes that Ella can. He hopes that they’re holding on to each other, in their unconscious state. He hopes…

God damnit, but he doesn’t know what he hopes.

Cora refocuses her attention on Ella, running her hand over her sister’s forehead, brushing some hair behind her ear. “Come on, kid,” she murmurs. “You have to fight, Ella.”

Sinclair doesn’t say anything, letting Cora have the moment with her sister, but he takes the hand from his face when he feels Roger grip his shoulder. Sinclair looks up at his brother, shaking his head. Roger says nothing, looking at Ella’s fragile form laying limply on the bed.

A long moment passes before Roger looks up at the television, which has been playing lightly in the corner for hours on end, the dialogue a bare murmur.

“You have the television on?” Roger asks, frowning.

“The nurses did it,” Sinclair responds, shrugging noncommittally. “I asked them to turn it off, but,” he lifts a hand lightly before dropping it, not understanding. “They said something about… unconscious patients. The sound of human voices. It’s better, apparently. Makes them feel grounded or something.” Roger frowns at his brother, confused, but Sinclair just shakes his head. Whatever. It can’t hurt.”

Roger nods, but then looks back at the television. “Have you seen any of this?”

Sinclair blinks and then looks towards the television. The news is on, but he glares at his brother.” No, Roger, I’m not sitting here watching the news while Ella slips away from me. I’m concentrating on her, obviously

“Would you just look, Dominic?” Roger throws back, frustrated. “I wouldn’t draw your attention away if it wasn’t important. Obviously.”

Sinclair growls a little, irritated, but the does as his brother asks and turns towards the television. To his surprise, it’s an image of Cora. Sinclair blinks, paying more attention now to the words that scroll across the screen, to the picture of Cora glowing with a bright white light, her clasped hands raised above her head.

As he watches, Cora’s body seems to brighten. He sees her mouth fall open in a gasp, her eyes press closed as a great flare of light erupts from her, turning the screen white as her brilliance overloads the capacity of whatever camera was trained on her. It’s an unrefined image, probably something taken from a security camera, so no wonder.

But when the light fades, Cora stands panting, looking out onto the square. Sinclair squints, leaning closer, and he can see – yes, himself, in the corner of the screen, with Ella in his arms, dashing away towards the hospital.

“I was there,” Sinclair murmurs, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t need to see it again on the news.”

“Yes,” Roger replies, sliding his hands into his pockets, his eyes still on the screen. “But do you know what she did?”

Sinclair briefly shakes his head, slumping back in his chair raising one hand to his forehead, his other still wrapped around Ella’s in the bed. It doesn’t really matter to him what Cora did, not really. Because whatever it was, Ella had tried to do it first, and it may have killed her. He doesn’t give a f**k what it was.

“Dominic,” Roger growls, frustrated again. Sinclair snaps his eyes to him, his lips pulling back in a snarl. Roger puts up a hand, calling silently for peace. “I know that you’re focusing on Ella, brother, but you’re our King now. Or if you’re not, you will be soon. And you need to know what the hell is going on in your nation.”

“Fine,” Sinclair grinds out, not taking his eyes from his mate. “Tell me, and be done with it.”

“In that moment that flash – Cora gave the Goddess’s gift. To everyone. Didn’t you feel it?”

“No,” Sinclair grumbles, frankly not interested. But, if he thinks back… he had been distracted, of course, frantic at the feeling of Ella’s weak body in his arms. But he had felt… something. Hadn’t he? Some kind of…of hope? Running through him?

“Well, I did,” Roger continues. “And so did everyone else in the nation, at that very moment. She spoke to us, Dominic. The Goddess did. Through Ella, through Cora. She made clear to us her love for all of

us for humans, for wolves. Communicated to us that her love for us all is equal, and that she holds neither as superior. And that, in the name of her love,” Roger holds out a pleading hand here, begging Sinclair to see, “that we must stop fighting. That we must work together to love each other, to find peace.”

Sinclair says nothing, just staring at Ella, his fingers still pressed to his forehead.

“Don’t you get it, Dom?” Roger insists. “They ended the war. It’s over. A ceasefire, a real one. The humans have stopped attacking, and so have the wolves. There need to be talks, of course, negotiations, but —”

Sinclair snaps his head up, looking at his brother. “It’s over?” he asks, a little shocked. “For real?”

Roger nods emphatically, raising his eyebrows. “For real, Dominic. It’s done. You’re going to be crowned King in a new era of peace.”

Sinclair leans back in his seat at this news, his eyes still on Ella. He lets out a deep breath, one perhaps he hadn’t known he was holding. Then, his eyes travel to Cora.

“Thank you,” he breathes. He means it, deep down, even if he can’t muster the power to express it properly. “We are…in your debt.”

Cora meets her eyes and just shrugs. “She did it,” she says, glancing down at her sister. “She did all of the work, paid all of the price. She just…handed it to me, and I took the final step. Ella is the great peacemaker here.”

Cora slowly shakes her head, taking her sister’s other hand. “I just hope she can fight as hard for herself as she did for everyone else,” she murmurs. “She needs to come back so that we can thank her. Not me.”

Sinclair growls his agreement and stares at his mate. God damnit. Why wouldn’t she wake up?

 

Chapter 270

The doctor knocks gently at the door then. I slide my eyes to him, annoyed to have another person in the room. Is this best for her, all of these interruptions?

“How is she,” the doctor asks, coming to Ella’s side. Cora moves to stand at Ella’s head, making room for him.

“The same,” I murmur, returning my eyes to my mate’s pallid face. “No changes.”

“What does that mean, doctor?” Cora asks, wringing her hands.

“Well,” the doctor replies, leaning down to study Ella’s face. “I can’t say that I’m encouraged by it. I think that if she were getting better, she would have woken by now.” He moves away from her and over to some of the machines, lifting the tape they’ve been printing for hours to read the report. But,” he murmurs, studying them. “It doesn’t seem like she’s getting any worse.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Cora asks, looking at him with pleading eyes. She, like me, wants to do something, anything.

“Go home,” the doctor says frankly. “Get some rest. There’s nothing you can do for her here. So go home, prepare yourselves.”

“Prepare ourselves?!” Cora gasps, her eyes going wide. “For –”

“For whatever’s next,” the doctor interrupts, meeting her eyes evenly. “It’s not going to do any good to panic. If she survives, she’s going to need you, all of you.” He glances around at the rest of us as he says this. “She’s going to need you to be strong for her, so it doesn’t do any good to stand around her worrying. I would recommend that you go home and let us care for her here.”

Cora nods anxiously, but I can’t help the anger that builds in me.

“I am going nowhere,” I snap, my eyes fixed on the doctor, who comes back to the bedside now.

“I understand,” he replies, meeting my gaze. “But you two,” he says to Cora and Roger, “I don’t recommend that you stay.”

“All right,” Cora murmurs, steeling herself and nodding. Then, she looks to me. “But we’ll be back- tomorrow. And if anything…”

“We’ll keep you informed,” the doctor replies bruskly, heading out of the room without another look at me. “Leave your number at the nurse’s desk.”

“Abrupt, that one,” Roger says, frowning a little as looks at the empty door through which the doctor just passed.

“I kind of like him,” I mumble begrudgingly. “He’s no coward.”

Roger just shrugs as Cora moves to his side. “Sinclair,” she says, her voice serious. “How long have you been awake?”

I just glare at her. What a stupid question.

“Seriously, Sinclair,” she insists. “The doctor is right – we’re not doing Ella any favors exhausting

ourselves. When she wakes up, she’s going to need you at full strength.”

I just shake my head. “I’m not…I can’t rest. Not when she could…”

I can’t finish the sentence. Can’t even think the thought.

Cora nods, seeming to understand. But then she starts, suddenly blinking rapidly.

“Wait, Sinclair,” she rushes. “Ella told me, once, about how you…you meet? In her dreams?” I snap my head, looking towards her. “Can you…” she waves a hand towards Ella’s still form. “Can you do that? Can you meet here there? Maybe…give her some hope? Some encouragement?”

I shake my head slowly, grinding my teeth. Why the hell hadn’t I thought of that? But still…

“No,” I growl. “Not without her invitation. She has to bring me into the dream, and I don’t know…” I lean forward to look at her. “I don’t even know if she’s dreaming, let alone in a state to offer me…”

I feel a sudden flutter of hope within me. Could it be possible though?

“Sinclair,” Cora begs. “Please, try. It can’t hurt.”

I consider it for a moment and then, slowly, I begin to nod. “All right,” I agree, against my better judgement. If I fall into a sleep…and she’s not dreaming, or I don’t…god damnit, the waste of time. I would never forgive myself if she…if she slipped away while I…

“Go,” I command, not looking at them. “I do this alone.”

I hear them murmur something to each other and then slip from the room, closing the door behind them. I take a long moment, then, to look at my mate. To lean forward, pressing a kiss to her precious forehead.

“I’m coming to meet you, trouble,” I murmur to her. “Please, let me in.”

Ella

Spin Spin Spin, I think, giggling to myself as I spin around in my little dream forest. It’s so good to be back here – where the air is cool, and damp, and I have the trees above me and the roots below.

I’m spinning in circles, like I used to love to do as a little girl, laughing as I go. “Spin, spin,” I sing, biting my lip for the joy of it.

How long have I been spinning like this, though? My wolf yips, jumping just beyond my vision. But when I turn towards her, she’s gone. Silly pup, where is she of to? I hear her again, and spin towards her, seeing a flash of her rose–gold fur. But then, again, gone.

I stop myself, frowning, looking for her, and am hit with a sudden waive of nausea.

“Oof,” I say, falling to the ground, my hands going to my stomach. “Ohhh, too much spinning.” I giggle again, laughing at myself. Silly girl, making myself sick. I throw myself back on the grass then, enjoying the feeling of it against my skin, waiting for the nausea to pass.

It doesn’t though. It worsens, making my head pound with it.

“Ohhh,” I moan, lifting my hands to my head. Silly girl, silly dream. Suddenly my head spins of its own avail and I close my eyes against it, not wanting to see the trees twisting above me while I lay still.

I wish, suddenly, for my mate. For his arms around me. For his chest pressed against my back, his delicious scent overwhelming my senses. That, I know, could fix me, wipe away this horrible feeling. After all, he makes my head spin in precisely the opposite direction. He might even me out.

And then, quite suddenly, he’s there. I know it the moment he arrives and I smile, propping myself up in the grass on my elbows, looking for him.

“Hello, gorgeous,” I murmur when I finally see him at the edge of the woods. I soaking in the gorgeous look of him, all tall rippling muscles and dark power. But…something is off. His image… flickers, a bit like my wolf was doing. One moment he’s there, the next he’s gone, only to come back again shimmering like he’s in a haze.

“You stay put,” I command, frowning at him and pointing a finger in his direction.

“I’m trying,” he says, laughing a little, his voice calm. “Concentrate, baby. Bring me in.”

So I do. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, letting myself want him here.

And when I open my eyes, there he is. He’s closer this time, standing only a few feet from me. And

–

– yes – when I sniff the air, I can smell every minute detail of him on the breeze. I allow myself to close my eyes, relishing that scent.

His warm chuckle brings me back to him, though. “Well, trouble,” he murmurs, smiling softly down at me. “We’ve been waiting for you to wake up. What have you been doing instead?”

“Spinning,” I say, laughing and throwing my arms back above my head. And then- bloop! I’m gone. Somewhere else the clouds, perhaps totally alone, spinning again. Spin spin spin, I think,

–

turning around in the soft nothing of the white fluffy clouds.

Was I just talking to someone? I can’t remember.

Spin spin spin, I think, giggling. Somewhere, in the distance, I hear my wolf howl. I pause, but then ignore it. What is a wolf anyway? Here, there are no wolves, only clouds…maybe I, too, am a cloud…