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My lungs burn. "I know."

Bring mate home.

I look down at our pups. Damian is crying silently. Darlene presses against my leg. Arian sleeps against my chest, unaware that we're burying his mother.

"We have to stay."

My wolf whines.

I step forward and place my hand on the casket one last time.

“I love you, Arlene.” My voice breaks. “Thank you for our pups. Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for giving me another life with you, even if it wasn't long enough.”

My wolf presses against my chest. Mate.

Tears run down my face.

“I'll take care of them.” I swallow. “I'll live.”

The word hurts, but I promised her.

“I'll make sure they know you. I'll make sure Arian knows exactly who his mother was.”

Darlene starts crying harder. I reach for her.

“And I'll keep pointing her ponytail toward the Moon Goddess.”

Darlene wraps both arms around my leg.

I look at Arlene's casket. “Goodbye, baby.”

My wolf howls inside me as they lower my mate into the earth.

I stay.

For Damian. For Darlene. For Arian. For her.

Days become weeks.

Every morning, I open Arlene's notebook. Breakfast. Hair. Bottles. School. Training. Laundry. Baths. Bedtime.

Some days I follow every instruction. Some days we figure it out ourselves.

Darlene's ponytail keeps pointing toward the Moon Goddess. Damian starts training more, but I make damn sure he still has time to be a pup. Arian keeps growing.

At night, sometimes we watch one of Arlene's recordings. Sometimes we can't.

I still reach across our bed in my sleep. My wolf still searches for the warmth that isn't there.

But every morning, three pups wake up needing their father.

So I get up.

And I keep living.

52

Selena's POV