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“Poppy?” Casey. Our Casey, wandering out in her pajamas, her eyes clouded with sleep and confusion. My breath hitches as I take in her delicate face, the way her wide eyes flicker from one horror to another, attempting to make sense of the nightmare unfolding around her. “Mommy….” Her gaze lands on Sage, cradling Rose's limp body.
“Mommy!” she shrieks, the sound piercing me like a dagger. Time warps around us, slows down as if mocking our desperation.
My heart goes ballistic in my chest as Casey darts towards her mother, her small form running like she is being chased by death itself. She discards the bear clutched in her hand—the one Malik gave her—its soft thud muffled by the night's chaos as she screams for her mother.
My gaze whips back to Vince sprawled on the ground, gasping for air as if each breathing itself is a struggle. The sight of him, panicked and full of fear, triggers something within me. Instinct. Panic. Fear. A primal concoction that sets my muscles in motion before my mind has a chance to catch up.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Casey's heart-wrenching cries reverberate around me as I reach her and pull her away, her tiny body shaking with unrestrained sobs as she screams for her mother. My attention splits between the two women in my life.
“Take her!” I order Sage, hastily passing Casey to her, not giving her a choice, before turning my attention back to Rose.
I'm met with a terrifying sight. Rose is on the floor, her eyes half closed and her chest unmoving. I take in her body, searching for any signs of life before dropping to my knees beside her and grasping for a pulse at her neck. Nothing. Tears well in my eyes as I hear Casey's cries echoing around me and Sage's breath catches in her throat.
My hands move without thought, as if my body knows what it's doing even when my mind cannot keep up. I don't think, just act. My teeth sink into her neck, the mark of our bond imprinted upon her skin, infusing her with my strength, with Zyan’s strength. Seconds later, my hands are pounding against her chest, attempting to restart her heart.
Time ceases to exist as I fight for Rose's life, a primal urgency surging through me. Nothing else matters but the little girl in front of me as I attempt to revive her mother from death. Every beat of my own heart resounds in my head like a clock ticking away the seconds until I'm successful or succumb to failure.
The world around me fades away until there is nothing but Rose and me. All that exists is this moment – this terrifying, desperate moment – and I will not give up, no matter how cruel fate might be. He can't take her from me.
All at once, a single sob breaks through my concentration, and I blink out of desperation to see Sage kneeling beside us with tears streaming down her face. Casey clings onto Rose's limp form as she cries out for help.
“Come on, Rose,” I urge, my voice strained. With a sharp bite to my wrist, I let my blood trickle into her mouth, hoping that my healing essence will stave off her impending death.
“Daddy, stop! You're hurting her!” Casey's wails split the air, echoing the turmoil within me. My heart breaks with every desperate push against Rose's chest.
Andrei suddenly joins, dropping to his knees, kneeling beside us. His gaze, once full of fury, now flooded with a father’s desperation. “It's working,” he breathes, slapping my hands away. His assurance strengthens my resolve, knowing if he can feel flickers of her pack-link means she has a chance. I let him take over, standing back as he continues performing CPR.
Suddenly, Zyan surges forth, pushing through the barrier of my control. Our shift unfolds, and my massive wolf form overshadows Rose's fragile, limp body. His nose, now stronger and keener, sniffs around, tracing the invisible lines of her injuries.
ChapterForty-Three
Casen
Zyan’s inspection reveals crushed ribs beneath her blood-soaked shirt, the discovery triggering a feral growl from deep within his chest. Our teeth, now far sharper and more precise, nick at her skin, trying not to wound but to heal.
“He's eating her!” Casey's wail cuts through the night, her small hands tugging at Zyan's fur. But he ignores her. Werewolf saliva, known for its potent healing properties, is stronger than my blood. Each lick, each nip, pushing his saliva into her bloodstream.
“He's helping her, Casey. Daddy's helping mommy,” Sage chokes, attempting to comfort my distraught daughter. Zyan then shifts his focus to the gash on Rose's forehead, his tongue lapping at the wound, each stroke forcing it closed. Once that's healed, his nose searches, sniffing for any further damage when Andrei speaks.
“Mark her again, Zyan,” he orders my wolf. Zyan doesn't hesitate and Casey screams, not understanding we aren't hurting her, we're trying to save her. Her fists thump his back, her fingers tangling in his fur as she tries to yank him back while she flails in Sage's arm.
Suddenly, Rose lurches upright, a gush of my blood sputtering out of her mouth as she gasps in massive lungfuls of air. The sight is gruesome yet glorious. Her eyes flutter open, a glimmer of life returning to their depths. It’s a sight more beautiful than any sunrise I've ever seen as Zyan pounces on her, licking her face frantically, attempting to heal the scratches covering her when she suddenly freezes. Zyan pulls away, sensing her distress.
As we crouch over Rose, Zyan's massive form dwarfing her, she backs away. The terror reflected in her eyes as she takes in my giant wolf sends a jolt through me. Then, her hand collides with my face, the slap sudden and startling, a harsh interruption to her shriek of “Dad!” Her voice is frantic. .
“Casen!” Her words, filled with terror, summon my name in a second, sending ripples of pain and regret through me. She scrambles back, scooting backward on her hands and feet to get away from me, colliding with the railing of the stairs, her eyes clenched shut as if trying to erase the image of my wolf from her mind.
Her hands lift and instinctively grip our fur, as if to fend off an anticipated attack. A gut-wrenching realization that sends a knife through my heart, Vince and I are identical twins and so are our wolves. How many times has Vince's wolf attacked her?
“Dad!” her scream is shrill and makes my ears ring. “Casen!”
In an instant, Zyan recedes, and I shift back. “Right here, Rose,” I soothe, my voice straining to keep steady. “It's me, Casen.” My reassurance seems to break through her fear as her hands touch my face for a fleeting moment before she releases a shaky breath as I clutch her face. Her eyes are filled with tears, they brim and tip over, streaming down her face.
“You came back,” she whispers, her words slicing through me, a painful reminder of our shared past and the severed bonds.
“Always for you,” I assure her, my heart heavy with unspoken words and swallowed regrets, her fingers going to her neck. “You marked…” But our moment of reunion is cut short as her eyes widen impossibly wide, and she gasps, “Casey! He was going to get Casey?” she panics, clutching my arms.
“Right here,” Andrei's voice breaks through her frantic horror. I lean aside, letting Rose's gaze navigate past my body to Andrei holding Sage and Casey close, her tiny form nestled against him like a protective shield. The sight of her daughter safe brings an audible sigh of relief from Rose. Her eyes connect with mine again, the unspoken question burning in their depths makes my gut clench. Vince.
