I run into the woods. The sticks cut into the bottom of my feet, but I don’t care. I need to feel the pain. I need to feel anything besides the heavy burden that they are dead. My best fucking friend is dead.
“AHHH!” I scream; my voice is raw and unrecognizable in the stillness around me. Panic surges through my veins as I collapse onto the cold, damp earth, my fingers clawing desperately into the sodden, dark soil. The chill of the ground seeps into my skin as the weight of despair presses down, almost suffocating me.
“HELP!” I scream once more and hang my head.
The sound of Octavia’s laughter dances in my mind, a dark melody, yet she is nowhere to be found.
A thick fog begins to creep in, swirling around me like a shroud of mystery. I remain motionless, my head bowed in contemplation, but as I gather my courage, I slowly lift it, letting my eyes search through the haze.
The biggest shadowmire I have ever seen slowly emerges from the thick fog. I prepare myself for what will happen as I accept my fate.
I’m going to die.
I want to die.
If I have to live in this world without Jules, then I don’t want to. At least I know that I can be with her and Amelia in the afterlife.
I stay still and silent.
My breath hitched in my throat.
I can’t stop picturing Jules and Amelia dead.
I scream as loud as I can, tears pouring down my face. I dig my blood-stained hands into the dirt.
Fuck it.
I sit up on my knees and hold my arms wide open as I get ready to surrender. I tilt my head back and close my eyes, prepared to embrace the pain.
Thick drool drips onto my face, but I don’t dare open my eyes. A primal roar bounces off the trees and razor-sharp claws swipe at my face, then my chest. The beast starts to feast on me, and I scream in pain.
“Fuck! Dani! Wake up! Wake up!”
My mind feels hazy as I’m being violently shaken awake.
Once I come to, the most beautiful amber eyes loom over me, and strong hands hold my sweating body.
“Jules!” I scream out and jump up from my bed.
My bed.
Why am I in my bed?
“Dani, baby, calm down. It’s okay.” Dax grabs me and holds me still. “You were having a nightmare. You’re okay. I got you, little dove.”
Dax rocks me back and forth, and I let out a sob. He pulls my face back with both hands and kisses my tear-soaked cheek. “I got you. You’re safe.”
I intertwine my legs around my mate, gripping him tightly as if he were my anchor in a turbulent sea. I bury my face against the warm skin of his neck, inhaling deeply to absorb his familiar scent—a comforting mix of earthy musk and a hint of the outdoors. I savor the warmth radiating from his body, grounding me and assuring me that this moment is undeniably real.
“Jules and Amelia… oh god,” I whimper again, “it felt so fucking real, Dax! Octavia was here. She killed them. She told me I summoned her, too. She said that you all belong to her and that she was going to kill everyone in this town, starting with everyone I loved most.” His strong hands rub my back up and down.
“You are burning up, baby. Here, take this off.” He lifts my sweat-soaked shirt from my body, tosses it on the floor, and then grabs my controller to turn my fan on high.
“Go take a cold shower. I’m going to change your sheets.” I look down at my sage cotton sheets, and it looks like I pissed the bed with how much sweat is soaked into my sheets. I look a little lower and see blood, and my eyes widen.
I roam my hands over my body, trying to find the blood. Nothing. I sit up and notice the blood stains on my inner thighs. Embarrassment immediately washes over my expression.
“Relax. It’s just your time of the month,” he says all too casually for me. I’m mortified.
