Andrew’s POVThe battlefield went quiet the moment Tobias stepped into the light.The way he moved—unbothered, calm—wasn’t something I’d seen in a long time. Not since the fiasco with Elara and trying to prove her innocence. The same man who once denounced Elara’s bond to me now walked through this battlefield like he belonged here.My blade was still raised. My heart still pounding. But my mind—my mind couldn’t make sense of it.Tobias looked right at me. Then to Elara. Then to the others. “I asked a question,” he said. “Is there room for one more?”Michael barked a laugh. “You’re late, old man.”Tobias gave a dry smile. “Takes time to walk when you’re this old.”I stepped forward, wary. “Why are you here?”Elara moved beside me, close enough to touch, but I kept my focus on him.Tobias turned to me, and something in his expression shifted. Not softness—he’d never been soft—but something like… clarity.“I came to fight Dorian,” he said simply.My brows pulled together. “You made it
Elara’s POVDorian’s laugh scraped down my spine like nails on bone. It wasn’t just unsettling—it was wrong. Twisted. Like the sound didn’t belong in this world.I couldn't figure out what the cause of his laughter was. One moment he wanted to have our hides for sabotaging his plans, the next he is laughing like he didn't have a care in the world.He stepped forward, slow and theatrical, his boots crunching against broken branches and blood-soaked soil. The smile on his face was pure poison.A poison I wanted to get away from.“Bravo,” he said, giving us another condescending clap. “Truly touching. The lovers reuniting. A bond reborn. How… quaint.”Andrew’s jaw ticked beside me. He shifted closer, his fingers brushing mine—a small touch, grounding me. Dorian had always been a bitter man. When I was still part this pack, he didn't care about me.I was just another useless addition to his pack until Andrew came along and saved me.I couldn't believe I didn't see this a long time ago un
Elara’s POVDespite lost in darkness, I was semi conscious of my environment.“I swear,” I heard someone mutter through clenched teeth, “if you don’t wake up, I’ll find a way to drag you back myself.”Andrew.I felt the shard flare.My heart stopped—literally stopped—for a beat.I gasped, choking on air, the world spinning.“Elara…” he murmured, leaning closer.Then I felt a pull, a strong one. My back arched, my chest felt like it was cracking open.I screamed.Everything went white.And then—I called his name, my voice small and broken.“Andrew?”My eyes snapped open just as I caught staring him staring down at me.I woke up gasping, like I’d been dragged from the bottom of a deep, dark lake.The first thing I saw was Andrew. His face hovered over mine, smeared with dirt and blood, eyes wide and glistening like he’d just seen a ghost. His hand was clenched around mine, warm, steady. And trembling.“Elara,” he breathed.His voice cracked on my name. I was so glad to hear his voice.
Andrew’s POVThe second I saw Greg’s tall form crash through the left flank, I knew we had a chance.Lora’s daggers were a blur of silver, and Michael’s claws and fists were strong. Their arrival punched a hole in the madness just wide enough for me to breathe again—and then I saw her.Elara.She had collapsed again. Chest heaving. Eyes barely open.Everything around me stopped. A dark wolf slammed into my side, but I barely felt it. I drove my blade through its throat and kept going, shoving bodies aside, clawing my way toward her. I didn’t care who was in front of me. I didn’t care how weak I still was. All I saw was her.Her arms trembled as she tried to push herself up. The veins on her skin were black, crawling like vines across her throat and chest. Her fingers twitched, reaching for her sword, but it was too far.“Elara!” I roared, forcing my way forward.She didn’t answer.She was slipping.Damn it. No. No, not like this.I broke through the last of the wolves, dropped to my
Elara’s POVAndrew’s voice cut through the chaos like thunder through a storm.“Elara!”I froze for just a heartbeat—just enough for the world to tilt. My name in his voice... It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. But it was. I turned.He stood there, bloodied and bruised, but real. Alive.My heart stopped, skipped, crashed. My sword nearly slipped from my fingers. I’d killed him. I killed him.The memory burned in my head, fueling my grief and rage. How could he be alive?Everything blurred around me—the roar of the battle, the cries of the dying, the clash of steel and teeth. None of it mattered. Only him. Only those impossible golden brown eyes locked on mine, fierce and alive and full of things I couldn’t name.I've never been so relieved to see someone in my life. But could it be his ghost that came to hunt me?“Andrew?” I whispered, half-choked, my throat raw from power and screaming. “How...?”“I’ll explain later!” he shouted, parrying a dark wolf that lunged at his side. “Right
Andrew’s POVThe black veins crawled up her arms like ink spilled under skin, slow and merciless.“Elara,” I whispered, breath catching in my throat.Her eyes flickered toward me again—but this time, she didn’t seem to see me. Not really. She looked past me, through me, as if I was nothing but smoke and sound.“No,” I muttered, stumbling forward. My legs barely worked. Every muscle screamed. My ribs throbbed with the memory of death. I shouldn’t even be standing, but there was no force in the world that could’ve stopped me from going to her.She needed me.“Elara!” I shouted louder this time, hoping my voice could cut through the fog swallowing her.The power wrapped around her like a living thing. The Owlshard glowed furiously at her chest, its light frantic, flickering like it was trying to burn a hole through her. She was still fighting—cutting down corrupted wolves left and right—but her body was rigid now, her face twisted in pain.“Elara, stop!” I broke into a run, pushing past