All Chapters of THE LAST SHIFT: A Werewolf without a Wolf : Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

“Kaaaaia!” Kieran’s scream ripped through the air. The sound was so raw it made my bones shake. “Hold me! Don’t—don’t let it take me!”I couldn’t even answer. My chest burned, my knees shook, and my hands were shaking on his arms. But I held him as hard as I could. My life depended on it. The light wasn’t just light anymore. It was heavy, hot, and cold all at once. It moved through our bodies and our hearts. It was looking at every fear and every memory we had.“I’m here! I’m not letting go!” I shouted. I pressed my forehead to his. “You hear me? Not like this! Not now! Not ever!”The ground under us groaned. The stone cracked in jagged lines. Wolves shouted. They pressed their claws and hands into the ground and each other. Their voices were rough from the strain. The old Alpha hit her staff once, then twice. Each hit shook the circle. Each hit felt like a beat in my chest.Kieran’s grip got so tight it made my back ache. “It’s inside me, Kaia. It’s pulling at the night I lost everyt

“It’s… it’s pulling… harder. I...”“Then fight it!” I shouted. I bit my lip and pressed my forehead to his. “Fight it with me! Fight it with everything you are! Every bad thing you survived! Everything we have been together! Not one piece leaves, do you hear me? Not one!”The bond between us shook hard. It was like a string of fire and silver, screaming because it was being pulled too far. The crack under us twisted. Jagged lines spread out, like the earth was trying to hold onto us. Wolves pressed closer. Their claws and hands dug into the ground. Their voices were tired from the work. The old Alpha hit her staff again. The sound was like thunder. Every hit felt like a beat in my chest.“It’s testing us!” Kieran gasped. His silver eyes were wide. He was scared but he was not giving up. “It wants… it wants to see if I’ll give it everything. My memories… my pain… the night I lost her—it wants it all!”“Then let it see all of us!” I roared. I locked my hands behind his neck. “Every scar

“Kaia—where are we going?!” Kieran shouted. The world dropped out from under us. His arms held me tight, like the fall itself had teeth.“I don’t know!” I cried. The wind was tearing my words apart. “Just don’t let go! Don’t you dare let go!”The ground, the sky, the light, and the wolves—everything spun and ripped into streaks of white and black. The crack wasn't just under us anymore. It was everywhere. It was above us, below us, and inside us. We were in a tunnel of loud air, being dragged through a place that didn’t have a name.Kieran held me so tight it hurt. “It’s still pulling, Kaia! I can feel it in my chest—like hands inside my ribs!”“Then hold on to me!” I shouted. “Hold on like you did in the cage! Like you did in the dark! Hold on like you did when you thought you would die!”He could barely breathe. “I’m trying! I swear I am! But it’s—showing me things—faces—voices—”“Look at me!” I screamed. “Not them. Not the past. Me! I’m here! I’m real! I’m not letting you go into t

The fire between our hands was the only thing I could feel. My fingertips burned against Kieran's as the bond screamed louder than any voice. It felt like my skin was being torn apart by the light. The string that tied us together was stretched so thin it was about to snap.“Kaaia—!” Kieran cried. “My hand—I can’t hold on—!”“Hold with your nails if you have to!” I shouted. “Dig into me! Break my skin if you have to! Just don’t let go!”The dark space jumped again. It was a violent pull. It was like the world had wrapped a rope around his chest and was yanking him backward.His body moved fast.Our fingers slid.“No!” I sobbed. “No, no, no—Kieran, look at me! Look at me, not the dark! I’m here! I’m right here!”“I see you!” he yelled. His silver eyes were wide and wet. He was terrified. “I see you, Kaia, I swear I do—!”“Then come to me!” I cried. “Fight toward me! Lean forward! Lean into the bond! Lean into me!”He tried. I felt it. I felt his whole body strain. His muscles were shak

“KIERAN!”The scream tore out of me as the light between us went dark. It felt like watching a star get crushed in an instant. One second the thread was there, burning and alive. The next, there was nothing but a hollow ringing in my ears.I reached forward on instinct, even though my body was still locked in place and my hands only closed on empty air.“No... no, no, no.” My voice shook. “You can’t be gone. You can’t be. I was still holding on. I was still right there.”Only silence answered me. It wasn't a peaceful quiet, but a heavy, screaming silence that pressed against my head until it throbbed.“Kieran?” I whispered. “Say something. Even if it’s just my name. Just say it.”Nothing.The void rolled where he had been, thick and dark, like water closing over a fallen stone. My chest burned, but not from an injury. It was the pain of absence. The bond didn’t scream anymore. It didn’t pull. It didn’t answer. It was simply gone.“No,” I breathed. “That’s not how it ends. It doesn't j