Chapter 44: Battle for the Body

I slammed back into my body. But I wasn't alone.

The demon was still there. Wrapped around my mind like chains. Crushing me.

"You think you can take this from me?" it screamed inside my head. "This body is mine!"

"No. It's mine. Get out!"

We fought. Inside my own mind. A war no one else could see.

The demon was strong. Old. Powerful. It controlled my arms. My legs. My voice.

But I had something it didn't.

This was my body. My home. I knew every part of it.

I pushed. Hard. Got my fingers back first. Then my toes. Working my way up.

The demon pushed back. We fought for every inch.

Outside, the four Lunas kept chanting. Their power pushing down on the demon. Making it weaker.

"It's working!" Yara shouted. "Keep going!"

Inside my mind, the demon's grip got looser. Just a little. Just enough.

I grabbed control of my heart. My lungs. Started breathing on my own.

The demon screamed. "No! I won't go back! I won't!"

"You don't get to choose."

I pushed harder. Took my throat. My mouth.

"Get. Out!" I screamed out loud. My voice. Finally mine.

The demon slipped more.

But then it did something terrible.

It grabbed my memories. Started burning them.

James. My childhood. Cole. The pack. Everything that mattered. It tried to destroy it all.

"If I can't have this body, I'll destroy what makes it yours!"

Pain hit. Not in my body. Worse. Like parts of me were being erased.

I saw James's face fading. Couldn't remember his laugh. His voice.

"No! Stop!"

The demon laughed. "Too late. Soon you won't know who you are."

Then I felt something. Warmth. A connection.

The mate bond. Cole.

Even apart. Even in different bodies. The bond held.

Through it, I felt his memories of me. His love. His strength.

It kept me from disappearing.

"You can't erase me," I said. "I'm not alone. I have Cole. I have my pack."

I pulled on the mate bond. Used it like a weapon. Light against dark.

The demon shrieked. The bond burned it.

"No! What is this?"

"Love. You wouldn't understand."

I pushed one last time. With everything. All my strength. All my love for Cole.

The demon's grip broke.

It screamed as the Luna power ripped it out. Tore it away. Sent it flying.

The four Lunas caught it. Held it. Tied it up with their power.

"Back to hell," Mei said.

"Never to return," Rosa added.

"Sealed forever," Yara finished.

They chanted. A portal opened. Fire and screams poured out.

The demon fought. Tried to escape.

But it was too weak.

The Lunas threw it into the portal. Into hell.

The portal closed. Gone.

Quiet.

I stood in my own body. Alone in my mind. Free.

Then I fell. Everything hurt. My body had been through too much.

"Lita!" Cole caught me. His arms. Real arms. Just him holding just me.

"Cole." My voice. My mouth. My body.

"You did it. You got your body back."

"We did it. Together."

He pulled me close. Kissed me. Our lips. Our bodies. Real. Not shared.

When he pulled back, tears ran down his face.

"I thought I lost you."

"I'm okay. I'm here."

"Your mother. It worked."

I looked over. My mother's body on the ground. Still. White clothes red with blood.

She died. For me.

The pain hit hard.

She was awful. Mean. Controlling. But she was my mother. And she saved me in the end.

"I need to see her," I said.

Cole helped me walk over. My legs shook.

I knelt beside her. Touched her face. Cold. Gone.

"Thank you," I whispered. "Rest now. You're with James."

The Elder walked over. "The ritual worked. Your mother weakened the demon. Your Luna power and the mate bond did the rest. You're free."

"What about the prophecy? I still die tomorrow night."

"Maybe. Maybe not." The Elder looked thoughtful. "You technically died today. When the demon took you. Your heart stopped for three minutes."

"So the prophecy might be done?"

"We won't know until tomorrow. But maybe." She stopped. "Either way, you fought well. You're a real Luna Alpha now."

I stood. Shaky but standing.

The three old Lunas came over.

"Good job," Yara said. "Never seen someone beat a demon king from inside and win."

"The mate bond helped," I said.

"More than helped. It saved you." Mei smiled. "You're lucky."

I looked at Cole. He smiled back. Tired. Bloody. Perfect.

"Yeah. I am."

Rosa touched my shoulder. "We're going back into hiding. But if you need us, call."

"Thank you. For everything."

The three Lunas left.

The pack gathered around. Alex. Stacey. Andres. Marcus. All alive.

"Is it over?" Stacey asked.

"For now," The Elder said. "But the demon army is still out there. Still coming. We stopped one fight. Not the war."

"When do they attack?" Alex asked.

"Tomorrow night. At the prophecy time." The Elder looked at me. "Whether you die or not, they'll come."

"Then we get ready," I said. Stronger now. "We get every wolf. Every pack. We fight."

"What if the prophecy still needs you to die?" Andres asked quiet.

Everyone went silent.

I looked at Cole. At my pack.

"Then I die. But I die protecting you. All of you." I stood tall. "That's what Lunas do."

Cole took my hand. "And I stand with you. Whatever happens."

"Me too," Alex said.

"Me too," Stacey added.

One by one, the pack promised. Together.

For the first time, I felt ready.

Not ready to die. But ready to fight. Ready to lead.

My phone buzzed. Text from Claire.

"Well done. You survived. But tomorrow is the real test. The demon army knows you're weak. They'll hit hard. And the prophecy still waits. Sleep while you can. War comes at sunset."

I showed Cole.

"She's right. You need rest."

"I'm fine."

"You're not. But you're stubborn." He smiled. "Come on. Let's get you safe."

He picked me up. Carried me. I didn't fight. Too tired.

As we left, I looked back at my mother. The Elder was covering her with a white sheet.

"We'll bury her tomorrow," The Elder said. "With James. Like she wanted."

I nodded. Couldn't talk. Too many feelings.

Cole carried me to the truck. Drove back to the gym.

Everything hurt. My body. My heart. My soul.

But I was alive. I was me. I was with Cole.

That was enough. For now.

Tomorrow I might die for real.

But tonight, I was here. Alive. With the man I loved.

And that was everything.