Chapter 62

Chapter 62


Andrea POV:

I felt my hope renewed after witnessing the mystical appearance of the silver-winged wolf. God Lukan had granted me a wish in exchange for my wolf soul, and my companion's as well. But deep down, it didn’t fully ease my spirit. The tightness in my heart wasn’t just from the uncertainty of how I would find my brother Jared and Kat, but also from knowing that Damien would forever be without his animal spirit. Trying not to think too much about it, I ran swiftly side by side with the grey wolf that accompanied me without hesitation, protecting and loving me unconditionally.

Panting, we finally arrived at the intended place. Alex and Isak were outside on the porch; the door was open, and the living room was quiet, despite the presence of a few people. Still in my wolf form, I faced the two males at the entrance, my expression still one of doubt and discontent. I shook my head as they waved, barging inside. My gaze swept over the room, and my heart pounded painfully when I saw no sign of my brother or Kat, sitting in one of the armchairs, smiling, safe and sound. Damien quickly joined me, shifting into his human form. He grabbed one of the blankets from the chair, covering his naked body.

In the room were Ulisses, a friend of Jared’s and Alpha of a neighboring pack, with his mate Cassandra, a vet who had helped with the couple’s injuries.

Running to Alex, I asked for the t-shirt he was wearing, moving toward my mate, who quickly shifted into his human form, disillusioned, sobbing.

"It didn’t work..." Tears covered her face again. Damien bent down, placing the shirt over her naked body as the wolf disappeared. She looked at him, completely broken.

"Damien... it didn’t work!!!"

"Calm down, my angel!" Damien buttoned each button tenderly, covering his mate’s body in front of all those who were waiting for news of the Alpha. "There hasn’t been time yet."

The moment Damien spoke those words, I froze, looking perplexed over my shoulder. I stood up with weak legs, pulling away from the comfort of my mate, running toward the hallway that led to Kat’s room.

"Jared..." I jumped toward my brother, who suddenly appeared in my line of sight. He looked weary, but his affectionate smile was directed at me. Wearing only jeans, I didn’t even notice the bandages; I simply hugged him, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I thought you had abandoned me..."

"How could I do that, sis!" Jared gently stroked my hair, returning the embrace, smiling as he kissed my forehead. "You still need your brother to pull your ears when necessary."

"You can... believe... that I do..." I couldn’t contain my happiness at that moment. The words faded, and I stayed there for a few minutes, hugging my brother, until I looked at the slightly ajar door to the room, the anxiety returning.

"But... where is Kat?" I pulled away a bit, looking at him anxiously. "How is she?"

"She’s fine." Jared stroked my hair, smiling to reassure me. "Cassandra performed a minor surgery because the knife hit a kidney. It will take her a little longer to recover, but she’ll be fine."

"Can I go see her?" I took a deep breath, looking back when Jared nodded at someone with a meaningful look. My mate hadn’t left me alone; he was right behind me, always supporting me, and I felt lucky for everything I had in that moment.

"You can. She’ll be happy to see you." Jared kissed my forehead and turned to the others in the room. "I’ll stay here. I need to take care of some things urgently."

I kissed my mate before running to the room. He took a deep breath, satisfied to see the huge smile on my face. That was all he wanted, to see me happy. He greeted Jared, asking countless questions about what had happened to both of them. He thanked everyone for being there, especially Ulisses and Cassandra, who had come to help, as well as Rafael and Marco, lone wolves who were always there to assist the packs that needed the strength of other Alphas like them—free and without the burden of leadership. He sat in the armchair and recounted the events. Alex and Isak quickly went to the place where Lucan’s body rested, lifeless. They would take care of it, just as they had taken care of Roxane’s body. Jared looked at Damien, his expression serious, focused, thoughtful.

"I need a Beta... Damien..." He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated by the thought that he had almost lost Kat for not seeing the hidden threats within his own city. "I need someone I can trust to help me keep an eye on everyone here. I can’t afford to let my guard down again, and I also need time for my mate." He breathed deeply and looked at him. "I’d like to know if you’re willing to take on that role. It will be a lot of responsibility, but as Andrea’s mate, there’s no one I trust more for this task."

"It will be an honor, Jared." Damien extended his hand to his brother-in-law, a look of pride sweeping over him. He had distanced himself from here as a young man because he didn’t have any responsibility toward others, but now it was a way to honor Jared’s father, who had seen more in him than the others. "I’ll do my best!"

"That will be enough!" Jared shook his hand firmly, smiling, pleased to have another set of eyes in the pack, to have more time to focus on his mate, who had almost left him prematurely.

Jared POV:

After hours of conversation, I was finally alone with Damien in the room. I stood up slowly and headed to the kitchen, preparing the table with some meat sandwiches, orange juice, coffee, and milk. It didn’t take much for me to feel a soft, stimulating scent suddenly appear behind me. The smell of fresh coffee had that effect on Kat. I smiled at the thought. It was so good to be back in my daily routine with her by my side.

I quickly turned when my mate entered the room, supported by Andrea. Without delay, I went to her, kissing her gently on the lips. Despite her pallor, she was already smiling, and more importantly... she was breathing. I hugged her waist lovingly, inhaling her neck slowly, closing my eyes for a moment. I had to erase the memory of the hours when I thought I had lost my reason to live. Sighing, I picked her up and sat her down in the chair in front of the table. My sister and Damien did the same when I served her a huge sandwich and a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

"All of this..." I was completely stunned by the plate in front of me. I was recovering, yes, but I didn’t feel very hungry, in fact, I was just thirsty. "Is it all for me?"

"Eat!" Jared wore a firm expression. Kat needed to eat to recover faster. He had given her his blood in a transfusion, but that wasn’t enough. Cassandra was a professional and showed that when she came prepared and saved us without delay at that crucial moment. "You can take it slow, but eat... everything!"

I almost laughed at his Alpha expression in such a personal and intimate family moment. Yes, because we were all together there—my family. An overwhelming joy filled me, and I smiled, squeezing Andrea and Damien’s hands on the table. They had dark circles under their eyes, looking exhausted, even worried.

"Are you guys okay?" I alternated my gaze between them as they connected in a silent conversation. Andrea was about to respond with a shy smile when suddenly a bright light burst through the kitchen and living room windows, almost blinding us.

Jared and Damien rushed to the door, immediately stepping outside to see what was going on. I just followed them, with Andrea behind me. She was moving slowly, cautiously. When we reached the porch, my shock was visible, as was Jared’s perplexity. The moon shone over our house for a second, then moved away to the entrance, as if only one beam of light remained visible at a single point in the dark night.

"It’s time!" Andrea moved toward Damien’s side, tears dancing in her eyes as she looked at her mate with love and adoration.

"It’s time for what?" My suspicion grew immediately, and so did the tightness in my heart when a huge silver-winged wolf appeared in front of us.

"What have you done?" Jared was completely stunned and worried, looking at his sister and the wolf that stared back at us in silence.

"We..." Andrea tried to face her brother, but her eyes dropped to her hands, the words stuck in her throat. She looked at Damien, unsure of how to explain.

"We offered our wolf souls in exchange for your lives." Damien added without hesitation, staring at Jared firmly and resolutely. He didn’t regret it, even though he knew how painful it was for both of them, especially for his mate.

"NO!" I almost shouted, grabbing Andrea’s arm as she advanced toward the light. "You can’t do this for us!"

"It’s done!" Andrea embraced Kat, crying with emotion and the loss of half her nature. "I don’t regret it." She ran and hugged her brother. "You’re alive, that’s all that matters!"

"There has to be another solution!" Jared broke free from her embrace, looking at her with a heart torn in two, tears falling down his face. He averted his gaze from Andrea, fixing it on the silver wolf, who continued analyzing us, one by one. "We’ll find another solution. I can’t live with this."

"I asked for two animal spirits in exchange for two human lives." The silver wolf looked at Jared and Katerine, who was still in shock just thinking about the pain Andrea and Damien would carry for the rest of their lives. He spread his wings, turning his gaze toward Damien and Andrea. "This is the time!"

"Two animal spirits, not necessarily wolf souls?" I stared firmly at the God of Wolves before me, taking two steps in reverence when he nodded affirmatively. His mane swayed majestically, as did his wings. "Then... take whoever you want..."

Suddenly, my clothes fell to the ground, my white wolf emerged, followed by the white tiger, lioness, owl, eagle, and finally the huge bear that had been fatal to Roxane. "I sacrifice myself for both of them."