Chapter 173 My Angel | 066
NOELLE
Azren won't look me in the eye. Something is terribly wrong. My chest tightens with dread.
"Az..." I utter softly, moving closer. "You're scaring me."
He exhales slowly, dragging a hand down his face. My heart starts to beat faster.
"...They gave me an ultimatum."
A cold weight drops into my stomach.
"An ultimatum?" I echo. "What kind of ultimatum?"
He finally looks at me.
"They want the veil fixed," he tells me.
I nod automatically. "We already knew that—"
"Using you."
I gape at him, my stomach knotting. "...What?"
"They believe the golden wolf is the only thing strong enough to stabilize it," he continues, his voice low.
My pulse starts racing. "Azren..."
"They gave me two weeks."
I blink at him.
"...Two weeks to do what?"
He doesn't look away this time. "To succeed."
My throat goes dry. "...Or?"
The pause that follows feels like it stretches forever.
"...Or I die."
My eyes go wide, my head spinning.
"What do you mean... die?" I whisper.
He doesn't answer right away. Instead, he takes a slow breath. Then he closes his eyes. And suddenly, something moves under his skin.
I freeze.
At first, I think I'm imagining it. Then the glow appears. My breath catches in my throat as dark, intricate markings begin to bloom across his chest. They spread like living ink, curling over his skin, climbing his neck, and slipping down his arms.
"Azren..." My voice trembles.
His eyes open.
"I'm not speaking metaphorically, Angel."
My hands shake as I move closer, my fingers hovering just inches from the marks. I'm scared to touch them.
"Those runes..." I breathe.
"They're a failsafe."
My stomach drops. "A what?"
"A kill switch."
The words knock the air out of my lungs.
I shake my head immediately. "No. No—there has to be—"
"Every time I lose control," he continues, "with every episode... they activate."
My chest tightens painfully. "Activate how?"
His lips twitch slightly with a crazed smile. Almost like he's dreaming, unable to accept his reality.
"Containment," he rasps, and tears well up in my eyes.
"And if I fail after two weeks..." he adds.
I can't breathe.
"...they won't just activate. They'll execute me."
"No," I croak, shaking my head. "No. I don't accept that."
His gaze softens slightly, but it only makes it worse.
"This isn't something you get to accept or reject, Angel—"
"I said no!" I snap. "You don't just stand there and tell me you're going to die like it's already decided!"
Tears roll down my cheeks, my pulse roaring in my ears. I refuse to lose him.
"They don't get to put a timer on your life like you're some kind of weapon! You're not—"
"I am."
I freeze. His eyes are on me, steady and tired.
"They don't see me as a man, Noelle," he says. "They see a liability. A risk. Something that needs to be controlled before it destroys everything."
My chest aches.
"You're wrong," I whisper.
He exhales softly, and I shake my head, gripping him tighter.
"Then we fix the veil," I say, my voice trembling but firm. "We do it. I don't care how. I don't care what it takes. We figure it out."
He blinks. "It's too dangerous. It's enough that I need your light of return to evict the spirits from my body. It's enough that you have to replenish my dad's core. I'm not taking anything more from you. Especially not when it can kill you."
Blood drains from my face. "K-kill me?"
"Exactly."
How is he so calm right now? Why isn't he panicking like I am?
"So what now?" I whisper, my throat hurting.
His eyes don't soften. They darken dangerously.
"What now?" he repeats softly.
Then he comes even closer to me.
"Now," he says, his voice low and lethal, "you stay exactly where you are. With me."
"What about the veil—?"
"It can tear."
I blink. "What...?"
His jaw tightens, something feral flashing across his face.
"I don't care about the veil."
My heart sinks.
"Azren—people are dying—"
"And more will die," he cuts in flatly.
My stomach drops.
"You don't mean that—"
"I do."
His hand comes up, gripping my chin.
"I have spent my entire life bleeding for things that were never mine to fix," he says, his voice turning colder. "Obeying rules. Carrying burdens. Trying to tame my own madness."
His grip tightens slightly.
"I'm done."
A chill runs through me.
"If they think I'm handing you over so they can burn you alive to patch their mistakes—"
His lips curl. "They can come and try."
My pulse is racing now.
"Azren... they'll kill you."
Something dark flashes in his eyes. "They can try."
The way he says it... holy shit.
"They gave you two weeks," I whisper.
"No," he corrects softly. "I'm giving them two weeks to fix it themselves and find another way."
"And if they don't?"
His thumb brushes my cheek, wiping away my tears.
"They won't like what happens next."
A shiver runs down my spine. "What will you do?"
His gaze locks onto mine, that familiar wildness sparkling in his eyes.
"Noelle..." His voice is terrifyingly calm now. "You underestimate how mad I can go, just for you.”
I stare at him, my heart hammering so hard it feels like it's trying to break out of my ribs.
Azren's eyes are glowing with that dangerous, molten gold again, the same shade that appeared when my light awakened. But this time it's not just power, it's menace.
He means every word. I can feel it.
The thought should terrify me. It does, a little. But mostly, it makes my chest ache with a fierce, protective love so strong it hurts.
I cup his face with both hands. His skin is warm, almost feverish, and his jaw is clenched so tight.
"Azren," I whisper, desperate. "We can get answers from Nyxara. Surely she knows something about the veil. She's the Queen of the Underworld, she has to know how to fix it without sacrificing anyone."
He says nothing.
I slide my thumbs over his cheekbones, begging him with touch as much as with words.
"Please," I choke out, my voice cracking. "Don't throw your humanity away for me. Not like this. I know you don't want people to die. I know the real you."
Tears roll down my cheeks. I lean in and kiss him desperately, pouring everything I feel into it, including the fear, love, and stubborn hope. If I could kiss the darkness out of him, I would.
When I pull back, I'm breathing hard.
"Please," I whisper again. "Don't become the monster they already think you are. You're more than that. You're mine."
For a long second he just stares at me, his eyes glinting.
Then he touches my face, hesitantly. He's so careful with me. Even when our lips meet desperately. Every brush of his lips against mine cracks my chest open with torrents of emotions.
When he finally pulls back, he doesn't speak. He sinks slowly to his knees in front of me.
Right there on the bedroom floor, this powerful, broken, terrifying man drops to his knees like I'm the only thing in his universe worth bowing to.
His trembling hands slide down to rest on my hips, and I bring a hand to his head, feeling the softness of his hair. His forehead presses against my stomach, a shudder running through his entire body.
"I would tear the stars from the sky if they threatened you," he says, his deep voice vibrating through my skin. "I would drown the oceans in blood. I would watch every realm crumble to dust and smile while it burned... just to keep one more breath in your lungs."
He lifts his head, his eyes locking onto mine. They're glowing brighter now, but there's something raw and naked in them. Something deeper than obsession and possession.
"You are the only quiet I've ever known," he whispers. "The only peace. The only thing that has ever made the screaming stop. I don't know how to be gentle. I don't know how to be good. But for you... I want to try. Every single day. Until the end of whatever time we have left."
Tears stream down my face. I can't speak. I can barely breathe.
He doesn't say "I love you."
He doesn't need to.
The depth of what he just laid at my feet is so much bigger than those three words. It's his entire fractured soul, offered up without reservation.
I drop to my knees too, cupping his face and pressing my forehead to his.
"I'm yours," I whisper, my voice breaking. "And you're mine, love. And I can't lose you. I've come too far to say goodbye now. I want to be your woman forever. I want to love and care for you. I am afraid for our future. But I don't want to give up on you. So let's fight this fate together."
He exhales shakily, holding out his pinkie. I let out a sob, entwining my finger with his.
"Together," he repeats, and I nod, wiping my tears with a shaky smile on my face.
Oh, moon goddess, I might be in over my head. But I...I love him so. Please don't take him away from me.
Just then, his phone rings out and he sighs, taking it out of his pocket. He frowns at the screen and looks up at me, his brows creased.
“Who is it?” I ask, uneasy.
“It’s… Levi.”