\[Rosco’s POV\]
I stare down at Denali’s pale face and blue lips, which are parted, allowing shallow breaths to escape.
“Nothing is happening,” I growl, shooting my gaze at the woman who is focusing solely on the woman in my arms. “I thought you said..."
“She’s weak,” the woman explains, keeping her face calm.
“Are you saying that you can’t do anything?”
“Don’t yell at my mommy!”
Confusion flares as the tiny voice reaches me, but as I look around, I can’t find where it is coming from.
“Do you have a little specter with you?” I ask. “Can that little bastard save my wife because you’re doing a piss poor job of..."
“Stop it, mean man!” The voice repeats as a tiny little boy with sandy blond hair appears, fixing me with his angry gaze. “My mommy is the best; just wait!”
“I’m waiting!” I hiss, tightening my hold on Denali, whose body is growing colder. “But I’m not seeing any results!”
I know that I’m being overly harsh, I know, but my panic and fear are continuing to grow. It’s like I’m back in that time when I lost my best friend because I was too late then too. Why? Why couldn’t I ever make it in time to save those who needed me the most?
“You can’t,” I growl, pulling Denali closer. “You can’t leave me here in this fucking dark world without your light.”
My words are a plea. A plea to Denali and a plea to the goddess who has dealt me such a fucking hand.
“You’ve got to fight!” I continue, leaning down and kissing her lips, which are chapped and cold. “Don’t you dare fucking leave me. Do you hear me?”
Lifting my head, I wait in hopes that she will say something, anything, but she remains unmoving despite the wound on her neck slowly closing up.
So this woman wasn’t lying about her abilities to heal, but even despite that, it didn’t mean that she could resurrect someone who was on the brink of death.
No! She wasn’t on the fucking brink of death! She was going to survive! She was going to be fine, and we were going to see out not only my revenge but hers. We were going to take back every fucking thing that belonged to her, and we were going to destroy everyone who hurt her for all these years. Once that was finished, we were going to have a proper wedding, and I was going to treat her like the fucking queen she was.
“Please,” I whisper, my voice shaking with the trembling of my very soul. “Please, mi reina, don’t leave me.”
Warm tears begin to spring to the corners of my eyes, falling down my cheeks and splattering against Denali’s skin.
“I can’t take this world without you. I never told you because I was too embarrassed, but you saved me. You saved me when I was at my darkest, and it was just knowing that you existed in this world that continued to push me through. Please, mi reina, stay with me. If you dare leave me, I’ll follow you to the heavens and drag you back. Do you hear me?”
“Stop moving her so much,” the woman hisses. “You’re breaking my connection with her soul.”
“HEr soul?” I repeat. “What the fuck does that even mean?”
“It means that she has already stepped one foot into the nether realm, and now it is up to her if she wants to latch onto me and come back or if she stays there.”
\[Denali’s POV\]
I’m warm, so warm, despite the darkness that surrounds me. Was this what death felt like? It was different than I expected, but I guess you never truly know unless you experience it firsthand.
Sighing, I continue to drift, taking comfort in the warmth that is surrounding me until I feel my body touch something soft that brushes against my skin, tickling it in the process.
“Denali,” the soothing voice reaches me, startling me so that my eyes fly open.
“Mom,” I whisper, taking in my mother’s face. “You’re here.”
“Why have you returned?” She whispers, brushing a hand across my cheek. “Didn’t I tell you it wasn’t your time yet?”
For a moment, I don’t speak as I let myself get lost in the warmth of my mother's embrace, which I missed so much. However, before I can get too lost in it, I sit up, my eyes widening as memories of what happened before I got here hit me.
“Rosco!” I gasp, turning my wide-eyed gaze to my mother. “Mom, Rosco, my mate, he..."
“Calm down, sweetheart.” My mother murmurs, trying to calm the waves of anxiety that are starting to roll through me. “Tell me what happened. How did you come to be here again?”
“I…” I begin, remembering Alexander’s betrayal. “Mom,” I continue, fixing my gaze on hers as I realize that if anyone knew about me having a twin sister and the ultimate alpha command, it would be her. “Why?”
“Why what?” She asks, seeming confused. “What are you trying to ask?”
“Mom,” I say slowly, bracing myself for whatever comes. “Why did you never tell me the truth?”
Growing quiet, I wait as my mother’s expression shifts from genuinely confused to guarded.
“I don’t…”
“Your bloodline,” I push, unwilling to let her keep it hidden any longer. “The ultimate alpha command, a twin sister, and a hidden will that would make sure dad couldn't take over emerald moon. Why didn’t you ever tell me any of this before you passed?”
I understood that my words were like an accusation, but I was angry. Angry that there was so much about myself I did know and so much that was kept to me. And what made it worse was that it was kept from me by the only person I trusted to never betray or hide things from me.
“You know,” she sighs, sitting back and hanging her head. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart, but please know I did it for you. If you knew, then there was a chance that others would know, and then they would come for you.”
“They still came for me,” I counter. “And he hurt the one I love the most again and again. Please, how can I learn to master this command so that I can end all of this?”
“You can’t,” she whispers. “If you do, it will kill you.”
“Kill me?” I repeat, though deep down I know that she is telling me the truth. “How?”
“The command doesn’t come without a price,” she explains. “That is why, for so many years, we tried to let it die.”
"Mom!" I beg. “Tell me, what will happen if I end up truly using it?”
“Your soul will shatter,” she responds sadly. “And when that happens, you’ll be left as nothing more than a husk.”