151- Bound by Blood and Moonlight
POV Lunara Grimwald:
I mourned for him; for myself; for our pup; for us.
That was beyond the two of us, it was about an entire pack, about wolves who depended on him and trusted in him.
“Please, Edric. Give me the pup’s blood. Let’s sever this bond. You need to survive, you need to stay alive for everyone in Eldoria.”
He took my head in his hands, forcing me to look at him.
“There is no way to live without you, my little wolf.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I can feel your body weakening, your life slipping away. If you die, then I will die too.”
Why was he doing this? Why couldn’t he accept our reality?
He took hold of my arm and brought my fist to his lips, licking the wound that was slowly healing. His eyes wandered over my entire body, his tongue brushing every gash, every small bruise that covered my skin.
He lifted me into his arms, holding me against his hot, muscular body.
“Listen to me, I will never perform any ritual to remove our mark. We are one and we will continue to be. If you die, I will gladly die too.”
I nestled against him, breathing in his scent of fresh pine and damp earth, the aroma that calmed me more than anything and made me feel at home.
“You can’t die,” I protested.
“Nor can you! There is no life without you, not for me.”
I took a deep breath, feeling more and more tired, exhausted and ready to sleep. I blinked and kept my eyes closed.
“This is so unfair,” I sighed.
“Listen carefully, my little wolf. You need to fight, you need to endure the exhaustion. You need to survive.”
I opened my eyes and looked at Andrei. He walked over to the she-wolf and snapped her neck, killing her coldly just as I had asked, before coming up to us.
“What are you going to do?” our friend asked.
“I’m going to take her home, to heal her.” Andrei frowned.
“You won’t make it in time.”
Edric tightened his arms around me.
“Yes, I will.” He planted a kiss on my forehead. “I won’t stop, my little wolf. Not until we’re home, until you’re safe and healed. Live, for me, for us. Fight, just as I will.”
I blinked again, my eyelids dragging with slowness.
“I promise I’ll try,” I whispered, weak.
“It’s days of travel.” I heard Andrei’s voice, but it seemed too distant.
Everything was dark; only then did I realize I had closed my eyes.
“Don’t follow me, you won’t be able to keep up with my pace.”
“It’s madness, Edric. As she grows weaker, so will you. Do the ritual to unbind you both, and then run to save her life.”
Their conversation was nothing more than a distant buzzing.
“We are one, a single soul,” Edric growled. “We will survive, we will hold on and overcome this together.”
Andrei made a sound in his throat.
“I hope this works. I can’t lose two more friends.”
I tried to stay conscious, to listen to what they were saying, but the darkness reached me before I could fight anymore.
...
I opened my eyes, confused and tired.
The tall treetops prevented the sun’s rays from seeping through and reaching the ground to light it up. The landscape was white, and small snowflakes fell over us, wetting my lashes and my hair, freezing them.
The scent of oak dominated the air, mixed with the freshness of snow. It felt so good to sense something so exotic after so long trapped in a filthy, foul-smelling room.
I was being sheltered by broad, warm arms that wrapped around me as if I were the most precious thing in the world. I curled closer into the body of the male carrying me.
Edric looked down without slowing his pace; his breathing was labored, but the golden glow in his eyes was resolute.
“We’re close, my little wolf. Hold on a bit longer, we’re almost there,” he panted.
I tried to speak, but my mouth was dry and my tongue stuck fast. I took a deep breath, drawing in the fresh air.
Edric did not slow down; the arms around me were like steel.
Exhaustion overtook me once more, and I fell into a deep sleep.
...
Countless stars were scattered across the dark sky. The icy wind shook the branches, dropping some of the snow piled on them down onto us.
Edric’s jaw was tight, his beard grown out. We were still moving. His arms around me kept me warm and safe.
I watched him with tired eyes. I loved him so much.
It was hard to tell exactly when I had fallen in love, I only knew that it had happened, even though I had tried to avoid it.
He lowered his head and fixed his blue eyes on me. Silver danced within his irises, along with a few golden flecks.
He smiled, showing long, sharp fangs.
“It’s going to be all right, Lunara. You are being incredible, strong and fearless,” he whispered, brushing the tip of his nose against mine. He kissed my forehead and breathed in deeply, taking in my scent. “You have my heart. If yours stops beating, mine will fall silent too.”
Something inside me gave in to his words. A pure, deep, and complex feeling took over.
It was love. The most genuine and pure I had ever known.
His pace never lost intensity. Not even for a single second. Edric looked exhausted, his expression showed it, and yet he never stopped running.
I tried to speak again, but I couldn’t. It was as if the words were trapped, as if my lips were sealed shut.
He looked ahead once more, dodging a fallen trunk in the path, leaping with me in his arms with enviable ease.
I felt the fatigue again, as if it would never end.
I was fighting, just as he had asked, trying to stay strong, trying to recover. Besides him, I had my pup to hold on for. They both depended on me, two lives far too important to me.
I closed my eyes and settled against his sturdy chest, catching the rapid rhythm of his heart and his deep breathing.
I fell asleep cradled by the pulse of life within him.