Chapter 145

Chapter 145
  Laura's body shook violently on the ground. Blood poured from her nose and mouth. Her eyes rolled back until only the whites showed.
  "Laura!" Lucian dropped to his knees beside her. His hands shook as he touched her face. "Laura, come back to me."
  Her body shook violently on the ground until it went still
  "No, no, no," Dante crawled over. The black veins were gone from his skin but he was still weak. "She's not fucking breathing."
  Zephyr pressed his ear to her chest. His face went pale. "I can't hear her heartbeat."
  Nikolai stared at the sky through the broken ceiling. His fists clenched. "You did this!" he screamed at the silver moon. "You let her sacrifice herself!"
  Silence.
  "Answer me!" Nikolai's voice cracked. "She saved your fucking world! Do something!"
  Still nothing.
  "Please," Lucian whispered. He gathered Laura's lifeless body in his arms. "Don't take her from us."
  Dante's hands shook as he placed them on Laura's chest. "Come on, baby. Come back."
  Nothing happened.
  "She's gone," Zephyr said quietly.
  "No," Nikolai snarled. "I won't accept that."
  He tilted his head back and howled. The sound was pure pain and pure loss. It echoed through the ruined building.
  "Moon Goddess!" he screamed. "She gave everything! Everything! You owe her this!"
  The air around them started to shimmer.
  A figure made of silver light appeared. The Moon Goddess herself. But she looked tired weak.
  "My child," she said softly.
  "Bring her back," Nikolai demanded immediately. "Now."
  "Her soul is lost," the Goddess said. "Trapped in the void between worlds."
  "Then go get her," Dante said. His eyes blazed with fire.
  "It's not that simple. The void is—"
  "I don't frigging care," Lucian interrupted. "She's ours. She belongs with us."
  The Moon Goddess looked at Laura's still form. "She proved herself worthy. More than worthy. She chose love over power. Others over herself."
  "Then prove she was right to trust you," Zephyr said.
  The Goddess nodded slowly. "Very well. But this will cost me everything."
  She knelt beside Laura. Placed her glowing hands on the girl's chest.
  "Come back to us, my daughter," she whispered. "Your fight isn't over."
  Silver light poured into Laura's body. It was so bright the Alphas had to shield their eyes.
  Somewhere in the void, Laura felt the pull. Felt something calling her home.
  But she wasn't alone. Kragoth was still there. Still trying to drag her down.
  "You can't escape," the Shadow Queen hissed. "You're mine now."
  "Like hell I am," Laura said.
  The Moon Goddess's power wrapped around her and pulled her up. Toward the light.
  Kragoth screamed and latched onto Laura's soul. "If you go, I go too!"
  "Fine," Laura said. "Come on then, let's see how long you fucking hold on."
  The three of them—Laura, Elise, and Kragoth—shot upward. Back toward the real world.
  But the Moon Goddess's power was burning Kragoth. The entity shrieked as silver fire ate at her essence.
  They burst through the barrier between worlds.
  Laura gasped and opened her eyes. She was back in Lucian's arms. All four of her mates were staring at her with relief and joy.
  "Laura," Lucian breathed. "Thank god."
  "I'm okay," she said. Her voice was weak but she was alive.
  Next to them, Elise's body convulsed. Her eyes snapped open. But they were black as night.
  "I'm back," Kragoth said with Elise's voice. "And I'm fucking pissed."
  The shadow wolves around them that had been dead suddenly stirred. Their bodies twitched and moved.
  "Shit," Dante said. "She's bringing them back."
  The sounds of battle outside grew louder. Wolves howling. Claws scraping stone.
  The door burst open. Axel and Garrick stumbled in. They were covered in blood but alive.
  "Thank fuck," Dante said. "I thought you were dead."
  "Takes more than shadow wolves to kill us," Axel grinned. But his smile faded when he saw the situation.
  "We need to go," Garrick said. "Now. The whole building is surrounded."
  More shadow wolves poured through the doorway. Their black eyes glowed with hunger.
  Laura tried to stand but her legs wouldn't work. The fight with Kragoth had drained everything from her.
  "I can't," she said. "I'm too weak."
  "You're not alone," Lucian said. He helped her to her feet.
  She felt their bonds strengthen her. All four of them pouring their power into her.
  The silver tattoos on her skin began to glow again. Not as bright as before, but it was enough.
  "Now we're talking," she said.
  But Kragoth was already moving. Elise's body stood up. Her movements were fluid and very fast.
  "Miss me?" she asked.
  She launched herself at Laura. Her fist connected with Laura's jaw. Laura flew backward and hit the wall hard.
  "Laura!" Dante roared. He threw himself at Kragoth.
  The entity caught him by the throat. Lifted him off the ground with one hand.
  "Pathetic," she said. She threw him across the room.
  Lucian attacked next. His claws aimed for Kragoth's heart. She dodged and kicked him in the ribs. The sound of bones breaking filled the air.
  Zephyr came at her with his sword. She caught the blade with her bare hand. Blood ran down her fingers but she didn't seem to care.
  "My turn," she said.
  She twisted the sword and drove it into Zephyr's shoulder. He screamed and fell.
  Nikolai was the last one standing. He circled Kragoth slowly.
  "You can't win," she said. "I'm eternal. I'm—"
  She suddenly stopped. Her body swayed. For a moment, her eyes flickered from black to blue.
  "I'm... dying," she whispered.
  The damage from the mindscape was showing. Laura's silver fire had burned her deep. Even now, it was eating her alive.
  "Elise?" Nikolai said softly.
  The woman's head snapped up. Her eyes were blue now. Confused and scared.
  "Nikolai?" she said. "What's happening? Where am I?"
  "You're safe," he said. "You're with me."
  "No," she said. "I remember now. You did this. You betrayed me. You killed my family and I wanted to make you fucking pay."
  "I did," he said. "But not for the reasons you think."
  "Then why?" she asked as tears ran down her face.
  Nikolai took a step closer. "Your family was trafficking children, Elise. They were selling them to the highest bidder."
  Her face went white. "That's not true."
  "It is," he said. "Your father. Your brothers. All of them. But not you. You were the only innocent one as you didn't know."
  "You're lying," she said.
  "I wish I was," he said. "But I wouldn't lie, not now."
  "No," she whispered to herself. "They wouldn't. They couldn't."
  "They did," Nikolai said. "But even knowing that, I'm not sure I wouldn't have betrayed them anyway. I was young. I was stupid and i wanted power more than I wanted to do the right thing."
  "You destroyed everything," she said.
  "I know," he said. "And I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry."
  Kragoth's voice suddenly came back. "How touching. A confession before death."
  Elise's eyes turned black again. But only for a moment. She was fighting back.
  "I won't let you," she said. "Not anymore."
  "You can't stop me," Kragoth snarled. "I own you."
  "No," Elise said. "You don't."
  She looked at Nikolai for a while before she muttered. "I forgive you," she said. "For everything."
  "Elise," he said shocked. "I—"
  "I know," she said. "I know you're sorry. I know you love me. I know you've carried this guilt for years, that was why I was so pissed and did all that I did."
  Kragoth's voice came back. "Enough! I'll kill you all!"
  But she was weaker now. The internal fight was draining her.
  Nikolai reached into his jacket. He pulled out a golden dagger. The same one Elise had given him when she freed him.
  "Remember this?" he asked.
  Elise's eyes cleared. She looked at the dagger. "You kept it."
  "I did," he said. 
  He walked toward her slowly. "I'm sorry," he said. "For everything. For the pain. For the betrayal. For not doing enough to find you all those years."
  "Nikolai," she said. "What are you doing?"
  "What I should have done a long time ago," he said. "I'm setting you free."
  "No," Kragoth screamed. "You can't!"
  But it was too late. Nikolai drove the golden dagger into Elise's heart.
  She gasped. Her eyes going wide as blood ran from her mouth.
  "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."
  He caught her as she fell. Held her in his arms.
  "I'm sorry," he said again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
  He rocked her back and forth. Tears streaming down his face.
  "I'm sorry," he kept saying. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
  Whether Kragoth was dead or alive, no one knew. The only sound was Nikolai's voice, repeating the same words over and over.
  "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."