Chapter 115
Chloe's POV
By the time Frank and I got Ivan back to the gym, night had completely fallen.
Ivan's body felt terrifyingly heavy—not the ordinary kind of weight, but something closer to the heaviness of death itself. I could feel the faint flicker of residual lightning still pulsing inside him.
Frank's expression had been grim from the moment we'd stepped through the gym doors, and that gravity made my heart race faster.
"Put him here." Frank gestured toward a bench in the corner of the training room, his voice rough.
I carefully lowered Ivan down, my fingers unconsciously brushing across his forehead. His skin burned hot, fine beads of sweat dotting his temples, his breathing rapid and irregular.
I remembered how he'd looked in the canyon when he'd become lightning incarnate—that devastating power, that almost manic beauty—all of it gone now, leaving behind only a fragile shell.
"He'll be okay, right?" I heard the tremor in my own voice.
Frank didn't answer immediately.
He knelt down, pressing his palm against Ivan's chest and closing his eyes. I watched his brow furrow deeper and deeper. That silence made my stomach churn.
"Damn it." Frank cursed under his breath, and when he opened his eyes, I saw a flicker of fear I'd never seen before. "He's in worse shape than I thought."
"What do you mean?" I grabbed Frank's arm. "He just exhausted his strength—he'll be fine after some rest, right?"
"It's not that simple." Frank stood, beginning to pace the room. "Ivan didn't just drain his own power—he absorbed the elemental spirit's energy. That level of elemental force isn't something an ordinary werewolf can handle—even him." He paused, his voice dropping lower. "The post-battle trauma is severe. His body is rejecting that power while simultaneously trying to retain it. That conflict is tearing him apart from the inside."
I felt my heart skip a beat. "So what do we do?"
"I need special herbs to stabilize the energy flow in his body, and time—a lot of time." Frank turned to look at me, his expression complex. "Chloe, he needs complete rest and constant care. For the next few weeks, possibly months, he'll be in an extremely weakened state."
"I'm staying." The words came out almost before I'd thought them.
"Chloe—"
"I'm staying to take care of him." I cut Frank off, my tone so firm it surprised even me. "This isn't a request, Frank. He nearly died for everyone. I'm not leaving him."
Frank stared at me for a long moment, so long I thought he might refuse.
But finally, he just sighed and nodded. "Alright. But prepare yourself—the coming days won't be easy."
I didn't care about easy or hard. All I cared about was Ivan surviving.
Over the next few hours, I watched Frank work. He pulled herbs, bandages, and tools I couldn't name from various corners.
I helped him fetch water, hand him things, doing whatever I could just to keep myself from sinking into helpless panic.
Night deepened.
Frank finally finished treating Ivan's most urgent injuries, straightening up to rub his aching back. "That's all for tonight. I'll go brew the medicine. The rest we'll have to leave to his body to heal."
"Go ahead." I said, my gaze never leaving Ivan. "I'll watch over him."
Frank glanced at me, seeming about to say something, but ultimately said nothing and left the room.
The room held only Ivan and me now.
I dragged over a chair and sat beside him, my fingers gently grasping his hand.
"You idiot." I said softly, my voice sounding especially clear in the empty room. "Why did you push yourself so hard? Why couldn't you just know your limits?"
Of course, he didn't answer.
He just lay there, brow furrowed, as if caught in some painful dream.
I don't know how long I sat there. Waves of exhaustion washed over me, but I refused to sleep. I was afraid that if I closed my eyes, I'd lose him.
That fear felt so real, so intense, that my fingers locked around his hand as if simply not letting go would keep him from leaving.
That's when I heard another voice.
Not Ivan's voice, nor Flashwing's.
It was something low, powerful, carrying the resonance of thunder.
Zeus...
My eyes snapped open, my heart pounding like a war drum.
That was Ivan's wolf spirit. I could actually sense Zeus's presence, hear his voice—or more accurately, sense the depths of Ivan's consciousness.
Flashwing?
I called to my wolf in my mind.
My wolf spirit seemed to sense Zeus's presence too.
She didn't speak—wolf spirits never truly "speak"—but I could feel her emotions: curiosity, joy, and something indescribable... recognition?
The two wolf spirits seemed to be communicating somehow. I couldn't hear what they were "saying," but I could feel that exchange beyond words.
Zeus's strength was still weak, but before Flashwing, he displayed a steadfast, protective posture.
And my wolf didn't reject that protection.
I don't know how long this strange connection lasted, only that when it finally faded, I felt something had profoundly changed.
The mate bond.
This wasn't the first time I'd felt this bond—in the canyon, fighting side by side, I'd already known Ivan was my destined mate.
But this time was different. This time, even our wolf spirits had confirmed the connection.
Zeus and Flashwing had established some kind of understanding, the deep connection that only true mates possess.
But at the same time, I sensed something else.
An... obstruction.
Like some invisible wall standing between us. Not emotional distance, but something more tangible, a physical barrier. I didn't understand what it was, but I could feel its presence, feel it preventing our bond from fully forming.
Like fate's obstruction...
The thought suddenly surfaced, making me shiver. I didn't know what it meant, but instinct told me it wasn't good.
"Chloe..."
I jerked my head down to find Ivan's eyes open.
Those eyes were still tired, but they were conscious.
He looked at me, his lips pulling into a weak smile.
"Ivan!" I practically threw myself onto him, tears streaming uncontrollably. "You're awake! Thank god, you're finally awake!"
"I thought..." His voice was terribly hoarse. "I'd never see you again."
"Idiot." I laughed through my tears, roughly wiping my face with the back of my hand. "We're mates—I'd find you wherever you went."
His hand lifted, trembling as it touched my cheek.
The gesture was so gentle, so careful, as if I were some priceless treasure.
"Right... mates..."
He tried to sit up, but his body clearly wasn't cooperating. I quickly supported him, letting him lean against me. In that moment, our skin touched—
An electric current instantly shot through both our bodies.
Zeus and Flashwing roared simultaneously in our consciousness, that sound filled with longing, recognition, and something almost madly joyful.
The mate bond became so intense in that instant, so real, that my entire body trembled.
"This feeling..." Ivan gasped, eyes wide. "I've never..."
"Me neither." My cheeks burned, my heart racing like it might burst from my chest. "The books say when mates first confirm their bond..."
I couldn't finish.
Because Ivan was looking at me with an expression I'd never seen before—one filled with love, longing, and something almost reverent.
"I know I'm just a rogue." He gazed at me seriously, his voice weak but every word clear and strong. "But I swear—"
"Don't say that." I pressed my finger against his lips, shaking my head. "Right now, there's only the two of us."
Our foreheads touched.
I closed my eyes, breathing deeply of his scent—that mixture of lightning, sweat, and something uniquely his.
This was the werewolf way of confirming mates, something more primal and real than any words.
Then we kissed.
It was brief but passionate.
Ivan's lips were chapped, tasting of bitter herbs, but I didn't care.
I only cared about this connection, this confirmation—that we belonged to each other, no matter what happened, no matter what obstacles fate placed before us.
"Ahem."
We jerked apart, turning toward the door.
Frank stood there holding a bowl of steaming medicine, his expression caught between embarrassment and amusement.
"Sorry to interrupt. But I think Ivan probably needs to drink this more than he needs to be kissing right now."