Chapter 183

Chapter 183
Madilyn’s POV

Ariana is unconscious in my arms. Everything that happened was too much for her little body. I gently stroke her hair, my eyes stuck on the door of the room. The wood is turning dark, and I know it won’t be long before the fire reaches us.

Tears want to come, but I push them back. I have to think. Think fast. I try to find a way out, refusing to accept that we might already be out of time. I know if I let panic take over, I’ll freeze completely.

The fire outside the room has dried the towel I put under the door. I stare in horror as it catches fire too. My throat feels tight. I hold Ariana closer.

Just as I feel hopelessness creeping in, I hear someone shouting my name.

“Madilyn! Baby, where are you?”

That voice. His voice. It cuts through the smoke and fear like a light in the dark. There’s panic in it, but also love and strength. He calls again and again. The relief I feel hearing him is so strong that I choke on it.

Before I can even answer, the door bursts open.

He’s standing there like a hero from a dream. His shirt is torn, sweat shines on his forehead, and his hair is messy. His eyes look wild. His wolf side is almost out. When he sees me, his face fills with so many emotions I can’t even count them.

Then, he runs to me. His hands cup my face, and he kisses me all over—my cheeks, my forehead, my lips. Then he looks down at Ariana and takes her from me, holding her tightly against his chest.

She looks so small in his strong arms. So safe.

A tiny, broken smile crosses my face. She’s safe now. My strength gives out, and I feel my body relax.

But the fire is spreading fast. In a few more seconds, even Mason’s strength won’t be enough.

“You have to take Ariana and go,” I whisper.

Shock flashes across his face. His eyes look like they’re begging me not to say that. His face burns with emotion, and for a second, I want to pull him into a kiss right there in the middle of the fire.

“No. Absolutely not. I’m taking both of you,” he says firmly.

I lift my arm and place it around his neck, bringing his forehead to mine.

“Please. Save our daughter first. Then come back for me.”

His face twists with pain. His eyes say more than words ever could. After a long pause, he pulls me into a deep, hard kiss.

“Wait for me, sweetheart. I’ll come right back. I promise,” he whispers.

He takes the bedsheet from Ariana’s bed and wraps her in it. Then, after one last look at me, he rushes out into the fire.

Right after he leaves, a wave of flame pushes into the room. It throws me back into memories—three years ago, trapped in fire again.

Ariana’s gone now. I don’t have to be strong anymore.

The fire and the past mix together, and I lose focus. I stand there frozen. Then, the closet door falls off. Its frame has been destroyed by the heat. I snap out of my thoughts and move just in time, but one part of it still crashes down.

On my leg.

I scream as pain shoots through me. My leg is stuck under the heavy metal door.

I try to push it off, but it’s no use. It won’t move.

A sad laugh escapes me.

This is it. This is how I was always going to die. Burned by fire.

I stop fighting. I let go.

\---

Mason’s POV

My back burns. The skin tears and tries to heal at the same time. It hurts more than anything I’ve felt before. But my body pushes through. I’m holding Ariana tight as I finally run out of the house.

James is waiting outside. His face is pale, and he’s staring at the fire like he’s frozen. The panic in his eyes doesn’t move.

“Take care of her. I need to go back for Madilyn,” I say, placing Ariana into his arms. He looks like someone just hit him, but his arms tighten around her.

I bend down, kiss her forehead, and pray she’s okay.

Then I turn around to go back.

Just as I take a step, another small explosion goes off inside the house.

“God, Madilyn, please hang on,” I whisper.

James grabs my arm before I can move again. His eyes are filled with tears. It’s strange seeing him—an Alpha—so broken.

“The fire is too big,” he says, the words clearly hurting him. “I already called for help. Wait for the firemen. Mason, not even you can survive this.”

He looks so crushed. This isn’t just hard for me. Madilyn is his sister.

He’s trying to protect me too. I know that.

But I push his hand away.

“Ariana needs at least one of her parents!” he yells.

“She’ll have both,” I say softly.

Then I walk back into the flames.

\---

Madilyn’s POV

I’ve already let go. My eyes are closed, waiting for the fire to take me. I knew Mason wouldn’t have time to come back. I made him believe he could—but deep down, I knew it was a lie.

But if I had to choose, I’d rather have Mason and Ariana survive. That was my only comfort.

The flames close in. It feels just like before. Like that warehouse three years ago. Except this time, I don’t have the strength to crawl out.

Just as I’m about to give in, I see him.

The man I begged for three years ago. The one I thought had left me to die.

Mason.

He’s rushing toward me like I’m all that matters.

I stare at him, stunned.

I’ve been alone so many times. But this time, he came.

He drops to his knees beside me, looking like I’m his whole world.

I whisper the words I never thought I’d say again.

“Why did you come back?”

He looks at me like the answer is simple.

“I promised I would. You’re still here. So how could I be anywhere else?”

I want to ask why he didn’t come three years ago. The words are on the tip of my tongue.

But I don’t get the chance.

The ceiling fan in Ariana’s room falls with a loud noise. I watch in fear as it drops toward me.

I close my eyes.

But the pain never comes.

When I open them, Mason is above me, shielding me with his body. The burning fan rests on his back.

I can smell his skin burning. It’s awful.

He groans but doesn’t stop. His hands turn into claws, and he starts clawing at the steel door pinning my leg.

Blood pours from his fingers.

“No! Mason, please! Leave me!” I scream.

But he doesn’t listen.

“You’re my wife. If I can’t save you, I’ll die with you. I won’t let you be alone,” he says softly, wiping my tears.

That breaks me.

I cry in his arms, years of pain pouring out of me.

Then, I hear a crack.

He rips the steel off my leg. With strong arms, he lifts me.

I hear sirens outside.

Help is here.

He carries me to the doorway.

But just as we reach it, everything goes dark.

The roof collapses.

And once again…

Mason covers me with his body.

Willing to burn to save me.