Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Amelia POV
The wind didn’t let up.
Even after Demian dragged me upright, after Corrin’s hand settled briefly on my shoulder before retreating like touching me might burn him, after Elian barked for us to move faster—the wind screamed, and I screamed inside it.
Every step felt like stepping through a battlefield no one else could see. The whisper lurked behind my ribs, patient and smug, no longer just pulling but waiting—like it knew its time was coming.
And maybe it was.
\---
By dusk, my legs were more betrayal than bone. My breath clawed for air thinner than it should’ve been. The world tilted, the ice glittered sharp as teeth, and my body begged to fall into it.
But every time my knees buckled, his hand was there.
Demian.
Always Demian.
Fingers closing around my elbow, a palm bracing my back, his voice in my ear low and commanding: Step. Breathe. Again.
I wanted to hate him for it. Wanted to scream that I didn’t need his strength, didn’t need his tether. But the truth was brutal—without him, I’d already be gone.
And he knew it. That knowledge burned hotter than the cold.
\---
We camped that night in a hollow carved into the ridge, shielded enough from the wind that the fire Elian sparked actually caught. It burned small, sputtering against the storm’s leftovers, but it was light. It was heat. It was survival.
I sat near the edge, knees tucked up, arms wound tight around them. Kira’s gaze flicked to me once, sharp as always, but this time she didn’t speak. Maybe she didn’t need to. Her silence accused louder than words.
Corrin busied himself with supplies. Elian sat cross-legged, blade in his lap, sharpening again like he couldn’t stop.
Demian paced. A caged wolf. His eyes kept finding me, even when I refused to meet them.
The whisper hummed beneath my skin, a song I couldn’t turn off. You’re breaking them. One by one. Do you feel it? How much easier if you just—
“Stop.” The word ripped out of me before I could catch it.
The fire cracked. Four sets of eyes cut toward me.
Demian froze mid-step, watching me like I was glass about to shatter. Elian’s brows knit, Corrin shifted uncomfortably, and Kira tilted her head, curiosity dark in her gaze.
I pressed my fists to my skull, shaking. “I said stop.”
“Amelia.” Demian’s voice was low, warning, already moving toward me.
“Don’t.” My voice cracked. “Don’t touch me right now.”
For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then Demian’s jaw clenched, but he stopped. He stayed where he was, hands fisting at his sides.
The whisper laughed. Not in words. Just laughter. Soft. Cruel.
My chest heaved. I couldn’t stay there another second.
I bolted.
\---
Snow bit my ankles as I stumbled into the dark, away from the fire, away from their stares, away from Demian’s heat. The cold was a knife against my skin, but at least it was mine.
At least it drowned the whisper for a moment.
But not for long.
Yes. Run. Leave them. You don’t belong in their pack, in his arms, in this world. You belong to me.
I staggered until my lungs burned, until the ridge opened into a narrow path winding down into shadow. I should’ve turned back. I should’ve.
Instead I leaned against the rock, eyes squeezed shut, nails biting my palms until they drew blood. “I’m not yours,” I whispered, desperate. “I’m not.”
You are. You’ve always been.
The words slid through me like poison, and gods help me—I almost believed them.
\---
A crunch behind me snapped my eyes open.
I spun, breath shallow.
Demian.
Of course.
His shoulders filled the narrow path, his eyes lit with fury and fear both. “Are you trying to die?” His voice was a growl, carrying more than the storm ever could.
I shook my head, trembling. “I just—I needed—”
“You needed what? To collapse alone? To make me drag you back from the edge again?” His hand cut through the air, harsh. “You think I won’t? You think I’ll let you—”
“Stop!” My scream tore through the night. My knees gave, and I sank to the ground, sobbing into my hands. “Stop saving me! I can’t— I can’t keep needing you to—”
The words tangled, broke.
Silence followed, except for my shaking breaths and the whisper threading soft and poisonous: Yes. Let him go. Let me hold you instead.
Then Demian’s boots crunched closer.
He crouched in front of me, his hands hovering near my arms but not touching. Not until I let him.
“Look at me.” His voice had gentled, rough but steady. “Amelia. Look.”
I dragged my gaze up. His eyes burned, but not with anger. With something far worse. Something I couldn’t name without breaking.
“You think you’re weak because you need me?” His breath shuddered out. “Then gods help me, I’ll be weak too. Because I need you more than I need air.”
The bond flared, searing, raw. My tears came harder.
He reached for me then, slow, giving me every chance to shove him away. I didn’t. I couldn’t.
His hands wrapped around mine, lifting them between us. His thumbs brushed the blood where my nails had torn skin. “You don’t get to bleed for it. You hear me? You bleed for me. For us. Never for it.”
Something inside me cracked, a fault line splitting wide. The whisper hissed, furious, and I clung to his hands like they were the only anchor left in a world tilting to pieces.
\---
We returned to the hollow in silence. His arm brushed mine the whole way, a tether I both hated and craved.
The others didn’t ask. They didn’t need to. The tension in the air said enough.
I curled by the fire again, exhaustion dragging me under. Demian sat close, not touching, but near enough his warmth seeped into me anyway.
And when the whisper coiled again, promising escape, promising peace, I buried my face in my knees and chose the ache instead.
\---
The attack came at dawn.
The ridge split with howls, too close, too many. Shadows poured from the treeline—wolves, feral and starving, their eyes gleaming sick with hunger.
Kira was on her feet in an instant, blades flashing. Elian roared orders, Corrin already drawing steel.
Demian shoved me back, his body a shield, his growl shaking the air. “Stay behind me.”
The whisper surged, wild and triumphant. Yes. Let the storm take him. Let them all fall. Then you’ll finally be free.
My hands pressed to my stomach. My heart thundered. The world exploded in snarls and steel.
And I realized—the true battle wasn’t just theirs.