Chapter 160

CLAUDIA.

“Keep talking and you’re going to wake her up.”

“You’re also talking.”

“Yeah, but it’s different, because I’m actually whispering.”

“No, you’re kind of yelling now….”

A couple of hushed voices manage to pierce through my heavy consciousness. I still feel very much detached from my body, so much so that it seems like I don’t have one. Still, I try to reach out for that one connection. The voices. I still can’t quite place them, but I hang onto them like a lifeline, knowing that if I just follow them hard enough, I will be able to break through the surface of this daze….

“She’s moving.”

“She’s going to wake up soon.”

“Finally.”

That one word. That last voice. I will recognize it from a million miles away. From a million lifetimes away.

Achilles.

And that’s what breaks me through it. Him. Thoughts of him.

With a long shuddering gasp, I finally wake up, breaking through the traps of unconsciousness, gasping for air like a swimmer who got swallowed by the currents. I open my eyes and the first thing I see is the glare of white. Nothing but white. I blink hard and scooch back, feeling myself getting thrown back against soft pillows and covers. My vision adjusts to the blinding brightness after a couple of moments, and that’s when I see that I’m in our room, the one that got destroyed when I first discovered my alternate wolf form.

Many people are standing over me. Maia, Carlos, Aristea, Ruth, Henry, Nana, a couple of nurses… and Achilles. He’s sitting on the bed, his hand on my cheek. He bursts into a happy smile as soon as our eyes meet, and it’s as though nothing bad happened ever. His other hand trails down to my belly, and that’s enough assurance for me.

Our baby made it too.

I heave a sigh of relief, sinking back onto the mattress as the others smile at me. Aristea sits next to Achilles, feeling my forehead.

“You’re finally back,” Achilles whispers. “You’ve been out for a week.”

My eyes go wide. “I didn’t know that….”

I trail off when I hear my own voice. A vague memory of losing it worms its way into my mind. Suddenly I remember everything that happened. From what Tristan did to what I did to him. What his last moments alive were like. What he told me, that I was going to lose my voice. I know I kept going then. I said the word that started this in the first place, the word that tied my destiny to his.

But it’s all gone now. It has to be all gone now. I look at them and see the weariness on their faces, and that makes me worry in turn. I open my mouth to ask, but it’s as though Achilles knows what I’m thinking, because he cuts me off and says, “He’s gone.”

“He is?” I ask, my voice sounding shot but intact.

He nods, looking at the others before turning back to me with a proud smile. “It’s all because of you. You saved everyone in that cave that day. And you didn’t turn into a Rogue.”

“We can’t explain it,” Aristea says with a smile. “But you… somehow got rid of it from your system. It was already gone by the time we brought you home. It was amazing. You were amazing.”

“You really were.” Achilles plants a kiss on my hand. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I whisper, with tears welling in my eyes. I look at all of them and I can’t help but burst into a big smile.

All the people I cared for, all the people who meant something to me, gathered in one room, waiting for me to recover. It warms my heart.

But the thing that brings me the fuzziest feelings is Achilles, who keeps his lips planted against my hand. Looking into his eyes makes me feel stronger. Being this close to him makes me realize how far I’ve come, how much hardship I had to take, and how worth it everything is in the end.

* * *

THREE MONTHS LATER.

ACHILLES.

“Are you ready?” Carlos asks as I stare at my reflection in the mirror, adjusting the collar of my shirt. “You don’t look nervous at all and that is making me nervous.”

I laugh. A full laugh that I’ve been having more and more lately. What can I say? Life has been good.

We are rebuilding the land, assigning good Alphas to rule over the packs and distributing opportunities between every pack. I have opened Sangria Amori to anyone and everyone who needs a safe place to get back on their feet. The people are happy and well-fed, with good jobs that provide them everything they need and people they can fully rely on.

We suffered very few casualties in the final battle too. Claudia’s last act managed to save everyone, except for Kiernan, who is now buried in the yard of the Royals along with the rest of his family. He may have done unspeakably bad things, but his last act saved everyone.

Carlos is still my Beta, and Henry is now my Gamma. Nana and Aristea are both working on the health side of things, training nurses to be distributed in all the land. Maia, Sahari, and Ruth are included in this mission.

Claudia, on the other hand, made a full recovery. Our son would be born in two months’ time, and we couldn’t be any happier.

In fact, today is the day of our wedding and I’ve been smiling for the past few hours tirelessly.

She has lost the power of command in her voice, but I don’t think she needs it anymore. At least, not for now. Aristea believes that she will be able to gain it back, but Claudia doesn’t seem too keen to do that.

In fact, when I asked her about it a couple of days ago, she just said, “Siren Wolves are omens for bad things to come, at their very core. The fact that I have no bad news to break and no ability to break it means things are good.”

And I believe she’s right. Because things are better than good. Things are actually wonderful.

“I’m not nervous.” I look at Carlos as I finish getting dressed. “I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. Now come with me and watch me get married.”

With that, we head to the gardens. It’s a wonderful summer day, with the sky not showing a single speck of white. The platform where Aristea and I stand is set with white and pink flowers. The vines overhead sway with the wind, and as I get into position, everyone in the seats stands up.

Music plays, and Claudia looms into view, wearing the most beautiful white dress.

Our eyes meet and she smiles at me. She starts to walk. Closer and closer to me. I find myself teary-eyed, especially when I look at her swollen belly. We will be meeting our son soon. We will be a family.

And nothing will tear us apart again.

Closer and closer she gets to me. Closer and closer to our future.

Once we’re face to face, Claudia takes my hand. I intertwine my finger with hers, kissing her knuckles. Together we face Aristea so she could join us in matrimony, but I knew before I could even utter the vows that I am with her for the rest of my life.

As what was decreed by the universe long before we were even born.

As what was meant to be.

My love. My savior. My voice.

THE END.