To Return

BASTIAN.

I wake up with a gasp, my lungs expanding as if I've been underwater for far too long. The air tastes crisp and alive, filling my senses with a jolt of energy that makes my heart race. My body is heavy, every muscle aching, and it's as if I've been through a storm and back. I struggle to sit up, my head spinning as I take in my surroundings.

Daisy is right beside me. Her amethyst eyes are teary and wide with relief.

"Bastian," she says, her voice cracking from shock and joy.

I touch my chest, feeling the warmth seeping back into my own skin and the steady rhythm of my heart.

"Not dead?" I manage to croak out, confusion coloring my words.

Daisy's smile is bright despite the sorrow streaking her face.

"Not dead," she "Not today."

My head feels like it's full of cotton, and my mouth is dry as bark. What the hell happened?

"Huh. That's nice," I huff with a cough. "Not to sound ungrateful, but... is there a particular reason I'm not dead?"

A sound comes out of Daisy that is half-laughter, half-sob.

The last thing I remember is a very large, very magical bird made of black flames flying into my chest and burning me from the inside out.

My eyes widen, and I scan Daisy from head to toe, searching for the signs of black magic on my mate.

"You didn't...?" I start, and she must read the panic on my face because she shakes her head quickly.

"No. Not me." She glances over to the side, and I follow her gaze to my mother.

The Witch of the Dark stands a few paces away, her back turned to us. The shadows around her seem to stretch and curl, like tendrils of ink responding to her emotions. The power she possesses is palpable, radiating from her like an aura. But the Shades are nowhere to be seen.

"What did she do?" I'm almost afraid to ask. I turn back to my mate. "What did YOU do?"

There's no way that Daisy wasn't involved in whatever possessed my mother to save me.

"I asked her name," Daisy says softly, and the pity in her eyes as she watches my mother stings me more than I thought it would. "Elyana

used her magic to save you. She channeled the black magic from the Shades and the dark plague to heal you."

My throat tightens, and I find myself unable to tear my gaze away from my mother. There's a lump in my chest, a mixture of gratitude, confusion, and sorrow.

Elyana. I hadn't forgotten the name, but perhaps on some level, I buried it along with my own when I died. The first time.

The Witch of the Dark turns to look at us, her eyes still black, but now they hold a hint of something I can't quite decipher.

"Mom?" I call out to her, and the word feels foreign on my tongue.

Elyana's lips quirk into a sad smile, and she takes a step closer, the shadows around her swirling like a dark cloak.

"I did not think I would ever hear you call me that again," she says softly, her voice carrying a weight of years gone by.

There is so much between us, so many questions and uncertainties. A dark chasm spreads across us, filled with too many mistakes and regrets. But for the first time in a very long time, I recognize her.

My eyes drift back to Daisy, who is watching us with a mixture of emotions that mirror my own.

"Daisy," I say, my voice shaking. "I... I should've told you the truth. You have to know I never meant to deceive you."

Her tears spill over, and she reaches out to touch my cheek, her fingers cool against my skin.

"I know. And you're right," she says gently. "You should have told me. But sitting here now, I'm not sure that it would have changed anything. What matters now is that you're alive."

Her expression is tender, and the sorrow there fills me with an anguish I cannot put into words. I am incapable of imagining a world without my mate, and yet for a few minutes, I suspect Daisy had to discover exactly what it would be like for us to be separated that way.

Elyana walks past us, her footsteps barely making a sound on the damp forest floor. I watch her go, the weight of years of distance and pain between us feeling almost unbearable. But as I turn my attention back to Daisy, I know that this is not the time to look to the past.

I take Daisy's hand in mine, holding it tightly as I meet her gaze.

"I love you, Daisy Lyall. With every part of me, the light and the darkness, I love you."

Her smile is soft and radiant, and her fingers tighten around mine.

"And I love you, Bastian Stone. Every little bit of you. So don't you ever take or keep yourself from me again, do you understand me?"

A tear slips down my cheek as I pull her into my arms, holding her close. I feel it then, the truth I could not understand before. I thought Daisy was the light to my darkness. But I was wrong. There is anger and pain and destruction within all of us. I held mine back out of fear and guilt. She holds hers back for the sake of those she loves.

But we don't have to hold back from each other.

It's as if a weight I've carried for so long is finally lifting, replaced by the warmth of her embrace, the love in her eyes. I bury my face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent, letting her presence anchor me.

"I promise, Princess," I whisper against her skin. I will never hide from her again.

"You are my mate, and I am yours." Her fingers tangle in my hair, and she pulls back just enough to look into my eyes. "You're mine."

With those words, I can feel the bond between us strengthening, the connection deepening. The mating bond is a powerful force, and I know that we're bound by something greater than ourselves. It's a choice, a commitment, a promise to stand by each other no matter what.

I lean in, pressing my lips to hers in a kiss that's both gentle and fierce. The taste of her is like a balm to my soul, soothing the wounds of the past and igniting a fire of hope for the future. Our lips move together, a dance of passion and love, and in this moment, there's nothing else that matters.

As we break the kiss, our foreheads rest against each other, our breaths mingling.

"Yours, always."

"Yours, always," she echoes, her voice just as raw and sincere.

And in that forest, surrounded by mist and shadows, we hold each other, and the world around us fades away, leaving only the two of us in the eye of our own storm.

My fingers tighten around Daisy's hand as I hold her gaze, the weight of my decision settling within me. My wolf stirs within me, a dark and dangerous presence, just as deadly and feral as before. But I will no longer call him my beast. Now, my monsters and I have a shared goal, a purpose that binds us together. Protect Daisy. Keep her safe. Always.

Daisy taught me that everyone has darkness within them. I've spent so long fearing my own darkness, my own past. But now, I choose to use it as a shield, a means to protect the one I love.

My mother stands in the background, her figure shrouded in shadows. Her face is a mixture of pain and regret, and even though she saved me, I can see the marks of black magic etched into her very soul. The things she's done, the choices she's made, have left scars that I'm not sure can ever truly heal.

"Elyana," I say her name aloud, and her gaze meets mine. For the first time, I see not just the Witch of the Dark, but a woman who once bore the title of mother. A woman who gave me life twice, and who I left behind.

"I should never have left you," I admit, the words heavy with the weight of years gone by.

Elyana's eyes meet mine, inky tears still staining her face.

"Our choices are our own. I cannot undo what's been done or what I am because of it." Then, she turns her gaze to Daisy and nods as the two exchange a moment of understanding. "You should go, both of you."

I feel Daisy's grip on my hand tighten, her fingers interlocking with mine. I know she doesn't want to leave like this, but there are three words that will change her mind.

Matt. Luke. Alice.

"Your friends need you," I tell her gently, and she knows I'm right. "You can't save everyone, not all at once."

I help Daisy to her feet, my eyes never leaving Elyana. There's so much left unsaid between us, so much pain and regret. But for now, we have picked our battles.

And I will always choose Daisy.

"We have to go," I say, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions within me.

"Listen to him, little princess. Leave me with my shadows while you still can," My mother's words feel more mournful than threatening.

Daisy nods, her eyes still fixed on Elyana.

"Thank you," she says softly, her gratitude genuine.

The mist swirls around us, the forest whispering secrets that no one should know.

Before we turn away, I spare one last glance at my mother. I've already made one promise today that I will dedicate my life to keeping, but there is one more still remaining.

"I'll come back, mom," I tell Elyana. "I promise I'll come back for you."

I don't see her expression as she turns away, but I swear the second before we go, I spot the faintest trace of a smile on my mother's face.