152- Three Days Through Snow
POV Lunara Grimwald:
It was snowing hard.
Snow fell in dense flakes all around us, staining the world white and carrying a freezing breeze. With every breath, a cloud condensed in front of my face.
A cloak covered my body, settled over me. Edric’s muscles were taut with exhaustion, but the determined expression on his face hadn’t changed.
He ran tirelessly through the forest.
I felt weak, as if all the hours of sleep still hadn’t been enough to help me recover.
Even with my body heavy, with the fatigue, he persisted—fighting for us.
I tried to say something, to express my gratitude, my love, but my words were swallowed by the forest’s silence.
My body ached as if a thousand sharp knives had been driven into me—every muscle, every inch of skin. Even turning my neck was a difficult task.
I just needed... to sleep a little longer, to rest more. Edric cast a glance through the cloak covering me.
“We’re close, Lunara. So close I can’t even believe it. Survive!” he begged, his tone weary, breathing hard. “Hold on, little she-wolf. Hold on!”
I wanted so badly to tell him I could, that everything would be fine, but I had no strength; my lips were numb.
My body was still so injured, and my mind so exhausted. It was as if the last days—everything I’d gone through and faced—were collecting their due.
I just wanted a little peace.
I tried to keep my eyes open, to stay conscious beside him, helping him somehow, even if it was only with hope.
But I couldn’t.
With every blink, my eyelids felt even heavier.
I resigned myself to the fatigue, letting sleep take me once again, trusting that Edric would keep running for us—tireless—until we were finally safe and well.
...
I woke up feeling wrapped in a familiar, comforting aroma that permeated everything around me.
It was his scent. Mine. Ours.
I groped the mattress beside me, feeling his clothes strewn there. My nest.
Each inhale brought with it a sense of safety and protection.
The longing I had felt for him—for Eldoria—was absurd.
I opened my eyes slowly, letting myself be flooded by the calm, familiar atmosphere of the room. The soft light that slipped in through the window painted the space in warm, golden tones.
I nestled a little deeper into the soft sheets, allowing myself to savor the feeling of being home.
I sighed, lips quirking into a smile.
“How are you?”
I startled at the sound of his voice. Carefully, a little dizzy, I sat up in bed, bracing my back against it to steady myself. My body felt weak, but I could move—and I didn’t feel pain anymore.
Edric was in the armchair, elbow resting on the back, his face propped on his hand. Dark circles sat under his exhausted eyes; his hair was a mess, stray curls falling over his forehead. His beard was grown out and untrimmed, and his lips were twisted in a sour grimace.
I exhaled, feeling the full weight of my longing hit me. My mate. My fated partner. Only mine.
My throat tightened, and tears gleamed behind my lids.
I cleared my throat.
“I’m fine,” I answered, my voice hoarse as gravel. He let out a heavy sigh.
“Yes, now you’re fine,” he agreed, shifting in the chair. He rubbed his palms over his face before getting up and walking to me. “Do you want some water?” he offered. I accepted with a nod.
I let the liquid slide down my throat, wetting my dry mouth. I was so thirsty I drank the entire glass.
“What happened?” I asked, a little confused. “How many days did I sleep?”
Edric sat on the edge of the bed, making the mattress dip under his weight. He looked at me, fixing his blue eyes on mine.
“You almost died,” he replied, shuddering at the mere memory. “You slept for two days.”
I pressed my lips together.
“Heavens...”
“Before that, I ran with you in my arms for three straight days without stopping until we got home.”
He wore simple clothes and was clean, but he didn’t look like he’d slept more than a few hours.
Our endurance was significant compared to humans’. But running for three days without stopping to rest or eat showed that nothing stood above Edric’s determination. That went far beyond our wild nature. He was a strong male.
“Why?” I asked in a murmur.
I remembered waking up in the middle of the way, but I had no idea why he’d run with me for so long.
“Aldren once gave me a case with some special medicines. I needed one of the injections inside it—to give it to you.”
Now it made sense, why he’d been so emphatic when he begged me to hang on, to survive. My body was exhausted, without food; healing wasn’t as effective when I lacked essential nutrients.
“You could have broken the mating bond. It was the right thing to do, Edric. If I died, at least you would have survived.”
A scornful laugh split his lips.
“Did you lose your fucking mind? I already told you there’s no life without you. If you didn’t hold on, my heart would stop beating too.”
“Aren’t you thinking about your pack?” I snapped. “What would happen to them if you died?”
He leaned his body toward me and narrowed his eyes.
“Nothing besides you matters to me,” he declared vehemently.
I sighed, lowering my lashes.
Nothing I said about it would matter. Not anymore. I couldn’t imagine a world where he didn’t exist, a life he wasn’t part of.
“Anton... I...” My throat tightened and I couldn’t speak anymore.
He laid his hand over mine gently.
“I know, little she-wolf. I know.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes.
“Anton fought for you and for me. He will never stop being missed in our lives, but he died with honor.”
I lifted my gaze to him.
“For Eldoria, until my last breath,” I whispered. He blinked, confused, frowning.
“What?”
I swallowed with difficulty.
“Those were the words he chose to use when Alessio killed him.” Pain, rage, and longing pulsed in the alpha’s eyes, the silver around his pupils lighting up like flames. I cleared my throat and went on: “It was Alessio who killed him, but on Thalira’s orders. She said Anton had never respected her properly. She was the one who deceived us and led us into the trap.”
“I know,” he said, catching me off guard.
“You do?”
“Yes.”
I fell silent for a few seconds, trying to decide whether I would tell him the whole truth. But he had the right to know—that was why I fought through all those days.