EIGHTY-TWO

ALIYAH’S POV

Do you know that phase where you felt the surge before death, and yet a miracle happened that made you feel alive again?

That moment when all your strength had been sucked out of you; the thing you called hope was no longer coursing through you, but there seemed to be a divine intervention that dragged you back from the depths of darkness, and so you've seen the light all over again, and just like that, you were able to breathe fresh air of life and felt a great deal of hope coursing back through you, as if it never really disappeared, as if it never left you...

It was probably how I would describe what I was feeling right now...

The second our eyes met, something within me felt like living all over again. It gave me a strength that I never expected to feel all over again after those bad circumstances I’ve been through, and admittedly, it felt like a dream.

Sobbing, I cupped his face tight, memorizing every feature that did not change. It was all the same... he was still the ever-so-sleek Alpha Reid of the Jewel Pack, the only man who could sweep me off my feet and make my heart thud like it was racing.

And the mate bond pull was going through my veins like a drug that kept me all high in ecstasy, a living reminder that my mate was really not a thing that my imagination made up, for he was real, so real, and so warm...

"I thought I had lost you... I’m glad you’re alive," I said softly in between my sobs.

"I survived the god of death." His voice was rough, and then he breathed my scent as if it was the only thing that could make him sane. "God, I’m glad I already found you."

I pulled him into another hug, and even though the night in the woods was cold, I felt so perfectly warm in his arms.

His arms tightened around me, and as I pulled away, I dragged my lips against his, unable to thwart the desire building within me. Shutting my eyes, I let myself melt into his kisses, and with tears running down my face, all I could think about was how I’d missed him so much.

Just as I pulled away from him, my eyes stared up at the night sky, where I could see the fire smoke mixing through the clouds. Seconds later, I came back to my senses. While I was having the most perfect meeting with my mate, the Silver Moon land was close to burning into ashes. That thought sent chills all over my body, and I shuddered in Reid’s arms.

"The Silver Moon pack..." I trailed off and swallowed so hard I could feel the dryness of my mouth. "Their land is burning with fire..."

"I’m going to explain everything to you," Reid said, as he drew in a long breath. "But right now, I need to take you to the back gates. You’re not safe here."

"That’s it?" Jaxon’s voice was so rough that it made me glance up at him. "After what you did in our land, you’re going to leave the innocent souls hanging like you never did anything to harm them?"

Reid made a low growl. He stood up and turned to Jaxon. I could feel the sudden rage coursing through him. It was so intense that I felt goose bumps crawling all over my skin.

"Your Alpha and his witch asked for this," Reid firmly said through his gritted teeth.

My mouth fell open. I thought that the situation of the Silver Moon was something I could no longer take, but when the naked truth sank in my head, my body stiffened.

I wasn’t prepared for this... it was so heavy that I struggled to breathe.

So the pack that attacked the land of Silver Moon was none other than the Jewel Pack, and this attack was led by Reid. When I finally able to suck in a breath, my eyes landed on Reid, whose rage was from the corner of his eye, and all I did was stare at him in disbelief.

"Reid, did you really do this?" I asked in my faint voice.

"He did, Aliyah." Jaxon was the one who answered as he glared at Reid intently. "His pack killed so many warriors and burned our land like it was some piece of shit."

"I had no other choice." Reid grunted. "Do you think your Alpha would give my mate back if I negotiated with him? Hell no, right?"

"You fucking slaughtered my pack mates! Do you think your explanation will make sense to me?"

"We only fought your warriors. We didn’t harm any innocent families," Reid replied. "You probably knew how fucked up your Alpha was, wolf. He wanted Aliyah to suffer at his hands. He’s that cruel to his own sister, and I wouldn’t even be surprised if he'd do the same thing to the rest of his pack. Man up, wolf. How about you try to grab this chance to save these innocent people from your good-for-nothing Alpha?"

Jaxon was breathing so hard while his hands were fisted tight. My lips trembled at the reality that, all because of me, a lot of innocent families had suffered. However, I could not blame Reid for his actions. Shawn and Samarra did something that set him on the edge.

"You may have a point, but still, you harmed our land..."

"I was forced to," Reid growled.

"Please stop it..." I pleaded, and that was the only time Reid calmed down a bit.

He then turned to me, scooping me up and carrying me into his arms. His eyes dropped to my naked body, and I caught my breath, thinking that he was also struggling to ignore the mate bond pull... but it wasn’t the right time to entertain it.

"I will ensure your safety first, and then inform the pack to retreat," he said.

"How about you do that now and I’ll take Aliyah to the back gates?" Jaxon suggested.

"No," Reid said firmly.

Jaxon let out a devilish chuckle. "Dammit, cocky Alpha. You'd better gather your shits. Our time is running out here. My pack mates’ lives are in danger with your warriors unscathed in our land. You better stop them now while I am still controlling my anger."

I inhaled sharply and caressed Reid’s cheek. "Jaxon is right."

"I don’t trust him, Aliyah," he said as he clenched his jaw.

I looked at him in the eye as I tried to convince him. "Jaxon helped me escape from Samarra twice. He proved that he’s worthy of my trust. I can guarantee that he won’t harm me..."

"But—"

"Please, Reid... trust me on this. I will be fine," I assured him.

Reid let out a low growl, completely conflicted, but then, seconds later, he sighed in defeat and nodded at me. His eyes went to Jaxon, and I could feel like he was sending him a warning.

"If you do something to her, I’ll make your life a living hell," he said warily.

Jaxon tilted his head and pointed in the direction where the Silver Moon land was. "That land I lived on is already a hell. It’s kind of interesting what kind of hell you can still offer me."