~Samantha~

Black Moon was literally falling apart and still running his filthy mouth.

His body kept tearing into strips of shadow and ash, his voice breaking with it, yet the bastard still found energy to grin at us like he had not just lost everything. “You think this ends here?” he rasped, dark smoke leaking from the cracks in his face. “Shadow does not die. It waits for a little while. Someone always answers it.”

“Shut up and die already,” I snapped, pressing both hands harder over Dominic’s chest.

“Another gate will open. You’ll die knowing you only delayed it.”

“Can somebody help me kill him thrice and cut off his tongue too?” I bit out.

Lila did not even bat an eye in his direction. “Take a good look at him. There’s nothing left to destroy because he’s gone.”

I cared more about saving my mate.

Dominic’s chest rose too shallow. My blood kept sinking into him, but the corruption fought every inch of it like a bitter ex.

Behind me, Diana broke into another round of crying. “Mummy, please don’t let Daddy die.”

“I can’t live without him.”

Me neither.

“You hear that? Your princess wants you alive so you better fight hard.” I shoved him, hoping he would react in his state.

“I thought we would finally be happy after Black Moon died. Why does Daddy have to go with him?” Devon cried.

“I know you both are worried about Daddy but I can’t bring him back if you keep crying,” I complained. “Daddy is going to come home with us but you’ve to trust me.”

“We do.”

Just when I was about to focus, that same annoying voice interrupted. “Don’t waste your precious time trying to heal him. Even if he makes it alive, he is as good as useless.” Black Moon said.

I gritted my teeth and sighed,  silently wishing that he would die faster.

“He’s way better than you who is going to die in thirty seconds.”

“I’m going to live as long as I want.”

“I’d make a bet but you’d be already dead to pay me.”

Right after that the body split wider. The shadows around him snapped like torn cloth. Then ash scattered over the broken platform. The air suddenly felt heavy.

He was gone.

Finally.

This was enough reason to celebrate but we just couldn’t do it without the Alpha, my mate.

Killian dropped beside us, breathing rough, his blade still dark with shadow residue and blood. He checked Dominic’s pulse with two fingers and his jaw locked. “He’s hanging on.”

“Hanging on is not enough for me.” My throat burned. “I need better than hanging on.”

“You’ll get better than that,” he assured.

Something about how steady he sounded made me want to scream at him and hug him at the same time. I did neither because my hands were busy trying to stop my family from collapsing like a badly built house.

Diana crawled closer on her knees, tears and dirt all over her face. “Daddy saved us.”

Devon nodded too hard. “He jumped in front of it. I saw it. He didn’t even think.”

“Please stop talking like this is the end,” I snapped, then instantly hated myself because both of them flinched.

Killian shifted closer to the twins instead. “Listen to me. Your father is breathing. Your mother is healing him. Stand there and panic if you want, but don’t get in her way.”

Devon wiped his face with the back of his hand. “I can help.”

“Then help by holding your sister up,” Killian said. “She’s about to drop.”

He was right. Diana looked half dead herself, silver light still twitching around her fingertips like her magic had forgotten how to calm down.

I spared them one quick glance and felt my insides twist. “Diana.”

“I’m okay,” she whispered.

“That lie is actually offensive.”

Lila pressed harder over Dominic’s chest. “Sam, more.”

“I know, damn it.”

I poured more blood into the wound. My head went light instantly. Dominic’s body jerked under my hands, and for one horrible second I thought I had made it worse. Then the black veins paused.

Killian saw it too. “There. Again.”

Hope came back so painfully.

“Dominic,” I said, leaning closer. “You stubborn asshole, don’t do this to me. You don’t get to risk your life like that and then clock out, making me a widow.”

His face stayed pale. Blood stained his mouth. His lashes did not move. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Devon started crying harder. “Dad, please. I swear I won’t ever disobey again. I swear. Just wake up.”

Diana clutched Dominic’s arm carefully, like she was scared he would break. “Daddy, I’ll listen next time. I really will.”

My chest felt like somebody had shoved broken glass into it and called it a character-building moment.

Lila exhaled slowly. “I know I sound delusional right now but he’s going to wake up. It will just take time.”

“What if he goes into a coma?” I muttered.

“Try not to let such thoughts get into your head.”

Unfortunately, they already had.

Our elites were gathering the wounded. The ground still smoked where the crystal had exploded. Everything smelled like blood, dirt, and the kind of memory that ruins sleep for the rest of your life.

Killian took off his outer jacket and shoved it under Diana’s knees when he saw how badly she was shaking. “Sit.”

“I don’t want to sit, I want my daddy.” she whispered.

“Well, your daddy wouldn’t want you stressed.”

Surprisingly, she obeyed.

“Reynold,” Killian called. “Bring four men over here.”

The elites moved fast. Two came from Dominic’s shoulders, two from his legs, every one of them handling him like they already knew the entire pack would skin them alive if they let their Alpha’s head bounce on the ground.

Diana cried. “Where are they taking him?”

I answered immediately. “We’re going home.”

Devon stared at Dominic’s face like he was trying to memorize it in case everything went wrong. “He looks too still.”

I grabbed his chin a little harder than necessary and forced him to look at me. “Do you want him dead?”

His eyes watered again. “No.”

“Then stop saying things that sound like a funeral. Your father is breathing. End of discussion.”

Diana clung to my arm. “But what if..”

“There is no what if.” I cut her off before she could finish the sentence and make it real. “Both of you keep quiet and get into the car.”

I knew I was being hard on them but with these children, being soft did absolutely nothing.

Killian stepped beside the twins and said. “Your father loves you all too much to just leave.”

Devon’s mouth trembled. “You don’t know that for sure. I wished someone else had taken the hit.”

“Devon, don’t say stuff like that. Nobody deserves bad things happening to them.”

“Life would suck without Dad.”

Diana burst into tears again. “I don’t want to know what it feels like.”

“You won’t,” I said fast, too fast. “You both need to stop talking like this.”

Devon dragged his sleeve across his face. “Still... if he does die, nobody can replace him.”

Silence hit so hard it almost made me miss a step.

Diana whipped toward him with pure outrage. “Why would you say that to Uncle Killian? He was once our dad for six years, remember?”

He froze. “What? I didn’t mean to.”

“That was really rude.”

“I wasn’t talking about him like that.”

“You just did!”

“I said nobody can replace Dad!”

Killian’s expression slightly shifted, but he was quick to mask the pain.

I turned on Devon immediately, scolding him. “Enough.”

His face fell. “Mum, I am sorry.”

“Nobody ever mentioned you getting a stepdad so why would you bring that up? You should pray that your father heals quickly.”

He stared at me, stunned.

Diana hugged herself tighter. “I told you.”

Devon looked between us and then at Killian, mortified now. “I wasn’t trying to be mean.”

Killian answered before I could. “I know and it’s okay.”

“I understand why he said that.”

“You know how kids are,” I muttered at him.

He gave me one look that said he was not going to make a child apologize on a blood-soaked walk back from hell. “We have bigger problems.”

***

At the manor, the pack members had already heard the news.

Doors flew open. Guards rushed forward. The doctor came running down the steps with two healers behind him and the kind of expression people wear when they know the night is about to humble them with stress and pressure.

“Move!” I barked before anybody could ask a stupid question. “Prepare the Alpha’s room. Boil water. Grab clean bandages. Everything you can find.”

The doctor nodded so fast. “Bring him in.”

Dominic was carried upstairs while I followed so close I nearly stepped on the elite in front of me. Diana tried to follow too, but her legs almost gave out on the stairs.

Killian caught her under the arms. “You can’t go in there.”

“I need to see him.”

“You need to take a bath and eat.”

Devon instantly moved to her side. “Uncle is right. We can check on him when the doctor agrees.”

“You two go upstairs to be with Maggie. I’ll join you shortly,” I ordered.

“No,” Devon refused.

I gave him a deadly look. “I am not debating with anybody born from my body tonight.”