Chapter 27
Soul Mate
Alexa
Both my hands tighten around Harlow’s. Our joined hands form a circle. After this, it might be the last time I ever see Harlow again. The thought strikes me, fear settles deep inside my heart. That’s when a mass of black air drifts in front of me.
It isn’t ordinary air. The faint black smoke blows toward my face, almost as if it’s trying to seep into my nose, my mouth, and my ears. For a brief moment, my mind goes blank. Then I find myself standing inside another dark and terrifying vision.
“You...” I whisper to the figure made entirely of darkness.
It doesn’t speak. Instead, the smoke swirls around me as if it’s communicating without words. Something evil. A spark capable of burning entire worlds to ash.
The energy radiating from it is immense. Destructive. Overwhelming. It’s powerful enough to wake Harlow without forcing me to sacrifice my own life. We can live together. No one has to die for someone else to live.
“Alexa, watch out!” Mythril warns. “That’s Lucifer’s energy.”
I jolt back to reality. “No!” I answer the silent offer. “No. I won’t let you have him.”
Even a single moment of fear is enough for Lucifer to drag me into his plans. I have to act now. Before his sweet temptation can sink its claws into me, I tighten my grip around Harlow’s hands and close my eyes. I focus on our energy.
“O Moon Goddess, bless us with your power. For every life, let there be a world worth saving. For every death, let there be resurrection.”
But no energy responds to my prayer. Again and again, I recite the prayer while resisting the lingering darkness trying to invade me. The only energy moving is Harlow’s, and it’s still rising toward the sky.
“No. Please, please, Moon Goddess. Please help me! I need you! Please don’t let Lucifer use us. Please…” I cling to Harlow’s bloodied body as I cry.
“Please...” I beg desperately.
When silver energy flows from my body into Harlow’s, I sigh in relief. I force the dark presence out of my soul. The black smoke is blown away and scatters into the open night as silver light erupts from my body.
“Thank you. Thank you, Moon Goddess,” I whisper in between my cry and laugh.
Like a rushing waterfall, I pour everything I have into Harlow. He’s like a dry lake bed after years of drought, absorbing every drop I still have left to give.
When he wakes up, he’ll understand what I chose to do. He’ll see that the waterfall saving him is nothing more than a lake releasing its final reserve of water. He’ll understand my choice.
My body grows weaker. Tremors spread through me as I struggle to keep my head upright. My chest aches. Every passing second lashes at me like a whip, leaving me more helpless than before.
My body slumps beside Harlow’s. Still, I refuse to release his hand. His face slowly regains its color. The deathly pallor fades, replaced by the familiar warmth of his sun-kissed skin.
His hands grow warm beneath mine again. His breathing steadies. Then he lets out a soft cough. The comforting scent of mint and pine returns.
“Thank goodness, Harlow,” I whisper. “Thank Goddess.” Tears spill uncontrollably until my throat tightens and my nose burns.
I bite my lip, desperately holding back my final sobs. Relief spreads through my chest. My eyelids slowly close.
* * *
I stand at the edge of a silver lake with my back facing the water. Mythril stands a few feet in front of me, naked and trembling with tears in her eyes.
Her body still carries those perfectly curved lines.
Her long, straight black hair still falls all the way to her waist. Her honey-colored eyes overflow with glittering tears, as if tiny diamonds are dripping from them.
The sharp glare I once saw during the blessing ritual is gone, replaced by an expression full of pain.
“Alexa, if you die, I’ll have to go back alone to that lake again,” Mythril cries through her sobs, pointing toward the silver lake behind me.
“Yeah... that lake.” My breathing grows heavier with every word. “That’s your nest in this world.”
I force a weak smile onto my face. “It’ll be alright, Mythril. Someday you’ll find your soulmate again. There’s still another branch of the Dawson family in the next state. Maybe my cousin’ll find you. Or maybe his child will.”
“Please stop,” she begs, tears spilling down her face.
I shake my head. “I think this is our goodbye. Thank you so much, Mythril. You’ve been an incredible partner.” My voice softens. “And I’m sorry for all my weaknesses. I couldn’t protect you. I couldn’t protect Harlow. Hell, I couldn’t even save myself.”
“What about Harlow?” she argues through her tears. “He still needs you. How’s he supposed to lead all the packs without you by his side?”
I lower my gaze and shake my head again. “The Lycan King has to live as long as possible.” My voice trembles. “The Moon Goddess will bless him again someday. She’ll give him a second chance mate, or choose another. I had more than one mate. It ain’t impossible, right?”
Mythril furrows her brow. She steps closer and gently strokes my cheek with her thumb. Her skin carries that familiar scent of vanilla and jasmine. It’s my scent too, or perhaps I only carry it because I inherited it from her.
“Then why’re you crying?” she mumbles, tears still running down her cheeks.
“I...”
The answer gets stuck in my throat. My chest tightens. My vision grows blurrier. Facing pain hurts. Facing death hurts even more. I never knew saying goodbye could taste this salty and bitter on my tongue.
Then her expression changes. “Alright, fine.” She exhales. “You know what? You’re frustrating the hell outta me.” She points a finger at me.
“You! Suck!”
Before I can react, she shoves me hard. I plunge into the lake. The water swallows my entire body. Turns out the lake is far deeper than I ever imagined. Too deep, like an endless ocean.
I paddle my arms frantically, trying to reach the surface. But no matter how hard I push upward, a whirlpool beneath my feet drags me farther down.
“Mythril! What the...”
My head breaks through the surface for only a brief moment. I see her standing there. The proud Lycan Luna beams from ear to ear. For the first time, her beautiful face looks peaceful.
“Goodbye, weak girl.” Her voice echoes through the water.
“No! Mythril! Help! Harlow!” My chest tightens. Freshwater rushes into my mouth and burns the back of my throat. I hold my breath, desperately trying to endure for as long as possible, but the whirlpool grows stronger. Wilder. It pulls me deeper into an endless darkness.
My hands reach upward. I paddle without stopping. But in the end, I’m no match for the fury hidden beneath the calm surface of the lake.
* * *
“Help!”
I gasp. My body trembles as sweat drips down my temples. My eyes dart from side to side, taking in my surroundings.
Cream wallpaper covers the walls. A king sized bed sits in the middle of the room beneath thick white blankets. Wooden wardrobes stand against the far wall. This is my room at Dawson Manor.
“Thank Goddess, you’re awake.”
I turn toward the woman’s voice coming from the left side of the room. Brenda, the elderly maid, opens both windows wide, allowing bright sunlight to flood the room. The wrinkles around her cheeks lift into a small smile. My throat is painfully dry, but no words come out.
Everything that happened rushes back into my mind. Was it a dream? What happened? How did I get here?
“Mythril,” I call inside my head.
No answer.
“Harlow,” I call.
Still nothing.
My brow furrows as something feels different inside me. Something has changed. An emptiness I can’t describe spreads through my chest. What is this feeling?
On top of that, my body won’t stop trembling, and my skin burns with a fever. A fever. Something I haven’t experienced since Mythril fused with my soul.
“Brenda... we’re home? Am I home?” I ask.
“Course you are.” She gathers the withered flowers from a vase nearby. “Ain’t nowhere else you’d find me but home. Everybody’s already back in Silver Moon. We’re all overjoyed thanks to you.”
“Where’s Harlow?” I ask, my voice still groggy.
“His Majesty’s on his way.” Brenda gathers the dried flowers in her arms. “I sent word as soon as you started calling his name in your sleep. Figured it’d be best to fetch the doctor, too.” She leaves the room.
“Alexa!” Harlow bursts through the doorway, breathing hard. “Thank Goddess.” He rushes to my bedside and pulls me into a tight embrace.
“Harlow... you’re alive.” My eyes flicker over his face, searching his dark brown eyes.
“Yeah, sweetheart. Yeah, I’m alive.” His voice breaks into a relieved laugh. “And so are you.” He hugs me again, even tighter than before.
“Something’s wrong, Harlow.” I swallow hard as the image of Mythril standing by the lake flashes through my mind. “I feel weak... and Mythril won’t answer me anymore.”
“It’s okay.” He gently presses our foreheads together. “The healer’ll be here soon. You’ve been in a coma for a whole week, running a dangerously high fever.” His thumb brushes my cheek. “Thank Goddess you’re finally awake.”
His hands cup my face. He kisses my forehead, and only then am I certain this isn’t a dream. His warmth isn’t a dream. His arms wrapped around me aren’t a dream. He’s here.
The following afternoon, after Harlow and the doctor determine that my condition is stable enough to leave my room, the former soldiers of the Blood Moon Pack gather in the field outside the manor.
I sit beside Harlow while the Lycan King stands before hundreds of werewolves, his sharp gaze sweeping across the crowd.
Julius stands at one side of him. Mr. Moris and Jo stand beside me, flanking my chair like bodyguards. Jack stands behind the rogue werewolves.
Alastair never trusted anyone. He was cruel beyond reason. Even the position of Beta constantly changed because he killed his own men over the smallest mistakes. There was never a stable leadership structure.