Chapter 18 - Willow
“Thane…? No…you can't die on me!”
Adrenaline pulses through my veins, strengthening my resolve to heights I've never felt before.
As Thane's eyes close and a drawn-out breath escapes his lips, I know I have to do something to save him.
Whatever poison is running through him is strong enough to turn his veins dark blue, his skin a paler blue, as if he's dying. I grab his arms, trying to hoist him over my shoulder, and failing dismally when his body weight is no match for my petite size.
Grunting in frustration, I feel the surge of my magic energy rushing through me, pooling in my palms, ready to be unleashed. Relying solely on my instincts, I get to my feet quickly and direct my power toward Thane's nearly lifeless body.
It's not harmful energy that circles him, like the magic I used to chase the Blood Claw wolves away. This energy is softer, a warm glow of gold surrounding Thane that slowly, steadily, begins to lift his body off the ground.
I gasp in shock, because this isn't something I'm consciously doing. Rather, I'm allowing my powers to take command, my instinct and desire to get Thane the help he needs, driving the swirl of my hands. My desperation to save him drives my every move.
I’m living my worst nightmare, that horror that's been haunting me since I returned to Girdwood.
I can't let that terror win.
I can't let Thane die like I've seen countless times.
My guard was down for a beat, and this happened because of me. My chest pangs with guilt, as the graceful, fluid motions of my hands in the air seem to be moving Thane, and I run with this feeling until I can get him back to the main village.
Somehow, we arrive at Aurora's place with my magic, carrying Thane through the woods. As I pull him onto the porch, I scream out for help.
“Aurora! Elias! Somebody, please!”
A rush of racing footsteps comes from behind, and I turn in the vortex of my golden light just in time to see Alpha Elias and Aurora racing toward me. I take care to set Thane down gently, collapsing on my knees as my light retracts into my palms.
“He's been poisoned!” I cry out, barely able to catch a full breath as I lug shallow ones into my lungs. “I don't think he's breathing! Please help me!”
Rissa comes out from somewhere behind Aurora, followed by Yvonne and the other two sub-alphas.
“What happened, Willow?” Aurora asks gently as she crouches beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
Panting, I stare at her, bewildered and panicked as I see Elias rushing to Thane.
“B-Blood Claw…” I mutter breathlessly. “They came for us…they shot him in the neck,” I gesture feebly with my hand.
“It wasn't demons?” Dawson asks, snapping his eyes between Thane and me.
“No,” I breathe out, my hands trembling as one flies to my throat. “Wolves. They were wolves.”
“There's been a breach on the west,” Brooks says sharply as he helps Elias lift Thane. “The demon trap's fried. Signal was cut.”
I turn to Aurora. “It was me. I must have damaged the trap when I fought them.”
Aurora and Yvonne help me off the ground, Yvonne saying, “The use of magic out there would have signaled the demons, anyway. They'll be coming.”
“Then we must go there and protect the pack,” Aurora says as she drags me inside her house. “We can't risk any casualties.”
Rissa is already hastily rushing in after Brooks and Elias as they carry Thane inside. Dawson follows us, attentive as his mate and the main luna help me to the living room, bringing ice water in a glass.
My hands tremble as I take it, gulping down the water.
“I'm sorry,” I whimper as I stare blankly at the rug. “I used my powers when I shouldn't have, but it was the only thing I could do to save us. To save him.”
Aurora clicks her tongue. “No, sweetheart, you have nothing to apologize for. You did what you had to. We'll deal with the demons when they come.”
As I begin nodding, a strike of green light flashes through the hallway in Aurora's house.
“Thane!” I exclaim and get to my feet immediately. Without thinking, I race toward the room they've taken Thane into, but Elias stops me.
“Thane's been poisoned with a lethal dose of wolfsbane,” he informs me, adding to my panic.
“Is he gonna survive? Please tell me he's gonna live!” I demand, and Elias nods.
“Rissa is healing him with her magic. She won't stop until she removes every last drop of poison from his system. You stay here with them.” Elias lifts his head to the others, his face hardening, piercing hazel eyes staring at his mate.
“I just received a report from the betas. There's been a sighting near the lake.”
“I am so sorry, Alpha Elias,” I wail as I hang my head shamefully, but he shakes his head firmly, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Don't, Willow. Let's just pray Rissa succeeds. All that matters is Thane's life, and you did an excellent job at protecting your alpha.”
“My mate…” I murmur with tears in my eyes, and Elias moves aside.
“Go to him. Let him know you're here. It's what will bring him back.”
Without wasting more time, I bolt into the room, the walls filled with emerald light from Rissa's magic as she works on healing Thane. Both her hands hover over the wound on his neck as she extracts the venomous poison from the depths of his veins.
Her eyes are solid pits of green, and she doesn't acknowledge me, focused on healing Thane. I rush to the opposite side, grabbing Thane's cold hand and pressing his knuckles to my lips.
“Please, Thane…please! Fight it!” I cry out desperately, staring at his face. His mouth is wide open, as if his lips got stuck in that position when a scream ripped from his throat.
Clutching his hand, I can feel the deadly claws of the poison in his system, the pain, the anguish, the torture he's facing internally. Tears gush from my eyes, and I silently pray to the Moon Goddess that this works, that Rissa can extract the poison from Thane and save him.
With every breath comes a renewed prayer as I stare at Thane's face, watching the blueness of his veins seep into Rissa's warm green light.
Whatever she's doing seems to be working, as the color of the poison disappears from his skin and vanishes into her magic, escaping like mist. I clutch Thane's hand tightly, holding on for his life, realizing in that moment how foolish I've been all this time.
How could I ever hate the man I once loved? The man who reawakened that love from the moment we met again in Seward.
He found me.
And he's been doing everything to support me and show me that what happened that night, five years ago, was a mistake.
A mistake he's since made up for.
But this is what I saw in my nightmares—Thane dying. Except, it was never because of me. It was for me. I've been wrong all this time, believing he'd face destruction at my hands.
Now that I'm faced with the horror of losing him, I can't see my life without him.
“Thane…please…you promised you'd fight by my side…” I whimper, squeezing his limp hand.
With my heart lodged in my throat, there aren't any tears left to cry by the time Rissa is done extracting the poison from his veins.
A deafening silence unfolds as Rissa snaps out of her trance, panting as she regains consciousness.
I hold my breath with anticipation, watching, waiting for the moment he opens his eyes.
But it doesn't come.
“Thane…wake up, Thane,” I whisper, squeezing his hand again, but there's no movement. I look up at Rissa, utterly panicked. “Rissa…Rissa, what's happening? Why isn't he waking up?”
“I got it all out,” she frowns at Thane's face, pressing a finger to his neck, confused. “He should have woken up. I don't—”
The rest of what she says is a blur as I grab Thane's face and crush my lips to his with urgency. The kiss is desperate, a plea for him to wake up, but there's still no movement.
A sob escapes me as I fling my arms around him, weeping because I don't know how I'll ever go on living without him. My heart shatters, words falling from my lips like desperate prayers.
“Please, Thane…I can't do this without you…I need you, dammit! You can't leave me like this!”
Just as I'm about to pound at his chest with my fists, angry that he'd leave me like this, a croaked chuckle vibrates through his chest.
“Y-you n-need me…?”
“Thane?!” I lift my head from his chest, shocked, relieved, my heart fluttering. “Oh, my Goddess! You're alive!”
A series of coughs and broken chuckles comes as he reaches for my face.
“You need me, huh? Well, in that case, I'm glad I came back.”
“I'm so sorry to interrupt, you guys, but Brooks and the others need me right now. There's a demon attack by the lake.”
Thane instantly sits upright. “I'm going, too.”
“Like hell you are!” I scold, my brows raised. “You almost died tonight, Thane! You're not going out there. You need to rest.”
“Willow—”
“She's right,” Rissa nods. “You do need to rest.”
Thane sighs, already throwing his legs off the side of the bed. “Thank you for saving me, Riss. But I swear, I'm fine now. I can't leave my brothers out there alone.”
Thane is determined, getting to his feet. I grab his arm, glaring at him when he meets my eyes.
“Then I'm going with you,” I tell him firmly. “You need me out there, just as much as I need you.”
Thane smirks, his eyes glowing with wonder. “I can't argue with that, my angel.” He folds his fingers around my hand. “I do need you. And right now, the others need us.”
“Let's go,” I nod at Thane, then at Rissa, before the three of us rush out of the house, preparing to fight.