Chapter 223
“I knew you needed to face it,” I said, cupping her face in my hands. “I knew that as long as you were too scared to look at what was really happening inside you, you’d never be able to control it. And I was right, wasn’t I? You found her, you understood her, and now you can heal instead of hurt.”
“You could have actually died,” she said, her voice breaking.
“But I didn’t,” I reminded her. “Because you’re stronger than you think you are. Because you’re exactly what I always knew you were, someone who saves people instead of destroying them.”
She kissed me then, and it wasn’t careful or gentle. It was desperate and relieved and full of everything we’d both been feeling. When
we finally broke apart, she was crying harder than before.
“I was so scared,” she said. “When I saw you lying there, when I felt how close you were to dying, I thought I’d never get to tell you
how much you mean to me.”
“You just did,” I said, wiping the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs. “And you did it by saving my life in a way I never could have
saved myself.”
She laughed again, that same broken, happy sound, and hugged me once more.
Over her shoulder, I saw Orion step forward. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. When Athena
finally let me go, she turned and saw her brother standing there.
“Orion,” she said, and then she was crossing the room to him.
He caught her in his arms and held her like he’d never let go. I saw his shoulders shake as he buried his face in her hair.
“You did it,” he said, his voice cracking. “I knew you could do it.”
“I couldn’t have done it without Tristan, without you or any of you in this room.” she said, pulling back to look at him. “He was willing to die so I could understand what was happening. He saved me. You all saved me. Thank you.”
eyes.
“He saved you. You both did it all, we only assisted” Orion said, glancing at me over her shoulder, and I could see the gratitude in his
Athena turned to Sarah next, and Sarah opened her arms without hesitation. They hugged and cried together, and Sarah kept saying
“thank god” over and over like a prayer.
“You’re so brave,” Sarah said, holding Athena’s face in her hands. “You’re so incredibly brave.”
Derek stood off to the side, looking uncomfortable with all the emotion but happy at the same time. When Athena moved to hug him,
he patted her back awkwardly but I could see how relieved he was.
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“The readings I got during the process were remarkable,” he said, unable to help himself. “The way the energy shifted from taking to giving, it was like watching a complete reversal of polarity.”
“English, Derek,” Orion said, but he was smiling.
“It means she’s not just controlling it,” Derek explained. “She’s transformed it into something entirely different. Something healing
instead of harmful.”
Athena came back to me then, and I held out my hand. She took it and didn’t let go, her fingers threading through mine like she was
afraid I’d disappear if she wasn’t touching me.
I managed to get to my feet, and everyone rushed forward like they thought I might fall over.
But I didn’t. I felt steady and strong and more alive than I had in weeks. Whatever she’d done to heal me had done more than just close the wound, it had restored everything. I felt like I could run for miles, like I could shift and not feel even a hint of fatigue.
“I need to hug all of you,” I said, because the emotion in the room was overwhelming and I needed to do something with it.
Orion came first. We’d never been the type to hug much, but right now it felt necessary. He grabbed me in a bear hug that probably
would have hurt if I wasn’t feeling so good.
“That was the stupidest, bravest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do,” he said quietly, so only I could hear. “Thank you for believing in her
when the rest of us were too scared to try.”
“It was always going to work,” I told him. “I knew she had it in her.”
“You couldn’t have known that,” he said, pulling back to look at me.
“Yes, I could,” I said firmly. “Because I know her. I know who she is at her core, and that person would never let someone die if she had the power to save them. And you know it too, isn’t that why you didn’t use your Alpha command on her as you did that day at the cave.” He nodded and tapped my back twice.
Sarah hugged me next, and she was crying again. “Don’t you ever do something that stupid again,” she said, but she was smiling
through her tears.
“Can’t promise that,” I said. “But I can promise it’ll always be for a good reason.”
She laughed and shook her head at me like I was hopeless.
Even Derek gave me a quick hug, clapping me on the back like guys do when they’re trying not to be too emotional. “That was either brilliant or insane, I haven’t decided which yet.”
“Can’t it be both?” I asked, and he actually laughed.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
