“Come,” he said.
I moved toward him, my legs feeling shaky as I walked.
When I reached him, he handed me a lit torch, the flames dancing in the breeze.
“Place it,” he said softly.
I looked down at the torch in my hand, then at the bodies on the wood.
This was it. The final goodbye.
I stepped forward and lowered the torch to the wood, watching as the flames caught and spread.
Tristan placed his torch on the other side, and together we stepped back, watching as the fire grew.
The pack stood in silence as the flames consumed the bodies, the wood crackling and popping.
I stood next to Tristan, feeling the heat of the fire on my face, and tried to process what I was
feeling.
Relief, yes. Sadness, a little. But mostly, I just felt empty, like a ||||CHAPTER|| CHAPTER of my life
was burning away with those bodies.
Now they were both gone, and I could finally move forward.
The fire burned hot and bright, and I watched as the bodies turned to ash, the white cloth
disappearing first, then the flesh and bone.
It was brutal to watch, but it was necessary.
This was how werewolves handled their dead, how we said goodbye to those who had betrayed us.
I made a mental note to ask Tristan If it was okay to burn Daxon’s body, since he wasn’t part of our
packs.
Tristan’s hand found mine, and he laced our fingers ogether, giving me a gentle squeeze.
|||
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Chapter 244
I looked up at him, and he was staring at the fire, hi jaw tight and his eyes dark.
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He was thinking about everything too, I realized. About Seraphine and what she’d done, about Daxon
and the threat he’d posed.
About how close we’d come to losing everything.
“It’s over,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
He looked down at me and nodded. “It’s over,” he repeated.
The pack began to disperse slowly, people talking in low voices as they walked away.
Orion and Sarah came over to us, and Orion clapped Tristan on the shoulder.
“Good speech,” he said.
Tristan nodded. “Thanks.”
Then he moved to me and hugged me for a while before pulling away.
“Hope you’re good?” I nodded but corrected myself.
“Yes. I’m fine” I said with a smile.
“Good. Good.”
Sarah reached out and squeezed my hand. “How are you holding up?” she asked.
“I’m okay,” I said, and I meant it. “I’m ready to move on.”
She smiled at me, her eyes warm with understanding “Good. You deserve to be happy.”
Derek approached us next, his expression unreadabl. “It’s done,” he said simply.
Tristan nodded. “It’s done.”
He looked at me for a moment, then back at Tristan “If you need anything, you know where to find
me.”
“I do,” Tristan said. “Thank you.”
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Chapter 244
He walked away, and I watched him go, feeling a strange sense of gratitude toward him. He’d been there when we needed him, and that meant something.
The fire was still burning, but it was dying down now, the bodies almost completely consumed.
I stared at the flames, feeling the heat on my skin, and took a deep breath.
This was closure. This was the end of Seraphine and Daxon, the end of their betrayal and their
schemes.
Now I could focus on the future, on building something good with Tristan.
As if reading my thoughts, Tristan turned to me and pulled me into his arms, holding me close.
“Ready to go home?” he asked.
I nodded against his chest. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
We stood there for a moment longer, watching as the last of the flames flickered and died, leaving
only ash and smoke behind.
And then we turned and walked away, leaving the past behind us, ready to face whatever came next
together.
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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.
