Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty-Seven

Caroline Ryder

The heat was unbearable.

I wriggled around, trying to find a comfortable spot on the sticky ground. I squinted against the bright light, quickly closing my eyes again.

The inside of my eyelids were painted with a flickering orange.

“I hate summer,” I grumbled, shielding my eyes from the sun with my arm. The humidity was so thick, it felt like I was trying to breathe underwater, even though I was just lying in the grass.

“Summer hates you,” Liam retorted, lounging next to me.

I shot him a glare, annoyed at how easily he seemed to handle the heat.

Liam was lying on his side, idly pulling at the grass in front of him. He was surrounded by books: medical journals given to him by the pack doctor.

“You’re right,” I admitted, pouting. “Summer hates anyone with pale skin and red hair.”

Liam chuckled. “Your nose is already burned.”

I squealed and quickly dug through my bag for the sunblock I’d brought. I squeezed some into my hands, grimacing at how warm it was.

I clumsily smeared it on my nose and grinned at Liam. “Better?” I asked, fluttering my eyelashes.

He grinned back. “Perfect.”

I playfully shoved his shoulder and rubbed some sunscreen onto it. I wiped my hands on the grass, then picked up one of his books.

I read a few lines, furrowed my brows, and looked at him. He was watching me with a crooked smile.

“I think our pack doctor is right. The ability to heal is innate.” I tossed him the book. “I’ll never understand this.”

Liam pulled me down next to him, our bodies fitting together perfectly.

For the first time all day, I didn’t mind the heat. Liam played with my hair: long, red, and hopelessly tangled.

“Don’t you think it’s important to know basic first aid?” Liam asked.

I snorted. “Why would I need to know that? My mate is the future of medicine.”

He brushed my hair away from my face, then rested his hand on my waist. I watched his lips as he spoke. “It’s important to know, Car. What if something happened to me?”

“Nothing will happen,” I said dismissively. “Everyone keeps saying there’s going to be a war, but I don’t think it’ll happen. Vex hasn’t even increased the number of enforcers.”

“If he was worried, do you really think he’d tell the entire pack?” Liam countered.

I kissed him lightly. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”

Liam sighed. “I still want you to know this stuff, at least the basics—” I kissed him again, but he pulled away and held my face in his hands.

“Caroline,” he said seriously, “this knowledge could mean the difference between life and death—”

“I have you,” I mumbled.

Liam looked at me pleadingly. “For now.”

Tyler Trip

Smoke blanketed my territory.

My eyes stung and my throat itched from inhaling the smoke.

Rowan stayed close, his fur brushing against mine every few steps. I looked around, noticing how empty the land was. Where was everyone?

The outer homes were on fire, the flames so intense that I worried they would spread if not controlled soon.

Even worse, I worried that if the flames got any bigger, humans from nearby settlements might come to investigate.

Rowan barked, and we all stopped. We crouched low, our hackles raised, peering through the smoke and ash.

Theo was standing in the clearing. Most of the pack members I’d left behind were huddled in front of him, trembling.

A growl escaped my lips when I saw the bodies of an elderly couple discarded on the ground.

In front of them, a mother was kneeling, her child wailing in her arms as it coughed and spluttered.

“Enough!” Theo shouted, glancing over his shoulder nervously. “Why don’t you understand?” he pleaded. “Just say you’ll join him and I won’t have to hurt you.”

I swallowed back a snarl.

Ryan Stellar was here.

“Shh,” the mother soothed her child, her eyes fixed on the dead couple in front of her. “It’s going to be all right.”

Theo twitched. “Where is Ryan?” he muttered.

I dug my claws into the ground, ready to pounce.

Suddenly, a young kid broke away from the group. He ran towards us with wide, terrified eyes. Theo shouted and chased him down, tackling the kid to the ground with a snarl.

Before I could react, Rowan lunged forward and bit into Theo’s side, pulling him off the boy.

Theo shifted before he hit the ground. He shook his massive head as he stood up, ready to face my beta.

I ran forward, causing a cry of relief from my gathered pack members, and growls from the ones I hadn’t noticed before. Wolves that had defected and chosen Ryan were all around us.

I heard a high-pitched snarl behind me and turned to see Sarah leading her enforcers: huge wolves with bulging muscles and sharp teeth. She met my eye and I nodded.

A moment later, the enforcers clashed with the traitors, their growls and snarls cutting through the smoke.

I quickly shifted and went to my pack.

“You need to get out of here now,” I insisted. “There’s a house just beyond the territory. The Ryders live there. Does anyone know it?”

A few nodded. The mother with the baby was thanking the Goddess for my return.

“Okay, good. Go there.”

I watched them get up and run, the young helping the old as they fled for their lives. I grabbed the mother as she passed. “The luna,” I pressed. “Where is she?”

She held her baby close, bouncing him on her hip. “She was here, Ryan wanted her dead.”

I froze.

“Where?” I demanded.

The lady gestured towards the mountain and my gut twisted. “She went to your place,” she informed me. “Ryan chased after her… Next thing we knew, it was ablaze.”

I shifted and bolted.

Caroline Ryder

I was perched on the bathroom counter, cross-legged, with a handful of hair in one hand and scissors in the other.

My hair was long enough to brush my elbows; it would probably be longer if I bothered to straighten each tight curl.

I snipped the first strand so it fell to my chin.

I stared at the severed lock of hair in the sink, my eyes filling with tears. I wasn’t regretful about cutting it; I felt no remorse.

I grabbed another section and hacked away until half of my hair was chin-length, while the rest remained long and tangled.

A knock at the door interrupted me, and I paused, locking eyes with my reflection in the mirror.

“Caroline?” Liam’s voice came through, followed by a gentle knock on the door.

“She’s not coming out,” Han grumbled. “She’s been in there for like an hour—”

“Car,” Liam soothed, “are you okay?”

Another lock of hair floated into the sink.

Han cursed. “Come on, Caroline, you can’t hog the bathroom—”

“Caroline, just let me in—”

I gripped the scissors and hopped down from the counter. I swung the door open with half of my hair hanging to my ribcage and the other half in uneven cuts bouncing against my chin.

Liam’s and Han’s eyes widened in shock.

“What do you want?” I snapped.

Han’s jaw dropped. “Your hair—”

I growled.

Slowly, a smile spread across Liam’s face. “Do you want me to help you with the back?”

I held my breath, then nodded. My eyes filled with tears again as I handed Liam the scissors and turned back to the mirror.

He reached out cautiously, running his fingers through my hair without encountering the usual tangles.

All the tension drained from my body when he made the first cut.

Liam was patient and meticulous as he cut my hair, ensuring everything was even. In hindsight, he was the person I should have asked first. He was much more detail-oriented than me.

His hands were steadier, too, honed by stitching skin and cutting into muscle.

“What made you do it?” he asked after Han had lost interest and retreated to his room, muttering to himself.

I met his gaze in the mirror. “The king has declared war,” I said, my eyes dropping to the hair scattered on the floor. “It’s time for a change.”

Liam nodded. “It looks great. Striking!”

I studied my reflection; the new sharpness my haircut had lent my face.

“I look deadly.”

Tyler Trip

Our home was engulfed in flames.

I skidded to a stop on the front lawn, my chest tightening with panic. I watched the fire rage for a few moments, the enormity of the blaze numbing me.

I wanted to howl, but fear had me frozen. The flames were all-consuming, blocking every entrance. The smoke was thick and curling, a toxic gray that billowed from the house in ominous clouds.

My feet started moving before my mind did, taking me around the house three times as I searched for a way in.

I was whimpering and crying, my anxiety mounting when I picked up Caroline’s scent outside the house.

I shifted, feeling the heat of the fire against my bare chest as I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the falling ash.

“Caroline!” I yelled, trying to see through the flames at the window. “Caroline!”

~“Tyler!” Del screamed.~

“Caroline!” I called again, my voice raspy from the smoke.

~“Tyler, help me!”~

“Caroline!” I screamed, running around the side of the house with my hands on my head.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Rowan sprinting towards me. He was carrying bloodstained clothes that he tossed to me. “Is she in there?”

I pulled on the clothes, trying to ignore my trembling hands. “Fuck, I don’t know.”

“You’d better be sure if you’re thinking of going in,” Rowan warned.

We both ducked as the house groaned ominously. Through the window, we saw a beam fall from the ceiling.

~“Tyler!”~

I shook my head roughly and then darted forward, ignoring Rowan’s shout as I leaped onto the porch, ducking as the flames licked the ceiling.

I squinted through the window. My eyes stung and watered from the smoke.

Coughing, I pulled my t-shirt over my mouth and nose and peered inside, searching for any sign of Caroline.

“Trip,” Rowan said hesitantly, “come on, man. This house is about to collapse.”

I felt his hand on my arm and shook him off with a growl. I couldn’t see anything through the smoke and the flames.

I backed away from the window and heard Rowan exhale softly. “She’s probably not in there,” he reasoned. “She would have gotten out.”

“Her leg,” I growled, staring at the burning house.

Rowan stuttered. “I-I’m sure sh… Trip!”

I had started forward, my eyes on the burning door.

Rowan grabbed me and wrapped his arms around my chest to pull me back. I growled and ordered him off, but he ignored me.

~“TYLER!” Del screamed, begging for me to come. She was crying, hyperventilating, and choking on her vomit as she burned.~

“You can’t go in there,” Rowan yelled. “You’re the alpha of this pack. My best friend.”

~“No!” Ryan roared, grabbing my shoulders and constricting my chest to halt my momentum. He threw us both to the ground.~

~The heat stung my face and I was forced to close my eyes as Ryan dragged us away from the fire.~

“I have to,” I pleaded, feeling a sob clawing its way up from my stomach.

~We listened to her scream for the next minute, and then she moaned and pleaded for death. I was sobbing uncontrollably, screaming her name, and cursing Ryan.~

~He held me close, his face buried in my back, his teeth clenched as he sobbed and pleaded for my forgiveness.~

“Tyler, please—”

~“Tyler, I need your help.”~

“I promise I won’t do it again,” I cried. “I won’t touch her ashes again.”

With all the strength I could muster, I swung my elbow back, hitting Rowan square in the nose. I heard a crunch.

Blood sprayed from his nose and he let go of me, his hands flying to his face as he stumbled backward, swearing.

I sprang to my feet and bolted, my shoulder leading the way as I focused on the fire. With a yell and a grunt, I rammed the door with my shoulder.

The door rattled in its frame and the flames licked at my t-shirt. I backed up and gave it another hard slam.

“Tyler, no!” Rowan shouted as the door finally gave way.

I didn’t look back as I stepped into the inferno.

Caroline Ryder

I was huddled on my side, staring at the blank walls, the hard floor digging into my hip and shoulder. I pulled at the thin blanket. Outside, the crickets were singing their summer song.

“Do you think we could learn to love each other?” I asked him, curling up a little more as the words left my mouth.

~Could you learn to love me?~

“Caroline,” Trip murmured, turning to face me. His green eyes caught the dim light, making them look more brown than they did in the sunlight.

I couldn’t meet his gaze, so I stared at the ceiling instead.

“What if we can’t fully love each other? What if our hearts will always belong to Liam and Del and there’s nothing left for us? What if…?”

~What if my heart isn’t enough for you?~

“Caroline,” he soothed again, “take it easy.”

“I keep trying to trust you, to let you in, but it’s so hard… I just…” I closed my eyes. “When I was with Liam, I couldn’t wait to tell him everything.

“With you, I have to pick and choose my words and sometimes they don’t come out at all. What if that means we can’t make this work?”

~What if you don’t like what I have to say?~

“We have time,” he said. “Plenty of time to figure things out. We don’t have to solve everything in a week. Or a night.”

My heart sank. I wasn’t sure what I had been hoping for, but that wasn’t it.

“What if the love never comes?”

~What if you never love me back?~

Tyler Trip

I couldn’t see anything. All I could feel was the heat, scorching my skin, hair, and clothes. I coughed and choked, trying to spit out the ash that had lodged in my throat.

I held my hands out in front of me, taking each step with caution.

“Caroline!” I called out, my voice hoarse.

The only response was a groan from the house that made my skin crawl.

I quickened my pace; the smoke was getting denser the deeper I went into the house.

I could hear Rowan calling for me. Jackie’s and Sarah’s voices joined in too. I felt a small relief knowing that Sarah had stopped fighting. We had won.

The smoke was so thick I couldn’t smell anything, let alone catch Caroline’s scent.

I searched the dining room but found nothing. I had to turn back when I reached the doorway, blocked by a burning bookcase that had fallen over. “Damn it,” I grunted.

My arms and legs were on fire. It felt like my skin was blistering all over and my lungs were filled with smoke and ash.

“Caroline!” I yelled, doubling over in a coughing fit as I inhaled too deeply.

I called her name again and again, begging any goddess who might be listening to guide me.

The fire was fiercest in the living room. I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing. The curtains were almost completely burned, hanging in charred shreds.

There was a large pile of who knows what in the center of the room, feeding the fire. I couldn’t understand how or why it was there.

I moved closer to inspect it and then recoiled, my stomach churning until I vomited on the floor.

There was a wolf’s body in the fire.

“Caroline!” I screamed, throwing up again. I cursed and straightened up before I ran forward, trying to wave the smoke away so I could see the color of the fur. It was too charred to tell.

I sobbed and dropped to my knees, reaching forward and pulling away pieces of debris to get to the wolf. It was curled up, half-covered by a flaming beam that must’ve fallen.

I sobbed and sobbed, my hands burning and blistering as I reached for the wolf, certain that this was my luna.

I was sure I had lost her.

Caroline Ryder

“The war is over,” Han said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “We should be celebrating, but Dad is hiding from the pack of wolves that want his hide for—”

“Leave me alone,” I snapped.

I was standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the valley between two mountains.

We had just arrived here. This was supposed to be our new home after our last one was burned down.

This was supposed to be my home.

Without Liam.

Han shivered and hunched his shoulders against the cold.

Snow was starting to fall; big, fluffy flakes that Liam would have loved. I didn’t shiver or flinch. I was colder than any ice.

“Dad found some crappy cabin outside the territory,” Han told me.

He was the only one who still tried. The only one who still talked to me even when I snapped at him, pushed him away, or ignored him completely.

My mom would look at me and burst into tears. My dad was at a loss for words. Mick didn’t know how to talk about anyone but himself.

And I had no friends. Liam had been my friend. And now he was gone.

~Dead~, I corrected myself.

Liam was dead.

Han kicked at the snow piling up at our feet.

“Looks like our new alpha’s taking off,” Han grumbled. “What’s it been? Two months? And he’s already bailing on us.” I didn’t respond. “Man, I can’t wait for summer.”

My heart clenched.

I was surprised it was still beating.

Liam had loved summer. He’d loved lazy days and floating on his back in the lake.

He’d loved the sound of crickets at night and the taste of charred marshmallows. He’d loved the long days and short nights. His love for summer was so infectious, it made me hate it a little less.

“Leave me alone,” I whispered.

“Care,” Han sighed. “I know you miss him. I do too—”

I shut my eyes. Tears slipped down my cheeks. “Please, Hanna, just go.”

When I opened my eyes, he was gone.

I was alone.

Tyler Trip

I wasn’t alone.

Somehow, I could hear breathing. It was faint, but it was there.

I stared at the wolf’s lifeless body, accepting its death. I swallowed hard, mustering up the courage to hope again.

“Caroline?” I called out.

I looked around, realizing the only place I hadn’t checked on the ground floor was the kitchen.

I took one last look at the wolf, then scrambled to my feet, trying to navigate around the raging flames.

A scream caught in my throat as my left leg caught fire. I patted out the flames with my already blistering hands.

I stumbled forward, blinded by the smoke, and tripped. I rolled, narrowly avoiding a fiery death as I stopped just short of a wall of fire.

I crawled forward on my hands and knees, trying to find what I’d tripped over. When I reached out, I felt skin.

I jerked back, then lunged forward again, staying low to avoid the worst of the smoke and flames above.

“Caroline?” I called, shaking the body. “Caroline!” I shouted when I recognized her face and hair. I covered her with my body, taking the heat on my back with a sharp cry.

Her face was covered in soot and ash.

I coughed, then grabbed her shoulder and shook it roughly. “Caroline,” I screamed, shaking her harder. “Come on, Care, please…”

I checked her pulse and my body tensed. Her neck was soaked in blood.

“What…?” I turned her head slightly and blood spurted from her neck, making my heart pound.

That’s when I noticed her hand raised beside her head. It was covered in blood, as was the floor.

“Oh no,” I moaned, pressing my fingers to the wound. “Oh, Goddess, no,” I cried. My body shook with a deep sob.

The house groaned around me and I knew it was about to collapse. The fire crackled and hissed, as if taunting me. As if celebrating its victory.

I grabbed Caroline’s face with my other hand, then slapped her cheek to try to wake her up.

“Caroline,” I commanded, “get up right now. Dammit,” I growled. “I didn’t make you luna because you’re weak. You’re strong,” I reminded her tersely. “Stronger than me.

“So, wake the fuck up right now!”

My voice became hysterical, rising in pitch as more blood poured from her neck, the fire grew louder, and the smoke thickened.

I pulled at an eyelid but her eyes were rolled back into her head.

I held back a sob as I placed my ear over her mouth, trying to catch her breath. I couldn’t hear anything.

“No,” I shouted, keeping one hand on her neck as I placed the other on her chest and started chest compressions. “You’re not dying,” I told her.

Sweat dripped down my forehead. The harder I pumped her chest, the more blood oozed from her neck, and I snarled, frustrated and terrified.

“~Please,~” I sobbed, abandoning CPR to pull her against my chest. Her body was limp. Her head lolled and more blood sprayed from her neck.

I grunted and adjusted my hold so I could cover the wound again.

Eventually, I stood with her in my arms, swaying slightly as I put weight on my burned leg. We were completely surrounded by fire. There was no clear way out.

I tried to go back the way I’d come but was forced to retreat.

I was choking and coughing and my vision was blurring. My eyes burned with pain. “Not like this,” I growled through clenched teeth.

The kitchen was completely engulfed in flames; the fire was so thick, I couldn’t have found a door if I’d tried.

The house groaned again and finally gave way, beams falling around us. My legs buckled and my breath came in ragged gasps as I fought for air.

Caroline slipped from my grasp, but I managed to pull her back to me and against my chest.

I propped her head up against my shoulder and cradled her head with my hand, holding her like a child.

She was limp beside me; her face expressionless. I curled around her, sobbing as I felt the flames lick my back and legs.

If I was going to lose her, then I was going to lose myself too. We would become ash together. We would be devoured by the flames together.

I wasn’t going to leave her.

I had pledged my life to her.

And that was what I was ready to give.

I closed my eyes, kissed the top of her head, and said goodbye.

Caroline Ryder

The back door was open and a breeze was pushing the white curtains in and out of the house. The sky was a fiery red, illuminating the late summer’s night.

I hesitated on the grass, watching the curtains as they billowed lazily in the wind.

I tilted my head as I heard someone humming. Their voice was soft and light, barely louder than the breeze itself.

Entranced, I walked forward and reached out to touch the curtains. They were soft and warm, still holding the heat of the sun.

The woman was barefoot, her honey-colored hair hanging loose down her back. She was petite, of average height, with pale, milky skin.

She smiled at me when I walked in. Her eyes were gentle, like the song she sang.

“Hello?” I called, stepping into the grand house. I recognized it as the alpha’s house. It was beautifully decorated in soft colors: off-white, butter-yellow, lily-green.

“Feeling peckish?” she asked, her melody pausing. Her eyes sparkled with a smile, crinkling at the corners. She tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing the soft curve of her chin.

She bent down, reaching into the oven to pull out a pie. “You must be.”

“No,” I replied, my brows furrowing, “I’m not.”

“Luna,” she chuckled, her fingers brushing her lips. Her eyes welled up. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Suddenly, I recognized her. “Del.”

Tyler’s mate smiled, wiping away a tear as she picked up a knife and cut the pie. “Just a slice,” she suggested, “while we chat.”

I glanced down at my hands. I was already holding a slice of pie and a cup of tea.

When I looked up, Del was sitting next to me on a porch swing, her legs tucked under her.

She adjusted her long skirt to cover her knees and then smiled at me, one foot lazily swinging in the air.

“You’re dead,” I said. “You died in a fire.”

“I did,” Del agreed, her gaze drifting to the fiery sky and the lush forest before it.

“Tyler tried to save you,” I told her. “He misses you.”

Her smile wavered; a tiny dimple appeared on one side of her face. “I know,” she whispered, her voice musical even with those simple words.

She closed her eyes and brought her hands to her chest. “I know he does. I can feel it.”

“How am I talking to you?” I asked, watching her blink back tears.

Del remained silent, pushing us back and forth on the swing with her bare foot against the wooden porch.

“I was in a fire,” I said, the memory slowly returning. “I set this house on fire.”

Del nodded.

“I didn’t get out,” I realized.

Del shook her head.

“I’m dead,” I said, my heart sinking. “I burned. It happened again. Tyler lost another mate to fire.”

Del took my hand. Her skin was as smooth as satin. “I’m a songbird,” she said, her eyes meeting mine, “but you’re a phoenix.”

Tyler Trip

“Come on, you idiot,” a voice grumbled above me. I blinked and coughed, realizing that my feet were being dragged in front of me.

There was a growl and I looked up to see a blur of pale skin. I watched as I was pulled from my burning house.

“Tyler!” someone screamed.

I jerked, struggling against the hands that were wrapped under my arms. “Don’t fight me,” the voice commanded sternly. “I’m trying to save your life.”

“Tyler!” Jackie cried, her face appearing before mine. Her brown eyes were filled with tears that streamed down her ash-streaked cheeks.

She said something to the person helping me, and I stopped moving. Her hands were on my face a moment later.

“I’m so sorry, Tyler… They tried to get to Caroline but they couldn’t. The house collapsed and she was trapped. I’m so sorry.”

The grass was cool against my back, soothing the places that had blistered. I pressed my palms to the earth, seeking the same relief.

Jackie was crying, her forehead resting on my chest. Rowan leaned over me, too, his face flushed with tears.

“Tyler, man—”

“Leave him alone,” a gruff voice snapped.

I looked over to see Grant sprawled beside me. His hands were on his knees and his white hair was gray from the ash. He was staring at the burning house with a haunted look on his face.

He had dragged me out. He had pulled me away from Caroline.

“Oh, Tyler,” Jackie sobbed. I realized I had said Caroline’s name out loud.

“She saved everyone,” Jackie told me. “She led Ryan away. She got us back here to the pack before the innocents were slaughtered. She’s a hero.”

I remembered the wolf’s carcass on the fire. That had been Ryan.

I stared up at the sky. It was just starting to turn pink as the sun began to rise.

This would be the first day without her.

It would be the last day I saw.

I would not continue without Caroline. I would not go through this grief again. I would not endure it.

“Caroline?” a voice yelled. I closed my eyes. “No!” voices shouted. Grant, Rowan, and Jackie jumped up to stop Caroline’s family from running into the inferno. “My baby!” her mother wailed.

Someone grabbed me and pulled me upright. I watched as Grant’s mate, Morda, waved her hands in front of the house, trying to use her magic to tame the fire.

Han’s face blocked my vision. His hands clenched into fists around my collar. “You were supposed to protect her!” he screamed at me. “You were supposed to keep her safe!”

Han punched me across the face, pulled me back up by the collar, and hit me again. Grant grabbed him before he could land a third punch, wrestled him to the ground, and held him as he cried.

“It’s okay,” Grant said, his voice hollow as he held onto Han as he shook. “It’s okay.” Han buried his face into his brother, letting Grant comfort him as he surrendered to his grief.

Mick stood with Libby, who clung to his hand as she cried into his shoulder.

“I don’t understand,” he kept mumbling, watching Morda try to stop the fire. For a moment, it looked as though the flames were winning, until Morda gave a cry and curbed them.

Rick Ryder was on his knees with his wife trembling at his side.

The flames went out completely, and Morda dropped her hands and then her head.

I watched the last of the smoke drift into the sky and I followed it upward, admiring the peach hue of the clouds. My last sunrise.

I stood and walked forward, away from Caroline’s grieving family and toward what was left of the smoldering house.

No one tried to stop me. No one called me back.

Morda’s dark eyes met mine as I approached. “I wish there was a magic to bring them back,” she said.

I nodded and kept walking, up and onto the porch, which was charred and missing boards. Most of the second floor had fallen into the first and large portions of the walls were simply gone.

I moved past the wreckage where Ryan’s body was hidden, returning to the spot where I’d held Caroline close, waiting for the end.

She was sprawled under a blanket of ash, her body a stark gray except for the vibrant red of her hair and the crimson pool around her head, a grotesque halo.

I gazed at her, knelt beside her, and reached out to touch her hand.

She didn’t stir.

I pressed a final kiss to her forehead and found myself frozen there, shaking, tears spilling onto her face.

With a rigid effort, I forced myself to stand and walked away from the destroyed house. I moved past everyone, stopping only at the forest’s edge.

I turned back, watching as the sun crested the mountain, a brilliant beacon heralding a new day.

The sunlight was a harsh burn against my eyes, leaving a bright imprint on my closed lids, my vision speckled with color.

When I looked back at the wreckage of my home, I saw her standing there.

Caroline, dusted in ash, stood tall, her shoulders squared as she watched the sunrise.

Her name caught in my throat as she turned her head. Her neck was still smeared with dried blood, but she lifted her hand in a wave.

“Impossible,” Grant murmured, rising to his feet with Han.

I whipped my head around and saw they were staring at the house, along with everyone else.

I blinked, but Caroline was still there, watching the sun. I took a step forward, faltering. I was filled with uncertainty and fear.

“Luna,” my pack acknowledged from behind me, dropping to their knees.

My breath hitched.

Caroline moved forward, her steps steady and confident. I began to move toward her, my steps clumsy, my heart pounding wildly.

She offered a shaky smile and reached out to me. And then, I was running to her. She ran too, and we crashed into each other halfway.

I wrapped my arms around her, using our momentum to spin us around and lift her off the ground. She buried her nose in the crook of my neck, and I buried my hand in her hair.

“Caroline.” I breathed her name like a sacred chant.

“Tyler.”

“How?”

“I don’t know.”

I cupped her face, lost in her blue eyes that stole my breath and my composure.

I ran my thumbs over her cheeks and then kissed the woman I loved as the sun rose behind us.