Chapter 176: Chapter 177

Chapter 88 – Come Back To Me

“There is an ocean of silence between us… and I am drowning in it.“–Ranata Suzuki

Kiya

I was free.

My gilded cage had rusted, and the chains of darkness crumbled to dust.

Osiris was gone.

I should be celebrating. I should be running into the arms of my parents, sobbing tears of joy, relishing in my newfound freedom.

Instead, screams of absolute sorrow tore through my throat and shattered the sunlit atmosphere. My world had darkened. Artemis‘ broken howls touched the stratosphere to where I was certain the angels of heaven could hear her.

My legs moved on their own accord, splitting earth with each stomp toward the body that should thrive with life. The body that should rejoice in my liberation with incandescent sapphires and ivory smiles. The body I cradled in my trembling arms once my naked knees dropped to the dirtied earth.

“N–Neron?” My voice came out as a pitiful whimper. Footsteps echoed around me, but I didn’t bother to look up. I glued my eyes to the Alpha’s lifeless face, drenched in sweat. The wound on his neck exposed flesh and muscle, nausea resting like a stone in my stomach. “Neron… wake up, please…”

I didn’t want this to happen.

I shook him lightly, hoping to get some inkling of life, but got nothing. His body weighed heavily with death, void of the weightless life that kept his soul afloat. I kept calling out his name, hoping that this was just the devil’s trick on my mind….

But he wouldn’t answer me.

“Mija…” Mom placed her loving hand on my shoulder. “Neron is…”

“Don’t say it.” I sniffled, tears threatening to spill over my eyes. “Please, don’t say it…”

“But Kiya… it’s true.” Abigail added, trying to soothe the wound in my chest with her gentle voice. “He’s gone.”

“No! He wasn’t supposed to do this! He wasn’t…” The blood on his arms swirled like galaxies around the droplets of my falling tears. On my skin, they burned like acid, searing through my flesh and bone. Neron kept his promise; he didn’t allow Osiris to hurt me anymore.

But at the cost of his life?

He should’ve… he could’ve…

The realization hit me like two freight trains colliding, especially when Diana fluttered on Neron’s chest, releasing a broken hoot with her golds reflecting deep sadness.

Chapter 88–Come Back To Me

I… I killed him.

A strong tremor split my body in two. Pain bubbled in my chest and gushed out of my mouth like a hot geyser as sobbing and screaming. My throat tightened like a leash, but it did nothing to stop my painful screams as I clutched Neron’s body closer to mine and buried my face in his chest, hiding my tears from the world. Apology after apology tumbled out of my mouth with reckless abandon, muffled through his cooling flesh.

I’m sorry for hurting you!

I’m sorry for giving you scars!

I’m sorry that you, time and time again, throw yourself in danger for me.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t give the way you do.

I’m sorry for taking and taking like a selfish woman..

I’m sorry, Neron! I’m sorry, Onyx! I’m so… so fucking sorry…

Because in the end, it was I who ended the Prince bloodline.

A plethora of scenarios raced in my mind of various outcomes that could’ve saved Neron’s life. His death was avoidable! But every scenario ended with him jumping onto the path of danger to protect me.

To save me.

I was the warrior, and Neron was the shield. Osiris‘ fangs were meant to be in my throat; but Neron took the blow. And like a shield that’s been through hell and back, they fall apart. Neron’s final declaration opened the pathway to victory, and he wasn’t here to celebrate.

What is the point of rejoicing when we need to plan his funeral?!

No one tried to touch or talk to me. They were giving me space, and I was thankful for that. After a while, my sobs quieted down, but there was the occasional hiccup. Artemis‘ sorrow hurt the deepest. Because I knew she missed Onyx. Neron wouldn’t have done what he did if Onyx didn’t agree; that I was certain. I wanted to reach out and hold Artemis in my arms so we could cry together.

Neron was still in my lap, cocooned in my arms. I couldn’t put him on the ground–that was where he took hist final breath. Every wall I put up came crashing down, picking up dust in a pile of forgotten debris. My family was feeling my emotions.

Someone kneeled in front of me, his hands folded on his knees. My eyes, red and blotchy, met my brother’s hazels, contemplative and worried. He expelled a massive sigh and tried to reach out. But some beastly instinct took over me and I gripped at Neron possessively, holding his head and body to my chest like he was a newborn baby, baring my teeth in warning.

“I won’t touch him, Kiki.” Anthony’s calm words calmed my beastly side and my arms slowly relaxed, loosening my grip on the corpse. “Neron didn’t die in vain. He protected you until his last breath.”

“He wasn’t supposed to do that.” My hoarse whisper carried the pain my heart couldn’t hold. “He wasn’t supposed to die. Not like this. Not before his time.”

Chapter 18 Come Back To Me

“I know, Little Bit, but he made his choice. He jumped in front of Osiris willingly, even if it meant his pain.”

“I didn’t want him to hurt himself…I hurt him too much.”

“Hey, none of that.” He reprimanded. “You aren’t responsible for his death; don’t carry responsibilities that aren’t yours, Kiya.”

“Osiris was supposed to kill me, not him! It’s not fair! It should be me that’s dead, not Neron!” Moans escaped my mouth through the suppressed sounds of my sobs starting up again. “I’m not worthy of his sacrifice, Tony! He had so much to look forward to in life and he threw it all away for me!”

“Because he loved you, Kiya!” I burrowed my face in Neron’s hollow chest again, the heat of pure shame burning through me. “He wouldn’t have done what he did if he didn’t love you. I’ve watched this man consistently put you above himself through the amount of shit thrown at him, from us and his dad. I don’t know what was going through his head, but he spoke with actions. It’s a shame we all lost him too soon.”

“Death… too much death…” I choked, constantly sniffling to hold back more tears. My eyes were burning at this point.

I heard shuffles around me, the heat of the space rising. Everyone kneeled to either comfort me or mourn the loss of Neron. It only made my chest heave harder and strengthen my sobs. How was any of this far? What about the people who cared about and loved Neron? Adonis lost an uncle, Valerian and Kwame lost their brother, my pack lost an ally and I…

I lost… I lost…

The surrounding air shifted, and the surrounding voices quieted to deafening silence. Tearing my face from Neron’s chest, I watched my friends and family fade behind a wall of growing white. Fear died as quickly as it rose, my senses lulling me to peace, recognizing the world I was in. My arms ached for relief from the tension, but I continued to cradle Neron as if he’d wake up at any moment.

Footsteps echoed, growing in volume the closer they came to me.

The holy light in front of me haloed around the goddess I know and love as she took her place in front of me, on her knees. I relinquished my hold just a tad so that Neron could rest on her knees as well. His body grew colder, and I failed to stifle yet another sob.

“S–Selene…”

“I’m here, my child.” She sighed. Her hand reached over and buried itself in the Alpha’s black locks, smoothening them out and ignoring the slits of blood that stained her pallid palm. Diana hopped on her shoulder, silent as a mouse. “This isn’t the end of him, Kiya.”

My eyes widened as a hiccup jerked my body forward. “Wh–what do you.

mean?”

“He’s not gone yet, but he is slipping away.” She snapped her fingers and a faint red cord connecting my heart to Neron’s materialized between us. Selene cradled a loop in her palms. The red was flickering and fading to pale pink, becoming translucent to where I could see the ridges of the goddess‘ palms. “You always had a choice, dear Kiya. Whether it be accepting Neron as your mate or accepting your goddesshood, the choice had always been in your hands. Now, you must make another.”

I sat up straighter, facing the goddess with inklings of confidence that exposed themselves under the blanket of sorrow. “Tell me, please.”

“Behind me is the path you’re familiar with. The entrance to the Realm of the Moon Goddess. In minutes, both Neron and Onyx will arrive, leaving this vessel behind to return to the earth. I granted you clemency five years ago to be reborn, and you can do the same for Neron.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Do you want Neron to return to the mortal realm, or proceed into the heavens to be with his mother and

sister?”

My breath hitched in my throat. I looked down at Neron and contemplated on all my choices. If I choose the latter, he’ll get to see his family again. Nuria and Lun–Auntie Essie would get to see him again. Neron will get his family back, like he always wanted. He’ll be happy.

If I choose the former, he’ll wake up surrounded by his friends and brother–in–arms, but he’ll be alone, walking the earth without a familial connection. My mind thought back to our date at the mall, where he shared with me the goals he would’ve accomplished if fate didn’t push him to be Alpha.

Neron wanted to go to school. To travel the world. To make his mark on the planet that didn’t involve him leading a pack he grew to dislike.

He wanted to experience everything that I had experienced.

He craved the freedom I received from my family. While I lived it up in Garnet Moon, he had to bend over backwards to make his father happy; don the mask and conceal his genuine emotions.

Neron wanted to have true happiness. He deserved to experience the joys of freedom without the confines of his Alpha obligations.

I wanted him to be happy.

My eyes found Selene’s silver diamonds, and I nodded. “I want him back. I don’t want him to go.”

I didn’t want to live in a world without him in it.

Selene searched my eyes for doubt but found none. Nodding, she leaned back on her heels. “You know what to do to bring him back.”

“Are you sure you want to entrust me with this?” I asked my goddess, cocking my head to the side. “Revival is your specialty.”

“Kiya, you and I share powers. Part of me lies within you. You are my avatar, but you’re also my daughter- what is mine is yours.” She shined a glittering ivory smile and rested her hand over mine, squeezing gently. “I know what your feelings are, even if you’re afraid to admit them aloud.”

“If I do this, I might not survive.”

“The keyword in that statement is ‘might.‘ You’ll never know unless you try.” The red of the bond is now translucent, pallid pink. “You have little time.”

The finality was deafening. I look back at Neron’s face once more, reaching out a hand and brushing away the stray strands that clung to his temple from sweat. With a heavy breath, I cradled him again and intertwined.

my fingers through his heavy, chilly hand.

“Hang on, Neron. I’m bringing you back.”

Silvery lights shot out from the spaces between our fingers, sinking into Neron’s pale flesh, mapping out every muscle fiber, artery, and vein within him. Rivers of white shimmered and mixed into a mosaic of healing magic. White strands of flesh and muscle began repairing, connecting like wires, and reinforcing themselves with his cells. Wounds littered Neron’s body. Too many to count, but one by one, they began disappearing-

Dizziness slammed against the back of my head, blurring my vision, but I ignored it and kept going. I kept pouring my energy into Neron, refusing to stop until I hear a groan or felt the jerk of a limb. My muscle strength was leaving in droves and my ears were ringing, but I poured and poured my holy energy in him without an end in sight.

I needed his heart to beat anew.

“Come on…” I whispered, my eyes tracking his face for movement. The color of our bond was gradually returning, but not fast enough for my liking. Patience has never been my strong suit. I look back at Selene, an idea popping into my head, and she nodded, knowing what I was about to do.

“Artemis?”

“Let’s do it. I want Onyx back.”

And she’ll get him back. Sucking in a sharp breath, I used my free hand to adjust Neron’s head while supporting most of his bodyweight on my knee. I’ve never been the one to instigate anything like this, but there is a first for everything.

I closed the distance between our faces and molded the promise of life on his lips with my own. My soft puffs of breath echoed around us. My hand tightened in his own as the consequence of my excessive outpour of my healing bombarded me like raining grenades. I didn’t care. I won’t stop until Neron breathed again. With the weakness came peace. I was at peace.

Come back, Neron. Come back Onyx.

Come back for those who love and care about you.

Come back to your bright future.

Come… come back to me, please.

I didn’t note Selene’s departure, or the white world fading back into the clearing of the battleground, but I ignored the gasps from my people. Artemis, with her own power, poured into connecting with Onyx again, her determination twinning mine. Our focus was infallible.

Then there it was.

The first breath of life.

Neron sucked in a deep breath, arching his back. His groan was music to my ears, squeezing the hand with

hapter #1 – Come Back To Me

mine in it. Finally, I pulled away from his face to be graced with his glowing sapphires. He’s alive! I did it! I

almost screamed with happiness?

“Neron…” I grinned, straightening my body once more. Commotion rang around us, especially with the soldiers arriving from the forest to increase the surrounding crowd. “Are you… okay?”

Neron blinked, eyes darting around the crowd before landing on me again. He squeezed my hand again, cracking a small

head. She hoot..le at me. “I am.” Music to my ears! Diana hopped on his chest again and he scratched her

head. She hooted with delight. “You… you didn’t have to do that…”

“I did.” I reached to his face, cupping his cheek. Neron nuzzled into my palm, growling softly. “How is Onyx?”

“The puppy is alright.”

“Good… good…” I wanted to sleep. My eyes fluttered close. The last of my energy had left. I couldn’t keep myself up anymore. “N–now… I can rest…”

The weight of the world returned; except I had no will to carry it. The ringing in my ears grew stronger until it popped, a high–pitched sound drowning out the worried voices of my people.

No more chaos. No more….

My world went black.

My body fell forward, landing on something hard..

Then….

Nothing

Just…

Silence.

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