Chapter 42
The battlefield was chaos. Snarls. Screams. Claws ripping through flesh.
The sky was dark, the air was filled with the scent of blood and burning wood. Wolves clashed, teeth sinking into fur, bodies slamming against the dirt, warriors howling in agony.
I fought beside Tyler, my blade slick with blood as I slashed through one of the cursed wolves, sending it collapsing onto the ground with a pained yelp.
But they kept coming. Their eyes were red—wild, rabid. Cursed. And they felt no pain.
A wolf lunged at me from the side—but before it could reach me, Tyler was there.
He grabbed the creature by the throat, snapping its neck with a single, brutal motion.
I barely had time to breathe before another came at me. We were surrounded. I turned, gripping my blade tighter, ready to strike—but then Tyler was shoved backward, and suddenly, he was on the ground. I froze. No.
A massive cursed wolf stood over him, saliva dripping from its fangs. Tyler was bleeding. His body limp for a moment before he tried to push himself up. But the wolf was too fast.
It snarled, raising its claws—aiming for Tyler’s throat. “NO!”
I lunged forward, driving my blade straight through the wolf’s side. It howled in pain, its body convulsing before collapsing beside Tyler. I dropped to my knees, grabbing Tyler’s face.
His skin was pale, his breathing ragged. Blood. So much blood. “Tyler!” I shook him. “Look at me!” He gritted his teeth, pushing himself upright despite the pain.
“Damn it, Aurora,” he muttered, a weak smirk playing on his lips. “I thought you weren’t supposed to care.”
My heart twisted. I did. I did care. I always had. And in that moment, as the battle raged on around us, as I stared into his golden eyes, I realized something that terrified me more than anything else.
I still loved him. I had spent so much time hating him, resenting him, trying to destroy him—
But the truth? I had never stopped loving him. And I was going to lose him. Not again. Not like this. I cupped his face, my fingers shaking.
His breath hitched.
And then—
I kissed him. Right there, in the middle of the bloodshed. Tyler tensed for a split second. Then, he kissed me back.
His hands tangled into my hair, his body pressing against mine.
It wasn’t just a kiss. It was everything. Every unsaid word. Every unspoken apology. Every regret.
I poured everything I had into that kiss—because I didn’t know if we would survive this night.
But then—
Pain. A sharp, searing pain exploded in my back. I gasped, breaking the kiss, my body jerking forward. Tyler’s eyes widened. “Aurora?”
I choked on a breath, my vision blurring. Something warm and wet trickled down my back. Blood.
I had been stabbed. Tyler caught me before I could collapse.
I turned my head slightly—and standing there, holding a bloodied dagger, was Debbie. Her face was twisted in pure hatred.
“Did you really think you could take everything from me?” she hissed. “Did you really think I would let you win?”
I tried to move, tried to speak—but the world tilted. Tyler’s roar of fury was the last thing I heard before everything went black.
