73 - The Sanctuary V: Accepting Darkness

Chloe Jane

“Deacon!” I scream, dropping to my knees beside him. I don’t hear a heartbeat, and his eyes are wide open in shock. “No, no, no!”

Frantically, I try everything I’ve learned, everything I can think of to help him, but it’s no use. I think back to Deacon’s threads, trying to find his so I can change his fate, but I can’t seem to find it.

Tears stream down my face as I realize I can’t save him… Deacon is gone, and with that realization, I feel a painful tug in my chest, our bond snapping.

Abruptly, I wake up again, back in the pack house, as if nothing had happened. I rush out to find Deacon again, and he’s in the same spot with his back to me.

But then the cycle repeats: the joyful reunion, Deacon’s sudden collapse, my futile attempts to save him. Each time, the pain of losing him feels as raw and devastating as the first. I feel the snapping of our bond, only to wake up in our bed again.

My heart aches with a familiar dread, the cycle of loss and despair feeling endless, i