3. Broken

AITHNE'S POV

Against our better judgement, one of the rogue wolves had dared to attack Majesty on seeing she was set to attack their injured leader again.

His canine sank deeply into her hind feet, tearing against flesh and probably dislocating a bone and causing us to experience a sudden, excruciating pain.

Majesty howled into the dark night, totally shocked and enraged by the sudden unpredicted attack.

Odin's wolf heard her howl and through our mate bond, he felt the pang of pains that came with our injury.

Majesty turned around to the brown wolf who had attacked us, red blood trailing her left hind and giving her snowy fur a bloody look.

But before she could get us vengeance, a huge grey wolf appeared like a flash and sank his canines into the mane of the brown wolf, tearing flesh, twisting bones, drawing out blood and rendering him immobile within seconds.

Odin's gaze met mine through the eyes of our wolves, and I could feel his worries and fears (because of our injury) the moment his wolf had tossed the dead werewolf a few paces behind.

'Odin I'm f...' My intended words through telepathy caught within me as the loudest of howls escaped Majesty's throat.

No. No, not him...please, not Odin.

How it happened I can't explain, but this sight was something I'd never be able to get out of my head.

Dyson's dying wolf had somehow crept behind us and had sent a powerful, killing slash of claws towards Majesty's side and shoulder but somehow, Odin had seen his aim and his wolf had jumped in, shielding Majesty with his body, thereby taking the hit of the black rogue wolf's vicious claws.

And It happened so freaking fast. So fast that Majesty and I weren't spared a second to even react.

'Odin!!!!' I screamed telepathically as I watched his wolf collapsed to the ground weakly.

Majesty whimpered as panic set in. And she grew restless as she tried to nuzzle her mate's weak body.

'Odin,' I pleaded tugging at his subconscious desperately, not willing to entertain the dread that seemed to be fast approaching. 'Are you alright? Please tell me you're fine!' I cried.

'W-wa...watch out...' He warned, and my fears grew bigger as I felt our mate bond weakened.

'Oh, Odin,' I cried. Even right now, in such a situation, he was still trying to protect me.

Majesty's attempt at nuzzling Odin's wolf was interrupted because of his warning...

The black rogue wolf was trying to attack again.

With a vengeance that shock the entire forest, Majesty leaned back up and countered the rogue's attacks with her paws. But he somehow got a hold on her other hind feet, clawing at it viciously, leaving a long, deep trail of his claws on it and making us screech because of the terrific pain.

*Enough, Majesty. He must die.* I said to her and I felt her agreement the next second.

With every strength left she could muster, she charged at him, aiming for his head this time. And the instant she got a hold of him, her paws clasped around his neck firmly and with a powerful twist, she sent him sprawling against the floor, cold and lifeless.

A howl of victory erupted from her the moment Dyson's life left him. Now in his human form before he breathed his last, his eyes held shock and bewilderment, his neck disjointed and contorted in an unimaginable manner. He clearly hadn't imagined he would ever meet his demise in such a way.

I scanned around the moderate clearing and all my eyes saw was blood and dead bodies all over the forest. Then I saw them _the five pack warriors that had accompanied me_ all bloodied in their human forms, lying still and lifeless. No one had survived from the ambush, not even any of the rogue wolves survived. And my heart broke once again...

'M-M.A.T.E' Majesty whimpered again, turning around swiftly in his direction, ignoring the sharp pains at her hinds at every leap she took back to her mate.

But he was transforming back to his human form... Which meant he was dying... Odin was dying.

It was the slowest transition I had ever witnessed, the slowest he had ever transitioned before. And he was in so much pain...

A heart-wrecking howl emanated from the depths of Majesty's being as she mourned her mate. And in that moment, I knew we would mourn him for long, if not forever...

Slowly, I transitioned as well. And just as Odin's had been, it was the slowest I had ever transitioned, Majesty's injured hinds making it even more painful for us, coupled with Odin's pain.

"Odin," I cried as my weak knees gave way beneath me and I collapsed on the floor beside him. I reached out my hands to him just as the last of Majesty's claws retracted within me.

"M-my...my l-love... I'm..." He coughed out blood and tears ran down my cheeks, I could feel our mate bond snapping off slowly, breaking my heart forever with it.

"Sshh!" I shushed him, caressing his messy brown hair on my bloodied laps. "I know, my love. I'm so sorry and I'm so grateful." My tears fell on his chest as I leaned down and planted one last kiss on his lips. "Thank you for everything." I sobbed.

And he tried to smile as his fingers slowly wiped a falling tear off my eyes. "I...I love you Carida, a-always." He said and while I sobbed, his gorgeous eyes and handsome face became immobile.

His hand fell from my face loosely to his side and remained motionless, just as the last bits of our mate bond snapped off entirely and instantly.

And suddenly, I felt empty inside. It was an unwelcomed feeling I had never imagined or experienced. A feeling I would never get used to.

I felt Majesty stirred within me, trying to console me as much as she could console herself.

"Odin!" I screamed, picking his now cold and stiff hands and clasping my warm ones around them. "Oh, my love." Tears clouded my vision as I cradle him to my chest and wailed.

"W-why...why so cold already my darling? It must be really cold out there, right?" A strangled sob erupted from my chest as I burst into tears.

"No!"

"Odin!!!"