Lana's P.O.V.
With each step, I moved faster than the last until I had picked up enough momentum to run while balancing Oliver over my shoulder. It was probably a hilarious sight, a naked woman running with a naked man on top of her.
But I was panicking. The longer Oliver remained unconscious, and without his wolf, the more I was struggling to get my bearings. I needed him to wake up, or at least to feel our bond again so I could tell what was going on or what he needed.
"Come on, Lana! Think!" I scolded myself as I glanced around. We had been running away from the rogues for over twenty minutes before I had to pause. I needed to figure out where to go. Running from side to side wasn't going to do anything to hide his scent as long as he was still bleeding all over the place.
'Go east.' A familiar male voice said through the pack link as he ran toward me. Mr. Blake's wolf was slightly smaller than Oliver's but just as impressive. I didn't
Lana's P.O.V. I was livid. There was no other word for it. I was going to support him, but I was so angry at him. He felt like he needed to do something to honor his Goddess and beliefs, but he forgot about one little thing. Me. I wasn't going to sit in some cave like a damsel in distress while he was out there taking down our enemies. I wanted blood too. I was just going to go about it a different way. He seemed to feel like he was on his own in this battle, but he wasn't. Did he want his revenge? That was fine by me. I would bring the fucking popcorn, and we could eat it together as we looked over the bodies we dropped. But he wasn't going to do it alone. Instead of running headfirst into a battle where we would be outnumbered, I went for help. Water dripped from my fur as I sprinted through the forest toward where I had last seen Scarlett and her guards. Only when I stumbled upon them, their group had grown larger. More wolfs had joined them and were stalking through the trees
Oliver's P.O.V. There was a rush. Each rogue I took down sent another pulse of adrenaline through me. I could feel my blood pulsing beneath my skin, and my mind was tracking each movement as if it were in slow motion, allowing me to counter their attacks with ease. One after another, they fell at my feet. Their rotten bodies littered the ground and poisoned the Earth with their diseased blood. Only their souls moved on. They would be presented before the Goddess to face the punishments for their crimes. They had turned on their own, killing innocent kids, women, and men. I could only pray that they received justice, and I knew they would. While I questioned Her fairness toward me before, I still believed in Her. She was my creator and judge. I was her soldier, brought back to life to fight for Her and Her cause. To protect my family and make the world better for my children to grow up in. I could feel Lana close by, but our bond was blocked. She was there in my mind, but I could
Lana's P.O.V. Not turning to look at Oliver was the hardest thing I had ever done. But I couldn't take my eyes away from the forest in front of me. Too many wolves had gotten through the defense we had in place, but we were lucky to only have lost a few of our men who were surrounding my mate, trying to protect him. I knew Oliver was still alive, still surviving. I could still feel him even though I couldn't talk to him or turn back to see him. Whatever this was, it was bigger than all of us. There were forces at play that seemed to surprise even the natural-born shifters who had known about this world their entire lives. It made me feel a bit better about my ignorance. I was looking for a witch when I first hit the barrier, ready to rip her throat out to get to my mate. But Scarlett stopped me. She made me focus without my anger to understand that there was more going on. There was a glow about the dome of magic Oliver was trapped in, one that felt familiar. The connection my wol
Lana's P.O.V. There was a patrol around us, guarding Oliver as he was carried back to the pack house. The Shadow pack was quickly joined by members of the Blood Moon Pack to escort Oliver home. From what I heard through the pack link, the Midnight and Supreme Pack were still racing through the forest, scouring and searching to make sure every last rogue involved in the attack had been eliminated. From what I understood, when they were done here, they would be on their way to the other packs that were also terrorized by the rogues. I wasn't sure how they were determining rogue involvement for those they crossed out in no-man's land, but I had the feeling there would not be many rogues left when they were done. I walked as close as I could to the men carrying Oliver, careful to avoid my fur from brushing against them. My heart hurt, and my chest felt like it was struggling not to cave in as my mate was unconscious for the second time today. I wanted to curse the Goddess for putting
Oliver's P.O.V. The chilled air was thick with magic. I could feel it teasing my skin like a feather brushing along the surface. Each breath I took in was strained as my body rejected the movement and struggled to find the oxygen it was needing. For as far as I could see, there was nothing but darkness, but I knew I wasn't alone. When I was here, I would never be alone. I listened closely, waiting for any sign of the other occupants, but the room remained silent. Did I dare to make a noise and disturb the other souls who had fallen to the veil, who were stuck in the in-between? Had they failed to complete their missions as well? Or was it something else in their life that they left unsaid or untouched? My Lana wasn't here with me, nor was Maddie. I wanted my girls, but I wanted them to stay amongst the living. There would be nothing for them here. If they were stuck in the in-between with me, would I even know it? I lifted my arm, hoping to touch something, anything that would le
Lana's P.O.V.I couldn't sit by Oliver's bed all day. I wanted to, but I was pulled away. We had too much work we had to get done before this war would be over. The battle may have ended, but the list of things we had to do to come back from this was long. Most of the items were time-sensitive.So I stood, waiting by the tunnel, waiting impatiently for the locks to be released from the inside and for my baby to be returned to me. There were other parents, eagerly demanding updates, but they were needed elsewhere. They were required to be at their post, doing their jobs, so I gave them as much information as I could while they defended our pack.Just because the fighting was over, it didn't mean that there weren't enemies still in hiding, waiting for a chance to escape or to take one of our pack wolves with them when they left this Earth.I, for one, knew Maddie would not be leaving this house for a while. Not until I was sure it was safe
Oliver's P.O.V. The darkness was never-ending. The Goddess told me it wasn't my time, but then she left me here in the veil. I wandered aimlessly, trying to find the way out for what felt like years. Periodically, I would stop and lie down. Other times, I would talk to myself. I could almost hear her giggling at me as I sang at the top of my lungs, trying to do anything to break up the monotony of being stuck in the emptiness. Yet, she still wouldn't send me back. I would shout and call out to her, asking her for answers to questions I had my entire life and requesting she send me back if I wasn't supposed to be here, but all of my comments and questions went unanswered. It was times like this that I wished for it to be possible to talk to my wolf. At least then, I wouldn't be so alone. Instead, he sat quietly in my head like usual. There was a constant poking on my arm that was driving me insane, and I was positive the veil had bugs. They were eating away at my flesh little by
Lana's P.O.V. There was a collection of us, at least a hundred, who were going from house to house, tearing out all of the damaged sections and rebuilding them back up as quickly as possible. A few homes would have to be completely demolished, but we would have to come back to them. For now, we needed to get as many as we could into livable conditions, and as soon as possible, so our people could have a roof over their heads. It was bad enough that I had multiple strangers sleeping on my bedroom floor. Maddie was having a blast sleeping in the room with the other kids. It was like a giant slumber party every night. But even if I wanted to rest for a minute during the day, my bed was out of the question. Having strangers in my space, in mine and Oliver's personal bedroom, made it feel compromised. It was no longer my safe space. They were diluting his scent, and coming in and out at random times throughout the day. I had tried to close my eyes once for a quick nap, and as soon as t