The memories kept flooding. Deeper now. More complete. Not just moments but entire experiences. Entire lifetimes.
I lived Astro's first failure.
Not just saw it. Lived it. Was him in that moment centuries ago when he stood before the altar in a different Den. A different pack surrounding him. Lyra cowering in her cage.
I felt his hands shaking as he tried to choose. Felt his desperate need to save them all. Felt Luna's presence pressing down on him, demanding judgment.
I felt him refuse. Felt him offer himself as sacrifice. Felt his certainty that mercy mattered more than survival.
Then I felt them die.
All six wolves in his pack. Luna killed them one by one while he watched. While I watched through his eyes. While we both experienced the horror of watching mercy turn into massacre.
Lyra died last. I felt her small hand in his as she bled out. Felt her confusion. Her betrayal. Her final words cutting deeper than any blade.
"You were supposed to protect us."
