"Pain, pride, and desire collided in a single heartbeat."
Through the bond, I felt Darius moving. Not walking. Not running. Charging. His wolf fully in control. Coming to end Gideon regardless of consequences.
No.
I couldn't let him throw everything away. Couldn't let Katheris win because he lost control protecting me.
Pain screamed through my side where Gideon's strike had landed. My wolf howled inside me. Angry. Hurt. But not broken.
Never broken.
I forced myself up. Legs shaking. Vision blurring. But standing.
Gideon's eyes widened. Shock. He'd expected me to stay down. Expected that strike to end it.
"You should have stayed down," he said.
"Probably. But I never was good at doing what I should."
Through the bond, I sent everything I had to Darius. Stop. I'm okay. I'm still fighting. Don't interfere.
His wolf resisted. Demanded he reach me. Protect me. Destroy the threat.
