The trap had already sprung.
I saw it in Darius's eyes across the battlefield—recognition, understanding, and something that looked dangerously close to acceptance.
Gideon's forces were seconds from striking him. My intercept team was positioned to catch me. Everything calculated to separate us during the moment when unity was our only defense.
"Elara, pull back!" Caleb's voice crackled through comms. "It's a trap for both of you. Don't—"
But I was already moving.
Through the degraded bond, I felt Darius make his decision in the same heartbeat I made mine. Not retreat. Not defense.
Sacrifice.
His wolf surged forward—not toward Gideon's assassins closing on him, but toward the secondary force positioned to intercept me. Away from his own survival. Toward mine.
"No!" The word tore from my throat.
But he was already committed. His massive form crashed into the fighters meant to separate us, scattering them with devastating force. Creating an opening. For me. Not for himself.
