He walks around the carnage like it can’t touch him, and I turn to the packhouse. Mateo remains motionless on the ground, and I run over to him.
Shaking him but getting no response, my mark burns, and I can feel the bond severing. The bond recognizes his death and somehow, it brings the pain forward, making me clutch my chest.
The vision Seline showed me comes to the forefront of my mind. I can see it clearly as I watch my kids play. I thought the decision was for the war with Jackson’s pack, but I’ve realized it’s now.
It was never then, but now as I turn, looking over at Sage’s dead body on the ground. She is drenched in blood, her skin gray, and my eyes burn at the sight of her.
Seline’s voice booms through my head, her words on repeat. “Always choose the mate bond, choose your mates over everything else,” she had said to me so long ago.
Blinking back tears, I do just that, choosing Mateo to save our family, but that means destroying Andrei’s. I choke back a sob.
I know it is selfish, but I can’t live without him. I can’t live without my mate, can’t live with Ezra hating me. I can’t live with the guilt that he won’t be able to watch his children grow.
As I press my lips to Mateo’s, tears stream down my cheeks. I know Andrei will hate me, I know I am choosing my mate over his. Warmth moves through me, and everything I love about him rushes to the surface.
My magic flares to life and a sob breaks past my lips. Everything falls quiet around me and I pull him back, pull him to me just as he gasps, sucking in a deep breath.
He peers around desperately, clutching his chest, his eyes fall on me. He clutches my face, fighting around us slows down.
“You’re ok. We’re okay.” Mateo whispers, pulling me to him.
“Jonah, Kyan, they were in the house.” He says, and I snap my head back.
“What?” I shriek, my head snaps in the packhouse’s direction.
“The children,” I scream, and Dominic looks over at me. I shove Eziah into Mateo’s arms, rushing over and ripping through the rubble of what’s left, the house reduced to concrete debris.
“Kyan?” Dominic yells. His magic drops, and he rushes to help me.
“Move!” He says, and I step back.
He raises his hands, and I feel the energy rush off him, physically feel it as he flings concrete like it weighs nothing, the shadows lift the debris and move them off to the side when I spot my father.
Mateo rushes over, helping me drag him out with his free hand that isn’t clutching Eziah. I can see Ezra and Andrei taking down the last few rogues. The ground is completely drenched in blood.
People are injured everywhere, and I hear my father cough. His legs are crushed, and he has a piece of rebar through his stomach. Moving to his side, he tries to speak.
“Kat, you need to,” he chokes out. “Jonah,” he gasps.
“Kyan!” Dominic says, and I hear him rip away rubble with his hands when I see the black sphere. Both boys inside are perfectly okay. Kyan’s face is deathly pale, and he drops his magic. Dominic scoops him up.
“I got you, I got you, buddy,” Dominic whispers to him as I watch through tear-filled eyes.
“Jonah?” My dad asks, just as Andrei comes rushing over screaming for him. His entire body is drenched in blood.
“He’s fine,” I tell my father, watching Andrei hug him.
“Where is mom?” Jonah cries out, and Andrei drops to the ground, sobbing into Jonah’s shoulder and clutching him tightly. “Where is she?” Jonah asks, pulling on Andrei’s head.
“Dad, where is mom? Where is mom, dad?” Jonah asks as he wails and tries to get out of his grip as Andrei holds him, refusing to let him look behind him. Jonah smacks his arms, and Eziah stirs on the grass beside my father, finally waking up as Ezra rushes to my side, scooping him up.
“Where is Marabella?” Ezra asks frantically.
“In the car, Sage got her out.” Mateo says, looking over my shoulder at her body when suddenly I hear a bloodcurdling scream making me look at Andrei.
Jonah thrashes wildly in Andrei’s arms, escaping and dropping next to Sage. He yanks on her shoulders. Her body is limp, and Andrei tries to get up.
“Jonah!” He calls, getting to his feet, his eyes all swollen from crying, his body marred with the scars of the war.
Dominic’s men are walking around, killing the injured wolves.
“It’s okay, Pumpkin,” says my father’s weak voice, making me look at him. I nod.
“Pull it out, so I can heal him,” I tell Mateo.
My father groans as he pulls the rebar out of him. I can hear Jonah wailing in the background. Andrei is wailing and trying to console him. My hands instantly reach for his wound, but my father grips my hands, making my eyes dart to him. “You can’t heal her, can you?” he rasps, and my lips tremble.
I shake my head, trying to heal him, but his hands don’t let go and he pushes mine away. “Stop, dad, let me, I can help,” I tell him.
“You’re right, you can, but not this time, pumpkin,” my father says, and I ignore him, trying to twist my wrists from his grip.
“I abandoned him once. And I promised won’t do it again when he needs me, and he needs me Kat,” my father says.
“No! I won’t,” I tell him.
“Pin him,” I tell Mateo, who hesitates when my father glares at him.
“You heal me, and I will never forgive you. You will do this for me. I need you to do this for me,” my father pleads.
“I’ve made so many mistakes, I won’t let this be one of them. Let me do this for him. This is my karma, and I can make things right. He’s my son.”
Tears stream down my face at what he’s asking of me. “And I am your daughter,” I cry out, shaking my head.
Can he even fathom what asking this of me would do to me? Skeletons, Seline said. We choose which we can live with and killing my father isn’t one I wish to carry and have haunting me.