I peered down at Cain, my eyes taking in his exhausted features. Cain wasn’t wearing a shirt, only a blanket covering him. I slid the blanket down, revealing his once muscular physique and seeing him in such a withering state made my chest ache. My hand glided along his skin, stopping above his heart, and I could feel his weakened heart slowly beat against my palm.
I reached down for the powder and opened the bottle before sprinkling the yellow substance onto his chest. Then, just as Helena instructed, I grabbed the moon rock next and placed it on top of the powder, in the center of his chest. I closed my eyes for a beat and sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my frazzled nerves. Next, I repeated the words she told me. “Death be no more and life come forth,” I said aloud, my voice cracking slightly.
I then sat back and watched him curiously. My eyes frantically searched Cain’s statuesque frame for any movement, but there was nothing. His chest began to rise and fall heavily, then suddenly stopped. My brows furrowed in confusion, and I placed my fingers on his neck, feeling for a pulse. However, I couldn’t feel his heart beating; there was nothing. I put my ear to his chest, listening intently for the sound of his thumping heart, but it was eerily quiet, Cain was no longer breathing, and he was dead.
I jumped up from the bed, moving away from him, as I realized that he was gone and that I had failed him. My lip began to quiver, my chest heaving and tears welled in my eyes. I nearly collapsed from the heartbreak I felt; it had only been a few weeks since I had met Cain, and I had fallen in love with him in just that short amount of time. I had been slowly getting to know the monster himself, the King of rogues, the feared Alpha of the Dead pack. Yet, I was privileged enough to uncover a side to him that others didn’t see, and as a result, strong feelings had manifested each day for him. I was Cain’s prize, but little did he know that he was my prize too.
A quiet sob came from behind me, and I looked over my shoulder to see Rose standing there and crying. She caught my gaze, and her expression turned into one of sympathy.
Rose lowered her hands. “Oh, Freja.” She said, her voice shaky. I shook my head and raised my hand, silencing her, before turning my attention back to Cain. I walked back to the bed and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. Tears were now streaming down my face, and I wiped them away as I stared down at his face. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep, shaky breath, then covered Cain’s body with the blanket.
I turned back to Rose, who was now distraught, tears soaking her supple skin. I couldn’t handle all the emotions; I couldn’t fully comprehend the situation, the fact that he was truly gone and to be honest, I didn’t want to; I didn’t want this to be real. So, without saying another word, I walked out of the room. As I walked out and down the hall, I could hear Rose sobbing, but the immense pain I was feeling was greater than my need to comfort her. So I continued through the halls, not sparing anyone a glance or saying a word.
I reached our room and hesitantly opened the door, unsure if I wanted to be in here without him, in the room where we had created so many memories together, where we had gotten to know each other and given a piece of ourselves to one another. Although it was now empty, his scent lingered throughout the bedroom, everywhere I looked reminded me of him, and all I had left of Cain were the memories we had created in such a small amount of time.
I walked over to the bed and sat down on the plush mattress, pinching the bridge of my nose while trying to think of where I had gone wrong. I had followed Helena’s directions, did everything as she had instructed, and yet, I had failed. I couldn’t save Cain, and now he was gone; I had lost him before I even had the chance to tell him how I felt.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door, I looked up and sighed, not in the mood for company, but apparently, that didn’t matter as Gunnar entered the room. I put my head down, knowing if I looked at him, my walls would come down, and my emotions would come out.
Gunnar walked over to the bed and sat beside me. “I heard what happened, and I’m sorry, Freja.” He said solemnly.
I didn’t respond, only pursed my lips and nodded my head lightly. He placed a heavy hand around my shoulders and pulled me into him, holding me firmly against his side. We stayed like that for a minute, silently, as Gunnar attempted to console me.
Gunnar released a heavy sigh. “Freja, don’t blame yourself for any of this; you did everything you could, and it’s not your fault that it didn’t work. I know you wanted to save him, to get him back, but at times, things happen that are out of our control. As much as I disliked Cain, I do know he loved you and cared for you.” He said in a meaningful tone, his words tugging at the strings of my heart.
I bit my inner lip, trying to hold back my tears. “I know, I just…wanted so badly to save him, to get Cain back and yet, he was stolen from me. Our future was taken from us before we even had the chance to create one together. All of this happened because of me, Adela, Erik, it’s my fault, and now Cain’s gone, for good.” The tears finally fell, streaming down my face now, as my chest heaved erratically.