Letting instinct take over as I take off toward her. Using the bond to know what direction to run in. Getting distracted by her emotions as they shift between fear and pain, I howl, agonized at what she’s going through. My paws hit the ground at extreme speeds, pushing me faster and faster to get to her.
And then, I feel it; my teether snaps. I feel my soul drop somewhere dark, somewhere cold and unrelenting. I howl before feeling Theo scream through the link. His feelings rush over me, making the unbearable pain I feel worse. It is hard to breathe, my lungs feel like they are constricting. I follow Theo’s link until I come across a small cottage. We have been past this place many times, yet never noticed it, never even picked up her scent. I shift back, enjoying the pain of my bones breaking in place, anything to stop the pain in my chest. But that all changes when I walk in the door.
No sounds come from the house, but the noises Theo makes. No heartbeat, no breathing, just dead silence.
My heart breaks, Theo’s agonized scream can not only be heard but felt, as he clutches her lifeless body against his chest. Her small frame is completely limp in his arms, drenched in her own blood. Her hair spills over Theo’s arm and onto the floor as her head just lolls in his arms. I drop to the floor at the sight, my legs losing function. She is dead, gone. We weren’t fast enough. I feel like we cry and scream in agony for hours, our souls being ripped from both of us repeatedly every time we look at her.
“I can’t hear crying, can you?” I whisper, my voice breaking.
Theo stands up, Imogen in his arms. Theo isn’t willing to let her go. I turn away from her, not able to bear the sight of her dead. My soul is crushed into dust, my heart broken beyond repair, this is my fault. I let this happen by not supporting her. We should have been here; this never would have happened if we were with her.
“Where’s our baby Theo?” I say, shoving everything out of my mind, forcing myself to focus on anything but her.
Theo places Imogen in my arms, forcing me to take her lifeless body. I cradle her and breathe in her smell that is faint, nearly gone. Her body is cold in my arms as her head lolls against me. I brush her hair out of her face. Theo disappears inside somewhere, and I can’t tear my eyes away from her face. I kiss her cold lips, tears running down my face onto her porcelain skin.
“There is no baby Tobias. Where is our baby?” He asks, panicked. He looks down at Imogen’s angelic face before collapsing beside me. “I need her back, I want her back, please. I will do anything,” he whispers and begs. I don’t know who he is praying to, but hearing his broken voice breaks me even more.
“We need to find our child, if not for us, for her,” I whisper, looking down at her face against my chest. We owe her that much.
Theo
I can’t believe it, she is gone, dead. Tobias looks as broken as I feel. Imogen, laying in his arms, drenched in blood. I pull her shirt down, not being able to stare at her belly torn open. The damage to her body is haunting, seeing it makes me remember her pain and fear. I’m sure it will haunt me forever, feeling how much she wanted us and how helpless she felt in that moment. I could literally feel her begging with everything she had for us to get to here. We failed her and I know that will drive me insane with guilt.
“Take her, we need to leave,” Tobias says almost angrily.
I know he is hurting, but I hate the way he says it as he dumps her in my arms and tears his eyes away from her. I start walking toward the path we came up, his voice echoing through the wind over to me.
“What are you doing, Theo? We need to find our child!” He growls harshly.
“I’m not leaving her here,” I spit back at him, clutching her to me, refusing to let go. I can’t leave her. I can’t leave her here alone in the cold.
“We don’t even know who took the baby. That’s our priority now, we can come back for her, we don’t even know how far whoever took the baby is. You, carrying her will slow us down,” he growls, stepping toward me.
Tobias tries to take her from me, but I shove him away, growling at him threateningly.
“Fine, I will go by myself then.” I watch as he shifts, taking the form of his beast. He shakes out his fur, turning away from me and heading back up towards the house, obviously looking for any scent.
I continue to walk down the path, the storm is still raging around us, yet I don’t feel its rage. I can’t feel anything. I’m numb. Completely empty and dead inside. I keep walking, pulling Imogen closer, trying to shield her from the storm. It makes me feel warmer, having her in my arms. I have been walking for around five minutes when I notice a gold light coming from somewhere. I look around but can’t see anything that would cause the light that is on the ground in front of me. Adjusting Imogen, I notice the glowing gold light is coming from her wrist. I pick up her limp hand and realize the light is coming from the strange bracelet that sits on her small wrist. I run my fingers over the pendant that is glowing. I recognize the intricate pattern woven around it, but I can’t remember where I have seen it before.
I inspect the bracelet closely before I hear her gasp, jumping forward, coughing like she has been underwater and is taking a breath after holding it for a long time. Her eyes open to reveal a magnificent gold color, the same as her bracelet, glowing before she looks at me.