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Many chose to remain, their beating loyalty thick and strong inside my pack bond. But many—Gods, far too many—were choosing the more painful, uncertain path. Their fate was the whip and sting of an electric wire flapping in the wind as Sasha tenderly gathered those splintered souls and welcomed them into her fold.
It shouldn’t have been possible but somehow that infuriating, magnificent woman was forming an alpha bond all of her own—one born from love, not might—to protect her people. To honor their courage and thank them for their sacrifice.
Perhaps by mating with two wolves, they’d shared a piece of their wild magic with her. Or perhaps this was all Sasha. Because I could admit it now—at least to myself—I’d been so wrong back at the Bone Crushers’ auction. So fucking wrong. This woman had never been just anything.
She was the Blood Moon Goddess’ chosen warrior walking among us.
I’d been so far off the mark when I’d held my arms out to her, willing her to jump into them like I was her savior. In truth, she was her own. The star that was Sasha had never been falling, she had been traveling with purpose toward a brighter future.
Paving that hard road for others so that they might follow in her brilliant wake.
She was the fierce celestial comet I’d somehow managed to hook my soul onto for a brief ride. Now, her time with me was done, and she was moving on to claim her destiny as the alpha of her own pack. One which I could feel was singular and unique, a true blend of humanity and wolf.
I didn’t know how any of this was possible and quite frankly I didn’t give a fuck. I was too busy grinding my teeth to dust with the effort of swallowing the idiotic babble which wanted to spill out of my desperate soul.
My wolf was ready to beg. To offer her anything, even the bite, if it meant that this magnificent being would rest a while longer in our midst. The human in me couldn’t do it. I promised myself I would never lie to her. And I point-blank refused to let this woman die by my hand.
Empty promises would only inflict more pain my mate didn’t deserve.
Somehow in the space of that angry, passionate exchange last night, an insurmountable chasm had opened up. A bleeding wound which split the earth between us even though we stood a mere foot apart.
I could have reached across that divide. Pulled her into my arms and dragged her down into the malevolent sea of my existence, damning her soul in the process. But I wouldn’t. I promised myself that I would be strong and support her decision.
I owed my magnificent little alpha that and so much more.
The look Silver gave me—heartbroken, yet simmering with righteous anger—said it all as he threw a leg over his ride without even a murmur of comfort. And why should he share his gentle peace with me after I’d failed him completely? I wasn’t his alpha, not anymore. I had seen to it when I’d backed my mate into a corner and made her life unbearable with the Soul Reapers.
Now the essence of my omega—the brother I’d relied on almost as much as my Sgt. at Arms—had been torn out of my reach.
Mongrel gave me a sad smile as we bumped fists, his eyes full of understanding and his own unique brand of calm. I rubbed absentmindedly at the chasm in my chest as he walked away. I’d never been without that man. He was my rock. My one, truest friend throughout all of these years. And he was leaving.
One by one, I felt people wink out as they broke free from my reign. My wolf howled as I pressed my lips into a stern line and refused to stagger under their loss. They weren’t gone, they weren’t dead. They were moving on to a better life. As was their right.
I laughed bitterly on the inside, though my face remained a stony mask. I’d told Sasha that being a true alpha was letting go of those who no longer chose you to lead them and she’d called my bluff.
It was done and my mate was finally free.
“This isn’t forever, Grimm, but it’s the best I can manage for now,” Sasha murmured quietly. Her eyes were warm with understanding, though her gaze was just as haunted as mine. While the last of her people loaded up into the van, she leaned close and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I’ll make sure they visit soon.” Her eyes took in the rigid posture of Silver who was waiting with his back to us. “Once they’ve cooled off a bit.”
“You too?” I asked, throat hoarse. “You’ll—visit—right?”
She shot me a penetrating look. It felt like a different lifetime, frozen in time.
Then she slowly shook her head and mumbled, “Too painful.”
I hated the hitch in her voice. Hated knowing it masked a sea of hurt I’d unleashed on us all. So I nodded gruffly as my eyes clouded with tears I fucking refused to shed. Instead, they rolled freely down her cheeks. My fingers itched to brush them away but I balled them into fists at my sides. I didn’t get to do that anymore. Didn’t get to touch her. Didn’t get to offer comfort. I wasn’t a part of her life anymore. I’d thrown that right away when I’d rejected the Goddess’ claim.
Even now, my mate was trying to lessen my pain. Far too willing to take on more than her fair share of our burden. I shook my head, unable to put any of it into words.
The beast threw himself at the barrier of my mind in a frenzy.
Finally, her soft gaze flickered over my shoulder to where Carbon stood with his mate in the doorway beyond. Winter and my Enforcer had decided to stay behind. I gripped at his presence in the pack bond. He was a steadying force in this maelstrom. His presence, and that of Bulletproof and his mates, were holding me up.
“Take care of my friends for me, okay?” I knew she meant more than Winter and Carbon as she laid a hand on the center of my chest. My hand whipped up to catch hers, holding it briefly over my broken heart. I squeezed just once in agreement before she drew it away with a shaky breath. “See you round, Grimm.”
Then she turned to cross the front lot and join Mongrel at his bike.
My Sgt. at Arms was already sitting astride his humming ride, smoking one last cigarette. He flicked the burning remains away as he turned with a smile for his mate. He drew her close, giving her ass a squeeze as he murmured in her ear. She laughed and swatted at him before offering her lips up for the sort of soft kiss we would never share.
