Page 217

My vision blurs.

Our soulmate.

His legs buckle.

Our heart.

We hit the ground. His claws keep digging, dragging our body forward through the leaves as if the earth might somehow open and give her back to us.

Mate. The word cracks through our shared mind. Our mate.

I wrap myself around him the same way he wrapped himself around me in that hospital room. "I'm here."

His body shakes beneath us.

Want mate.

Tears burn behind my eyes. "I want her too."

Need mate.

"I know."

His muzzle drops against the torn earth.

Why are we strong?

My breath catches. His claws curl into the dirt.

Why Moon Goddess make us Alpha?

I can't answer him.

Strong enough to kill.

Images tear through us. Rogues falling beneath our claws. Wolves bowing beneath our aura. Blood on our hands. Enemies dead at our feet.

Strong enough to protect pack.

His body trembles.

Strong enough to make wolves kneel.

Arlene fills our mind again. Cold in my arms.

Not strong enough to save mate.

My heart shatters. "We tried."

His claws rip through the earth.

Mate still died.

I bow over him inside our shared mind. "I know."

What good is strong if mate dies?

Fuck. I don't have an answer because I've been asking myself the same fucking question since Arlene stopped breathing.