Chapter 174 The Aftermath 02

Chapter 174: Chapter 174 The Aftermath 02

Talia’s POV

(Readers discretion are advised)

The courtyard was a mess when I stepped out fully.

Broken weapons lay scattered across the bloodstained stones. Bodies were being carried to a row at the edge of the courtyard, where the dead were being laid out to be honored. And wolves moved through the chaos, with some carrying the wounded, while others were clearing the rubble.

I looked at the destruction, and I felt my chest tighten.

The courtyard, which had once been a place of training and gathering, was now a field of broken weapons and bloodstained stones. The fires from the battle still smoldered in the distance, sending plumes of smoke into the gray sky.

So many wolves had died, and so many families had been broken. The battle was won, but the cost had been high.

But I could not stand here and mourn. I had to help.

I walked to the row of bodies and looked at their faces. There were some that I recognized, and some that I did not.

I saw the faces of wolves I had passed in the hallways, wolves who had smiled at me, and wolves who had bowed to me. They were gone now, and the grief was heavy in my chest.

Each one was a wolf who had given their life for the pack.

I knelt beside one of them and closed his eyes.

I whispered a prayer under my breath, asking the Moon Goddess to welcome him home. Then I pressed my hand to his chest and said goodbye.

Then I stood and began to help.

I carried wounded wolves to the healers, I helped clear the rubble, and I worked alongside the pack, not as a Luna, but as a wolf who belonged.

There was no distance between us now.

I was not standing above them, and giving orders from a distance. I was beside them, working with them, and bleeding with them, because we were all the same.

I was not a guest anymore, i was part of the pack.

Jax and Silas were carrying a fallen warrior, and I saw the grief in their eyes. Cain was directing the wolves who were clearing the rubble, and Piper and Nora were helping the healers.

I saw Elena’s face among the wounded, and I saw Grandfather Aldric being carried to a quiet corner to rest. He had stepped down as an elder, but he was still watching over the pack in his own way.

I kept working, and I did not stop.

Then I heard footsteps running toward me.

The sound echoed across the courtyard, and I looked up just in time to see a blur of motion heading straight for me. My heart leaped into my throat, and I braced myself for more bad news.

I turned, and I saw Piper running at full speed.

Her eyes were wide with excitement, and her hair was flying behind her. She looked like she had run all the way from the healers hall, and she was not slowing down.

Her face flushed and her eyes wide with excitement.

"Talia! Talia!" she shouted. "He is awake! Kaelen is awake!"

My heart stopped, and my eyes widened. I dropped the rubble I was carrying and ran as fast as my legs could carry.

The stones clattered to the ground, but I did not care, because nothing else mattered except getting to him. I pushed through the crowd of wolves, with my heart pounding so loud, that I could hear it in my ears.

I ran through the courtyard, past the wolves and the wounded and the rubble, and I did not stop until I reached the healers hall.

I burst through the doors, and I saw him.

The sight of him, awake and alive, made my knees weak. I had been so afraid that I would never see his eyes open again, and now they were looking at me.

Kaelen was sitting up in bed, with his eyes open, and his face still pale but alive. His gray eyes found mine, and he smiled.

It was a weak smile that was barely there, but it was enough. It was more than enough, because he was alive, and he was here, and he was looking at me like I was the only thing in the world.

I rushed to his side and threw my arms around him. ℯℯ𝑙.

I felt his warmth, his heartbeat, and his breath. He was real, he was solid, and he was not a ghost.

I buried my face in his neck, and I felt his arms wrap around me, weak but warm.

"You are awake," I whispered. "You are awake." tears flowed from my eyes.

"I am here," he said. His voice was rough, but it was real.

The words were simple, but they carried so much weight. He was here, he had survived, and I would never let him go.

Elena walked over, with her face filled with disbelief. "I do not know how this happened," she said. "It is like a miracle. The Alpha has recovered faster than I have ever seen, and his wounds have closed up after the blood infusion. We have never seen anything like it."

I smiled, because I knew that it had something to do with my blood.

I could feel the truth of it in my bones, the same way I could feel the power of my voice when I spoke. My blood must have healed him. I was sure that mother’s blood, which was flowing through my veins, had saved the man I loved.

My Silvertongue bloodline had healed him.

Kaelen looked at Elena, then at me.

I could see the wheels turning in his head, like the pieces were clicking into place. He was smart, and he knew something was different. Because he knew that I was not just any wolf.

His eyes narrowed just a little, and he looked like he was putting the pieces together.

"Talia," he said. "Did you donate blood to me?"

I nodded. "Yes."

He stared at me for a long moment, then he reached up and cupped my face. His thumb brushed across my cheek, and he pulled me closer.

I felt the warmth of his hand on my skin, and I leaned into his touch. It was the first time I had felt truly safe since the battle began.

He kissed my forehead, and I felt the warmth of his lips against my skin.

"Thank you," he whispered.

He hugged me tightly, and I felt his arms around me.

I did not want to let go, because I wanted to stay in this moment forever, with his arms around me and his heart beating against mine, strong and steady.

He knew that my blood had healed him. He did not say it, but I could see it in his eyes.

I sat beside him, and I took his hand.

"You are not going anywhere," I said. "I am not letting you go."

He smiled. "I am not going anywhere."