Chapter 262 The suppression 2

Chapter 262: Chapter 262 The suppression 2

Talia’s POV

I smiled and looked up at kaelen.

"She is waiting for me," I said, as my voice began to crack with emotion. "She is holding on for me, Kaelen."

Kaelen pressed a kiss to my forehead, with his voice low and fierce. "Then we do not stop, Talia. We keep going."

I nodded, and I let myself feel the hope rising in my chest. "We do not stop, Kaelen. We keep going."

Kaelen carried me for what felt like hours.

His breathing was labored, and I could see the welts on his neck spreading despite the cloth. The silver dust was taking its toll on him, but he would not put me down.

"Kaelen," I said, with my voice soft. "You need to put me down now."

He looked down at me, with his stubborn gray eyes. "I am fine, Talia."

"You are not fine," I said. "Your breathing is shallow, Kaelen. I can see the silver affecting you."

"I am not putting you down, Talia," he said.

"Kaelen..." I called.

"Talia," he said, cutting me off. "I am carrying you, and that is final."

I shook my head. "You are impossible, Kaelen."

"So are you," he said, and I saw the ghost of a smile on his face. "We are mates, Talia. It comes with the territory."

I laughed weakly, with the sound surprising me. "You are using my words against me, Kaelen."

"Of course I am," he said. "I learned from the best, Talia."

I looked up at him, and I felt the love in my chest. "Thank you, Kaelen. For everything you are doing for me."

He pressed his lips to my forehead. "You do not have to thank me, Talia. I would carry you across the entire world if I had to."

I smiled, and I felt the warmth spread through my chest. "I know you would, Kaelen. That is why I love you."

He stopped walking, and I felt him tense beneath me. "What did you say, Talia?"

I looked up at him, and I saw the shock in his gray eyes. "I said I love you, Kaelen. Is that so surprising?"

He looked down at me, and I saw the emotion in his eyes. "I did not think you would say it first, Talia. I always say it first."

"Neither did I," I admitted. "But you are carrying me through a nightmare landscape, Kaelen. You are sick, and you never complain. How could I not love you?"

He kissed me then, soft and gentle. "I love you too, Talia. I have loved you since the moment I saw you at the bonding ceremony, and I will continue to love you forever."

I blinked up at him. "The bonding ceremony, Kaelen? But you did not even know me then."

He smiled, and I saw the warmth in his gray eyes. "I knew you were mine, Talia. That was enough for me."

Kaelen set me down a while later.

I was still weak, and my legs felt like they belonged to someone else. But I forced myself to stand, and I forced myself to walk.

We continued forward, and the landscape did not change. It was still the same gray sky, dead trees, and black ground. It was endless, and it felt like we had been walking through it forever.

Piper walked beside me, and her voice was soft. "How are you feeling, Talia?"

I looked at her, and I tried to smile. "Tired, Piper. But I am still standing."

Kaelen took my hand, with his fingers warm through the cloth. "That is all that matters, Talia."

I looked at him, and I saw the exhaustion in his eyes. He was pushing himself too hard, and I could see it in the way his shoulders hunched.

"Kaelen," I said. "You need to rest too."

He shook his head. "I will rest when we find your mother, Talia."

"Kaelen..." I called, with tears blurring my eyes at his words.

"Talia," he said, cutting me off. "I am fine."

I shook my head, and I felt the frustration building in my chest. "You are not fine, Kaelen. But I know you will not listen to me."

He almost smiled. "You are learning fast, Talia."

Piper laughed softly. "You two are impossible."

I squeezed Kaelen’s hand, and I felt the warmth of his fingers through the cloth. "We are mates, Piper. It comes with the territory."

The gray sky stretched out before us. The path was endless, and the dead trees lined the way like skeletal fingers reaching for the sky.

But somewhere ahead, hidden in the darkness, the fortress was waiting. And inside that fortress, my mother was waiting.

I gripped my pendant, and I felt the weight of it against my skin, cold and heavy. But I did not let go.

I whispered into the gray silence. "I am coming, Mother. I am coming."

Kaelen heard me, and his hand tightened around mine. "She is waiting for you, Talia."

I looked at him, and I felt the tears prick at my eyes. "I know, Kaelen."

Piper moved to walk beside me, and her voice was full of determination. "We are going to find her, Talia. I know we are."

I looked at Piper. "How do you know, Piper?"

Piper smiled, and I saw the hope in her eyes. "Because I believe in you, Talia."

Jax walked on my other side. "And because we are too stubborn to fail, Luna."

I laughed despite everything. "That is true, Jax."

Silas spoke from behind us. "It is also because we have no other choice, Luna."

Cain appeared from the shadows, his face grim. "There is no shelter ahead, Alpha. The land is barren."

Kaelen nodded. "Then we keep walking, Cain. We do not stop until we find something."

I looked at the endless path before us, and I gripped my pendant. The weight was heavy against my skin, but I did not let go.

Because somewhere out there, my mother was waiting, and I was coming for her.