Chapter 424 The desperation

Chapter 424: Chapter 424 The desperation

Talia’s POV

I did not move, because Kaelen had not moved.

My body was broken, and my magic was gone, and my strength was gone. Every part of me ached, and every breath I took was a battle. But I did not care, because I did not care about any of it.

All I cared about was him.

I stayed where I was, with my forehead pressed against Kaelen’s, and my hand on his face, and my body curled against his side. The dead earth was cold beneath us, and the sky was turning gold, and the world was silent.

It was the kind of silence that came after a storm, heavy and still, as if the world itself was holding its breath and waiting to see what would happen next.

The sky was gold and pink and purple, and the clouds were soft and thin. It was beautiful, and it was the kind of sunset that made you believe in something greater than yourself.

But I could not enjoy it, and I could not see the beauty.

The colors meant nothing to me, and the warmth of the fading sun meant nothing to me, because the only thing that mattered was the man in my arms, and he was not moving.

I could only see him.

He was not moving, and he was not breathing. His skin was still hot from the silver, and the blisters were still there, red and raw and spreading.

The Alphas and my friends were still standing around us. They were silent, and they were waiting.

I could feel their eyes on my back, and I could feel their helplessness, and I could feel the weight of their silence pressing down on me like a second sky.

They did not know what to say, and they did not know what to do. They had watched me kill Malachai, and they had watched me crawl to Kaelen, and now they were watching me hold him as he died.

They wanted to help, but there was nothing they could do.

I could hear them breathing, and I could hear them shifting their weight, and I could hear the soft, ragged sound of Kaelen’s breath, so faint that I had to strain to hear it.

It was the only sound that mattered, the only sound that kept me tethered to hope, and I clung to it the way a drowning man clings to a rope.

Behind me, I could hear the sounds of the battlefield. The moans of the wounded, the weeping of the living, and the distant howls of wolves who had lost their packmates.

The sounds were muffled and distant, like echoes from another world, and they did not touch me, because I was not part of that world anymore.

The war was over, but the cost was still being counted.

I did not look up, and I did not speak. I just held him.

I closed my eyes, and I prayed again.

"Moon Goddess," I whispered. "I have never asked you for anything, and I have never begged. But I am begging now. Please. Please do not take him from me."

My tears fell onto his face, and I did not wipe them away.

"He is my heart," I said. "He is my home. He is the only person who ever saw me for who I truly am. Please, please do not take him away."

The wind blew through the Ashen Lands, and the dead earth was silent.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and it was Jax.

His hand was warm, and it was steady.

I felt the weight of it on my shoulder, and I felt the presence of him beside me, and I knew that he was trying to anchor me to something real.

It was the hand of a friend who did not know what to say but wanted me to know he was there.

"Luna," he said, and his voice was gentle. "We need to move him. We need to get him back to the healers."

"No," I said, and my voice was hollow. "No, I am not moving him."

Silas spoke next. "Luna, the healers might be able to help. We need to try."

"We can carry him," Silas said, his voice steady but urgent. "We can get him to the healers in time. But we have to move now, Luna. We have to move before it is too late."

His voice was calm, but I could hear the desperation beneath it. He wanted to save Kaelen, and he wanted to fix this, but he could not.

I shook my head. "No. I am not leaving him."

Cain stepped forward. "Luna, we can carry him. We can—"

"Luna," Cain said, his voice low and firm. "Let us help him. Let us carry him. You do not have to do this alone."

His voice was quiet, but it was firm. He was not asking. He was offering. He was willing to carry Kaelen across the Ashen Lands if he had to.

"No!" I screamed, and my voice cracked. "I am not leaving him! I am not moving him! I am staying right here!"

They fell silent, and they did not argue. They did not move.

I knew they were right, and I knew I should let them take him. I knew the healers might be able to help.

But I could not let go, and I could not let him out of my sight. If I let go, he might slip away. If I looked away, he might be gone.

So I held on, and I held on with everything I had.

I turned back to Kaelen, and I pressed my forehead harder against his.

"I promised you," I whispered. "I promised I would come back. You promised too. Wake up."

He did not move.

I whispered again. "Please. Please wake up."

I felt the bond flicker, and I felt him trying to reach me. But he was too weak.

I could feel him slipping away, and I could feel him fading. I could feel the thread that connected us growing thinner and thinner.

It was like holding a rope that was fraying in my hands. I could feel the strands breaking, one by one. I could feel him slipping away.

And I could not stop it.

I held him tighter, and I would not let go.

I closed my eyes, and I begged.

"Moon Goddess, please. I will give anything, and I will do anything. Just please, please let him live." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

My tears fell faster. They dripped off my chin and onto his chest, and they soaked into his shirt, and they fell onto the necklace around my neck.

The tears were warm against my skin, and they carried everything I could not say, everything I could not put into words, everything I had been holding inside for so long.

I did not wipe them away, and I did not try to hide them. I let them fall, and I let them soak into his skin, and I let them carry every ounce of my love and my fear and my hope.

And then I felt it.

The necklace was warm, and it was glowing. It was a soft, golden light that pulsed like a heartbeat.

I opened my eyes, and I looked down at the necklace. It was brighter now.

I touched it, and it was warm. It was alive.

I could feel my mother in it, and I could feel her love, and I could feel her strength. She had given me this necklace to protect me, and now, it was going to save the man I loved.

And then I heard her voice.