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“We have to be more careful,” I warned her.

We couldn’t rush in anymore like the battle in the barren desert.

My light wolf soared into the air, fangs flashing.

The Dark Lord thrusted his sword forward.

I felt my hand tingle with white light, licking my palm.

With instinct, I threw my palm forward, and a brilliant beam ignited the surrounding air.

It shot forward like a missile, slamming into the Dark Lord.

He screamed as the bolt shot through him, the smell of singed flesh wafting into my nostrils.

With a sudden pounce, we landed on the fallen Dark Lord, the impact reverberating through the ground.

He twisted to avoid her deadly fangs. The kill bite delivered sank into his shoulder.

He snarled in agony. As he opened his mouth, a sinister plume of energy erupted, swirling out from his throat and colliding with the wolf.

She reared back, an agonized howl piercing the air. I cried for my light wolf. Then her pain bowled into me like a freight train bearing down. My mouth parted in a silent scream as I dropped to the ground.

The Dark Lord panted, with his singed robes and ash particles encircling him on the ground. Though his skin looked scorched in some areas, he still stood—still lived. His eyes glowed a dark violet. “You’ll pay for that,” he hissed.

I pushed myself to my feet and clamped my jaw against the pain. I swung onto the light wolf’s back once more. She surged forward, lunging for the fae, fangs bared.

He shot an arm forward, and a funnel of dark flames blasted from his palm.

Before we could evade, the flames hit us, consuming our bodies in a black inferno.

I cried out, my inner wolf howling in agony as the flames reached deep inside us.

It was no ordinary flame. My skin was unsigned.

But my organs… they bled from the inside, shredded, ripped apart.

I fell off my wolf and hit the ground with a solid thud. My claws dug into the floor, body spamming as I whimpered against the pain. Tears pricked my eyes. Beside me, my wolf collapsed onto her belly.

The Dark Lord tsked. “Such a shame. I was hoping for a real challenge.” He chuckled and stepped toward us, his movements eased and unhurried. “Though you have fae abilities, you are new in your power—still coming into it. You are a fledgling.” He scoffed. “No rival for me.”

I fought to push myself to my hands and knees, but I couldn’t move. The pain lanced through my limbs like acid. I swallowed past the misery, my mind racing for some way out of this.

Fae, especially Light Fae, had a reputation for their healing capabilities…

I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I dug deep within myself, searching for the same essence that had beckoned the light wolf.

There!

Deep within my core was a flicker of pure light. It shimmered and glistened like the rays of the sun. Vibrant and awe-inspiring in its power. I reached out a mental hand and grasped for that power.

Please, I begged. Heal me. Heal my wolf.

A humming arose, the light core pulsating. Then warmth radiated from my belly, extending to my limbs and entire body. The agony gave way to soothing warmth, as energy pulsed through me like purified water coursing through my veins.

After a long moment, the heat ebbed, leaving me whole once more. The pain dispersed in its wake. The Dark Lord circled me, still speaking, unaware of my renewed state.

I lay there silent, commanding my wolf to be still, as I waited for him to wander closer.

With a steadying breath, I reached into the depths of my core for power once more.

Like a fragile flame, I nurtured it, expanded my mental hands, drawing on the light.

It shimmered, swelled. The energy hummed like a nuclear core.

I harnessed that power, forced it to stream through my body, slip through every vein, every nerve.

My limbs vibrated with restrained energy.

Not yet… just a little closer…

The Dark Lord paused two feet away from my face. He stared down at me with contempt gleaming in his eyes. “Like a small flame, I’ll snuff you out before your ever thrive.” A dark flame sparked from his palm.

I gathered the light. And let go.

Brilliant honeyed rays shot from my body like a nuclear meltdown.

The light blasted the Dark Fae Lord. A strangled cry tore from his throat as shards of light entered his body.

His robes disintegrated. Skin pulled away, melting from his bones.

A flame lapped at his hair, burning away the strands—igniting him from the inside out.

His eyes snapped wide, disbelief etched across his agonized features.

Yowling his fury, an electrical current arced around his body before shooting through the light.

The bolt hit my chest like a cannon. I cried out, blood shooting from my mouth, pelting the ground.

The glowing energy winked out in a flash. A deafening silence filled the air.

The Dark Fae fell to his knees, his body charred.

Pieces of skin, tendon, and bone breaking off from his body like chips falling from a tree trunk.

He coughed, and blood smattered the ground at his knees.

I gasped, my heart thumping in my chest. My heartbeats grew weaker.

I fought to heal myself, reached to my core, but the light started fading.

It was so small, nothing but a speck. Not enough to heal myself.

“Looks like… W-We both won’t make… it out of this battle alive,” he rasped.

He wheezed, while coughs wracked his body before groaning, “Y…You think… this is over. It’s just begun.

I…I am nothing more than a… pawn. A piece of a…

bigger set.” He coughed, a weak laugh breezing past his lips.

“They merely tasked me with slaying your kind.” He fell forward, collapsing onto the ground.

The light then dimmed from his eyes. “This… isn’t over.

The empire… will find all of your kind. And they’ll be exterminated. ”

The breath emptied from his lungs, and his eyes grew sightless.

My breaths grew weak, more sporadic. The light faded beside me. With little strength, I raised my head and watched as my light wolf withered away until nothing remained. No trace—gone like a snuffed out candlelight.

“Sasha!” a faint voice cried.

My eyelids grew heavy. I blinked hard to keep them open.

Damon… He came for me.

Damon called out my name again. This time, his voice sounded closer.

“H-Here,” I uttered, my voice scarcely traveling.

I heard his footsteps pounding as he raced up the steps.

“Shit! Sasha!”

Then Damon lifted me into his arms. His eyes were heavy with fear. Fear for me.

“Hold on, Sasha. I’ve got you,” he said. “I’m gonna get you to a healer.”

He started to stand when I placed a hand on his cheek, stilling him.

“I-I won’t make it to… a healer in time,” I said. I coughed, blood trickling down my mouth. Damon’s eyes grew wet with moisture as realization dawned. He shook his head.

“No, Sasha. No!”

A sad smile played along my lips. “I love you more than life itself.” I swept my thumb over his cheekbone. My heart thumped like a whisper. My breaths slowed. “Live on… for me… I will always be with you…” I lowered my hand to his heart. “In here.”

Damon bared his teeth and bit the slope of my neck. A soft gasp ripped from my throat as I saw the mating cord within my mind’s eye. A harsh sound, it snapped into place—the mating bond complete, our souls intertwined.

No! Damon will die with me!

I struggled in my weakened state, trying to tear myself from his hold. But Damon tightened his grip on me, his fangs holding fast inside my neck. I blinked in wonder as my heartbeats quickened, the muscle swelling, resuming its normal rhythm.

“What did you do?” I asked, horror causing my stomach to drop.

Damon released my neck. Drawing back somewhat. “Keeping you with me.”

“Damon, we can’t be mates, not by bond.” As I wiggled out of his grip, Damon allowed me to sit before him. “I…” I licked my lips. “Please, I didn’t want you to choose me as a mate this way. Not by rushing the decision merely to save my life.”

“ Merely? ” Damon growled in disbelief. “Are you hearing yourself right now?”

“Yes,” I snapped. “Listen to reason! There are other wolf packs and bear clans out there who will frown at an actual mating between us. It may bring war to our doorsteps, and I don’t want to risk losing you.” Tears spilled from my eyes, and I bit my lower lip hard to stifle the sobs.

Damon’s eyes softened. “Oh, Sasha,” he breathed. He reached forward and pulled me into an embrace. Damon swept a hand along my hair, as I buried my face into his neck, letting the tears fall down my face.

“I will take on every battle with you, like we did tonight!” His voice dropped to a murmur. “You’re worth it. I was such an ass to have ever rejected you. You’re such a powerful female, a kind, and loving female—you are a prize to any male.”

My eyes snapped wide at his words, bringing fresh tears welling up. Damon pulled back to gaze into my eyes.

“Being latent never made you worthless.” He kissed away the tears. “If anything, I’m not worthy to be with you. Though we are mates and equals, I will never be your equal. And I want to spend the rest of my fucking life making it up to you. I want to one day deserve you.”

“Damon…” I blinked past the tears. This felt right. It was right. And I nodded. “I accept being your mate fully.”

Damon offered me a warm grin, his eyes crinkling with genuine happiness. With a firm grip on the back of my head, he pulled me into an intense kiss that left me breathless. Lost in his arms, I melted into him, longing for the moment to stretch into forever.