On the sixth day after finding the wetlands, and the sixteenth day since the crash, I started noticing something interesting about Winter.

His behavior had changed. He seemed to seek out contact with me. Where before he’d been kind of cautious, only occasionally touching me on his own, now he appeared… more relaxed, reaching for me, craving closeness whether we turned it into passion or not.

It was fascinating. Whatever was happening, it was building. By noon, he’d already initiated sex three times! Of course, I had zero complaints, on the contrary, I welcomed it with open arms. But it was surprising and almost didn’t fit his personality. But maybe it aligned with the fated magic that was changing us?

There was also something I noticed on a physical level. His neck glands were flushed pink and slightly swollen. I caught him scratching them absentmindedly, but I didn’t dare say anything. His entrance had changed color too, becoming more pink, and most of all, his scent had shifted even more noticeably. It wasn’t just lavender with a hint of my mint anymore. Now it had a sweeter, almost candy-like aroma.

It made me suspect this really might be… some kind of unusual heat.

I’d never witnessed another person’s heat before, so I had no frame of reference. It’s not like people walked around in public while in heat, so despite what might seem like common knowledge, the scent of an omega in heat wasn’t something most people experienced firsthand. But from what I’d heard, heat scent was indeed candy-like, extremely flavorful.

Whatever it was—the intensity and the sweetness combined—had a strong effect on me. It was enticing, deeply arousing.

With every passing hour, my suspicions seemed more and more confirmed, because I practically spent the second half of that sixth day between his thighs.

Immersed in that potent, sweet scent, I made love to him, feeling an endless surge of energy. At times, I pressed my nose to his glands, trying to understand it, inhaling deeply and feeling a wave of strength rush through me. In some ways, it reminded me of my own scent during heat. But at the same time… it was different.

Eventually, I gave up trying to make sense of it. I just let myself enjoy him, no hesitation, no holding back, whenever he wanted me.

That night, between the sixth and seventh day after discovering the wetlands, we barely stopped. We made love every two hours.

Winter kept waking up in the middle of the night. I’d feel his impatient hands running over my body, pulling me close. Of course, I had no intention of denying him anything. I enjoyed every second of it.

There were moments I loved in particular, when we were done with the sex, I’d lie on my side, and he’d do the same, and slowly, sensually, I’d kiss his lips. It became a delightful ritual: long, lazy kisses. Me tasting him, savoring the softness of his sweet lips. The kisses could last for minutes on end, ranging from featherlight touches to wet, openmouthed passion. Winter had his eyes closed, completely lost in these intimate moments. And I loved it. Simply loved it.

On the seventh day since we discovered the wetlands, things continued along the same lines.

Being so close to him, I felt like I could not only sense his emotions, but almost read his thoughts. The whole situation was very confusing for Winter. I could tell he was trying hard to control himself, but he failed every time.

Watching him was quite interesting. I could feel so clearly what was going on in his head, his inner struggle to resist the urge. He’d sit by the fire, focused on preparing food, but his gaze kept flickering toward me.

I felt his discomfort as strongly as if it were in my mind. He really didn’t want to ask. Really! He knew how intense this all was, maybe even a little suspicious. So I decided to make it easier for him. I had no interest in teasing him, playing games, or making it harder than it needed to be.

So I stood up, went behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and pressed soft kisses to his neck. Immediately, his pelvis started tilting in such an obvious way that my blood spiked, and the whole thing was on.

From then on, every time I caught him staring, I’d walk over, wrap my arms around him, and start showering kisses over his glands and neck.

And every single time, he’d immediately turn to me, practically pouncing, relieved that I’d spared him the effort of asking, thrilled to get what he wanted: another quickie.

More than once, I almost said—

"I didn’t know you had such a high sex drive."

Or,

"I’m really happy to see you so… enthusiastic."

But I held back.

Because I knew exactly how he’d react: he’d get self-conscious, embarrassed, and then clamp down on himself even harder.

And that was the last thing I needed. I wanted this to keep happening, again and again. I longed to see Winter at ease, open, demanding, hungry, free from the fear that I’d push him away or make jokes about his needs.

More than anything, I just wished for everything to unfold naturally, freely, without overthinking, without second-guessing, without hesitation.

Early in the morning, on the eighth day since we found the wetlands, and the eighteenth day since the crash, I stepped out of the cave to stretch my legs and get some fresh air.

We’d just finished a morning quickie, and Winter was relaxing in the hot spring while I decided to take a short walk.

Near the cave entrance, we’d stored our carry-on bags to keep them dry from the steam inside. They held everything we didn’t use daily, being so far from civilization. But something nudged me to grab my phone, maybe take some pictures of the island. It was deactivated before, so it still had about 30% battery.

When I reached the meadows down the slope and started snapping shots of the coastline, something caught my ear.

A sound.

I lifted my head from the screen, glancing at the sky, initially thinking I’d heard thunder, the distant rumble of an approaching storm.

But that wasn’t it.

Something far more terrifying caught my eye.

Over the caldera of the volcano, a plume of fire and molten rock exploded into the sky! Without thinking, I took a picture.

Suddenly… black fragments of rock shot through the air, and beneath my feet, the ground trembled. I staggered, hearing the sharp thuds of falling debris all around me. A stone the size of my fist crashed to the ground just five feet away, hissing as it touched the snow.

I shuddered in terror.

Another fell even closer, right next to me. Tiny pebbles began raining down like hail, and with them, a thick cloud of ash started rising from the volcanic slopes.

It all happened in mere seconds.

For a moment, I was frozen, shocked by how fast this once-peaceful landscape had turned violent. A wave of anger surged through me, at myself, for letting my guard down, for daring to believe we were safe here, that everything would turn out fine. The volcano had kept us alive, given us warmth… and now it was demanding its payout.

The next thought was even more terrifying.

Winter.

Winter was still inside the cave.

That tremor had shaken the entire island. I didn’t even let myself finish the thought—my body moved on instinct. I sprinted toward the cave entrance.

Sliding down the rocky slope of the canyon on my ass, I spotted the first sign that something was very wrong.

The stream… wasn’t flowing!

Our lifeline, the source of warmth and survival, had run dry! The streambed was still wet, but no new water was coming in. What the hell did that mean? Had something shifted underground, diverting the water’s course?

I ran along the bank, following it to a gentle bend in the canyon—then skidded to a halt.

A thick cloud of dust hung over the cave entrance.

A sharp, gut-wrenching pain twisted in my chest as I bolted forward. I tore the blankets off my shoulders and rushed inside without a second thought.

"Winter!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Nothing.

Only the distant growl of the volcano.

Panic. Terror. Excruciating fear!

I took a few steps in, my heart pounding in my ears. I knew I was about ten yards from where the mattresses were, the spot where Winter had probably gone to collapse into a post-sex nap after getting out of the water.

But before I could reach it, my foot struck something.

Rubble.

My heart clenched.

"Winter?!"

A wave of pure shock ripped through me.

The ceiling had caved in.

Even though the dust still hung in thick, suffocating clouds, I forced myself forward, stumbling over piles of smaller and larger stones. The closer I got to our sleeping area, the higher the pile became. They weren’t massive boulders, but there were so many.

And then I reached the spot where the mattresses should have been.

Now it was… all rocks. I started throwing the stones aside, one by one, working in frantic, jerky movements, gripped by the horrifying certainty that all I would find beneath them was a lifeless body.

"Winter… Winter!!!"

My voice cracked with panic, and a sob rose in my throat.

Was my beloved Winter lying there, crushed beneath the rubble? My thoughts spun wildly, desperately trying to reject the images flashing through my mind. Blood. Broken bones. His beautiful body mangled beyond recognition.

I couldn’t think about that. I had to work. I had to focus.

Like a madman, I hurled stone after stone to the side, flinging them toward the empty streambed.

"Winter, Winter…" I begged.

My voice became a hoarse whimper. I coughed against the thick dust, but I didn’t stop.

From deep within the island, the volcano let out another ominous growl. The ground trembled beneath me. Somewhere behind me, more stones tumbled down.

We were running out of time. At any moment, another cave-in could bury me too. I had to hurry.

I summoned every ounce of strength in my body—everything that made me part alpha.

With a guttural growl ripping from my throat, ignoring the searing pain in my hands, I kept digging, kept tearing through the rocks.

And then—

A sound.

Faint. Muffled.

A whimper.

I don’t think I’d ever felt greater relief in my entire life.

"You’re alive?!" I yelled.

A second later, my hand brushed against something as I lifted another stone.

A piece of fabric.

I suddenly realized it was part of a mattress. But how was that possible? It was elevated, perched higher than the ground. Could Winter have managed to cover himself with the second mattress before the collapse? A new surge of hope burned in my chest. If he did, it could have protected him from being brutally hit by falling stones!

For the first time, I was grateful for how sturdy and dense those damn mattresses were.

"Winter, talk to me!"

I kept repeating it, over and over. Finally, I heard a faint, broken sound—a wheezing.

I was starting to piece it together.

Winter had been lying on one mattress—and another was on top of him. Near his head, the stones were smaller—that’s where I focused my efforts, digging frantically. But where his torso should have been…

A massive stone pinned him down.

It must have been cutting off his breathing, crushing him.

Within the next minute, I managed to clear all the rocks off the top mattress—except that one.

It stretched further into the cave. I had no idea how large it actually was.

"Winter, listen to me—can you hear me? I’m going to try to lift this rock, but you need to roll out from under it. Can you do that?"

A weak, barely audible sound came in response. A strangled ‘yes’.

When I removed all the smaller stones, I grabbed the edge of the mattress and peeled it back, finally revealing Winter’s head.

His hair was coated in dust, his cheek pressed against the fabric.

I reached out, touching him gently. He flinched, just barely.

His face was flushed. He was struggling to breathe.

"Winter, stay with me. I’m going to leverage this rock, when I do, roll toward me, okay? Do you understand?"

His eyes fluttered open, just slightly. He let out another faint noise of acknowledgment.

I shifted closer to the rock crushing his chest, slipping my fingers under its edge. I braced myself, calling on everything I had.

I heaved—

And the rock barely moved.

A wave of pure terror crashed over me.

Fuck, could I even do this? That rock had to weigh a ton. Was I strong enough?

I knew that if a full-blooded alpha were here, maybe that small difference in strength would be enough to make this possible. Alphas had the strength of gorillas, they could move weights close to a ton and a half.

But was my strength really the same as a typical alpha’s? After all, my nature was dual.

But I couldn’t let myself spiral into doubt now. I tried again, putting every ounce of strength into it. The rock didn’t budge. Fuck, it felt like I’d made even less progress than the first time.

Then I saw Winter move his head slightly. His bloodshot, hazy eyes turned to me. The dust had settled enough that we could finally see each other, though not clearly.

Our eyes met, and he must have seen it. The flicker of fear and doubt in mine.

His hand gripped my ankle, then let go, pointing a shaking finger toward the cave entrance.

I knew exactly what he was telling me: that I should go. I didn’t even need the gesture, after all, I could half-read his thoughts.

The deep rumble from within the volcano was getting louder. I knew it too, if the lava started flowing down the slopes, it would definitely reach this place. The canyon we were in was an extension of another long gully running down from the volcano’s side. Lava would naturally follow such a path.

"No. Don’t even think about it. I’m not leaving here, even if it means we die together," I said firmly.

But Winter squeezed my ankle again and pointed to the cave mouth once more. I ignored him. This man had crawled half the island to save me from the freezing face of the cliff! There was no freaking way I was leaving him here.

I had to do it this time.

I HAD TO!

My strength was draining fast. If I didn’t lift the rock now, it would be over. I wouldn’t have anything left in me to try again.

"Winter, get ready," I warned. "I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. When I lift it, you have to move fast. This is my last shot."

I braced myself, channeling everything into this one final attempt. I had to reach the alpha within me. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to focus as if the entire universe depended on this.

Clenching my eyelids tighter, I clenched my fingers around the rock’s edge, took a deep breath, and positioned myself properly, not lifting with my back, but driving the force from my legs and hips.

Then, with a guttural, agonized roar, I pushed up. The weight was monstrous. But I fought against it.

The rock shifted. I felt it move.

At the same moment, I sensed Winter rolling toward me, freeing himself.

A wave of dizziness hit me. My vision darkened. Something hot and metallic dripped onto my lips.

I let go of the rock. It slammed back down. I staggered before collapsing to my knees. My body trembled; my fingers were numb. I was seconds from blacking out.

But Winter was safe.

After a few moments of battling the darkness flooding my vision and the intense disorientation, I reached out blindly, my hands running over his back, feeling for broken ribs.

"We have to—" I gasped, barely able to force the words out. "We have to get out of here."

But I wasn’t even sure if I could stand. My head was ringing so hard it felt like the blood vessels had burst in my brain, and my shoulders ached too, as did my back.

But then, the volcano’s growing rumble snapped my mind back to reality.

I forced my eyes open, blinking rapidly to clear the haze. I had to move.

I wrapped my arms around Winter and pushed myself upright.

Oh, wow, his weight was NOTHING compared to that rock.

Carrying him, I stumbled toward the exit, nearly tripping over the fallen stones littering the cave floor.

When we finally made it outside, I saw ash. Tiny, grayish clumps, like fused chunks of dust, were drifting down like snow. Near the cave entrance, the two blankets I had thrown off earlier were still there, now covered in a thin layer.

"Fuck, the volcano exploded for real…" I murmured, as I laid Winter on the blankets and turned him onto his back. Thankfully, he was still dressed in pants, a shirt, and a jacket, so he wouldn’t freeze right away.

He was blinking, his lips slightly parted as he took deep, steadying breaths.

"Winter, you need to tell me if anything hurts," I said, running my hands over his chest, pressing firmly along his ribs, inch after inch, searching for fractures.

I checked his head next, feeling carefully for injuries. His eyes met mine as I did it, and there was something vulnerable in his gaze. I sent him a reassuring smile. Fortunately, I didn’t find any wounds. The mattress had protected him surprisingly well.

The rocks, if you totaled their weight, should have been more than enough to shatter his ribs. But maybe the smaller stones fell first, creating a gap that kept the biggest one from pressing down with full weight on him?

Just to be sure, I checked his ribs again. No reaction. No pained groans. He had probably just been winded, but now he was starting to recover.

Winter took another deep breath, still gazing at me. His pale-blue face slowly regained its normal color. His eyes, locked on my face, suddenly sharpened.

"We need to go, Sariel," he choked out, "The lava will come down that gully…" He blinked, then blinked again, as if trying to clear dust from his eyes.

Then he added, his voice urgent, "Your nose, Sariel! You’re bleeding."

I blinked too, snapping out of the dizzying feeling that still threatened to overcome me. I wiped my face with my sleeve.

"It’s from the strain. It probably burst a small blood vessel. I’m fine," I said, shaking my head. I forced a smirk, trying to lighten the mood. "If you knew how light you felt compared to that damn rock… Like a feather!"

Winter let out a loud breath, almost a laugh.

But I didn’t give him time to answer. I looked behind me to the cave entrance, where just inside our carry-on bags were. I grabbed them, slinging them over my chest, then bent down, scooped Winter back into my arms, and even managed to grab the blankets together with him.

"I can walk," he muttered in protest.

But I wasn’t taking any chances.

He still seemed slightly oxygen-deprived, his lips had a bluish tint, and his gaze was a little dazed, though he was making an effort to focus.

Following the path of the now-dry streambed, I rushed forward. Only about fifty yards ahead, the canyon walls sloped more gently, making it possible to climb out while carrying him.

I was telling the truth, his weight wasn’t much compared to what I had just lifted. Step by step, I made my way up.

Only when we reached the top did I dare to look back toward the volcano.

The sight was terrifying.

A massive column of blackish-brown smoke towered over the crater. Thankfully, I couldn’t see any lava spewing—but that didn’t mean it wasn’t already spilling over, in places I couldn’t see, silently snaking down toward us.

I picked up the pace, heading toward the beach.

"I can walk," Winter mumbled again. "I can walk."

Finally, I gave in. I set him down carefully and wrapped one of the blankets around him.

Immediately, he turned and shoved the other one at me.

"No. One for you, one for me." His voice was surprisingly firm, some of his usual stubbornness was returning.

"Fine."

As soon as I enveloped myself in the blanket, I was ready to move again. But Winter suddenly stopped me.

His face, still streaked with dust, looked eerily dramatic, like something out of a movie. He lifted his hand and wiped my lips, which were covered in blood from my nose.

"Sariel…" His voice was quiet but oddly intense. "I owe you my life. I would have died in that cave if not for you."

His lips twitched slightly. It was… something I never would have expected from him. Emotional, touched?

I smiled ruefully. "Winter… I owe you my life too. I would have died on that cliff if not for you." I tilted my head, my voice taking on an almost teasing edge. "This island is just a place… where we save each other. That’s the way it is here. Always a team, right?"

Winter huffed, a soft, breathy sound.

"Looks like it!"

"Let's go. We can’t waste any more time, we need to get as far from the volcano as possible. The bay with the wetlands is the furthest part of the island."

"Wait," he cut me off.

Something flickered across his dust-covered face, a mix of determination and hesitation, a strange kind of pain. He placed his hands on my chest.

"Sariel, I… I really like you," he choked out with some difficulty. "You have a good heart."

I froze. Was this the closest thing to a love confession Winter had ever said? The thought struck me like a question mark bouncing in my mind. I stared at him for a moment. It felt almost surreal to be standing on a beach, with a mountain spewing fire behind us, and hearing those words…

"And I really like you. Really, really, really."

Silence stretched between us, broken only by the sound of the waves and the distant, menacing rumble of the volcano.

"And you have a good heart too."

Winter’s face had his typical expression, not easy to decipher, but I sensed him so well, he felt oddly… shy inside.

I smiled again. "And now, it's time to go. We need to get away from the volcano."

I could tell he wanted to say more. This determined look in his eyes was that of someone who had been thinking things over for a long time, someone on the verge of launching into a lengthy speech. But then he seemed to realize we didn't have time for that.

Behind us, the volcano let out another round of terrifying booms, deep, shuddering echoes of explosions.

Hand in hand, we started moving across the beach, not saying a word, just pushing forward. Soon, we reached the cliff we had to climb. We scrambled up as quickly as possible, and once we were there, I decided to take another picture of the volcano and also… our first selfie on the island, with the hellish landscape behind us.

Only once we were on the other side did we feel a little safer. At least here, the lava wouldn’t reach us so quickly. It would possibly be directed toward the sea. But there was still the danger of toxic gases and falling volcanic bombs, any one of which could kill us instantly.

So we kept moving, further and further away, only occasionally exchanging glances that spoke volumes. So much so that I wasn't sure if anyone had ever looked at me with more intensity than Winter did today.

Within an hour, we reached the wetlands. Below the cliff where I had spent the night, there was a shallow overhang, not a cave, but enough to serve as a kind of shelter.

"We'll be safer here from the volcanic bombs," I said.

But just as we approached the cliff wall, I heard something else.

A different sound. Less natural.

"Winter, I hear something."

"Another volcanic eruption coming?"

"No, it’s something else." I started scanning our surroundings. "A weird buzzing sound," I murmured, tilting my head and looking up at the sky. I didn’t see anything at first, but the sound was getting louder.

It was subtle, so I was probably picking up on something still far away.

And then, I saw it. From the south, flying toward us—a drone!

Wiping my face, I could barely believe my eyes.

"Winter…" I whispered, stunned.

For a second, it felt like I had stepped into a movie, into a world where impossible, unbelievable things happened.

"That’s a drone!!!" I shouted.

I tore off the blanket from my shoulders and started waving it wildly, trying to make myself into a moving signal, something that couldn’t be ignored. Winter did the same, and together we ran toward the beach, where we’d be even more visible.

I knew drones could work in two ways, either someone was watching the live feed in real time, or the drone had an AI system that could make decisions on its own, and the footage would be reviewed later. I had no idea which case this was, so I did everything I could to get noticed. I jumped, waved, flailed the blanket above my head like a madman. Winter followed my example.

The drone flew about a hundred yards away from us. I could see it clearly, a dark shape against the sky, but it didn’t stop. It kept going.

Our excitement faltered.

We watched in silent disappointment as the drone became a tiny speck in the distance, heading toward the volcanic caldera.

But then—

It turned around!

Maybe someone told it to?

It hovered in place for a moment before changing direction and heading back toward us, then slowing down. My heart nearly exploded in my chest.

Did they see us?

Fuck! I couldn’t stop the burning sensation behind my eyes, wetness blurred my vision.

"Winter! They saw us!" I shouted, grabbing his hand. Then, without thinking, I lifted him off the ground, spun him around, and pressed a firm kiss to his lips.

The drone hovered about fifty yards above us, then lowered even more, as if trying to get a good look at us.

And that’s when I realized, this wasn’t a commercial drone.

It was big. Sturdy. Definitely built for long-range, high-power use.

It hovered for a few more seconds, five, maybe, before it suddenly shot upward and… flew away.

Winter stood there, mouth slightly open, breathing fast.

"Incredible… it saw us," he whispered.

"Yeah, they’re coming. I know they are."

"Oh my God," Winter murmured. "So this is it. The end of this madness?"

I wasn’t entirely sure what part he meant by ‘madness’, but probably all of it. In any case, I didn’t analyze it right now.

A wave of pure euphoria surged through me, washing everything else away.

It was over. Over. OVER.

One way or another, our island ‘adventure’ was about to end.

Just in time, too—thicker, darker smoke was rising over the volcano. The gases could reach us soon.

***