Page 41

“Even in the darkest moments in life, if you look hard enough, you can find the light or you can be the light.” ~ Finn

T he night was quiet, the kind of stillness that pressed against the senses and made every sound feel sharper, louder.

Finn lay in bed, staring at the wooden beams of the ceiling above him, his mind swirling with fragmented dreams that refused to settle.

Lizzy was curled beside him, her breathing soft and even, her warmth a steady comfort against the cool air that seeped through the room.

And then, it hit him.

Finn sat bolt upright, his chest tightening as a wave of energy slammed into him, sharp and unrelenting. It wasn’t just magic—it was familiar . His wolf stirred immediately, claws scraping at the edges of his mind, snarling in recognition. Fane. The Alpha. His Alpha.

The connection was faint but distinct, a pulse of power that thrummed through Finn’s veins and sent his heart racing. Fane was back. In the human realm.

Finn swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his bare feet hitting the cold, wooden floor as he tried to steady his breathing.

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair as his thoughts raced.

This wasn’t just some random ripple of magic.

It was Fane’s presence, undeniable and commanding, and Finn knew with every fiber of his being that something was very wrong.

He could feel rage, anguish, and devastation pulsing from the alpha bond.

“Finn?” Lizzy’s sleepy voice, soft and laced with concern, broke through his thoughts. She shifted under the blankets, her eyes blinking open as she sat up to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

He turned to her and tried to put what he was feeling into words. “It’s Fane. He’s back. I feel him. He’s in the human realm.”

Lizzy’s eyes widened, and whatever remnants of sleep had clung to her were gone in an instant. She pushed the covers aside and swung her legs over the bed, her expression a mix of worry and determination. “Are you sure?”

Finn nodded, his jaw tight. “I’m sure. The connection—it’s him. I’d know it anywhere.”

Lizzy didn’t question him further. She trusted him, and he was grateful for it.

Instead, she reached for her robe and slipped it on, her movements quick and efficient.

“We need to let the others know. Gwen, especially. If they’re back then maybe that means we can get out of the sprite realm, and she can take us to them. ”

“I’m on it.” Finn reached for his phone.

The air hummed with tension as he scrolled through his contacts, his fingers moving with practiced ease. The faint glow of the screen illuminated his face as he found Gwen’s name and hit the call button.

It rang twice before she answered, her voice sharp and alert despite the late hour. “Finn?”

“Gwen. Did you feel it?”

There was a pause on the other end, and then she exhaled sharply. “I felt it,” she confirmed and almost sounded relieved. “And it wasn’t just Fane. I felt Peri’s magic, too.”

Finn’s grip on the phone tightened. “Peri?”

“Yes. I know where they are. Call Maxim and Alice. I’ll get Cindy. Let’s meet at the front doors of the meeting hall in fifteen minutes.”

Finn glanced at Lizzy, who was already dressed and pulling on her boots, her movements quick and determined. He could see the worry in her eyes, but beneath it was a fierce resolve that mirrored his own.

“We’ll be ready.” Gwen’s voice came through the phone.

“Got it. And Gwen? We need to be careful. We have no idea what we’re about to walk into.”

Her laugh was soft but laced with steel. “Careful doesn’t get the job done, Finn. I’ll see you soon.”

The call ended, and Finn slipped the phone into his pocket. His mind raced ahead. Lizzy was by his side, her hand resting lightly on his arm.

“The main thing is Fane is back, and Peri, which hopefully means so are the others,” Lizzy said confidently. “We’ll figure out what’s going on.”

Finn nodded, his jaw tightening as he let his wolf rise just enough to sharpen his senses. “Yeah. We will.” He cupped her face, leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. “You stay close to me,” he said, his forehead against hers.

“Always,” she whispered.

And with that, they moved, the stillness of the night broken as they prepared for whatever was waiting on the other side of the sprite realm.

* * *

T he clearing was deathly silent, save for the faint rustle of leaves stirred by the night breeze.

Peri stood at the edge of it all, her verdant eyes locked on the still forms of Jewel and Dalton, their lifeless bodies sprawled on the ground.

Dalton’s arms were wrapped around his mate.

Even in death he wouldn’t have to let her go.

They would be together forever, but that meant they were now gone from them, from their pack and family.

Peri clenched her fists so tightly that her nails bit into her palms, but the pain was nothing compared to the ache in her chest.

Her gypsy healers. Her responsibility.

The weight of it all pressed down on her, crushing her.

They had trusted her, believed in her. She had found them, brought them together, led them into this supernatural life.

And now, Jewel was gone—snuffed out like a candle in a storm.

And with her, her mate. The impulsive, brooding, protective mate who fought so hard for Jewel.

They’d endured so much as a couple, and this was their end.

“This is not your fault, beloved,” Lucian said through their bond.

“There is a time for everything in this life, including a time to die. It is devastating. It leaves a hole in those left behind that may never be filled. But it is also necessary. Nobody deserves to live in this life forever. Where there is sickness, darkness, anguish, evil, and hate. Jewel and Dalton are with our Creator. They are at peace and will know nothing but the joy of the Great Luna from here on out. We will mourn, but we will not take on the burden of their deaths.”

Peri knew her mate was right. But at the moment all she could see were the bodies of two people she cared for deeply. And that she would never hear Jewel spout a random fact or have to subdue Dalton from being an ass ever again.

Jewel’s face was pale in the moonlight, her strawberry blonde hair splayed around her like a halo.

Peri’s throat tightened as she watched Sally, Stella, Anna, Kara, and Rachel kneel around Jewel, their hands trembling as they reached for her.

They didn’t need to say anything. Peri knew they could feel the severed bond that left them hollow.

Heather stumbled toward the group, her hands gripping Kale’s arm as he led her, his lips moving as he leaned down and spoke in her ear.

One of her hands came up to cover her mouth as her blind eyes darted around as if she’d be able to see where Jewel lay.

Peri knew that the soft cries of the other healers could have guided her to them just as well as her mate.

When Kale stopped next to Stella, the other healer reached up and took Heather’s hand as she crumpled to the ground.

Kale’s hands grabbed Heather’s waist to help ease her so she wouldn’t hurt herself.

“No,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “No, no, no.” She reached out, and Kara guided Heather’s hand to touch Jewel’s arm. Whatever composure she'd been holding onto fled, as her head fell forward until it rested against Jewel, and Heather’s shoulders shook with her sobs.

Kale knelt behind his mate and wrapped his arms around her, his voice low and steady as he tried to comfort her. “I’m sorry, love. I’m so sorry.”

Kara pressed a hand to her chest, as tears rolled down her face.

Nick was hovering over her, his face tight with pain and rage.

She looked up at him as though he was the only one she could handle seeing at the moment.

“I felt it,” she choked out. “I felt her leave.” She pounded the place over her heart as she wept.

“The bond, the strand that bound us together so tightly, it’s gone.

She’s gone.” The last words came out in a strangled cry, and it was obvious to Peri that Nick couldn’t stand it any longer.

He dropped to the ground and pulled his mate into his lap, wrapping her tightly in his embrace.

“I’ve got you, mate.” Nick growled as his eyes glowed with his beast. “You can let go. I’ll hold you together, yeah?” And Kara did let go. Her body trembled so hard that Peri worried she would be sick.

Peri turned away, unable to watch the raw grief in each of the healers' eyes.

It was too much. Her own magic quivered inside her, the weight of the loss threatening to rip her apart.

She had led them here. Peri had sought out each of these healers and practically shoved them into these supernatural battles, into this life. And she had failed them.

Suddenly, the air was filled with a low, mournful howl that vibrated through the clearing, carrying with it an unbearable weight of sorrow.

Peri turned sharply, her chest tightening at the sound.

Dillon, Dalton’s alpha, stood at the edge of the carnage, his broad shoulders trembling as his head tilted back toward the starless sky.

His face was a mask of pain, his eyes closed tightly as though shutting out the world might somehow ease the agony tearing through him.

The sound was deep, guttural, and filled with a grief so profound that it echoed through the trees and into the very earth beneath them.

His wolf was surfacing, unable to stay hidden in the face of such devastation, and the power of his anguish rippled outward, brushing against the others in the clearing like a cold wind.

Tanya clung to him, her forehead pressed to his back as she tried to comfort her mate.