Chapitre 34

Eros.

In human form.

His pupils were completely black.

My stomach clenched at the sight of his blood coursing down his side towards the ground. He hobbled towards us. His eyes rested on me for a moment before settling on the monster that had hurt him.

"GET READY TO DIE."

Eros Wolf was in full control and I had never seen him as deadly as he is now.

"I AGREE WITH YOUR AGREEMENT," the primeval wolf replied, and before I could react, he lunged at Eros. He ducked to the side and gave the monster a cracking punch in the flank.

But the monster caught itself and the claws hissed through the air. The wound on Ero's side made him sluggish, so he narrowly escaped death. He wouldn't last long, not as long as the monster could heal itself indefinitely.

The adrenaline shattered my shock and I rushed to the log. Only two things rested in it. The cookbook and...

...the holy water.

It wore a slightly turquoise shimmer.

Created from water, purified with water.

Naturally.

The primeval wolf was created from water. Only the holy water could kill him. That's why he was scared when he saw it in the vervain field.

I immediately pulled out the bottle and turned around. I couldn't tell who was more aggressive, but Eros had a murderous look on his face. He was completely focused on the primal wolf, but all the fighting was useless.

I ran towards them and opened the bottle. Immediately, the monster's attention snapped to me. His red eyes locked on the turquoise water and I could almost swear they widened in fear.

I wiped the blood from the golden dagger I held tightly in my other hand and dipped it in the holy water. The blade fit perfectly, and when I pulled it out, the drops that had mixed with my own blood beaded down it.

Then I looked at Eros.

The realization was reflected in his eyes.

A final despairing growl came from the monster. Then it flailed like the devil possessed and threw Eros away with its paw.

"No!"

I rushed forward. Before the primeval wolf could bury his saber teeth in him, I jumped at him. A scream escaped my throat as I aimed the dagger squarely at the chest where a heart should have been beating.

I landed full force on the monster and the blade buried itself deep in its fur, a breath before it could sink its fangs into Ero's throat. The primeval wolf collapsed on top of him along with me.

I could feel the breathing and jumped up. The dagger hissed as I moved my hand as I watched Eros free himself from beneath the monster.

It twisted as if in excruciating pain. The holy water had to eat it up from the inside. I jerked around to Eros, startled. He knelt on the ground, clutching his side, which was still oozing fresh blood.

The monster was forgotten as I dropped into the snow next to him, overwhelmed by his pained expression.

"Eros!"

My voice seemed to bring him back to reality, but the color in his face was draining more and more. I looked around frantically until the turquoise water caught my eye. I picked up the bottle and inspected the wound, which smelled of metal.

I immediately poured the rest of the contents over it. A groan of pain made the air vibrate as Eros convulsed.

A shock ran through my body. Only when the scratch marks slowly closed in front of my eyes did I get air into my lungs again. Eros opened his eyes and gasped.

The wound had healed, not even a scar remained.

Suddenly another groan drew our attention away from each other. The monster rolled onto its back and stretched its legs out as if that would ease the agony.

Then something broke loose from the primal wolf's silver paws.

A drop.

Two.

The whole body began to dissolve, back to what it was made of. Countless turquoise sparks rose into the air.

Water.

The red eyes of hell froze like a dying fire.

Suddenly, the rest of the being exploded into hundreds of turquoise drops and a blast shook the entire floor. Like an earthquake, it spread and disappeared into the distance. The sparks rose like reverse rain into the sky, where the sun made them sparkle.

I stood there, stunned, with Eros beside me as we watched the spectacle.

it was over

We made it.

The primeval wolf was defeated.

A smile broader than the horizon blossomed on my lips as my heart could finally beat again, without worry.

I smiled at the sun and the drops before turning to Eros. For the first time in ages there was no critical shadow on his face. His blue eyes shone with carelessness and before I could react he had thrown his arms around me.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed it to the fullest. My muscles relaxed at its warmth. I stood on tiptoe and planted small kisses on his face.

I felt the smirk under my lips and before I knew what was happening I was in his arms, caught in a mind-numbing kiss. I stroked his hair and sighed in relief.

We made it.

Eros broke his lips from me and buried his head in my shoulder.

"No..."

The moment shattered between our fingers.

I widen my eyes.

There he stood, right on the edge.

Julien.

His whole world had just collapsed in front of him and he had to watch as his mate floated towards the sky. He took a few steps back and kept whispering.

"No no..."

"Julien!" Eros shouted and dived forward.

Then there was a loud crack. Julien waved his arms and looked behind him. He looked over at us one last time before taking the last step and disappearing before our eyes.

"No!"

Eros couldn't hold him anymore and I could have sworn there was a peaceful expression on the Beta's face. Something shattered into thousands of pieces below.

Horrified, I ran next to Eros to the beginning of the waterfall that led down into the otherwise frozen lake. In one place the ice had broken and blood glistened on the crystal ground.

Eros gasped in anger before making his way downstairs. I followed him speechless. Our joy had come to a screeching halt. Johnson was already standing in front of the hole and screaming into it.

"Julien!"

But nothing but bubbles rose back to the surface. More and more pack members emerged from their hiding places and gathered around the lake. A regretful silence fell over them.

"There's nothing more we can do for him," Demetrius said, coming to our side. The old man was right. He had jumped. Johnson sat up and looked back at us.

"What the moon goddess happened today? I do not understand anything anymore."

My whole body started shaking. Eros wrapped his arm around me and planted a quick kiss on my head.

"We defeated the primeval wolf," I said, looking up at Eros. "Together."

"What, you had planned all this? But how did you- wait, why wasn't I in the know?" he asked, watching us with a sour expression. "I could have been of great help to you!"

"And you could have been the primal wolf himself, grumpy as you always are," I replied, crossing my arms. Demetrius' raspy laugh echoed across the square. Eros grinned and shrugged in agreement.

“The little one really has fire, you have to give her that. Glad I saved her life. Twice."

Twice?

The first time was the tea

My eyes almost fell out of their sockets.

"Karen! You locked her up when she's innocent!" I yelled, angrily tapping Ero's chest. He took my finger and tried to calm me down.

"That's not my fault. Demetrius tipped me off," he said defensively, pointing at the old man.

"Hey, I just said the tea was poisoned. You made up the rest of it, so don't blame me."

"We've got to get her out of there right now, poor thing," I said, stroking my hair.

What a mess.

But now we had time to clean up all the broken pieces. Hope Karen wasn't mad at us...

"That's a good idea," Johnson said. "Then she can finally cook again and we can celebrate our survival."

"I hate festivals," Demetrius grumbled.

"And you will come anyway. That's an order," Eros replied.

Then his gaze fell on my hand. He immediately took it in his and inspected the cut. All the adrenaline had hidden the pain so that only now did I feel a slight sting.

Carefully, he pulled out the golden dagger and rubbed his own palm a second time. His eyes lifted to mine. I knew exactly what he was up to.

I had already taken the oath.

Now there was nothing stopping us.

Our hands crossed and our blood joined. A warm shiver ran through my body. The pack members around us cheered. Now we could see into the future. Together.

"Hello our new Luna: Luna Ephilia!"

Demetrius put a hand on my shoulder. Pollux bowed his head. Johnson watched with folded arms, but behind his hard facade I could see appreciation.

Eros released his hand from mine and ripped off a piece of his white shirt. He tied it around my wound, which sent an uncomfortable pang through my body. He scanned my entire face before settling on my lips.

"Luna Ephilia," he whispered.

A shower of hot sparks rattled through my body.

"Alpha Eros," I replied before standing on tiptoe. He stepped towards me and caught my lips in a stunning kiss.

We made it.

Finally.