Malik
I couldn't sleep. Not when I knew I could be doing something. My body was constantly restless. She was out there—trapped—while the Council sat on their hands pretending to act. We all knew they weren't doing shit. I threw another punch, gritting my teeth. The bag flew back, then snapped forward again. I slammed my fist into it. The chain rattled angrily. I could be out there, tracking her. I knew where she was, damn it. I growled and kicked the bag. The chain creaked under the force. I'd known for a month. I was almost twenty, yet still too young to make decisions without approval. Still stuck waiting until I turned twenty-one. I gritted my teeth. I landed another hard blow against the bag. SNAP. The chain broke, the punching bag fell with a loud thump. I sigh frustrated. "I need another one!" I bark. One of our help rushes over to remove the damaged chain. She runs back with a fresh chain attaching it for me. I clench and unclench my fists as the bag is hung back up. I was itching. Ready. As soon at they left, I angrily threw punch after punch. My wrist ached from my poor form. My knuckles were raw and bleeding. My breathing was ragged. I stopped, but only to get a drink. I walk quickly over to my water bottle and take a giant swig. I glanced at my phone, checking my messages. Nothing. No word. That Council can suck it. I'm done . . . . THUMP. My pulse thundered in my ears. My vision blacked at the edges. My mind went numb as my legs started shaking. What's happening? "Ajax," I call out, but my voice was quiet, weak. I stumble back towards my phone. My knees buckled and I crumbled to the floor.
Then Pain.
Agonizing white hot pain. It bloomed like a spike, craving like lightning through my skull. Then it spread, like wildfire down to my every limb. I let out a vicious scream but it caught in my throat, sounding more like a strangled gasp. My body convulsed, shaking with pain. I tried crawling to my phone, but my muscles seized, stopping me in my tracks. The pain was becoming unbearable. One thing lingered on my mind as I drifted in and out of conciseness.
Audra.
I woke hours later in the infirmary. I sat up, clutching my pounding head. The remnants of my earlier pain still lingered. I groaned softly, and like a wave, fresh pain washed over me. A new pain. Greif. It hit me like a brutal punch to the gut. Uncontrollable tears streamed down my face. My mother, who had been sleeping up until now, gripped my hand tightly in hers. "Malik?" She called softly, worry deep in her tone. "Sweetie, what's wrong." She asked. Audra, my wolf howled in my mind. Another wave of sadness and anger hit me. My wolf thrashed inside of me—his agony merging with mine, a chaotic storm of grief and desperation. He was trying to take over, but something was wrong. He was weak, disoriented. His fortitude crumbling. But emotionally? He was a force of nature—wild, frantic, and completely shattered. I heaved, sweat slicking my body as I struggled to breathe past the agony. "I—I don't know," I gasped. "It's—it's. But it's—" MATE! DEAD! My wolf's howl of despair nearly shattered my mind. I choked on my own breath, my lungs squeezing painfully. "Sh—she's gone," I whimpered, the words burning as they left my lips. No. No, it couldn't be. My mother's grip on my face tightened. "Malik, sweetheart, breathe. What do you mean, she's gone?" The bed dipped as my father sat beside me, his large hand pressing firmly over mine. His grip was strong—grounding, but nothing could hold me together right now. I clenched my jaw, willing my body to stop shaking, but the truth was eating me alive. "My wolf… he—" My voice broke, and I squeezed my eyes shut. "He felt it. The connection—our bond—it severed." The moment the words left my mouth, my body gave out. I went numb. Empty. A hollow, broken shell. I barely registered my mother's sharp inhale, the way her fingers trembled against my skin. My father's silence was even worse. He understood. He knew what that meant. The only way a mate bond breaks is if one of them dies. I was too late. Cassidy was supposed to get to Acheron's territory today. She was supposed to bring Audra back. Back to me. She was supposed to be safe. Not dead. Not dead. The words rung out in my head, I felt defeated, my will to fight diminished. The hours blurred. I had to leave the infirmary but I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I couldn't feel anything except the black hole swallowing me whole. Eventually I made it back to my room. People came in and out. Voices. Faces. I barely acknowledged them. Until I felt the bed shift beside me. A warm, trembling body pressed against my back, arms wrapping around me, holding me like she could somehow piece me back together. Isla. She was sobbing. Her entire body shook as she clung to me, her grief mixing with mine. "I'm so sorry," she whispered against my shoulder, her breath shaky and wet. "This should never have happened." She hiccupped, pulling me closer, squeezing so tightly it almost hurt. "If we didn't push you to ask her to the dance, none of this would have happened." Her words barely registered, but I felt the dampness of her tears soaking into my shirt. Ajax stood at the foot of the bed, his usual calm and composed demeanor cracked. His face was pale, his jaw locked, but the redness of his eyes and the streaks of dried tears on his cheeks told me everything. Even he had broken. And yet, he tried to be strong for me. For all of us. I let them grieve. Let them cry. Days passed; I didn't cry. Not anymore. Because something inside of me snapped. I could sit here and mourn. I could waste away in hopelessness and regret. Or— I could find out what the hell happened. The numbness vanished, replaced by a firestorm of rage. I sat up abruptly reaching for my phone with hands that were now steady. I pulled up Cassidy's number, my heart thundering as I brought the phone to my ear. She picked up shortly. Her voice humming over the line. "Cassidy," I said, my voice cold. Steady. Dangerous. "Change of plans."