Darkness.
Cold.
Silence.
Bella floated in the void, weightless, untethered, lost.
She felt like she was drifting between worlds, caught in the space between life and death.
Between freedom and nothingness.
She had won.
She had taken the curse, reversed it, and shattered Gabriel from the inside.
But she had paid the price.
Her body hadn't been strong enough to handle it.
And now?
Now, she didn't know if she would wake up.
Didn't know if she would ever see Dante again.
Didn't know if she would ever breathe again.
A voice echoed through the darkness.
Deep. Low. Broken.
"Bella."
Her heartbeat stuttered.
"Bella, come back to me."
The bond between them flickered.
And then—
Bella felt warmth.
Felt strong arms lifting her, cradling her, holding onto her like she was slipping through his fingers.
Felt a familiar scent wrap around her like a lifeline.
Dante.
Her mate.
"You don't get to leave me, little wolf," his voice shook, raw and dangerous, filled with so much desperation it nearly broke her.
"You fight. You hear me?"
Bella tried to move.
Tried to speak.
But the darkness pulled her deeper.
And Dante?
Dante was losing her.