Chapter 35
35 Chapter 35 An Unwavering Resolve
Faye’s POV
The word died in my throat as his fingers closed around my neck like a vice.
His eyes blazed crimson, boring into mine with an intensity that made my blood freeze. I scratched desperately at his wrist, choking on the thick smoke that filled my lungs. This creature wasn’t the same person who had whispered advice about playing vulnerable to stay alive. But just when I was certain he would squeeze the final breath from my body, something shifted.
His free hand shot upward, seizing his own wrist with
violent force.
His fingers shuddered against my throat. His jaw locked tight as if he was battling some invisible enemy. He appeared to be wrestling with himself, straining desperately to pull away from me. Fighting some dark
power that had taken hold of him. His grasp weakened just enough to let air into my lungs, though his eyes still burned that terrifying red.
The smoke engulfed us completely then.
He coughed harshly and released me entirely. I hit the rocky ground with brutal force, wheezing and retching through the poisonous air. My sight wavered, my chest felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. I
squeezed my eyes shut and opened them repeatedly, desperate to see clearly. Several feet from me, Hardy fell forward onto his knees. When he lifted his head to look at me, I noticed his eyes had returned to their normal color. Whatever had happened, I was certain this was no longer the same man who had nearly murdered me moments before.
“Go,” he whispered hoarsely.
“What are you saying p>
“Leave me here, or I will kill you p>
I stared at him in confusion. Before I could respond, he collapsed face-first onto the cave floor.
He lay completely still.
“No,” I croaked, dragging myself toward his motionless form. “Hardy p>
But consciousness had already left him. His body
remained lifeless, his skin ashen beneath the dirt and ash, his breathing barely detectable and irregular. The fire roared behind us, growing more dangerous by the
second.
The temperature rose steadily around us. Ahead lay the toxic passage, just as deadly as the flames pursuing
I had no time for hesitation.
My shaking hands ripped fabric from my shirt’s bottom edge, twisted it into a makeshift filter, and placed it carefully over his mouth and nose. It wouldn’t provide much protection, but it might prevent the worst poisons from entering his system. I studied his unconscious face, weighing my options carefully.
I could abandon him here. Let him burn or suffocate
while I escaped alone. Allow the cave or the toxins to complete what I had failed to do myself.
Instead, I stayed.
Without a moment’s doubt, I pulled his arm across my shoulders. His dead weight nearly sent us both crashing to the ground. I stumbled backward, my boots sliding on the ash-covered stones. But I dug my heels in and forced myself upright.
Every log I had carried back home. Every climb up that brutal mountain in Duskwood pack land. Every injury I had suffered from hauling burdens no one else would touch had prepared me for this exact moment.
I lowered my center of gravity. Redistributed his mass across my frame. Took my first step forward.
Then a second one.
And a third.
Moving him was clumsy and painful. My spine felt like it might snap in half. My legs trembled uncontrollably. My shoulders burned so intensely I couldn’t
distinguish between muscle fatigue and complete system failure.
Yet I continued moving, jaw clenched against the
agony, every breath like swallowing razors.
The toxic fumes grew denser around us. My healing abilities sparked to life, creating a protective barrier, but even that power was fading fast. The more I drew from it, the more it depleted my remaining strength.
Eventually, we emerged from the cave’s mouth. I hauled Hardy’s unconscious body through the narrow opening, then staggered directly into the dark woods.
The miasma struck like a physical blow.
The atmosphere felt thick and oppressive, saturated with that same choking odor. I wrapped more of my energy around both of us, forming a shield. But my power was weaker now, flickering like a dying flame.
Thick mud clung to my footwear. Sharp branches slashed at my cheeks. The relentless rain soaked through my clothes and transformed the forest floor into a slippery nightmare. Every movement felt like pushing through quicksand.
And yet I refused to quit.
I wouldn’t allow myself that luxury.
Not when my vision started going black. Not when I dropped to my knees and had to crawl forward, pulling him behind me like wounded prey. Not when my hands went completely numb and my legs stopped obeying my commands.
I pressed onward.
Until at last I spotted it.
The massive stone.
Our sanctuary.
I tried to shout but only managed a weak rasp. My legs buckled completely beneath me. I pitched forward helplessly.
Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground.
“Faye p>
Kim materialized beside me.
He supported my wavering body as my head rolled forward limply. I felt smaller hands grip my arm – the young Alpha-blooded child.
The three of us worked together to drag Hardy’s limp
form through the soggy undergrowth, beneath the protective canopy of the ivy-draped boulder. The moment we reached safety, I collapsed entirely.
My hands shook violently, finally registering the full impact of exhaustion and exposure. Each breath came in harsh, uneven bursts, every inhalation scraping down my throat like ground glass. Simply breathing caused agony. Moving was torture. But we had survived.
Against all odds.
I glanced toward Hardy’s prone figure. His chest rose and fell weakly, but the rhythm was steady.
He would live.
As would I.
I allowed my eyelids to drift shut briefly. The overwhelming fatigue crashed over me all at once. My overextended muscles finally went slack against the frozen earth. Every fiber in my body demanded rest. I let the cooling rain soothe my fevered skin and listened to the muted forest sounds surrounding our hiding place. For the first time in what seemed like an
eternity, I remained perfectly still.
That’s when I heard Kim speak again.
“I’ve already covered our trail,” he murmured softly nearby. “They won’t track us here p>
His tone was eerily calm for someone so young who had just escaped certain death.
Trail? My exhausted mind struggled to process his
words.
What trail was he referring to? Why would covering it be necessary? But I couldn’t force the questions past my lips. My body had reached its absolute limit. My mouth wouldn’t open. My eyes felt weighted down
with lead.
I wanted to speak, to demand answers, to maintain consciousness just a little longer.
But the darkness was irresistible.
My awareness faded like sand through an hourglass, slipping away despite every instinct screaming at me to stay vigilant. A cold dread settled in my stomach, warning me that our ordeal was far from finished. That
with both Hardy and me helpless, the children – Kim,
the Alpha boy, all of them – remained defenseless. Vulnerable to whatever might find us next.
Still, unconsciousness claimed me.
Until a voice cut through the void.
“Wake up p>
The command wasn’t shouted. It was crisp and authoritative. Like steel slicing through thick fog.
My eyes snapped open instantly. Air rushed into my lungs in a ragged, painful gulp, tearing through my raw throat as I jerked back to full awareness. The source of thɪs content is.net
The cold, wet earth beneath me had seeped through every layer of clothing, as if trying to drag me down permanently into its muddy embrace.
Hardy remained motionless beside me, his breathing shallow but constant. Just beyond our shelter, the children pressed together under the ivy-covered rock, their faces drawn and pale, their eyes reflecting exhaustion, fear, and the fresh trauma of everything they had endured.
I couldn’t identify who had spoken those words.
But Kim moved closer, his mouth nearly touching my ear. “There’s someone coming,” he breathed.
The warning cut through my mental haze like a knife. I turned slightly to meet his steady gaze, searching for any sign he might be mistaken. Then my attention shifted to Hardy’s unconscious form.
My heart hammered against my ribs, panic cutting through my remaining fatigue. Because I understood with terrible clarity that we weren’t prepared for another battle.
Morh Lucia
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.