Chapter 156
Author’s POV
The moment Summer felt the SUV tip over the edge of the cliff, time seemed to slow.
Through the windshield, she caught a final glimpse of Alexander’s agonized face before gravity claimed the vehicle, sending it plummeting toward the churning river far below.
“Aurora!” Summer screamed internally as the car began its death spiral.
*I’m here,* her wolf answered, *We must shift NOW!*
With the last of her energy, Summer yielded control to Aurora. The transformation rippled through her body even as the SUV tumbled through the air.
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With supernatural agility, the silver–white wolf leapt from the disintegrating vehicle, her powerful muscles propelling her toward an outcropping of rock and vegetation.
Her claws scrambled desperately for purchase as the SUV continued its fatal journey, exploding into the river with a deafening crash.
Aurora hung precariously from the rock face, her hind legs dangling over the abyss, claws digging deep
into soil and root.
With a strength born of pure survival instinct, she hauled herself up inch by agonizing inch until she reached a narrow ledge halfway down the cliff.
*We’re alive,* Aurora panted, her body trembling from exertion and the lingering effects of the wolf’s bane. *But we’re badly hurt.*
Summer could feel it too–the internal damage, the broken ribs, the deep lacerations. The transformation had helped, but it wasn’t enough.
The toxins from the wolf’s bane continued to circulate through their system, weakening their healing
abilities.
*We can’t stay here,* Aurora decided, eyeing the narrow game trail that wound along the cliff face. *We need to find help.*
Each step was agony as the wolf carefully navigated the treacherous path.
They had descended perhaps a hundred feet when the ledge beneath Aurora’s paws suddenly crumbled.
With a startled yelp, the wolf tumbled down the remaining distance, her body bouncing against jutting rocks and breaking through branches before plunging into the icy river below.
The current seized them instantly, dragging their battered body downstream. Aurora fought against the
Chapter 156
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raging water, but her strength was fading fast.
The river’s fury subsided as it wound its way through the forested valley, depositing its unexpected passenger onto a secluded stretch of sandy shore. Summer lay motionless on the bank, her body battered and broken from the plunge over the cliff.
Within her, Aurora–her wolf–sensed death approaching. The wolf’s bane that had been pumped into the SUV had severely weakened them both, but it was the impact against the rushing water that had done
the most damage.
Summer’s internal injuries were catastrophic; without intervention, her human form wouldn’t survive
the next hour.
Aurora made her choice.
*Wake up, Summer,* the wolf urged, using the last of her strength to pull her human counterpart back to consciousness. *Just for a moment. I need you to understand.*
Summer’s eyelids fluttered open, a groan escaping her bloodied lips as pain registered throughout her
broken body.
“Aurora?” she whispered, feeling the wolf’s presence more strongly than she ever had before–almost as if Aurora was preparing to take control of their shared body.
*I can save you,* Aurora explained, her voice a soft whine in Summer’s mind. *But there will be a price.*
Summer tried to move but couldn’t. She could taste blood in her mouth, feel it pooling beneath her. ” What… price?”
*Me,* came the simple answer. *I can heal your body enough to survive, but the power required will consume my essence. I won’t exist separately anymore.*
“No,” Summer gasped, tears forming in her eyes. “Aurora, no. We’ve been through too much together.”
*It is the way of the wolf to protect our young,* Aurora replied, a note of determination in her voice. *You carry life within you, Summer. Alexander’s pup grows in your womb.*
The revelation hit Summer like a physical blow. “A baby?” she whispered. “I’m pregnant?”
*Yes. The little one’s wolf is strong already–I can sense it. But neither of you will survive these injuries.*
Summer tried to focus her thoughts through the haze of pain. Aurora had been her companion since birth, her strength during the darkest days with Foster, her courage when Summer had none left. The thought of losing her wolf was unbearable.
“There has to be another way,” Summer pleaded.
*There isn’t,* Aurora responded with gentle certainty. *This is my choice, my gift to you and our pack’s
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future. Let me do this.*
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A sob caught in Summer’s throat as she felt Aurora’s resolve. Her wolf had already made her decision
*When the time comes,* Aurora continued, *find the Sacred Pools in the Northern Territory. My essence may be gone, but perhaps another wolf waits there for you.*
“I love you,” Summer whispered, feeling Aurora gather the last of her strength.
*And I love you, my human,* came the wolf’s reply. *Now sleep. When you wake, you will heal, but I will
be gone.*
A warm sensation spread through Summer’s body as Aurora released her life force, directing it to repair the most critical injuries. The wolf’s essence flowed like liquid gold through Summer’s veins, mending ruptured organs, stabilizing her spine, and forming a protective barrier around the tiny life growing in her womb.
As darkness claimed Summer once more, she felt Aurora’s presence fade until there was nothing but emptiness where her wolf had always been.
***
I awoke to the sound of a crackling fire and the sharp, bitter scent of medicinal herbs. For a moment, I lay still, trying to remember where I was–who I was. The fog in my mind slowly lifted as I realized I was in a small cabin, lying on a narrow bed layered with soft animal furs. My body ached everywhere, but the unbearable pain from before had dulled to a steady, manageable throb.
“You’re finally awake,” came a gravelly female voice. “Wasn’t sure you’d make it–even with the wolf’s
sacrifice.”
I turned my head with effort and saw an elderly woman sitting beside the fire, grinding herbs in a stone mortar. Her silver hair was pulled back into a long braid, and her weathered face bore the distinctive facial markings of the Northern wolf clans.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice hoarse and thin. “How long have I been here?”
“Name’s Nora,” she said, still focused on her herbs. “Found you washed up downstream from my cabin three days ago. You were more dead than alive.”
Three days.
I closed my eyes, my chest tightening. Three days missing. Three days with no one knowing if I was alive. “Where… where am I?” I forced the words past the dryness in my throat.
Nora gave me a sideways glance, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. “Neutral territory. Portugal.”
Portugal. That meant I was far from the pack lands–far from Alexander.
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He must be going out of his mind right now. I needed to get back. He had to know I was still alive.
I tried to sit up, bracing myself against the bed with trembling arms, but the room tilted sharply. A wave of dizziness crashed over me, forcing me back down.
“Devastated,” Nora said softly, as if finishing a thought I hadn’t spoken aloud. “But you’re in no condition to travel. Your body needs time to heal.”
She was right.
As much as I hated to admit it–she was right.
I have a cub.
My hand drifted to my abdomen, fingers splaying gently over the slight rise. There was no visible change yet, but I could feel it–something delicate, and fiercely alive.
What about Alexander?How was he holding up?
