h4Chapter 139: Chapter 139: The Ultimate Sacrifice/h4

    The shadows in the distance grew closer, and ra could feel their hunger.

    Dozens of enemies, maybe hundreds, all pulled by the power she’d just released. "We have to run," Kael said, still holding the now-healed Darian.

    "Where?" Ronan asked. "They’ll follow us anywhere." "Not anywhere," ra’s father said quietly.

    "There’s one ce they can’t go." "Where?" ra asked, clutching her three kids close. "The void between realities," her father said.

    "But getting there requires a sacrifice none of us are prepared to make." "What sacrifice?" Darian asked, sitting up slowly.

    "Someone has to break their connection to this realitypletely," her father exined.

    "Cut all ties. All bonds. All love." "I’ll do it," ra said quickly. "No," all three triplets said together.

    "You can’t," her father said softly. "You’re the rock. If you break your bonds, everyone linked to you dies."

    "Then who?" Evelyn asked. Before anyone could answer, the ground shook. Theing enemies were getting closer.

    "We don’t have time to debate," Tobias said. "They’ll be here in minutes." "I’ll do it," Darian said, getting to his feet.

    "You just got healed," Kael argued. "You’re not strong enough." "I’m the one who waspelled," Darian said.

    "I’m the one who put everyone in danger. Let me fix it." "That wasn’t your fault," ra said strongly. "Maybe not," Darian said.

    "But this is my choice." He looked at his brothers, then at ra. "I love you. All of you. But sometimes love means letting go."

    "Darian, no," Ronan said. "There has to be another way," Kael added. "There is," Darian said with a sad smile.

    "But you’re not going to like it." "What do you mean?" ra asked. "The prophecy was right," Darian said. "One of us has to betray you.

    But betrayal doesn’t always mean bing bad." "What are you saying?" ra whispered.

    "I’m saying goodbye," Darian said. He closed his eyes and began to glow with the same golden light that had healed him.

    "Stop!" ra screamed. "Whatever you’re doing, stop!" "I can’t," Darian said.

    "It’s already started." The light around him began to change, bing brighter, more intense.

    "He’s breaking the mate bond," ra’s father said in fear. "But that’s impossible. It should kill him."

    "It will," Darian said calmly. "But not before I transfer my life force to ra."

    "No!" ra fought against Kael and Ronan, who were holding her back. "I won’t let you!" "You can’t stop me," Darian said.

    "The bond is already cracking." ra felt it—a tearing feeling in her chest, like someone was ripping her heart out.

    "Please," she sobbed. "Don’t leave me." "I’m not leaving you," Darian said. "I’m giving you everything I have."

    The golden light shot from him to her, and suddenly ra felt stronger than she’d ever felt before.

    "With my life force added to yours," Darian said, his voice getting weaker, "you’ll be powerful enough to protect everyone." "I don’t want power," ra cried.

    "I want you!" "You have me," Darian said. "You’ll always have me. Every time you use this power, you’ll be using a piece of my soul."

    "Darian," Kael said, tears running down his face. "Please don’t do this." "Take care of her," Darian said to his brothers.

    "Both of you. She’s going to need you more than ever." "We will," Ronan promised.

    "And take care of our children," Darian added, looking at the babies who were crying in ra’s arms. "Daddy!" baby Truth wailed.

    "Daddy stay!" baby Love begged. "Daddy can’t stay," baby Wisdom said sadly.

    "But daddy will always love us." "That’s right," Darian said. "I’ll always love you. All of you."

    The light around him began to fade, but the power flowing into ra grew stronger. "There’s something else," Darian said quickly.

    "The enemiesing aren’t just from our period. They’re from the timeline where I seeded in destroying the tie." "What does that mean?" ra asked.

    "It means they know all our weaknesses," Darian said. "They know exactly how to hurt us." "Then how do we fight them?" Kael asked. "Together," Darian said.

    "The three of you have to stay together. Promise me." "We promise," they all said.

    "And ra," Darian added, "you have to let them help you. Don’t try to carry this load alone." "I won’t," ra promised through her tears.

    "Good," Darian said. He was bing transparent now, fading away.

    "There’s one more thing." "What?" ra asked desperately.

    "Hope isn’t really gone," Darian said. "She’s just waiting for the right time to return.

    When the final fightes, she’ll be there." "How do you know?" Ronan asked. "Because I can see her," Darian said with wonder.

    "She’s beautiful, just like her mother." "Darian," ra whispered. "I have to go now," he said.

    "But remember—this isn’t goodbye. It’s see youter." "When?" ra asked. "When this is all over," Darian said.

    "When our family is safe. When our children can grow up without fear." "How long will that be?" Kael asked.

    "As long as it takes," Darian said. He was almostpletely gone now. "I love you all. Never forget that."

    "We love you too," they all said together. Darian smiled onest time, then vanished totally.

    The golden light settled into ra’s chest, and she felt his presence there—warm, protective, timeless. "He’s gone," she said numbly.

    "No," her father said softly. "He’s just changed form. He’s part of you now." "It’s not the same," ra said.

    "No," her father agreed. "But it’s not the end either." The ground shook again, harder this time.

    "They’re here," Tobias said sadly. Through the opening, dark figures began to pour in—dozens of them, all twisted versions of people they knew. "Wee," the boss said with a voice like broken ss.

    "We’ve been looking forward to this meeting." ra looked closer and gasped. The leader looked exactly like her, but with cold, dead eyes.

    "Hello, sister," the dark ra said. "Ready to die?" "Who are you?" ra asked. "I’m you," the dark version said.

    "The you from a timeline where everyone you loved abandoned you. Where you learned that love is weakness." "That’s not true," ra said. "Isn’t it?" the dark ra asked.

    "Look around. Your mate just died. Your children are crying. Your pack is scared. This is what love gets you."

    "Love gets you everything worth fighting for," ra said strongly. "Does it?" the dark ra asked.

    "Then why are you alone?" "She’s not alone," Kael said, stepping up beside her. "She’s never alone," Ronan added, taking her other side.

    "And neither are you," a familiar voice said from behind the dark forms. Everyone turned.

    Standing there was someone impossible—Darian, but not the Darian who had just died. This Darian was different, older, sadder. "Hello, everyone," he said.

    "I’m Darian from the timeframe where I never learned to love. And I’m here to help."

    "That’s impossible," the dark ra said. "You’re dead in every timeline."

    "Not all of them," the new Darian said. "In some universes, I survived. But I lost everything else." "Why are you helping us?" ra asked warily.

    "Because," the new Darian said, "I want to see what I could have been. What I could have had."

    "You could have had everything," ra said softly. "I know," the new Darian said.

    "That’s why I’m here. To make sure you don’t lose what I never had." "How touching," the dark ra said mockingly.

    "But it doesn’t matter. We have an army. You have nothing." "We have each other," ra said.

    "And we have this," the new Darian said. He pulled out a rock that glowed with pure white light.

    "The Heart of Reality. The one thing that can restore order to all timelines."

    "Give it to me," the dark ra ordered. "No," the new Darian said. "But I’ll trade it."

    "For what?" the dark ra asked. "For a chance to bring back the Darian who just died," the new Darian said.

    "One life for the power to save all realities." "Done," the dark ra said instantly.

    "Wait," ra said. "What’s the catch?" The new Darian smiled sadly.

    "The catch is that someone has to take my ce in the dead world. Someone has to sacrifice themselves permanently."

    "I’ll do it," ra said. "No," Kael and Ronan said together.

    "Then who?" ra asked. The new Darian’s smile got wider. "That’s the beautiful part. Nobody has to die. Because I have a secret."

    "What secret?" the dark ra asked suspiciously. "I’m not really from another timeline," the new Darian said.

    "I’m from this one. I’m the part of your Darian that he left behind when he moved his life force."

    "That’s impossible," the dark ra said. "Is it?" the new Darian asked.

    "Or is it exactly what would happen when someone as powerful as him splits his soul?" "You’re saying you’re half of our Darian?" ra asked.

    "I’m saying I’m the half that stayed behind to protect you," the new Darian said. "And now I’m going to prove it."

    He crushed the crystal in his hand, and bright light filled the room. When it disappeared, two figures stood where the new Darian had been.

    One was their Darian, living and whole. The other was someone none of them had expected to see.

    "Hello, daughter," the second figure said to ra. "I think it’s time you met your real mother."