CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: I WAITED TILL THE SUN ROSE AGAIN

Aeron’s POV~

I watched them disappear into the mouth of the cliffside like two men stepping willingly into the belly of the death.

Fifteen elite warriors followed close behind, every one of them handpicked, every one of them willing to bleed for their Alphas. For us.

And yet... it wasn’t enough.

Because as the last one vanished into the abyss, a weight settled in my chest like a stone. A dread I couldn’t name. Couldn’t reason with. It gnawed at my ribs, curling low and poisonous beneath my heart, whispering all the things I refused to let myself believe.

That we were too late.

That she was gone.

No. No.

I wouldn’t believe it. Couldn’t.

So I stayed.

I stayed right at the cliff’s edge, my boots sunk into the torn earth, where the wind still smelled of her and the blood she spilled. I told myself I would wait here until they brought her back. I would be the first thing she saw. The first thing she touched when they carried her back into the light.

She wouldn’t wake up to a stranger’s face. She’d wake up to mine.

Lucian groaned beside me. His body had gone slack with blood loss, but his wolf was still clawing inside his chest, howling like mine.

He wanted to stay too. He said it through blood-choked coughs. Clutched the dirt like it was the only thing anchoring him to this world.

"I’m not leaving," Lucian rasped, voice raw. "Don’t you f**king dare make me—she needs me. I feel her. Aeron, I feel her fear!"

But his wounds weren’t healing.

His wolf...our wolves were in agony. Selene’s absence tore through us like a blade dipped in silver, making it impossible to focus, impossible to shift or heal.

It would kill him if he stayed. I knew it. He knew it.

But still, he fought. His hands dragged through the soil as he tried to crawl back to the cliff’s edge.

"I won’t leave her behind again!" he snarled. "If she dies thinking we gave up—if she thinks I gave up—"

His voice broke. And gods, it did something to me. I hadn’t heard Lucian sound like that since we were pups, since the day our father died in front of us and he screamed at the skies for someone to bring him back.

"I’ll go after her myself," he said suddenly, delirious. "You can’t stop me. I’ll f**king jump if I have to—"

"No," I breathed, stepping forward.

"I swear to the gods, Aeron—don’t touch me," he growled, dragging himself up on one shaking arm. "Don’t you f**king—!"

I leaned down, grabbed his jaw, and locked my eyes to his.

He stilled.

His chest heaved, blood bubbling at the edge of his lips, but in his eyes... I saw it.

The fear, the grief of losing her, and realizing just how wrong he was... His guilt was trapping him...

The unbearable knowledge that we couldn’t all go. That someone had to survive to keep hope alive if this went to hell.

"I’m sorry, brother," I said softly.

"No—wait—don’t—"

And then I knocked him out cold.

His body collapsed, limp, into the dirt. For a second, I couldn’t move. My hand shook where it hovered above his chest, the guilt crawling through my bones like rot.

"Carry him," I said roughly.

Cyrus was already there.

He didn’t question me. Just nodded, stooped down, and hoisted Lucian’s body over his shoulder with a grunt.

Blood dripped from Lucian’s injuries, trailing down Cyrus’s back. My stomach twisted at the sight.

"Take him to the healer," I ordered. "And don’t stop for anyone. I don’t care if the king himself tries to speak to you; get him home. Keep him alive."

"I will," Cyrus said. Then hesitated. "But Alpha..."

"I know," I muttered, eyes flicking to the trees.

The packhouse. The ceremony. The dozens of alphas from neighboring packs who had come for our coronation. The lunatics back there are screaming for answers. Because we had fucking left the coronation hall in the middle, leaving our chosen Luna behind, publicly abandoned in front of them all.

I could already imagine the uproar it had caused in the entire pack.

We had just set fire to every alliance we’d tried building. Spit in the face of every diplomatic thread that held our fragile peace.

All for her. Selene.

But I don’t give a f*ck. Nothing is more important than her. Let the world burn. Let those fucking Alphas rot where they are. No one can stop me today.

"She’s worth it," I whispered, more to myself than anyone.

Still, Cyrus heard me.

He didn’t answer. He just nodded once, firm, and disappeared into the trees with Lucian’s unconscious body.

I stayed behind alone. The warriors were gone. My brothers were gone. My Beta was gone. Only I remained.

I stood at the edge of the cliff, fists clenched, wind howling against my face like it wanted to pull me in.

And gods, I wanted to fall. I wanted to hurl myself over and dive into the dark, claw through the rocks, and scream her name into the water until it answered me.

But I couldn’t. I can’t fall. My people need me. My brothers need me. She needs me.

Because if Kael and Luca come back up with her in their arms—broken, breathing, barely hanging on—I have to be here. I have to be the one to hold her. To be the first thing she sees. To tell her she’s not alone.

To tell her we are here, we will never leave her alone.

Even if the world hated us for it.

Even if war came knocking tomorrow.

Even if every pack turned their fangs toward our gates and every alliance crumbled into ash.

I would still choose her.

Again and again and again.

My knees hit the earth. I didn’t even feel them fall. I just dropped, hands fisting the dirt like it might offer me some piece of her. Some scent. Some thread of warmth. My body shook with the effort of holding it all in—this rage, this grief, this wild hope that refused to die.

The moon above had vanished behind clouds.

The forest had gone silent.

But somewhere deep below, I knew she was still fighting, waiting for me to rescue her.

"Come back to me," I whispered.

The wind answered like a howl carried on broken wings.

Because she was mine.

And I was not leaving this place until I brought her home.

And I waited.

I waited till the sun rose again.