bChapter /bb185 /b

April POV

When I wake, everything hurts. Every single part of my is in pain and it’s awful. To start with, that’s all I can feel or think bof /bA deep dragging ache that spreads across my chest, arms and legs. My throat feels raw as well, and I can tell my lips bare /bcracked. My skin burns in too many ces to count. When I try to move, it feels like my limbs are carved from stone, they are useless, heavy and feel foreign.

The more I’m awake the more everythinges back and panic ws through me before my mind can even catch up. can’t see, everything is dark, the darkness is still clinging to me. My body is cold, and it feels exposed still. I can taste bthe /bfear in my mouth, it’s sharp and final.

My breath catches and a choked sound escapes my throat. I’m still there, I’m still trapped with Rnd and haven’t escaped. Sleep might have given me a break but I never truly escaped.

My heart thunders as I remember his weight, his voice, his hands. The way he tore my body apart like it was nothing but a fun game. The way he came back, again and again when I was so sure he was done with me. I remember theugh against my ear, the scent of blood, and the bite that burned like fire in my veins. I thrash instinctively, a soft cry escaping me as ! try to scramble away from him. I can’t do it, I can’t survive more of this, I thought I was dead. I was so sure death had came and imed me.

“April, it’s okay. It’s me. You’re safe now.”

The voice has me pause but not enough, it doesn’t match the nightmares. The voice is warm, familiar, and it’s broken in a way that makes something inside of me twist so hard I struggle to breathe. Is it real?

“Eryx,” I whisper, my voice barely even audible, it sounds so raw and broken like I’ve swallowed knives.

I still can’t open my eyes, but I feel the weight of a hand against my arm. It’s warm, steady, and gentle, It doesn’t grip, it’s not holding me to bruise me. It anchors me, reassuring me that I’m safe. My heart stutters again, but not from fear this time.

Slowly, I begin to blink, letting myself fully open my eyes and ept I’m free. The light pierces through my haze. The outline of a ceiling above me, too high and unfamiliar. A room that doesn’t stink of rot and rage. And then, his face. The storm in his eyes, the pain written across every line of his features. His hair is a mess, and his clothes are stained with soot and blood, but it’s him.

He’s here. I’m really here and saved, I’m here?

“Eryxi,/i” I whisper again, and my voice breaks as I try to sit up. Pain res in every inch of my body, sharp band /bmerciless, and

I gasp as it brings tears to my eyes.

“Don’t,” he says quickly, his hand moving to my shoulder, keeping me gently against the soft warmth of the bed. “bJust /bbrest/b. You don’t have to move. You’re safe now, I promise. Don’t try to move give yourself time to heal, please.”

I press my lips together to stop them from trembling, but it doesn’t help. A sob still slips out. b“/bbIs /bbit /breal?b” /bbI /bbask/bb, /bbmy /bbvoice /b

shaking. “Are you really here?” I need to know, I need to be sure because I can’t do it, I can’t have hope then wake bup /bbfrom /bthis and find myself still in that nightmare.

b09:58 /bThu 31 bJul /ba ( ki ?

He doesn’t answer with words. He leans closer, brushing his hand down my hair, and I feel the warmth of his forehead press against mine. His breathing is rough, too uneven for someone who isn’t crying, but when he pulls back, his voice is

soft.

“I’m here. I’ve got you, and I swear to the gods, I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

He’s really here, I’m really safe. Tears slide down the sides of my face, soaking into the pillow, but I don’t care. I reach for his hand, barely strong enough to curl my fingers around his. He grips mine like he’s terrified I’ll vanish if he lets go.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly, and I hear the weight behind it. “I should’ve pushed harder. I should’vee sooner. I should’ve known something was wrong.” His voice is full or regret and he looks at me like he’s ming himself, but he

shouldn’t.

“No,” I whisper, squeezing his hand even though I can barely feel my own grip. “It’s not your fault. I should’ve told you?

He shakes his head, but I go on.

“I knew the date,” I whisper. I hate that I lied to him, that I didn’t tell him about it. “They set it weeks ago. I didn’t tell you because I thought… I thought if I ignored it, it wouldn’t happen. I wanted more time with you. I thought we had more

time.”

His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t look away from me. “I would’ve burned their walls down to stop it,” he says, his voice low and filled with fire. “I would’ve gone to your father myself. Fought every single one of them. You never had to face this alone.”

“I didn’t want to ruin what we had,” I admit. “I wanted our days to be simple. Just for a while.” I know the moment I told him he would go to my father and I didn’t want that, I didn’t want to cause a bigger war between the packs.

Eryx leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead, and I close my eyes, feeling his warmth against my skin like sunlight after a long storm.

“No more lies,” he whispers against my skin. “No more secrets. We face everything together from now on.”

I nod, the tearsing faster now. My body still aches, and the bruises feel like they run deeper than bone, but for the first time since that door mmed shut behind me, I believe I might survive this. Because he’s here. Because he found me.

And because he still wants me, even after everything that’s been taken.