I stripped out of my clothes and phased, allowing the wolf to take over. Spending time in my wolf form was freeing, much easier than living as a man. The wolf didn’t worry about past or future. The wolf lived in the moment. And in this moment, it was our job to protect the pack while they rested for the night. Letting go of my worries for Cosmina, I padded off into the surrounding forest and began to patrol the village.
* * *
Two days later,much sooner than I’d anticipated, my hopes and fears came to fruition. I was splitting firewood when I heard my sister’s voice call out to me.
“DECEBEL!”
My head snapped up, and I took off at a run in the direction of the sound. My feet pounded into the ground at inhuman speed, and yet it wasn’t fast enough. I could hear the terror in her voice and, as I got closer, I could see a gathered crowd of pack members.
“MOVE.” I thundered as I pushed past them until I finally stood before my weeping sister. She was staring at two wolves who were in the heat of battle.
“Cosmina, what is going on?” I growled, feeling my wolf pushing at my flesh to break free.
“He challenged him,” she said through her tears.
“Who challenged who?” I was trying very hard not to lose my patience, but I couldn’t fix anything until I knew exactly what I was dealing with.
“Draiden challenged Bastian. I haven’t seen Bastian in over a year. He just showed up.”
The wolf was part of our pack, but he lived on the furthest line of our territory. “Okay, what about him, Cosmina? Focus.”
“Bastian is my true mate. I was just talking to Draiden when I saw Bastian appear. Right away, I knew. As soon Bastian came to us, Draiden realized what was happening and challenged Bastian. I guess he wanted to claim me before my true mate had a chance.” She pointed at the two wolves attempting to tear each other apart. “You have to stop them.”
Looking into her eyes, seeing her pain, shredded my insides. But I couldn’t fix the problem. “The challenge is allowed, Cosmina. You know that. You aren’t marked. Any unmated male can challenge your true mate. I cannot stop it.”
She grabbed my forearm as I started to step back. Her fingernails dug into my flesh, scoring the skin, and drawing blood to the surface. “I’m your sister. Please, I don’t want to lose him.”
“He has to prove that he can fight for you, that he has the strength to protect you. Consider this his first test.”
She bared her teeth at me and whipped around to watch the battle, which was already almost over. Bastian had phased back to his human form and had a forearm across the other wolf’s throat. The wolf twisted on his back and tried snapping his jaws, but Bastian was stronger, keeping him pinned.
“I will spare you if you submit. But consider this challenge done. Cosmina is mine.”
I let out a relieved sigh as Draiden tilted his head back and relaxed his body. Submission. He was willing to give up without making Bastian kill him.
Bastian stood and stepped back, watching the wolf for a few seconds longer before he finally turned to look at his mate. It happened in a split second. Draiden had been on his back, legs in the air, completely still. Then, the instant Bastian looked away, the defeated wolf was up on all fours. He lunged. I thought he would hit Bastian, possibly sinking his fangs into the back of the man’s neck. But I hadn’t realized Cosmina had sprinted toward her mate. Draiden’s teeth were in her flesh before I could make a sound.
As her body fell, silence surrounded me. I felt myself moving, catching her in my arms before she could hit the ground, but I couldn’t hear anything. The world was silent as I stared down at the bleeding body of my sister. I didn’t hear Bastian kill Draiden or the wolves that had gathered around howling as they stared down at their fallen packmate. I didn’t hear anything until one long, mournful howl silenced all the others. It was coming from deep within me.
* * *
The cool nightair felt good against my skin as I sat next to Cosmina’s grave. It had been a fortnight since I’d buried her, and still I came to her grave every day, all day. It was like I’d convinced myself that she could hear me, that she missed me as much as I missed her. I knew it was just her soulless body buried within the ground, but it was all I had left of her, and I wasn’t yet ready to let her go.
The pain her death had caused was not something I could have ever even begun to comprehend. There was a hole in the shape of Cosmina in my heart, and I knew nothing would ever fill it.
“Decebel.” The deep voice drew me from my thoughts as I looked up to see Bastian. “May I?” He motioned to the other side of the grave.
“Of course.”
He sat. I couldn’t help but notice how hollow he looked. They hadn’t yet bonded, but the loss of Cosmina was destroying the young male.
“I don’t regret it,” Bastian said suddenly.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“You’re looking at me with pity because I met my mate and lost her before we had a chance to bond.”
“Such a thing does not happen often,” I said, “but it is always tragic.”
