I stare at him in shock. He’s never questioned my decisions—his loyalty absolute.
“I told you, she’s made you weak, made you blind to anything but where you can stick your dick.” I spit at him.
He steps into my space, his face inches from mine. No words of challenge are spoken, yet they hang between us. A challenge would be his undoing, and I’d rather not kill twice today.
“Don’t do it, Reth. I don’t think I’ll be able to bring you back from the depths of your darkness this time.”
Before I can move, Domanikk senses my resolve, and yellow luminescent mist swirls around him as he Shifts.
I’m older and quicker at the Shift than most. I meet his attack in full Horse Form.
Bigger. Stronger. Alpha.
I feel his love for her in every blow, every bite to my skin, every pound of his legs and kick of those hooves. I take those strikes as my own, matching that love with painful regret.
If she’d told me she wanted to stay, if she’d fought me for her survival, I would’ve fought for her. For us.
I’ve never used my hidden power on Domanikk—an unspoken promise I’m about to break.
As he charges again, I snap low at his legs, grab his front fore in my teeth, and yank him to his knees. Submissive below me, sides heaving, I unleash it. Pure, unfiltered pain flows through my body into his. I see it hit in the whites of his eyes, the spasm of his muscles, the tremor of his legs. I rise, my pressure no longer needed as he’s unable to move—the pain too acute, too intense. I Shift back into Fae Form and look down at him, my regret and guilt pouring over him.
I’m not walking towards that tent with elation. Each step is a step towards a darkness that will likely consume me.
To save Heartwood, I’ll have to destroy myself.
Chapter Thirty
Alaya
No distraction or distance could’ve muffled the chaos of their fighting outside. The air tears with roars, the clash of limbs striking bone and flesh, and the thunder of hooves pounding the ground.
Rawson stands by the open door, peering out, his face tense.
I sit on a chair by the table, clasping the glass of Fae Wine Rawson had pressed into my hand. My knuckles are white from gripping it so hard, its content untouched.
The thought of them fighting outside—friend against friend—knowing I could end this simply by leaving, makes me shoot to my feet.
I can’t let them do this.
Rawson frowns at first as I move towards him, but when he glances back out and his whole body goes rigid, I freeze.
“Don’t move, Alaya,” he warns, voice low. “Reth, I don’t think—”
He doesn’t finish before Reth’s bulky frame smashes through the door, sending him back.
Reth’s eyes glow brightly, casting the tent in an eerie blue light.
His anger is cold, hard, and absolute. His brow is deeply furrowed, his mouth taut and unforgiving.
As I back away from his heaving form, my heart starts to race—a frantic drum against my ribs, spiking into a painful,suffocating rhythm. My breath comes in short gasps, the air thick and scarce. Pure dread spreads through me—his fury hangs suspended like the calm before a storm, leaving me trapped and helpless.
“Reth, please,” I stammer. All the strength and resilience they’ve taught me since arriving here vanishes in the face of his towering form, visibly trembling as he strains to contain his power.
His lips part as if to speak, but then he lunges. I back up and stumble, his weight slamming into me, his hands grasping my neck as his momentum drives us both into the gap between the side panel and the fireplace.
I’m wedged in, arms pinned at my sides. I can’t move.
I feel small and breakable under his iron grip, his hard body pressing against mine.
