I was Ryder Hendrix. This was Oblivion Haze.
The first line always hit. A punch to the gut, making tears prick my eyes.
“Nobody told me loving you would feel like dying.”
As planned, her voice joined mine. We harmonized, as if we’d been singing together all our damn lives.
“Nobody told me dying would feel so good.”
I turned, watching Tessa slowly walk across the stage. She held the mic with both hands, trying not to shake. But the tremors were trapped in her body. Her voice was steady, confident. She sounded like a goddamn mythical siren, each word she uttered floating out over the crowd.
It was crazy how the stadium quieted.
Insane how the fans reacted, going perfectly still as they watched.
“I’ve been living in the land of the lovesick for so damn long.” She focused on me. I didn’t blink. I let her know I was with her, every step of the way. “I’m so tired of being alone. So tired of being strong.”
Tessa completed the journey to the second stand, cradling the microphone in its holder. She leaned in with her eyes closed and crooned the next line. This time I didn’t join. I let her have the spotlight.
“Can anyone even save me? Can anyone even love someone who’s sick?” She placed her breathes exactly as planned. Pausing after the wordsloveandsomeone.
Now, we all joined her, just once, repeating the questions. Because we’d all needed saving. We’d all been sick.
“Can anyone save me? Can anyone love someone who’s sick?” It was unusual that my pack brothers and I could harmonize. But we managed it for this song because it was so damn important to us all.
Tessa grew bolder, eyes opening. She bloomed before us, before the crowd.
And the crowd held its breath.
Watching her transform.
My chest swelled with pride so fierce it nearly knocked me sideways. This was our Omega showing fifty thousand people exactly what we'd known all along—that she was fucking magnificent.
"Take me to the place where broken hearts go to heal," she sang, her voice gaining strength with each word. "Show me that this pain I carry isn't all that's real."
Without consciously deciding to, I moved away from my own mic and stepped closer to hers. I got near enough that our cheeks brushed. I sang with her, and our voices blended into one. Puzzle pieces, clicking together.
"Don’t let me die in the land of the lovesick.” With that line, we began to alternate.
“Will you let me?” Her.
“I won’t let you.” Me.
“Die in the land of the lovesick.” Her.
“Cry in the land of the lovesick.” Me.
“Live in the land of the lovesick.” Her.
“Run with me from the land of the lovesick.” Me.
“No one told me loving you would feel like dying. At least it feels like heaven too.” Together.
It was just the two of us now, sharing a bubble in the middle of this massive stadium. The rest of the band faded into the background, though they kept the music flowing perfectly. The fans didn't exist. The lights above didn’t burn. The floor beneath our feet didn’t vibrate.
Her eyes locked with mine, wide and vulnerable, yet also blazing with newfound confidence. I didn’t have to convince her she belonged here anymore; she knew it for herself now.
I stepped back, letting her take center stage. This was her moment, and I wanted her to own every second of it. Tessa faced the crowd, her small frame commanding the entire stadium. She hit the high note we'd practiced for weeks, her voice soaring above the instruments. Pure. Raw. Shockingly ethereal. As the music died with little warning, ending with that powerful note, the crowd erupted.
