“You won’t.” He stumbled toward her, reaching for her hand. Their fingers locked. “I’ve got you. Whatever you are, whatever power you’ve been hiding—I’m not afraid of it. Let go, Avine. Trust me.”
Her expression shifted. The fear didn’t vanish, but resolve rose to meet it—determination, trust, love.
She let go.
Power erupted from her—vast, oceanic, terrifying in its scope. Sea magic poured through her in waves, filling the workshop with salt-bright light. It wasn’t controlled. It wasn’t careful. It was raw and wild and ancient, the fury of storms and the patience of tides and the crushing weight of depths no human had ever seen.
Theo held on. Their hands locked, his strength grounding her as her power spiraled outward. Wolf and witch, working as one.
Mate.His wolf sang the word.Claim her. Make her ours.
Later. He forced the instinct down. First, we survive.
Avine’s power crashed into the Matrix like a tidal wave.
The sigils didn’t go dark—they dissolved. The rings didn’t stop spinning—they flew apart, scattering across the workshopin pieces. The magical construct that had threatened half the Old Wards District came apart at the seams, unraveled by a force it had never been built to withstand.
Light. Sound. A shockwave of released energy that blew out every window in the building.
Then silence.
Theo’s ears rang.
He was on his knees somehow, covered in dust and debris, blood still dripping from a gash on his arm. The workshop around them was destroyed—shelves collapsed, inventions scattered, the remnants of the Protection Matrix smoking in scattered pieces.
Somewhere behind him, Piprick sobbed. Great, hiccupping sobs of devastation and guilt. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never meant—I was only trying to help?—”
Theo couldn’t focus on that. Could only focus on one thing.
Avine was standing. Barely. Her face was pale, her nose bleeding, her whole body swaying. But she was alive. She was alive.
He reached her in two strides, catching her before she could fall.
“Hey. Hey.” His hands were shaking as he cradled her face, wiping blood from her upper lip with his thumb. “Stay with me. Don’t you dare?—”
“I’m okay.” Her voice was hoarse, exhausted. “I’m okay, Theo. We did it.”
“You did it. That was—” He didn’t have words. “That was incredible.”
“That was terrifying.” A shaky laugh escaped her. “I’ve never felt anything like that. It was like—like the ocean was inside me. All of it. Every wave and current and—” She broke off, her gaze finding his. “You held on.”
“Of course, I held on.”
“Your barrier. The energy was—you must have been in so much pain?—”
“Worth it.” He meant it. Every ounce of pain, every crack in his defenses—worth it for her. Worth it to see her standing here, alive, victorious. “I’d do it again. A hundred times. A thousand.”
“Theo—”
“I know.” His voice cracked. “I know we said we’d talk after. I know this isn’t the time. But I almost lost you twice now, and I can’t—I won’t—keep pretending I don’t feel what I feel.”
“What are you saying?” Her breath caught.
“I love you.” The words came out raw, unpolished, nothing like the careful confession he’d planned. “I’ve been trying not to. I’ve been telling myself it’s too fast, too complicated, that I don’t have room in my life for—” He broke off, laughing helplessly. “But I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers trembling. “You walked into my town and turned everything upside down. I love your sharp edges. I love your strength. I love that you challenge me, that you don’t roll over when I growl. I love that you see me—not the Alpha, not the CEO, not the man everyone depends on. Me.”
He had to stop. Had to breathe. The words were coming too fast, too raw, but he couldn’t stop them.
