Chapter 44. Fighting the Darkness

My heart ached, throbbing in synchrony with the numbness that spread throughout my body as I watched Kai depart, leaving me in our shared desolation. The once vibrant threads of our mate bond seemed to have vanished, yet when my fingers grazed over the mark on my neck, their mark was palpable. It was as if they were still there with me. Tears brimmed in my eyes, each droplet symbolizing my shattered hope. I wished fervently that this was all a dream, a ghastly nightmare that I would soon wake from, but the gut-wrenching truth was that it was happening. It was real. Everything we once had was now in ruins.

Lilith, reveling in my despair, observed me with a sinister smile. "You are just crying and not begging me to spare you," she taunted. I hastily wiped my tears away, directing a determined stare into Onyx's triumphant eyes. The power within me, dark and light, stirred as if it had just awoken from a slumber. I could sense the suffering of the other packs, their ag