Chapter 162. Rise of the Chosen Wolf

Alison’s POV

As time passed minute by minute I couldn’t hear anything anymore. Not the ticking of time, not Simone’s footsteps circling endlessly, not even my own heartbeat.

All I could hear was silence… and the weight of failure.

Xander’s head lay on my lap, his face pale, body limp, chest rising and falling in irregular shudders. His once steady heartbeat now thumped like a fading drum. I gently brushed the hair from his forehead, my hands trembling. How could he have done this for me? For all of us?

I bowed over him, a tear splashing onto his cheek. “Please,” I whispered. “You can’t die, not now. Not like this.”

I looked up, only to see Simone pacing like a trapped animal. Her eyes were wide, frantic, as she pressed her palms against the invisible barrier again and again, trying to push through. Nothing worked. The ancient spellbook… our only hope was lying just inches beyond the boundary. So close. Yet unreachable.

Her voice cracked. “D