Chapter 34

Weston

Darkness swallowed me whole. Not a single shard of light pierced the inky veil. I stumbled forward through the forest, fingers brushing rough bark, brittle twigs snapping under my boots. Still, I couldn’t stop. Some unseen force—a pulse in my veins, a tug at my soul—propelled me onward through the tangled undergrowth.

After what felt like endless hours, a faint glow flickered ahead. My heart pounded. I strained to veer toward it, but my limbs lurched back into shadow, as if tethered by invisible chains. Desperate, I willed my legs to obey. Then, inch by inch, I drew closer. The luminescence swelled, blindingly bright. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt a gentle tug on my eyelid.

“Alpha? Can you hear me?” a calm voice asked.

“He’s responsive, but he won’t open his eyes,” another voice reported.

“Well, he’s alive. Now I can F*CKING kill him for real!” Dominic’s triumphant shout cut through the tension.

“Dominic, stop it!” a woman snapped