Aries POV
She still hadn’t moved.
Not in seconds.
And those seconds stretched into minutes—agonizing, endless minutes—without even the faintest breath.
I held her tighter, cradling her body as though my warmth could defy death. Her skin was still warm. Her scent still lingered. But no pulse… no flutter beneath her chest. Just stillness.
“Rex…” I whispered her name like a sacred chant, again and again, each syllable tearing my throat apart. Maybe if I said it enough, I could call her back. Maybe she'd hear me—somewhere out there—and come home.
I bowed my head, pressing my forehead to hers, holding her like gravity alone could keep her tethered to this world. To me.
“It was supposed to work,” Rose murmured behind me, her voice hoarse, disbelief cracking through every word. “She was f
