Damien caught her before she hit the ground, his hands stained with her blood. “No, no, no… Raven! Stay with me!”
Her eyes fluttered, breath shallow. The light of the moon above shimmered across her face as the forest held its breath.
And in that silence, every wolf, every soul present… waited to see if their goddess would rise again.
Damien knelt in the wet grass, cradling Raven in his arms as if holding her tighter could stop time itself.
“Baby,” he whispered, his voice raw with desperation. “Stay with me. Please, stay with me.”
Raven blinked slowly, her lips trembling. “The blade… it was cursed.”
“No.” Damien pressed his hand to the gaping wound in her chest, trying to summon their mate bond to heal her. “You’re stronger than a cursed blade. Stronger than anything.”
But Raven’s b
