Chapter 10: Into the Rushing Torrents
793 Words
Elena looked at Julian’s terrified, bloodshot eyes. For months, he had treated her like a prize to be won, and tonight, he had brought war, poison, and death to the only place she finally felt a sense of belonging.
"You brought this upon yourself, Julian," Elena said, her voice dropping to a cold, calm whisper. She turned her eyes away, giving Ethan her silent verdict. "Let him face the consequences of his hatred."
Ethan’s grip tightened, his knuckles turning white. A merciless, predatory smirk touched his lips. "As the Luna commands," he rumbled.
With a powerful heave, Ethan swung his arm, preparing to hurl Julian over the jagged rocks into the violent, roaring river below.
But Julian, driven by the absolute madness of a dying man, twisted his body at the very last second. Instead of fighting Ethan’s grip, he reached out with his free hand and tightly wrapped his fingers around the fabric of Elena’s torn cloak.
"If I’m going to hell, you’re coming with me!" Julian screamed.
"Elena!" Ethan roared.
The sheer momentum of Julian’s heavy body falling backward yanked Elena off her feet. The fabric of her cloak strained, but before Ethan could drop Julian and catch her, the old leather clasp snapped. Elena gasped as she was pulled over the edge, completely losing her balance.
For a terrifying, weightless second, the world slowed down. Elena saw the absolute horror exploding in Ethan’s silver eyes as he reached out, his fingers brushing against her fingertips—just millimeters away from catching her.
Then, the gravity took over. Elena and Julian fell side by side, plunging into the dark, foggy abyss.
The icy wind roared in Elena's ears as she dropped through the mist. Below them, the wild, churning river slammed against sharp black boulders like a liquid monster. Within seconds, her body hit the freezing water with a bone-shattering impact.
The currents were vicious. The freezing water instantly filled her lungs, dragging her down into the pitch-black depths. She fought to swim upward, but the chaotic undertow spun her around like a ragdoll. Her vision began to blur, her oxygen running out as the dark water threatened to swallow her soul.
Is this how it ends? she thought, her consciousness slipping away.
Suddenly, through the dark, murky depths of the rushing water, a brilliant streak of silver light burst through.
A massive, powerful shape dove into the river. It was Ethan. He hadn't hesitated for a single second; he had jumped straight off the massive cliff into the treacherous currents to save his mate.
Even in the wild torrents, his midnight-black wolf form moved with supernatural speed and grace. He cut through the crashing waves, his glowing silver eyes locked onto her sinking body. He dove deep, his powerful jaws gently clamping onto the collar of her shirt, pulling her up with immense, desperate force.
With a massive splash, Ethan broke through the surface of the water, dragging Elena onto a small, secluded pebbled bank further down the river, completely hidden by the thick forest canopy.
The moment they reached the shore, Ethan shifted back into his human form. He was shivering from the freezing water, his chest heaving as he frantically pulled Elena onto his lap.
"Elena! Elena, open your eyes!" Ethan panicked, his voice cracking with an agonizing fear he had never felt in his entire life. He pressed his hands against her cold chest, channeling every ounce of his remaining Alpha energy into her. "Please, don't leave me. Wake up!"
Elena coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of freezing river water. Her chest heaved as she took in a sharp, desperate breath of air. Her vision slowly cleared, and the first thing she saw was Ethan’s pale face, his silver eyes filled with raw tears.
"Ethan..." she whispered, her voice incredibly weak and trembling.
Ethan let out a broken, shuddering sob of relief, burying his face into the crook of her neck, holding her so tightly it felt as though he wanted to merge their souls together. "I have you. I have you, my Luna. You're safe."
Elena wrapped her trembling, wet arms around his broad, warm shoulders. As they lay together on the dark riverbank under the pale moonlight, the chaotic sounds of the war faded into the distance. Julian was gone, washed away by the river, and the village forces were defeated.
They had survived the edge of the abyss. Standing on the ashes of the old world, a new era for the Midnight Pack had just begun—with a human queen ruling by the side of the supreme Alpha.
- Writer
