Shifting fates

Chapter Five: Gone

I can feel the ground shifting beneath me, but it’s not the soft earth of the forest floor anymore. It’s different—harder. The warmth around me feels familiar yet distant. My body aches with every inch of movement, but I can’t seem to pull myself together long enough to make sense of anything.

Lucian’s voice is a distant hum, too far away to understand. I try to speak, but my mouth is dry, like I’ve swallowed sand. My head feels heavy, a blur of images swimming in and out of focus—my mother’s cold eyes, the witch’s pale face, the pain, and Ellie’s wolf looming over me like a shadow.

Every time I try to think, the edges slip away, too foggy to grasp. I can’t hold onto anything long enough to make sense of it.

But then I feel it—his presence. Lucian. His warmth reaches me first—his bare chest against my skin, his scent wrapping around me. His hands are gentle as he lifts me, his grip strong and steady as he pulls me against him. His skin is warm against mine, grounding me even when nothing else makes sense.

His low voice rumbles beside me, but it’s muffled, distant. I can’t make out the words, but the sound of it soothes me, even as exhaustion and pain keep dragging me under.

Then I’m being lifted again, hoisted onto something solid—Lucian’s back. The muscles of his bare body shift beneath my hands, his skin firm and hot. For a brief moment, I feel the steady rhythm of his running, the forest blurring past in a rush. My arms hang loosely over his shoulders, my body draped over him, and all I can do is hold on.

I drift in and out of awareness, catching only pieces of the world around me. The sharp bite of cold air. The soft padding of Lucian’s feet on the ground. The thud of his heartbeat beneath me. His voice again—murmuring something I can’t quite register.

Time loses meaning. I don’t know how long it’s been when the night air starts to shift. There’s warmth again. The familiar scent of the pack’s territory surrounds me. Lucian slows, then stops. My head lolls against him, my body a dead weight, but I force my eyes open for just a second, desperate for something solid to hold onto.

The darkness presses in too thick to fight. I lose the battle.

When I wake, it’s somewhere familiar. Soft sheets beneath me. The scent of home. Lucian’s scent lingers close, wrapping around me like a cocoon. I feel his presence nearby—his breath steady, calm.

I don’t want to open my eyes. I don’t want to face what’s waiting. The ache in my chest is too sharp, too consuming. But eventually, I blink against the dim light of the room. My body is heavy, drained, like I’m made of stone.

Lucian sits beside the bed, his brows drawn together, watching me.

“Ray,” he says, his voice quieter than I’ve ever heard it. “What happened out there?”

I don’t answer.

His jaw tightens. I feel him shift closer. “I can’t feel your wolf anymore.” The words come out in a whisper, like he doesn’t want them to be true.

I swallow hard, keeping my eyes on the ceiling. If I look at him, if I speak the truth, it’ll become real. And I’m not ready for that.

Lucian exhales, sharp and frustrated. “Damn it, Ray. Say something.”

The silence between us stretches, thick and aching. Then he lets out another breath and rises from the bed. “Okay. Get some sleep.”

I listen to his footsteps retreat down the hallway, the sound fading until it’s just me and the quiet.

Instinctively, I reach inward—for her. For my wolf.

Nothing.

The emptiness slams into me like a punch to the gut. I try again, desperately clawing for even the faintest trace of her, but there’s only silence. A hollow void where she used to be.

A shuddering breath slips from me. The bond breaking. The agony. The way it felt like my soul had been split in two. Maybe it’s just a nightmare. Maybe when I wake up, everything will be back the way it was.

But deep down, I already know the truth.

They took something from me.

Something I’ll never get back.

The thought echoes in my mind as exhaustion pulls me under once more, dragging me into a restless, dreamless sleep.