When Dawn Still Bled…
Dawn came softly.
Not with warmth , but with exhaustion.
Gray light crept through the tall windows of the packhouse, brushing over Elena's skin like a cautious hand. She lay curled against Lorenzo's chest, her cheek resting over his heart, listening to the steady rhythm that had carried her through the worst of the night.
He hadn't slept.
He couldn't
She knew it by the way his arms never loosened, by the tension still humming beneath his skin like a storm waiting for permission to break.
The heat inside her had dulled , not gone, but quieter now. Less fire. More ache. A lingering reminder of how close she had come to losing herself.
Her fingers twitched against his chest.
Immediately, his breath changed.
"Elena?" he murmured, voice rough with restraint and relief tangled together.
"I'm here," she whispered.
Those three words hit him harder than any battle cry.
His arms tightened just slightly, not trapping , anchoring. His chin rested against her hair, and she felt him breathe her in like he needed the proof that she was still real.
"You scared me," he admitted quietly.
Her throat tightened. She shifted just enough to look up at him, golden eyes meeting hers. There was blood still under his nails. Bruises darkening his jaw. The Alpha who had torn through a battlefield , now watching her like she might vanish if he blinked.
"I didn't mean to," she said softly.
"I know," he replied. "That's what terrified me."
He brushed his thumb along her arm, grounding her, grounding himself.
"You stayed," she whispered.
His jaw flexed. "There was never a question."
For a moment, they just breathed together.
Two hearts.
One bond.
Still learning how to exist without tearing each other apart.
"The Battlefield —Hours Earlier"
Marcus could felt it the second Lorenzo left.
The bond backlash hit the pack like a shockwave.
Power surged through the link, wild, unfiltered. Alpha energy spiked so violently it nearly knocked Marcus to one knee.
"Shit," Kieran growled beside him, slicing down a rogue. "He's gone."
"He's not gone," Marcus snapped, blood dripping from his blade. "He chose.
And the rogues paid for it.
Without Lorenzo's restraint holding the bond steady, the remaining warriors fought like demons. Rage sharpened them. Loyalty fueled them.
Marcus drove his sword through one rogue after another, his thoughts split between survival and the burning certainty thrumming through the pack link.
The Alpha was with his mate.
That mattered.
"Hold the line!" Marcus roared. "For the Alpha!"
"For Elena(the future Luna)!" Kieran shouted back, teeth bared as he tore a rogue apart.
And somehow , impossibly 'the pack held.
By the time the sun began to rise, the forest was quiet again.
Blood soaked the ground.
But the land still stood.
She felt it when it ended.
The tension in Lorenzo's body eased ,just a fraction. Like something heavy had finally been set down.
"They're safe," she murmured.
He stiffened. "You felt that?"
She nodded. "The bond… it softened.
His eyes searched her face, awe flickering there again. Not at her power , but at her awareness.
"You're stronger than you realize," he said.
She shook her head faintly. "I'm still scared."
He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers, voice low and steady.
"Good," he said. "That means you're still human."
His hand slid to her back, holding her closer ,not claiming, not demanding.
Choosing.
...…
Outside, the sun finally rose fully over the packhouse.
Inside, Elena rested against the Alpha who had crossed fire and blood to reach her.
And for the first time since her silence had been born in flames…
Morning didn't feel like something to fear. It felt like a peace to indulge in.