Chapter 0335

"Can she return?"

"When a soul has fully departed, it cannot."

I lift the weapon, my finger resting on the trigger. My vision narrows until only her form remains. The surrounding voices fade into distant echoes.

Memories flood my mind. Our first meeting at the gates. Following her into the forest, watching her speak to herself—later learning it was her Wolf. Our first kiss. The softness of her skin beneath my touch. Her stubborn denial of her own snoring. She had let me in completely, and now I feel her fading away.

My chest tightens, making each breath a struggle. She was meant to be my lifelong mate, but grief consumed her. She was pushed out. She abandoned us.

I lower the gun and step back from the room. She was gone. Truly gone. That thing wasn't her.

Athena shouts orders about keeping Isabella contained. She appears in the hallway moments later. "You shot her."

"That isn't her." I meet my Alpha's steady blue gaze. Amid the chaos, she remains unnervingly calm. She sees what we cannot. "What would you do?"

"Lucas said her soul is gone. Do you feel it too?"

I nod. I've never wanted to hide from the world before. I've always confronted it head-on. But losing a mate is an agony unlike any other. It's a deep, consuming sorrow. Nothing makes sense anymore.

"She gave up." I slam my fist against the wall. "After everything we fought for, she fucking gave up!"

Athena stays silent. She lets me punch the wall repeatedly without flinching.

When I finally stop, my bruised knuckles are already healing, fueling my frustration. I turn to her. "Why are you so calm?"

"Give me your hand."

She takes my hand and presses it against her chest. Alexander would lose his mind if he saw this.

"The exterior doesn't always match the interior." I had once told her that. A reminder that things aren't always as they seem. Now she uses my own words against me, for Isabella.

Her heart beats steadily beneath my palm, but it's more than just a rhythm. It's a low, constant hum. Yet outwardly, she appears completely composed.

"I feel Alexander's pain, though he'd never admit it." She sighs. "I feel the loss of a friend. I'm trapped between impossible choices where every decision impacts everyone. You can't make this call about Isabella or... Julian." She frowns. "Neither can Alexander. This responsibility falls on me."

She turns toward the closed door where Isabella's voice demands release. "I am Alexander's Luna. I am the Lycan Alpha. Ending this suffering is my duty."

"Was this always his plan?"

"How could it be? He didn't know until he overheard Lucas discussing souls. Anyone else would be dead already. Isabella kept him clinging on just long enough for him to force his way in. We all fell for it except Charlotte."