Page 89 of The Fate of Eternity

It doesn’t matter, though. I’ll rise above it.

Acutely alert, I search for my father, desperate to put an end to the misery, but when I find him, he’s not alone. My pulse thunders in my ears, muting the noise around me, but the growl that vibrates from him grows weaker as another wolf heaves off him.

Panic sets into my bones at the sight of the white wolf, but a quick shift to my left and I see my girl. It’s not her. The wolf looks so familiar, though. Sensing my approach, the white wolf in question turns, tilting their head back to look over their shoulder and it all makes sense.

Addi’s mother.

She slinks back a step, then another, and another, her head dipped as she retreats, offering my father to me on a platter. I falter, unsure if I should continue now that she’s helped, but Dalton reacted first. I think.

Peering around at the gathered wolves, I pause, waiting to see if anyone else is willing to interject, but even as I begin to approach my father, no one steps in. Blood stains his fur, pooling at his side as he pants in short, sharp breaths.

He’s dying.

He just needs a little help toppling over the edge.

His glazed eyes find mine before he shifts, the remnants of a broken man lying in his wake. “C-Cass-Cassian,” he croaks, feebly lifting his hands to his throat in a failed attempt to stop the bleeding. “Help. Me,” he chokes, wild eyes searching mine, and I frown.

He can’t be serious, can he?

This man has done nothing but break me. Repeatedly. I was convinced I would never heal, that it was never even remotely a possibility, but the woman standing across the way, she’s proved it all wrong.

Glancing over my shoulder at her, I see the worry in her eyes, the pain in her rigid frame, and my heart aches, not just for me, but for her. Helping him would only serve as an opportunity for him to continue his torment, not just on me, but her too.

My body relaxes, the thrumming through my veins dulling in comparison to the desire I have to bring this to its end. I feel nauseous as I shift, my human form carrying the same struggles, cuts, and bruises as my wolf, yet I manage to remain standing over my father.

“You don’t deserve my help,” I rasp, dropping to my knees as his eyes grow wide with panic. “You don’t deserve anything. Not from me, not from any wolf here, not even from Dalton. Your time is over. I hope you enjoy spending eternity in the afterlife, watching me correct all the wrongs you made.”

Taking a deep breath, I focus on my wolf and shift my hand. Claws protrude from my flesh, making me hiss, but I want to see him through my eyes as he takes his last breath. His lips part, ready to make one final plea, but I’m done listening. I’ve been done for a long time.

Before a single syllable can be spoken, I slash my claws across his throat, draining the remainder of his blood in oneswift move. Garbled chokes echo around me until his body goes limp.

The forest remains silent, drenched in blood and stained with the challenge that will forever be remembered tonight. Rising to my feet, the pain at my neck growing unbearable, I search the eyes watching me until I find exactly who I’m looking for.

Dalton.

Crazed eyes glare back at me from where he lies nestled beneath the weight of another wolf. Not just any wolf. Those piercing green eyes looking at me with a sense of care that can’t be named. The level of care he promised to always offer the day Janie took me into her fold.

Jake.

I nod, silently communicating my thanks, and he takes the hint, releasing the fucker from his grasp. Dalton bucks quickly, pounding across the dirt without thought, and I brace for impact, ready to tear him to shreds too. But the wait lasts longer than expected when he detours at the last second, leaping just out of reach and colliding straight into the kneeling white wolf.

No action is quick enough to stop the inevitable. Time slows as Dalton’s rage splatters the ground in thick crimson.

One beat of a heart. That's all it takes to kill another.

One beat of a heart, and then it’s all gone.

One beat of a heart, and the afterlife gains another citizen.

One beat of a heart, and all the unspoken words cease to exist.

One beat of a heart, and Addi’s mother joins my father.

44

ADRIANNA

Ichoke on a gasp as I watch Cassian fall to his knees. The world shifts in slow motion, playing out like a movie scene. I can’t breathe. My feet are carrying me before I even realize it as I drop to the dirt beside my wolf.

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