Page 67 of The Wolf

What if that fucking demon was trying to tell me something? What if… There’s only one witch powerful enough to…

No! This can’t be!

“I’m sorry,” I mouth, spinning around and Irun.

With a bellow, I shove the soldiers blocking my way aside. I can’t find even an ounce of care right now. There’s only one thing I care about now.

“Alexander!” I hear their calls behind me, but I don’t look back. I know I should stay, fight, and finish what we started. But I can’t. I can’t ignore the pull inside me, the desperate need to run to Julia. The consequences don’t matter. Nothing matters but her. She needs me.

I can’t lose her.

I sprint as fast as it’s possible, heedless of the soldiers still firing, of the growing danger, of anything but the gnawing need to get to her. I don’t slow down. I push forward, claws tearing into the sand, each heartbeat a countdown. I don’t give a damn that I’m exposed, that I’m alone. My body moves on autopilot, my mind consumed by a single thought. I push through the pain, the blood loss, the betrayal of the beings I’m supposed to lead. They’ll understand. They have to.

I have to get to her.

I’m already miles away, but the blast of Satan’s unleashing a final inferno that engulfs the entire area with a nuclear-level force can’t be missed. The explosion is blinding, a towering pillar of fire and ash that reaches into the heavens. The ground quakes violently in a tidal shockwave even at such a distance, and for a moment, it feels like the world itself might split apart. But the image of Julia’s beautiful face, her warmth, her sweetness is all I can see. All I can cling to.

I’m coming, Julia. Hold on, baby. Please… hold on.

22.

Queen

Panic doesn’t even begin to cover what I’m feeling. My heart pounds like it’s trying to escape my chest, and my hands are clammy, shaking as I grip the edge of the window frame in the grand sitting room as if it could fix the service issues. Apparently, I passed out and the gargoyle moved me in here from the castle’s lawn. I’m not entirely sure how much time has passed but I still can’t contact Alex.

Something is wrong—terribly, horribly wrong.

Yet, I’m alive. That has to meanhe’sstill alive. Right?

I close my eyes, willing myself to focus, trying to push past the rising tide of terror before I blackout again.

“You’re overreacting,” the gargoyle says, hovering deeper in the room behind me. “He’s probably just busy.”

“No, you don’t get it.” I glare at him over my shoulder. “I don’tfeelhim!”

“It’s impossible. The mating bond is unbreakable.”

And then I hear it—his voice, faint but desperate.Julia!

My breath catches, and relief washes over me in a single, choking wave. “Alex!” I shout out loud, my voice trembling.

Julia!

I hear you,I assure him.What happened? I was losing my mind.

Listen to me. I was on my way to you and got attacked. I’m wounded. Baby, I need you to help me.

His words stab at my chest. My strong, unshakable Alex, sounding...weak.

Where are you?

Close to the Veil. Head to the South. Hurry!

That’s all I need to hear. I don’t even think. My legs move before my brain can catch up, carrying me out of the room and through the winding halls of the castle. My boots echo against the stone, my breathing shallow as I race for the main gate.

But the massive form of the gargoyle blocks my path before I reach it. “What are you doing?”

I skid to a halt. “It’s Alex! I need to get to him!”

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