Evaline:


    The wolves responded as I tightened my hold on them and guided them gently with renewed precision.


    "Come on…" I whispered, my voice steadier now. "You are almost home."


    Draven.


    I reached for him first. Not because he''s my mate, but because his wolf was the first to push against the final barrier between them. They were the closest to reconnecting among all the patients and their wolves.


    So, I guided his wolf down. Closer... and then... they connected.


    A sharp pulse exploded through the bond as his wolf mmed back into his body, raw and powerful, like it had been waiting for this exact moment.


    My breath hitched as for a terrifying second, the energy spiked too high, too unstable... but I was ready.


    I poured my power into him, steadying the merge, soothing the chaos, knitting soul and body back together with careful precision.


    Finally, the energy calmed and settled, now aligned. And then, it clicked I to cepletely.


    Draven... was back.


    A wave of relief hit me so hard it nearly knocked the breath out of me. He was fine. He was really, truly fine. Alive. Whole.


    Mine.


    My chest tightened as emotions threatened to overwhelm me, but I didn''t let them take over. There was no time for that as there were five more patients left to bring back.


    I swallowed hard and forced myself to move on.


    The second wolf was harder - Carson''s wolf. It resisted, not violently but fearfully. Like it didn''t trust the return.


    I softened my power around it, coaxing rather than forcing. And after several long minutes of soothing it into calmness, it slowly gave in... and merged.


    Once I was sure the body and wolf both were stabilized, I moved one to the warriors.


    One of their wolves nearly slipped. Its energy flickered wildly, unstable and chaotic, and for a split second, fear shot through me like ice.


    "No-"


    I tightened my hold instantly, pouring more strength into it, anchoring it before it could drift away again.


    "Stay with me," I breathed, my voice sharper now.


    It fought, resisted, but I didn''t let go. And finally, it settled too and merged.


    The fourth went smoother than any of the others and I was garetful for that. But the fifth, it was the worst.


    Itshed out violently, rejecting the body entirely as if the separation had broken something too deeply.


    For a heartbeat, panic wed at my chest.


    What if I couldn''t fix it?


    What if I lost one of them now... after everything?


    "No," I whispered fiercely, my jaw tightening. "You don''t get to give up now."


    I poured everything I had into that connection. Every ounce of strength I had, and slowly, it began to ept. It''s resistance weakened, and very slowly, the bond reformed.


    And finally, it merged.


    I exhaled shakily as I moved on to thest wolf remained. This one felt... tired. It wasn''t resisting or fighting like most of them did, it just seem... exhausted.


    I guided it gently, carefully easing it back where it belonged. There was no force, no urgency, just patience.


    And within seconds, it was done.


    All six of them... were back. Now whole again, and alive.


    My chest rose and fell heavily as I quickly scanned each of them, my power brushing over their bodies, checking for any instability, any disruption.


    But I found nothing to worry about. All of them were stable.


    It worked.


    We did it.


    But before the relief could even properly settle, a loud growl ripped through the chamber. It was so violent and furious, making the ground tremble beneath us.


    My head snapped toward the Great Evil. Without the wolves, it was unraveling.


    The witches stood firm, their voices rising together as the spell reached its final peak.


    I felt the shift instantly. The ancient power was overwhelming... final. It took full hold and light engulfed the writhing darkness, squeezing, tearing, breaking it apart at its very core.


    The Great Evil thrashed violently, its form distorting, copsing inward, and then... it shattered.


    For a single second, I just stared, but then... the impact hit. A wave of force so powerful it felt like it could rip the entire world apart surged outward.


    The chamber shook violently, the walls cracked, and the very foundation of the West Tower above us trembled as if it was about to copse.


    I reacted instantly.


    My power surged outward without hesitation, expanding rapidly into a massive shield. It wrapped around the patients, around my mates, around Rowan, Elion, the witches, Elder Ren, Healer Cao... and even beyond.


    It spread upward and then outward, wrapping around the very structure of the West Tower itself and holding everything together. And then it also wrapped around Jasper and the warriors waiting outside the tower.


    The impact mmed into my shield, hard and relentless. And for a second, it felt like it might break through, but I held my ground and forced it to hold as I poured everything I had left into it.


    We all watched as the Great Evil exploded into millions of fragments. The darkness broke apart into tiny pieces, only to turn into golden sparks under the magic of the spell.


    The once evil energy turned into something pure as the spell cleansed it and turned it into nothing.


    And then,plete and absolute silence filled the chamber as the force dissipated and the light faded.


    The darkness... the Great Evil... was gone.


    I stood there, barely breathing and my power still stretched wide around everything.


    "It is done." Elder Morwen''s voice cut through the stillness. "We have seeded."


    My chest rose sharply.


    "It is safe, Evaline. You may release your power."


    And slowly, carefully, I pulled my power back and let the shield dissolve.


    I released my hold on my mates'' strength as well, immediately turning my power toward them.


    They looked... exhausted. The strain was clear on their faces.


    I immediately let my healing power flow into them and stabilized their energy levels before they even noticed I was doing it.


    And by the look in their eyes, I knew they were not happy to see me straining myself further, and I knew exactly what wasing.


    I almost braced myself for it, but then, something else hit me.


    A pull.


    It was faint, but unmistakable.


    My breath caught as I felt the mate bond reawaken. My head snapped toward the patients and I realized something of them had already showed movements.


    "Eva-" someone started, but I was already moving.


    Rowan rushed to Naira''s side just as her fingers curled slightly.


    Elder Ren and Healer Cao moved quickly, checking the others.


    And me?


    I ran... straight to Draven.


    My heart pounded violently in my chest as I reached his bed and felt the bond tug clearer this time, strongly.


    For the first time in nine long months, our bond was blooming with warmth and life, and not coldness and emptiness.


    Behind me, I heard fast and urgent footsteps as River, Kieran, and Oscar followed right after me.


    But I didn''t look back. Because all I could see, all I could feel... was him.


    And he was finallying back to me.