His hands fisted in the fabric at her back as if letting go might mean losing her too. His grief poured out unchecked-rage, sorrow, disbelief tangled together in harsh, broken breaths.


    ire turned away quietly, already moving toward the next wounded body.


    She didn''t look back.


    Ellie POV


    They took him from me at dawn.


    Not rushed. Not careless.


    With reverence.


    Moonstone healers wrapped my father''s body in white linen, each movement precise and deliberate, as if the ritual itself might anchor something that was threatening to unravel.


    Ancient runes glowed faintly along the fabric, a mark of honor reserved for alphas and those whose blood carried the weight of prophecy.


    I watched without speaking.


    The boys were safe at I''s apartment with her and Lance. This was no ce for them. They''d seen too much violence already today. I only hoped that they were too young to remember any of it.


    Nn stood behind me, his arms wrapped around my shoulders, holding me upright when my knees no longer trusted themselves. His grip was firm, protective-not trying to fix, not trying to soothe. Just there.


    As if by holding me, he could keep me from shatteringpletely. I didn''t know if what I felt was even fragile


    like that.


    It was more numb. I had thought for so long that I was the one who would die today.


    I thought that I would be forced to leave my family behind.


    Instead, my father threw himself in front of a blow meant for me. He took that pain


    and left this world so that I could keep living.


    I felt so incredibly selfish for letting him do it.


    And so immeasurably grateful that he had.


    Because of him, I would see my sons grow up. I would get to stay by their side and keep them safe.


    He did this to protect us. To give us all more time together.


    But it was time without him. He wouldn''t see the boys grow. He wouldn''t see Cassian be alpha.


    I couldn''t feel him anymore. When I felt for the goddess''s power, there was no hint left of my mother or ric.


    I should have been happy about that. It meant that they had moved on. That they were at peace.


    But it also meant that I would never speak to him again. I would never feel him again.


    Nn pulled me tighter against him.


    I let him.


    The healers lifted ric carefully, turning toward the waiting transport. For a moment-just a heartbeat-I had the irrational urge to step forward, to stop them, to demand more time.


    I didn''t.


    I knew better.


    I knew this wasn''t something time could fix.


    I knew that he had chosen this.


    That knowledge sat heavy in my chest, sharp and unyielding. He hadn''t stumbled


    into death. He hadn''t been caught unaware.


    He had seen iting.


    And he had stepped into it anyway.


    For me.


    For Cassian.


    For August andn.


    For a future he would never see.


    The prophecy echoed bitterly in my mind. The blood of Moonstone will be paid.


    It felt obscene now. Clinical. Detached from the reality of what it had cost.


    I knew-logically-that he was at peace. That he was with my mother again. That the vision we''d shared hadn''t been a trick or afort conjured by grief.


    I knew it was real.


    That didn''t help.


    Knowing he was happy somewhere else didn''t lessen the ache of his absence here. Didn''t quiet the hollow space where his steady presence had always been.


    Nn tightened his arms slightly, resting his chin against the top of my head.


    “I''m here,” he murmured, so softly it was barely sound at all.


    I nodded, unable to speak.


    The healers disappeared down the hall, carrying my father away from the packhouse.


    The door closed behind them.


    Something inside me went quiet.


    Not healed.


    Not whole.


    Just... still.


    I leaned back into Nn''s chest, letting his strength hold me up while the world


    rearranged itself around the absence of ric Moonstone.


    I knew this grief would not pass quickly.


    I knew it would shape me, harden some edges and soften others.


    I knew that loving someone like my father meant carrying him forward in the choices


    I made from here on out.


    But in this moment-


    None of that mattered.


    All that mattered was that he was gone.


    And no amount of prophecy, no vision of peace beyond this life, could make that loss feel anything less than


    unbearable.


    Cede is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a ir for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cede''s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.