Chapter 109

Harper’s POV

“Woah there.” Ronan catches me as my body falls back. “I think you need to rest, Luna.”

“I… is he breathing?”

I try to turn my head to look at Lucas, but the tears and exhaustion blur my vision. I dig my fingers into Ronan’s arm, needing something to ground me, to keep me here. If Lucas isn’t healed, I need to keep going.

“He’s breathing,” Ronan says softly while helping me sit up. “Look.”

Blinking, I do my best to focus on Lucas’s body. My eyes move from his bloody face down to his torso. His chest is finally rising and falling steadily. There’s no death rattle, no stuttering of breath, no blood seeping out.

The exhaustion rolls through my body with an unpleasant tingle. My magic and energy are drained, but relief fills me. With a whine, Erie lays down beside Lucas, her head on his chest and her body pressing against his side. She leans on him almost as if she’s listening to his heart, and I do the same.

I crawl over to Lucas, lean down, and press my ear to his chest. The steady, strong thump of his heart helps me breathe easier, and I finally let myself go. Like ice cream melting in the sun, I slump against my mate’s chest, closing my eyes and listening to his heartbeat.

Lucas is alive.

We healed him.

“I told you I’m not going anywhere,” he rasps softly, the sound scratchy and heavenly. I bite back a sob, squeezing my eyes tightly to stop the tears from falling. Something touches my head, and the soft, pleasurable tingle that always comes from his touch spreads through me. It dulls the magic deficiency symptoms, bringing forth a soft warmth.

“L-Lucas,” I whisper, my voice shaking. I lift my head slowly, and his hand slides down to the back of my neck, squeezing gently.

A lopsided grin pulls at his mouth.

Erie whines, leaning into Lucas as well, and I carefully shift my body to where I’m not putting as much pressure on him. Lucas lays his other hand on Erie’s head, scratching behind her ears affectionately.

The tightness in my chest eases slightly, but the sight of dried blood on his hands, face, and body still turns my stomach.

“I’m alright,” Lucas says softly, touching my face again. His touch is careful, gentler than I’ve ever felt, and I lean into his hand. More of those sweet tingles fill me, and I sigh again. “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere, Harper. I…” he pauses and pushes up. I move over to give him space, but my body is weak, and I start slipping to the side.

A squeak echoes through the silence, and as arms wrap around me, I realize the sound came from me.

“I’ve got you,” Lucas says, pulling me to his chest.

“No, your injuries—”

“Are fine,” he interrupts. He reaches up, grabs the back of his collar, and tugs his ruined shirt over his head. “See?”

I don’t want to look at the faint pink scars slice across his torso, a stark contrast to his regularly tanned skin. They’ve healed mostly, but there will always be marks to remind me that he nearly died today.

Reaching for my hand, Lucas takes my hand in his and carefully runs my fingers over the marks.

“You healed me.”

A huff from Erie makes Lucas chuckle and he revises his statement, “You and Erie healed me.”

“We did.”

“And I’m fine now, so you don’t have to worry. Everything will be alright.”

Nodding, I let Lucas’s words wash over me as I curl into his chest. I shouldn’t put pressure on him, but I can’t help it. Touching him is the only thing that can bring comfort right now. His touch, his scent, the growing mate bond… it all soothes my frayed nerves.

“You’ve taken down my golem,” a voice says, cutting through the silence. “If you’d been on time, you wouldn’t have needed to deal with my security system.”

Anger, like a blazing fire, rears its head, and I whirl around to face the woman standing at the tree line.

“Security system?” I hiss, standing on shaking legs. Lucas wraps an arm around me, his strength renewed before mine. “That—” I point at the fallen creature, “Is a monster!”

The woman tisks, shaking her head as she walks forward. Her steps are steady, confident, and full of power. I can feel her magic washing over me with each step she comes closer, and I can’t stop myself from sinking back into Lucas.

Her gaze moves from me to Lucas who stands behind me. If it weren’t for him, I think I would’ve sunk to the ground by now.

The woman’s dress flows like black liquid around her, and her dark hair spills over her shoulders, but her face is blank. There’s no anger, no approval… no emotion at all.

She nearly killed us, and she’s not even sorry. “Alpha Lucas?”

“Yes,” Lucas says, his voice still rough from strain. “We came to see you for the reunification ceremony. I told you we’d be here today by noon.”

She eyes him again, her bright blue eyes cold as ice. She studies the two of us for longer than seems appropriate before waving a hand. The golem creature disappears, and she turns, “Follow me.”

We follow the witch and her floating ball of light through the dark forest. My strength is slowly returning, but I don’t let that stop me from leaning into Lucas’s side. He hasn’t removed his arm from around me, and I won’t tell him to.

The crunch of leaves beneath my feet is loud in the silence that stretches for eternity. I feel like we’ve been walking for hours when it’s probably only been twenty minutes. Our pace is slowed, and each time I glance at the warriors behind us, I realize that they could be injured.

Ronan offers a kind smile, but it only reminds me that I used all my healing energy on Lucas and didn’t even think about them.

“We’re here,” the witch announces, stealing my attention.

The cottage sits in a small field of yellow and orange flowers, tucked among the trees. It’s almost welcoming… if we hadn’t nearly been killed while coming here.

“Your men can rest here while you two follow me to the back for the reunification ritual,” the witch announces. A table and chairs appear out of nowhere, filled with food and drinks for the warriors.

Lucas gently squeezes my waist while still leading me through the little cottage. We follow the witch into a small yard in the back and watch as she gathers items for the ritual. The air fills with smells of herbs and smoke as she lays out her supplies in a circle.

Like my mother used to do, the witch arranges candles, draws lines on the ground, and sprinkles herbs. She knees at the edge of the circle before looking directly at me and Erie.

“Please, sit,” she says firmly. “Your wolf soul on the left, and you on the right.”

I hesitate, unsure if it’s safe to enter the glowing circle. I mean, she did send that golem after us.

She notices my hesitation and speaks again, “If you’re both willing, and your connection is true, the reunification will not have any problems.”

This time, Lucas gently pushes me forward, and I step across the glowing line. Erie follows suit, sitting to my right just as the witch said.

With one more glance at Lucas, I take my seat within the circle.