Chapter 129
Nathan’s POV
She was finally here. Withane. In my pack house.
I sat beside her as the moonlight spilled across the blankets, lighting up her pale face and the silver hair spread over my pillow.
A slow breath left my lungs. Inside my head, Asher paced restlessly.
Finally. Asher voice sounded rough with relief.
I reached out carefully and brushed my fingers against Emily’s hand resting on the blanket. Warm. Real.
“With us,” I whispered.
Asher growled low in satisfaction. But then his attention shifted instantly to the silver collar wrapped tightly
around her throat.
Take it off.
My jaw tightened. I’d already tried. The second we got back, Blake and the doctors had examined it. Silver laced with witchcraft, every lock sealed with blood magic.
“We will,” I answered my wolf silently. “I’ll rip this damn thing off her if it’s the last thing I do.”
My eyes drifted back to her sleeping face, and the memories came rushing back.
The portal exploding. Rogues pouring out behind us. Emily collapsing against my chest the second she recognized ne. The way I grabbed her and ran.
I could still hear Marcus shouting behind us while my warriors held the line. “MOVE YOUR ASSES!”
The second we burst out of the cave entrance into the forest, Kane was waiting there, his thumb hovering right
over the detonator.
I didn’t even slow down. “BLOW IT!” I shouted.
Kane looked past me, his eyes wide. “Wait, where’s Owen?”
“Owen’s dead!” Marcus roared, sprinting out right behind us.
Emily was sobbing uncontrollably against my chest. Even through her tears and the absolute chaos, her fingers were locked in a death grip around something shaped exactly like a dagger.
“No, I’m going back!” Kane shouted, stepping toward the dark tunnel opening.
“I said blow it!” I commanded. My Alpha tone tore through the air, heavy and lethal, leaving absolutely no room for argument.
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The mountain exploded seconds later. Tons of rock crashed inward, sealing the tunnel and burying the portal along with every single rogue still inside.
I tightened my grip around Emily’s hand now. Too close. I almost lost her again.
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.
The door opened slowly, and my mother stepped inside. Her eyes softened instantly when she saw Emily sleeping beside me.
“How is she?” she asked gently.
I looked back at Emily. “Still sleeping.”
Mother’s gaze moved to me now, studying my face. “And you?”
I frowned slightly. “What about me?”
“Nathan…” She stepped farther into the room. “You haven’t slept at all.”
I looked back at Emily immediately. “I don’t want to.”
Because if I closed my eyes, what if she disappeared again?
Mother understood instantly. “Maybe you should eat something at least,” she said softly. “I can bring dinner.”
“No thanks.” My thumb brushed over Emily’s wrist. “I’m not hungry.”
Not for food, anyway.
Mother watched me for another second, like she wanted to say more. Instead, she just nodded and left the room.
The second the door closed, the room went completely still again Just me and the sound of her breathing.
I watched Emily for what felt like hours, memorizing every inch of her face all over again, needing proof that she
vas truly here.
**
Emily’s POV
I was dreaming. At least, I thought I was. Everything felt blurred and broken, like memories crashing into each >ther. The portal. Owen’s death. The blood. Declan’s voice.
Then suddenly, his hand grabbed me again.
I screamed, my eyes flying open as I shot upright in bed.
Someone beside me moved instantly.
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Panic spiked through my chest.
“No!”
I tangled myself in the blankets trying to escape, lost my balance, and crashed straight onto the floor beside the bed. The heavy blanket wrapped over my head completely, trapping me in the dark.
“Emily-”
A voice called out above me.
“Emily, it’s okay.”
My entire body froze. “…Nathan?”
Carefully, shakily, I pulled the blanket down from my face. And there he was, leaning over the edge of the bed.
Big. Warm. Beautiful. His dark hair was a messy wreck, like he’d been running his hands through it for hours. His golden eyes were filled with panic and relief all at once, looking at me like I was something precious he was
errified to break.
My heart ached just looking at him.
“Nathan…” My voice cracked.
I looked around wildly. My room in Nathan’s house. The window. The scent of pine and smoke. Home.
“I…” My breathing was shallow and uneven. “I’m really here?”
“Hey.” His voice dropped instantly, turning soft and soothing. “Easy, sweetheart.”
Nathan climbed off the bed slowly and crouched beside me, keeping his movements deliberate so he wouldn’t
startle me.
“Can I touch you?”
The question wrecked me. After everything Declan had done, after everything he’d taken–Nathan still asked for
permission.
Tears burned my eyes. I nodded.
The second I did, Nathan slid his arms around me and lifted me off the floor like I weighed nothing. I curled against him automatically. Safe. Damn it, I was finally safe.
He sat back against the side of the bed, holding me tightly in his lap. He just held me, needing to physically feel that I was alive. He buried his face in my hair, breathing me in.
“You scared the hell out of me,” he whispered roughly.
A sob caught in my throat. I clutched his shirt tighter. “You’re really here,” I whispered back.
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Nathan pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes tracking slowly across my face.
Then his gaze landed on the silver collar around my neck, and something murderous flashed through his
expression.
I felt his entire body go rigid beneath me.
“I’m going to kill him,” Nathan said quietly He wasn’t loud. He wasn’t dramatic. He was just deadly certain.
Then his expression softened the second he looked back at me. His hand slid gently into my hair.
“You know what the worst part was?” he whispered.
I shook my head slightly.
Nathan’s posture went stiff. “I stopped being scared that you were dead.”
I stayed completely still, waiting for his next words.
“I got scared you forgot me.”
Something inside me completely cracked. Then he pulled me close again, pressing a hard kiss against the top of
ny head.
“I’m never letting you go again.”
Honestly? I could.have stayed right there forever. Wrapped in his arms. Breathing him in. Safe. Home. For the first
:ime in weeks, everything felt peaceful.
Then suddenly-
KNOCK KNOCK.
The bedroom door cracked open, and Liam’s head popped through the gap. The second he saw me awake, the door flew wide open.
*EMILY!”
Before I could even react, Liam practically launched himself across the room. Nathan and I barely had time to move before Liam crashed into us, wrapping us both in a crushing, overexcited hug.
“Holy shit, you’re alive!”
I actually laughed. A real laugh. The sound surprised even me.
“Liam-”
“I’m so happy you’re back!” he kept rambling loudly. “Do you know how depressing Nathan’s been? He was literally staring at walls-”
Nathan’s expression darkened. “Liam.”
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and growling at peuple.”
“Liam.”
“And honestly? Super concerning behavior from-”
“YOU’RE CRUSHING HER.” Nathan’s voice cut through the room sharply.
Liam immediately jerked back. “Oh, shit–sorry.” He looked genuinely horrified now. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
I shook my head quickly, smiling despite myself. “No. I’m okay.”
Liam just stood there, staring at me for another second like he still couldn’t believe I was real, like I might lisappear if he blinked.
Nathan growled impatiently beside me. “What did you want?”
The irritation in his voice was obvious. I could feel how badly he wanted everyone to leave. Honestly, so did I.
There was still so much I needed to tell him.
Liam straightened up. “Oh. Right.” His expression shifted. “I brought the witch.”
Every ounce of warmth vanished from my body instantly. “…What?”
“She says she might be able to remove the collar.”
Everything froze. The collar. Damn it, I’d almost forgotten it was still there.
Panic hit me so hard my chest went tight. Because if they removed it, Nathan would see.
The mark. Declan’s mark. Hidden right beneath the silver.
My stomach twisted violently.
“No.” The word escaped too fast. Too sharp.
Both Nathan and Liam looked at me instantly. Nathan frowned slightly. “Emily?”
My pulse started racing. Think. Think.
“I mean…” I swallowed hard. “What if it hurts? The magic on it,”
୮
“If it hurts, we stop immediately,” Nathan said softly. His hand covered mine. Warm. Protective. Trusting.
The guilt nearly choked me. Because he still didn’t know. He didn’t know another man’s mark was burned into my
skin.
Nathan stood up slowly, keeping one hand on me. “It’s okay,” he murmured quietly. “You’re safe now.”
But my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. I suddenly realized something horrifying.
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had escaped Declan. But his mark had escaped with me. Would Nathan accept it? And what would happen to us
BOW?