đ Episode 42: Torn Apart
Lila's POV
The cabin was chaosâclaws, blood, and splintering wood. I swung the iron poker again, the vibration jolting up my arms as it smashed into a wolf's jaw.
"Ethan!" I shouted, but I couldn't see him anymore. The fight had pulled us apart, Marcus's wolves forcing me toward the far side of the cabin.
Panic clawed at me, but I forced it down. I couldn't afford to fall apart now.
One wolf lunged; I ducked, slamming the poker upward into its ribs. It yelped, collapsing. Another rushed me from behind, and I barely rolled aside as claws scraped the floorboards where I'd been standing.
I wasn't strong. I wasn't fast. But I had one thing they didn'tâiron and sheer will.
The bond pulsed faintly in my chest, but it felt⊠stretched, like a thread pulled too thin.
"EthanâŠ" I whispered, praying he could feel me.
Ethan's POV
I couldn't feel her.
The bond was thereâbut faint, weak, as though Marcus had wrapped it in shadows. My wolf clawed inside me, furious, wild.
Find her! it howled. Protect her!
I tried to push forward, but Marcus blocked me, his claws raking across my chest. The sting was nothing compared to the panic ripping through me.
"Where is she?" I roared.
Marcus smirked, blood dripping from his fangs. "She's fighting for her life. And you? You're fighting me."
I lunged, claws sinking into his shoulder, but he didn't even flinch. His laughter cut through my rage like a blade.
"You'll break, Alpha. Just like before."
The wolf surged, desperate to tear him apart. My vision blurred gold. I couldn'tâwouldn'tâlose Lila. But if I gave in to the wolf now, I might never come back.
Lila's POV
My arms ached, my body screaming in protest, but I didn't stop swinging. The iron poker connected again, sending another wolf sprawling.
For a moment, I allowed myself to believe I could win.
Then the last wolf lunged, larger than the rest, its eyes blazing with Marcus's curse. It slammed me against the wall, claws pinning my shoulders. I gasped, the iron slipping from my grip.
Its jaws opened, hot breath against my throat.
And thenâheat. The bond flared, fierce and wild.
"EthanâŠ" I breathed.
The wolf above me froze, its ears twitching as if hearing the roar building from deep within the forest.
Ethan's POV
I heard her.
Not her scream. Not her fear. Her voice. Soft, desperate. Calling for me.
The bond snapped tight, shattering Marcus's hold. The wolf inside me exploded free, golden fire burning in my veins.
Marcus's eyes widened a fraction as I bared my fangs. "Too late," I snarled, and tore free of his grip.
I was coming for her.
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âš End of Episode 42