Page 121 of Fated to the Rogue

Valentina smiled brightly at her. “I know you wanted to fight with us, but even if you didn’t, you saved a life.” She got teary-eyed once again. “You’re a hero, Amaya.”

“It was the least I could do.” The Beta Female lowered her head politely.

“Thank you so much, Amaya,” I had to tell her despite my struggle to speak. My voice was still weak, but at least I didn’t have to take a breath after spilling each word.

“We’ll leave you two to rest. Just link us if you need anything.” Zach gave me a curt nod. I forced a smile in response as he exited the room with the rest of our friends..

Once they were gone, I turned to look at my beautiful mate. We were in terrible condition, but we were breathing, somehow. As long as we were together, we would make it. I stared deeply into her serene golden eyes, and a weak smile played on her lips. Without saying anything, we both let our hands fall to the side of the bed and intertwined our fingers. Feeling her touch sent sparks of joy through my body. That alone made all of my pain go away.

“I love you, sunrise,” I whispered, brushing her hand with my thumb.

“I love you too, moonlight,” she replied. “And I always will.”

“From dusk ‘til dawn,” I completed with a chuckle.

***

Two days after my mate and I were brought into the hospital, we were feeling well enough to leave. The doctors advised us to take it easy and avoid stress for the following two weeks. We weren’t allowed to go back to training for another seven days, and Valentina seemed more upset about it than me.

Sadly, the first thing we needed to take care of upon our release from medical care was to organize a funeral for those who had lost their lives in battle, including my mate’s adoptive father. It rarely rained in Genoro during Spring, but as what was left of our pack all dressed in black to bury the fallen warriors, there was heavy rain. It was as if the Moon Goddess was crying with us, shedding her tears onto our backs as we howled together to guide the spirits of the wolves we had lost into her arms.

Valentina stood by my side, crying harder than most, while I gave a speech about how life is short and we must enjoy every second of our journeys. In all honesty, I knew it was all bullshit; nothing I said could bring anyone back. I just hoped my words would be enough to soothe the hearts of the wives, mothers, sons, and daughters left behind. They seemed to help my sunrise cope, and it was more than I could ask for.

In the evening, we welcomed the National Council into our pack for a visit. They congratulated us for having defeated the Fallen, thus likely saving our species as a whole. It seemed like such a major achievement, but it still felt so small. Aside from awarding each of my Elite members with medals, they also offered us financial aid for the next two years so we could rebuild our pack.

After my emotionally and physically exhausting first day out of the hospital, all I wanted was to lie in bed with Tina in my arms. However, the second we were alone in our room, I became restless. As the seconds went by, it seemed as though the emptiness I had always lived with grew larger and larger. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t shake it off at all. One look into my mate’s distressed eyes let me know that she felt the same.

“It’s finally time, Zephyr,”Dawn’s voice was serene as she spoke to me. “We have to mark our mate.”

“What? Now?”I cocked my head to the side.

Before she could answer me, Tina caught my attention. “Dusk is saying I should mark you…now.”

“Are you sure? We can wait,” I asked her, and she nodded. “Okay,” I sighed, moving closer to her.

Usually, the marking process was completed at the end of the mating process. Although not mandatory, it was traditional, since the pleasure helped ease the ache. But quite honestly, I had a feeling that Tina and I had grown tolerant of pain after everything we had been through.

Face to face with her, I lowered my lips to the spot connecting her neck and shoulders. She followed my lead. I took a deep breath of her calming scent to build my courage before actually doing anything. I waited another second to see if she would change her mind, but when she didn’t, I gently wrapped my arms around her waist.

Without hesitation, I sank my elongated canines into Valentina’s velvety skin, making her stiffen. At the same time, I groaned as I felt her pierce my flesh. We both pushed through the pain, biting deeper into each other’s necks to complete the marking process.

However, before we could celebrate, something out of this world happened. All the air was forced out of my lungs. My chest ached as if my insides were being twisted, and my head startedpounding. It was just for a millisecond, but I had the worst sensation in my life, like my very own soul was leaving my body. Just when I thought it had ended, things got even weirder.

“Hello, Zephyr.”A strong, deep male voice echoed through my head. It sounded imposing and intimidating.“We finally meet.”

My eyes widened in surprise as realization hit me.“Dusk? What… How?”

“The marking seals the prophecy to restore nature’s balance once again. Now that the greater evil has been defeated, so too will the good return to its original shape.”Did he mean that we had lost our powers? And that-“Dawn’s soul was switched with mine. Now, you and I are one, as it should naturally be.”

“Dawn’s inside my head,” Valentina stated in a mix of shock and confusion.

“And Dusk’s in mine,” I replied.

I had mixed feelings at the revelation. After not being able to feel whole for a lifetime, and having to share my body and soul with a female, I should finally feel complete again. Well, the emptiness inside me did vanish, but it was weird to not have Dawn around anymore. I couldn’t believe I was saying this, but I was going to miss her.

“Aw, you’re so cute. And remember, that actually means you’re a dork.”I was flabbergasted when I heard the awfully familiar, annoying feminine voice inside my mind again.“Don’t worry, you can still talk to me. But sadly, you won’t be able to shift into the most badass she wolf you’ve ever met.”

Nothing made any sense to me anymore.“How are you-”

---