Page 7 of Shattered and Saved

And I was the only one left.

“Koen…” an angelic voice sounded from behind me.

At first, I thought I had died and that a servant of the Moon Goddess had come to collect my soul. There was no way I could have been the only survivor of this massacre. But then, a hand rested on my shoulder, the familiar soothing touch too strong not to be real.

When I glanced over my shoulder, Avril was standing right behind me.

“Koen, let me help you,” she pleaded, reaching out for me.

“No!” I dodged her, my body shaking as I stared at the fallout of the bloodbath. “What have I done? How…how could I let this happen?”

“It’s not your fault,” she told me calmly. “You’re lucky you’re alive.”

Lucky?The word echoed in my mind. It sounded bizarrely macabre. What luck was there in being the last one standing - the alpha of a fallen pack?

“Come on, Koen, we’ve gotta go,” she continued, grabbing my arm. “You’re injured. We need to leave before more enemies come to finish you off.”

“Let them!” I roared, pain echoing in my voice as I shook her off me. “I’ll die here, with the rest of my pack.”

“Fine,” she sighed, stepping back. I thought she would grant my wish and leave me alone. But then her voice sounded again. “We’re doing this the hard way, huh?” Before I could process her words, she added, “This is for your own good.”

The next thing I knew, something hit me on the head, and I immediately passed out.

5

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K O E N

I woke upgasping for air.

The pain of feeling my entire pack die was like a thousand needles stabbing straight into my heart. It lingered, the ache reverberating through my body in shockwaves that never ceased. I was certain it must have been the echo of my shattered mind. What I had just endured was so agonizing, it was hard to believe it had truly happened. But the silence where their bond should have been - their souls forever out of reach - was too solid, too crushing. This wasn’t a nightmare I could wake from. It was the unbearable truth.

Yet, here I was. Awake. Alive. I had survived, only to carry the burden of having failed to protect my pack. But as my eyes burst open and I sat up in a rush, chest heaving in a frantic search for air, I asked myself -wherewashere?

There was nothing familiar about the cold stone walls surrounding me. The expensive room was dark, the few windows blocked with thick curtains. It was hard to see, especially when I couldn’t use my night vision. I tried reaching out to Col, but he didn’t respond. Although I could still feel him in the depths of my mind, it seemed he had entered a state of hibernation, probably induced by our heavy grief.

When I tried to move, my muscles burned, forcing me to stay still. Strangely, though, I didn’t feel any real pain. Upon closerinspection, I realized my injuries had been tended to, bandages carefully wrapped around them. What the hell was going on? I tried to recall the most recent events, but everything after my pack’s eradication was a blur. The only thing anchoring me, keeping panic at bay, was the familiar scent that filled the room - warm and comforting, like a promise of safety.

If it weren’t for the confusion, I would have identified who it belonged to before she walked into the room.

My eyes darted to the only source of light, coming through the crack on the door as it opened. “Hey. You’re up,” Avril spoke softly. She looked like an angel haloed in light.

What was going on? Why was she here? My head throbbed as I forced myself to think.That’s right- she had come to Whispering Hills, moments before the tragedy. She was also there afterward. I remembered her begging me to come with her right before I took a blow to the head. Did she hit me?

While I tried to process everything, Avril opened the curtains halfway, allowing the sunlight to partially illuminate the room. I watched as she pulled a chair close, sitting next to the bed. Her presence always soothed me; it was an effect of the mate bond, which I never stopped feeling. However, the same couldn’t be said about her expression. She eyed me with caution, uncertainty laced in her features.

“How are you feeling?” she quietly asked, offering me a glass of water.

I hadn’t realized how dry my mouth was until my eyes locked on the clear liquid. Accepting the glass, I took a large sip, thinking about my answer. The last time we spoke, I hadn’t been nice to her. I basically told her to disappear from my life, yet she came back. Why?

As questions arose, I completely forgot about answering her, focusing on my own doubts. “Where are we? Did you bring me here?”

She tensed up, but still nodded. “This is…my room,” she replied hesitantly.

“So, we’re at Azure Smoke?” I guessed, and she nodded her head in affirmation. “Do all omegas have rooms this big in your pack?”

Her eyes darted away from mine, and she started fidgeting with her hands. She was clearly nervous, and it made me anxious. “Are you in any pain?”

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