Page 4 of Fated for Dawn

Where was everyone? Where were the guys?

Alister was gone. He had sacrificed himself for me.

A sob of agony tore from my throat, a sound so raw and primal it barely felt human. The pain of his sacrifice ripped through me, more excruciating than any physical wound. It felt like my very soul had been severed; the bond between us breaking shredded the deepest part of me, the part that knew I would never recover from this.

What was I supposed to do now?

I had no idea.

2

Evelyn

Isat in the field, the remnants of the battle eerily absent—as if it had never happened. No broken bodies, shattered earth, or even a single drop of blood to stain the ground.

It was as though the earth had swallowed every trace, erasing it all.

But it couldn’t erase the void inside me.

The silence pressed down, amplifying the hollow ache Alister’s sacrifice left behind. I curled into myself, knees tucked to my chest, holding on so tightly it hurt, trying to hold the pieces of me together—because if I didn’t, I might shatter completely.

My wings popped out, securing themselves around me. But the void where Alister had been wasn’t just empty—it was ravenous. It pulled deep and wide at the edges of my soul, daring me to fall into the abyss.

For a fleeting moment, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to resist.

I wasn’t sure if I even could.

Wings beat the air, followed by pounding footsteps. I lifted my head, and my vision blurred with tears. Relief surged through me as I saw the guys sprint towards me. The sight of Lucien riding a hellhound, clinging to its fur for dear life, should have made me laugh, but I was too broken to find the humor.

Behind him, Rafe and Ryker flew, their wings slicing through the air. Chad blurred mid-run, shifting into his human form and sending Lucien to tumble off. Rafe swooped down and caught him effortlessly just as he was about to crash to the ground.

Before I could react, Chad barreled into me, his arms wrapping around me so tightly it hurt.

“Little witch!” he cried, squeezing me harder. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

The others closed in, each taking their turn to hug me fiercely. Their warmth wrapped around me, grounding me in the present. They were okay—all of them.

Chad pulled back just enough to look me in the eye. “Where’s Alister?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

The mention of his name shattered me all over again. My heart tightened, and tears spilled hot and fast down my cheeks. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop them.

Rafe’s voice was quiet. “A sacrifice had to be made.”

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. They embraced me again, passing me from one set of arms to another. Each hug brought a new wave of emotion—relief tangled with sorrow, love entwined with pain.

Lucien held me tight, his whisper barely audible. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

Confusion cut through the fog of my grief. I blinked at him, wiping my tears. “What do you mean? The battle was only moments ago.”

Lucien shook his head. “Evelyn, you’ve been gone for over a year.”

The words rooted me in place, cold shock rippling through me. I looked at each of them in turn, taking in their worn faces—dark circles under Lucien’s eyes, the stubble on Rafe’s usually smooth jawline, and the hardened edges of Chad and Ryker’s expressions.

A year.

An entire year had slipped away.

The weight of those lost months was etched into their faces. My heart ached as I took them in, realizing how much they had endured in my absence.

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