Page 37 of Alpha Bride

“You have to get out of here,” I bellow at Emily, but she shakes her head.

“I’m not leaving you,” she replies, “we have to finish this.”

Just then, Malik breaks free of his temporary forest prison, rising to his full height and towering over us. His eyes glow red with rage, and the ground beneath us trembles. Emily instinctively steps closer to me, and I slip my hand into hers. The words are unspoken: I don’t know if we can defeat him, but I’ll die trying to save her if it comes to it.

With a roar, Malik launches himself at us, and I brace for impact, preparing to use the last of my power to protect Emily and our unborn child. I raise my hands, summoning the wind to try and hold him back, but just as we’re about to collide, a blast of white-hot lightning explodes around us, and Malik’s dragon screeches in either rage or pain, I’m not sure.

Turning, I see Callum and Aiden, along with some of their betas. There’s no time to even greet my brothers as we move in unison, our powers flowing as we unleash a volley at Malik that forces his dragon into the air to evade us. Suddenly, Emily is by my side, and I see her hands form a ball of dark energy, which she fires directly at one of Malik’s wings. Black blood gushes from the wound as the dragon flails in the sky, looking as though he may crash into the tree canopy.

Suddenly, though, he rights himself, his gaze fixed on Emily. Banking hard, he swoops down and fires directly at her. I don’t even have time to think before pushing her out of the way,the fiery magic hitting my side and lighting up my whole body. I scream, but no words come out before everything goes black.

***

I regain consciousness and find Emily standing over me, facing Malik as she seems to transform before my very eyes. Her hair lights up from within in a golden glow, her feet lifting off the ground, and her energy seems to engulf her in a haze. Malik’s dragon appears to try and turn away, but she doesn’t give him a chance; she fires again and again—pure black magic straight at his chest. The dragon howls and fires back, the shots raining down on the forest. I hear screams all around as shifters, what’s left of the rogues, and witches all run for cover.

My brothers are standing with Emily. Malik’s power is immense, but with all three focused on him, they appear to be turning the tide. I stagger to my feet, using the last of my energy to summon a huge blast of wind that obviously takes Malik by surprise as he slams against the rock face nearby. Shrieking with rage, he pushes off the rocks and blankets the forest with a volley of dark energy. I dive on top of Emily, pulling her underneath me as we all brace against the impact. As the dust settles, I jump up, searching the sky for Malik, but he’s gone.

“Did anyone see where he went?” I call out, but only a few murmur in response.

The forest is torched with small fires burning all around. I look down and see Emily crumpled on the floor, her skin deathly pale. Crouching down, I lift her into my arms. “Em, are you okay?” I whisper frantically, “Talk to me.”

Callum puts his hand on my shoulder. “Get her back to town. We’ll take care of this,” he says, gesturing to the fires.

Nodding, I set off along the trail with Emily in my arms. She only murmurs without regaining consciousness, but at least I know she’s alive. “Just hang on, love,” I whisper, trying not to let the panic take hold. I have no idea what all this may have done to her, to our baby.

One thing becomes clear as I approach the town—the rogues have been almost completely wiped out. Bodies litter the trail, and from the numbers, I’d assume this was most of his rogue army. I spot some of my brother’s betas rounding up the few rogue survivors. If Malik thought our island was divided after Ralph’s death, he was wrong. My brothers came through for Emily and me today. Malik is badly injured, hopefully dying somewhere, and without his rogues for once, I can see an end to all this. But none of that matters without Emily and our baby.

Rushing through the town square, I see Marian with our pack medic leaning over an injured witch. The scene is chaotic, with pack members running around, tending to the wounded, and checking on each other. Marian seems to sense our arrival and looks up, her eyes widening before she’s on her feet, heading toward us. “Emily?” she asks, looking at her stricken form in my arms. “What happened? Where’s Malik?”

Swallowing hard, I nod toward the forest. “Defeated, I hope,” I say. “Certainly very injured, thanks to Emily, but we don't know more yet. The baby?”

Marian nods grimly as she directs me toward the hall and what appears to be a makeshift clinic. “Bring her here,” she commands, gesturing to a bed in the corner.

Emily stirs throughout the examination but doesn’t regain consciousness. Marian calls the coven healer over, and they begin to check her over. I can’t help but feel useless asI stand there watching them, waiting for any sign of life from Emily.

After what feels like hours, Marian approaches me. “The baby is safe,” she says, and I feel like all the air has been knocked out of me with pure relief. “Emily is exhausted. Her magic is untrained—unknown, really. She has obviously pushed herself beyond her body’s rhythms. She’ll wake up when her body has recharged.”

Marian sounds so confident and even…caring. It almost takes me aback. I put my hand on her shoulder, and we both flinch a little at the unusual move. “Thank you, Marian,” I say, my voice filled with sincerity and respect. “I owe you and the witches a great debt for all your help.”

If I’m not mistaken, the usually stoic witch’s eyes go slightly glassy for a moment as she nods, but within a flash, it’s gone, and her usual demeanor returns with a vengeance. She shrugs me off and walks away, turning to look over her shoulder and replying breezily, “A witch always collects, Alpha.”

With that, she walks away, and I pull up a chair next to Emily, taking in her pale skin and the tiredness marring her features even in sleep. I run my hand through her hair, hoping she can feel the love in my touch. I know I’ve been a complete ass to her, but now that I know she’s my mate, everything feels different. She never bewitched me; it was the natural mates' bond, and I was too stupid to see it. Despite everything, she fought by my side like a warrior, and is carrying our child. I owe her everything and just want a chance to beg for her forgiveness.

As the night wears on, the clinic around us remains busy with all the injuries, but our corner of the hall is quiet. Eventually, I hear a soft sound and look up to see her eyelidsflickering open as she looks around, confused. I reach over, grasping her hand. “Thank the goddess,” I murmur.

Her hands are uncoordinated but move up to rest on her stomach. “T-the baby?” she asks, her eyes filled with concern.

“The baby is fine,” I assure her, “you just needed a rest.”

She nods at that, visibly relieved. Silence falls for a moment, but I know I need to say what’s on my mind now. I can’t wait any longer. “I’m so sorry,” I blurt out. “I didn’t get a chance to explain earlier. I know you didn’t bewitch me; it was the mate bond. My wolf tried to tell me so many times, but I didn’t listen. I let my stupid prejudice about witches cloud my judgment, and I’ve treated you so badly. I want you to know how proud I am of you, how much I want this family…how much I love you.”

She stares at me, her emerald eyes incredibly hard to read. Despite the number of people in the hall, it seems to have gone very quiet. I suddenly realize I have never been this vulnerable. Ever.

Her hand, which has been resting on her stomach, slides over to mine, and I hold my breath. “I love you, too,” she says quietly.

I exhale a shaky breath, relief coursing through me. “I can’t believe I almost lost you,” I whisper, brushing her hair back from her face. “I will spend a lifetime proving I’m worthy of you.”

She smiles weakly. “You’ve always been worthy, Tristen,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe you had to figure that out for yourself.”

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