Chapter 14
586words
With a surge of desperate strength, I twisted free and rushed to Derek. He had shifted back to human form, his body convulsing as silver poison spread from the wound. The guards advanced on us, sensing victory.
I stood over Derek's body, my silver wolf snarling a challenge. I would die before I let them touch him.
The first guard lunged. I met him head-on, my smaller form driven by pure desperation. We rolled across the floor in a tangle of fur and fangs. Pain exploded in my shoulder as his teeth sank deep, but I fought on, driven by something beyond physical strength.
Somehow, I drove them back. Both guards were bleeding now, wary of my silver wolf's fury. But I was weakening. Blood matted my fur, and my legs trembled with exhaustion.
Behind me, Derek groaned. I shifted back to human form and knelt beside him, pressing my hands to his wound. The silver dagger had gone deep, the poison already spreading through his veins in dark lines.
"Lena," he whispered, his face contorted with pain. "Take the evidence... go..."
"I'm not leaving you," I said fiercely.
The guards, seeing us vulnerable, began to circle again. We had moments at best.
I placed my hands over Derek's wound, calling to Silver with everything I had. The familiar warmth spread through me, but weaker than before. I was too drained, too injured to channel enough healing energy.
"It's not working," I gasped, panic rising. "I can't heal this."
Derek's eyes found mine, clarity cutting through his pain. "The Mate bond," he said, his voice barely audible. "Complete it. Now."
"What? Here?"
"It's our only chance." He gripped my hand with surprising strength. "If we complete the bond, we can share power. Your healing, my strength."
The guards were closing in, sensing our desperation.
"How?" I asked urgently.
"Blood and intention." Derek's breathing was growing labored. "A cut on each palm, hands clasped, while we both accept the bond."
Without hesitation, I grabbed a shard of broken glass from the floor. I sliced my palm, then his, pressing our bleeding hands together. Our blood mingled as the guards tensed to spring.
"I accept you as my Mate," Derek said, his eyes locked with mine. "In life, in death, in all that lies between."
"I accept you as my Mate," I echoed, feeling something ancient and powerful stirring between us. "In life, in death, in all that lies between."
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then energy exploded between our joined hands—not just the familiar electric current, but a tidal wave of power that knocked the breath from my lungs.
Silver light erupted from our clasped hands, filling the chamber with blinding radiance. The guards howled and retreated, shielding their eyes. I felt Derek's consciousness brush against mine—not words, but pure emotion and strength flowing into me. And from me into him, my healing energy, amplified beyond anything I'd experienced before.
The silver poison in Derek's wound began to recede, the damaged tissue knitting together before my eyes. At the same time, I felt my own injuries healing, strength returning to my limbs.
We rose together, still holding hands, the silver light surrounding us like an aura. The guards backed away, terror in their eyes. They had never seen the true power of a completed Mate bond—especially not with a silver wolf.
"Run," Derek commanded, his Alpha voice amplified by our combined power. "Tell Victor his time is over."
