I’m furious that this deranged monster broke into our home and threatened my omega and my pups.
One way or another, my pack and I are ending this today.
I can feel the fury radiating off Gunnar as we both bare our teeth at Zorin, snarling for him to stay back and away from the stairs.
There’s no way in hell I’m allowing him to get past us and touch our omega again. I messed up by allowing her to come down here by herself, and now I will set things straight.
To my surprise, despite his bleeding injuries, he manages to shift into his wolf form and struggles to his feet, the white of his fur stained red from our attack.
He growls at us, a deranged look in his eyes.
With a feral snarl, Gunnar lunges forward first, snapping his jaws viciously toward Zorin’s already wounded shoulder. Zorin twists away, narrowly avoiding the attack, then retaliates with savage fury, driving Gunnar back with a swift swipe of his paw. Gunnar tumbles sideways, crashing heavily into a wall with a painful grunt as the breath is knocked from his lungs.
I surge forward now, my tightly coiled muscles propelling me onto Zorin’s back.
I sink my teeth into his ruined shoulder, determined to incapacitate him while Gunnar catches his breath. Zorin lets out a fierce howl and thrashes wildly, trying to throw me off and dislodge my teeth. Blood flows freely from his wounds, staining both our fur and the floor a deep red.
With renewed vigor, Zorin throws himself sideways, slamming me into the basement wall. I let out an involuntary yelp, releasing his shoulder and collapsing onto the floor. Zorin staggers upright, preparing to attack again, baring his teeth at me.
My body aches as I struggle to my feet and glance around momentarily, checking to see if Lena and Max made it to safety.
Damon, watch out! Gunnar yells telepathically.
Suddenly, I feel a burning pain in my side. I howl in agony, fire consuming me from the inside out. Glancing down, I see a silver dagger buried in my flank.
Fuck.
The dagger is made of silver, with an intricate skull carved into the handle, and Zorin stands not far away. He’s shifted back into his human form, wildness in his eyes as he stares at me, blood dripping from his mouth as he cackles.
“If I can’t have her, you won’t either,” he says, laughing maniacally even though he knows it’s his last moments on earth.
Summoning whatever strength I have left, I throw myself at Zorin and slash his throat with my claws. He yelps, the sound gurgling as blood spurts from the wound. He grabs at his throat, desperately trying to stem the flow.
I collapse onto the floor, watching as Gunnar finishes him off.
Gunnar shakes himself off before propelling himself at Zorin again, clamping his teeth around the gaping slash at Zorin’s neck.
Zorin’s incapacitated form lies not far from me, his eyes blank and unseeing as he stares at the ceiling, a pool of blood slowly forming around him.
“Damon!” shouts Max as I slip in and out of consciousness. The fire from the dagger spreads through my body, causing me to black out.
I can’t shift back, drained of energy. My body feels spent.
I need to see Lena before it’s too late. And it’s the last thought I have before the darkness consumes me again.
Blinking, I wake up in a bright room I don’t recognize.
Sharp, sterile smells assault my nostrils. The lights on the ceiling nearly blind me, and the rapid beep of a heart monitor rings in my ears. The smell of disinfectant stings my nose, clean and clinical, and I realize I’m in a hospital room.
Gunnar is beside me, and I hear him exhale sharply when he sees I’m awake.
“He’s awake,” he announces urgently. “Thank god.”
I’m groggy, my body heavy as I try to turn my head. I see Max and Lena standing behind Gunnar.
Max has his arm around Lena’s shoulders, her face tear-stained and pinched with worry.
“Lena,” I rasp. “Are you okay?”
She steps forward and cups my face in her hands. Her touch is warm and angelic, and I thank all my lucky stars that I’m awake for just one more moment to experience it.
“I’m fine, Damon,” she says, but her voice trembles with fear, and her eyes are glossy with tears. “It’s you I’m worried about.”
“I’ll live, sweetheart,” I chuckle, then hiss in pain as the movement aggravates the wound on my side.
I glance down at my body and swallow hard when I see the blood-soaked sheet covering me. The stain is dark red and seems to spread further out the longer I look. My lower half is numb, and I’m glad about that since I see the dagger sticking out from the sheet.
“I know you will,” she whispers, sniffling as she wipes away a lone tear that has leaked onto her cheek.
“Excuse me,” a doctor says, approaching us with urgency. “I’m going to have to ask you all to leave now. We need to wheel Damon into surgery to remove the dagger. If we don’t act now, he’ll bleed out.”
Max and Gunnar nod and step back from the bed.
“We’ll be outside waiting for you, man,” Max says, giving me a reassuring smile. “You got this.”
“You’re one tough son of a bitch,” Gunnar adds with a wry smile as my head starts to spin from the medication in my IV line. “You’ll be just fine.”
Lena stares at me, looking like she’s about to cry.
She opens her mouth to say something, but no words come out. I look back at her beautiful face, warmth settling in my chest. Even though I’m weak and can’t comfort her the way I want to, I’m happy she’s here.
She is everything to me.
Gathering the last bit of my strength, I grab Lena’s hand and squeeze weakly.
“I love you,” I say softly. I can feel my strength fading with the effort of speaking, but I need to reassure her. “No matter what happens, I will always love you. If I don’t make it, Gunnar and Max will take care of you. I promise.”
“You will make it,” she sobs, cupping my face in her hands again. “You can’t talk like that, Damon. You have to come back to me.”
“I will.”
She kisses my face, her salty tears splashing onto my skin as she plants soft kisses.
“And I love you, too,” she whispers. “Nothing will happen to you, my love. You’re going to be all right.”
My heart soars at hearing her finally say the words.
It’s taken her some time, but I’ve known she loves me through everything she does. It means so much more to hear it. I give her a weak smile, the love in her eyes imprinting onto my memory.
The doctor finally ushers Lena aside, and she steps back into Max’s embrace. I watch them as I’m wheeled out of the room, my eyes never leaving hers until the swing of the operating room doors blocks her from view.
