Aidenâs POV
I was sure I was dead. I had no energy to force myself up off the floor where I had landed, running from the Luna and her unsavory friend. My body hurt, my legs felt like they were made of led, and I had been thrown into the sea and sinking fast. I was sure Iâd never wake up again if I just gave in.
Shadows constantly sang to me, trying to drag me back under, calling me back to their dark embrace.
âNo, Iâm needed here; she needs meâ, I mumbled in my sleepy haze. Then, finally, I had to force myself up. I donât know how long I had lain here in the dark, my back pressed against the cold wooden door. But I didnât care.
âAiden, where are youâ Aylaâs voice tickles my mind. But could it really be her, now that Alune had control of her body? Could she still reach me if she wanted to?
âAyla, babe, is that youâ I call out desperately to her, needing to know if she was there, if she was okay and how I could help.
âAiden, sheâs sleeping; itâs the only time I can reach you,â she told me, sadness etched into her voice.
âWhat can I do? Tell me, and Iâll do everything I can to fix this,â I promised her; she was the only thing I would bother fighting for right now. The shadows were making me promises that I was struggling to resist as if I had a choice, I had stepped too far, and I couldnât pull myself back alone. The only thing tethering me here was my mate, my Ayla, and I would make anything happen for her.
âI donât know, but Iâm scared. My soul is melded to hers. I donât know if there is a way to fix that,â she sobbed, and my heart broke. My girl had been through so much in such a short amount of time. No one should have to deal with that much.
âHold on, beautiful, I am coming, I promise,â and I meant it; I would find a way, anyway, to fix this, even if it were the last thing I would do.
âBrother, where the fuck are youâ Axel growled through my mind.
âIn here, assholeâ, I grumbled back. I was still pissed at him for restraining me as he had.
âI can feel that youâre still pissed at meâ, he sniggered back, only making me angrier.
âIâd rather focus on other thingsâ I wasnât happy, but I knew it was my connection to the shadows making me feel and act this way, I know I had a very serious side, but I didnât normally have a pissed-off constant asshole side.
âWe are coming to get you, we need to talkâ I felt his fear and concern, but I knew it wasnât about me, which was a relief but also a bit insulting. I was in this situation because they couldnât control the shadows as I could. So if you thought about it, it was their fault I was in this mess.
A knock came on the other side of my door. They found me quickly once I sent them the image of how to find me. Twisting around, I pushed the door open with limited energy.
âWell, arenât you a fucking mess,â Archer says as he reaches down to give me a hand up.
âYou would be too if you had just done what I didâ, I grumbled but refused to snap, restarting our fight again.
âThatâs one of the things we need to discuss but not the only one. I want to go back to one of our rooms, and then we can talk there,â Axel said, he sounded worried, and it was making me on edge.
âFine, give me a hand up. Iâm spent; I could sleep for a month, no joke, Iâm exhaustedâ I exhaled and braced myself to push myself up.
âWhat the hell happenedâ Axel looked shocked when I stood up fully; I didnât even dare to look at myself; I could guess how awful I looked from how I felt.
âJust trust me when I say playing in the shadows is not as fun as you would thinkâ, I sighed.
âHmm, did you stop the spell, as Aleena wanted?â he asked me, more concern flooding his face.
âYes, but I donât know for how long; Iâm not sure if they will try again or if it worked completelyâ, I admittedâhating that I wasnât one hundred per cent sure.
âRight, come on, letâs get you out of here and in your room, then we can talk properly. Are you sure you can walk,â Archer asked as he grabbed my elbow to steady me? I was not ready to walk, but if they saw me, and I wasnât my usual self, I would be fucked; they would know it was me, and Ayla would be in danger. I know they would target her. Ayla said Laura had never been overly loving to her, unlike Michael. And seeing as Michael was Lauraâs target, Iâm sure they would also use Ayla to hurt him.
âJust stay close, I need to look normal, but I need your help to make it there, okay,â I told them, swallowing my pride.
âDo my ears deceive me? Did the mighty Aiden ask for helpâ Axel mocked me, and I had to smile; he was right; I wasnât one to ask for help often, if at all.
âShut up and help me alreadyâ, I growled in warning.
âAh, there he is, the Aiden we all know and love,â Archer muttered as he shunted me onto my feet with our brotherâs help.
Walking back through the pack house, I hoped and prayed not to bump into anyone, especially not the Luna and her twisted little friend. However, it was still dark out, so not much time had passed, which should go in my favour.
The stairs were the hardest to navigate, I had to lean on Archer and Axel more than I wanted to, but there was no other way. When we reached the last step, I was sweating and breathing hard.
âAlmost there, just keep goingâ, Axel encuraged me on. I hated how much I needed them; the feeling of being inadequate took over me, and I wanted to sag to the ground.
âGet your arse up and moveâ, Blaze barked in my mind, spurring me on; he knew I needed him even if I wasnât aware. The shadows had pushed Blaze back from me, he was harder for me to reach, but I could always feel him.
âArch, get the door,â Axel told him as he took my total weight.
âUgh, I grunted as my weight shifted, and I almost fell. The door flew open, and Archer was right back on my other side, tugging me back up and helping Axel to drag me over the threshold.
The last few steps were the hardest I had ever taken, like running three consecutive marathons back-to-back.
âOn the bed with youâ, Archer spoke through gritted teeth as he heaved me up and onto the bed.
Bliss, the bed, was absolute heaven; my body gave in and sank into the softness of the bedding. If I could, I would sleep the hell out of it, but I knew my brothers needed to talk; they had something important they wanted to tell me. Although, with how things were going lately, I donât think I really wanted to know.
âGo on then, tell me what is going onâ, I sigh, refusing to open my eyes.
âTitan is missingâ, Archer blurted out. No easing me in or anything, just bam, hereâs the bad news.
âWhatâ I sat up and stared at him, energy surging through my body too quickly; it made me dizzy. âHow can you lose your wolf?â I couldnât get my head around what he had just said.
âI donât know; heâs not here anymore. Ever since Ayla brought me back through the planes, I canât hear him or feel him; he wonât respond when I call,â he paused, âand I canât hear you guys through our link either, but you can still hear me.â
I could feel Blaze pushing his will over me, but I knew right now wasnât the time to let him take control; I barely had control, thanks to the shadows, I couldnât allow my wolf to come through. I know he was angry and worried; I was too. But there was no way I would let one of the strongest wolfs around control my shadow-stained body right now.
âNo, Blaze, not now; I will fix thisâ, I barked out loud, pushing my other half back. Knowing I would pay for it later. I could see Ace blazing in Axelâs eyes; he was pissed, but I knew he understood why I couldnât allow this; he could feel the shadows on me too.
âI need your help to get him back; I donât even know where to begin, but I need himâ Archer looked worse than lost; he was dealing with the loss of his wolf and what was going on with Ayla. If things got any worse, I worried he might not get through it.
Titanâs POV
Running as fast as my legs let me, my muscles pumping, never stopping, I could see Ayla and Archer up ahead. They were mere feet in front of the fallen Exalted, heading straight for the portal that led back to the living plane. I had to dig deep and get in before that evil bitch beat me. No way was I letting her get her claws on my mate.
My lungs burned with my effort, but I had to beat her there; I couldnât settle for anything less.
Archer was through, and he dragged Ayla through with him; I allowed a split second of relief to flood my body, but that was all; I still had to bead the fallen bitch through the portal.
I was inches away when her clawed fingers whipped out in front of me, digging into the back of my mate; I smelt her blood, and it hit me like a sledgehammer. Whirling around, I slammed full force into the wailing bitch right behind me. Dragging her arm back through the portal and pinning her in place. She screeched her goddess-awful high pitch scream right in my ear, leaving it ringing, yet still, I wouldnât budge, not until I knew my girl was safe in the living world.
Panting, I force all my weight down on top of the hideous beast beneath me, trying her best to throw me off of her with everything she had. I had to laugh as naturally, nothing should be stronger than an Exalted. But a fallen Exalted was a different matter. They needed to steal othersâ powers and bond with them to have even an ounce of the power they once possessed before they became disgraced. This one was lacking; she hadnât fed in years, which gave me my advantage. I could overpower her for long enough to get my other half and my mate to safety.
âGet off of me, you mutt, I will devour you; mark my words, you will be nothing once i'm through with youâ, She hissed at me. Then I heard the pop signalling the portalâs closing; they were safe, and that was all that mattered.
âYou will never touch my mate againâ, I growled at her.
âNoâ she screamed. I pushed will all my might, then sprang off her and ran like my life depended on it. I guess now it did. I was no use to the fallen, not without my human half. But she will gain joy from hunting me.
I knew Archer and Ayla wouldnât leave me here, they would be back, and I had to be ready.