The battlefield trembled beneath the clash of two gods.
Moonlight and shadow collided again.
The shockwave ripped another line of ancient trees from the earth.
Aiden barely noticed.
His eyes never left Theron.
Every strike.
Every burst of silver light.
Every desperate attempt to reach him.
He's holding back.
Even now.
Even with the world breaking around them.
Theron was still trying to protect the forest.
The pack.
Him.
"Theron..."
Aiden whispered.
Another blast of darkness slammed into the Moon God.
Theron staggered.
Only one step.
But one step was enough.
Nyx's shadows wrapped around his arm.
Life drained from the ground beneath them.
Flowers withered.
Grass blackened.
The silver glow around Theron flickered.
"You cannot save everyone," Nyx said calmly.
Theron tore free.
"I only need to save one."
Nyx almost smiled.
"And that..."
"...that's why you always lose."
Aiden's heart clenched.
Node.
Not because Nyx was winning.
Because Theron was proving him right.
He was risking everything.
The territory.
The pack.
Reality itself.
Just...
for him.
Aiden looked down at the glowing necklace resting against his chest.
The white half-moon.
The black wolf.
"It once belonged to you."
"I always gave it to you."
A tear slipped silently down his cheek.
"...Idiot."
The word wasn't angry.
It was full of love.
He closed his eyes.
His wolf settled.
Not in surrender.
In uncertainty.
When he opened them again—
They were calm.
He looked at Nyx.
"If..."
His voice shook only once.
"If I go willingly..."
Theron froze.
"...does this end?"
The entire battlefield fell silent.
"Aiden!"
Theron's voice cracked through the clearing.
"Node!"
Nyx turned toward him.
For the first time—
there was genuine interest in his eyes.
"You offer yourself?"
Aiden 0 slowly.
"I won't let him destroy himself trying to save me."
Theron lunged toward him.
The shadows between them appeared upwards like a wall.
Aiden closed his eyes.
For just a moment...
The battlefield disappeared.
The screams.
The shaking earth.
The clash of gods.
Everything faded.
Instead...
he saw three tiny pups sleeping together in the den.
Kael sprawled over everyone else, one paw always thrown over Ryn without realizing it.
Ryn curled neatly against his brother, always making sure everyone was close.
Lior, intending he preferred his own space, yet somehow always ending up beside them before morning.
A small laugh escaped Aiden.
"...You three..."
His chest tightened painfully.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I won't see your first hunt.
I'm sorry I won't watch you become warriors... or healers... or whatever you choose to be.
I'm sorry I won't hear your voices deeply.
I'm sorry I won't watch you fall in love.
A tear slipped down his cheek.
Kael...
Keep smiling.
Even when life hurts.
Especially when it hurts.
Ryn...
Don't forget to smile too.
You don't always have to be the brave one.
Lior...
Don't carry the whole world by yourself.
You never have to earn being loved.
His breathing became uneven.
Please...
Take care of each other.
Fight sometimes.
Laugh even more.
Protect your father when he forgets to protect himself.
His thoughts drifted to Theron.
The stubborn god who had spent lifetimes searching for him.
Who had learned how to braid tiny tails.
Who had proudly carried sleepy pups on his shoulders.
Who still looked surprised every time one of them called him "Dad."
Aiden smiled through his tears.
"You finally learned..."
"...how to be a father."
His fingers brushed the silver necklace resting against his chest.
The white half-moon.
The black wolf.
"...Please..."
"...don't stop being one."
His eyes slowly opened again.
The battlefield has returned.
The screams.
The moonlight.
The shadows.
Nyx standing before him.
Theron desperately trying to reach him.
Aiden took one slow breath.
Then another.
When he spoke again...
His voice no longer trembled.
"If my life can protect my family..."
"...then I give it freely."
Theron's horrified voice towers across the clearing.
"AIDEN!"
Aiden looked only at Theron.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm choosing this."
Theron's eyes filled with panic.
Real panic.
The kind Aiden had never seen before.
"Node."
"You don't get to make this choice."
Aiden smiled sadly.
"I do."
"You taught me something."
Theron stopped.
"...that love isn't about possession."
"It's about protecting the people who matter."
"And right now..."
"...I'm protecting you."
Nyx slowly approached Aiden.
No triumph.
No laughter.
Only quiet purpose.
"You understand."
Aiden looked him directly in the eye.
"Node."
"I understand sacrifice."
"I don't understand you."
"If my life ends this..."
"...then let it be my decision."
Nyx raised one hand.
Darkness gathered around his fingertips.
"So be it."
The shadows wrapped around Aiden's body.
Not violently.
Almost gently.
The necklace blazed with brilliant silver light.
Aiden gasped.
Something deeper than blood.
Deeper than breath.
His life itself began slipping away.
His knees buckled.
Theron roared.
Not like a wolf.
Not as a god.
As a mate.
He slammed against the wall of darkness separating them.
The impact shattered the ground beneath his feet.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each strike cracked the shadows.
Each strike costs him more divine power.
Ronan shouted for him to stop.
He didn't hear.
The pack cried out.
He didn't hear.
The only thing Theron could see...
...was Aiden growing weaker.
Aiden lifted his head with the little strength he had left.
Their eyes met.
And through the bond—
He sent only one feeling.
Do not be afraid.
Love.
And a silent plea.
Don't become a monster for me.
The plea struck Theron's heart harder than any blow Nyx had ever delivered.
Because for the first time in countless lifetimes...
he realized the greatest enemy wasn't Nyx.
It was the destiny that demanded one of them must always be sacrificed.