Kael's POV
"MIRA, NO!"
She dives straight into the corrupted tree's mouth. The wooden teeth snap shut, and the mate bond goes SILENT.
Terror floods through me—the same terror I felt watching Sera die. Not again. I can't lose someone again.
"MOVE!" I tear through tentacles blocking my path. My claws shred corrupted wood like paper.
Zephyr attacks from above, his blade slicing. Draeven's venom melts anything close. We fight toward the massive trunk.
"She's insane!" Zephyr shouts.
"She's a warrior," Draeven says with approval. "Attack the heart, kill the beast."
The tree SHUDDERS.
Golden light blazes from inside the trunk, shining through black bark like a lantern. The tree's eye rolls back. Branches thrash wildly.
Through the bond—faint but there—I feel Mira's determination. Her fury. Her terror. She's scared but fighting anyway.
Stubborn, reckless, beautiful female.
"She's burning it from inside," I realize. "Destroying the corruption at its source."
"That's suicide," Draeven says flatly.
"Then we GET HER OUT!" I slam claws into the trunk. The bark barely scratches.
CRACK.
The trunk splits. Golden light pours through every crack.
"GET BACK!" Draeven shouts.
The entire tree EXPLODES.
The blast throws me twenty feet. When the dust clears, the tree is GONE. Just a smoking crater. And in the center—
Mira.
She's glowing. Her ENTIRE body radiates golden light. Her eyes are pure gold with no pupils. Power rolls off her in waves.
"Mira?" I approach slowly.
She doesn't respond. Just kneels there, staring at nothing, while power builds and builds around her.
"She can't turn it off," Zephyr says quietly. "She's going to burn herself out."
He's right. Through the bond, I feel her life force burning like a candle in a windstorm. The power is consuming her.
"MIRA!" I drop to my knees. "Look at me. Pull the power back."
Nothing. Her golden eyes stare through me.
I grab her shoulders. "I can feel you through the bond. Come back!"
Her eyes flicker. Focus on me. What I see makes my blood run cold.
She's trapped. Locked inside her own power. Screaming silently while the light burns her alive.
"Use the bond," Draeven says urgently. "Pull her back. Take some of HER power into yourself."
"That could kill him," Zephyr protests.
"Got a better idea?"
I look at Mira—this fierce, broken, brave female who survived death and kept fighting. Who's been protecting everyone but has nobody protecting her.
Not anymore.
"I'm her mate," I say quietly. "That means I carry her burdens too."
I press my forehead to hers. Instead of pushing strength into her, I PULL.
Golden power floods into me.
It BURNS. Like swallowing the sun. Every nerve screams. My wolf howls in pain.
But I don't let go.
Through the bond, I feel Mira's awareness returning. Feel her trying to STOP me, to protect me from the pain.
"Not a chance," I grit out. "You don't carry this alone anymore."
I pull more. More. My vision goes white. My body feels like it's tearing apart.
Then—the flow stops.
The golden light fades. Mira gasps, her eyes returning to normal brown. She sways. I catch her.
"You idiot," she whispers. "That could have killed you."
"So could losing you." I hold her tighter. "Don't scare me like that again."
"Can't make promises." She smiles weakly. "How do you feel?"
"Like I destroyed a corrupted tree and almost exploded." She looks around. Patches of green appear where her power touched. "Did I do that?"
"You purified the Dead Forest," Zephyr says in awe. "Impossible."
Mira tries to stand. Her legs give out. I catch her, lifting her into my arms.
"I can walk," she protests.
"Later." I start walking. "Right now, you rest."
A howl echoes through the forest. Then another. A HUNDRED of them.
They've found us.
"How many?" I ask.
Draeven's face is grim. "All of them. Every Dark One in the Wildlands is coming."
"How long?"
"Hours. Maybe less."
A wolf warrior staggers into view—one of my scouts. He's covered in blood. Barely standing.
"Report," I order.
"The tribe," he gasps. "Frostfang territory. Under attack."
My heart stops. "By who?"
"Other tribes. Eagle. Bear. Serpent. Fighting over—" His eyes land on Mira. "Over her. They think controlling Frostfang means controlling the Lifebringer."
The scout collapses. I catch him. He's dying. Poison in the wounds.
"Your mother. Elder Rhea. She's leading defense but..." He coughs blood. "She said choose. Save the tribe or save the female. You can't do both."
He dies in my arms.
I look at Mira. Through the bond, I feel her guilt, her horror.
"Go," she says quietly. "Save your tribe."
"No."
"Kael—"
"NO. I'm not leaving you." I cup her face. "We face this together. That's what the mate bond means."
Tears fill her eyes. "I don't want anyone else dying for me."
"Then we make sure nobody does." I look at Zephyr and Draeven. "Can your tribes call off the attack?"
"I can try," Zephyr says grimly. "But my father wants the Lifebringer."
"My tribe exiled me," Draeven says flatly. "They won't listen."
"There's one option," Mira says slowly. "I go to them. All the tribes. Face them directly."
"That's suicide," I snarl.
"No. It's negotiation." Her eyes are fierce. "They want my power? Fine. I'll help ALL of them. But on MY terms. No cages. No breeding contracts. I'll be the Wildlands' healer, not anyone's prize."
"They'll never agree," Zephyr says.
"They will if the alternative is watching their people die." Mira stands straighter. "I'm done running. If I'm this important, I'm going to USE that. Make them listen."
I stare at this impossible female who decided to face down an entire world with nothing but courage.
"You're insane," I tell her.
"Probably." She smiles grimly. "But I'm right. Admit it."
She's not asking permission. She's TELLING me her choice.
"Fine," I growl. "But I'm coming with you. We ALL are."
"Obviously." Mira takes a deep breath. "How do we get there before everyone kills each other?"
Zephyr's wings spread. "I can carry her. We'll be there in an hour."
"If anything happens to her," I tell Zephyr quietly, "nothing will save you from me."
"Understood." Zephyr scoops Mira into his arms.
They lift into the air.
Through the bond, I feel the exact moment Mira realizes she's flying over a forest full of Dark Ones who can sense her light.
Every single one of them looks UP.