Chapter 85: The Aftermath.
Korvin backed away from the clearing, his remaining wolves following close behind him. His eyes stayed fixed on Bella’s unconscious form, the white streaks in her silver fur glowing faintly in the moonlight.
"This changes everything," he muttered to one of his lieutenants. "Maren needs to know what she just did."
"Should we attack while they’re vulnerable?" the lieutenant asked.
.Korvin shook his head. "No. That power she just used, it’s something I’ve never seen before. We need to regroup and report back. Maren will decide what happens next."
He paused at the edge of the trees and called back to the boys. "You think you’ve won because you brought him back, but you’ve just made everything worse. Maren must hear of this. Then we’ll be back."
With that, he disappeared into the forest, leaving the four boys alone with Bella unconscious.
Luca knelt beside Bella, his hand hovering over her fur but afraid to touch her. The mate bond between them felt different now, like it had shifted in its foundation. There was a darkness in it that hadn’t been there before, a weight that pressed against his chest.
"We need to move her," Cassian said, scanning the area. "Korvin’s going straight to Maren. We have maybe an hour before reinforcements arrive."
"Where do we take her?" Killian asked, his voice hollow. He was still staring at Rafe, unable to fully process that his friend was alive when minutes ago he had been dead.
Rafe sat against a tree trunk, his breathing shallow but steady. The wound in his chest had somehow closed when Bella brought him back, leaving only smooth skin where Korvin’s claws had punched through. But his eyes were distant, haunted by something the others couldn’t see.
"There’s a cave system about half a mile north," Rafe said quietly. "It’s an old smuggler’s hideout. Deep enough that they won’t find us easily."
"Can you walk?" Luca asked him.
Rafe pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly. "I can manage."
Luca gently lifted Bella into his arms. She was lighter than he expected, as if using that power had burned away part of her body mass. The white streaks in her fur were cool to the touch, colder than the rest of her body.
"Let’s move," he said.
They traveled through the forest in silence, each boy lost in his own thoughts. Killian led the way with his dagger drawn, but his hands were shaking. Cassian kept looking back at Bella’s unconscious form, his wolf whining with worry. Luca focused on carrying her carefully over the rough terrain. Rafe stumbled along at the rear, still trying to understand what had happened to him.
The cave Rafe had mentioned opened up in a hillside, hidden behind a curtain of vines. Inside, it was dry and spacious enough for all of them to rest. Luca laid Bella down on the smoothest section of floor he could find and stepped back.
"Now what?" Cassian asked.
"Now we wait for her to wake up," Luca said, sitting beside her. "And pray that she does."
Killian paced near the cave entrance, unable to stand still. "This is my fault," he said for what must have been the tenth time. "I believed those letters. I turned on Rafe when he needed us most. I almost got him killed."
"You did get him killed," Rafe said flatly.
The words hung in the air like a physical blow. Killian stopped pacing and turned to face his friend.
"I know," he whispered. "And I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it."
Rafe leaned his head back against the cave wall. "I don’t blame you entirely. The letters were convincing. Maren planned it perfectly."
"But I should have trusted you," Killian said, his voice breaking. "We’ve been friends since we were kids. I should have known you’d never betray Bella."
"Yeah," Rafe agreed. "You should have."
Cassian watched the exchange with a troubled expression. The bond between the four boys had been damaged, maybe permanently. Even if they forgave each other intellectually, the emotional scars would take time to heal.
"Check her again," Luca said suddenly. "Something feels wrong."
Cassian knelt beside Bella and examined her more closely. The white streaks in her fur had spread slightly since they’d entered the cave. They now extended from her shoulders down to her front legs in different patterns.
"The white marks are getting bigger," he reported.
"What does that mean?" Killian asked, moving closer.
"I don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before."
Luca placed his hand on Bella’s chest, feeling for her heartbeat. It was there but faint and irregular, like her body was struggling.
"The mate bond feels strange," he admitted. "Like there’s something blocking it. I can sense her, but only barely."
Rafe spoke up from his position against the wall. "When I was dead, I saw something."
The other three turned to look at him.
"What did you see?" Cassian asked.
"Darkness. Complete and total darkness. But then there was this light, silver and bright, pulling me back. That was Bella I guess. Her power reached into death itself and dragged me out."
He paused, his eyes distant. "But when she pulled me back, I felt something else come with me. Like death didn’t want to let go completely."
"What are you saying?" Luca asked, his voice tight.
"I’m saying that bringing someone back from death has a price. And I think Bella’s paying it right now."
The cave fell silent except for the sound of Bella’s labored breathing. The white streaks in her fur continued to spread slowly, creeping down her legs and across her back.
Killian sat down hard on the cave floor. "So we’re just supposed to watch her die? After everything she did to save Rafe?"
"She’s not dying," Luca said firmly, though his voice lacked conviction. "She’s just recovering. She used a lot of power. She needs time to heal."
Cassian wasn’t so sure. He’d studied enough old texts to know that some powers came with permanent costs. Bringing the dead back to life was supposed to be impossible, which meant Bella had done something that violated the natural order. There would be consequences.
"We need to figure out what those white marks are," he said. "And whether they’re going to keep spreading."
Hours passed in the cave. The boys took turns keeping watch at the entrance while the others rested. But none of them could really sleep. They kept checking on Bella, hoping to see some sign of improvement.
Rafe continued to struggle with his own experience. Every time he closed his eyes, he was back in that darkness, feeling the cold emptiness of death. He’d scratch at his chest where Korvin’s claws had pierced him, even though there was no wound there anymore.
"Does it hurt?" Cassian asked him during one of these episodes.
"No," Rafe said. "But I can still feel it. Like a phantom pain. And sometimes I wonder if I’m really alive or if this is just some dream before I fade away completely."
"You’re alive," Cassian assured him. "Bella made sure of that."
"But at what cost to her?"
That was the question they were all afraid to answer.
As dawn approached, Luca noticed something. The white streaks had stopped spreading. They now covered about half of Bella’s body in intricate patterns that looked like frozen lightning.
"They stopped growing," he announced.
The others gathered around to look. It was true. The marks had stabilized, no longer creeping across her fur.
"Is that good or bad?" Killian asked.
"I don’t know," Cassian admitted. "But at least it’s not getting worse."
Bella’s breathing had also stabilized somewhat, becoming deeper and more regular. But she still showed no signs of waking.
"How long can she stay like this?" Luca asked.
"I have no idea," Cassian said. "We’re in completely unknown territory here."
Rafe spoke up. "When she pulled me back, I felt her consciousness. It was fractured, like she was in multiple places at once. Part of her was in the land of the living, part was reaching into death, and part was somewhere else entirely."
"Somewhere else?" Luca repeated.
"I don’t know how to describe it. It was like she was touching something fundamental beyond life and death. The Moonblood power, maybe. Its true source."
Cassian considered this. "So she might not wake up because part of her consciousness is still elsewhere?"
"That’s my guess," Rafe said.
Killian stood abruptly. "This is insane. We’re sitting here theorizing while she’s unconscious and Maren’s probably sending an army to finish us off."
"What do you suggest?" Luca asked.
"We need help. Someone who understands this Moonblood power better than we do."
"Like who?" Cassian asked.
The four boys looked at each other, the weight of their situation settling over them. They were alone in a cave with their unconscious pack leader, surrounded by enemies, and completely out of their depth.
"We protect her," Luca said finally. "Whatever it takes, however long it takes. We keep her safe until she wakes up."
"And if Maren finds us?" Killian asked.
"Then we fight," Luca said simply. "We’ve already lost Rafe once. We’re not losing Bella too."
The others nodded in agreement. They’d made mistakes, they’d let Maren manipulate them, they’d turned on each other when they should have stood united. But now they had a second chance.
They would protect Bella while she fought whatever battle was happening inside her consciousness. And they would be ready when Maren’s forces came for them.
Because one thing was certain after everything that had happened. The final confrontation was coming..