28. DARIUS

28

DARIUS

Nepheline is pacing.

Her bare feet move over the worn floor of the living room, her magic trailing behind her in restless tendrils, crackling like heat lightning in the air. I sit on the edge of her nest helpless as I watch her unravel right in front of me. Her eyes, dark as the midnight sky, flicker with something more dangerous than anger. It’s desperation. Hurt.

And I don’t know how to help her.

“Asani said the wolves were there, right?” she demands, her voice shaking. Her arms move as she speaks, hands curling into fists and releasing like she’s trying to keep her body from exploding with energy. “Locke was there. I saw him. I felt him.”

“Bambi,” I start as I carefully choose my words. “You need to slow down.”

She snaps her head toward me, those starry eyes locking onto mine with such force that it feels like a punch to the chest. “ Slow down? ” she repeats, almost mocking. “My brother is out there, Darius! Out there with them. At first, I thought it was in my head but I saw him. You want me to slow down?”

The shadows of her magic pulse around her, brushing over the edge of the nest as if testing its boundaries. I want to stand, to approach her, to do something , but one wrong move might set her off.

“Nepheline.” I try again, softer this time. “We need to think this through.”

Her head tips back, a bitter laugh escaping her lips, but there’s no humor in it—just pain. “Think this through?” She spins to face me fully, hands trembling. “While we’re thinking , Locke could be—” Her voice cracks before she swallows hard, her expression hardening again. “He’s alive, Darius. He’s alive and you want me to sit here like I don’t know that?”

I push to my feet carefully, keeping my movements slow as if I’m approaching a cornered wolf. Because I basically am. “You’re not wrong,” I admit, stepping closer. “But you’re not alone in this either. We all want Locke back. We’ll get him back, together. ”

“ Together. ” She spits the word like it’s acid, her magic flaring in response. “Then let’s go right now. Let’s—”

“Stop , ” I cut in, sharper than I mean to. Her magic presses against me like a physical weight, but I don’t care. I take another step forward, holding her gaze. “You need to think about the baby.”

The moment the words leave my mouth, I regret them. Her magic freezes, the tendrils curling back toward her like smoke. The stillness that follows is dangerous. “Don’t you dare,” she whispers, her voice shaking with rage as she glares at me. “Don’t you dare say that.”

“Nep—”

She cuts me off, pointing a trembling finger at me as tears pool in her starry eyes, her voice breaking. “Locke is my brother . He’s more important than—”

“Neph!” Asani’s voice rings out before she can finish, his tone sharp but soft enough to pull her attention away from me.

I exhale hard, my hands falling uselessly to my sides as Asani strides across the room. He doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t wait for her to fight him off as he wraps his arms around her, pulling her tightly against his chest.

“Nepheline,” he murmurs, his voice steady and warm as she trembles against him. “Stop.”

She struggles at first, her hands pushing weakly against him, her voice muffled as she says, “Let me go, Asani. I need—”

“You need to breathe,” he says firmly, his voice dropping into something almost commanding. “You’re shaking, Neph. Look at me. Breathe. ”

I sink back into the edge of the nest, guilt clawing its way up my throat as I watch her break in Asani’s arms. I shouldn’t have said it. I shouldn’t have—

“I hate this,” she whispers against Asani’s chest, her voice raw and small. “I hate all of this. I don’t understand why we pulled back. This doesn’t make any sense.”

I can already see this is going to be a point of contention, especially when the rest of her mates barrel through the door, each one looking worried and confused. Nepheline shimmies out of Asani’s arms, bringing up her thoughts once again.

For a moment, there’s just silence.

And then the chaos starts as everyone tries to tell Nepheline that she’s not going anywhere, that her health is more important. A small, selfish part of me feels better that I’m not going to be the only one to weather her wrath so I just sit back and watch as they fight our beautiful Luna. She’s definitely not going anywhere—we’ll all make sure of that.

But watching Bambi’s face scrunch up with anger as her magic beats around her is priceless.

Mateo’s voice cuts through the air like thunder, each syllable cracking like a whip against the walls of the packhouse. Asani is just as vocal, his frustration bubbling over as he paces, hands running through his dark hair. River, Remi, and Maverick all hover nearby, their tension palpable, but they aren’t as loud as the other two.

And Nepheline?

She stands at the center of it all, her shoulders squared, her eyes flashing like a storm brewing in the midnight sky. Her magic coils around her like smoke, beautiful and terrifying.

“You’re not doing this,” Mateo growls, his gaze fixed on her as if sheer will alone will stop her. “Your body can’t handle it. You can’t handle it.”

Nepheline’s jaw clenches, her fists trembling at her sides as she glares back at him. “ Can’t handle it? ” she spits, her voice cracking with fury. “You have no idea what I can handle, Mateo.”

Mateo doesn’t flinch. His stance is solid, immovable. “I do know. I watched what happened when you tried to trek with us to the pack of the Forbidden. You couldn’t even stand by the time we pulled you out of there.”

Her face contorts, the tears building in her eyes now glinting in the soft light. “And you think I don’t remember that?” she snaps, her voice rising. “Every damn day I’m reminded of my limits, of what my Omega can handle. You think I don’t remember what it felt like when I thought I’d lost you? When I thought I was alone ?”

Mateo falters, just for a second, but Asani picks up where he left off, his voice softer but no less firm. “Neph,” he says carefully, stepping forward. “We’re not saying this to punish you. But you’re already carrying so much. Locke—your magic— the baby…” He shakes his head, his expression pained. “We’re trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection!” she screams suddenly, and her magic surges outward in response, brushing against all of us like a living thing. Her chest heaves, her eyes wild and wet with unshed tears as she stares at us. “You all act like I’m some fragile thing to be locked away. I’m not! I’m not weak and I’m not breaking!”

I can’t watch this anymore. I can’t watch her tear herself apart like this, fighting us when all we want is to keep her safe. I can’t do nothing.

So I move.

Before I know what I’m doing, I move in front of her, my hands trembling as I rest them on her shoulders. The sound of the argument fades into a low hum behind me as I look at her.

“Bambi,” I whisper, my voice rough, my throat tight.

Her furious eyes snap down to me, the tears finally spilling over as she looks at me—really looks at me. She’s trembling, her magic still crackling faintly around her, but I don’t care. I won’t care.

“Is that how you see yourself?” I ask softly, my voice cracking. “You think we’re locking you away because you’re weak? Because you’re… less?” I shake my head, feeling my own chest ache. “You’re so fucking precious to us, Neph. We’d die if you did.”

Her lip quivers, her hands falling limply at her sides as she stares at me, broken and furious all at once. “I’m dying inside, Darius,” she whispers, her voice so soft I almost don’t hear it. “Knowing that Locke is out there—knowing he’s in pain, being used for someone’s agenda… I can’t just sit here. ”

I surge forward, cupping her face gently between my hands, her tears slipping over my thumbs as I tilt her head up to meet my gaze.

“Then let us find a way to get him,” I murmur, my forehead brushing against hers. “Let us bring him back. And when we do, you can nurse him back to health. You can save him, Neph. But you have to let us help you.”

She shudders in my hands, her breath catching as fresh tears spill over her cheeks. “He’s in so much pain,” she whispers brokenly. “I can feel him now. It’s like he’s calling out to me.”

I nod, brushing my thumbs over her cheeks as my own throat tightens. “And I’m sure he can feel you, too.” I lean closer, pressing a kiss to her lips—soft, lingering, reassuring . “Help him remember who he is, Bambi. Help him hold on. ”

She lets out a shaky breath, her forehead resting against mine as her hands come up to curl around my wrists. Her magic flickers and fades, the smoke-like tendrils pulling back as her body relaxes, exhaustion overtaking her fury.

Silence settles over the room, the kind that feels too fragile, too close to breaking. I don’t look at the others—I can’t. My focus stays on her, the way her breathing slows, the way her tears dry on her cheeks.

Finally, her voice breaks the quiet, so soft it’s barely more than a whisper.

“Promise me we’ll find him.”

I don’t hesitate. “I promise.”

Behind me, I hear Mateo’s low exhale, the others shifting quietly as I stay there, kneeling in front of her, my hands cradling her face as if she might slip away if I let go.

Because she’s right.

Locke is out there. He’s in pain.

And this darkness—this monster we’re fighting—isn’t done with us yet.

But no matter what comes next, we won’t let it take her. Or Locke.

We’ll fight for her.

And we’ll win.