Epilogue

Way back in Ness and Cyrus’s story, I mentioned that Rocky and Mal were going with Simon and Darwin to New York. So in effect, their story will start from that point and moving forward in a parallel to the timeline in the story you’ve just read. Here’s a tiny snippet.

“You should leave me. I’m a fucking mess.”

Mal was jolted from his doze by Rocky’s voice. “Hey there, you’re lucid. How are you feeling?” he whispered, peering over his shoulder at where Simon and Darwin were curled up on another seat toward the front of the plane.

“Mal. Listen to me.” Rocky was gripping his hand tight, his eyes desperate. “You need to leave me. You need to let me go.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m never leaving you. You saved me, remember?”

“There’s something wrong with me, Mal.” Rocky started to pant, and Mal could see he was struggling. “I can’t feel my wolf. I don’t know how much longer I can go on.”

“You can’t give up. I won’t let you,” Mal said urgently. He knew things had been bad, but if Rocky was losing his wolf…and yet, he couldn’t be because Mal could still sense it. It was more that Rocky was losing his mind. “Rocky, you’re my whole life. I know we’re not mates but…”

“Don’t say that. Don’t say that.” Suddenly Rocky’s eyes were filled with tears. “You’re the only one I ever wanted as a mate.” He panted again, his eyes glazing over, and then as if he was shaking off a fog, they were clear again. “Mal, you need to know… You remember all those times when you thought I was off fucking someone else.”

Mal swallowed the lump in his throat as he nodded. That wasn’t something he liked to think about.

Rocky’s hand came up, gripping his collar and pulling Mal’s face down to his. “I never did anything with those people,” he rasped. “I couldn’t do that to you.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Mal whispered, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

“Because I’m not going to make it.” Rocky shook his head. “That compulsion is coming again. I can feel it creeping through my body. It’s like a devil’s sitting on my heart. Mal, you have to let me go, let me die. I can’t live like this.”

“You’re going to get well.” Mal searched one handed through the bag Doc gave him. “You hear me? You’re going to get well, you’re going to go back to dozing off in your fancy office, letting me cover your work for you. You’re going to keep running with me, caring for me, and when you’re well, we’re going to have a long damn discussion about why you kept letting me believe you were sleeping with other people. But you’re going to live, do you hear me? Live.”

“Mal, I can’t. It’s coming. The blackness is coming again. I need that fucking cake!”

“No!” Syringe in hand, Mal stabbed into Rocky’s chest, pressing down the plunger, tears falling down his face, as Rocky’s body arched up and then slumped back down. “I’m not letting you go without a fight, you stupid wolf. Don’t you know how much I love you?”

Tossing the empty syringe aside, Mal grabbed Rocky’s limp hands and held them, sobbing as though his heart was breaking – because it was. The plane couldn’t land soon enough.