The air in the room was thick, heavy with tension and the scent of blood. Elora stared at Joel, her chest heaving, lips trembling as she tried to make sense of the chaos unfolding around her. The walls felt like they were closing in. The pain from her memories clawed at her like invisible hands, tugging her deeper into a pit she wasn't ready to face.
"You knew?" Her voice cracked. "You knew everything?"
Joel didn't answer right away. His eyes, shadowed with guilt and exhaustion, stayed fixed on her. Blood was dripping from his side, soaking his shirt. She could see it now—his body trembled slightly, and he swayed as if the weight of her words was finally knocking him over.
"Elora," he whispered.
"No," she cut him off sharply, shaking her head. "Don't say my name like that. Like you care."
He took a step forward, wincing in pain. "I do care."
Tears burned her eyes. "Then why did you lie to me?"
"I didn't lie—" he started, but the look she gave him stopped him cold.
"You didn't tell me," she snapped. "You let me believe Kerric was my savior. That he found me wandering and helped me. That he brought me back from the brink."
Joel's silence was deafening.
Elora clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "Do you know what it feels like? To realize your memories were stolen—not lost—and everyone just went along with it?"
He winced again, whether from the pain in his side or the pain in her words, she couldn't tell.
"I couldn't tell you then, Elora," he said finally, his voice low and rough. "I wanted to. Every single day, I wanted to scream the truth. But you weren't ready."
"I wasn't ready?!" she hissed, stepping closer. "You made that decision for me?"
Joel's hands hung limp at his sides. "You were broken. When we found you—what was left of you wasn't Elora. You were in pieces, and Kerric… Kerric got to you first. He rewired everything inside you."
She felt dizzy, her breaths coming too fast. "Then you should have fought harder. You should have taken me away."
"I did try!" he shouted suddenly, then grimaced, clutching his side. "I tried and failed. Every time I got close, Kerric would twist something in your mind again. He made you forget me, forget who you were… who we were."
Her heart stopped. "We were something?"
He looked at her then, truly looked at her, and for a brief moment, she saw a glimpse of the man he used to be—gentle, fierce, and heartbreakingly loyal.
"We were everything," he said softly.
She froze. The words echoed inside her like thunder rolling through a canyon.
"I loved you," he said, his voice cracking. "I still do."
Her legs gave out before she could think. She sank to the floor, her back against the cold wall. "Stop."
"Elora—"
"No, stop," she whispered, covering her ears. "Don't say that. Don't say any of it."
Joel took a trembling step toward her, then another, and collapsed to his knees just a few feet away. His face was pale, and sweat beaded his forehead.
"I'm dying, Elora," he said quietly.
She looked at him sharply. "What?"
"This wound… it's poisoned. Kerric did something to it. My wolf… it's not healing." He let out a breathless laugh, more pain than humor. "I knew I wouldn't survive the run. But I needed to get you away from him."
Elora blinked, her hands falling to her lap. "You're serious?"
He nodded, leaning back against the wall. "I have a few hours left. Maybe less."
The room suddenly felt colder. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.
"You knew you were dying, and you still risked everything to get me out?"
He nodded again. "Because I owed you the truth."
Her throat tightened. "Why didn't you just let me be?"
"Because you were never supposed to be his," Joel growled, fire briefly returning to his eyes. "You were mine."
She sucked in a sharp breath.
"I watched him touch you, hold you like you were his," Joel continued. "And I stayed quiet. I stayed away, thinking maybe… maybe you'd be safe. But I was wrong."
He coughed, and a trickle of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.
"No," she whispered, crawling toward him without thinking. "No, don't do this."
Joel smiled weakly. "Too late."
"Shut up," she snapped, her hands shaking as she pressed them against his wound. "You're not dying. Not now. Not like this."
He hissed in pain but didn't push her away.
"I don't care what Kerric did. I don't care how much of me is missing," Elora said, her voice shaking. "But you're not leaving me again. I won't let you."
He looked up at her, his eyes full of something unspoken.
"I would give anything for more time with you," he said. "Even if you never remember what we had."
A sob escaped her lips. "Then stay. Please. Just… stay."
Joel reached up, his hand brushing her cheek. "You're stronger than you think, Elora. You always were."
"Stop talking like you're saying goodbye!" she cried, grabbing his hand and pressing it against her face. "You don't get to save me and then die on me!"
He smiled faintly. "You remember how you used to yell at me whenever I got hurt?"
"No," she said through her tears. "But I believe it."
"You were a firecracker," he murmured. "Fierce. Stubborn. Always dragging me into trouble."
She sniffled, brushing her sleeve across her face. "Sounds about right."
His eyes fluttered. "Don't… forget me again."
"I won't," she promised, voice barely a whisper. "I swear."
The silence stretched between them. For a long moment, she thought he'd passed out. But then his fingers twitched in hers.
"Elora?"
"I'm here," she whispered.
"I'm scared," he admitted, voice like a child's. "Not of dying. Just… of never seeing you smile again."
Her heart shattered. She leaned in and pressed her forehead to his. "Then live. Fight. Do it for me."
He didn't respond right away. His breathing slowed, and she could feel the weight of sleep trying to pull him under.
"Please," she whispered. "Don't leave me."
His eyes fluttered open one last time. "I love you."
And then he fell still.
Elora screamed.
Not out loud—not really—but inside. Her soul cracked, the sound of it swallowed by the silence of the night. She pulled him close, rocking him, whispering over and over, "You're not gone. You're not gone. You're not gone."
But no matter how tightly she held him…
He didn't move.