Serena stood in a clearing with a golden river. A white wolf stood at the water's edge.
Her breath caught, heart pounding against her ribs.
She rushed forward and dropped to her knees, hands trembling as they reached for the wolf's fur.
"You're okay, Aurelia!"
She laughed softly through tears, the sound breaking in her throat. "I thought I had lost you forever."
She had heard Aurelia only once, years ago. She was chained and bleeding in Viremont's dungeons after her second escape attempt.
Aurelia's voice had broken through the darkness like a lifeline, warm and fierce and full of promise.
But then she was silent.
She had started to wonder if she had imagined it. If she had made up the memory just to survive.
But now a white wolf stood before her. Real. Present. Waiting.
Aurelia pressed her forehead to Serena's, steady and grounding. Her voice filled Serena's mind for only the second time in her entire life.
Aurelia:I was weak from the silver, but I promise you, I never left you.
Serena swallowed hard, emotion tightening her chest until she could barely breathe.
"Will you come back?"
She pulled back slightly, searching Aurelia's golden eyes. Desperate for the answer. Terrified of the wrong one.
Aurelia:Yes. I am almost ready.
Her tail swayed slowly.
Aurelia:Dexmon's venom is helping you fight off the silver poisoning. I can feel it.
There was warmth in her tone. Approval.
Aurelia:The bond you share runs deep. At a soul level. Can you ask what the name of his wolf is?
"Of course," Serena promised. She hesitated. "What if he can't talk to his wolf?"
Aurelia's response came back in a whisper. Her presence was thinning, edges growing soft like morning mist.
Aurelia:Alpha kings usually can.
Serena swallowed the fear rising in her throat.
But there was no time. Aurelia was fading.
She pressed her forehead to Aurelia's one more time, breathing her in.
"I will ask," she said softly. "Focus on getting better for me. Please."
The last word cracked.
Aurelia's warmth faded, and Serena was alone.
✦✦✦
The clearing shifted, and she found herself in the library.
A black wolf walked in. Massive. Powerful. Eyes like molten gold.
She knew immediately who it was.
"Dex?" she called, already running toward him.
He shifted back into human form mid-stride and caught her, pulling her into a kiss that stole the breath from her lungs. His arms wrapped around her like he was afraid she might disappear.
When he pulled back, his eyes were red. Rimmed with exhaustion. With fear.
"Will you wake up and come back to me, baby?" Dex asked softly, voice rough. "It has been two days."
Two days.
She had been unconscious for two days.
Before she could process that, he kissed her again, deeper this time. Arms tightening around her like he could hold her in this dream forever if he just held on hard enough. Then he pressed his forehead to hers, breathing unsteady.
She leaned away slightly, confusion knitting her brow. "Is this real?"
He smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "We are both dreaming. I was asking myself the same thing about you."
His mouth curved with quiet amusement, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. "Then I realized we are in the library. Of all places, why would you dream about a library?"
Serena huffed. "I blame Hyran."
Dex laughed. The sound was tired but genuine, and it warmed something in her chest.
"I can feel you through our matebond," he said after a moment, studying her face. "You are trying to remember something. Or there is something important in here."
She turned, scanning the familiar shelves.
He pulled her back against his chest and rested his chin on the top of her head, arms wrapped around her like armor. Like he needed to be touching her to believe she was real.
"Yes," she said slowly. "It is with the fireplace. And that spot on the floor."
She lifted her hand and pointed to a dent in the stone, the size of a talisman.
Dex followed her gaze and kissed her temple. "That dent is not there in real life."
"Yet." She grinned.
Dex swept her up and spun her around, and she let out a surprised squeal that made him laugh. A real laugh this time. Full and warm.
"Why is it that I like you more and more every time you open your mouth?" he asked, eyes bright with adoration.
He steadied her, grinning, then nuzzled her nose with his. "You're too cute when you're startled."
"Dex…" Serena said softly.
"Mmhm," he murmured, tightening his arms around her.
"Why do I have this mark?" she asked, lifting her arm to show him the Hidden Flame symbol.
He didn't answer right away. His body grew rigid. The playfulness drained from his face.
She felt his adrenaline spike through the matebond and understood. He couldn't tell her. Blood oath.
"Don't tell me," she said immediately. "I understand."
The tension in his shoulders eased, but something else replaced it. Something heavier.
After a moment, Dex spoke. His voice was different now. Serious. Vulnerable in a way she had rarely heard from him.
"I know it hasn't been long... but, Serena, you're it for me."
Her heart stuttered.
"I want you to be my queen. My wife."
The words hung in the air between them, golden and impossible.
Serena felt warmth bloom in her chest, spreading outward until it reached her fingertips. Until it made her eyes sting.
He cupped her face gently, thumbs brushing her cheekbones like she was something precious. Something he was afraid to break.
"It makes me happy that you want those things... with me," she said softly, voice barely above a whisper. "Are you sure?"
Dex answered without any hesitation, voice firm and unwavering. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
He held her gaze, letting her see everything. Every wall down. Every defense stripped away.
"I love you, Serena."
The words landed somewhere deep in her chest and took root.
The truth was, she loved him too. She just hadn't dared to think it to herself yet. As if naming it would make it real enough to lose.
"I love you too, Dex," she said.
Saying it out loud felt like stepping off a ledge and discovering solid ground.
Dex's breath caught. His arms tightened around her, and for a moment he just looked at her like he was memorizing the moment. Like he wanted to carry it with him forever.
Fog began to roll around them, soft and inevitable.
"No," Dex breathed, grip tightening. "Not yet."
He pulled her into one last kiss, fierce and desperate and full of everything he couldn't say.
His heart pounded against hers.
And then he faded.