Chapter 47: The Bridge

Della ran into the room, her injured ankle screamed with every step.

She saw the massive chains stretched across the room, and at their centre, the same gigantic wolf made entirely of Moonfire lifted his head.

Gideon.

He was exactly as she remembered him.

Only, he looked worse.

Far worse.

Exhausted.

Every breath he took sounded painful, and the chains wrapped around his neck, shoulders and legs pulsed with ancient runes.

Yet somehow, the moment his silver eyes found hers, something changed.

His ears twitched in recognition and a low, almost questioning whine escaped him, "Moonfire..."

She didn’t realise he’d whispered his name until two seconds passed, and she gasped. Did it really just...call her?

The rogue burst into the chamber a moment later, not hesitating for even the tiniest second even though Moonfire surrounded it. After all, it was mindless. All it cared about was its prey.

It launched straight toward her, and she breathed hard and kept dragging herself closer to Gideon.

But the stress was too much, and her ankle gave out beneath her.

The beast’s jaws opened, ready to rip her head off her body.

Della let out a scream and braced herself for impact.

Then, BOOM!

The entire chamber shook, and the chains snapped taut with an earsplitting metallic roar.

Gideon exploded forward, not entirely freely since the chains kept stopping it. But he had managed to move forward just enough.

His enormous jaws closed around the rogue’s neck with horrifying precision, and the sound of bone exploding against teeth echoed throughout the chamber.

CRACK!

The rogue’s body went limp instantly, then silence ensured the whole place.

Gideon shook it once, twice, then flung the burning, headless corpse across the chamber, where it slammed against a pillar with enough force to shatter stone.

She heard him crunch down on something in his mouth, then he swallowed.

He finally looked down at her, it’s enormous body trembled beneath the weight of the Moonfire burning through him.

Then, very slowly...he lowered his head toward Della.

The chains clinked softly, not allowing him another step forward.

His glowing eyes never left hers, and Della swallowed, "You remembered me..."

A soft rumble vibrated inside his chest, and it brought his face even close to hers. She slowly reached out, and her fingers brushed against the bridge of his nose.

The instant she touched him, Gideon closed his eyes and the endless tension in his massive body eased ever so slightly. Almost as though, for the first time in years, something didn’t hurt.

He remained perfectly still beneath her trembling hand. Around him, wisps of Moonfire floated lazily through the chamber, illuminating the countless scars crisscrossing his massive body.

"I’m sorry..." Della whispered.

She didn’t even know why she was apologizing.

Maybe because she’d left him here the last time, or mayb because she couldn’t help him or maybe because every creature she seemed to love ended up suffering.

Gideon’s ears twitched, but his eyes remained closed. The chains kept groaning as he leaned further into her touch, because that was all that mattered.

Then, a distant roar echoed through the tunnel.

Another followed, and the walls shook a bit.

Della’s head snapped toward the entrance.

There was another crash, and stone exploded somewhere deep inside the tunnel as a rogue’s agonized scream was cut short.

Others followed immediately.

Then, silence enveloped the whole place once again.

She kept staring at the entrance of the place, waiting for whoever it was to reveal himself. Even before he arrived, she already knew who it was.

She already felt him.

Malachi emerged from the darkness, and none of them moved for a while.

He looked nothing like the Alpha who had thrown her into prison hours ago, or the man who has stared at her like she was a walking betrayal.

His black robes were ripped in several places, with one sleeve was almost completely gone. Fresh bite marks covered his forearm, and blood—black and crimson—dripped steadily from the sword hanging loosely in his hand.

His breathing was rough and heavy, like every breath hurt. Probably because of the Moonfire around him.

But none of that was what caught Della’s attention.

It was his eyes.

He was scared again. Very scared.

His gaze swept over her once, taking in everything.

The torn clothes, the blood soaking her shoulder, the cut beneath her eye and her swollen ankle.

His entire body visibly stiffened, and the sword slipped from his fingers and struck the stone floor with a loud clang.

He didn’t even seem to notice.

"Moonfire..." His voice broke, barely louder than a whisper.

Her lips trembled, and she kept staring at him till he was bent over in front of her so their eyes were levelled.

His hands cupped her face so gently that she almost cried. His thumbs brushed beneath her eyes.

Searching.

Checking.

Making sure she was real.

"You’re bleeding." He breathed.

She stared at him, "I..."

His eyes dropped to her shoulder, where fresh blood still running down her arm. His jaw clenched so tightly she heard his teeth grind together.

His hand carefully slid beneath her injured arm, supporting her before she even realized she’d started swaying.

"You shouldn’t..." she whispered.

"You can’t even stand." He said it almost angrily.

Not at her, but at himself. As though her injuries were somehow his own failure.

"Malachi...," She called softly.

His other arm wrapped carefully around her waist, steadying her completely, "I thought..." His breathing hitched. "...I thought I was too late."

Della stared at him.

This wasn’t the Alpha who had condemned her hours ago. This wasn’t the man who had looked at her with hatred. This was someone who looked absolutely shattered.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, "I was the one who tried to escape,"

He shook his head, "No. I... don’t blame you,"

Behind them, Gideon watched. His enormous silver eyes moved from Malachi to Della, then to the hand resting upon his muzzle.

A strange sound escaped him.

Not quite a growl.

Not quite a whine.

Della instinctively stroked the bridge of his nose, "It’s alright..."

The instant she did, the air around them changed and every drifting ember of Moonfire froze.

"Did you feel that?" Malachi asked with a frowned.

Della nodded slowly, "I..."

Something warm...no, something alive suddenly stirred beneath her palm.

Gideon inhaled sharply next to her, and his entire body tensed. Every muscle locked, and his claws dug deep grooves into the stone floor. Malachi and Della snapped their eyes at him.

"Are you okay?" Della asked.

The chains holding him groaned again and at the same time, and the light from the Moonfire in his body intensified, and she gasped, "What—?"

Almost immediately, the light spread to her hand that was touching his muzzle.

"Moonfire!" Malachi’s grip on her waist tightened instinctively to pull her away, but it was already too late.

A deafening howl tore from Gideon’s throat, and the chamber shook violently.

Moonfire burst from every crack in the walls, and blue flames spiraled around the three of them.

Della let out an agonizing scream. Something was moving through her!

Not flesh.

Not blood.

A soul.

An enormous, wild presence surged into her body and her back arched violently. Pain unlike anything she’d ever known ripped through every nerve, and it was as though someone had reached inside her chest and was trying to pull her apart.

She couldn’t breathe, and the scream she had let out stopped abruptly as the pain rocketed through her even more even more.

Whatever it was...it was still moving.

Straight through her...and into Malachi.

Malachi staggered, and his eyes flew wide open. Whatever was flowing into felt felt so familiar, because it had once been a part of him.

"...Malachi."

He heard the voice in his mind, and his knees buckled, "...Gideon..."

The name escaped him without thought.

Across from him, Gideon’s glowing eyes suddenly dimmed. The Moonfire covering him began peeling away like burning liquid, dripping onto the floor instead of following whatever was passing through Della.

"It hurts!" Della cried out, her whole body convulsing.

Blood burst from her nose, and ears. Her vision blurred, and she could feel herself being stretched between them. Like she wasn’t a person anymore.

Only, a bridge.

It was using her.

Using their mate bond.

Using the connection she’d unknowingly created by touching both of them.

The transfer continued with more of Gideon slipping away through her, and entering back into Malachi.

Malachi doubled over again, also realising that his wolf was coming home.

He could feel claws.

Fur.

Grief.

Rage.

Pain.

Years of imprisonment.

Every emotion slammed into him at once.

"Moonfire!" He reached desperately for her.

He could also feel her collapsing, her skin beginning to glow blue beneath the surface. Tiny cracks of light spread across her arms, as though the Moonfire itself wanted to tear her apart.

She looked at Gideon, then at Malachi.

If she didn’t stop it, then one of them, or all three of them might die.

And so, with the last strength she had left, she screamed and ripped her hand away from Gideon’s face, "No!!!"