Blood And Silver:Rise of the Alpha’s Rejected Mate

Chapter 215 DANE I look down at the glowing runes on my chest , still too warm to seem quite real .

Yeah , I say , but the heaviness of Liriens words clings to the back of my mind .

The grove is well , but at what cost remains to be seen .

The pack steps into the resurgence of life forced onto the grove .

Their eyes were wide in features still covered with some incredulity , they slowly went inside the clearing , looking between shining trees and restored roots .

Beautiful , someone finally whispers , breaking the awed silence .

Lirien stands at the edge of the clearing ; his form now is much more solid , nearly human .

The glow emanating from inside the grove steadies it , lending him an air of quiet authority .

The curse is broken , he states with solemnity .

Now , for once , the pack can fully flourish as it deserves .

Aurora releases my hand and steps forward .

Her eyes scan the grove , pride , and anguish wrestling for dominance in their vibrancy .

Chapter 215 2/6 Lirien cocks its head to one side .

The grove has accepted your sacrifice , it says .

But your mortal ties to the pack have saved you .

The balance is restored , and your bond is no longer required to sustain it .

I watch the tension that has weighed on Auroras shoulders since this began to ease a little , her shoulders relaxing , and for the first time in days , she seems at peace .

The pack closes in , voices rising as talk starts about what this means to all of us .

Gone is the weight of the curse , and with it the divisions that plagued us for generations .

I see Piper laughing with Warrick , the two of them trading .

banter like none of the horrors we faced just happened .

Trajan stands a little distant , his expression guarded , his guilt loud in the way he refuses to meet anyones gaze .

Ill make it right , he mutters , to himself , not to anyone else .

I dont approach him .

Not yet .

steps back to my side , her hand brushing mine as we leave the grove

their footsteps lighter , their voices

Broken Ridge is

the tension that once clung to us like a second

ruins that

, their spirits buoyed as they start to speak of

step at a time , I mutter to myself , and for once , the

at the back of the packhouse with Aurora , a lot later in the

smelling of earth and greenery mixed with cool night air

sat beside me on a stone bench , her fingers interlaced

, we say nothing ; the silence speaking for us

reaches up then , presses her hand to my chest , tracing the runes

asks , her

head , offering a small

Not anymore .

to the joined hands

know what this means

know you didnt choose

her hand tighter

you , but

So can I .

, even as her

figure it out together

the sky and long shadows throw their

onto it anyway

silence until a faint howl cuts through the

low and mournful , the kind of sound that raises the hairs on the back of your neck

stiffens beside me , snapping

I nod ,

Yeah .

as we gaze out

repeated , but the unease it leaves in its

was that ? she whispers

, my hand instinctively going

, the peace wed found moments

a creeping

is healed , but something else is

the grove stretches across the

twisted and corrupted , now hum with life , their Juminous fruit swaying gently in

Aurora , her hand clutched

seems to be exhausted , with only shallow breaths escaping her mouth