Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

| crouch down and try to make myself look as small as possible. | feel a lump of tears in my throat but | refuse to let him see me cry, as | plead again, “Ryan, please don't do this. You don’t want to do this.”

My teeth chatter and | shiver as the frigid wind swirls around me. | look over the side of the deep ravine. The river at the bottom is raging dark red in the moonlight with giant chunks of ice and snow swirling in the current. Blood River. If | try to jump, I’m going to die on the rusty rocks just below the surface. If | were in wolf form maybe | would have a chance. Maybe. That’s not an option now. | turn back around to face my fate. "Please! Please don't do this, Ryan! Dagger, please let me talk to Ryan!" | beg for mercy. The wind gusts hard against my bare skin, chilling me to the bone. | am shivering violently, wishing | was somewhere warm. | hug myself, in a hopeless attempt to protect my naked body. Dagger takes advantage of my distraction and takes a step forward, lowering his head in preparation to attack. Only ten steps separate us now.

In the distance, howls can be heard and hope flickers in my heart. Please Goddess, Mother, please help them get here in time. We both look in the direction of the sound. From down the mountain, the thundering sound of wolf paws gets closer and closer but it still sounds so far away.

| look back at Dagger and notice glimmers of light reflecting in my peripheral vision. | flick my eyes into the distance behind him, three wolves are silently stalking Dagger in a triangular formation. Two large dark brown wolves and a giant white wolf in the center with one green eye. Saint! My heart leaps at the sight of him. Saint and the other two wolves are downwind. Dagger doesn't seem to notice, | have to keep distracting him before he catches his stalkers’ scents. | just need to give them enough time so they can get close enough to catch him.

“Ryan please, come on, just shift and we can talk about this. No one has to get hurt,” | continue to beg, giving Saint and the other two wolves time to get in position.

“Ryan, if you want me to go back with you, w- we can figure something out," | choke out the words as | lie to him.

Dagger paws the ground as if he is considering his next move. He thinks for a moment, then growls deep and angry just before he launches his giant body at me. | brace for impact, fully prepared to be thrown off the edge of the ravine but the impact never comes. Saint leaps at the same time, grabbing Dagger firmly by the neck. They sail toward the edge of the cliff, wrestling for control.

| wail as | turn and looking at the space where they were just suspended in the air. | watch Saint, still growling and snarling,

whole. The pain of the mate bond breaking is

Milo grabs me roughly around the waist before I'm able to throw myself off the cliff after

there! We need to go after them. We have to save Bronx,” | cry hysterically and growl as Milo drags me away from the ledge. |

Sister. No, we are not cliff jumping tonight, come on, we have to get back down the mountain,” his voice is firm

giving up that easily on his Alpha? His best friend? Isn't this just a dream? | just want to wake up now.

top of him, wrapping my

up, she’s going into shock and it’s below freezing. Hypothermia is probably setting in. We need to get her to the pack hospital. I'll mind link Lenora and let her know we're on the way,” Milo says

came to save me and

Nothing matters now that Bronx is gone. | am hollow. Infinitely empty. | close my eyes tightly trying to block out the world as the wolf races down the mountain. The sun is up now. Lenora, Ashley, and Delilah all come running out of the packhouse. They pull me off the wolf and wrap me in blankets. It doesn’t matter though, | can’t move my body. Everything is numb from