The forest darkened unnaturally.
Not because night had fallen.
Because Nyx was near.
Aiden's breathing stayed rough as he kept himself between Nyx and the direction the pups had run.
Even though they were gone now.
Even though he couldn't hear their paws anymore.
Good.
That meant they were getting further away.
Closer to Theron.
Closer to safety.
Nyx watched him silently for a moment.
Almost thoughtfully.
Then he spoke.
"…you always do this first."
Aiden's ears flattened harder.
"What?"
Nyx tilted his head slightly.
"Protect everyone else before yourself."
A pause.
"…as if your survival matters least."
Aiden's claws flexed.
"…don't act like you know me."
Something strange flickered in Nyx's expression again.
Not amusement.
No cruelty.
Something older.
"I know the shape of you," he said quietly.
The necklace against Aiden's chest pulsed warm again.
His wolf snarled beneath his skin.
"Stop talking like this already happened," Aiden snapped.
Nyx looked at him carefully.
Then—
for the first time—
he stopped speaking like a predator.
And started speaking like someone tired.
"Because it has."
Silence.
The forest itself seemed to hold still.
Aiden's pulse hammered painfully.
Nyx stepped closer slowly.
Not attacking.
Not forcing.
"A cycle built around grief cannot stabilize," he said quietly.
"Love recreates attachment."
"Attachment recreates loss."
"Loss recreates collapse."
Aiden shook his head sharply.
"...you're insane."
Nyx's gauze darkened slightly.
"No," he said softly.
"…I am what remains after watching it happen too many times."
Aiden froze.
Not because he believed him.
Because part of him almost understood.
Nyx extended one hand slightly.
Open.
Almost free.
"You can end it," he said.
Aiden stared at him.
"The cycle breaks if the anchor willingly disconnects."
The words hit like ice.
Aiden's wolf reacted violently.
Run.
Fight.
Protect.
Anchor.
Again.
Nyx continued quietly.
"...or you continue."
A pause.
"Again."
And suddenly—
Aiden saw it.
Not memories.
Fragments.
Blood on silver snow.
Theron screaming his name.
Empty forests.
Different faces.
Same moon.
Same grief.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Aiden staggered slightly.
Breathing uneven.
Nyx watched him carefully.
"You feel it now," he murmured.
Aiden's chest hurt.
Gods—
It hurt.
Not just fear.
Not just confusion.
Exhaustion.
Ancient exhaustion.
Like his soul was tired in places his body couldn't understand.
Nyx took another slow step closer.
"You could rest," he said softly.
"No more repeating."
"No more loss."
Aiden looked up sharply.
And finally—
Anger broke through the fear.
"You think dying fixes this?"
Nyx stopped.
Aiden's eyes burned now.
Wolf ears pinned fully back.
"You think giving up is some noble answer?" Aiden snapped.
"My pups are alive."
"My mate is alive."
"My pack is alive."
His voice cracked slightly under the force of emotion.
"And I'm done letting other people decide what happens to me."
For the first time—
Nyx's expression shifted fully.
No irritation.
Don't rage.
Disappointment.
"You still believe this life is different," he said quietly.
"It's different," Aiden growled instantly.
Nyx's gaze sharpened.
"...then prove it."
At that exact moment—
far across the territory—
Theron stopped moving.
The bond.
Pain exploded through it suddenly.
Not a physical injury.
Wrongness.
Theron's eyes widened instantly.
"Aiden."
Ronan turned sharply beside him.
"What happened?"
Theron was already shifting.
Moonlight burst violently across his skin.
The ground trembling beneath his feet.
"He found him."
And then Theron ran.
Back in the forest—
Aiden suddenly realized something horrifying.
Nyx wasn't stalling anymore.
He was waiting.
For Theron.
The shadows at Nyx's feet began moving unnaturally.
Stretching.
Climbing.
Aiden stepped back instantly.
Too late.
Darkness wrapped around his ankle like living smoke.
Cold exploded through him.
Aiden gasped sharply as something deeper than strength began pulling at him.
Not blood.
Not flesh.
Life.
The forest around them withered slightly where the shadows touched.
Grass blackening.
Leaves curling.
Aiden tried to shift fully—
but another shadow wrapped around his wrist.
Then his waist.
His knees hit the ground hard.
The necklace against his chest glowed violently silver.
Fighting back.
Nyx's expression darkened slightly as he watched it resist.
"A stubborn soul," he murmured.
Aiden snarled, claws digging into earth as he fought against the restraint.
But the shadows only tightened.
And somewhere in the distance—
Theron's howl tower through the forest.