Chapter 0444

Gunfire erupts around us.

I realize instantly what they've discovered from experimenting on rogues.

They've developed a way to kill us—not just weaken us.

A wolf beside me takes a bullet to the shoulder.

The silver liquefies on impact, seeping into his bloodstream.

He collapses from the initial wound, but I watch in horror as the poison spreads.

The moment it reaches his heart, his life extinguishes through our Alpha bond.

Magnus roars in fury.

We turn back to the fight with renewed rage.

Outnumbered. Outgunned. Every bullet is fatal.

The Guardians and their mates resist silver better, but it won't save us today.

We're all going to die here.

But I'll take down as many hunters as I can first.

The battlefield is carnage.

Hunters lie dead or dying everywhere.

Magnus shreds through them effortlessly, his claws slick with blood.

We've torn limbs from bodies, throats from necks.

His black fur glistens crimson under the moonlight.

Wolves howl in agony as bullets find them.

I feel my pack members dying one by one through our bonds.

Each loss weakens me further.

Magnus stumbles when a bullet strikes his hind leg.

Burning silver spreads through our shared body, forcing us to limp.

Three legs now. It'll take time for the poison to reach our heart.

Time to kill more hunters.

Then I spot Isolde.

She and her sisters are decimating hunters with their powers.

But for every one they eliminate, three more appear.

We're hopelessly outnumbered.

Magnus and I fight our way toward her.

The instinct to protect our mate overrides everything.

No one will touch her while we still draw breath.

The silver creeps closer to our heart with every beat.

Time is running out.

Another hunter falls beneath us.

Then a bullet punches through our lung.

Silver floods our chest. Breathing becomes agony.

Magnus coughs blood but leaps at another attacker.

Our numbers dwindle by the second.

Alistair's bond snaps first. Then Alexander's.

Donovan fell earlier, taking the first wave.

Leopold survives only because he's human now, but I feel him fading too.

My connection to Isolde weakens.

The mates' collective grief from the bunker nearly crushes me.

Across the battlefield, Isolde's eyes meet mine.

She knows.

Horror contorts her beautiful face.

Beside her, Elara kneels over someone—Adrian.

Dead in her arms.

Her grief shields the Guardians from harm.

At least my mate is safe.

Even if I can't protect her anymore.

A final bullet strikes true.

Liquid silver floods my heart.

With my last breath, I send one final thought: "I love you, Isolde."

Darkness swallows me.

The last thing I see is Isolde's scream.