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

Chapter 209 1/6 AURORA I understand enough, he says, his voice unyielding.

Ive lost enough.

Im not losing you too.

Before I could further argue with him, the air shifts around us, and the mist starts to take form, sharpening by the second.

Shapes are taking form and morphing into figures... twisted mockeries of people from Danes past.

A woman with golden hair stands at the edge of the mist, her face twisted in a mask of pain.

Beside her, a young boy clutches her hand, his eyes wide in fear.

No, Dane whispers, his voice breaking.

The figures step closer; their forms are twisted, and unnatural.

The boys face screws up, his mouth open in a silent scream.

Dane, what are they? I ask, my voice shaking.

Theyre my fears, he says, his body stiff with tension.

My failures.

The visions lash out, their movements weird but deliberate .

Dane raises his arms in defense, his movements are quick but strained.

You couldnt save us, the woman says, her voice sad and weak You let us die. Chapter 209 The boy moves closer, his small hands outstretched to Dane.

You promised, he says, the tone too steady.

You said youd take care of us.

Dane stumbled backward, his skin pale.

2/6 Dane ! I yell, raising the pendant high.

For a second its glow cuts through, forcing the illusions to shatter .

Liriens voice cuts through the fog, imperative.

The grove feeds on guilt and fear.

He is open to it here.

He cannot stay.

Dane shakes his head.

Heavy breathing escapes from his lips as he growls, I wont leave her.

Youre not helping her, Lirien snaps, its form shimmering with irritability.

Your presence only makes the grove that much stronger.

Leave before you are both devoured.

Dane, I tried again, my words shaking.

Listen to Lirien .

You have to leave, or it will destroy you.

I w... wont be able to, he responds, his words breaking.

I wont let it takeaway from you.

The grove raves on, furor doubled, and more join the horde wolves twisted monstrous forms, their eyes aglow with malice.

The glow of the pendant reduced, my hands shaking as the bursts increased further life from its depths.

Ill hold them off, Dane says suddenly.

An edge has crept into his voice now, his body firm, though a quick flicker reveals his Chapter 209 hand.

3/6 You have got to finish this, Aurora.

You are all that you can.

No! I snap, catching his arm.

I wont leave you behind.

You dont have a choice, he says, his voice low and even.

This is bigger than us.

Bigger than me.

I blink through my tears but shake my head.

We do this together.

No matter what.

The illusions close in, their distorted faces leering as they circle us .

Dane stands beside me, his body tense and ready to fight.

Then lets finish it, he says to me.

We forge ahead in concert.

With every use, the light in the pendant gutters, the illusions threatening to break through.

Dane lashes out at the figures with brutal efficiency, desperation driving his movements.

The mist grows thinner with our passage ; a clearing opens up before us, and there, at the middle of the grove, is its center tree its roots twisting, running with corruption.

Were almost there, I say, and my voice is tight with determination.

The roots seem to sense our approach, twisting violently as dark branches rise from the ground.

Lirien appears again, its form flickering .

Chapter 209 4/6 tree will not wait .

You must decide.

We fight our way through the final few roots; its corrupted energy whiplashing out as though it were a living thing.

The pendant flared brighter once more, beating them off us long enough to reach the bottom of the tree.

The roots divided now, showing a heart pulsating bright in the center of it.

Power hummed the air.

It was thick to such a degree my skin tingled with the energy.

Liriens voice fills my head, soft and insistent.

The tof choice has come, now, Luna.

Will you revive the grove ... or let it rot ? I glaze at the heart, hypnotic in the core light, almost threatened by it.

Dane reaches out and brushes his hand across mine.

The touch grounds me.

Aurora, he says softly.

Whichever way, Im with you.

I shut my eyes momentarily, willing the anger insideto calm.

The glow of the heart pulses, each beat tuggingcloser toward.

a decision Im not prepared to make.

Restore it, I whisper.

Sacrifice it all, and it ends here.

Its just too similar toin my mind as far as cost is concerned.

What if I fail? I whisper, turning to Lirien, whose shadowed form stands unstirring.

You wont, Lirien says with such surety.

The grove has chosen you.

The grove shall take your sacrifice.

Chapter 209 There isnt, I say, my voice breaking.

Youve seen what this place can do.

If I walk away, the pack suffers.

5/6 The grove dies.

Dane steps closer, his voice raw.

And what about you? What happens to you, Aurora ? Dont you think you matter too? My chest tightens, tears filling my eyes. This isnt about me, I say.

Its about all of us.

The roots rolled around the glowing heart, dark branches.

creeping closer as if sensing the weight of my hesitation.

The choice cannot wait, Lirien says.

Decide, Luna.

Now.

I step closer, and the heat from the glowing heart caresses my skin as if it were alive.

Its light seems to intensify, demanding my attention, and tuggingcloser.

Dane reaches for my arm, his touch light yet firm.

Aurora, wait... theres still tto think this through.

There isnt, I answer, my voice shaking, yet set.

The grove wont let us leave without a decision.

The branches around my heart coil tighter, their agitation now violent in response to the thought in my mind.

It is as though all that air holds heavy , inwith the weight of so many lives hanging in the balance, the En packs, mine. Whatever happens, I tell him, turning back to Dane.

promise Chapter 209 Aurora, no.

6/6 Promise! I scream over him, my voice drowning him in a sea of tears.

His hand falls, his face contorted in rage and misery.

I swear it, he growls.

His voice is barely audible.

I lean forward, toward the heart, and the pendant resting against my chest surges to life in soft golden light.

The minute my fingers make contact with the light, a low rumbling growl explodes from the grove behind him and I am paralyzed. A monster steps out from behind the trees, green fire ablaze in his eyes.