Wolf Endangered (Willow's Forbidden Pack #2) - Avery Song Page 0,244

time, Dimi. I don't want to die this time. Please?"

Arms wrapped around me, and it felt so fucking real. I could barely move, but I fought to hug him back, fought with every nerve and muscle in my body to lift my heavy arms and close them around him.

It not only proved I could somehow move, but it also confirmed I wasn't alone in this fearful world of death.

"You're not going to die," Dimitris muttered. "I didn't give your ass permission."

"Always...needing permission," I couldn't stop myself from commenting, and it was even harder not to burst out in tears. "Dimitris...Alpha. I don't know...how to get back up there. The surface is so far. There's no light."

"There is light, Willow," he assured me as he held me tightly. "Where there is darkness, there is always light. That light is within you, Willow, and that power can bring you to the surface. You just need to see it. Reach for it. Believe that you are capable of getting there."

"I'm sorry for getting mad at you earlier."

"Idiot," he muttered. "Say it to my face when we find you."

"You're...looking for me?"

"A pack without our Forbidden Queen is going to become too hard for me to handle," he confessed. "Can't leave you behind now."

It felt like he was slipping away now, and it scared me.

"Dimitris...you're leaving."

Warm lips pressed against mine, that compassionate kiss he gave me once in a blue moon giving me strength. "I can't stay in this state any longer or I risk not being able to get back," he revealed.

"Find me," I whispered, and I meant it. I may have found a new determination to live, but I was afraid of what lay on the other side.

What lay above the surface.

"We'll find you, Willow," he reassured me. "Swim to the light. Fight against the present so you can claim your destined future with us."

He faded away, there and then, but with the warmth he delivered to my body came renewed determination to live. I didn't know how Dimitris did what he did, but it was the push I needed to move my heavy arms.

The mere movement stopped me from sinking, and for a moment, I was in a place of darkness. I looked up and focused with all my might, and there it was - a twinkling star.

A glimpse of light.

There was hope at the end of the tunnel.

My arms moved on their own accord as my determination grew and grew. With each movement of my arms that sought to bring me further and further upward, I thought of each of my pack members.

I thought of little things I'd make sure to do when I survived all of this.

Fuck Onyx like it was our last day on earth.

Enjoy another painting session with Neo.

Go on a solo party date with Saint.

Have a whole day with Jayce to do whatever the fuck he wanted.

Ask Dimitris out on a date as William.

Help Milo return his daughter to the fae lands.

Remind Aurelia what a badass bitch she was.

Return my feelings for Viktor and force him to buy me chocolate.

The list surprised me but motivated me further as I repeated the items again and again. The light began to grow and grow until it was so bright, I couldn't help but swim as fast as I could.

I was a survivor. Mother Moon wanted me to live. No matter all the challenges I'd faced, I still carried a purpose that I was destined to fulfill.

No one would steal it from me anymore...not even me.

That was a promise.

The light swallowed me whole.

"Dammit. Whatever that fucking blast did, it fucked up the plane signals! If I don't go back now, Beta Malachite is going to grow suspicious. That fucking idiot changed Roberto's location again. I just need to prove he's unwell and the Pack House will certainly play to my tune."

"What should I do with her then?"

My consciousness was going in and out, but I knew who the high-pitched female voice was, though the name was at the tip of my tongue.

Beta Bitch?

"She's obviously a decoy," the woman snapped. "You're such a stupid pet. You're lucky the queen simply keeps you because you're her enemy's favorite. You served that woman how many years and yet she can't even locate you."

"If it wasn't for this collar, I wouldn't be in this predicament, bitch."

"Don't insult me, you bulky puppet!" There was a grumbled curse that was followed with a sizzling noise that reminded me of something being charged with pure electricity.

"The queen