*****
"Then don't trust fate," Eve said. "Trust me. Trust that I'll fight. That I'll survive. That I want to live to see you come back to me more than I cwant anything else in this world."
"And if fighting isn't enough?" Damian asked quietly. "If wanting it isn't enough? If you do everything right and the transformation still destroys you?"
"Then at least you'll know you saved twenty-five children," Eve said. "At least you'll know you did your duty. At least those children will grow up safe because you made the hard choice."
"That's supposed to be comforting?" Damon demanded. "Knowing we did our duty while our mate died alone?"
"It's supposed to be reality," Eve said. "Because that's what being alpha means. Making choices that break your heart because they're the right thing to do. And right now, the right thing to do is save those children."
The room fell into heavy silence as her words sank in.
