The scent hit him like a fist to the chest.
A black wolf tore through the forest, golden eyes blazing, paws slamming wet earth. Every breath pulled more of her in.
Serena.
The wolf ran faster than any Alpha had a right to. Faster than bone and muscle should allow, because none of that mattered. He needed to get to her.
He'd been searching for what felt like hours. He'd been so worried.
And when he saw her, his heart cracked open. She stood by a stream, head in her hands.
He shifted mid lunge, hands replacing paws just as he reached her.
"Serena! Are you alright?"
Her sadness bled through the matebond before he even touched her, so sharp it stole his breath.
He pulled her into his arms tightly, catching her off guard.
His scent and touch calmed her. He could feel her through their matebond.
Electricity danced everywhere their skin met.
She stiffened and pushed him away.
His expression was of pure confusion. Then the hurt crept in underneath, the kind he didn't know how to hide.
"Serena, I was so worried," he breathed, grabbing her hand.
She looked at him with absolute devastation in her eyes, and it shocked him.
"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked, trying to pull her back into his arms. He was successful, but she didn't hug him back. She stood rigid against him like a statue.
"Dex, you lied to me," she whispered.
She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her.
"Never. I promise you, Serena," he insisted, kissing her temple. "I love you more than anything. I would never."
She put her face in her hands, silent tears falling. She tried to move away from him again, but he held her tighter.
"Just let me be, Dex." She took a deep breath, voice cracking. "P-please."
"No." His voice broke. "I am not letting you go when you're this sad. Tell me what happened."
Wrong thing to say.
Serena was at her limit.
She started to cry. Not the silent tears from before. Real crying. The kind that shook her shoulders and stole her breath. The kind Dex had never seen from her.
This gutted him.
His knees almost buckled. Her grief crashed through the matebond and flooded his chest, so thick he couldn't tell where hers ended and his started.
"Don't cry, Serena," he said, kissing her head, voice desperate now. "Whatever it is, I'll fix it. If you're crying, it must be bad. Tell me. Please."
That made it worse. Dex's eyes burned, heart cracking. Her emotions washed into him and he didn't fully understand.
"Hey..... I'm here," he managed, forcing calm into his voice when there was none left in his body. "Hang on." He picked her up in one motion, moved to a tree, and sat down against it with her in his lap.
Her sobs didn't stop for awhile. Dex tried to soothe her. Then he just held her so tight his arms ached. He pressed kisses into her forehead, her temple, her hair. None of it was enough.
Gods, he needed to fix this.
This was killing him.
Eventually, her sobs turned into hiccups and wheezes.
Dream or not, it felt real, and she couldn't get a full breath.
"Hey... match your breathing with me," Dex said. "In." He did an exaggerated inhale. "Out." He exhaled.
She tried for a minute. It barely helped.
His eyes darkened. Whatever had done this to her, he was going to destroy it.
Then he remembered. He surged calm into her through the matebond. She jolted against him, eyes wide.
"Y-y-you shouldn't b-be able to d-d-do..." Her stutters trailed off.
"Serena..." He kissed her shoulder, then her head, pulling her tighter. "Tell me what happened. I can't stand this." His voice was pained, cracking. "Please."
Her brows pinched together, still hiccuping. "I j-just d-d-don't understand why."
Dex wiped her tears with his thumb. "Why what?"
"Why did y-you t-tell me all those things. I would have never intervened." She shook her head, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
Why you lied t-to me..." More tears fell down her cheeks and her shoulders shook.
"I promise you, I didn't lie baby," Dex said. His voice was pained and forced calm. "What happened? I don't understand but I want to."
"I t-t-told you things that I've never..." She inhaled sharply, furious at herself for being this upset.
That fury sliced through the matebond like a blade. Dex flinched. She was mad at herself for breaking down. Mad at herself for something else he couldn't reach.
"I promise, Serena. I've never told anyone something you told me in confidence. I will always protect you," he said. "You can always come to me with anything."
"Were you confused?" Serena asked with a hiccup. "About our d-dragon bond? M-mixed up the two. It's okay if that's what happened."
"Without a wolf...I wouldn't have known," she added, more to herself.
It took a moment for Dex to understand.
"Serena...no. I knew you were my fated mate immediately. I promise. Before I even laid eyes on you, I caught your scent," he said. "I knew that days before you bonded with Velkaris."
She shook her head.
Darkness came quick. Too quick. Dex didn't want to let her go.
"Serena…" he whispered against her hair. "I love you so much."
But she was already fading, and he couldn't hold on to what wasn't solid anymore.
"Serena!"
He screamed her name into the void, but she was gone.
✦✦✦
Serena wasn't sure how much time had passed.
She stirred caught somewhere between awake and asleep, sounds bleeding through like she was underwater.
Then she heard yelling.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
"Get ahold of yourself! Shadowclaw is already livid."
"I don't give a fuck about Shadowclaw. SHE'S MINE!"
A different voice, tone dangerous. "Is she okay?"
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Garrett Darkhowler." The voice was cold now. "And I suggest you back the fuck up before I make you."
"Garrett, wait, this is Dex—"
"I don't care who he is. He takes one more step and I'm putting him through the wall."
"Stop! I am going in to see her."
Footsteps. Scuffling. Something slammed against stone.
"Touch that door and you lose the hand."
"You don't get to tell me—"
"I just did."
More scuffling. A snarl that didn't sound entirely human.
Then a voice cut through like a blade.
"Everyone. Out. Now."
Silence.
Then retreating footsteps.
A door closed.
And finally it was mercifully, quiet.