Emma's pov

　　I watch my mate with attentive eyes and an anxious heart. Matthew is wounded all over his body, his face so battered that one of his eyes can't even open due to the swelling. His body is a map of pain and injuries, his face a mask of suffering.

　　The smell of blood overwhelms all the scents my mate possesses. I can't sense anything else on him but blood and sweat. I stand beside him, ready to support him if he weakens and the adrenaline coursing through his body fades.

　　But that doesn't happen at first, which surprises me. Matthew stands firm, not staggering once, with Steve like his pet dog beside him. My heart tightens with the revelation that Steve was the one who betrayed Matthew's wolf pack. His betrayal is a poison spreading even to me. I liked Steve; he was always kind and made delicious food. How could he have betrayed the wolf pack this way?

　　"Why did you do it? What did Alpha Tim Davis promise you for this?" Matthew questions angrily, punching Steve in the face.

　　The sound of it makes me even more uncomfortable, especially as it echoes through the forest. The whole situation makes me uneasy.

　　The only reason I intervened in this conflict is that I felt through our mate bond that Matthew was in danger. The pain was unimaginable, the anguish he was feeling in the battle reached my very bones.

　　"Good thing we came, otherwise… Matthew probably would have ended up dead," Accalia comments smoothly.

　　Accalia and Eldra have gotten along well over the past few months. Eldra has been teaching Accalia to communicate better with me, and it has been wonderful to witness. Accalia's voice is now more fluid thanks to the time she has spent learning from Eldra.

　　"Yes, the feeling was so bad; I can't imagine what would have happened if Matthew had died," Eldra comments sorrowfully.

　　Accalia and I have had a taste of what it's like to lose a mate. Michael's rejection no longer pains us; it's like a wound long healed but not forgotten.

　　"I hope you never have to feel what I felt, Eldra," Accalia comments sadly within me.

　　Steve, for his part, doesn't respond and doesn't say a single word. His silence impresses me, as does his false loyalty.

　　"It's better to take him back to the Night Howlers Pack, Alpha Matthew," Beta Liam comments wearily. Even he has severe wounds that need tending.

　　"You both need to return to the wolf pack," I affirm, agreeing with Liam. "The wounded are many, and you need to be well to lead and care for them. I will regroup my werewolves after gathering the wounded."

　　Matthew, however, shakes his head at the suggestion, surprising me. The forest is beginning to brighten, and dawn breaking for all of us. The light of victory, though, is tinged with blood bathing the hopes we have in winning.

　　"I will stay here until all the wounded have been collected. I won't return home until everyone does," Matthew responds with a hoarse, firm voice.

　　Beta Liam and I exchange glances, unsure what to say. Daniel, on the other hand, stands with crossed arms and a thoughtful expression on his face.

　　We haven't talked much, with everything that's happened, it's been impossible to converse with anyone. The sounds of the battle still echo in my mind, my body covered in blood. Blood that isn't mine, of werewolves loyal to the Moonshadow Pack, the wolf pack I once called home.

　　I didn't find my brother's presence on the battlefield, nor Michael's, and I'm relieved for that. Because I don't know what I would have done if I had to confront the two, especially after what James, my older brother, did to me.

　　"We can never forgive him, Emma. Never," Accalia declares, and I feel Eldra growling in agreement.

　　"Matthew, can I talk to you for a second? In private?" I ask calmly, emphasizing the need for privacy. Matthew nods, and we walk away from the small circle that had formed in the forest clearing.

　　We walk in silence to a more secluded hill, where the soldiers' voices aren't so loud, and the smell of blood isn't as strong.

　　"Matthew, what do you think you're doing?" I ask worriedly, my hands reaching for his face, my fingers gently and delicately touching his cheeks, even as Matthew's body tenses with pain.

　　"Emma, I… I just can't leave. It's my fault we had so many casualties, so many losses. I trusted Steve, I thought…" Matthew's voice breaks, and he falls to his knees in front of me, his eyes filling with tears.

　　There's no one around to see his breakdown, and I kneel to be at his level. Matthew's arms quickly pull me into a hug, and I hold him, his face resting on my shoulder as I let him cry, his body shaking with pain and guilt.

　　"Matthew, don't martyr yourself like this, please, my love," I plead compassionately, my voice a gentle whisper.

　　I stroke my beloved's black hair, trying to calm him. I didn't expect Matthew to break down because of the betrayal, but rather because of the injuries.

　　"It's my fault, entirely my fault," Matthew repeats, sobbing between the tears still falling.

　　"It wasn't, Matthew. Don't think that way. We'll be okay, you'll be okay," I say tenderly.

　　Matthew pulls his face away from my shoulder and looks at me, "Emma, thank you. Thank you for coming to save me. If not for that, I would surely be dead along with my entire wolf pack," Matthew says, his words rushing out, his hands reaching for my face, tucking a strand of my hair between his fingers.

　　I give him a gentle smile and run my fingers along the nape of his neck, "I would have gone to hell for you, Matthew."