Emma's pov

　　The pain was excruciating. That's what I remember most. My body was sprawled on a cold floor, feeling a heavy shroud suffocating me, yet there was nothing on top of me.

　　My memory doesn't bring forth the moment I passed out, only the terrible pain I felt in my bones, stomach, heart, and mind. Something horrific tearing my body apart from the inside out, like I was being consumed by invisible flames.

　　A veil of death hovered over me, taking me to distant lands, distant worlds. Distant pains, with distant screams. The Stonehaven pack disappeared around me; my home, my haven, no longer existed.

　　I found myself in a spiral of confusion, torture, and fear. Time neither moved forward nor backward. Time didn't exist in that place. It was an infernal limbo, an endless void where each second dragged on like an eternity.

　　The screams, so many screams. I was so weak, too weak to run. Too weak to speak. Too weak to resist the veil of death trying to take me away.

　　There was no escape for me, no door to flee through. For anyone there, and I couldn't see them. But I could hear them very well. I heard their pains, their laments, and pleas. The desperate screams seemed to come from all sides, a cacophony that tore at my sanity.

　　I tried to move forward or even backward. But where was that? There was no road, no path, no door. Only I existed, the pain existed, and the terrible screams. An unbearable cacophony that I didn't know how to escape.

　　The cold, desolate environment left me lost, nearly without memories of any good or beautiful place. Even without knowing where to walk or what to do, I tried.

　　I wandered through the infernal limbo, with pains consuming my soul and heart. I walked without knowing where to go, without knowing whom to call. Each step was a monumental effort, my feet seemed made of lead, dragging on the arid and inhospitable ground. I no longer remembered who I was or who I once had been. The identity I knew was fading, leaving only a vague sense of loss. But there was a sense that I had been someone, that I belonged to someone.

　　"Emma…" a voice whispered my name, whether far or near. There was no far or near in that limbo, it seemed. "Emma…" the voice was an anomaly in that desolate land, a thread of hope amidst my despair.

　　I tried to follow the voice, the only calm, tranquil, and affectionate voice amidst the sea of screams, anguish, and pain. But the voice was so low, so small and contained. Each time I thought I was close to finding it, it seemed to move farther away, like an unreachable echo. I didn't know if I could find it again.

　　My mind clung to that voice, the only familiar and comforting thing amidst the chaos. It was the voice of someone who knew me, who loved me. The only thing that gave me strength to keep standing, that gave me strength to keep going.

　　However, limbo is an endless maze, and the voice gets lost among the screams and laments. My eyes filled with endless tears, a growing frustration that threatened to consume me. Each step was a struggle, each movement a battle against despair.

　　"Emma, I'm here! I'm coming to you, hold on!" the voice called again, this time clearer, a bit closer.

　　I forced myself to focus on it, ignoring the excruciating pain and the screams around me as best as I could. I followed that voice like a beacon, a fragile light in the darkness.

　　"I'm coming, I'm coming…" I responded wearily, walking non-stop through the infernal limbo.

　　I walked without stopping, stumbling and staggering, but I felt a determination growing inside me, thanks to that beautiful voice. The infernal limbo seemed infinite, an endless expanse of pain and suffering. Yet I wouldn't give up. I couldn't give up.

　　"Emma, it's me. I'm here with you, I'm here with you, Emma!" the voice declared now closer, bringing with it sounds of footsteps, of a frantic run.

　　That made me run more, even with my tired feet, with the loud screams. Each step brought me a bit closer to the voice, a bit closer to escaping that nightmare.

　　As the veil of death circled wanting to claim me, the veil of life came like a cloud and brought me back. A huge white wolf, with soft and grand fur, her eyes vibrant gold, like molten gold. She raced toward me, and I didn't feel fear at her speed or size. What I felt was relief.

　　"Eldra!" I shouted, recognizing my second wolf, my savior.

　　She ran, and I ran toward her with a happiness I never thought I could find again. My arms went out to meet her, and I hugged her tightly. The moment we met and touched, I was pulled back to life.

　　"How can you be alive? I cursed you. An expensive curse, by the way. You were supposed to be dead!" Ava declared with venom in her voice, and I was shocked by her statement.

　　Matthew's arms were around me, and I heard the growl rising from within him. My heart broke at hearing Ava's words, my former best friend.

　　"Yes, I should be dead. Your curse hit me, Ava. But Eldra, my second wolf, rescued me!" I declared with pride, my eyes landing on Ava who was thrown on the ground, hurt and bloodied.

　　I wanted to feel pity for her, to feel guilt for everything that happened here. But I couldn't. I only felt betrayed and sad.

　　"Why did you do this, Ava? I thought we were friends, best friends," I commented with sadness in my voice, feeling the pain of how she could have attacked me like this.

　　"Because you don't deserve the life you have with Matthew. He doesn't belong to you. You belong to my brother, you were his mate!" Ava spat the venomous words in my direction.

　　"Matthew is my destined mate. The Moon Goddess was kind and merciful to me by giving Matthew my second chance at love. My life has never been perfect; I've made many mistakes and after everything the Moonshadow pack did to me, I for a long time thought I deserved your mistreatment," I confessed with a heavy voice, with remorse. "But Matthew, along with the Night Howlers Pack, gave me space to feel safe, loved, and above all, to know who I am."

　　I looked at my fiancé, and even though he came here ready to destroy an entire wolf pack, I saw the kindness and genuine love within him for me, and for all the people he cares about.

　　"With Matthew, I have found my own path. I have my own family with the Stonehaven Pack, the family I chose to love and embrace. You'll probably never understand that, Ava. But I deserve the life I have; I am worthy of it!" I declared with confidence and sincerity.

　　"I love you, Emma!" Matthew declared firmly and loudly. "I will never love anyone but you!"

　　That filled my heart with joy and confidence that everything would work out. Everything would be okay.