Charlie POV
The steady rise and fall of Wren's chest is the only indication she is still alive. Her lips are pale, and her skin is covered in a thin layer of sweat. My hand is wrapped around hers, and I wait for the tingles of the mate bond to flow through my body, but they don't. Rolfe is whining in my head. He is already mourning her.
'Stop,' I hiss at him. 'She isn't dead yet.'
He answers me with another howl. I block him out. I refuse to believe she is dying.
The door to her hospital room opens, and Luna Raven steps inside. She doesn't look like she has slept in days. Her normally flawless makeup is ruined by the tears that have been streaming down her cheeks. I should get to my feet and greet her properly, but I don't have the energy.
She glances around the room and frowns deeply. "Where is Destin?"
I swallow hard. Destin was faced with an impossible decision. Wren is dying, but his daughter is dead.
"He is seeing to the last rites of his daughter," I reply hoarsely. "He should be here soon."
Luna Raven pulls a seat up beside me. "I heard. Do you think it's true? Has Selene's price been paid?"
I shrug my shoulders. "Does it matter? Wren is dying, and Onyx is dead. I don't think Selene will ever be happy."
She laughs weakly. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
"So they say," I reply.
"What do we do now?" She whispers.
I look away from Wren, but I can't bring myself to look the Luna Queen in the eyes. "I won't let her die. If I have to make a deal with Selene, then I will."
Raven gasps and her eyes dart around. "Don't say that. She doesn't play fair."
I jump to my feet and look at the ceiling. "What do you want, Selene? Tell me and I will give it. I have to keep her alive."
The lights flicker in the hospital room. I blink, and the hospital room is gone. Gray dirt is under my feet, and there is no light. The sky looks bigger, and there are more stars than I remember. I stumble back as I look around and fall to the ground.
"You summoned me," a voice says.
I look up from the ground and see a beautiful woman standing before me. I have no doubt this is the Moon Goddess. Werewolves have always been told how beautiful Selene is, but somehow, I imagined her as a wretched witch. Why is beauty wasted on someone who is so cruel?
"You can save her," I whisper.
Selene walks around me, tapping her fingers together in annoyance. "She is too near death. She made a choice. We should respect it."
"YOU!" I scream at her. "You made the choice for her. You forced her hand. The debt has been paid. Onyx is dead. Macy will not have children. Roland's bloodline is gone."
She pauses in front of me. Her blue eyes are studying me carefully. "I guess you are right. But I will not save Wren."
Anger builds in my chest, and Rolfe's growl slips from my lips. "You can't or you won't?"
She smiles evilly. "I won't. Magic has a cost, and healing someone from the brink of death comes with a heavier cost. One that I am not sure you are willing to pay."
Every cell in my body is telling me to run. Selene is going to ask too much of me. She asks too much of everyone. But I have to save Wren. It is why I am here. "What is the price?"
Her smile widens. "I could ask so much of you. But what about a life for a life?"
"I would gladly give my life to save Wren," I say proudly.
Selene throws her head back and laughs loudly. "Not your life. A life that has not yet been created."
My eyebrows wrinkle together. "I don't understand."
Selene kneels down in front of me and tips my chin up with her fingers. "Your bloodline dies with you. You will watch Wren's belly grow with a child, but you will know it is not yours. Is that something you can live with? Knowing Destin will give her the children you can't?"
My heart sinks. I was right. Selene asks too much. As the Alpha of a pack, there is nothing more important than continuing my bloodline. If I give Selene what she wants, the Gravestone Pack will go to another when I am too old to be Alpha. She might as well take my title from me while she is at it.
"Well," she smirks. "Time is ticking. Every moment you waste here with me is another moment your precious Wren nears death. What is more important? Your bloodline or your mate?"
I already know the answer. Without Wren, my bloodline dies anyway. I have already felt the loss of a mate once; I will not do it again. I am strong enough to swatch Wren carry a child that isn't mine, and I know I will love Destin's child as much as I would if it were my own.
I steady my breaths and get to my feet. "I will do it."
"Huh," Selene mumbles. "I really expected you to let her die."
"I love her," I snarl. "You have what you want. Now save her."
"Don't come crying to me when she is pregnant with Destin's child and you are jealous," she groans.
"I don't plan on it," I reply.
Selene rolls her eyes and snaps her fingers. The moon disappears, and I am back in the hospital room. I gasp for air as I look around the room. Raven's eyes are wide with fear. "What did you do?"
The steady beat of the machines catches my attention. Wren's heart rate is increasing. "I saved her," I whisper excitedly.
Luna Raven lays a hand on my shoulder. "What was the cost?"
I shake my head. No one needs to know about the sacrifice I made to save Wren. "It doesn't matter. She will live."