Chapter 525

“But why would it matter?” I cried. “She had so many other ways to help; she didn’t have to do this.” I shook my head. I just didn’t understand.

Greyson looked up at me with a sad smile. “You know what I heard for the last four years? Every day when Cass was struggling, she would always say she wanted to be more like you. ‘I have to be like Amy.’” He shook his head. “I tried to explain that she didn’t have to be like you because I loved her as she was, but she kept saying she had to be like you because she wanted someone to look up to. Someone our pups would look up to, and the only person she ever looked up to was you.”

Rowan clutched me tighter, feeling my body trembling. “No,” I fought back against Greyson’s words. “I’m not someone to look up to.”

“Come on, Amy. You’re an alpha, an amazing person, and you’ve always stuck up for Cass. She absolutely loves you. You’re her best friend. Of course she wanted to be like you. You risk it all for the people you love, right?” I nearly dropped to my knees, but Rowan caught me. Greyson looked at me. “I don’t blame you. I swear to the goddess I don’t. I know my mate made her own choices, and if this happened, it’s the goddess’s path. I’m just devastated that my pup is gone and my mate is in this bed. I know I have to go out and still fight to keep our home safe.” Greyson stood and looked at the doctor. “Is she stable?”

The doctor looked down at Cass and sighed. “She’s showing no signs of fading, so she’s stable for now. I’m going to monitor her for the rest of the day to ensure she makes it.”

“What are you thinking? What are you going to do?” I stepped out of Rowan’s arms. Greyson looked back at me, and I could see the anger, the hatred burning behind his eyes.

“I’m going to kill the person who hurt my mate. I’m going to kill the person who killed my pup.” Another tear trembled at the edge of his lashes.

“She’s already dead.” A weak voice came from the bed.

Everyone whirled to see Cass’s eyes were open. “What did you just say?” Greyson rushed to the bedside, dropping to his knees beside it, and slid his hand into hers. “Baby, are you okay?”

“Our pup?” The words trembled, like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, and the answer would either save her or push her over the edge.

Greyson swallowed as he looked down at their clutched hands. He shook his head slowly. “Our pup didn’t make it.”

Cass tried to pull away, but Greyson held on strongly. “No,” she fought against his hold, but he still held her. He pushed up from his knees and crawled into the bed, wrapping his arms completely around her. “No,” the word sounded more like she was choking than an actual thought. “NO!” This time, it was like her heart was ripped from her chest, and the scream that followed shattered the last bit of hope everyone was holding.

I went to the other side of the bed and reached for my friend, but she pulled away. I looked her in the eyes and tried to tell her how sorry I was. “Cass,” I tried, but my words failed me.

“How?” That one word was a whisper I barely caught.

“How what?” I asked, my hands dropping into my lap.

“How did you get past losing your pup?” Her eyes met mine.

“What?” I reeled back from the question.

“How did you get past losing your pup?” She repeated the question slower, but it was the desolation in her eyes that sucked me in. “I don’t see how you could get past it. My soul feels like it’s been fractured. My heart feels hollow.”

There was a silence that enveloped the room. I took a breath and answered, “The simple answer is you don’t.” A sob wanted to break from my chest, but I pushed it back down. This was not my time for pain.

Chapter 525

“How am I supposed to move on?” I was staring into her eyes, and felt that there was nothing there.

“You’re not supposed to move on from this. You’ll never get past it, but it does get easier. It doesn’t happen easily or fast, but each day it gets a little easier to deal with. But years later, you’ll be walking down the street, and it’ll just hit you all over again, and it’ll drop you to your knees.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Losing someone you love is the worst possible thing that could happen to you. It breaks something fundamental inside of you. Eventually, you’ll learn to live without them, but that broken piece stays broken.”