Chapter 125 I Found Home

Chapter 125 I Found Home

ARDEN

Eliasb? /b

Elias was here?

+5 Free bColos /b

My eyes widened, heart racing in my chest when I saw him step toward the clearing, bold and unbothered. a phone held up high in his hand.

A bright red dot blinked in the corner of the screenb, /band the realization hit me hard, but the good kind.

He was livestreaming everything.

“Tell that again, Mr. Winters, Elias said coldly, his voice booming across the clearing. “The part where you said byou’d /bmanipte the world. How you n on killing these twodies? How you would win no matter what and no matter who your opponent is? Say it louder for the entire country to hear.”

Mr. Winters froze, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes. The usual smugness he had was gone, and the satisfaction was much more than I had ever expected.

Cade turned to him sharply, blood dripping down his knuckles, and still holding me tightly. He looked to Rowan, and Rowan gave him the smallest nod. A silent message passed between them

bSo /bRowan had called hum.

No wonder Rowan appeared the calmest out of all of us. Although I could see how his eyes darted to Tessa

btime/b, his concern hidden yet unmistakable. from btime /bto

Elias bbeing /bhere made a lot of sense. The East was closest to the South. The route was pretty dangerous, bbut /bwith Elias leading his army, they bhad /bbmade /bit in time.

Mr. Winters didn’t expect it. He bprobably /bassumed the divide between True Alphas–between territories and factions–was enough to iste us. To keep us disjointed and unorganized. Jaxon agreeing with him was the testament to that.

However, he underestimated another thing he would never understand–friendship and loyalty.

I let out ba /bsoft, choked breath

Relief

Hope.

A sob escaped before I bcould /bbhold /bit back.

From behind Elias, more figures emerged. Uniformed wolves of the Eastern army. Dozens. No, hundreds surrounded bthe /bclearing in silence,ing to a halt with Elias‘mand.

It was a reckoning.

We were no longer outnumbered. They were.

Chapter 125 I Found Home

Mr. Winters cursed under his breath, his towel barely clinging to his waist now. Something passed through. his eyes when he stepped back, I bknew /bhe was trying to escape.

He turned to bolt, but Elias lifted his arm.

“Capture bthem/b!” Elias shouted. “Don’t kill. Take them alive. Every one of them will be tied.”

The chaos erupted in an instant.

Wolves shifted, metal shed, and people screamed. The traitorous students–the ones who followed Winters, Kieran, Jaxon–they tried to run. But the East had anticipated that. They were surrounded.

I fell to my knees, the sudden motion knocking the wind out of me. I had felt tired for ba /bwhile, but I held it out because I wanted to make my point.

Cade was there instantly, arms catching me before I copsedpletely. His touch was warm, trembling. his breath ragged against my temple.

“Arden,” he choked.

I looked up at bhim/b. The war raged around us, but at that moment, there was only bhim /band me.

I reached up with every ounce of strength I had left and touched his cheek.

“We did it,” I whispered.

He shook his head, tears already falling, “Don’t. Don’t talk like that.”

“No.” I smiled, even as pain surged through my body, “Cade, listen. You did it. We did it. You always thought you weren’t enough. That no one would believe in you. But I always did.”

“Stop it, please, bArden/b. Breathe for me. It’s okay. You’re going to live.”

“I always believed in you,” I said again, firmer this time, even as my voice cracked. “Even when you didn’t You gave me a reason to live again. You gave me Honey. You gave me family. You gave me you.”

His arms tightened around me like he could hold my soul in ce.”

“I’m not losing you,” he breathed. “You’re not going anywhere. Don’t do this.”

“I’m proud of you,” I murmured, my head resting against his chest. “Take care of Honey. She’ll miss me. And you–1 looked up at him, tears streaking down both our faces. “Make the world better for me, baby.”

“Don’t say goodbye,” he said, his voice cracking, utterly broken. “Please. Don’t say goodbye.”

Bethany stumbled toward us, falling to her knees beside me. Her hands cupped my face, her breath shallow band /brapid

i“/iNo,” she cried. “My daughter. Please. I’m your family. I’m here now. I’m here. Don’t go yet, my daughter. You can’t go before me.”

heart stop

for a second, but it felt good. I didn’t think I would receive this kind of love ever in my I felt life. It was just unfortunate I got to experience it toote.

bmy /b

Chapter 125 I Found Home

My eyes mer hers.

And I smiled.

“I’m happy,” I whispered,

Her tears fell freely now. He

hand trembled as she cradled my cheekb. /b

“I knew it in my heart bthat /byou were mine,” she sobbed. “Even with the short time we spent together, I care for you. So much.”

I took her hand in mine. “Me too, I really do…”

It took everything in me to say thest word.

Mom

Bethany let out a sob that cracked the sky.

“You’re not allowed to say goodbye,” Cade muttered again, holding me tighter. “You’re going to bmake /bi okay? We’ll find the antidote. We’ll save you.”

But I knew.

I could feel it.

Something inside me was giving up. I was tired. So tired. I had fought so long, so hard. And I wasn’t scared banymore/b.

My heart was full.

“And you,” I whispered to Cade, my vision blurring. “I love you. I love you so much.”

He bent down and kissed my forehead with such tenderness that I felt it in my bones.

“I’ll fight,” he whispered against my skin. “I’ll never stopi. /i

I nodded weakly. “Take care of my mom.”

My world began to bdim/b. The sounds of war turned muffled and distant. All I could hear was Cade’s sobs and Bethany’s cries.

And in that darkness, I wasn’t afraid.

Because I had found love.

Because I had found home.

Because I knew Fenra was

was saved!

b3/3 /b

1:09:21 Sat, 9 Aug

Chapter 125 I Found Home

My eyes met hers.

And I smiled.

“I’m happy,” I whispered.

Her tears fell freely now. Her hand trembled as she cradled my cheek.

“I knew it in my heart that you were mineb,/b” she sobbed. “Even with the short time we spent together, I care for you. So much.”

I took her bhand /bin mine. “Me too. I really do…”

It took everything in me to say thest word.

Mom.

Bethany let out a sob that cracked the sky.

“You’re not allowed to say goodbye,” Cade muttered again, holding me tighter. “You’re bgoing /bto make it, okay? We’ll find the antidote. We’ll save you.”

But I knew.

I could feel it.

Something inside me was giving up. I was tired. So tired. I had fought so long, so hard. And I wasn’t scared

anymore.

My heart was full.

“And you,” iI /iwhispered to Cade, my vision blurring. “I love you. I love you bso /bmuch.”

He bent down and kissed my forehead with such tenderness bthat /bI felt it in my bones.

“I’ll fight,” he whispered against my skin. “I’ll never stop.”

I nodded weakly. “Take care of my mom.”

My world began to dim. The sounds of war turned muffled and distant. All I could hear was Cade’s sobs and Bethany’s cries.

And in that darkness, I wasn’t afraid.

Because I had found love.

Because I had found homei. /i

Because I knew Fenra bwas /bsaved