Silver's Arc

Chapter 10 of 10

The amulet's glow spread across the white wolf's fur like dawn breaking through fog. Silver watched from where he lay, black nose pressed against their ribs, feeling the light pulse in rhythm with their heartbeat. The white wolf's breathing steadied, then deepened. But the wounds didn't close. Silver shifted back to human form and grabbed the blade from the altar. The weapon felt cold in his palm, its dark grey handle marked with symbols he didn't understand. The white wolf's eyes opened, gold and blue meeting his mismatched gaze. They shifted back too, blood still flowing from the gashes across their chest. "Don't," they said, but Silver was already pressing the blade's tip to his own palm. The white wolf caught his wrist with surprising strength. "I told you no." Silver looked at the blood soaking through their shirt, then at the amulet glowing beneath their collarbone. The light wasn't healing them. It was keeping them alive just long enough to refuse his help. "You're dying," he said. The white wolf's grip tightened. "Then I die knowing you stayed whole." Silver pulled free and brought the blade down hard against the altar's edge. The weapon shattered, pieces scattering across stone. The white wolf stared at the broken metal, then at him. "What did you do?" "Made sure neither of us could choose wrong." Silver pulled the white wolf against his chest and carried them up the stone steps, through the iron gates, into the forest. The amulet's glow brightened as they moved, casting green light through the trees. He found the hollow tree near his den grounds, its interior lit by veins of glowing mineral that matched the amulet's pulse. He laid the white wolf on the wooden platform inside and pressed his hands to their wounds. The amulet flared hot beneath his palm, and this time the cuts began to close. The white wolf's hand covered his, holding it there. Silver stayed, watching their chest rise and fall with steady breaths, and understood that breaking the blade meant neither of them could sacrifice themselves. They would both have to choose to live instead.