The echoes of the battle with the Lunaris cult still lingered in the air, mingling with the acrid stench of charred earth and spilled blood. Lycan's chest heaved with labored breaths, his claws still stained crimson as he scanned the desolate clearing for any signs of the retreating cultists. But his attention snapped back to Selene the moment a weak whimper escaped her lips.
She stood hunched over, her hands pressed against her knees as if struggling to stay upright. Her silver - white hair, once a radiant cascade, now clung limply to her pallid face. Lycan's nostrils flared, catching the sudden shift in her scent—a sickly sweet undertone that replaced the usual earthy aroma of herbs and magic.
"Selene?" His voice was a rough bark, laced with an unfamiliar edge of worry. He took a step towards her, only to freeze when she raised a trembling hand to stop him.
"N - not now," she gasped, her words punctuated by ragged inhales. Her body began to shake violently, and Lycan watched in horror as her knees buckled beneath her. She crumpled to the ground like a puppet with cut strings, her eyes rolling back to reveal the whites.
The symbiotic blood bond between them flared into a searing inferno of pain and fear. Lycan roared, a primal sound that echoed through the forest. He lunged forward, catching her before her head hit the hard earth. Her skin was icy to the touch, a stark contrast to the warmth he was used to feeling through their bond.
"What's happening?" he demanded, his voice cracking as he cradled her in his arms. But Selene didn't respond. Her body continued to convulse, and a thin stream of black foam dribbled from the corner of her mouth.
Panic, a foreign emotion to the battle - hardened Alpha, clawed at his insides. He could feel her life force slipping away, a faint flicker in the otherwise dark void of their connection. The realization hit him like a sledgehammer: the forbidden arts she'd used to save him were now exacting a cruel toll.
"Damn it!" he snarled, his eyes glowing with a fierce, golden light. He rose to his feet, cradling Selene close to his chest as if trying to shield her from the invisible enemy attacking her from within. "You're not going to die on me. Not like this."
He raced through the forest, his powerful legs eating up the ground with long, bounding strides. Every few seconds, he'd glance down at Selene's face, searching for any sign of consciousness. Her features were slack, her lips turning a worrying shade of blue. The bond between them pulsed erratically, like a dying heartbeat.
When he finally stumbled upon a small cave, he ducked inside, gently laying Selene on a bed of dry leaves. Her body was still trembling, and Lycan could hear the faint, rasping rattle of her breath. He crouched beside her, his mind racing as he tried to recall everything she'd ever told him about herbs and potions.
He remembered her words from their early days together, when he'd first forced her to heal him. "Silver poisoning is like a snake, slithering through the veins. You must find the right herbs to draw out its venom." But this wasn't silver poisoning. This was the backlash of dark magic, a beast of a different kind.
Without hesitation, he tore out of the cave, his senses on high alert as he searched for any sign of the herbs Selene had used in the past. He found a patch of moonflower, its pale petals glowing faintly in the moonlight. Selene had once used it to calm a feverish patient, but he wasn't sure if it would work against the dark magic coursing through her veins.
He also gathered some bloodwort, its crimson leaves a stark contrast to the surrounding greenery. Selene had mentioned its ability to staunch bleeding and strengthen the life force. He hoped it would be enough to keep her alive.
Back in the cave, he crushed the herbs with a rock, grinding them into a fine powder. He then added a splash of water from a nearby stream, stirring the mixture into a thick paste. With trembling hands, he lifted Selene's head and tried to pour the concoction down her throat.
But her body rejected it. She coughed and sputtered, most of the paste dribbling down her chin. Lycan growled in frustration, his claws digging into the ground beside him. He couldn't lose her. Not when he'd only just started to understand the depth of their connection.
As the hours passed, Selene's condition worsened. Her trembling finally ceased, but it was replaced by an ominous stillness. Her breathing grew shallow, and the bond between them became a faint, barely - there hum. Lycan sat beside her, his eyes never leaving her face, his heart heavy with guilt.
"It's my fault," he whispered, his voice hoarse from disuse. "I forced you to use that damned magic. I should have found another way." He reached out, gently brushing a lock of hair away from her face. "Please, Selene. Fight. I can't… I can't do this without you."
But Selene remained unconscious, lost in the depths of whatever darkness was consuming her. Lycan continued to search the forest for other herbs, trying different combinations, but nothing seemed to work. Despair threatened to overwhelm him, a black hole that threatened to swallow him whole.
As the first rays of dawn peeked through the cave entrance, Lycan was on the verge of giving up. Selene's skin had taken on a grayish hue, and her breaths were so faint he had to press his ear against her chest to hear them. The bond between them was a mere thread, on the verge of snapping.
He crouched beside her, his head bowed in defeat. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I failed you." But even as the words left his lips, he knew he couldn't accept her fate. He would fight until his last breath to save her, no matter the cost.