In that moment, a small, fragile flame of hope lit inside my chest.
Then I watched them swim toward Hazel Ashford.
From the deck above came Hazel Sterling's frantic voice, pitched almost like a command.
"Leave her! Save Ashford first. You have to save Ashford!"
In that moment, every last ember of hope collapsed. Something inside me went quiet in a way that had no name, and deep beneath that silence, a part of me I could barely feel anymore let out a thin, soundless keen that dissolved into the cold.
Seawater poured into my mouth and nose. I choked, unable to breathe. My strength bled away bit by bit, and the chill sank through muscle, through bone, all the way to the marrow.
When the next wave crashed over me, I had no strength left to rise.
Consciousness sank into the dark and did not surface again.
In the end, it was the rescue crew on the boat who pulled me from the water.
When I opened my eyes again, I was already lying in a bed at the Pack Infirmary.
Unlike Hazel Ashford, who was surrounded by a circle of concerned bodies, my bedside was empty.
The pack healer making rounds noticed I was awake. He turned through my chart, paused for a moment, and let out a quiet sigh.
"You just lost your unborn litter, and then you went into the water. If you don't rest and recover properly, your body will carry lasting damage."
"I understand. Thank you, healer."
I answered softly, lowering my gaze. He gave a few more instructions, then left the room.
He had barely reached the doorway when he passed Sylvia Nightfang coming in.
Sylvia walked in and sat down beside my bed. He didn't say a word. He just watched me, silent and still.
In that instant my heartbeat spiked, and I couldn't tell how much he had heard standing outside.
I didn't speak. Neither did he.
The air seemed to hang, unmoving, for a long time before he finally broke the silence, voice low.
"Hazel Ashford is my mate, after all. So I saved her first…"
Hearing that, something in my chest actually loosened with relief.
It seemed he hadn't arrived early enough to hear what the healer had just told me.
As for who he'd saved first, I simply nodded, my expression calm.
"Of course. Brother-in-law."
The title visibly stunned him. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes.
"You never used to be willing to call me that."
"I am now." My voice was flat. I didn't even look at him. "I've accepted it. The fact that no one loves me."