"Alpha, I think you need to come to the cellar. It's Danté. He doesn't look well."

"Give me a sec. I'll be there shortly."

A brief silence followed before the wolf spoke again.

"He is asking for our Luna."

The sad tone in the wolf's voice alarmed Maddox some.

He tightened his eyes shut and buried his face in Hannah's soft curls and he drew her closer as she slept at his side peacefully. She had returned moments later after their argument and he apologized. He was really never one to back down from a fight or.... an argument. But their's was potent. It had Koda on alert with Mia crouching into position and ready to take him down. And it frighteningly had him ready for the challenge. With all their training as of late, she no longer seemed like the sweet, delicate Angel that he found long ago. Now, she resembled an angel like her father and uncles. Ones to be reckoned with.

Ones that could smite and kill.

And that somehow terrified him.

He drew in a deep breath and pressed his lips to her forehead before carefully pulling away. Whatever was going on in the cellar he did not want her to be aware of it.

He shut the door and quickly made his way downstairs where he met Brody at the foot of the staircase.

"Bro, it's not good," he shook his head with a saddened gaze.

Maddox paused and faced him.

"What do you mean, What happened?" Maddox frowned.

"I ...don't know. Yesterday he was different. today he seems....much older, more feeble."

Maddox held his gaze in thought.

"Maddox, he is aging fast. I think Danté is dying." Brody admitted sadly.

With a brief glance up the steps, Maddox stared upwards trying to sense Hannah and felt relieved that he didn't. He nodded and continued out the door with Brody at his side.

They had made their way to the cellar into the holding cell where Danté lay on a cot.

Maddox strolled slowly towards the aging vampire in disbelief. He slowly knelt at his side and gazed at him as his eyes slowly opened. They were no longer luminous and bright.
He did not understand what was happening. Maddox couldn't figure out why Danté aged so quickly. He understood up to a point of what Hannah's blood could do to a dark being but...this was shocking.

Danté's eyes opened slowly and settled on Maddox. For a while, they stared at one another before Danté spoke.

"I know. I'm worse for wear," A light breathless chuckle followed with his feeble voice.

Maddox looked towards Brody.

He shook his head and turned away slowly.

"Alpha..." Danté slowly tried to sit up.
In that instant, with haste, Maddox reached over to help him.

The two faced each other in brief silence before Danté began to speak again.

"I know all of this has become a shocking occurrence. Believe me, no one is more surprised than what is happening to me than ...me myself," Danté chuckled again lightly.

For a while he remained silent as Maddox's gaze; a mixture of pity and sorrow held his.

"It's the consequences of my actions, Maddox. I cheated death for centuries, I thought myself indestructible and my arrogance cost me everything," Danté said.

"Danté..." Maddox began but stopped as the vampire shook his head.

"I waltzed precariously with danger trying to please my king. I agreed to his plans to fight for our kind."

He paused, then looked away from Maddox's concerned eyes.

"But, I couldn't go through with it. I became mesmerized.. and I coveted the one thing I could never have in the process....Her."

Maddox averted his gaze as tears slowly formed in Danté's eyes.

"For the first time in centuries, someone did not judge me for who I am or...what I am. In her eyes, I was no longer the "Blood Sucker" that some have labeled me, " he slowly slouched back against the wall in exhaustion.

He paused and drew in a deep laboring breath.

"For the first time in centuries since I became this ....monster...I was looked at with admiration and kindness, He said before coughing.

Immediately Brody brought a glass of water to Maddox. He quickly pressed it to Danté's lips as he anxiously drank it. With a calming sigh, he rests his head against the cool brick wall at his back.

"I..." Danté swallowed. " I...don't have much time left," He said.

Maddox nodded.

"Can I see her?"

Maddox's head shot up.
A silence formed immediately amongst them as if waiting for his answer.
Maddox lowered his head.
He felt sheer guilt forming in his heart as he mind-linked with Brody who begged him to consider it.

"What harm can he do to her, Bro? He is shackled to a wall and is dying."

Maddox struggled and tightened his eyes shut. At war with his decision, he continued to listen to Brody trying to press reason into his mind.

"Please, Maddox, if he dies and she is not with him...I don't want to imagine what that will do to her."

"She is my mate," Maddox growled.

"I get that. But for some reason far from our understanding, they share a connection as well. He may have not been destined to be her mate like the fates have proclaimed but something in him or her draws them together." Brody mind- linked stepping closer.

"Bro, it's not love. I can assure you that. It's something... different. I see it. And...she doesn't look at you the same way." He added.

Maddox frowned some and looked up to Brody in question.

Brody shyly chuckled.

"The look between the two of you can melt the ice off polar caps and mountains. That's all I have to say," Brody spoke loudly and shook his and stepped away.

Maddox's eyes raised some and even more as he watched his footmen try to hide their smiles.

He turned slowly to Danté and watched as he too gave a soft smile as the vampire understood the conversation.

"You have nothing to worry about. What she feels for you, is immeasurable," Danté said.

Maddox lowered his gaze. He battled hard with his decision. Brody was right. He could not keep Hannah from seeing him.

He stands and makes his way out of the cellar and trudges reluctantly through the yard into the house and stumbles back some with her scent that wafts through the air. He draws in a deep breath and takes the steps in twos until he reaches the landing. He gets to his door and slowly turns the knob. He enters then stops at the sight of her.

He enters quickly and closes the door with his eyes glued to her on the floor, breasts covered with his pajama top, wings expanded and eyes closed as if absorbing the sun's rays. Awestruck by how beautiful she looked, he felt like a shy pup in his teens, moonstruck by a pretty she-wolf. Too afraid to touch her or speak for fear of scaring her away.

He did not want to disturb her, deep down he didn't want to even tell her Danté was dying. He felt guilty and in part bothered that Danté or she even for that fact, had a special bond. He didn't understand how or why it was even possible. The Moon Goddess won't say anything to calm his worries. She knows something but fails to elaborate or tell him what it is.

He draws in a deep breath and gently approaches her. Then gently sits on the floor and stretches out beside her in the opposite direction. He lay silent at her side with their heads touching.

She could sense his apprehension. Slowly turned her head and their eyes met.

Hannah, we have to talk," he said softly.

Slowly she sat up and drew in her wings. She waited for him as he sat up as well but hadn't faced her. She frowned some as he sighed.
She could feel his hesitation and sensed his internal struggle.

"Whatever it is Maddox, please tell me," She stared at his back until he exhaled and turned to face her.

He moved closer to her until he could feel her radiant warmth that seemed to calm him.
His gaze landed momentarily on her eyes before descending to her lips then gradually grazed the rest of her before reaching for her fingers to hold them.

"Hannah?" He began then paused.

He looked at her then with a concerned gaze.
"What...do you know of human death?"

Mixed emotions crossed through her with his question. Did she know of human death? None of her kind spoke of humans because Seraph did not deal with them.
She tightened her shirt to her chest in anguish.
Was he dying?

She inched closer in fear and he just as quickly calmed her thoughts pulling her closer to him in a warm embrace. He hushed her worried sigh with a sweet kiss on her forehead before tilting her chin up to look deep into her eyes.

"It's Danté. He is very ill," He pulled her close and caressed her.

She remained quiet before him. Unable to speak or say anything.

"He's dying, sweetheart," he said.

She gasped.

The distraught look on her face forced him to pull her even closer to calm her.

"I need to see him," she said sadly as she began to pull on her top and started to stand up.

Quickly, he stood as well.

"Maybe, I can stop it. I can heal him," she began to say as she looked at her hands that slowly began to glow.

He shook his head and reached for her fingers and held them gently in his hands. The glow dimmed and finally went away.

"No, Hannah. You can't." he shook his head.

"I am Seraph of course I can," she frowned pulling her hands away.

"Sweetheart, no, you can't. It's forbidden to use your Angelic powers, remember?" he stepped close holding her saddened gaze that slowly welled up with tears.

"We can not let him die. I will save him. I have to save him," She said heatedly as she pulled away from him.

His wolf began to pace as he struggled to calm her.

"Maddox, he is my friend," she shook her head refusing to let him coddle her and hold her.

"I know. I know," he hushed her and tried to hug her.

But she just as quickly shook her head and pulled away. He could sense her anger and sorrow.

She slowly walked past him out of their bedroom and continued down the hall to the steps. She made quick use of her feet walking fast past other pack members as Maddox followed her.

"Hannah?" Maddox called to her. But she kept walking.

She finally made it into the cellar and stopped at the open door to the room that held Dante'. She let her eyes adjust to the dim-lit room and they landed on him huddled in a corner. Quickly she made her way towards him; dropping to her knees; she whispered his name.

He slowly sat up to face her. The aging vampire gently reached his hand out for her and she took it.
Silence filled the tiny cellar room as they sat staring at each other. One gaze held sorrow and relief while the other, stark surprise and so much sadness.

"Dante, What...?" she began. Her voice cracked under the weight of her emotions.

He shook his head and leaned closer. He pulled her fingers up to press their warmth to his lips.

They stayed that way until Maddox entered and stood in a corner silently watching them.

A part of him felt helpless and bothered that this feeble Vampire that was nearing death's door, could make his mate feel....empathy for him. After what Dante did to her. Then another part of him berated himself for thinking that. Now was not the time.

"I want to go out into the sun," Dante asked.

Slowly she looked at him. Then she turned to Maddox that stood silent behind her. He said nothing as she held his gaze awaiting his decision.
Koda paced back and forth in a pouty mood but all the same refused to listen to that reasonable side of himself that wanted to let his mate, free the vampire.

"He is no longer a threat," Brody whispered in his mind-link.

Maddox's jaw clenched in agitation that his cousin was right. Danté was dying.

He was no longer a threat.

"Unchain him," he gave the gruff order.

Slowly and carefully, two wolves came forward and removed the chains that held him to the wall.

"That's it," he warned them as they began to unshackle his hands and feet.

Before Hannah could protest, Danté held her hands in his.
The unspoken gesture gave her pause to question Maddox.

She understood him.

With the help of one of the wolves, Hannah helped Danté stand.
He leaned against her as she led the way toward the entrance door of the cellar.

Dante's gaze fell on the sunlit ground at the entrance and he stopped. Panic and hesitation held him to the spot as he focused on the ray of sunshine that danced there.

He swallowed hard at the lump forming in his throat. The emotional toll of all that was happening had finally caught up to him. Shakily, he moved forward and outstretched his hand carefully to the light beaming through the door. With a gasp, he flinched and then slowly relaxed.

Hannah watched as his saddened, frightful face slowly melted into a tearful smile. He walked forward and she held on to him as he continued through the door.

With a deep breath and a look of awe, Hannah watched him tilt his head back and close his eyes against the bright sunlight.

Together with the help of one of the wolves, they walked until they were standing in a clear area a few feet away from Maddox's watchful eyes.

They sat on the soft grass in silence. She gave him a moment to soak up the warmth of the sun.
And he did just that.
It had been centuries since he last saw the sun. He had sacrificed so much just for the promise of eternity. But now after so much time without seeing light, he was content.

He never imagined this day would come. He was sure one day he would meet an enemy out there brave enough to drive a stake through his heart to end the quiet suffering he endured for the last couple of centuries.

He witnessed the death of his family. His first wife and child to illness and many lovers and friends of his past. He was alone. He brushed it off as a consequence of choosing eternal life over death. But now... He was ready. He was ready for death. He was ready to pay penance for all the wrong things he has done.

He was ready.

He slowly turned to her and smiled. His trembling fingers reached for hers. He pulled her closer and gazed into her eyes. So much innocence and warmth swam in their brown depths. He could not imagine that such a sweet angelic thing like her, could bring his king to his knees.

But she is destined to do it

She was chosen.

And he will help her.

"It is time for me to leave, Hannah." He began.
Immediately she shook her head.
But he reached up to caress her face. To calm her.
"You are the key. As it was written long ago and I am proof that it can be done."

She remained silent as he wiped away her tears.

"Come I will tell you how," He said as he pulled her close and whispered it all in her ears.

Shocked by what he said she leaned back and watched as his gaze saddened but twinkled with mischief all the same.

"Now little one....show me your divine light. I'm ready to go. I'm ...at peace." He caressed her jaw.
"I will miss you, my sweet Angel."

Gently she inched closer and fell into his embrace. Her tears fell as a warm calming light spread over her.
Maddox nervously stepped forward in fear but Brody immediately stopped him.

Everyone stood in awe and watched the beautiful glow of their Luna engulf her and Danté until the light became blinding and they looked away.
Then suddenly the light dimmed and he slowly turned to ashes.

She wept as she watched it all blow away and nothing but his shackles and clothing remained.

A minute had passed and she felt Maddox kneel before her.

She lowered her head refusing to look at him. Guilt ate her up. She caused this.

He could feel it.

The skies suddenly darkened and above them, the clouds opened up and a downpour that equaled her pain and sadness drenched them both.

He said nothing as he pulled her close and lifted her into his arms, took her into the house then disappeared into their room. There he held her and let her cry until she had no more tears left.

******

😭😭😭

Well finally
I know I'm late but here it is.

So much has happened and I'm gradually getting things done.

Hope you liked it.
I'm not gonna bore y'all with asking you to share cuz you won't.
So either way here it is.