The Broken Mate

"I don't care if you're my mate or not, I want it to be you, I want to be with you." She tried opening her eyes but he could feel her lose consciousness.

He didn't hesitate for a second as he moved to bite her but she stopped him, placing a hand on his chest. "What are you doing?" he asked, panicking.

"Don't," she said weakly. "You're supposed to only bite your mate, I'm not.."

"You are," Harlan said, crying again but he didn't care. He was crying because he had everything and she was slipping through his fingers.. Fuck, how could she be so stubborn? "You are my mate and I love you and I want to spend forever with you," he said quickly, but she didn't take her hand away. She thought he was lying.

"Dammit, Maya!" he said, frustrated. "Please, let me, let me save your life!"

"No, not if you're only doing it to save me.."

"Maya, I'm not lying!" he said, exasperated. "I've known you were my mate from the moment I saw you, I've always known, but that kiss was the proof, that electric feeling was it, that was the mating bond!" Fuck, he loved her so much, but how could she be so stubborn? "I love you and I have loved you from the moment you talked back to me and told me to let go of you. So I was petty and dropped you on the floor.

"I have loved you since you came to check on me that night when I was screaming. I love you because I've never met someone more infuriating than you. I love you because you are so much smarter than me yet you are just as stubborn. I love the way you smile, the way you look at me, the way you help others without thinking. I love you, and I swear to God you are going to kill us both if you don't let me mark you right now. Because I can't think of a world where, after meeting you, I can live knowing you aren't here anymore."

He looked at her face, she had a smile so bright his heart hurt.

"I love you too," she whispered, finally removing her hand from his chest.

He hated he had to do this now, when she was hurt. But this would save her life in more than one way. "It's going to hurt," he whispered in her ear, but she nodded, preparing herself.

He did it as quickly as he could, sinking his teeth into the caramel skin of that place where the shoulder meets the neck. He thought this would be the most painless way to do it.

Like ripping a bandaid.

She gasped and he immediately pulled off, the mark healing instantly. He didn't know if that meant it worked. Normally it would, but the rest of her wounds weren't healing.

He cursed under his breath again. Did he do it wrong?

He looked at the sky, the eclipse was almost over. He was panicking, freaking the fuck out because she wouldn't stop bleeding. What was happening? He was so confused and she was smiling. Why was she smiling?

"Harlan," she said calmly, placing a hand on his cheek. "I love you, even if it doesn't work out, even if I die now.."

How did she know it didn't work? Was it because of the look on his face?

"Stop," he whispered, tears running down his cheek as he cradled her body and put pressure on her wounds. "Please stop." This couldn't be happening, he couldn't be losing her..

"I'm sorry I didn't say it before, I'm sorry we are out of time," she continued and he kept crying, crumbling. She was going to survive, right? Because the moon goddess wouldn't be this cruel. Because no one would be this cruel.

"If you die I die with you. Don't say those things," he choked out, and she looked at him with so much love. What he was saying was true. He couldn't live in a world where his mate had died. Almost no one could.

"If I die, live on happily," she smiled. "Do that for me." Her eyes were fluttering closed, slowly, speaking slurred like she was falling asleep.

"Maya, please," he said, shaking her gently, stroking her cheek. "Maya, please."

And with all that was left of her, she said, "I love you." And his heart broke into a million pieces.

This had to be a nightmare, this couldn't be happening. He kept waiting, waiting to wake up. Because this had to be a nightmare where he finally got everything he wanted but didn't deserve, and then, because of him, she died.

He kept waiting.

Those were the last words she said as the short reunion the sun had with the moon ended.

The eclipse was over, and no matter how much Harlan shook her and checked her pulse, she was dead.