[Fallon’s POV]True fear begins to bubble up in me as I stare down at Fineon’s unmoving form. This had to be a nightmare that I was going to wake up from at any minute, right? How could it be possible that he would leave me before even getting the chance to prove himself?Biting my tongue, I find that pain radiates through me and that this is not a bad dream but a reality.‘Uncle Ramone!’ I call desperately through mindlink. ‘We need you! Fineon's hurt!'‘I’m here.’Whirling around, I watch as a large golden wolf makes its way towards us with a bright, glowing aura swirling around it.‘Please help him.’ I beg, snapping my attention back to Fineon.‘Give me some room.’ Uncle Ramone commands, dropping down at Fineon’s side. ‘If there is any interference, this could go wrong.’Nodding, I step aside and watch as Uncle Ramone places his nose against Fineon’s chest, allowing a beam of light to start traveling from himself to Fineon, causing his body to begin to radiate the same aura as Uncl
[Fineon’s POV]‘....wake up…’The soft voice reaches me through the darkness that I’m consumed by. Something about that voice causes my heart to soar, and warmth begins to radiate through me.Groaning, I try to pry my eyes open but find that they feel like they weigh a ton.Shit, what exactly happened?‘Fineon?’This time the voice is much clearer, and it holds a hint of hope, spurring me to claw my way towards it.‘Hey!’Before I’m able to try to respond, I begin to get feeling in my body once again and realize that I’m not alone. Something, or rather someone, is huddled against me, keeping me warm in this freezing world.‘Is he finally waking up from his nap?’ An irritating voice chuckles, letting me know that we aren’t alone. ‘About damn time.’Frustration pricks at me from Ramone’s presence after my slight expectation of only Fallon and I being here together, but where exactly was this? My mind begins to whirl as I try to remember exactly what was going on. I remembered coming in
[Fallon's POV]Both fear and anticipation begin to thrum through me as I feel the shift in Fineon's aura. Where there once was hesitancy and hope, there is now an all-out excitement over the prospect of our future, and despite knowing I should continue to be cautious, I find myself getting sucked up into his vortex.'Are you sure about this?' Artemis asks quietly, reminding me that she is there. 'Who is to say he isn't simply seeing you as her?''No one.' I admit feeling a sudden sense of fear at whether or not Fineon can hear my wolf like I can hear his. 'And shouldn't you behave? Fineon and Franz…''Can't hear or sense me.' Artemis announces. 'Don't worry.''How can they not?'Confusion begins to claw at me over what I'm being told. How could Artemis possibly not be felt or heard like Franz? As two parts to a whole, Fineon and I both should be able to feel and sense both our wolves, right?'It's still too soon to explain.' Artemis sighs. 'Anyway, shouldn't you….'No other words mana
[Fallon's POV]My eyes widen in shock as, once again, the desire to go to the one that Artemis craved hits me.How was it possible that I felt such a similar draw to him as I did to Fineon? No, there was no way that this was actually happening!'W-who…' I whimper, not quite trusting in my own feelings. ‘Are you?’"We meet again, my pet." Parker purrs, finally helping me place his face. Shock and fear both begin to build as images of the one who attacked at my welcome-back party appear. It was him! But why does he look so different now than then? "It is much sooner than I expected. I guess you just couldn't stay away." He goes on, taking my silence as confirmation to proceed. "You’ll be pleased to know I took great care of your pack mates while I waited."Artemis begins to whine in anticipation as his rumbling voice invades my senses.'Please,' she begs, attempting to spur me into motion. 'Go to him.''No!'My response is weak, but I remain firm. There's no way this man can truly be my
[Fineon’s POV]I watch with wide eyes as the wall of Glacies wolves begin to move, crashing into and absorbing one another until all that is left is a large, three-headed creature with rows of razor-sharp teeth that drip a green liquid that I’m sure is acid."Shit," I hiss, realizing exactly what is going on. "This isn’t good.""What?" Fallon asks, looking from me to the creature in front of us. "In the hell is that?""Hydra," I respond, keeping my eyes fixed on the creature. "This bastard really does have some tricks up his sleeve.""Time to go!" Ramone’s voice echoes around us as hands clutch at our arms. "That thing means business."Not needing any more encouragement, I burst forward, shifting into my wolf form while Ramone shifted into his. Fallon, on the other hand, remains human, and just by the look of shock, you can tell that something is wrong.‘What’s is it?’ I demand, circling back and scooping her onto my back. ‘Why aren’t you shifting?’‘I can’t.’ She responds, confusion
[Fallon’s POV]I'm not sure how long we stood there, staring at the spot where Uncle Ramone and the hydra had vanished, as it was quickly covered by the falling snow. It could have been mere seconds, maybe even minutes.It was almost as if time itself had stopped and ceased to exist the minute that crevice opened and took our loved one away from us."We should…" Fineon began as a shiver overtook me. "Try to find shelter." He finished, drawing me closer in an attempt to use his body warmth to help me."Yeah."It was all I could manage while trying not to accept that Uncle Ramone was gone.The trek out of the Glacies was a morose one as I tried to process my thoughts and figure out what to say to the others when we reunited with them. I already knew that we would be the ones to blame for Uncle Ramone’s disappearance, and honestly, we deserved it.‘You deserve it.’ A small voice in the back of my head announces sending another wave of pain through me. 'If you weren't so weak, none of thi
[Fineon's POV]'Don't just lay there!'Franz's voice is full of rage as it echoes in my head. However, I continue to not move.Contrary to his belief, I deserved exactly what was happening. It was because of my carelessness that Ramone was missing, and it was because of my ridiculous obsession that Fallon carried a piece of my mark on her neck."Cyrus, you need to calm down." Fallon hisses, continuing to use her body as a shield. A nice body I might add. If this situation were any different, I wouldn't be able to control myself. "Can't you give us the chance to explain?""Explain?" Cyrus snaps, "What the hell is there to…. Wait…" Cyrus' expression slowly shifts from rage to disbelief as he takes in Fallon's beautifully flushed face. He doesn't need to speak for me to know he understands what is happening. "No fucking way."The energy around us shifts as Cyrus' anger ramps up another level."There's something you should know." Fallon murmurs, deciding to bite the bullet. "But I need yo
[Fallon’s POV]I move to follow Fineon but stop as Cyrus’ hand wraps around my arm. Frowning, I turn to meet his disapproving gaze and wait for him to say what he needs to say."What?""What is going on between the two of you?"Cyrus' voice is cold, and I know no matter what I say, he isn't going to approve. If that was the case, then I guess it wouldn't hurt to just put it out in the open."Isn’t it obvious?"Honestly, I was sure that both my brothers knew of my love for Fineon since we were young, but I wasn’t sure of the extent of it. However, if they thought I didn’t see their pitying looks from time to time, they were wrong. Each and every time they would catch me pining away, I would see just how sorry they felt, but I still didn't let that stop me."He’s my mate." I sigh when Cyrus continues to stare me down. "There, happy?""No." Cyrus’ responds, his face turning colder. I can tell from the look of hostility that is beginning to form on his face that he isn’t just going to acc
[Idris’ POV] "Are you sure you’re going back?" Mom’s eyes begin to fill with tears as she waits for a response. I don’t know exactly what she expects me to say. "Yes, I am. It’s been a month since Mateo and his underlings were killed, and the academy is finally reopening. As a student, I am required to go back." She knew that I still had a year left before I graduated. I couldn’t just never go back, no matter what had happened since the school shut down. "But…" "Don’t give him a hard time," Dad warns, cutting her off while wrapping a comforting arm around her. "The academy is one of the safest places on the continent, and the threat is gone. I’m sure the next year will simply fly by." "That’s right," I add, taking advantage of dad’s opening for me to leave. "I promise to keep in touch, and before you know it, I’ll be back to irritate the hell out of you." "You heard him," Dad beams, squeezing her closer. "Now, you should allow him to head out; otherwise, he won’t make it there
[Hindrick’s POV]"Welcome back!"Uncle Elleric doesn’t wait before he pulls me into a hug, crushing me against him and making me extremely uncomfortable.Growling, I work to break free, and once I manage to achieve my goal, I take a few steps back."Ever the stoic," he chuckles, taking me in. "Can’t you drop the act just for a day? You’ve been gone for a month, and you didn’t even bother to send word.""Because I was busy cleaning up the mess that was left behind," I point out. "Anyway, I didn’t come here for a heartfelt family reunion."At my words, Uncle Elleric’s face grows serious, and I get the feeling that he is expecting me to deliver a killing blow."Don’t worry," I sigh before his head can come up with some ridiculous scenarios, "it isn’t anything like that. I was actually asked a favor by an idiot.""Fineon?" Uncle Elleric asks, knowing perfectly well who I would be referring to. I didn’t know if I was that obvious or if he also saw Fineon as a fool. "Or is it Chance?"I bit
[Fallon’s POV]A month passed in a blur before things were finally beginning to become normal once again. With things being so hectic, I didn’t get to see much of Fineon since he seemed to always be busy, but this time when we met, I wasn’t going to let him go until he told me what it was that he was up to.I manage to find Fineon heading out of dad's office with a look of frustration on his face."What’s wrong?" I ask, startling him."F-Fallon!" he gasps, taking me in. "Why are you...""Here?" I offer for him, moving forward. "Because if I wasn't, you would find some way to evade me like you have been doing for the past month."At my words, his expression shifts from shock to guilt. So he was intentionally avoiding me, which is interesting."Anyway, I was hoping you’d come somewhere with me today," I continue, wrapping my arms around his and squeezing. "Saying no is not an option.""But…""No buts!" I snap. "Come on."Giving a tug, I begin to move, dragging Fineon until we arrive at
[Fineon’s POV]Returning home was a bittersweet thing, given the circumstances we were returning under. Whether it should have been a time of celebration, it was instead a moment of saying welcome back and saying goodbye.As we made landfall and began to unload, Fallon rushed off to see her parents and allowed herself to get lost in their embrace.Deciding that the moment should be strictly for family, I stay back as the tears begin to fall."You want to help us with this?" Ramone asks, coming up behind me. "He’s a bit heavy."Nodding, I turn and follow him back onto the boat to collect Cyrus’ body, allowing Fallon and her parents to be alone with each other.Inside the cabin, I can feel the chill of death pressing against my skin, and it makes the fact that Cyrus and Gavin are gone that much more real. Now all that was left to do to say goodbye was give them the proper send-off that they deserved.Sighing, I move forward and help Ramone collect Cyrus first so that his parents could s
[Fallon’s POV]I don’t know how long I stayed in place, staring at the slowly disappearing door that Cyrus took to his final resting place. It was only when Titiana gently touched my shoulder that I finally snapped out of my daze."You need to get back now," she murmurs, giving me a smile filled with sympathy and sorrow. "Although your brother is no longer on earth, there are still many waiting on you.""Right," I sigh, getting to my feet. "I’m sure Fineon and Hindrick are at their wits end.""When you go back, you should really think about yourself more," Titiana chuckles."What do you mean?""You’ve worked so hard to gain everyone’s approval that you have lost yourself," she explains, touching my cheek."That’s what being a leader means," I counter. "I can’t think of myself. I can only think of my pack.""That’s not true," Titiana says, shaking her head. "You must also think of yourself, otherwise, you’ll end up regretting it one day. Now, go back to them."Before I can respond, I’m
[Fallon’s POV]"You had something you needed to speak with me about?" I ask hesitantly as Titiana examines me.After all the bombs that had been dropped on me earlier on, I wasn’t quite sure I was ready for another, but since this was the goddess’ request, there was no way that I could deny her."Not so much me," she responds, giving me a sad look.My stomach starts to roll as a bad feeling begins to creep up in me. Why was she looking at me like that, and why did it make my heart hurt?"Who is it?" I ask quietly, realizing that whoever it was must be someone close to me, and if they were here instead of on earth, then that meant that they were dead."It’s me."The world comes crashing down around me as I turn and find Cyrus making his way toward me.No, this couldn’t be real; there was no way it could. Was he like me, on the edge of life and death? If so, that meant he could be saved. Why was he here, and why did it feel like whatever was going to be said was goodbye?"Cy-cyrus," I w
[Anika’s POV]I continue to stare down at the lava where Mateo disappeared while Fineon and Hindrick remain silent, allowing me the space to process my emotions.Mateo was gone, for real this time. He would never come back to this world in this lifetime, and I wasn’t even sure if we would be able to find each other when we reincarnated like we promised. So that meant this was it, right?That thought alone left an immense loneliness in me that I thought I would never have to feel again. However, I had to admit, the second time around was so much more painful."Sorry to disturb," Fineon murmurs after a bit more time passes. "But how will we be sure that doing what Mateo said really did the trick?""I don’t know," I admitted, frowning."You don’t think that this was another trick of his, do you?" Hindrick growls. "What if...""He wasn’t lying," I say, cutting him off. "The one that was there in the end was Mateo, not Parker.""I understand that, but nothing seems to have happened," Hindr
[Anika’s POV]I wait as Fineon and Hindrick examine me as if trying to determine if they could convince me to stay. It is only when Mount Malum lets out another ominous roar that they seem to concede and begin to move again."Stay close," Hindrick orders when I scramble to catch up. "If you cause anything to happen to Fallon’s body, I’ll destroy you, understood?""Of course," I respond, not taking offense to his threat. "I know my limits.""Then let’s go," Hindrick sighs, though he still doesn’t seem fully convinced.Nodding, I begin to follow, staying close behind the two men who insisted on keeping me safe from any possible rockslides or attacks that may happen."It’ll take at least a day to get to the top of this," Hindrick mutters when we reach Mount Malum’s side. "Do we have that much time?"Looking up, I take in the lava that bubbles up and then explodes and the smoke that is quickly surrounding the mountain, blocking the rest of the world from view."I don’t know," I admit. "Bu
[Anika’s POV]Pain rips through my chest with every inch the anima sword makes through Mateo’s body. Even if I managed to destroy the mark he left on me, our bond was still there, and I wasn’t too surprised I was feeling what he was. This was how strong our bond had always been, and in a way, I was happy he wasn't alone."An…ika…" Mateo rasps, his eyes finding mine. "Why?""Because this must be done."Everything in me screamed to stop, to help him, and to save him from the painful death that he was currently experiencing, but I knew this had to be done. And I was the one who had to do it. Not Hindrick, not Fallon, but me. I had to end this once and for all.Closing my eyes, I allow all the beautiful memories that we shared to begin to flash across my mind. This would be the last time I allowed them to overtake me. Once this was finished, I would fully let go. I had to; there was no holding onto something that would never be again.SIghing, I let my tears flow as Mateo’s love-filled ey