-MILA-"Why are you bringing me to your place?" I asked him."Well, again, you have to trust me. But you'll get it eventually. Right now, make yourself at home because it's better than a motel room.""You've got a point. But are you sure you're not just doing this so Lowell doesn't know where I am?"Lobo chuckled, "That might be part of it. But I do have something to show you, I just can't show it to you right now.""Alright." I decided not to pry as I followed him inside. Somehow, it was exactly what I would have pictured for Lobo. It was dark but cozy."How long have you lived here?""Since I came back to town. It used to be a place the family would come to. Obviously, it was a lot less overgrown back then."I glanced around the living room, frowning when my eyes found a snow-white rabbit sitting on one of the sofas."Uh, Lobo? Why is there a bunny sitting on your sofa?" I was genuinely confused by this, it seemed a little out of place and for a moment I worried that Lobo may have
-MILA-"Lobo?!" I knelt down beside him, "God. Lobo, I really need you to get up right now." I shook him but he was still unconscious.Getting to my feet I took hold of his wrists and dragged him over to the grassy sidewalk."Lobo?" I was still getting no response, so I dragged him a few steps before stopping to catch my breath.I smacked him on the chest with an open hand, but there was still no sign of him waking up."Fucking wake up!" I shouted before dragging him for a few more steps. "Are you kidding me?!" I screamed, looking up towards the sky as raindrops began to fall down on me."I just can't get a break, can I?"Leaning down I grasped his wrists again and dragged him three steps before my sneaker slipped on the wet and muddy grass sending me down onto my back.Angrily, I punched the ground. After a slew of swearing, I got back to my feet, but I was still angry so I kicked the ground in a fit of rage too. Not that it was helping anything."Okay, get yourself together, Mila,
-MILA-"Lowell knows? Why was he hiding it from me if he knew I wasn't his mate?" I couldn't understand why Lowell would do something like that if he didn't want to be with me.Lobo sighed, "He was trying to protect you."I frowned, "From you?"Suddenly his face changed, and I could tell his mood had darkened, "Yeah. When he introduced us, he could tell by the look in my eyes that you were my mate. He took me aside and told me what type of person you are. He said you were kind and sweet. That you were too soft," he scoffed, "He reminded me that I'm a piece of shit and that you deserved better. He swore to me that he would give you a good life and no matter what, he would never desert you," he looked away and I could tell that he was having a hard time telling me this, "At first, I refused to go along with it. I wanted you. I felt I had to have you. But then I saw how you smiled at him and I realized that he was right. I had no business forcing you into my life," he shook his head sadl
-MILA-After Selene had left, Lobo seemed to avoid me as much as possible. Not that I could blame him considering the bombshell he had dropped.It was getting dark by the time I went outside to call Lowell.I needed to hear his side of the story.I half expected for him to ignore my call, but he answered it."Hey, Mila. How are you?""I'm fine. But I need to speak to you about something important.""What is it?""Lobo... He told me the truth about me being his mate. And he also told me that it was your idea not to tell me.""Mila, I would much rather have this conversation in person.""I just need to know if it's true. Why would you hide this from me?""Mila, I had a lot of good reasons. Again, I would rather we have this conversation in person and not over the phone. Can you come to see me tomorrow?""I guess. I need answers." "I know. Come see me and we'll talk. I will tell you everything.""Thank you." I hung up and went back inside, Lobo was standing in the hallway staring at me.
-MILA-I was thinking about the look Lowell had given me. There was something off about it.Something threatening."Lobo, do you think Lowell is dangerous?" I asked suddenly.He frowned, almost as if he was thinking about the possibility for the first time, "I don't know. I suppose anyone could become dangerous under the correct circumstances.""The way he looked at me was weird. It gives me the creeps.""You don't have anything to worry about," he leaned over to kiss my cheek, "I will never let anything happen to you.""I know. It's just weird, up until a few days ago I would have trusted him with my life. But now, I'm not so sure,""I get that. But I don't think Lowell would do anything to hurt you. He cares about you, that's the whole reason he wanted to keep us apart.""I guess. I just have a weird feeling about all of this." He put an arm around my shoulders, "Everything you thought you knew turned out to be a lie. It's going to take some time to process everything."I leaned ag
-MILA-Selene was waiting outside the Packhouse for us when we arrived, and she seemed a little too excited to be joining us if the shriek was anything to go on."Can she tone it down?" Lobo whispered in my ear as we walked in.I shot him an amused look, "Be nice."He put a hand on the small of my back as he guided me through the unknown people."Are these all werewolves?""Yes. Remember, don't wander off.""Relax, I remember," I turned to Selene, but she was staring at one of the wolves, "Selene, behave."Lobo caught her line of sight, "That's Merrick. The Alpha.""He's hot," Selene commented."Selene," I warned."Come on." We followed Lobo over to Merrick."Merrick, this is Mila and Selene."Merrick barely acknowledged me, his eyes on Selene, "It's lovely to meet you."Selene seemed a bit smitten as she grinned at him.Lobo cleared his throat, "You had something to speak to me about?"Merrick turned to him, but then turned back to me with a frown, "Mila," he turned back to Lobo, "Y
-MILA-"See, the way you so casually admit to killing people, that isn't a good thing, Lobo.""Well, you asked and I'm not going to lie to you.""But my point is, you admit to killing. But when I ask if you have something to do with these murders, you get offended."Lobo sighed, "That's because I've already told you I have nothing to do with it. I have no reason to lie to you. I don't go around killing random people for no reason."I sat down on the sand, "Why do they think it's you?""I don't know. I guess that the killer knows I'm looking into him and now he's trying to frame me to get rid of me."I nodded, "Okay, that would make sense. I'm sorry for doubting you.""No need to apologize," he sat down beside me, staring out at the ocean, "This is a mess. As you pointed out before, you don't know much about me. I can't expect you to blindly trust me."I leaned my head on his shoulder, "We do have a long way to go. It's going to be a lot of work. But we can do this."He turned, frownin
-MILA-I gasped as my head bobbed above the water, desperate to get air into my burning lungs.A wave crashed over me, pushing me back under the water and my body was pulled along with the dark water.I fought to get above the water and attempt to catch my breath, gasping and spluttering while I looked around. I was a few yards out from the shore, I could see Lobo fighting with both wolves.I started to swim toward the shore but the wolf who had knocked me into the water caught sight of me and dived into the water."Shit." My lungs were still burning and I had nowhere to hide out here.I had no choice but to continue swimming going straight towards the large wolf.I screamed at it in rage, water seeping into my mouth.The wolf easily pushed me under again. I struggled under the wolf's weight as I tried to hold my breath.Between my struggling, I opened my mouth, and water gushed in. My lungs burnt as if there was a fire within them.I grasped the fur of the wolf as I attempted to pul
-MILA-Lobo.I paused mid step, Theo was forgotten.I fell to my knees as I shifted back into my human form and Lobo immediately came over and placed his jacket around me."Are you okay?"I shook my head. The fever was worse, my limbs were weak and shaky, my body flushing between chills of ice and boiling heat.Betty came over to help me to my feet, "The fever is worse."Lobo looked between the two of us, "Fever? She's sick?"Betty nodded, "Yes.""Why the hell are you running around on this stupid scavenger hunt then?!"Despite the growing pain in the joints of my body, I straightened, "Now is not the time for arguments, Lobo. I need to get to the cure.""The cure?" He looked at me in disbelief, "You're burning up hotter than a furnace and you're worried about the cure?"Betty cleared her throat beside me, "Mila, I'm with him on this one.""We must go on, we are so close." Theo piped up.Lobo glared at him, "Who the hell are you?""A friend of Elena's. I know how to get to the cure."
-MILA-My eyes widened as I looked at the hilt in Elena's pocket. Betty was walking slightly ahead which gave me no chance to warn her about what I was seeing and my heart rate sped up in panic.Was Elena the one who would kill Betty?My mindwas racing, I had to find a way to stop the vision from happening, but I didn't have the slightest clue how to do that.An idea struck me,but I wasn't sure if it would work or not.I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on Lobo."I don't know if you can hear me-""I hear you, baby, what's wrong?""I need your help. We're on our way through -" My thoughts were interupted as Betty yelped, a figure running at such a speed it was blurred came rushing passed us."What was that?" I asked, pausing to look around."Mila?"Theo seemed calm, "It was a vampire.""Excuse me?" I spun to him with wide eyes, "You said there weren't any vampires here!"He chuckled, "I guess I was slightly mistaken." He spoke with a comical tone to his voice. He spoke as if
-MILA-The test was all but burning a hole through my pocket. But I couldn't go anywhere near it with Theo right beside me.Betty's eyes were glued to the road ahead as we drove toward the spring with the cure.Theo was barking directions and Elena was dead quiet.I turned to look out the window, and said a silent prayer that the test would be negative.If it was positive I wouldn't be able to take the cure. And if I couldn't take the cure, all of this would have been for nothing."What test, Mila?"Shit! I jumped with fright, I hadn't realized that Lobo could hear me. I wasn't even trying to communicate with him at all."Mila?"I didn't look at Elena when I responded, "I'm fine. This fever is killng me." It wasn't a lie, the fever did seem to be getting worse.Theo turned to me, "Perhaps I can distract you a little?"I turned with a frown, "And how do you plan to do that?""I would like to know more of your mate."It seemed strange to me that he would ask about Lobo so suddenly."Why
-MILA-I sat with a blanket around my shoulders curled up on Theo's sofa after having emptied the contents of my stomach. The nausea was strong and I was extremely fevered.Elena and Theo stood together talking in hushed tones while Betty sat on the arm of my chair."I don't trust him." She whispered."Neither do I. Something is up.""Are we going to go with them to the spring?"I nodded, "Of course we are. I need that cure. For all we know I'm getting sick because the Goddess is pissed at me."Betty frowned, "Or you're getting sick because the prophecy is already underway."My head spun in her direction, "What?" A shiver ran down my spine, that was a possibility I hadn't thought of."You have the symptoms."I shook my head, "No." I was in denial. I didn't even want to think that it could be true.Not now when I was so close to the cure."How about you take a test before we leave?" Betty suggested.I glanced over at Elena and Theo, "I don't want them knowing anything about this.""Don
-MILA-We arrived after sundown in the small homely town. The cottage styled houses lined the roads with picturesque front yards and trees set behind them.The moonlight cast blue hues along the bark of the trees."It looks like something out of a fairytale." I commented, slightly in awe of the beauty of it as we drove along."It's a pretty old town. They try to keep it as close to the original as possible." Elena spoke with pride in her voice.I wanted to ask why she left such a beautiful place, but I didn't want to pry."Why did you leave?" Of course, tact was not one of Betty's strong suites.Elena shrugged a shoulder, "I fell in love with a man who shattered my heart and in an attempt to heal, I ran away."The silence that fell between us was dense with sadness. When Elena spoke, she spoke with such emotion that I could feel the heartbreak rolling off of her."Is he the one who thinks wolves are monsters?"I wanted to reach over and smack Betty.She really didn't know when to stop
-MILA-"Can you turn that racket down?" I asked while holding my pounding head.We were drivng toward Elena's hometown and the music on the radio wasn't helping my already pounding head."You're suffering because you refuse to eat." Elena stated matter-of-factly.I rolled my eyes and laid on the back seat. My head felt as if there were tiny construction workers in it, hammering away."When will we get there?" I wanted this all over and done with, the sooner it was over the sooner I could attempt to move forward."It takes a few hours." Betty responded.A few hours? Although it was only now reaching sundown I was already growing impatient."Mila. You better get your ass back here."My eyes darted open but I didn't dare tell Betty and Elena what I had heard.With the way the pair had panicked earlier, I didn't want to risk spooking them any further."When we get to my friend, let me do the talking. He's a little panicky." Something in Elena's voice told me she was hiding something.I sa
-MILA-I stood with my arms crossed over my chest while leaning against the hood of the car while staring at the little motel. Elena was inside the motel arranging rooms for us."I thought Lobo would be mad and want nothing to do with me after this." I spoke suddenly.Betty scoffed, "Like I said before, you clearly didn't think this through.""Obviously not. And now I've put the two of you in danger.""Elena has her own reasons for this, that's not on you. And as for me, I haven't belonged in that Pack for a very long time. I just needed a shove to leave."Her words surprised me, I always assumed that Betty wanted to be apart of the Pack forever.Before I could question her, Elena stepped out and came toward us giving a thumbs up."We've got rooms. We need to check out tomorrow at eleven. But we'll probably be gone before then, right?"Betty nodded, "Yeah, we need to get to your hometown as soon as possible," she looked around the parking lot, "Is there anywhere I can stash my car? If
-MILA-The trees blurred as we drove past. Betty and Elena were talking up a storm in the front while I sulked in the back seat. Although it was by my own doing, I still couldn't get over the pain I was feeling over my choice."Mila?" Betty glanced into the rearview mirror before turning her attention back to the road."Yeah?" I asked, the single word seemed to take more effort than usual, feeling as if it sucked a boat load of energy from me."Are you-""Don't ask if I'm okay, because I'm not, and I don't know when I will be."Elena turned in her seat to face me, "I think you did the right thing. You made a selfless choice based on love. Not many of us would be able to do that.""Well, it doesn't feel like I've done anything good.""Why is it so important to become human again?" Betty asked."When I was with Lowell, I knew the day would come where I would be marked. But he made it sound easier. Since I've been marked it's been hell. I hate this. And now with the prophecy... I can't d
-MILA-I woke up feeling a heavy dread in my stomach and a sense of anxiety beginning to set in, complete with nausea.I looked over at Lobo who was asleep beside me, it was one of the first times he was actually sleeping in for a change, it was also one of the few times where he looked completely peaceful.It calmed me slightly to look at him and a smile crept onto my face, a feeling of warmth spreading through me.I sighed, snuggling closer to him while admiring his beauty.It came to mind that he was misunderstood in many ways. It was easy to see why, he had a way of oozing power.His very presence demanded respect.But that was only his outward appearance. Deep within, he was a soft and caring man.I would even go as far as saying he was emotional and fragile.Suddenly a frown came to my face at the thought. He was willing to give up his whole life for me. Was it fair of me to expect him to do that?The answer was no, it wasn't.I was being incredibly selfish. With a heavy heart,