When I wake up the next morning, I'm not surprised the sheets next to me are cold to the touch. There's no light seeping through the curtains of our little cabin window, which tells me it's still early and I wonder vaguely how long Maddox has been gone.

I pull the bed sheet around my naked body and slowly climb out of bed. He's nowhere inside the little wooden walls, but I can't imagine he's wandered very far from me with his brother's threat looming over us.

I reach out for him through the mind link to discover that he's sitting at the edge of the hill just outside the cabin. The air outside is chilly, not yet warmed by the sun, and nips at my bare skin, but Maddox doesn't even seem to notice.

He's dressed in only a pair of grey sweatpants, his well-defined back and sculpted shoulders exposed for my viewing pleasure. I smile softly as I reach him, shifting my sheets so that I can curl up next to him, resting my head comfortably on his shoulder.

"Bed not comfy enough for you?" I murmur as my eyes follow the attention of his gaze.

A river, just at the foot of the hill, separating us from a wide expanse of mountains. I hadn't even noticed them on the drive last night- because it was too dark or because I was too consumed with fear and exhaustion, I couldn't tell.

It was obvious why Maddox picked this place. The scenery was almost enough to make us forget the horrors that faced us.

"The bed was comfy," he responds just above a whisper. "I just couldn't stop... thinking about everything and I grew restless. I didn't want to wake you with my tossing and turning, so I came out here."

I squeeze his bicep and bite his shoulder softly, hoping to distract him from those racing thoughts.

"Now now, what have I told you about thinking? It won't do you any good. Maybe you should stop using your head and start getting by on good looks and wit alone like I do."

He lets out a small chuckle and the semblance of a grin cracks his lips briefly before setting into a grim line once more.

"Unfortunately I don't think my good looks and wit will convince Aiden to put a stop to all of this."

The smile falls from my face, too, at the mention of his brother. The weight of each witch's death bears down heavily on my shoulders, my chest, and I can only imagine the guilt that's eating away at Maddox at the loss of his pack's coven members.

It almost feels... unfair, sitting here. Watching the steady stream of the river, the beautiful golden hue of the sun stretching above the mountain tops, the euphoric night we shared last night while our world descends further into chaos.

The idea that none of those witches will get to experience these kinds of moments anymore eats away at me. Their mates will never get to experience their touch, their taste ever again. Only pain at the loss of a piece of their soul.

Will those wolves succumb to that pain and join Aiden's cause? Will the crushing blow of losing their mate too soon force them to feed into the destruction of others' happiness?

"He won't win, Poppy. We won't let him destroy the bonds our ancestors destined for all of us just because he's bitter. If anything, he made enemies out of the wolves who lost their mates at his hand. They'll want retribution for his actions and they will get it."

My smile returns at his impassioned speech. All this worrying will do me no good, but my anger will serve as my fuel to fight Aiden, just like those wolves. My guilt washes away with the return of my determination.

I won't regret enjoying my life and worshipping my mate because that would mean Aiden's victory in dismantling my joy. I will live the life those witches could not, and I'll do it in their name to spite Maddox's brother.

"There is something I need to discuss with you though."

Maddox's words and his tone immediately have me on edge, ready to put my defenses up.

"Yeah?" I question nervously.

"Your magic. What exactly does it entail?"

Well that's not at all what I expected. Still, the question sounds weird on his tongue, like he's reluctant to even ask. I try to dissect his train of thought, reaching into his mind, but he has himself blocked off to me like a shroud of smoke that I can't seem to part.

"I'm an earth witch, like my mother. Every witch learns basic spells and casting, along with some elemental magic, but I use a lot of herbs and call on nature for most of my work," I respond hesitantly.

My eyes fixate on a fawn and its mother drinking from the river, but her mind was keenly aware of her mate's words.

"What about... what about dark magic?"

I pull away from his side like his skin had burned mine and look over at him in shock. No wonder he was blocking his thoughts from me.

"What are you suggesting, Maddox?" I snap at him.

I didn't mean to bark the words at him, but I don't like the way this is going one bit. All witches were taught at the earliest conception of our powers that dark magic was forbidden. It was abnormal and it went against the laws of nature and the powers bestowed upon us.

To use dark magic would mean to take someone else's light. It required balance, and the price to pay was far too steep.

"I just thought that if there was any way we could get an edge on Aiden, if we had anything we could use against him-"

"Absolutely fucking not," I shake my head vehemently. "That is a line we will never cross. If we can't win this war with light, we, at the very least, will not succumb to darkness. I won't have innocent blood on my hands."

His cheeks flush with color and I'm taken aback by his expression- embarrassment is not a look I'm used to seeing on this stoic Alpha's face. He's obviously flustered by my harsh words and I think he's waiting for me to continue speaking, but as the silence stretches between us, so does the tension.

Finally, he gives in.

"I just don't think you're prepared," he admits. "Aiden's followers are steadily growing as he finds more and more jilted wolves. Your magic is strong and I know you come from a long line of powerful witches but the spells they've taught you are elementary at best. Protection spells and love potions won't be enough if-" He pauses to take a deep breath and I'm vaguely aware that my jaw has dropped. "It won't be enough if I'm not there to save you. You need to be stronger."

I know the implications of his words. He wants me to be able to protect myself if his brother defeats him in combat. The sentiment would almost be heartwarming, if the rest of his speech wasn't a slap to my face.

"Elementary? What, you think what I'm doing is just parlor tricks?"

My chest starts to heave and I realize I'm yelling as the birds in the trees above us flee at the sound of my voice. The flash of anger on Maddox's face only fuels my own.

"I didn't say that, Poppy! They obviously have witches on their side though, and we have no idea what they're capable of. Who's to say they aren't using black magic themselves? I understand you didn't hone your skills thinking they'd be used for warfare, but it's time to do just that!"

We glare at each other silently for several moments and I try to process everything he's said. The betrayal of his faith in me stings almost as much as the anger he's directing at me. Like it's my fault that I'm not strong enough to end his brother's reign of terror.

It was my biggest fear- that Aiden's fixation with me is my fault, that the death he brings is because of me- and Maddox just slapped me in the face with it.

"Fuck you," I seethe as I stand up.

I don't know where I intend to go, and I'm unsure of how far I'll get in just a bed sheet, but I know that it won't be back to that cabin that had been my solace only hours before.