I sprinted faster than I thought I could, needing nothing more than to finally see my brother after years of not spending time with him. Elijah ran after me, trying hard to keep up even in his wolf form. There was some yelling behind me, coming from the Charolette, Marcel, and Liam drama... but I ignored it, smelling Ares behind me.

The guards stood heavily at the borders, all staring at Jeremy who stood a few meters away. He stared back through the woods and anxiously paced back and forth. When he saw me, his eyes widened and he ran over. The guards stood in front of me to protect me, but I pushed them out of the way to get to my brother.

He pushed his snout against my nose, then looked over at Elijah and gave the weakest smile. Elijah stayed silent, brows furrowed together. "This is him?" he asked me after shifting into his human. He crouched on the ground next to me, holding out a hesitant hand. Jeremy pushed his snout into his hand, licking it, but then he looked urgently back at me.

"Aurora," he said through my mindlink. I stared at him with wide eyes that were filling with tears. His voice. Jeremy's voice... it was the same. My lips trembled, and I collapsed to my knees, taking his hand in my hands and leaning my forehead against his. I hadn't heard his voice in years... I thought I'd never hear it again.

Out of all the things that had changed... this part of him had stayed the same. And it was my favorite part. I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment with him. So many memories drifted through my mind. When he used to sing me sweet, little melodies on the porch every time it rained. When I'd be scared of all the sounds in the night and he brought me outside and helped me howl to the moon with everyone else. When he told me a bedtime story the night before the Hound attack.

I thought I had lost those memories forever, but now... now we could make some more. Whether he was stuck in wolf form or not... I didn't care. I'd love him no matter what the consequences or the struggles that came with him.

"How?" I asked through the mindlink. "How are you talking to me? Why didn't you talk to me at the cave? I wouldn't have hurt you."

He pulled away and gazed down on the bite in my thigh. "The bite..." he said, then he looked back through the forest again, his eyes filling with terror.

Ares approached us slowly, brows furrowed together. "Aurora..." He gazed down at the Hound, staring cautiously at him, and grasped my shoulder, ready to pull me away if he needed.

"Ares is your mate," Jeremy said weakly. "I'm glad. He can keep you safe from what's to come."

Something inside of me felt complete when those words left his lips. Jeremy approved of my mate; he approved of the savage alpha. And, in that moment, the rumors and my parents' approval didn't matter. Only Jeremy's.

"Aurora, you have to listen to me."

My lips parted in amazement, the pure feeling of him being with me was something I never thought I'd experience again. I brushed my hand over his ratty fur, wanting to help make him look better. I'd wash out all the dirt and the dried blood, making his coat shiny.

"Aurora," he said, more sternly this time. "They're coming. You have to take the stone out of me. You--" He looked back through the woods. Deep in the quiet forest, a branch cracked, the sound echoing, followed by fast footsteps. "You got to hurry, Aurora. Take the stone. Use it to heal yourself. You can't let the Hounds have it. You can't let them take it from you either."

I shook my head at him. "What are you talking about?"

Elijah stared between me and Jeremy, tapping me on the back. "What is he saying?"

"They're coming. There's no stopping them," Jeremy continued. "I tried."

"Jeremy, who? What are you talking about?" I asked. Elijah started to pace back and forth next to me, anxiously rubbing his palms together.

"There is something far worse than these Hounds coming for everyone," Jeremy said, glancing over his shoulder into the forest. "Aurora, we don't have time. Take the stone out of me."

"No," I said aloud, shaking my head back and forth. "It'll kill you."

Jeremy growled at me. "Do it, Aurora," he said, sounding so desperate. "Don't let Tony have it... He's betrayed our pack, over and over and... and he's coming here... he's coming here to get the stone from both of us."

"Let him try," I said. "I'll kill him."

Jeremy growled at me again. "You'll die. Everyone here will die. He's coming with Hounds." He gazed back into the woods. "Aurora, you have to do it. You have to take the stone and survive. That is my only wish for you."

"Jeremy, no... there has to be another way."

Pain was written all over his face, and his voice broke. "I don't want to live this life anymore. Put me out of my misery and save your new pack. Lead the people who survived the Hound attack and make sure they survive the ones to come."

Tears welled up into my eyes, my heart aching more than it ever had before in my entire life. Jeremy wanted to die. He couldn't be in this body any more. It was taking a toll on him and the only thing he wanted was for me to put him out of his torture.

More branches broke deep in the woods, and I took a long breath, smelling Tony's scent. He was here, just as Jeremy had said.

"Shift, Aurora."

I pushed away all my tears and collapsed onto all fours. I would fight whoever tried to hurt him. I'd try my hardest not to let him die. If I could do anything, it was going to be saving my brother from this Hell.

But... I needed to shift quickly. Tony's footsteps were close, and I didn't have much time.

So, I gathered all my strength, knowing that this would hurt worse than anything in my entire life, and felt my bones crack. They cracked and snapped back together, so many times that I lost count.

Every part of my body ached. Pain shot up my legs until I could barely feel them. My arms felt like they were being stabbed over and over from the inside. I let out a piercing scream, heard Tony start sprinting in my direction, and then I saw him.

My eyes widened, and I forced myself to shift faster than I ever had. There were four Hounds with him, running directly at us. Elijah shifted beside me and started to fend them off, but Tony slipped past him and sprinted at me.

Jeremy moved slower than usual, trying to step in the way. I finished shifting, the pain still shooting through me. Tony easily pushed him to the side, leapt at me, and latched his teeth into my shoulder, sinking his canines deep into me until his gums met my flesh.

More pain. So much more pain.

I thrashed from side to side, trying to shake him off me and digging my claws into his underbelly. He ripped out a chunk of my flesh, spit it out of his mouth, and then lurched at Jeremy who reacted too late. He struggled to stay on all fours, but Tony took him down within moments.

Seeing Jeremy so physically and emotionally weak broke my heart. He had always been the strongest person that I looked up to, always been my rock.

Tony went straight for the back of his neck, about to sink his teeth into it to get the stone. I let out a piercing scream, pushed my snout under his neck, and sunk my teeth into Jeremy's neck before Tony had a chance.

Almost instantly Jeremy relaxed under me. My body heaved back and forth, but I didn't remove my teeth from his neck. This was what I had to do. I couldn't let him take the stone, couldn't give him that kind of power. I squeezed my eyes closed, waiting to feel Tony's teeth pierce my flesh.

Tony's teeth sunk into the back of my neck, right where my stone was, yet he only pricked the first few layers of skin before he was ripped off me and thrown across the forest by Ares.

But, even then, I didn't let go. I stayed on top of Jeremy, knowing that once I pulled my canines from his flesh--whether he had the stone still in him or not--he'd be dead.

"I'm so sorry, Jeremy," I said through the mindlink, my voice cracking. My whole body felt so weak, yet I stayed strong. "I'm so sorry for this. I'm sorry I couldn't save you all those years ago. I'm sorry that you couldn't have a good life."

"Go back to... cave, Aurora. Dig. Don't go alone."

"I love you with all my heart. I'll never forget you, Jeremy. Ever."

"I love you too."

And those were the last words I heard from him.

I pulled the stone out of Jeremy's neck, blood dripping from my mouth, and turned on my heel toward Ares and Tony who were going at it. I dropped the stone on Jeremy's back and sprinted at Tony.

That man had taken too much from me, and I was determined to take everything from him. I growled viciously at the two men and pulled Ares off him, lurching at Tony myself. Ares had weakened him, but he was my kill.

I latched my teeth into his neck and ripped out his throat. When he fell to the ground, lifelessly, I collapsed with him and crawled over to Jeremy, resting my head on his back.

It was over. It was all over.