Greyson looked at her in disbelief. "What?" He asked, the simple word holding an unsettling amount of weight. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I am," Atonya said with a small chuckle though it held no joy, but more of a disbelief.

"Wh-What are we waiting for?" I weakly asked as the heat started building up within my lower stomach once more, causing me to curl into a fetal position in an effort to ease the pain but it wasn't working.

Greyson quickly wrapped his arms around me in another effort to soothe me. "She's in Heat, Atonya, and a strong one at that."

Atonya lowly cursed as she looked outside to the full moon. "I think I have something for that, but we must do the process now. We need the moon to be at its peak in order to this to work or else we'll have to wait another month and we can't afford that. Come," she said, motioning for Greyson to follow her as she walked out of the door.

He looked at me with a worried look in his eyes as he swept my wet hair from my sweaty forehead. "Are you sure you want this, little wolf? I know you're already in a lot of pain."

I nodded and gave him the most convincing smile I could muster. "Yeah. I want this." He bit his lip before he nodded and leaned in to kiss me, but I pulled away. "Grey...I can't. I can't control myself. I don't want to risk messing everything up."

Greyson smiled. "Little wolf, you could never mess anything up," he gently said, causing butterflies to erupt within my stomach at his sincere words.

"Greyson come on we don't have time!" Atonya yelled from downstairs, pulling us from our intimate moment and back out into the real world.

He hurriedly grabbed a shirt for me and slid it over my head before he carried me all the way down into the basement where Atonya was rapidly getting her materials that she needed. "I don't have a lot of time to explain so I'll give you the condensed version of what's about to happen," Atonya started. "Okay, so I went to the ancestral realm, right? Pretty cool place, lots of nice people. So the ancestors told me that they knew what I was looking for and led me to an ancient spell that packs all over the world used to do when upcoming Alphas and the daughters of another Alpha's pack were mates together. It's called the Sharing of the Hearts Ceremony. It was used to physically bind all of the pack members through one thing, their hearts. However, they stopped doing it after many pack-wide genocides happened due to a poisoned heart spreading throughout the pack. Luckily, we don't have to worry about that seeing that neither one of you have been poisoned in the past few hours, right?"

"Yeah, I think we're in the clear, so how do we do it?" Greyson urgently asked as a shiver ran through my spine and deep into my core. I held onto him tighter.

I didn't know how much longer I could keep myself at bay.

"It's rather easy on your end, but a bit more complicated on mine," she said as she began to grind something in a bowl. "I have to call on the ancestors for their strength in order to safely achieve this because it requires a tremendous amount of power. And other than that...there's no way I can really explain to you what I'm doing. I'm just...making your heart like his, meaning that I'm making you lycan, not that you'll experience emotions like Greyson does or anything like that."

I nodded.

"Okay, I'm almost ready, I just need a few more things, but you two have to be ready when I say or we just might miss our window of opportunity."

"Okay," Greyson answered for both of us as he held me closer and looked down at me. "You're doing amazing, little wolf. After this, Atonya can help you with your Heat and you'll be okay."

I nodded though my body wanted his more than air. It was pure torture. I buried my face in his neck and took in his scent, hoping that it would be enough to hold me over until then.

It wasn't.

I found my lips gently meeting with the base of his throat, causing him to tense beneath me and let out a throaty sigh, causing River to go wild. He held me closer as I continued moving up his throat and along his jawline. "Little wolf, be careful. I don't want you to-"

"I can handle it," I softly said before I gently kissed his lips, a tingling sensation moving through my core as his lips moved against mine and he cupped my face. I moved so I was straddling his waist, wanting to feel every inch of his body against my own as all worries about Atonya being right next to us left my mind.

I gently grabbed Greyson's hands and moved them to my bare waist under my shirt, all without breaking the kiss. A light sigh escaped my lips as he used his thumbs to gently massage my hips. He felt so good.

Without warning, he suddenly tensed and pulled away, his eyes glossed over and cloudy. Someone was mind-linking him. As he was linked, he continuously tensed as moisture started gathering in his eyes and a look of panic filled his features.

Panic filled me as well when his expression didn't go away and after a few moments, his eyes cleared and he let out a slur of curse words as he blinked back the moisture. "What's wrong?"

"The attack's begun," Greyson lowly stated. "Matthew let me inside his head and my goddess...I saw it. It's awful. We're holding up our own and they haven't gotten that far into the territory, but...it's just blood. Everywhere. And...Nat's hurt."

"What?" I asked as horror moved through me. "We need to go now. They can't fight Phoenix alone-"

"No," Greyson and Atonya said in unison.

"If we leave now, Phoenix will be the least of your worries."

"But-"

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner all of us can get back to the pack and fight. It's better to fight smart than fight fast," Greyson said before I sighed in defeat.

"I'm ready," Atonya announced. "Come stand here and here." We did as we were told though my knees were incredibly weak and it felt like my body was doing everything it could to work against me.

She handed us two bowls with paste in them. "Blood." Without having to say more, we both bit into our hands and bleed into the bowls until she told us to stop. She took them from us before she started grinding the contents once more. "Take off your shirts."

Greyson gave me a hesitant look seeing that if I took my shirt off, I would be bare. I wasted no time taking it off, a small bit of relief moving through my body as I lost the hot restraint on clothes.

Greyson followed suit, his torso bare and his tattooed body shown off. I had to fight the extremely strong urge to run my tongue over each cell of exposed skin.

He was my weakness.

"You're doing good, little wolf. Keep focusing," he lowly encouraged.

"Give me something else to focus on," I made out, my tone tense.

"Listen to my heartbeat and focus on that. That's how I calm myself down."

I took a deep breath and focused my hearing on the soft, constant beat of Greyson's heart pumping blood throughout his body. It felt strangely intimate and I relaxed. "Good," he mused as Atonya came back over.

"Drink."

We did, though I still had to resist the urge to throw up as it travelled down my throat. "Alright, so this has to go a bit differently than last time. Instead of marking your head, I'm marking your hearts. Be warned that this is going to feel...differently than last time because I'm marking your hearts as my target and it's far more dangerous."

Greyson nodded. "I'm ready."

Atonya wasted no time carving a symbol into his chest as she muttered words under her breath. Pained screams traveled up bus throat but he never let them fully escape his mouth. He held my hand tighter. I focused on his heartbeat that was rapidly speeding up until Atonya was done. "I've marked you as the heart to be copied. Now turn around." He did was he was told before she quickly cut a vertical line right on his spine, causing him to hiss in pain. "This is how excess energy will escape you."

She then turned to me. "Are you ready?"

I swallowed and nodded before the familiar, yet fiery pain ripped through me like paper. I screamed and held onto Greyson as tightly as I could. The Heat and the pain of the mark were fighting to be the dominating pain in my body. I felt like I was being ripped nerve ending from nerve ending, muscle from bone. I felt my airways tighten and the oxygen that flowed through them felt like sandpaper. Tears jumped to my eyes as I gripped Greyson impossibly tighter.

"Atonya, she can't breathe," Greyson urgently stated before he made a move to separate us.

"Don't or I'll have to start over. Almost done," she rushed out before her attention returned to me. I closed my eyes and tried to focus in on Greyson's heartbeat as pain raced through my heart. His heartbeat was getting faster and faster. He was scared. Terrified.

"Done," she announced as my airways opened up, and I stumbled forward into Greyson's arms, my knees weak and my blood on fire. "I'm sorry for that," she quickly said before she quickly carved a symbol into her forehead, not so much as a wince escaping her lips as the blood dripped down her face. Once she was done, she said, "This will connect me to the moon so that I know exactly when to perform the spell so I can draw from its power."

I nodded as Greyson pressed a light kiss to my forehead before he swept away my sweat-matted hair. "You're doing so good, little wolf. So good."

Too weak to speak, I merely nodded again before I pulled myself from his arms and forced my heavy legs to carry me back to my symbol. Greyson firmly gripped me to steady me as I took my slow, shaky steps, his touch relaxing me.

"Okay, I need you two to repeat after me, and make sure to say it exactly the same." I noticed that she didn't have the spikes on her fingers. "After that is the...tricky part," she said as she looked at Greyson.

"What?" he demanded, though there was a desperate cling to his voice.

"As soon as the moon hits its peak, you two have to mark each other at the exact same time and I know that's a sensitive thing for you Greyson but...uh, the flow of energy will break the bond holding Gavin back-"

"Wait, what? Atonya, you know that's-"

"Dangerous? I know. But, like I said, you two have to do it at the exact same time so that before Gavin can regain his strength and try anything, the power of the spell will have neutralized what Gavin perceives as a threat, meaning that the process will be complete. You just have to be ready when I give the say so, because if not, I can't guarantee that I can rebound him. I can protect Avery, though, but-"

"Just promise that no matter what, you will prioritize her safety over everything else, understand?" Greyson firmly stated.

Atonya nodded. "Of course."

"Wait, you won't hurt him, will you?" I asked, my voice weak and soft.

"If necessary, yes," Atonya said. "But I hope it won't have to come to that."

"Very, don't worry about me. I can handle it. It's worth it for you."

I reluctantly nodded as Atonya grabbed another twisted stick. Seeing that my attention was on the stick, she sighed. "Just in case," she shortly said. "Are you two ready?" We needed. "Avery do you know how to mark?" I nodded. It was a natural, a skill that was engraved in my DNA. "Good," she said before a noticeable shiver moved through her spine and a new urgency displayed across his face. "We have less than a minute. Quickly repeat this after me: Leo nawapa moyo wangu kwako, Asili kama vile anga ni bluu, Mimi ni wako na wewe ni wangu, Na hii tumefungwa mpaka mwisho wa wakati (Today I give my heart to you, Natural like the sky is blue, I am yours and you are mine, And this is closed to the end of time)."

We did, our voices speaking in perfect sync. I felt tingles move though our intertwined hands and travel throughout my body, chasing away the pain of Heat and replacing it with another, foreign feeling that was neither good nor bad.

"Na sasa kwa mababu tunawaita, Kutufunga kabisa, roho na wote, Mimi ni wako na wewe ni wangu,Na hii tumefungwa mpaka mwisho wa wakati (And now for the ancestors we call them, Totally close us, the spirit and all, I am yours and you are mine, And this is closed to the end of time)."

As we spoke, I looked in his eyes. This was the last moment I was going to be...me. After this, I would be changed forever, hopefully for the better and safer.

As soon as the last syllable escaped our lips, a fire moved through my heart, causing me to yell in pain as Greyson did the same. Atonya's eyes rolled back, leaving nothing but her glowing whites. "Now," she demanded as she gripped our forearms. "Now!"

Without wasting another second, my canines elongated and I went straight for Greyson's exposed neck as he went for mine. A sharp pain moved throughout my neck as Greyson's blood filled my mouth.

I could almost feel my cells changing their identity as power flowed through River. My chest became warm as I almost felt my heart shifting and changing as well as my very soul. I felt so many new things and desires as strength moved through my physical and spiritual body. It was addictive.

Suddenly, the pain turned into an unparalleled bliss throughout my body as I felt River and Gavin spiritually and emotionally connect in a loving, safe way.

We'd done it.

We'd done it.

All at once, I found myself feeling...enhanced. My senses, my awareness, but mostly, my desire for Greyson. The change hadn't gotten rid of my Heat, instead, it intensified it ten-fold.

The amazing euphoria that moved through me from my mark wasn't helping either. As if to tease me, Greyson ran his tongue over my neck mark, sending a shiver down my spine, before he placed a gentle kiss on it, making my core ache for him once more.

"Done," Atonya announced, causing me to release him from the grasp of my teeth before I too ran my tongue over the new, tender mark then placed a hot kiss on it, causing Greyson to groan as he held me tighter.

That sound turned me on beyond compare.

I pulled away so that we were face to face again, both of us breathing heavily. "How do you feel, little wolf?" He softly asked.

Within a second he was trapped between me and the floor with my lips hungrily attacking his. He tightly gripped my waist and pulled me into him, giving into his own, messy desires. River wanted me to give myself to him. I wanted to give myself to him, and I could feel the yearning in his touch and in the kiss.

I wanted him. And I was going to have him.

I started moving my lips down toward the waistband of his sweatpants. "Avery," he said, deep and throaty as I kissed down his chest. I found myself pinning his arms by his hips, a strength moving through me I'd never felt before. But before I could even make it to his naval, I was suddenly pulled off of him and pinned to the wall by an invisible force.

"No," Atonya strictly said as she looked between me and Greyson. "Not right now." The fact that she was keeping me from what I wanted, from what was mine, made me want to do nothing more than sink my teeth into her throat and rip it out of her body, a violent urge I'd never felt before. "We need to get back to your people before it's too late."

At the mention of that, the lust filled haze cleared from my mind and I was reminded at the war at hand. I looked away embarrassed as Greyson cursed and got up. "Are we safe?"

"You are," she said before she gazed to me, "But I don't know about her. Her urges are intensified by her becoming a lycan, so I don't know if she's in the best position to fight right now."

"Can't you do a spell?" I desperately asked. "I'm not going to stand by and let this pack die. I need to fight for them."

"I'll try," Atonya said. "Greyson, get her some clothes."

Greyson nodded before he hurried to do what he was told. Atonya approached me, her eyes closed as she muttered something under her breath. The painful Heat that was coursing through me slowly subsided, ebbing like a wave from the shore. I let out a relaxed sigh as I felt the tension leave my body, and the invisible force that was holding me against the wall disappeared. "Are you okay?" Atonya asked, the mark on her forehead slowly healing as the one on my chest did the same.

"Yeah, thanks, Atonya."

"But be warned, I can't guarantee hour long this will last. Heat is a natural occurrence that your body and the moon will fight for. I was able to bind Gavin because he was...different. And now that he's found his equal, he will try to break through for your Heat as well."

I nodded. "I'm just grateful for the relief I have for right now."

She chuckled as Greyson rushed back with clothes for me. "Are you okay?" He asked as he approached me.

"Yeah, Atonya bound my Heat. I should be good for now," I explained as I stepped into my underwear and pulled it up. Greyson nodded before he hurriedly helped to dress me.

Once I was fully dressed, he looked between me and Atonya. "Are you ready?" Atonya nodded as did I.

I looked Greyson in the eyes. "Let's go kill this bastard."