Once we went through the doors, the hallway was in the same disrepair as if a bomb had gone off, but the guard turned right away for the stairs.

I stopped my next steps, staring with trepidation down the broken hallway. "Wait. We need Roth."

"This way," he sneered and started climbing.

I didn't like it.

Would it be a trap? Did Melvin already tell them about me? I turned back to the doors, considering the abort.

"Move it!" The guard commanded.

I deflated. That's probably why the other three guards were stationed. We could not run.

We were trapped.

I made a whimper and continued after.

We followed up and up and up, never a sign showing where we were or what floor was next, but cameras were everywhere. Black domes with white frames held as stalactites nearly every twenty feet.

William was right. There was no way we would have even stepped foot on an elevator.

And I started to drown in despair about the mission. Getting away from this guard to even peek through the doors into the different floors was never going to happen. There's no way I would find Melvin.

All was lost.

I should have been smarter.

We shouldn't have came.

This was a trap and now I'd be heart and brains in a jar.

And I brought William down with me.

William squeezed my hand and gave a tough smile down to me. At least we'll still get you that piece of paper.

I looked to him in surprise. You think he's actually taking us to Roth?

You don't?

I shook my head. Her office was downstairs.

He smiled, the sight warming my soul. I can smell other werewolves that have been this way.

Really?

He nodded.

You sure? I questioned.

His shoulders moved in a silent chuckle. You doubting my fancy werewolf nose? He quoted my words.

No. A smile started across my face, blooming through the gloom. Okay.

Yes, we still had reason to be there. A piece of paper.

My heart lightened. I giggled and it caused the guard to look back.

I guess all was not lost. We'd be proper married now.

I squeezed him back, and funny enough I felt happy. It wasn't like the trip here had been wasted. And suddenly I felt like all was going to be okay. One minute, we're walking to our doom, the next I'm sure we're actually going to be married.

And that was good enough.

About six floors up, Johnson finally stepped to a door. "In here." And we followed through.

I reared in shock to see what had to be a hospital ward. "What?" I even said out loud.

Johnson growled and rolled his eyes. "Roth's office is temporarily here. You stupid dogs always expect a castle. Now follow along!" He started moving again.

What is happening? I asked William tentatively.

I'm not sure.

We followed Johnson's hurried steps through two corridors and my eyes sped to every room. This was surely a hospital because I had to keep shaking my head to keep my eyes from glowing. The healer was fighting her way up trying to sense who to help along the way.

I started digging deep into myself trying to figure out which room was Melvin's. If this was like Damron's visit a guard wouldn't show us back. Maybe if I figured out which was his room, I walk by extra slow and sing. Take long enough that I could heal just enough for him to be able to commit to a trial.

My heart was beating with a drum, struggling to break free from my ribs.

Would this actually work after all?

Johnson said a strong curse word to himself as we turned the next corner then grumbled under his breath. "If he left his charge again for another vending machine trip, I'm getting him transferred to cadet latrine duty!"

We walked two more doors and at the third, Johnson opened and looked inside. "Reynolds!" He called to the room and when there was no reply he said another curse.

He glared at us. "You two stay the eff right here. I'll be right back. If you move, I'll shoot. Got it?"

"Yes Sir," William said in his professional beta voice.

But I couldn't answer.

The door he opened had been left ajar just enough to see none other than Melvin Lawrence, hooked up to monitors and breathing equipment galore.

Holy freaking moly...

Was it really going to be that easy?

No, right?

And Johnson started jogging down an opposite hallway out of view.

We were alone.

I turned to William. That's Melvin.

A quick glance had him grinning a sunny smile at me. And we're alone. You did it. Now's your chance Love. He pulled me into his arms. Do your thing.

I took a deep breath, my mind fluttering inside the adjacent room and began to sing another Newsie song, the healer's music poured into every word, tendrils floating into his room, pressing into his every pore.

But I sang to William, my eyes focused into his. My arms moving up around his neck, fingertips soothing over his warmed skin.

♪ Till the moment I found you, I thought I knew what love was. Now I'm learning what is true, that love will do what it does. The world finds ways to sting you, and then one day decides to bring you, something to believe in. ♪

Melvin's heart monitor started to beat in a stronger rhythm, and I could almost see the cancer of his lungs dissipating like foam blown away on the wind.

♪ I have something to believe in now that I know you believed in me. ♪

As his body started to heal, I yanked on the edges of the healer and reigned her back in, knowing I didn't want to give him an easy life. The cancer in his brain and down the bones of one leg were left intact and though the cancer was driven free from his lungs, they would never work correctly again. He would always be left tied to an oxygen tank, but the source of the werewolf disease was gone.

I nodded to William. It's done.

He pulled me hard into his chest and kissed my hair. I knew you could do it.

At that moment, two guards then marched around the corner. The second, who must have been Reynolds, was holding his gun less confident like he had a serious tongue lashing. Both came right up to us and Reynolds stepped in front of Melvin's door, standing tall to attention.

"Now never abandon your post again. You hear me?" Johnson's voice was low and pressured.

"Sir, yes Sir!" Reynolds acknowledged, eyes to the opposite wall.

Johnson's angered eyes landed on us. "Now you two. This way. Move along!"

William and I gave each other a side smirk and started following after hand in hand.

When we got to the end of the hallway, another guard moved aside and it opened up into a waiting room filled with supernatural couples. By the builds, most seemed to be human and wolf, but it was hard to tell. One strikingly handsome man looked up at me and flashed his brilliant red eyes. He smirked, showing a spiked fang. Was he a vampire? His girl had to be a human, though she looked goth enough to want to be a vampire.

My eyes searched the room and saw another that could be a vampire. There was also one heavyset girl, eyes glowing silver, staring at her fingernails that switched colors every time she blinked. She must be a witch. I couldn't tell any other magic users though. Without actively showing their magic they would just look human.

A strawberry blonde wolf girl close to the door, looked away from a rich skinned boy with long hair and waved to us. Both were teens.

Johnson pointed to a ticket system. "Take your number there. Find a seat." Then he turned and strode away the way we came.

I looked at the tickets. Do we stick around and get a certificate? Or do we just run from here?

Let's not tempt fate by running away. We were just stopped right in front of Lawrence's room. Let's not look suspicious and leave now. He tossed an arm clear around me and thrust me against his chest. We're getting you that piece of paper. You're stuck with me now sweetheart.

I nodded. I think I can handle that. And we grabbed a number ticket and sat down next to the teenage couple.

The blonde looked up and smiled. "Hi, you guys just got mated?"

"Yep," I said casually, taking in the handful of other couples in a maze of tight chairs. We looked to be the oldest in the room besides that first vampire.

"I'm Michelle. This is Antony. We're from Sharp Mountain Pack."

I looked her over. "Are you both..." I let the werewolf word stay off my question. I wasn't sure how forward I was supposed to be in public.

She nodded. "Yeah, but we're just so excited to be together that we didn't want to wait."

I guess it wasn't always just humans that wanted to be marked sooner. Some supernatural couples just wanted to be married. "That's beautiful," I gushed.

Antony smirked. "That and we wanted our gov-decs before a vacation next week."

I laughed.

...Or the couples just wanted the extra cash.

Michelle reddened a bit then asked, "what's your number?" She peeked at the ticket in Will's hand.

He held it out. "322."

Michelle held hers. "319."

We both looked at the bright red electronic number sign nailed haphazardly to the wall. It read 311.

She sighed. "Guess we've got a little while."

I looked around the cramped waiting room. "I thought Roth's office was ground floor."

She looked to the closed plain door at the side. "It was. But I guess they had a water main break two days ago. It flooded the entire first floor. I heard she's awfully upset that she has to be up here next to the hospital floor. She's worried about catching some nasty disease. But DOSS didn't want us anywhere else in the building." She shrugged. "But it is what it is. It's pretty crowded, but we're all here for the same thing." She swooned into her boy and then he kissed her full on, like I wasn't sitting four inches from her. I even backed into William to avoid the fingers roaming her back.

I turned into William and snickered. Want to play kissy teens?

A wicked brow then lifted. How about we play naughty adults instead?

"William!" I sputtered out loud and smacked his arm with a laugh.

He chuckled and rubbed over his arm like it hurt. I didn't mean right here sweetheart.

I shook my head at his absurdity.

I meant in the car. In the parking lot. With all those cameras watching on.

"Will," I gave a pathetic laugh and buried my face into my palms.

He grabbed a hand away and kissed my knuckles before entwining our fingers on his lap.

I leaned over to his shoulder and waited for the room to disperse.

Roth never exited her office, just supernatural couples followed by the glowing red numbers changing and a new couple entering. Each couple took about ten to fifteen minutes. So it still took over two hours to reach us.

We played on our phones, did a few rounds of tic tac toe and anything else we could imagine to pass the time and as the numbers hit 319 we saluted Michelle and Antony off.

A few minutes later they emerged with paper in hand. Michelle was a teary joyful mess and they followed the guard away.

When the couple with 320 looked up at the numbers with anticipation, we all stared confused when they never changed over the next few minutes.

The couple stood tentatively and gave cautious steps to the door, ready to knock I suppose, when a woman dressed in an all red pantsuit and pointed heals emerged from the room with an air of panic. "I'm sorry all. I've just gotten an emergency call. I need to end the licenses today."

The room turned into a howl of despondent groans. Practically everyone had been there for at least an hour.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry. I'd love to stay and marry you all, but I've got to leave right now. Please come back tomorrow." And without another word she jogged the hall.

"This way," the guard announced.

Some women's groans turned into tears.

But Will's and my faces were all surprise.

We followed through to the hallway and tried to mirror the sadness of the others, and the guard led us down to the front doors where we scattered to our cars.

William opened the door for me and walked to his side, sitting and just staring out the front window, hands gripping the wheel.

"Will?" I asked to his quiet contemplation.

"I'm alright," he told the parking lot. "I just need to believe in you better. I'm having a hard time grasping we did it all and we weren't even written up in the registry yet. On paper we weren't even here. It seems unbelievable."

I leaned over and hugged into his arm. "I know, right? What kind of a crazy coincidence did that have to be to get stopped right in front of Melvin's open door?"

He finally turned and lifted my chin to look at him. His face wore a soft grin. "Eric always says that nothing is ever a coincidence. I think I'm starting to believe him too."

I gave him a small snicker. "Well, let's get out of here before our luck runs out."

"What about us playing naughty adults in the parking lot?" He said with a coy smirk, hand moving provocatively to my thigh.

"William!" I laughed and slapped his hand away. "Just drive, you. Let's go home."

He put the car in gear. "How about dinner before we head back? I'm starved."

"Good idea werewolf. Guess it's your turn to let your inner wolf guide the way."