"We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone." - Orson Welles

Zack's fist came crashing towards my face, "Where is my sister, you bastard!"

Another punch came my way, but I dodged it and used the opportunity to punch him right in the stomach. Tyler and Josh tried pulling us apart but to no avail. Zack threw his body weight behind his fist which edged closer to my face, it hit my jaw with such force that blood pooled into my mouth.

Anger consumed my body as I returned the favor with an equally ferocious punch.

We stumbled apart for a brief second to catch our breaths before diving back at each other, eyes narrowed in determination. "Is that all you got, Alpha?" he crowed. My blood pulsated in my veins as determination and anger took over.

"If something happens to her Ethan, by Goddess, I'll fucking tear you to pieces," he drew his fist back again and plowed into my stomach. I repaid this by punching him straight in the jaw and continued with the battering until he fell to the floor.

Josh ran towards me and tried to pull me by my shoulders whereas Tyler tried getting Zack back on his feet. At this exact moment, the rest of the Alphas came barging inside. But Zack and I did not care. Once again, we jumped on each other and began to punch and kick.

"I am asking the same damn question! Where is Vivian?!"

Alpha Alejandro grabbed his son by the arms, Tyler went towards him to help.

"Don't you dare say her name!" he came forward in an attempt to punch me.

My father and the rest of the Alphas tried keeping me under control by grabbing my arms, "She is my mate, I'll say her name whenever I want, pup!"

He struggled to move forward, "You don't even deserve a mate, you're sick!"

"Both of you stop!" Alpha Alejandro shouted.

"I am telling you, if something happens to her, you won't live to see another day!" he shrugged out of their grasp and stormed outside.

All eyes turned on me but then slowly everyone began to leave the room but my father remained behind.

"Son, what are-"

I interrupted him, "Not right now." Ignoring him, I went back to her room.

No women had been the object of my desire since the day I found out she was my mate. Except for the day when she found out that she was mine. The day when I had no control over my wolf. An Alpha gets an uncontrollable need to mark her mate, to mate her when the connection is recognized. But if that's not possible, he needs her next to her.

But I couldn't be next to my Vivian. To stop myself from marking her, I had to control my wolf by sleeping with that woman.

Will I able to tell her why I slept with that woman? Will I be able to tell her that to protect her from my wolf, I had to do it?

Grasping her shirt again, a deeply unsettling feeling consumed me as I realized I lost her for the second time. My nostrils engulfed the delicate hint of vanilla in the air, and with it, my brain flooded with pictures of her. My chest ached as I thought of what I had lost. No one could ever replace her, and no one ever would.

I'll get her back. No matter what it takes.

Tu sei mio, Vivian. E io sono tuo.

----

All my life, everybody lied to me. Lies are swirling all around me, and I am suffocating.

Ethan hid his feelings for years and didn't intend to tell me, forcing me into a life that wasn't right, not real. Even my own father lied to me.

What am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? Who am I supposed to trust?

And all of the news that has been revealed to me made it even worse. One, Lycans are alive and two, our baby could've been a Royal. He or she could've ruled all the wolves.

All these thoughts and questions were torturing my mind. The only thing that was there after searching for so long was the betrayal. It slowly seeped in how much of a fool I had been, living in my own dream world. Even though I had come to this house in the forest for solitude, to escape everything and everyone, for the first time in my life, I was completely and utterly alone in my mind, body, soul, and most of all, entirely alone in the world. I found myself truly helpless. Something which I have never felt.

I looked towards the sky, "What am I supposed to do now?"

It was getting warmer. The lake mirrored the sky above, both of them blue and shimmering. I walked towards it and dipped my fingers inside. It was fairly cold, enough to cool me down and relax me. I took off my clothes and jumped in the lake. The cold water surged around me, stealing all the heat from my body. The leftover heat ran to my core to shelter and hoard the warmth that remained. I swam in the lake for a while, contemplating and thinking about what I should do next.

Should I go back and live my life like it was? Should I confront everyone? Should I forgive everyone?

All of these decisions felt wrong. I kept on swimming and swimming until I came up with a firm decision.

I am leaving everyone and everything behind. A coward's way out, but currently for me, the only way out of this torture.