Taking one last look at the castle ruins, I head for the one place I know far enough where I will not be disturbed. Thanking my hybrid speed I cross five states in the span of two hours. Not stopping to look around the deserted crumbling remains of my village, I speed into my father's office. I spot a large bronze wolf emerging from the hidden passage behind the bookshelf and lunge at him.

He dodges it so fast he blurs and immediately I growl feeling my claws extend and my wolf begin to tear through my skin.

"It's me. It's me." Rushes out the man as he shifts back into his human form "Alora it's me."

I growl and he puts his arms up in surrender. "Who are you? Are Lucius and the others with you?"

"No no! I'm here alone. Goddess will you please put those damn claws away? It's me Alora. Josh. Fallon's brother?"

Immediately my body halts and the fur that began to sprout through my skin slowly recedes back inside as do my claws. "Josh? You're a hybrid now too? I thought you just went rogue."

He sighs and lowers his hands down to his sides. "I lasted all of three days out on my own before those assholes grabbed me and locked me up. They tortured me until I joined their 'cause'."

"And did you?" I say with suspicion lacing my tone "Join their cause I mean."

He gives me a pointed look "I wouldn't be that stupid. Emerson is quite literally a monster. There's no way I'd do anything to help release him."

"But you have." I countered and his grey eyes swirled with confusion. "By becoming one of them you've accepted their cause as your own. You've shown loyalty to the League."

"No. Alora listen to me, they don't even know that I am here right now. I came to help you."

I suck my teeth in disappointment "Liar." I flash closer to him and grab him by the neck while extending my claws into his flesh and position my other hand above his chest.

"Please." He gurgles out "I said whatever I had to say back then to get out of the cells. All I want is to see my sister again. I'm all she's got. Please Alora, my loyalties have always been with Ember Pack and always will be."

"Prove it."

He coughs out blood as I apply pressure "I know about Lucius' other mate and what he has done."

I release him instantly and he staggers back against the wall, taking two seconds to catch his breath and fully heal. "Explain."

He nods and runs a hand through his medium black hair "They generously saddled me with janitor duty from day one. I know how cliche it sounds, the janitor who eavesdrops but it's worked out in my favor. I've become practically invisible in their eyes which means I hear everything, have access to every room and no one suspects a thing. I've been gathering intel for the last seven years trying to find something useful to bargain my freedom."

"Convenient how with seven years worth of what I'm sure is a goldmine of incriminating evidence you choose now to step out of the shadows." I reply.

"All the intel in the world doesn't mean a damn thing without power and muscle to back me up. I may be strong but even I know that I cant beat Lucius and Reece, those guys have been around for centuries. When I found out that they were going to attack Ember a few years ago I raced over to warn your father."

"He sounded the evacuation alarm a few minutes before they attacked..." I whisper as I'm unwillingly pulled back into flashbacks of that night. Josh nods and looks out the broken glass window. In the daylight the demolished village somehow seems more spine-chilling than it does at nightfall.

"They tortured me every day for years after that, but I didn't mind because I knew that I'd given him just enough time to keep the next generation of Embers alive. I knew Fallon would survive if she had a Lume with her." He whispered hoarsely "How is she? Is she happy?"

"Fallon is... Fallon. She's a wild card. Always has jokes and a comeback for everything, but she's lonely." I answer as I look out the window as well to the broken remains of what used to be the happiest place on Earth to me.

Josh clears his throat and meets my fiery gaze "Alora, your father was a great man and an excellent alpha. It was a privilege to be under his lead." He comes to stand a few feet away from me, grey eyes staring intensely into mine and he drops down on one knee and bows his head. "But the privilege to serve under you Alora Lume, a fierce and unique Female Alpha would be even greater still. I swear fealty to you."

I place my hand under his chin and force his gaze back up to meet mine. "Prove to me where your loyalties lie and at the end of this madness I may welcome you home."

"Tell me how I can prove myself." He earnestly asks.

"You said you've learned of his plans and of his... other mate. Tell me, what do you know?"

He comes to stand and gives me a sympathetic look. "Meeting you doesn't change anything for him. His plans remain the same."

A flash of hurt crosses my chest but I brush it off, now is not the time to be weak. "What are his plans Josh." I somewhat demanded.

"He doesn't care about releasing Emerson. He doesn't care about the League's members and he doesn't care about you. The only thing he wants, the only thing he cares about... is his mate." He says roughly "He needs your blood to open the portal but Rose needs it to destroy the Kynda forever. Oh and that journal you have there? Is full of spells that for some reason or other were too much for Rose to handle. They say that between losing her sight and her sister witches, she became more dangerous than Emerson ever was. So she handed Lucius her journal to keep safe but he betrayed her. Locked her away, sealing off her powers."

"Why would he do that? How did he do that? They were both trying to get Asha out. Why would he betray her? It makes no sense." I voice in confusion.

My ears slightly twitch and I duck, missing three metal darts as they stick to the wall. Turning around I snap the attacker's neck and she falls. Taking a good look I see that it's Lucinda and roll my eyes, that girl will do anything to survive. In any other scenario I would commend it. However, she's become a bit of a nuisance. I immediately look up as more footsteps surround me. A few hybrids step aside to make way for Lucius to come into my line of vision. His shiny black hair is disheveled and green eyes are ablaze as he furiously stands in front of me. My heart skips a beat and my wolf whines slightly. I, on the other hand, am beyond pissed. My hand pulls back into a fist and without a second thought connects with his face with so much force his head whips to the side and snaps out of place.

Everyone gasps and Lucius grunts and rearranges his neck with a few cracks and pops. If he was angry before he was beyond furious now.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" He growls angrily.

"I thought I was your mate, but it seems to me that the only thing that you are is a lying,cheating, worthless sack of shit." I spit out then whip my head towards Josh "and you, this little chat wasn't enough to catch me off guard. You've proven where your loyalties lie. Coward."

He looks at me then at Lucius before bowing. I growl and Lucius pulls me roughly to him "Enough." He commands in my ear "Tonight is my only chance to get her out and you will not ruin this for me."

"Get her out?" Reece repeats as he comes to the front of the crowd "You mean get him out. Right?"

Lucius tightens his grip on my arm and gives me a pointed look "Of course that's what I meant Reece. Do not belittle me like a child. All of you are dismissed. Set up a perimeter around the area until nightfall. Leave me alone with my mate."

The crowd pounds their chests once and leave. Reece is the last to leave, pushing Josh out the door and staring at Lucius challengingly until the door fully closed.

Neither of us spoke a word until our extra hearing told us they were all gone. Once Lucius was sure we were alone his shoulders sagged and his face morphed, confliction written all over it.

"I'm so sorry Alora. This is not how this was supposed to happen."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I spit out while pulling myself forcefully from his grasp.

He grabs Rose's grimoire from my fathers desk and shakes his head "I had a plan Alora. Ever since she was taken from me everything I've done has been to get to this point. I am so close it's like I can feel her heartbeat."

My eyes water and I feel my wolf curl in on herself and cry. The pain of hearing him so in love with someone else hurt more than I can understand. My heart tightens uncomfortably and I claw at my chest as my lungs stop working. The lack of air caused me to drop to my knees.

"Shit." He mutters before dropping on the floor before me. "It's the bond. I'm sorry. Look at me."

"Get the hell away from me." I gasp out.

He grunts in frustration "Why do you have to be so stubborn? Just look at me. I can make it better."

A string of curse words swirled in my mind trying to get out but I had no oxygen left to release them. He forces my chin up to meet his gorgeous green eyes and presses his soft lips against mine. Despite my better judgement I close my eyes and melt into the kiss. My heart unclenches and my lungs decided to allow oxygen in. Gasping wildly I grab his face close to mine and deepen the kiss.

"I hate you." I whisper in between kisses.

He grunts "I know." As he kisses me back and pushes me to lay down.

My wolf whines louder than before which makes me instantly halt. She's quivering inside my mind, still hurt and in pain. I push Lucius away and slide away towards the wall. He looks confused for a moment before understanding kicks in and he nods, propping his hands on his knees as his back rests against the desk.

"This is all my fault. I'm sorry." He says "I didn't think I would actually care about you."

My wolf's pain was too much to bear. I felt my heartbreak for her. I'd never felt such a strong instinct to protect her before. It's usually the other way around but right now I felt like a lioness protecting her cub. "What the hell is wrong with you Valatieri? You obviously know what this is doing to my wolf. How could you be so cruel? Why would you hurt her?"

"Because this is the only way I thought you'd help." He mutters as he breaks eye contact.

"You thought hurting and rejecting my wolf would make me help you get back your other mate? That doesn't make any sense, none of this does. I'm tired of you and everyone else barging into my life telling me what I need to do. This whole mess has taken up too much of my time. Time away from my pack and-"

"I know." He interrupts "You deserve the truth and I'll give it to you."

"Yes. I do." I say as I cross my arms and lean against the wall. "So tell me."