Vince pulls into the garage and jumps out of the car like it was on fire. He doesn't say a word to his fiancé or her sister. He goes straight to his study and purposely leaves the door open as he takes a seat behind the desk. There, he steepled his fingers together and released a breath. Never in his life has he felt so internally conflicted. He closes his eyes and listens as Nya goes upstairs, unzips her bag, and pulls out some clothes. She then goes into the bathroom and turns on the shower. Why was this happening to him? Was this punishment of some kind, or a twisted joke by the universe?

A light knock sounds at the door. It was Bent he already knew. Come in."

He enters and sets an ice-filled glass of bourbon on his desk before crossing his arms behind his back.

Vince grips the cold glass as he stares off.

"Who in their right mind would think that the mutt would ask me for anything, let alone my car key? I wasn't prepared for that."

"Maybe she should stay somewhere else."

He takes a mouthful of his drink, swishes it around before swallowing the burn down.

"The look on Malina's face..."

"What about it?"

"She is starting to realize something's off, and at this rate, not only will she find out, but so will the whole pack, Vin."

"No one can know."

"Okay, then what proactive measures are we taking to prevent this?"

He takes another gulp. Instead of responding his mind drifted to Nya's courage. He knew stronger wolves that wouldn't dare. She must have lost a game of poker.

He thought about her willingness to be eaten by Watson, and to run away on her own, just to stop her sister from making a mistake, and how her scrawny arms fought to get to the top of the wall. He didn't know whether to call her reckless or resilient.

"We can assign someone to take responsibility for her."

His glare, which never fully set on his brother, turns ice cold. He clenched his jaw. "She is mine." He rolls his eyes at his own lack of control. "She is my responsibility."

"What about James? Nothing is working. He is in more pain and isn't holding anything down. I think it's time we let his family say their goodbyes."

Vince' lets out a breath. He didn't want to give up on his loyal friend. They have tried several things to save him although they knew nothing was going to work. He couldn't not try. "I agree. Let his family know so they can spend the night with him. We'll cremate him in tomorrow's moonlight."

Before Bent could respond the door swings open and enters Malina. "Oh hey, I didn't know you were here." She smiles at him.

"I was just leaving." He shuts the door on his way out.

Vince suddenly felt pressure as Malina's lustful gaze approached him. He just wasn't in the mood but he forces himself to allow her to turn his chair, climb onto his lap and straddle him. "I miss you." She whispers before touching her lips to his.

Her tongue came out and he accepted it but he hated the taste. She began grinding on his shaft and her hands began gliding down to take off his shirt. He lifts his arms and lets her pull it off, but when her hand begins touching his bare skin he stiffens. Still, he allows her to roam down to his pants.

Normally, he would have been at least halfway ready but he was soft.

"Stop."

She looks at him confused. "What's wrong?"

He grabs her upper arms, hoists her up on her feet standing with her. "I have a lot to do."

"Now?" She tries to kiss him again but he holds her at a distance.

"Yes now."

"She eyes him suspiciously. You're lying... Something is wrong, I can sense it."

"Nothing is wrong, Malina." He denies and slides his hands in his pockets. "Look, a lot happened today and there's a lot going on. Why don't you get some sleep? I'll be up later."

"Are you resentful because you've allowed the weaker ranks to stay? You can take it back. I would rather you take it back than be this way."

He rolls his eyes. "Because I'm not in the mood? You're overreacting."

"Because..." she goes on. "If you didn't want to do it, you shouldn't have."

"Malina..." he growls.

"Say the word, and I'll get Nya and we'll leave right now."

"Malina..." He roars even louder. "You're not..." he refrains his choice of words. "Your father was an alpha, you know what being a Luna entails. You will never be my first priority. This pack is and always will be."

"I would think that after not being together for so long you would want to spend time with me."

He grabs his shirt and puts it back on. "Some things are going on and I can't focus on anything else right now. Just understand..."

Her hands ball into a fist as if she was ready to argue more, but she didn't. She storms off. He could hear her stomping up the stairs, going into her sister's bedroom, and slamming the door.

He finished his drink and tried to focus on other issues but couldn't. He ends up taking a hot shower before calling it a night.

In the morning, he gets up before the sun and leaves. He calls the entire pack to the auditorium and announces James's condition. Of course, they were shocked and saddened. They took turns to go see him in the hospital, saying their goodbyes and last words. It was gut-wrenching for everyone. He meant something to them all. He was a leader, a protector, and an advisor. The Rogues were going to pay for this. Revenge was on everyone's mind, especially when James was finally put out of his agony.

That evening, all Darks gathered around the blazing fire burning the body of a beloved member and mourned. Songs were sung, goodbye speeches made, and stories shared in his memory.

As he stood there amongst his pack, Malina came to his side. "I'm sorry..." She hugs his arm and lays her head on his bicep. He has kept himself pretty busy and hasn't seen her all day. He should accept her support but instead, his eyes scan around for Nya. He finds her diagonally across, standing obediently with her fingers laced together. She stared into the fire with this gentle sadness in her eyes. He couldn't look away. Something about the way the light from the fire illuminated her features had him stuck. Even when her focus shifted to him and he was caught, he didn't blink. Their eyes locked for several seconds. He could see slight discomfort as she curled hair behind her ear. She glances away for a second looking back at the fire, and he could tell when she glanced back at him she expected him to be looking elsewhere, but he wasn't. Then she does something unexpected, she places a soft smile on her lips. It was the first time she has ever smiled at him. His heart convulsed, but somehow that tiny smile was comforting. What the hell was happening to him?

"You okay?" Malina looks up at him.

"Hmm?"

"Your heart."

It was only then that he looked away. "Fine." His eyes narrow towards Nya again to find her gone.

~~~~~

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