Alastair fell to his knees, sobbing as he cradled his Alpha's body in his arms.

"Alpha?" he asked between sobs. "Please, be okay."

I watched as Alpha Wesley lifted his hand, reaching out to Alastair. His lips moved, speaking something only he could hear. Wesley's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his arm fell to his side.

"Alpha? Alpha! Wesley! Wake up!"

Alastair placed the body of his Alpha on the ground and stood up, screaming to the sky. He paced around before slamming his fist into a glass door. It was jarring to see the usually stoic Alastair in such a state of distress.

"Alastair," Ashely said.

"Bring him back!" he yelled at me.

"I-I...I can't."

"You can! You can!"

"Alastair, lower your voice," Edmond warned in a growl.

"Why won't you save him?"

"I'm sorry. I can't. I'm interfering with the fates too much as it is. I don't have any spare souls to give to them."

He let out a guttural roar before turning into a wolf and bounding down the stairs. Ashley started to run after him, turning wolf halfway down the stairs.

I watched as the two vanished beyond the tree line. My heart felt like it fell into the pit of my stomach and shattered into a million pieces.

"Carry him inside," I said quietly.

"What?" Edmond asked.

"Take him inside. I'm going to bring him back."

Andrew shot a glare at me.

"I'll bring yours back too when we get back to your village."

"Elanor, the fates?" King Orsand asked.

"I guess I'll just deal with them. Maybe they'll just take my soul in exchange for everyone else."

"Ellie...." Edmond started.

"Your soul?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, Andrew. My soul. For every person I bring back I owe the fates a soul."

Edmond glared at him, anger seething in his eyes. "You know why she's doing this? Do you?"

Andrew didn't look up at him.

"Ellie, you can't."

"I have the ability, Andrew is right. I have no choice."

"You do have a choice! Ellie, you can't do this!" Edmond yelled, following me and the Alpha's body. "Please, I can't lose you."

I stopped and turned to him. I cupped his face in my hand and smiled lightly. A tear slid down my cheek as I just turned and walked inside.

"Where do you want him?" the Gamma asked.

"Uh, I guess just right there."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to patch up his wounds."

"That's it? Because the way that conversation sounded, you're doing more than that."

I shook my head. "Nope. That's it."

He stood there and stared at me as I knelt beside Alpha Wesley.

"Do you mind giving me a bit of privacy? I don't like working with an audience."

He narrowed his eyes at me and left the room, leaving me alone with the body. I focused deep within myself, being pulled out when I heard feet crunching on broken glass behind me.

"Please give me privacy," I called not looking behind me.

"You don't have to do this," King Orsand said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Yes I do. I'm the only one who has the ability to bring him back."

"You can't give up your soul, Elanor."

I shook my head while staring down at the body. "It doesn't matter. I already them a soul and I'm not taking an innocent persons life to pay a ridiculous debt."

"What will you do when they come to collect?"

I shrugged my shoulders and held my hands over the Alpha's body. "Figure it out then I guess."

I closed my eyes, focusing deep within myself. I sank into the abyss.

This is different than last time.

I floated downward, maybe upward? Being in complete darnkess left the senses very confused.

I eventually found myself standing before a large black cauldron with three of the most decrepit, ugly women I'd ever seen. Their wirey gray hair looked like they'd stuck their fingers into multiple light sockets at the same time. Where their eyes were supposed to be were empty sockets and they wore raggedy black robes.

They passed one eyeball between the three of them, using it to stare at me.

"Girl."

"You have been warned."

"You owe a debt."

"I know," I said. "I know. But I'm not letting everyone stay dead because of another Gods interference."

"You."

"Cannot."

"Interfer."

The three women said individually.

"I don't care. I'll pay my debt back."

One of the women held up a glowing, green strand. It pulsed in her haggard hand before she turned to hold it over a massive pit. I walked around the couldron and stared into it. I could see souls swirling around, heading deeper and deeper. Moans and screams faintly reaching the surface.

"What is this?"

"This is where we keep our souls."

"All of them?"

"Yes, child. All of the souls that have come and gone are from our collection," the fate on the far left said.

"The one you're holding," I started.

"Is the one you seek. The young Alpha. One of the abominations of Artemis."

"We're not abominations."

"You are not human," the one in the middle said.

"I am. Well, I mean, half human."

"No."

"Uh, yeah. I am. You take our souls don't you?"

"Mmm. Yes. All souls are ours," the fate on the far right said.

"I want his soul."

"You will owe a debt."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I already owe a massive debt. Just give me his soul. In fact give me every wolf soul that has died today."

The three haggard fates turned to look at me.

"You heard me. I want them all. I'm not doing this everytime I try to collect what doesn't belong here."

"That will require more than just souls."

"I'll make you a deal," I said to the three.

"We."

"Are."

"Listening."

"If you give me all of the souls I want, once we defeat whoever is behind this I will give you my soul."

"You are but one mortal?"

"Yes, but I am the princess of the entire wolf realm."

"Hmm."

"Royalty."

"We have not had a royal soul in many years."

The three confered between them.

"We have no had a wolf royal soul in an even longer time."

"It is a worthy trade."

"We will take your offer."

"Once the battle is over, we will come for you to acquire your soul."

They circled the pit and started to chant in low voices. I couldn't quite hear what they said, but the souls within the pit bubbled and slowly a handful of them emerged on the surface. The fate in the middle reached down and scooped them up, dumping them in a vile she pulled from her pocket.

"I hope this is worth it, child."

I nodded and looked at the vile of swimming strands. "And the alpha?"

She hands his over to me. It was warm and pulsed like a heart beat.

They waved their hands and I was back in the room, kneeling before Alpha Wesley. I held the glowing green strand above him, it wiggled as though it knew where to go. I lowered it onto his chest and covered the soul with my hand. The warmth disappeared from my touch, spreading through his body.

His dull, ashen skin glowed breafly before he gasped and sat up.

King Orsand gasped and stepped back.

Wesley sat up and looked around. He grasped his chest where the wounds were and stared at me with wild eyes.

"What happened."

"You're getting a second chance, Alpha."

"What? I don't understand."

"Just don't waste your second chance at life."

I stood and turned to walk back outside. "We should go fetch Alastair before he gets too far."

King Orsand nodded and motioned for one of his guards. "Go fetch Beta Alastair. Bring him back on my orders."

The man nodded and leaped down the stairs, changing into wolf as he ran off in the direction that Alastair and Ashley ran.

"Andrew, when we return to the Blackpaw Howlers, I'll revive your warriors."

"I hope you're proud of yourself, Andrew. I'm losing my mate over this," Edmond growled, shaking his head.

"I-I don't know what to say."

"The least you can say is sorry for her dying," Edmond yelled.

"Edmond, I already owed them a debt. At least this way it's worth it."

He shook his head, a tear sliding down his cheek. "I don't want to lose you."

"I know, my love. I know."

He pulled me into a tight hug, feeling the vile in my pocket.

"What is that?"

I pulled it out and held it up. "Souls. Of the Blackpaw Howlers."

"That's them?" he asked.

"Indeed."