The next few days were pretty much torture for me.

First, I had to watch as a few gammas and omegas from Tikanni came and got the rest of the things Evangeline wanted out of her room. Every day I saw them I felt my heart twist a little, I couldn't imagine how the boys felt. Evan was more torn up about it than he showed, but he was still happy for her. He and Liam got along really well, and he even said that he couldn't have picked a better wolf for her. Still, losing your younger sister like that couldn't be easy.

Secondly, Derek and Elliot were gone. Apparently, Leo summed Derek and Elliot again. Derek said it was some kind of emergency, but that I didn't need to worry. But I did. He said he would only be gone a few days, and left plenty of food for Evan and I, but still, the house was so lonely without my vamps.

Thirdly I had not seen Ethan. At all. It had been two days since he left me to run with Billy. Two damn days. Two days that they chased after a lead that they eventually found to be a dead end.

Two days.

The pull was driving me insane. Ridiculously insane. My dreams about him became more vivid and made sleeping a miserable experience. Evan reassured me that it had nothing to do with me and that Ethan was actually chasing around different leads that had popped up really quickly; but still, my beast and I were anxious for our mate.

The only good thing was that my back finally healed. This morning I took a nice run with Evan and Ryder. It was nice to shake out my fur, but dammit, all I could think about was Ethan. About our male that finally pulled his head out of his ass.

I just wish we could have found something. I kept thinking back to the tree and wondered if I should bring Ethan? Maybe he should touch it? Maybe I should touch it again? It was a constant circus in my brain of thoughts that plagued me.

I didn't see Amber or Aaron after the fight, but I assumed that Amber was caring for her brother who was going to be laid up for a while. I only saw Thomas once. He passed by my cabin one day. I caught his eye as I was in the kitchen. He waved politely to me then kept on walking, and it was everything I had not to run out and rip his throat out.

Dusk was starting to set in and I was starting to get hungry. There was plenty of food but my wolf wanted meat. Fresh meat. She had before more restless since Ethan's disappearance from our lives. I couldn't blame her. I felt this emptiness inside me that only grew the longer we went without him.

There was a knock at my door and a familiar scent coming from behind it. I quickly jogged to it as my heart beat a little faster and opened it to see Andrea smiling at me. "Miss me?"

"You have no idea," I sighed out as we rubbed our cheeks together and hugged. "There's so much to tell you."

"I've heard some, but let's go run first, then wine and more wine?"

I smiled and nodded mischievously. "You know the words to my heart, you know that right?"

"Well because I'm your true love." She grinned wickedly, making me smile and my wolf yip.

We quickly shifted and started to run down a trail her dad had shown us days ago. It felt good to run; to stretch out my legs and run out all the sexual tension. 

Sexual tension was the worst.

Andrea pushed hard and she pushed me hard as well. I needed it. It took my mind off the present as I sat back and let my beast hustle next to the female next to her; a sister to her.

We weaved around turns, skidded across loose rocks, and playfully nipped at each other along the way. While I loved spending time with the boys the last few days, it was nice to have some girl time. A female who would understand the woes that are my life.

We drank from a stream then turned off the trail to hunt some rabbits we saw scampering about. Poor little guys; I felt slightly bad. My wolf was brutal. It wasn't her fault, she was just on edge because of her mate, and I didn't blame her.

After we ate we lazily laid in the what was left of the sun until Andrea and I both felt the need to return home to a bottle of wine. We started to trot back the way we had come. We had no reason to hurry and both of us were enjoying the sweet summer night air that combed through our fur.

Soon though, we saw a dirty blonde wolf trotting up to us. Andrea raised her hackles as a familiar scent crashed into us. I grumbled, I wasn't in the mood to deal with this bullshit.

I ran to a burrow and pulled out some clothes for us. Andrea and I quickly shifted and slipped on some t-shirts and shorts while Larissa rippled into her skin. I shook my head and chunked a shirt at her. She caught it angrily and eyed me disgust.

"What do you want Larissa?" Andrea asked.

She scoffed as she pulled her shirt on. "I wanted to have a chat with your friend."

I rolled my eyes. "Larissa you can say whatever you want in front of Andrea, she and I have no secrets." Andrea rumbled in approval while my wolf paced. She was more annoyed than anything else, as was I.

"I just wanted to chat with you about how your little mate beat up my best friend's brother. Haven't seen Ethan fight like that before," she spat out.

"Fight like what?" I replied with a growl behind my words.

She scoffed and shook her head. "You know what I'm talking about human!"

Andrea stepped forward but I pushed her back. I groaned a little. My wolf didn't mind snapping her neck but I just wanted to go home, I didn't have the patience to deal with her bullshit right now.

"Larissa go home," I grumbled out before I started walking away from her and towards a bottle of wine that was calling my name.

"Bitch!" She yelled as she charged at me.

I turned as she slammed into me. She tried to land a punch but I kicked her off of me and onto the ground. Andrea was storming forward; I held my hand up to her, this wasn't her fight. She nodded to me then leaned against a tree while the blonde she-wolf with long braids stood back up.

She charged at me again but I just dodged then grabbed a handful of her braids as she passed by. I yanked her back to me then landed a blow in her side before I kicked her knees in. I held her head back and snarled at her as my blood started to hum a little louder. "Do you want to loose another fang?"

She growled again but I just let go of her hair then nailed her in the chin before she could react. She jumped up and walked to me but my beast was ready. She licked her lips at the dumb she-wolf.

Larissa charged again, but I ran to her and tackled her down. I send a fist into her breast which made her sharply scream out before I landed another blow to her nose. My hand was around her neck as I growled again to her, a warning that her life was in my hands.

"Larissa, you need to drop this shit."

She opened her mouth when we both smelled it. I stilled and so did she. Andrea rumbled lowly as my eyes flickered up over Larissa who seemed to be horrified.

Rogues.

"Shit," I hissed.

There were four of them, healthy enough to do some damage, and walking towards us with hungry eyes. They rumbled as their beasts looked over us; females that their males clearly approved of.

"Larissa, I know we hate each other right now but we need to work together," I whispered to her.

She eyed me and nodded firmly. I moved off of her and helped her stand as Andrea came to stand next to me. Andrea cracked her knuckles and chuckled. "Well, didn't think I be spilling blood today, but then I always am in for some red on my snout."

I let out a warning growl as they continued to approach us. "Either turn around now, or don't. One way you'll meet a quick death and the other will be a little more slow."

A snarl sounded out. I sighed out of frustration while Larissa cocked a brow. "Guess that means slow?" Larissa replied darkly.

I nodded. "Alright then, have it your way."

I ran and lunged towards them as Larissa and Andrea followed suit. The rogues may have been healthier, but they were not as healthy as us; nor were they really ready to meet our jaws.

I jumped onto one and went straight for his throat and ripped his head clean from his body while Andrea dug out another's spleen. Larissa was in the middle of toying with the one she was fighting which left the fourth for me. My beast licked our lips. We finally had proof now that rogues were actually here.

We rumbled happily as we charged the next one. He dodged but he wasn't quick enough. He tried to punch us, but my beast took hold of his arm and gnawed until she heard the bones snap. We tore his arm off his body then threw it aside as we went for his neck. It crunched easily in my teeth, which made my beast let out a satisfied growl.

We backed up to trot to our friends when something else crashed into us. Something that smelled absurdly awful.

Another rogue.

We rolled and sunk our fangs into his flesh over and over and over again until it looked like a shotgun had hit him in the face. I rolled off of him and looked up. There were five more enclosing on us, and on the breeze, I sniffed out more.

I trotted over to Andrea and Larissa who both eyed the rogues that were circling in around us. My blood hummed louder as my beast snarled viciously at them. A warning. More growls and snarls echoed through the forest, growls and snarls that were not ours.

I hissed sharply as my hackles raised some more. This was not good. My beast growled again as a few started to step closer in their fur, licking their lips at the sight of us.

"Ethan!"

One snapped and me and I snapped back. Andrea was practically frothing at the mouth and Larissa was pawing at the dirt to go. I snapped at another that got too close and pushed Larissa out of the way from one that almost got a chunk out of her.

"Ethan!" I yelled more loudly.

One of the males snarled at us and at that point my wolf had enough. We lunged forwards out him and landed on his back then sunk our teeth into his hips. It was then that things turned to chaos. It was then that blood, fur, and dirt flew as we tumbled around with the male rogues.

I finished off the one I had originally jumped on and ran for another charging at us. I rammed him hard then tore at his neck. He pulled away from me and got a good bite out of my side, but my beast raked her paws across his face then twisted around so she could lay her jaws into his neck. His blood flowed into her mouth until she was satisfied he was gone.

"Ethan!" I started to panic. What if rogues had attacked him? What if we were under attack? What if he was hurt or needed help?!

My beast howled for her mate before she ran after a rogue that was chasing Andrea, who was tumbling around with a sickly looking rogue that had patchy auburn hair. We ran hard and jumped on the beast from behind, biting hard into its shoulder and tearing it down. It got a few good bites out of us, but we didn't quit. I got up quickly and rammed him again then sunk my teeth in his neck, snapping it quickly before I looked around for Andrea and Larissa.

"Sunshine?!" Ethan yelled over our link but I was too busy running after a wolf that was coming for Larissa. She was fighting hard against a rogue, and winning, but she was too consumed to see the larger male creeping up behind her.

We ran hard and snarled out to the beast, but it stayed on path towards Larissa. I growled a little again, pulling from deep in my blood. It shook the debris on the ground and seemed to slow the rogue down, but he was still coming for her.

I jumped in the air as he started to lunge for Larissa and knocked him out of the way. As we fell, he bit hard into my shoulder. My wolf let out a yelp hit as we fell but clawed at his belly hard until he released us.

He snapped his jaw and snarled at us, but my beast returned his snarl with a growl of her own. We ran forward and dodged last minute, faking him out, before we ran at him from the side. We crashed into him and bit hard into his ribs but he took a hard bite at my back that was still sensitive from the damn mountain lion. I groaned as we rolled; snapping, and clawing, and tearing at each other.

I pushed him off of me and trotted around as blood was oozing out of my body, but my beast and I didn't care. These rogues had attacked our pack and he would pay. I looked up for a split second and saw Larissa doing well against a male. I let out a breath of relief then focused back on the last at hand; the job I would damn well finish.

I jumped towards the male and knocked him over, but he wrapped his paws around me and raked deeply at my flesh right as I sunk my teeth in his neck. Oh, my teeth snapped his neck, but he clawed me up pretty good at wounds that were still healing from a few days ago. I let out a pained howl then looked up again.

I was getting tired.

I had no idea why but the thought started to make me panic, a fight like this shouldn't wear me out so much. I didn't understand, but my beast and I agreed to keep pushing, to keep going. The danger wasn't gone, and we needed to get out friends and get the hell out of here before more damn rogues got here.

Andrea was fighting off two and bleeding badly. I looked to Larissa who finished off her kill then looked back at Andrea. Panic filled my belly as I soared toward her with Larissa on my tail.

A rogue bit hard into Andrea then the second one bit into her too. She howled and yelped which made my heart twist. I let out another blood-curdling growl as I knocked a rogue off of her. That beast got zero ounces of mercy from me; my wolf ripped into his neck and shredded it angrily with her teeth.

We looked around to see Andrea knock the other one over and go for his neck as well, but the beast still clawed at her belly and tore up the sensitive skin there. They fell to the ground with a loud thud that brought me both relief and panic. They were all dead, but we didn't know if more were coming. That and we were all properly beat up, we needed help, especially Andrea.

I shifted quickly to my skin with a muffled moan of pain. I looked over my body that was oozy out blood quickly and sucked back the sharp pains. My back felt like wet noodles were hanging off of it, and like the wounds that had just healed had been ripped open again.

Shit.

"Is she ok!?" Larissa called out as she stiffly walked over to us. There was a bit bite in her thigh that looked much more painful than she was allowing us to see.

"Go get help! Go back I'll stay with her," I rushed out as I walked over to Andrea.

Larissa nodded then ran back towards the pack house while I kneeled next to a whimpering Andrea. "Andrea, you need to shift. Can you?"

She whimpered some more and nodded. Her wounds were bad, whoever she was fighting with must have been a warrior of some sort before he went mad. They were oozing and didn't look any better as she rippled into her skin.

"Hey," I rushed out to her.

She looked at me with a tiny smile and shrugged. "At least there's wine at home."

I chuckled until pain shot through me. My body was getting tired and my wounds were not getting better. My blood was humming but that was only going to help so much, that and I needed to get Andrea back fast. She had deep gashes all over her body and chunks of skin missing that I knew could get ugly really quick if we didn't take care of them.

"Ok, can you walk?"

She nodded and let out a shaky breath. "I think so."

"Ok let's go then." I leaned down and tried to help her up as best I could without hurting her or myself, but it was useless. Both of us cried out in pain as she got to her feet; I was pretty sure one of her ankles was fractured and my shoulder felt like it could be fractured up pretty good as well.

I tossed an arm of hers over my shoulder then put a hand around her waist wet with blood and sweat. We started to walk slowly but surely to the pack house, but the closer we got to the pack house, the more tired we became. My body felt more pained, more tired than I would have thought normal, but I didn't have time to really think about that. I was too busy trying to get us back to safety; which was not coming along well, we were practically falling over at is was.

I let out a stressed breath as the pain continued. I felt tired but I kept pushing, kept pulling Andrea with me and prayed that Larissa would come back soon.

"Ethan help," I said weakly into our link.

"Where are you?! Char!?"

I sighed and cried out as I stopped on my leg wrong; my leg that someone had taken a good bite out of. Andrea was shaking as we walked and it was everything I could do to keep her from falling over. I let her put more weight on me which hurt like hell, but I knew I needed to. I knew she wouldn't be able to make it back without help and we had to get out of there before any more danger came.

"Ethan, we're close to our cabins, you need to come."

"Baby what happened? I can feel your pain love," he rushed out.

"Rogues, we were attacked. I need you to come because I don't know if I can carry Andrea much farther and it's getting harder for me to walk."

I heard him roar over the link but I could also hear a faint roar in the distance. He was close. Thank God he was close.

"Andrea it's just a little further," I murmured to her.

She whimpered next to me as I drug us through the trees towards the valley that I could start to see between them. I just needed to make it to the edge. I knew someone would see us then. I stumbled though; I was getting so tired and the pain was almost too much.

"I'm on my way just hold on, just please hold on a little longer." His voice was tense and dripping with panic.

I nodded a little and continued to hobble us forward. Step by step I felt like I was crumbling; I was crumbling until we were close to the valley, so close I could feel the breeze off of it.

We broke through the tree line but I couldn't walk anymore and neither could Andrea. I tried to though, but my knees buckled. I fell forward with her next to me, collapsing to the hard ground as a pained cry tore out of my mouth.

"Andrea!" I looked over at her and her eyes were heavy. I shook my head and crawled to her. "No, no, no. Andrea! You need to stay awake!"

"Char," she breathed out.

I felt my eyelids droop then shook my head to try and wake myself up, but I was dizzy and drowning in a throbbing pain that felt like it was wrapping itself around me. It shot through me like lightning and drew cries from my mouth.

Soon I felt someone coming. I felt someone coming and opened my eyes, but everything was blurry. I felt someone coming until they had a handful of my hair; they yanked me back harshly and started to drag me across the ground.

I cried out as the pain escalated as the ground made contact with my skin that was already torn up. But they didn't stop; they kept dragging me and dragging me and dragging me. I panic and lashed out at them, but my limbs were slow and drowsy.

"Ethan!" I cried out. My wolf was howling lowly and scratching at me, but we both felt weak and didn't know what to do. I lashed out some more but whoever it was growled and just yanked me harder. "Ethan!" I cried out again.

"Ethan!" my pained voice rang over the link.

I felt pained tears stream down my face before I was tossed into what felt like the dirt. I groaned. The pain as licking around my wounds and reminding me of how very real they were. I blinked and saw blurs until I blinked again and saw Thomas walking with Larissa towards me.

I felt a little relief. "Larissa," I murmured out.

She looked at Thomas then smiled darkly at me. "She did it! I saw her. She attacked Andrea out of nowhere! She's crazy Thomas! You have to do something!"

I felt shock and rage pour through my body. I snarled at her and snapped my teeth. "I saved your life!" I croaked out. "Those rogues would have torn you up!"

Thomas' face was so tight with rage that I thought it would explode. He held my gaze that waved between sharp and blurry before he nodded at someone. Soon, I was being drug again. I was being drug then tossed into what felt like a pole. It didn't matter, because when I hit it, it felt like someone was ripping open then wounds that it had touched.

I felt down and let out anther cry then crouched myself into a fetal position. I heard clanking and jingling coming while Larissa smiled wickedly down at me. Thomas growled loudly as he walked up. "You're out of your mind Thorne!"

I felt warriors surround me, lots of them; but they were Thomas' cronies. I could feel their gazes digging knives into my skin. Anger. There was so much anger in the air that it made my head spin.

"I didn't hurt Andrea! I dragged her all the way here!"

"Enough!" He barked out.

I snarled as I tried to push myself up but felt pain shoot through me as I did. I fell back on the dirt hard and let out a muffled cry into it. "Ethan," I cried out between pained sobs.

"Ethan!!" I cried out again. My mind was spinning and my limbs were tired.

I blinked again.

My vision was starting to spin as the pain licked it's ways up my limbs. I felt tired. I felt weak. But I kept fighting it, I knew I had to fight it. My wolf agreed. She was tired as well, our injuries must have been worse than we thought, but she wanted to hold on until our mate came for us. We knew he would come for us.

I blinked hard again.

Clanking.

Clanking with a high-pitched shrill buzzing that sounded almost like a mosquito. It was coming near me and making the hair on my neck stand up. I rolled my head a little and saw a man come towards me. It was all blurry but I could make out the leather in his hands and I could smell the silver in it. It jingled a little as the metal buckle on it kept hitting the chain it was attached to as he walked.

A collar.

I blinked again.

My vision started to clear again, clear enough that realization sunk in. I started to lash out and flail desperately to escape, but my limbs were sloppy and my mind was starting to feel like putty as everything seemed to blur around me. "No! This is a mistake!"

There were rogues that attacked us. My wolf and I had fought them off and saved two of our pack mates, yet the anger we felt around us was almost suffocating. I took a deep breath, reaching out desperately for fresh air amongst the heavy sands of fury that seemed to be wrapping around me.

Looking around as best I could all I saw was a blur, a blur that made all the wolves standing around me look much angrier then they already were; distorted faces laced with disgust as they looked at me, all I could feel was their thirst for vengeance.

There was a crowd, I knew there was. It had to be a large one too because I couldn't see the valley even between the legs of the people standing around me.

I blinked again as the clanking got closer.

Someone scoffed a little and took the collar before a roar tore through the valley. From here, even as a blur, I knew it was Ethan. I could see a brown figure running towards me and felt his white hot energy start to lap at me. It soothed me a little, but only a little.

I felt a familiar presence walk forward, followed by another. Evan.

"Thomas what the hell!" I heard Evan bark out, at least I think it was a bark. He sounded more like an angry robot.

Thomas growled at him but Evan held his ground. "Move out of the way Evan. Thorne here attacked Andrea and Larissa for no reason. Hell, Andrea is unconscious at the damn pack doctor!" He yelled as yips and barks of approval backed him. My wolf snarled in my mind, we knew the truth. Larissa was a damn liar!

"Are you nuts!" Evan yelled out. "That's her best friend!"

"The pull makes you do crazy things Evan and Larissa made it out to tell us, she's lucky she's not where Andrea is!"

Evan snarled and looked over at Larissa. "Are you kidding me?!"

I blinked again.

Hard this time with the intent to see what was happening but I felt my mind slipping from me. The sweet abyss of darkness was calling to me list a siren and I was so very tempted to reach out to its delicate hand and go.

Thomas took a step towards Evan when another roar, closer this time, halted them. I looked up a little and saw a blur in an icy fury towards us.

Ethan.

I blinked again

I could feel him. I could feel him as my mind started to spin a little more, like I was on a carnival ride gone very very wrong.

He snarled at the wolves gathered around us, making them jump back as he walked closer. Once he laid eyes on me he let out another vicious growl before trotting up and shifting to his skin. "Holy shit," he hissed.

I felt fingers caress my cheek, little flames that seemed to hug the pain away. I let out a soft breathy moan from his touch. "I'm so sorry sunshine." He turned to Thomas who had snapped his eyes away from Evan to meet Ethan's. "What is this?" he growled out.

Evan crept back to me and knelt down next to me. "We're going to get you out of here little sister, just hold on," he whispered to me. I moaned a little and looked back up but all I could hear were bits and pieces of Thomas and Ethan yelling at each other.

I blinked again.

I felt dizzy and the energy of anger, hate, betrayal, and the sounds of growls, snarls, and teeth snapping all made me feel sick, like I was about to vomit.

There was more snarling and Evan stood quickly as a familiar figure, a dirty blonde walked to me, Jake. "Hold on Char," his voice seemed to say as slowly as thick molasses. I cocked my head at him but I felt like I was being pulled away, pulled to some kind of sweet sleep. "There's too many of them Evan!" Jake whispered yelled out.

I blinked hard again.

I was falling down the rabbit hole. A very deep rabbit hole.

The rest of it was like slow motion. I was being picked up, by I think Evan. He whispered something to me, I think he was trying to soothe me, but I was confused. I was confused and in pain, there wasn't a place on my body that was safe to touch, the cry coming out of my mouth made him very aware of that.

I didn't understand. All I felt was anger and pain around me, and all I could hear were the sounds of insults being tossed at me, or at least that's what they sounded like. Ethan was yelling something at Thomas, only to be met with the sound of Thomas' voice and the voice of what sounded like a hundred angry wolves.

"Hold on Char," Evan rushed out to me.

"Ethan?" I mumbled out.

I blinked hard again and when I did, I saw the collar then I saw Ethan when the realization hit me I tried to scream but Evan put a hand over my mouth and muffled my cries. "Char no, let him do it," he whispered hotly to me.

"Ethan no!" I cried out as his skin started to ripple until he was standing in his fur.

His blue-green eyes met mine apologetically. A young male with the collar in his hand walked cautiously forward to Ethan, who was lowly growling at him, afraid to collar the beast that was my mate.

"You were right sunshine, you were always right. I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you earlier," he rushed into my mind.

"No!" I cried out. Evan started to carry me away as Jake stepped in front of us. "No!" I cried again as more tears fell down my face. It was a sea of pain.

"Hold on until Evan gets you home. It's going to be alright, I have to do this," whisper again a little more soothingly. He sounded calm but I could hear the tension in his voice.

"Ethan!" I cried out again but Evan just kept walking.

"Just a little longer Char," Evan whispered to me.

I started to let out pained cries as he kept walking me away from Ethan. My wolf was howling out and whimpering while my body trembled. It was all so screwed up. Insanely screwed up.

"I'll be ok, just hold on sunshine. I lo–" his voice was cut off in my brain as cries and yelps of pain filled the air. I knew it was him. I knew it was the silver burning his skin.

I cried harder as Evan blinked hard and let out another breath. Evan tried to whisper things to me to calm me down but I was too consumed with all the pain, with all the hurt, with Ethan.

His pain filled the bond and drew a pained moan from my lips as I felt traces of where the silver was burning his neck on mine. "Evan go back," I pleaded, my voice hoarse and strained.

Sleep started to tug at me as my vision blurred. "Ethan," I mumbled before I let myself drift.