⚠️Warning: Graphic content in this chapter.⚠️

Taylor tried to stop my plan.

I was going to drive myself to Aurora's, I had to, if I brought anyone else along I would risk getting her killed or someone else.

I dug through the endless draws in the garage of the pack house searching for the keys to at least one of the eight different cars. Cursing under my breath when Taylor threatened me that she would contact Caleb my fingers finally found a set of keys. I clicked the unlock button and a gun metal sedan lit up as the engine roared to life.

Taylor grabbed my shoulders attempting to slow down my pursuit. "Stop Evie, you aren't thinking straight. Going alone will end with you dead or taken." I shoved her hands off me as I walked around her opening the driver's side door.

"This is my sister we are talking about Taylor. I have to go, it's probably a stupid decision but I can't risk them killing her because I didn't listen and go alone." I plopped myself in the car ignoring her shouting.

I put the car in reverse just as the garage door opened and a frantic looking Caleb came barreling in. I hit the gas and flew back in reverse hitting a trashing in the processes. Pausing for a moment to regain my composure I pushed the gearshift into drive hearing the squeal of the cars tears try and catch traction.

Looking up I caught a glimpse of Caleb who was mere feet from the car when the tires finally caught traction and the car took off down the drive way. My heart was racing and it was pounding so hard against my chest that it was the only thing that sounded in my ears.

My adrenaline only rushed faster when I saw four beastly figures running next to the car. One was light brown, one was a large gray, another was dark brown which I realized was Taylor and another was one that I would always be mesmerized by, a blonde wolf with blue eyes.

Panic rushed through my veins when a howl erupted from Caleb's wolf and it was powerful enough to rattle the car. My chest tightened as his panic coursed through me like a tidal wave, it was so intense that I found myself having to grip the wheel to keep from losing control.

With my knuckles white from the harsh grip I held on the steering wheel, I pushed my foot down with as much weight as I could apply. I had basically floored the pedal and I could tell the four wolves were having trouble keeping up. I was terrified to be going alone but realistically I had to, if I told Caleb he would lock me in our room and never let me leave. I couldn't risk the possibility of these people killing Aurora, my stomach knotted further with the horrid images.

Tears brimmed my eyes as a faint shout rang out in my head and the voice caused my heart to ache.

'Eve please come back.' It was Caleb's voice in my head. Confused, I brushed it off just like I brushed the stray tears that silently fell as I ignored his desperate call for me to turn around.

When I couldn't see them running behind the car any longer I finally released a sigh of relief. My mind was buzzing with everything going on and I could feel the constant pressure at the back of my head that I knew to be Caleb trying to get inside of my head. Maybe completing our bond was the wrong move last night.

Racing down the freeway I tried to focus my thoughts on what exactly I was going to do once I arrived at my sister's house. I was mentally preparing myself for the worst, I had to be honest with myself, I had to expect the worst at this point. Aurora could be dead already and they used her to bait me in, it worked, I admitted biting my lip in worry. There wasn't anything that I could do about it now and as my thoughts raced on like I did with driving, my stomach fell another several feet.

Jozy.

What would they do to Jozy if she were there, I didn't hear her at all on the phone but that didn't mean that she was there, if anything it worsened my fears because Aurora always had Jozy talk to me.

Trying to hold onto the little bit of sanity that I still held I was approaching the off ramp that led to the house. I had gotten so lost in my rambling mess of thoughts that the entire couple hours of the drive was a blur.

Sweat trailed down the nap of my neck as I turned onto the dirt road that led to the reclusive house I once called home. I didn't know what to expect and as I continued driving up the drive way my heart pounded louder in my ears to the point that I couldn't hear the engine of the car anymore. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I came around the last bend in the road to get the first glimpse of the house. It looked untouched and peaceful, just how it always did, but I knew better.

The car came to a stop outside of the house and I contemplated getting out, resting my forehead against the top of the steering wheel and looking at my hands on my lap.

Do I get out? Or do I wait for someone to come out? Should I show that I am alone?

Endless amounts of questions flew around in my mind and before I knew it I was jumping out of my skin with a knock on my window. Looking out my window I came to see a random man I never noticed before. He was tall and muscular, similar to Caleb, but as I took in more details I came to realize that he didn't have a single ounce of compassion in his demeaner. He signaled for me to roll down my window and I cautiously listened only cracking it an inch to hear him.

"You came alone like we asked you?" His rough voice questioned me. To scared to reply with words I nodded. "Turn off the car and leave the keys on the dash board." Listening, I rolled up the window of the car, turning the ignition off and taking in a big breath of air.

This was it. The moment I opened the door there was no going back.

I opened the door of the car getting out slowly as not to instigate anything out of this mammoth of a man. Closing the door behind me I kept my face down looking at his brown leather boots. I didn't want to see what was about to become of me.

He grabbed my upper arm with a harsh grip, engulfing my bicep in his massive hand. The tight grip would definitely leave a bruise but I ignored it knowing that if a bruise was all that I would get out of this encounter I should consider myself lucky.

The man was practically dragging me as he pulled me along. I expected we would go in the front door but as he jerked me in the direction of the side of the house I knew he was leading me to the back yard. It felt as if it were just yesterday that I was here visiting Aurora and joking around, now all I felt was dread.

"Pick up your feet, I don't want to have to drag you the whole way." The man growled out. His growl was animalistic and as I let that bit of information settle in I knew that this didn't involved Roy. Knowing that Roy wasn't the culprit in this hostage situation didn't relax my nervous it escalated them further.

One more aggressive tug on my arm had me gasping in pain. When I looked up at the towering man I froze when I noticed his eyes darkening with hatred. There was no remorse or kindness, he stared down at me with disgust as if I was no more than the dirt we walked on.

Leaning down so his mouth hovered near my ear I shivered when his breath fanned my neck. "Unless you want to end up in a casket I suggest you pick up your damn feet." Gulping I listened stepping in line with his large strides.

As we neared the back of the house a sense of déjà vu hit me and felt like time momentarily froze. There in the middle of the yard were three other men, some of them looked familiar, but they weren't what made my blood run cold, it was the fact that Aurora was on her knees, wearing a green shirt, and blood coated nearly ever inch of her beautiful face. Her green shirt was plastered with blood some dry other freshly wet.

It looked as if someone took a bat to her head several times. Both eyes where swollen shut, the bulging skin around her eyes were so inflamed that I wasn't sure her skin could stretch much further before splitting. Her lip was split in various places, some deeper than others, but none the less all of them oozed with blood. There was a slash across her right cheek that started shallow by the corner of her eye and went deeper towards her chin.

All in all Aurora looked only minutes away from falling unconscious from lack of blood.

Unable to hold myself back I pulled against the man's tight grip to reach for Aurora. I didn't get far as I was yanked back harshly, so harshly that I felt my shoulder pop with the force. Hissing in pain I almost fell to my knees but was catch in time and hoisted back up on my wobbly feet.

"Uh-Uh-Uh, can't touch my masterpiece Evelyn, or should I call you Luna?" My eyes felt as though they could bulge out of my head as I watched Nora walk out from the back door of the house. She held Jozy in her arms as though she were her own. "Aren't you gonna say hello?"

I watched Nora intently as she approached me and I could now visually see the numerous streaks of tears that fell down Jozy's soft plump cheeks. She was a child there was no need to show her all this but I couldn't tell Nora that as she paraded Jozy around like it was the most normal thing to do.

She was sadistic.

"Say hi aunt Evelyn." Nora went to grab Jozy's hand to mock a wave but Jozy pulled away with a whimper. "Fine, whatever, be like that." Nora scoffed flashing her brown eyes gold and elongating her canines in Jozy's face.

"Don't!" I yelled as Jozy started to cry. I didn't know what Nora was play but I didn't even want to know how cruel and derange she could be.

Nora rolled her eyes at my demand. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt the kid." She grabbed Jozy's face in her hand forcing Jozy to move her head side to side. "See? Not a scratch on the little thing."

"Emotional scratches aren't visible." I snapped looking beyond Nora to see Aurora's condition. It was obvious that Jozy had witness some, if not all of what happened to her mother. I just hoped she'd be able to over come it in a few years.

"Everyone has their trauma. Nobody is spared trauma in their life." Nora retorted matter-of-factly. "Paul take the kid inside."

One of the other men that stood near Aurora approach Nora who handed a now screaming Jozy over to him. She kicked and wailed in the man's arms as she desperately called for her mom, I had to swallow my own urge to cry as her screams grew more distant behind the back door of the house.

"Give me my baby please." I cocked my head over to Aurora who crooked out the words.

"Shut the fuck up. What did I say about talking?" Nora barked kicking Aurora's chest sending her to her back with a groan.

"Don't hurt her!" I yelled trying again to break free. It was no use I knew that, but I continued to try worried if I didn't, that I was just accepting what was happening before my eyes.

Nora pulled Aurora back up to her knees by her knotted hair making her groan out in pain.

"A little late for that don't you think?" Nora gloated putting a sharp claw to Aurora other unscratched cheek.

She dug her nail in deeper than the other cut causing a waterfall of blood to fall from the wide cut. Bile rose in my throat as tears welled up in my eyes blurring my vision.

This couldn't be happening not like this. There had to be another way. Maybe I could strick a deal. I wasn't sure what Nora wanted but I was sure if I knew I could make something work. I had to at least try.

"What do you want?" I gulped wiping away a stray tear.

"There we go! I was waiting for you to ask that golden question, I was beginning to think you were fucking stupid." Nora grinned pulling her nail from Aurora cheek. "I want you to reject Caleb."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I stared at Nora for elaboration utterly lost by her demand. Noticing my perplexed face she groaned pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You two have been together for how many months and my idiot brother didn't tell you about what a rejection is?" I blinked in response. He did mention it but it was only when I realized he had marked me with out my consent he didn't give me any details. "Werewolf one O one, once a mate is found you can either embrace the bond or reject it. A rejection is proclaiming that you no longer acknowledge your mate as yours, permanently rejecting the bond, breaking it forever."

"I don't understand." I sniffled.

"It'll break him Evelyn, come on are you dumb? Sheesh for a college girl your awfully dense. Anyways, tell him you want nothing to do with him. I don't care what you say you just have to break it off, and break the bond. Doing so will making it impossible for him to guide the pack and the title will fall to me."

"He's already on to you Nora." I muttered hoping the words would make her reconsider. "It's not too late to stop all of this Nora."

With a growl Nora appeared just inches from my face grabbing a hold of my neck cutting off the air to my lungs.

"Listen now and listen closely. You will reject Caleb, and you will not speak a word about this to anyone, not even your little annoying fucking blonde friend." She snarled, eyes glowing gold with anger. Fur was forming around her neck and I could feel the pain of her claws digging into the back of my neck. She was mere moments away from losing control and for some reason I wished she would to keep me from making a choice.

She released my neck as black spots invaded my sight and I gasped for air. "Or what?" I questioned my voice hoarse.

She made her way back to Aurora and my stomach dropped as she yanked her head back by her hair and I swear time went in slow motion. "Or next time it'll be the kid." Nora placed her claw at the base of Aurora's neck and with one swift swipe it sliced through her windpipe with ease.

There was no hesitation in Nora's actions, they were clean and purposeful just like the dream.

A blood curtailing scream fell from my mouth as I felt a shock way of pain travel from the tips of my toes to the crown of my head.

Everyone held onto their ears in pain but I couldn't understand why as the man behind me finally released me and I fell to my knees. I crawled in agonizing pain to my lifeless sister. I was so indulged with Aurora's chocking attempts for air I paid no attention to anyone else.

All I could do was cradle her as she slowly passed away in my arms while I whispered soothing words to ease her suffering.

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