"What's wrong with her?" Mason asked.

"She's in a lot of pain, dude. Open the door for me, will you?" Tyler's lips grazed my forehead as I continued crying in his arms.

Why did I have to be the stupid Bringer? Why did I have to suffer and lose everyone I cared about?

I never signed up for this, but the Gods that created me didn't care about any of that, did they? They did whatever they wanted. I was just their little fucking toy. Their play thing. Asshole Gods were manipulating my life, giving me no choices whatsoever.

The door creaked open, and the silence of the house was actually nice. Someone had turned the music off. Sniffles and quiet sobs suddenly passed over the crowd before dozens of people cried and screamed out in sadness, and it only grew louder as Tyler carried me inside. I knew every person in the room could feel the same unfairness I felt about my life. People started reaching toward me as we passed them, and I could only wither further into Tyler.

"What the fuck?" Tyler tugged me closer as everyone reached out, trying to touch me. "Hands off!"

"I don't know what the fuck's happening here, but you all need to get the fuck out!" Mason bellowed angrily. "The party's over!"

I wanted to care, but I didn't. Nothing made sense anymore. I couldn't stop thinking about Josh waiting for his ride to the airport. Our history had disappeared. Erased into nothing. How could I just let that happen to him? Josh had done nothing to me. He'd only been good to me. And like every other person who cared, the Gods took him from me.

Some would call it fate, but fate didn't explain away my pain. I had no one in this world. That's why caring for anyone was out of the question. Loving someone would only end in my destruction. I needed to learn how to keep my distance from everyone and everything.

"I said, move. No! You can't fucking touch her." Mason hollered from somewhere below, causing the wailing sobs to escalate. "Get out!"

A door slammed, stifling the cries before Tyler placed me on a bed. I curled into the fetal position as more sobs wracked through me. Tyler kicked off his shoes and pulled me into his lap.

"Breathe, Shortie. Everything's gonna be okay." He pressed his lips to my ear, inhaling deeply. "Just breathe."

"I-I ca-can't." My words shattered into pieces as another sob took over.

"I know you can. Breathe with me." Tyler pressed his nose to my cheek, gently rocking me back and forth. "We're gonna get through this together."

I tried to do as he asked, but matching him breath for breath wasn't easy. After a while, I finally figured out how to use my lungs correctly. My heart ached to cry again, and I felt like straight-up dog shit.

"Hey," Mason knocked on the door.

I flinched, tightening my grasp on Tyler's shirt.

"Yeah?" Tyler didn't move to answer the door. Instead, he gently started rocking me again.

"They're leaving," Mason whispered, letting the door click shut behind him. "I've never experienced anything like that in my life, and I've seen some fucked up shit. She's powerful as fuck. Be straight with me. What is she?"

Tyler's lips grazed my temple when he spoke. "You know I can't tell you anything. Go ask Justin if you want answers."

"And have him fuck with my memory? No fucking thank you." Mason scoffed. "I know you guys have been up to some shady shit. Just tell me. I have a stake in this. She's my Fated."

Tyler stiffened, crushing me to him. "No, she's not."

"Your Fated?" A feminine whine came from the hallway as the door swung open and bounced off the wall. "She's... your Fated? When were you planning to tell me?"

An irritated groan came from across the room. "Go wait for me downstairs, Gwen."

"No." Gwen protested. "I want the truth."

"Dammit, Gwen. This doesn't concern you." Mason said.

"Is it true?" Tyler whispered against my ear.

My eyes met with his as I spoke through our connection. His eyes glow when I look at him. That's all I know.

Tyler's blue eyes illuminated with an icy resolve. Fuck, Shortie. Do you feel anything when you look at him?

I shrugged. Not really. I want to read my stupid prophecy, so I understand what the hell I am. Did I really make all those people cry?

Yeah. Tyler gave me a slight nod. They all felt your pain.

"Mason, just tell me. Is she the one?" Gwen pressed.

"Go downstairs, Gwen," Mason commanded.

"But..." Gwen's voice trembled.

"But nothing. We can't ever be together. You know that." Mason said under his breath. "You knew this day would come."

"If you can't be with me, you can't be with anyone!" A scream exploded from her before it transformed into a snarl. Suddenly, something grabbed hold of my hoodie, and with one rough pull, it ripped me from Tyler's embrace.

"Let her go!" Mason shouted at the top of his lungs.

Barely hanging onto the end of the bed, I struggled to get free. Tyler didn't let go as they played tug-of-war with me. I clawed at his arms, trying to get away from her. Gwen twisted and scratched at my back ferociously with nails that seemed to grow sharper by the second.

No. They weren't nails. They were her claws. I screamed out in pain when she pinched a nerve along my spine.

Thank goodness her claws couldn't get through my hoodie. I threw an elbow back blindly, hitting her hard, cracking against what I hoped to be her face.

She yowled in what seemed to be pain before letting me go. I scrambled back on the bed.

"Get her the fuck out of here." Tyler pulled me back into his bloody arms. Blood? What the hell?

"What happened?" I jumped off his lap to study his wounds. Long, jagged gashes trailed down his forearms, and his blood was everywhere. "Did she scratch you?"

I glanced at Gwen in absolute disgust as Mason struggled to hold her down. Her face was no longer human. She was in mid-shift, and she wasn't a cat like I'd first thought. Gwen was a fox with bright red fur. Blood pooled inside one of her eyes while the other eye glared at me with absolute hatred.

"It wasn't her." Mason looked exhausted as he hauled a snarling Gwen into the hall. "You did that to him."

Mason disappeared down the hall as I let his words sank in. When I looked down at my hands I sucked in a gasp. They were covered in blood. Tyler's blood.

My gut twisted into knots before my gaze shot to Tyler. His lips tugged up slightly as he tried to pull me back to him. Instead of giving him what he wanted, I hurried to grab a towel draped over a nearby chair and wiped off my trembling hands. Then, I used it to wrap one of his arms.

"I'm okay." Tyler barely flinched as he watched me apply pressure to his arm. "I've been through a lot worse."

"I-I'm so sorry." I searched the room frantically for another towel but came up empty. "I need to find something to wrap your other arm, and then we need to get you to the hospital."

"I'll be fine. I just need to shift. Hand me that," Tyler pointed at a blue shirt on the floor.

I did as he said and helped wrap his other arm. I couldn't get over how deep and long the wounds were. How in the hell had I done something so sickening?

The empty house was eerily quiet as we made our way outside, kicking trash and drink cups aside. "I'm so, so sorry, Ty. I never meant to hurt you. You know that, right?"

Tyler led me out back and glanced around the yard, audibly sniffing for something. "It's alright. Shit happens, Shortie."

"But I don't even know what I did. I was just trying to get away from her." I sat on the ground, unable to look at him.

"We're alone for now," Tyler said, taking the cloth off his arms. "I'm going to make this a fast shift."

Holding my shaky knees tight to my chest, I watched as he removed his shirt and pants. I looked away when he removed his boxers. Any other time I would've been admiring his perfect body, but tonight had been too much for me, and I'd hurt Tyler. Not just hurt him. I'd nearly torn his arms to shreds. It never crossed my mind that I could do something so horribly destructive.

Shortie, look at me.Tyler requested in my head.

I glanced up and gasped. Tyler's dark brown wolf stood in front of me, his shiny fur reflecting the light of the half-moon. His glowing blue gaze studied my every move as I stood to get a better view. Like Justin, Tyler's wolf was gigantic and magnificent.

"You're beautiful." I ran a hand over the soft fur on his neck, and his tongue darted out, licking my cheek. I smiled and wiped my face. "Was that really necessary?"

My wolf isn't an asshole like I am. He's all about you, and he wants you to know it.Tyler laughed in my head as his wolf lowered his snout and sniffed my hair.

"So, your wolf is different from you? I mean, like your personalities are different?" I knelt to check his legs for wounds and was shocked to find they'd completely disappeared.

We're nothing alike. We don't agree on much of anything. Well, except you. Tyler's embarrassment traveled through our link, causing me to grin.

I wanted to ask what embarrassed him about that, but instead, I smoothed a hand down his neck. "It looks like you're healed."

As long as the injuries are superficial, we heal up quick.Tyler suddenly shifted back, causing me to tense. My hands froze on his hard chest as he stared down at me. "See? All better."

My face flushed as I spun away awkwardly. "Get dressed."

"You saw me last night. What's the big deal?" Tyler didn't move to put on his clothes.

"Nothing. It's just weird like this." I shook my head but couldn't wipe the grin off my face.

"Everyone's gone." Lucas rushed around the side of the house. "Are you okay?"

"No, she's not okay! Gwen fucking tried to rip her in two." Tyler bent to pull on his pants.

"Fuck, Gorgeous. We can't catch a break today. I'm sorry I wasn't there." Lucas pulled me to him and started checking me for injuries.

"I'm fine. Tyler's the one that's hurt. I scratched the shit out of him when it all happened. I don't even know how I did it. He was bleeding everywhere. Thank goodness he can heal when he shifts. Otherwise, we'd be on our way to the emergency room." I let out a shaky laugh, still confused with what I'd done. I was dangerous, and I could've killed Tyler without even knowing it.

Lucas lifted my shirt to check for what Gwen had done and hissed. "She got you good. Dude, look at this. Where the hell were you? This is why she needs to stay with me at all times. You guys are supposed to protect her, but you both failed."

"Damn, Shortie. That's pretty bad." Tyler echoed. "You didn't tell me how bad it was."

"I didn't know." I twisted to see what they were talking about, which turned out to be physically impossible. "It can't be that bad."

"Not that bad? Here, hold your shirt." Lucas pulled out his phone and snapped a few photos before handing the phone to me. "That's fucking bad. You're not bleeding because the hoodie stopped her from stabbing through, but that's about all."

They were right. Nasty black and purple bruises ran down my back, especially along my spine. It looked disgusting. "Damn. How come I can't feel them?"

Lucas took his phone and shot Tyler a dirty look before studying my back again. "Probably because of the adrenaline from the ordeal. It'll wear off, and then you'll feel it. It looks like she was trying to rip out your spine."

Grimacing, I pulled my shirt and hoodie down. "I don't think it's a good idea to stay here. I know we don't have anywhere to go, but with Mason and Gwen and her sisters here..."

Tyler sighed and nodded. "She's right, dude. Even if Justin compels them, this is where your brother lives, and he's not gonna give up until he finds her. He said she's his—

"Fated. I know." Lucas grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. "Do you want Mason? Tell me the truth."

The frown on Lucas's face said it all. I couldn't tell him about my encounter with Mason earlier, so I only shook my head. "I need to read the book that has all the prophecies inside. Do you have a copy here?"

Lucas and Tyler exchanged a long look before Lucas spoke. "It's in the second realm with the Ancients. Only the Chosen are permitted to see the books of the Ancients, and they have to memorize them word for word. They tell everyone in the lower realms exactly what they say by word of mouth."

I barked out a mocking laugh. "You're kidding, right? So, the Bringer prophecy could all be some conspiracy theory created by some random?"

"That's forbidden. They call them the Chosen for a reason. They serve as living prophets chosen by the Ancients." Mason said from the darkness. "They take vows to speak only the truth and only what the Ancients permit. Any Chosen that spreads false claims will burst into flames within hours of speaking the lie, and anyone they tell will suffer the same fate."

At the sound of his voice, we all stilled and glanced back as Mason waltzed out of the shadows. How long had he been standing there? How much had he heard?

"This is a private conversation." Tyler shoved Mason's shoulder, knocking him to one knee.

"I know what she is. The cloaking spells threw me off, but I finally figured it out." Mason got to his feet before his dark green eyes locked on me. "I'm sorry about Gwen. I had Justin compel the triplets. They left and won't be back. I didn't know she planned to kill my Fated."

I laughed angrily. "Well, she did! And I nearly killed Tyler trying to stay alive."

"No, you didn't." Tyler looped an arm around my shoulders. "It takes a lot to kill us."

I would never stop feeling guilty for clawing him like I had. Leaning into Tyler's chest, my gaze fell to the ground. "I've had enough of everyone telling me what I am. I want to see the book of prophecies."

"We can talk to the Chosen, but that's a three-day drive to the compound." Tyler rubbed my shoulder, sending a steadying warmth that tingled down my spine. I leaned more into him, enjoying his comforting energy.

"Or we can use a coin." Lucas squeezed my hand, giving me a calm smile. This was the Lucas I'd been missing badly. It was nice to see his kindness again. Just that smile touched my heart.

"Coin?" Mason's eyebrows drew together as he squinted in confusion. "Are we talking about the Coins of the Ancients?"

"Yeah," Justin rounded the corner, his lips in a tight line. "The Timeweaver gave them to her."

"Fuck. She really is the Bringer. I thought that part about being left alone in the cold was literal. Not a metaphor." Mason's green gaze began to glow, and everyone sucked in a deep breath when his eyes landed on mine. "You really don't know anything about yourself, do you?"

"Your eyes." Lucas's eyes fell shut as his head dropped. "Why didn't I see it before?"

"You can see it too?" I asked.

"Yeah. We all see it now." The look on Justin's face was anything but happy, causing my guilt to spike.

My life sucked donkey balls. I never meant to hurt anyone, but I had no choice in this situation. Or did I? I needed to read that damn prophecy. It had to have the answers I needed.

"Let's use a coin." I grabbed for the necklace, but it wasn't around my neck. When had I worn it last? Shit. I couldn't remember.

"We took them off when you..." Lucas glanced at Mason and stopped talking before he tugged me toward the house. "They're in my room."

"You mean these coins?" Mason pulled my necklace from his pocket and spun the gold chain around his finger. His gaze wasn't playful. It was calculating.

"Those are mine." I grabbed for the coins, but Mason held them out of reach.

"That's not how this part works, little girl," Mason smirked. "You're not running the show. I am. Someone special wants to meet you, and we need to get on the road."

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