‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　A　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

I moved my finger, drawing heart patterns on Kieran's chest while his fingers raked through my hair.

"I suppose eventually we should leave the room." I said. "The rest of the pack might be worried." I giggled.

"I'll tell them exactly what happened, you've kept me hostage in here for the last two days you bloody little enchantress." Kieran chuckled.

"Oh like you haven't enjoyed it." I pushed his shoulder playfully. "If I had known it was so much fun we'd have done this ages ago." I said and gave him a devilish smirk.

"You were too busy yelling at me and pretending you didn't like me ages ago." Kieran smiled. "However you are right, We should venture out of the room."

"Or... we could not."

"Eventually we have to eat. Sable was not amused when I asked her to bring our breakfast to the room this morning." Kieran laughed. "I'm afraid if I asked again she'd poison us."

"Sable would never." I smiled and sat up and stretched. "I'm going to go take a shower. You've mentioned before that you...like to save water so at this time I'd like to extend an invitation for you to join me in said shower." I smiled and bit my lip.

"Are you not exhausted?" Kieran asked.

"Well no, but I'm also not old like you." I smirked. He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at me.

"Oh. Is that it?" He asked.

"Mmhmm." I nodded.

He stalked towards me with a look in his eyes that was both playful and menacing. I let out a mixture of a shriek and a giggle and bolted for the door.

"No you don't." He laughed and caught me around the waist pulling me away from the door and carrying me back to the bed.

Maybe tomorrow we'll leave the room

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I walked into the game room the next afternoon armed with a bowl of popcorn. Roxy pulled a couple of sodas out of the mini fridge in the room and plopped down in front of the TV.

"I was beginning to think I'd never see you again." Roxy said.

"I've been uh...busy." I shrugged and sat down next to her and put the popcorn in the middle. Roxy took her eyes off the TV and looked at me.

"Busy? Oh I have no doubt you've been busy." She grinned.

"Shush." I blushed and threw a piece of popcorn at her face.

"I'm just glad to get some girl time." Roxy smiled.

"Me too." I said, returning her smile.

"How was your trip to the city? Kieran said he sent you to get the pretzels the other night." I asked.

"Oh it was fine. I went to Granny's. It was nice to be back there and not worry about hunters. I'm pretty sure you scared them off."

"That's great!" I beamed. "We'll have to go back there again for breakfast. Those apple pancakes I keep seeing on my phone sound amazing. And I need to get back to that shop in the mall for more oil."

"OH! Speaking of that store. I walked by it on the way to get the pretzels and this lady... She said she worked there and recognized us from last time and asked me to give you something she said you would know what it was. Just a moment." Roxy said and got up and hurried out of the room.

When she returned she had a little bag with her. She held the bag out to me and I took it and looked inside. I was confused at first by what I saw. I turned the bag upside down and out fell a little handmade doll. The doll was a little fairy, with a green dress and blue wings with blonde hair.

I ran my thumb over one of the button eyes and was hit with a long buried memory.

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I sat at the large stone sniffling and picking at the flowers around it.

"Oh I don't think your mum would be too happy about this." A soft accented voice from behind me said. I turned around looking at the stranger behind me. She wore a green dress and her blonde curls were up in a messy ponytail. She walked over and crouched down beside me.

"Nope, these tears will just not do at all." She said and shook her head.

I wiped my eyes and blinked at her.

"What am I supposed to do then?" I asked.

"Well what would you like to do?" She asked.

I shook my head and turned away from her.

"Papa says not to talk to strange people."

"But what does your mother say?" she asked me.

"Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.." I replied and looked at my hands.

"Exactly." She smiled and poked my nose and made a Boop sound. I giggled.

"That's much better."

"What is your name?" I asked.

"I'm Trinket." She replied.

"Did you know mama?" I asked.

"I did. She's from the same place that I am from." She said and gave me a look, it was a hopeful look but she sighed when she realized I had no idea what she meant.

"Right. You've forgotten."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You've forgotten what makes you so special."

"Papa says there isn't anything special about me." I frowned.

"Well he's the biggest liar I've ever heard of. There's plenty special about you kid."

"I don't really think so." I shrugged. "I'm just Amara."

"Maybe that's true here. But in another place you are much more than just Amara and you'll see that for yourself someday." She grinned.

"Amara!" I heard my father shout.

"I have to go.. He's angry. He's been looking for me." I sighed.

"Come back tomorrow and we will play whatever games you want."

"No one ever plays with me." I said.

"Well I will. Just come back tomorrow."

"Okay!" I smiled and hurried off.

---------------------------

The next day, as promised I returned to the stone and Trinket was there waiting for me.

"Trinket!" I beamed.

"Hey kid." She smiled

"You're actually here. I told Jamie you would be and she said I was stupid and that no one liked me enough to keep promises."

"Jamie?" Trinket asked.

"She's one of the older kids in the pack. She's not very nice. But I told her I made a friend and she didn't believe me." I shrugged.

"She sounds unpleasant. What do you have there?" She asked, looking at the toys I had in my hands.

"I made these!" I smiled proudly. "This one is me." I said and held up a little handmade doll that slightly resembled me. "And this one is you." I said, showing her the other one.

She smiled.

"Those look amazing. But mine is just missing one little thing." She said.

"What?" I asked and frowned in confusion.

She smirked and then suddenly out of nowhere a pair of wings sprouted from behind her.

I gasped.

"You have wings!! Like an angel!"

"Angels are not that impressive. I am a pixie."

"Can you do magic?" I asked.

"Some." She replied with a smile.

"Can you make mama come back?" I asked.

She frowned.

"I'm sorry, I can't."

"Oh… That's okay." I sighed and sat down in the grass.

"I know you want your mum back Amara, we all do." She said and sat next to me.

"These are really good." She said holding the doll I made of me.

"Thank you. I made that one for you, So I'm always with you. And this one for me, so you're always with me." I smiled.

"I will keep you safe always." She said and tucked the doll into a satchel on her side.

Twigs snapped behind us and Trinket ducked into the trees.

"Amara! How many times have I told you, you are not to run off!" My father barked at me.

"But Papa I came to see a friend." I said. "Her name is Trinket and she's a pixie."

My father rolled his eyes and took my wrist pulling me from the ground.

"You're inside that head of yours again Amara there are no pixies."

"There are!" I argued. "Trinket is real, I didn't make her up!"

"Don't argue with me. Let's go home."

"I don't want to. You won't ever let me out of my room!" I whined. "I want to stay out here with Trinket."

"I said let's go!" He growled and started pulling me away. I looked into the trees for Trinket but I couldn't see her. I pulled away from my father and ran back towards the trees.

"Trinket??" I called.

"Enough of this. There is no Trinket, Amara. Now you are coming home."

"There is a Trinket!" I screamed at him. "She says you are a liar because you say I'm not special but I am!"

"There is nothing special about you! Anything special about you died with your mother!" He shouted at me and took my arm in his hand with a bruising grip.

"Ow!" I cried as he dragged me along with him. I looked down realizing I had dropped my doll of Trinket that I had made.

"Papa, wait!" I cried trying to pull away so I could get it but I couldn't. I looked back with teary eyes as I was pulled away wondering why Trinket would have left me like that.

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"Amara!" Roxy called and snapped her fingers in my face.

I snapped out of it and looked down at the doll in my hand. On the floor was a folded piece of paper. I picked it up and opened it

"I fixed it for you. Sorry it took so long to get it back to you

-Trinket"

"Mar? You okay?" Roxy asked.

"I… yeah." I said and looked up at her. "That book you mentioned that your grandmother used to read to you... Can I borrow it?" I asked.

Roxy looked confused but nodded.

"Sure. Are you sure you are okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine. I just remembered something that I kept tucked away for a really long time." I said. "Can we do a rain check on the binge watching?" I asked.

"Of course. Let me get that book for you." Roxy said as we walked out of the game room.

"Actually, I think I'm going to go outside for a bit. If Kieran asks, can you tell him I'll be back?" I asked.

"Sure. I'll put the book in your room." Roxy said and then put her hand on my shoulder. "You know if you want to talk about it I'm here right?"

I nodded.

"I know it's just really complicated I'll explain later but I really need to go." I said and hurried up the stairs to the main part of the house.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

I cringed and turned around to look at Kenneth. Why did he unsettle me so much?

"I'm just going outside." I said.

"You shouldn't go alone. Connor caught the scent of hunters nearby this morning."

"I'll be fine." I said.

"Does Kieran know you are leaving? He likes to know when we come and go."

"Yes." I lied. Anything to get away from Kenneth.

Kenneth looked at me skeptically.

"I could accompany you. I'm sure Kieran would be more comfortable if someone went with you."

"I told you I'd be fine." I said. "I don't need anyone to accompany me, now I'm leaving if that's quite alright." I snapped and walked away from him. What was his deal with me?

I walked outside and hurried off the porch taking off into the woods. My father had told me so much that I had made Trinket up that I honestly began to believe him. He made me think I was crazy but if Trinket was indeed real was she a pixie too? If she was that had to mean that dream I had about my mother not too long ago perhaps wasn't just a dream as Kieran insisted.

"Trinket!" I shouted as I neared the river. I waited for any sign of the blonde hair, or the green eyes but nothing. It was eerily quiet out here.

"I got your message, you can come out." I said creeping closer to the river. I couldn't smell anything but I had the strangest feeling like I was being watched.

"Trinket?" I called again and then sighed. Maybe I was going mad. But how did that explain the doll I had made as a child and dropped in the woods being here now? And the message that was signed by Trinket. I unfolded the paper again and gasped. I turned it all over and flipped it around and there was nothing written on the paper.

"What do you want from me?!" I yelled. "Why are you doing this?! Either come out and face me or leave me alone."

I heard a crossbow being fired and tried to duck out of the way but got shot in the shoulder with a bolt. I cried out in pain and looked down at the bolt sticking out of my shoulder. I looked back over to the other side of the river, there was still no sign of Trinket, but there was someone else watching me. It was a hunter, one I hadn't seen before. He was an older man, with grayish shaggy hair and his eyes were unmistakably golden. Why was he just watching me? Why wasn't he trying to finish the job? I scrambled to my feet, not wanting to give him the chance to change his mind and I ran back towards home. Tracking down a pixie would just have to wait.

-------------------------------------------------------

I was almost out of breath by the time I had made it to the house, Kenneth was on the front porch.

"I told you it wasn't safe!" He said and put his hand on my arm to look at the damage. I pulled my arm back and glared at him.

"Don't touch me." I huffed and stormed into the house in no mood for I told you so,  especially from him. I didn't care for him at all and I just couldn't figure out why.

I walked down the hall and didn't even make it to the infirmary before Jake poked his head out of the room clearly smelling the blood.

"I was beginning to wonder when you may find some way to get yourself injured again." He said.

"I'm not that bad!" I groaned and leaned against the wall.

"Don't get blood on the wall!" He fussed and helped me into the room. "Let's have a look." He sighed and helped me to sit on the exam table. I moved my hand away from my shoulder and he winced.

"Damn hunters..." He sighed and looked to the doorway as the pups were peeking in the room with eyes full of fear.

I smiled at them through the pain.

"I'll be okay. Go get Kieran for me, yeah?" I asked. They nodded and raced off to go find Kieran.

"I'll be okay right?" I asked Jake.

"You've yet to die on me." Jake smirked. "Besides it doesn't look like it hit anything major, it is a little deep though so it's going to hurt a lot to get it out."

"Just do it quickly. Like a band aid."

"Well, the difference here is, If I do it too quickly it could make it a lot worse, I'll be as quick as possible. I don't suppose I can convince you to let me give you something for pain beforehand?" He asked knowing full well my answer would be no.

"What is it? What happened?" Kieran asked as he hurried into the room.

"I fell?" I smiled trying to make light of it. He of course didn't find this funny at all.

"What were you even doing out there? You shouldn't have been alone." He sighed and looked at the crossbow bolt in my arm.

"How bad is it?" He asked Jake.

"Well, She survived almost being gutted. I think she'll live through this, but it's going to be a lot worse before I can make it better. I have to get the bolt out, and naturally your stubborn little she-wolf has refused anything for the pain." Jake said and rolled his eyes.

"Just get it out." I groaned.

"Alright then." Jake sighed and went to work. Kieran turned around and shooed the pups away from the door.

"Go play." He said softly, yet sternly as he closed the door. He turned back to me.

"How far did you go?" He asked.

"I was by the river." I said. "It's hard to explain, Kieran but when Roxy went to the mall the other night someone gave her something to give to me and it's someone that I had long forgotten, someone that my father made me believe didn't even exist so I went to find her."

"Who is she?" Kieran asked.

"Honestly I'm not sure. I remember her being a pixie." I sighed "But I was only a child, a lonely child who had just lost her mother and had no friends. But I think that woman I saw in the woods when we went on our run was her. I just don't know what she wants or why she'd suddenly come back after leaving me the way she did." I frowned. Now that the memory had slightly come back I remembered the feeling of abandonment I felt when she hid, not making her presence known to my father and allowing him to make me feel crazy.

Jake barely touched the bolt in my arm and I almost flew off of the table I was sitting on.

"Bloody hell Jake just tear my whole arm off, why don't you?!" I shouted

"I may have to if you don't sit still and let me take it out!" Jake grumbled. "Just let me give you something for the pain and this will all be like a dream."

"Just let him do it. Love, this is a time sensitive thing." Kieran insisted.

"Fine." I whined. "What's it going to do?" I asked.

"Well...let's just say you aren't going to feel a thing." Jake smiled innocently and went over to his cabinets.

"Kieran?" I frowned.

"It's for the best love. Just let him do his job." Kieran said. Jake jabbed me with the needle while I was completely unprepared.

"Ow! I hate it when you do that!" I whined again.

"You know the children handle this better than you do right?" Jake asked.

I just stuck my tongue out at him and glared.

"This isn't even working, I'm still in pain." I sassed and then it hit me going straight to my head, the room looked like it was actually spinning and I felt like I was in a different world and I couldn't even focus on the pain in my arm because I was trying to figure out which of the three Kieran I was seeing was the right one.

"You were saying?" Jake asked. "Now just hold still and I'll get you all fixed up."

----------------------------------------------------

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　K　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"Excellent work as always Jake, thank you." I smiled and looked at a very dazed and confused Amara sitting on the exam table not even realizing Jake was finished.

"I like her this way." Jake smirked. "She yells less."

"How long before this wears off?" I asked.

"Give it a couple hours and she'll be back to her usual self, the wound shouldn't take too long, Amara has a rather quick healing factor as far as wolves go." Jake said. "If we could just stop her from getting hurt every other day."

"I'm working on it." I laughed and looked at Amara again. "Alright you. Let's go get you somewhere where you won't wander and get hurt." I said and lifted her off the table. She smiled and poked my nose.

"Did I ever tell you; you have pretty eyes?" She asked. "They're really blue." She said.

"You may have mentioned it at least four times in the last half hour." I shrugged with a smile as I carried her out of the room and up the stairs to our room.

I set her down gently on the bed and picked up a book that had been left out. It was an old storybook with a leather cover, titled: Eiravale, The tale of the Wolf King and the Fae Queen

"Is this yours?" I asked.

Amara shrugged and twirled her hair in her fingers.

"I don't know. Read it?" She asked and flopped down against the pillows waiting patiently for me to read. I chuckled.

"If it keeps you out of mischief and mayhem, why not?" I said and sat down at the end of the bed. I opened the book and flipped to the first page.

-------------------------------------------

Once upon a time, in a realm hidden from our own, was a vast and eternal kingdom called Eiravale. Eiravale was home to all sorts of beautiful creatures, there were mermaids, and pixies, dwarves, elves and even gnomes, but the two most important creatures of this tale were the fairies, and the wolves.

The fairies were given the gift of eternal life, a gift that every creature wanted, but none wanted it as viciously as the wolves. The wolves of Eiravale weren't just ordinary wolves, these wolves could shift between a human form and their wolf form whenever they chose.

Eiravale had many kings and queens. Asherah, was Queen of the sea and all the Mer-people, Loreliea, queen of the forest and all who inhabit it. Bologom, King of the mountains and all the dwarves, but two rulers stood above all. Aine, the beautiful and beloved queen of the Fae and everything that was light and Ulric, the arrogant, and selfish king of the wolves and the night.

Aine, Queen of the Fae, although thought to be very wise could also be very naive. When all the kings and queens would meet, Aine found herself always unable to keep her eyes off of Ulric. He was a beautiful man, with hair the color of ravens feathers and eyes that were as deep as the sea.

Ulric too, felt compelled by Aine's presence, Her long fire colored locks cascaded around her shoulders, and her vivid green eyes seemed to glow but it wasn't just her beauty that drew Ulric in, It was her magic, and the idea of what he could accomplish if he could use it.

---------------------------------------

I looked up from the book, to see Amara sleeping peacefully. I placed a marker in the book and closed it before setting it on the nightstand, if she wanted to continue it when she woke up and I watched her for just a bit. My mind raced as I looked at her bandaged arm and I thought of what could have happened if that hunter had aimed just a little better. I wiped tears away before they could fall. The thought of losing her, after all I had already lost was just too much.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　A　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

When I woke up, I raised my head groggily from the pillow. The room was dark, I tried to roll over to see if Kieran was beside me, but I forgot about my injured arm.

"Ah!" I hissed and sat up and turned on the light on the nightstand, I looked at my bandaged arm and sighed. I heard Kieran and the pack talking down stairs and went to get up to go join them, but I felt a little woozy, probably left over from the medication that Jake gave me.

And the man wondered why I didn't like his modern medicine. I looked at the nightstand noticing the book. It must have been the book that I asked Roxy for. I picked it up and examined the worn and torn cover. It was obviously a very old book. I opened the book to the title page and blinked a couple of times as words began to appear.

The blood of our people runs strong in your veins.

I gasped and tossed the book aside, surely I was still drugged. I waited a couple minutes before curiosity got the best of me and I picked up the book again. There was a marker in the book so I flipped to that page.

There was an illustration of a man and a woman, Fae Queen, Aine, and Wolf King Ulric.

on Aine's side the page was colored with rays of sunlight and green grass and vibrant flowers that seemed to go on for eternity, It was as if I could jump straight into the book.

On Ulrics side, the page was colored with a vast night sky littered with the brightest of stars, and my eyes may have been playing tricks on me still but I could have sworn I could see them twinkle. Behind Ulric was a large full moon.

My eyes scanned back over to Aine, I ran my thumb over her freckled face and cocked my head to the side. It was as if I was staring at myself, if my skin were lighter, and my hair ginger colored, It would be hard to tell the two of us apart. She wore a necklace with a key attached to it. I studied the key, wondering where I had seen it before and then it came to me. I put the book to the side and opened the side table drawer pulling out the dirt covered Key I had found mixed in with the items I had purchased from the mall. I looked back and forth between the key in my hand and the picture in the book they were clearly the same.

No, Amara, it's just a book that is insane. You need more rest. I told myself but stubbornly looked to the book at the text beside the picture.

Aine and Ulric began to meet in private. Ulric believed that Aine's family would not take kindly to their romance, and he was right to think so. Aine may have been naive but her younger sister Fiona was not. She knew Ulric's intentions were not that of love, but of greed.

Fiona, took her concerns to their middle sister Altari, who was next in line for the throne. Altari however believed that Aine knew what she was doing, and that they should not interfere with their sister's happiness.

I turned the page, and my eyes widened at the picture. There was a picture of Aine, with her two sisters Altari and Fiona. Altari was identical in every way to my mother, to the red feathers she wore often in her hair, and the warm and welcoming smile on her face.

I felt a tear slip down my cheek and my head began to spin. I slammed the book shut and shoved it away from me. I got out of bed. I needed to talk to Kieran, maybe he could make some sense of all of this. As my feet hit the floor, my vision blurred, and I felt like it was getting harder and harder to breathe and I suddenly became aware that I was sweating profusely. I staggered out of the room, and down the stairs feeling like I would fall down them with each step.

Something was wrong.

I stumbled into the den, a sweaty, panting mess.

"Amara!" Roxy gasped. I held her shoulders trying to stabilize myself.

"The book! The book isn't just a book!" I slurred.

"You are burning alive." Roxy said. "Kieran!" She shouted.

Kieran hurried in the room.

"Eiravale…It's… not just a story!" I stammered.

"Come on love, you're not looking well. You're feverish, let's go back to the room and lie down." He said.

No one was listening to me.

"I'm not sick!" I screamed trying to push him away but I had absolutely no strength. My shoulder where I was shot, began to burn like it was on fire. I collapsed on the floor crying in agony holding my shoulder.

"Jake!" Kieran hollered and crouched down to me

"Something's wrong." I cried and looked to my shoulder with blurred vision as sickly black veins began to crawl up my skin. It was excruciating.

Kieran lifted me from the floor and started running down the hall.

"Jake!" He shouted again. Jake ran up the hallway meeting him halfway. Kieran laid me down on the table in the infirmary and I writhed around in pain.

"It hurts!" I sobbed. "Make it stop!"

Jake cut the bandages off my shoulder and looked at the wound in horror.

"She's been poisoned."

"Can you do anything to help her?!" Kieran asked.

"I… I don't know, I've never seen this poison!" Jake panicked. I felt at that moment like something else entirely took over my body and it began convulsing.

"Do something!" Kieran shouted at Jake. Everyone's voices seemed so far away.

I felt something jab into my hip and my body stopped convulsing in seconds but the pain remained and my vision kept going in and out.

I felt Kieran's hand squeeze mine.

"Just hold on darling." He said and I could tell he was crying by the way his voice broke.

"I love you." I said softly before slipping into darkness.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　K　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

I sat in the chair beside Amara in the infirmary. Jake had stabilized her and she was sleeping. but I could tell that Jake was grasping at straws for what to do next. I couldn't blame the man for not knowing, Just a few years ago he was a human doctor and none of this was ever a possibility to him. He paced around the room.

"Jake.. I'm not upset with you." I said. "You have limits to your abilities."

"I'm upset with myself. She almost died, twice the first time you brought her to me when she was stabbed but she fought through it and I kept her alive. I refuse to believe that this is going to be the end."

"And I admire that you feel that way Jake. It means a lot." I said.

"Whatever poison it is It's very slow acting. If we can figure out what the poison is made of I can possibly make an antidote."

"How much time are we looking at?" I asked though I was afraid of the answer.

"With the rate the poison is moving towards her heart I'd say we have just over three hours before... " He sighed he didn't want to say it and I didn't want to hear it. I looked down at Amara, the strange black veins created by the poison had gone up her entire arm and were starting to venture towards her chest.

"Do you have a sample of the poison?" I asked.

Jake nodded and handed me a vial with a tiny bit of black liquid in it, not enough to do anything with, but maybe I could smell it and get a general idea of what to look for. There were many poisonous plants and such in the forest, and I was sure if Amara was awake she would be able to tell me exactly what it was.

"I'm going to try to figure out what this is. If she wakes up..."

"I'll tell her you stepped out for a minute and you will be right back, she won't be awake long before I'd have to sedate her again because of the pain." Jake frowned. I sighed and nodded before I left the room.

I was met in the hallway by Roxy who was pacing back and forth anxiously. She looked up at me and threw her arms around me.

"Hey... it's okay. I'm going to fix this." I said.

"How much time do we have?" Roxy asked.

"Jake says three hours. Please... Go sit with her. I don't want her to be alone." I said, trying to keep my voice from cracking.

Roxy nodded.

"Rox... If I'm not back in time. Don't you let her go without telling her I love her." I swallowed thickly.

"You can tell her yourself, when she wakes up and she isn't sick anymore." Roxy said. "Hurry Kieran." She added and turned into the room to go sit with Amara.

--------------------------------------

I looked down at my watch and sighed in frustration, I had just an hour left, and I had found nothing.

"She'll be dead long before you ever figure it out."

I froze and tried to control the rage burning within me. Of course He had something to do with it.

"Steele." I growled.

"Ding ding ding. We have a winner." He chuckled. I turned around to face him telling myself that keeping him alive was the only thing that might save Amara.

"What have you poisoned her with?!" I demanded. 

"Obsidians Acid. Never heard of it? That would be because it's not something… Typically found in these parts." He smirked.

"So there isn't an antidote…" I said.

"Oh there is. I have it and if you want it, it comes with a steep price." Steele said in a sing-song tone that made me want to punch his head off his shoulders.

"Whatever the price, I will pay it." I said.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should hear what the price is beforehand." Steele suggested.

"I'm running out of time, you bloody demon what is it that you want?!" I snapped.

"You really seem to love this one, do you love her enough to leave her? To leave your pack?" Steele asked.

"Leave my pack? Abandon them? I couldn't."

"That is my price. Take it, she lives to love another day, perhaps another wolf." He grinned.

"Why would you do this? Haven't you taken enough from me? What more could you take?!" I demanded.

"I am not satisfied, until you are in misery. You take this antidote, you save the love of your life. I only ask that you leave afterwards. I don't care where you go, I just want you away. If you don't take this antidote, she will die, a slow and agonizing death. Are you selfish enough to let her die that way?" Steele asked.

I thought for just a moment. I couldn't let her die. I loved her too much and she had so much to give this world, and if I was the only thing standing in the way of that then taking myself out of the picture, while it would crush the both of us, would be inevitable.

"Tick Tock…" Steele laughed.

"Fine!" I growled. "I will leave. Just let me save her life." I pleaded.

"You leave when the sun comes up. If you don't, I won't be so generous." Steele glared and held out the small bottle of antidote. "She'll need to drink it." He added. I took the antidote from him and looked back down at my watch. I had 30 minutes to get this to her.

"Remember Quinn, Sun up." Steele warned.

"Sun up, I'm gone." I agreed and turned from him and began running back to the house.

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I almost broke the door down to get in and as soon as I was inside I ran straight for the infirmary.

"Mar! Stay with me." Jake shouted as Amara had begun convulsing again.

"I can't stop it!" Jake yelled at me. The monitors hooked up to Amara were going crazy and beeping erratically and Roxy was panicking.

"I have the antidote!" I said and hurried to Amara's side. "She has to drink it."

"Roxy help me hold her." Jake instructed and they held Amara up right, as still as possible while she screamed in agony. I pulled the cork off the vial with my teeth and spit it out and held the vial to Amaras lips. She opened her mouth to scream again and I poured the antidote in and put my hand over her mouth so she wouldn't spit it out. I watched her swallow the antidote and her entire body went limp and she flopped backwards.

The monitor beside her beeped slower...and slower.

"It..it should have worked." I said but as I watched the life leave Amara's eyes I knew I had been fooled. Why would Steele have ever helped me? The monitor let out a long steady beep and there was a deafening silence in the room. She was gone.

I turned away trying to collect myself.

"Kieran…Look." Jake said and I turned back around and watched the monitor. The flat line was peaking ever so slightly and then all of a sudden Amara bolted up right and gasped for air. She looked around the room, confused and scared and Jake let out an excited shout that startled her further. She looked down at the IV in her arm and the wires strapped to her and started pulling at them.

"What the bloody hell is all of this?" She asked.

"Yep. She's back." Jake chuckled and moved her hands away from the wires so he could look her over.

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"I'm fine Kieran, really." Amara said as I helped her into bed.

"Aye, but Jake said you need to rest while the rest of the poison leaves your system and since you refused to stay down there, You'll have to stay up here where I can keep an eye on you all night." I said and tucked her in.

"But I don't want to rest. I just came back from the dead; I feel so alive!" Amara whined. I just smiled at her.

"So, enlighten me, what happens when we die?" I asked.

"I guess it depends on what you believe." She explained. "I was in the forest walking with my mother, and she told me that there was too much that I had to do still, that it wasn't my time." Amara sighed. "I just wish I knew what she meant."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're a smart lass." I said and held her hand.

"We'll figure it out, together." Amara smiled and squeezed my hand and I had to hold back tears.

"You, okay?" She asked.

"Aye." I nodded. "You should rest. Would you like me to read you more of the book?" I asked. Amara looked at the book and shook her head.

"No..." She said as if she was afraid of it. "Just lay with me?" She asked.

I nodded. "Of course." I said and walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in next to her. She snuggled into my neck and sighed contentedly.

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I lay awake all night, just watching her sleep and when the first signs of dawn peeked through the window, I had an overwhelming sense of dread. I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to leave my pack, and I didn't want to leave her, but I had to. I couldn't risk Steele trying to kill her again. I quietly and very gently snuck out of bed and watched to make sure she was still sleeping before I walked over to the closet and opened it, pulling out the duffel bag I had packed before I brought her back to the room last night.

"What are you doing?" Amara asked, still half asleep.

"I'm just getting dressed, the pups are up and they're causing chaos downstairs. I'll handle it. Go back to sleep love." I said softly.

"Don't be mean to them." She mumbled and let her head fall back on the pillow and was asleep within minutes. I picked up the duffel bag again and put it over my shoulder before creeping out of the room.

I made it into the den and almost to the door before I was stopped by Connor.

"Where are you going?" He asked. I turned around and sighed.

"Please do not try and stop me." I said.

"You're leaving? Why?" He asked.

"It was the only way to ensure she lived. I struck a deal with Steele."

"Kieran, this will crush her." Connor frowned. "It will devastate the entire pack but Amara... What am I supposed to tell her?"

"I don't know Connor; you are really creative when it comes to making her feel better. Please just take care of her for me, and whatever you do, do not let her go out looking for me."

"There has to be a way-"

"There is no other way. If I don't leave, Steele will kill her." I said with tears in my eyes. "It's not easy for me, this pack is my family and she... She is my home." I swallowed thickly. "I'm leaving everything to you. Please, for her just let me go." I said.

Connor sighed heavily and I could tell he was trying not to cry himself. He nodded.

"I'll do my best." He said.

"It's all that I could ask of you." I gave him a sad smile and pat his shoulder before turning away and walking out of the house and not looking back.