We were soon back at the camp where Rose and Tobias still sat. Theodore still gripped my arm tightly and as he looked down at Tobias with cold eyes, he instantly knew something was up.

"It's been settled. Esme will be living with me," Theodore told him, "As my Luna."

Tobias looked from Theodore to me and my tear-stained cheeks and the way I depended on Theodore's arm for support, my legs still weak and shaking, maybe from the shock, maybe the pain, maybe the betrayal.

Tobias got straight to his feet.

"What has happened?" he questioned, "Esme?"

Saying nothing, I  just kept my eyes on the floor, completely unable to face either of them. 

I was ashamed of my weakness. Ashamed that I had let him do this to me.

"What the fuck have you done to her?" Tobias growled a few seconds later.

"None of your business, Alpha Brynn. All you need to know is that she has changed her mind," Theodore replied, "And you will need to manage without her."

Theodore pushed me back as Tobias came towards us his eyes searching me for signs of harm.

"That woman is my sister. I demand to know what you did," Tobias hissed.

Theodore cocked his head to the smiled, "We had some things to work out. But don't worry, everything is sorted now."

Tobias looked at me again and his stern expression faltered as he sent me sympathy from his eyes.

I could still hardly look at him. Instead, I just folded my arms and ducked further behind Theodore.

"My house is only thirty miles from here and the night is still young," Theodore then said, "Esme and I will be leaving now. You and your Luna may stay here until the morning but I want you off my territory by nightfall tomorrow."

"We aren't going anywhere without Esme," Rose said stepping forward.

Theodore smiled sarcastically before roughly taking my hand.

"Sleep tight, sweetheart," he said to Rose before tugging me away from them.

I had no power to stop him. I couldn't even bring myself to take what could be my last glance at my brother and my best friend.

"Stop," Tobias ordered.

Theodore took no notice.

"Alpha Rivers," he growled deeply.

Still no regard.

I then heard Tobias footsteps thunder towards us and as Theodore finally turned around to face him, they collided straight into each other, taking no mercy.

They'd fought before but this time they had no reason to be civil, no reason to hold back and no reason not to kill each other.

Theodore was larger than Tobias. 

His canines longer, his claws sharper, his muscles stronger.

Within a matter of seconds, Tobias was losing the fight. He was no longer landing any successful punches and Theodore had him knocked to the floor where he was cut and bruised over and over again.

I made eye contact with Rose. The panic in her face was a great as the panic I felt in my heart but she was able to push it aside and lurch forward to help her mate.

But she was only flung back through the air away by Theodore and rendered helplessly watching as he continued to ruthlessly attack Tobias.

"Theodore, please," I begged, "Leave him alone."

His eyes snapped to me. They were burning orange and bright, his canines at their largest.

I let out a shaky breath and cowered back as he slowly stood up and stepped back.

Tobias lay motionless on the ground, bloody and mauled. My heart pounded as my eyes stayed on him, praying for him to move. Even just twitch or murmur at the very least. Just something indicating life.

With Theodre now just stood over him, Rose scrambled forward and was able to finally reach her mate.

She dropped to her knees and shook his shoulders frantically, begging and pleading for him to wake up.

But he didn't move.

"No," she whispered, finally letting his still body rest back on the floor, "Tobias..."

I covered my mouth with a shaky hand as a sob blocked my throat as she let out a wretched sound: the howl of a wolf that has just lost their mate.

She let herself cry for a few moments after before planting a tearful kiss on his forehead and slowly getting to her feet, turning to Alpha Rivers with a look of steel on her face.

"You deserve to suffer, Rivers," she spat a voice strong and angry as she pointed her sturdy finger at him, "But nothing will ever compare to the hell you have brought me and my family and I hope that guilt consumes you."

Theodore smiled, "Rest assured it will not. You were all fools to have trusted me," he said. "You knew right from the very start. And now all three of you have faced the consequences."

"We had no choice and you took advantage of that," she growled stepping closer, her face creased with fury, "You are the devil."

Her shoulders were tensed her fists tight and balled.

"You have destroyed everything," she growled, her voice cracking with passion, "And justice will be served."

She was now close to him. Dangerously close.

His claws were still drawn, his eyes still amber and his canines still ready.

"Rose," I said quietly, "Go."

Her eyes snapped to me.

"He murdered my mate," she said, "A good man and he just killed him. Your brother, Esme. The man who raised you."

"I know," I replied, "But you should go."

Rose's eyes glowed as powerfully as his as she glared back up at him, refusing to back down.

"Burn in the fieriest pits of hell, Rivers," she growled.

He then snapped his arm forward and grabbed her throat, lifting her up.

"Courage has got this family nowhere," he said before he threw her down to the floor, leaving her lying next to Tobias, just as lifelessly, "But fortunately, you have proven to be smarter than them, Esme."

I stepped forward and dropped to my knees beside them as my vision blurred with tears.

I looked upon their paled faces and wide eyes, as their wolves drained out of them leaving just their shrivelled spirit somewhere deep inside. As I sobbed, I took Tobias's still warm hand and then Rose's before entwining them together.

I brushed Rose's red hair from her face and moved her head back to where it should be, giving at least the illusion that she was resting in peace. I then laid my jacket over Tobias, covering the blood and wounds before I closed both of their eyes placing a kiss from my hand to each of their cheeks before slowly standing up and gathering my strength.

They had both shown the courage that our family had always taken pride in, even in their dying moments. They had lost their lives refusing to give up on what they believed in and the people they loved and now it was time for me to do the same.

You aren't weak, Esme.

You won't let him beat you.

You won't let them die in vain.

You will be brave.

But as my hands shook and my lips trembled, I couldn't believe my own words.

Just then I heard a few sets of footsteps emerge from the forest.

"Alpha?" Lou's voice said, "We heard a howl."

I turned around to see Lou and two other soldiers. They all looked from me to the two bodies on the ground and then back to their Alpha.

"Send men to claim Alpha Brynn's territory," Theodore ordered coldly, "And take my Luna to the packhouse. I am through with her for tonight."

They all nodded and Lou gestured to the men to head towards the Nightingale pack before he came up to me and took my arm.

"Come, Luna," he said, firmly but in a much gentler way than my mate would have.

I took one last glance at Tobias and Rose before I let Lou begin to lead me off.

I caught Theodore's eye as I turned. I thought about how those cold twisted eyes were the last thing my brother and Rose saw before they died and I clenched my jaw. They deserved so much better than this. My heart filled with hate, I couldn't help but send him a look of loathing.

"Lou, wait," he said holding up his hand and marching over to us.

My heart began to thud as my mate prized me away from Lou and grabbed my face.

"Glare at me once more, I dare you," he growled.

My eyes fell instantly to the floor, my momentary courage shattered.

He then released me and shoved me back to Lou.

"Take her away. Before I do something terrible," he ordered before marching off in the opposite direction.

"I should have listened to you," I said to Lou a few minutes later, "Way back when you first came to Nightingale and you told me to stay away from him."

"You can't blame yourself," Lou replied as we continued through the forest, "That was before we knew you were mates and as we all know now, what Alpha Rivers does is far beyond any of our control."

I shook my head, "He did this because I couldn't bring myself to submit to him. Because I couldn't let anyone control me."

"And you can't blame yourself for that either," he replied, "You were just being true to yourself."

"At what cost? Rose and Tobias are dead, Lou," I said, another tear in my eye.

Lou sighed and stopped walking to face me, "Listen to me, Esme. You did not make him do this. He did this because he is a bad man and this is on his conscience. Not yours."

I shook my head as more tears began to stream before completely breaking down into a fit of sobs.

"I thought I was brave like them," I said, "But maybe I was only brave with them because now I am alone I feel so weak."

"You are not weak," he said firmly as he grabbed my shoulders, "You are grieving but you will recover and you will be as courageous as ever. And you are not alone either."

I smiled through my tears, "You're his Beta. You can't be my friend too."

"Why not?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Because if someone is your friend, they side against the people that hurt you. Alpha Rivers hurt me and you can't side against him."

"But I can do everything else a friend does," he replied, "For instance, right now I am going to get you somewhere warm and make you a hot mug of cocoa. It may not make up for any of the shit that has happened tonight but it's something."

I smiled again and nodded, "Thank you, Lou."

He smiled back and hugged me again, "Let's go."