She snarls and runs at me. I throw a punch at her face but she catches my fist. She twists my arm behind my back and puts her mouth next to my ear.

"You can't win Raven, I am just as good a fighter as you, probably even better," she says. I growl lowly and slam my head back into hers.

She releases my arm and stumbles back from the force. I whip around, smashing my elbow into her face.

I hear a crack and she holds her nose with one hand. It comes away bloody. Her neon green eyes glow brighter and she gives me a twisted grin.

"This might actually be a fair fight after all," she says and I growl in annoyance.

"Do you ever shut up?"

She moves so fast I don't have time to block when she slams her knee into my stomach. I reflexively double over just as her fist comes across my temple. I stumble a few steps back and shake my head with a growl.

Let me take over Raven! Ira spits at me.

No! You will kill Shade, I growl.

This is not Shade! This is Venatrix! If you don't let me take over, you are going to die! She snarls.

Not yet.

She tries to rush at me again but I am ready. Right before she reaches me, I deliver a hard kick to her knee and it snaps backwards.

She groans in pain and collapses to the ground. Her leg is twisted the wrong way, and blood spills onto the forest floor. The smell of it hits me like a wave as it is carried in a strong gust of wind.

I notice that the sky is cloudy and unclip my weapons belt, tossing it under a tree behind me so it won't get wet if it rains. I stalk over to Shade as she pulls herself up.

She grabs her leg and grits her teeth before twisting it back into place with a crack. It immediately starts healing.

"They made me heal as fast as you too," she says with a grin and I suddenly notice the dagger in her hand.

She leaps forward and swings the dagger towards my face but I block it with one hand and punch her in the face with the other.

Her jaw is dislocated and she turns back to me with a growl. She pushes it back into place and rushes at me again.

I pull a dagger from my boot and my arm hits hers. She tries to stab me with the dagger but I hold her arm firm with mine.

She suddenly switches hands and I gasp as I receive a punch in the face. My nose cracks and my teeth split open my lip.

I snarl angrily, Ira pushes to take over but I hold her back. I wipe the blood off with my sleeve and deliver a spinning roundhouse kick straight to her head.

She collapsed onto the ground, holding her head. She sways violently but growls and starts pushing herself back up.

I snarl and slam my booted foot into her back. I hear a dozen cracks as I break her ribs.

Her leg suddenly swings out and I yelp in surprise as my feet are taken out from under me. The wind is knocked out of me when I land on my back, hard.

I feel a pain in my leg and growl when I see a dagger sticking out of my thigh. Shade tries to push herself up but I kick her in the face and she collapses again.

I yank the dagger out of my leg and toss it behind me. I pull myself quickly to my feet in time to receive a kick to the face.

My nose is no doubt broken again and blood runs down my face. It starts healing immediately.

I look at Shade who is smirking at me and bring my dagger across her head before she can block. The blade cuts deep into her skin, staining the silver metal a dark red.

Shade growls, touching her head. Her fingers come away red and she snarls at me. There is a three inch gash across her temple that bleeds profusely.

She snarls and I see silver and gray fur start to cover her body. She shifts into her Lycan and stands up on her hind legs.

I growl, drop my dagger onto the ground and shift as well, standing up on my back paws so that I am the same height. A flash of lightning illuminates her figure and I notice she is almost a mirror image of myself. The clap of thunder that follows is almost deafening.

"Come on Raven, let Ira out to play," Venatrix sings. Her voice is different from Shade's and so is her attitude. I suddenly feel Ira try to take over as anger floods my mind.

No! Ira stay out of this! I growl.

Raven let me have control, you are going to die! Venatrix was created to fight me, not you, me! she snarls and I relinquish control to her with a growl.

My eyes burn a bloody red and I feel my fangs grow even longer, my claws even sharper. I watch Venatrix smirk in success.

"Here I am Venatrix, are you sure you still want to fight me?" Ira asks, her voice feral and filled with power that seems to surprise Venatrix.

"Of course, I mean, that is what I came here to do," she grins. My ears fall flat against my head and my teeth are bared in a writhing snarl.

She leaps at me and I fall to my back with her on top of me. Her teeth snap at my throat but I slam my paw across her muzzle. She turns back to face me with blood running across one side of her face and anger glowing in her eyes.

I rake my back claws across her stomach and she howls in pain. Hot blood coats my fur, and the smell sends Ira into a frenzy. I shove her off of me and pin her onto her back.

Raindrops suddenly start to fall from the sky and I can feel the dirt under my paws slowly turn to mud. I feel her claws rake across my face and growl as blood floods my vision.

My claws slice across her temple and I feel Ira push me to bite her throat.

Ira no! I'm not killing Shade! I snarl and hold her back.

I suddenly feel paws slam into my stomach and shove me away. I land hard on my back and Shade hovers over me. Her paw presses into my throat and I feel claws digging into my neck.

She snatched up my dagger from where I dropped it and holds the blade against my neck.

"Shade, fight her, I know you can fight her," I whisper, clenching my jaw tightly. Blood drips from her head onto my face and she gives me a wolfish grin.

"I'm afraid I won't be much help either," she smirks and raises the dagger above her head.

My eyes widen as she is suddenly gone in a flash of silver. I scramble to my feet to see my mate pinning Shade down onto the ground.

She struggles and he snarls at her. Several of my other pack members come rushing into the clearing with wide eyes.

Aiden starts walking towards me but then spots Shade and runs over. He hands my mate a set of silver chains infused with wolfsbane and together they manage to lock Shade up.

"Get her to a silver cell, now. I want a new cell built, get my mother to help, one that she cannot get out of no matter what. Make sure she is cuffed and guarded at all times," I order and he gives me a nod.

Aiden pushes her past me and she growls angrily, throwing me a neon green glare.

"Shade! Cut it out!" Aiden growls and Maya comes over with several other warriors to escort her away.

"I'll see to it that we get her under control Alpha," I hear Jace tell me and I nod numbly.

I am vaguely aware of finding clothes in my weapons belt and pulling them on after I shift.

Raven, my job is to keep you alive, so the next time I want to kill someone, you are going to have to let me kill them, Ira snarls at me before ending our connection.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see Xavier looking at me with concern.

"Are you alright?" He asks and I sigh.

"No, I'm not alright. If you hadn't come along I would probably be dead, and all because I can't kill Shade," I growl, burying my face in my hands.

"She is your family," he reasons and I shake my head angrily.

"But it doesn't make any sense! I tried to kill her years ago, why can't I do it now?"

"You didn't know her then, you had your memories taken away so she was a complete stranger to you. But now you have your memories. She is practically your sister, the only person you have ever gotten close to. It's good that you held yourself back, you would never forgive yourself if you killed her now," Hailey says, walking up to me.

"None of it matters now anyway, Shade can't be anywhere near me as long as Venatrix is her Lycan. She can't be unrestrained or else she will find a way back here to kill me," I sigh. My fingers tangle themselves in my hair and I tug on it until it hurts.

"Shade is dead so long as Venatrix is alive," I mutter, shifting into my wolf and disappearing into the forest.

I hear my mate start to come after me but Hailey pulls him back. I silently thank her and weave between the trees. My claws dig deep into the earth as I run through the forest.

Can I have control? Ira asks.

Whatever, I don't care anymore, I tell her in defeat. I hear a bone chilling howl echo through the night just before everything goes black.