Edward scoffed when he heard her words. "How nice, playing pretend, little wolf?" He turned to her then, his eyes were red and his fangs elongated. "You really think I am going to believe that?"

"I don't care what you believe or what you think of me, it's your choice. All I know is that I have told you what I know is the truth. You can go ahead and keep hating me but I am not going to keep being at war with myself over what is right and what is not." She went to him then, not in any way afraid of his red eyes and fangs. "You are hurt, let me help you."

"I don't need your help," he pushed her away and stood up again, he could smell a family of rabbit somewhere around, he just needs to find them and regain some strength with their bloods so he can journey to the human realm and have a good feed.

"Edward, if you knew you are going to be like this then why did you help me? Why are you always there when I need help the most? Why do you always protect me? Why did you let yourself get hurt to this extent because of me? When are you going to stop lying to yourself? When are you going to stop thinking you hate me and just admit it that the mating bond has gotten you like it got to me? When are you going to stop lying to yourself?"

"I will do that the day you are no longer a wolf," Edward answered as he turned to her. "The day that I can stop perceiving that rusty smell whenever you are close to me then that is the day that I am going to let any mating bond get to me. But you and I both know that is never going to happen. So stay away or I might end up killing you tonight," he hissed.

Aliyah smiled and shook her head softly. "You know, between the both of us, I had thought I would be the one in denial since I am so young and you are so advanced. But I guess, age is really nothing but a number."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You don't need to admit it to me or say to my face but I know what I am saying. You went to the Rogue's field the other day because you figured out that they were after me, you wanted to uncover the truth because of me. You also told me to stay away from the woods until you figure out what is happening and finally kill the man in hood. If you don't care about me then why would you do that? Why are you always there when I need you? Why are you always there to protect me? Tell me, do you think the mating mark would get to you if its not because right there in that dead heart of yours that there is a tiny little care for me?"

"Wow, you must be really proud of yourself, filling your mind with all those rubbish. Listen to me, I don't have time for this or to listen to your rambles so you either turn back and head home or I am finishing what I started right this instant," he flashed his fangs at her to scare her off. He didn't like what was happening and he hated it the most since her words were affecting him, throwing him the very questions he has been asking himself but really don't have an answer to.

"Then say it," Aliyah said, unfazed by his intention of scaring her off.

"Say what?"

"The rejection vow," she revealed. "You do know there is a way to free us both from the mating bond. If you really hate me as you claim and you don't want anything to do with me, reject me as your mate. Free us both from the bond. I'm surprise you haven't done it all these time."

Edward stared at her. She was right, he could just say he rejects her or something and then he can go ahead and kill her, be rid of her. He has never heard that one of his kind rejected their mates and he doesn't know if it would work but she is a Night howler and the howlers have the history of rejecting their mates because they are in love with another or something like that. Maybe since she is a howler, the rejection vow would work on them. However, the problem is, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"What are you waiting for? Say it, I have been without a mate when all my peers have one so I guess I have got my life cut out for me. Go on, I can live with being rejected and I won't be the first wolf to be rejected neither would I be the last."

Edward watched her, he doesn't know why her words just now affected him but he knows one thing for sure, he doesn't want her to be a rejected wolf. He sighed and cursed himself in his mind before he turned to limp away.

Aliyah let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. She had given him the chance and he didn't take it, does that mean he has finally accepted her? That he has finally consented in giving their bond a try? She followed him softly, her mind going everywhere and nowhere. When he slumped and fell on the ground, she rushed to him immediately, offering her support.

"I don't need your help," he said.

"Of course you do," she said, ignoring his glare as she placed his arm over her shoulder and helped him up. "Let's just find somewhere, maybe a cave or something so that I can look at your wound. I have seen Catherine treat a lot of wounded wolves before maybe I can think of something to use on your wound that may help you."

"No medicine is going to help me if you don't know it yet," he said, finally giving in to letting her help him and he was surprised that he really needed the support she offered as it made walking a lot easier.

"You never can tell unless you try," she said, aiding him in walking and almost shouted in glee when she saw a big rock right close to the river. "I'm sure there must be a cave or little opening big enough for us to fit in over there," she said and Edward just followed her, wondering why she would even need a cave, he was scarier than anything they would be meeting in the woods after all.

When they finally got closer to the rock, Aliyah saw what she wanted but it would require them to climb. She turned to Edward and sighed, "we have to find a way to get you up there or something."

Edward looked up at her object of interest. He sighed and gathering some strength, he leaped up and landed right inside the cave. He peeked down at her then, "now we have to find a way to bring you up here."

Aliyah chuckled at his humor and without a reply, she shape shifted into her wolf and climbed the rock with a few jumps. Landing in front of him, she shook her fur to praise herself. Edward rolled his eyes and limped to sit at a corner of the cave and Aliyah did a quick sniff around to make sure they were alone.

"Don't bother, if there is anything here, it should be the one afraid," Edward said, closing his eyes and breathing in heavily. He needs blood and fast otherwise history would repeat itself and he wondered how long it would be before he wakes up again.

Aliyah shifted back to her human self. Now in an enclosed space with him, she was suddenly wary about being naked in his presence and to think she had been like that all in evening without a single care. She slowly approached him, squatting in front of him now. "Can I ask you something?" she whispered.

"Since when do you ask permission?" Edward asked with his eyes closed.

"You normally heal within seconds, what makes tonight different? Is it because it's a Nebuzar or maybe the thing in them that made them deranged?"

Edward opened his eyes to look at her. He could see the clear curiosity in her bright blue eyes along with something else, care? And for him? Is it possible? He sighed and licked his lips as he glanced away from her. "I'm thirsty," he whispered. "I have been from the blood moon night but I never got the chance to feed, so the wound tonight is deep and without enough blood in my system, my healing is slowed."

"So all you need is blood?" she asked.

"Yes."

"What would happen if we don't get you to the human realm in time or maybe, get you some blood? Will you die?"

Edward scoffed, "die is a strong word," he answered and looked at her then. "I will only get weaker and weaker till I fall asleep. The last time it happened, I didn't wake up until after eight hundred years."

"What?" Aliyah was shocked. "That long?"

"I only survived because I am an Original, younger nightwalkers would die in the sleep. That is why you will see some nightwalkers feeding almost every time because they don't want to die. You get weak, you die. But in my case, I will just go into a deep slumber that would take me years to wake up. Hundreds of years or so I figured the last time," he explained.

Aliyah didn't want to think of what would become of her to wait for him to wake up after eight hundred years. She could already be dead before then. She sighed, making her decision immediately as she crawled closer to him.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked, surprised to see her bringing her wrist to his lips.

"What does it look like I am doing?" Aliyah asked, she didn't want to think of what she is doing and only just hopes that her blood would be enough.

"You do know that I still want to..."

"Kill me very, very, very, very much," Aliyah finished for him with a roll of her eyes. "But you will need your strength to do that."

Edward was surprised she knew exactly what he wanted to say but he was more surprised that despite knowing that, she was still offering her blood to save him. He looked from her wrist where he could hear her pulse and the flow of her blood in her veins to her determined eyes. "Are you not afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"That I might hurt you?"

"You might, you might not. All in all, it's a risk I am willing to take," she smiled. "But, something tells me you won't hurt me." She locked her gaze with his with a gentle smile.