SCARLETT

"I don't know if I can do this," Roman muttered for the tenth time as he squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his head against the trunk of the tree behind him.

"You have to," I told him, cupping his cheeks and gazing into his eyes. "I'll be gone for a few days, max."

He shook his head. "You don't know that."

"I do. Trust me. Nyx is going to come here, you're going to hand me over, I'll go back with him, and then I'll give you all the information and location of everything you need to know."

Erica shuffled from side to side next to me, looking anxious. "Scarlett, please tell me you're one hundred per cent sure about this. I can't take it."

I had never been more sure about something in my life. "This is going to work."

Roman had called Nyx and asked him to come over. Although, he was being probed by me the whole time. He could barely get the words out, but he knew this was for the greater good.

"And you guys can communicate now?" Brandon questioned, cocking his head, almost in disbelief.

"Yes, we can only use a few words before our bodies shut the other out, but that'll be all we'll need. I'll feed as much information back to you as I can. I'm going to speak with the gifted wolves when I'm there, and I'm going to tell them we have a plan. They'll all be willing to use their gifts to escape, I'm sure."

Brandon hummed. "I thought Nyx threatened their families, though. They won't want to escape if it means their loved ones will end up dead."

"Nyx will end up dead first, so it doesn't matter," I said, and Brandon frowned.

"I don't get why no one's done that already. If they really hate him, why don't they use their gifts to kill him? I thought gifted wolves were powerful, and Nyx is just an average clan leader."

That was true, but that was the information I was going to find out. There was a reason the gifted wolves weren't doing anything to harm him, and I wanted to know what it was.

Footsteps echoed throughout the forest, and Brandon and Erica stepped up to me, clutching onto both my arms and pushing me to my knees. I dropped down, forcing tears into my eyes. I had to harness my acting skills here. Otherwise, Nyx wasn't going to buy it.

I turned to Roman, nodding at him. He had to play the part of the angry Alpha - upset that he'd been paired with a mate that was going to get his entire pack killed.

Nyx appeared before us, his dark and beady eyes immediately darting to me, confusion masking his face. He stood tall with a few other clan members, all dressed in dark robes and sporting wary expressions.

"Roman, what's going on here? I came as soon as you told me you needed me down here."

My mate took a step forward, gulping. I could tell every instinct in him was screaming not to say it - not to reveal what I was, but we needed to do this. "Yes, as you can see, we're having to restrain Scarlett."

Nyx hummed, his dark hair blowing in the wind. "I can see that. May I ask why?"

"She's trying to escape," Roman said, gazing at me, plastering an angry expression onto his face. "Because she's a gifted wolf."

Nyx's eyes widened and he took a step towards me as Brandon grabbed my hand, twisting it around to show my scarlet-coloured mark. I fought against him, but he ignored my fake efforts.

"I had no idea," Nyx muttered, releasing a small chuckle. "I had one right under my nose." He turned his attention to Roman. "Roman, I'm so sorry you've had to go through this. There's nothing more disappointing."

He dipped his chin in agreement. "I can't have a gifted wolf as a mate. It puts a massive target on my back, and it's not safe for my pack. She lied to me."

"That's what they do," Nyx said, shooting me a small glare. "They lie. They manipulate. She probably never even loved you."

"That's not true," I spat, snarling at Nyx. His words were making me angry. I knew we were playing a part, but I couldn't help but feel like Nyx's words were actually resonating with Roman a little bit. Because I had lied to him. "Roman, please. I love you. Don't do this."

My sobs caused him to freeze, and he clamped his eyes shut and cursed. I could tell he was debating whether or not to snap Nyx's neck now, but then we'd never discover the location of the other gifted wolves. No doubt, they had another clan member who was willing to step up, and it would just be an endless cycle.

"I can see you're torn about this, Roman, but trust me when I tell you that you're doing the best thing for yourself and your pack. Trouble follows gifted wolves around like the Grim Reaper, and I'll look after her. I'll protect her and teach her how to be better." Nyx's voice was slimy, and it made me feel sick.

"That's why I'm handing her over to you instead of just kicking her out," Roman said, shooting me another glance, his eyes worrisome. "I know you'll look after her. I don't want her as a mate anymore, but we still have a bond, and I want her safe. Scarlett." Roman turned to me. "I still care about you. You know that, but we can't be together. You lied to me."

"Roman, please, I'll do anything!" I shoved at Erica and Brandon.

"There's nothing you can do. You're gifted. This is who you are, and it's dangerous for my pack. What if you were to lose your temper and use your gift on someone? They could get seriously hurt."

Nyx hummed. "Out of curiosity, did she say what her gift was?"

We'd agreed we weren't going to really tell Nyx what my gift was. The less he knew about me, the better.

"Something about the weather, we believe," Brandon interjected. "We don't know to what extent she can do it, but we don't want to risk anyone being in the crossfire."

"The weather?" Nyx cocked his head, taking a few steps towards me. He looked like he wanted to reach out and touch me, but he glanced at Roman, coming to the conclusion that it probably wasn't the best idea. "That's interesting. Very interesting. What a talent. We could definitely use that to our advantage."

"Who says I'm going to do anything for you?" I growled.

"Why isn't she shifting?" Nyx suddenly asked, gesturing to my struggling human form.

"Our doctors have given her a sedative. It keeps her human form conscious but not her wolf form. She won't be able to shift for around twenty-four hours." It was a lie, but this was what we wanted Nyx to believe.

"Wonderful, that'll make transport a whole lot easier," Nyx responded. "Is it alright if I take her? Roman, do you need to say your goodbyes? I won't allow you to come and visit her. This will be the last time you see her."

Roman shook his head. "I don't want to come and visit her. I've said my goodbyes. There's nothing else that needs to be said."

More tears fell from my eyes, and I dropped my head. "Please don't do this. Just kill me instead. Please just kill me."

Roman coughed at my fake plea, his body doubling over at it, causing Nyx to sigh. He patted him on the back.

"I know how mate bonds work. If she dies, then your body will begin to shut down, and I wouldn't do that to you, Roman. You need her alive to keep your strength up. Perhaps after a few years, the bond will have been severed, but that's a conversation for another time. We can cross that bridge when it comes to it."

"Just look after her, Nyx," Roman instructed before nodding to Brandon and Erica to hand me over. Nyx's chilling hand wrapped around my wrist, and Roman turned his back so he didn't have to watch. The last thing he wanted to see was Nyx's hands on me - even though it wasn't in a sexual manner.

I took one last look at Roman before Nyx dragged my crying form away, hoping that this wouldn't be the last time I'd see him.

***

Nyx stuck me in the back of a car once we were far enough away from Roman's territory. My tears had ceased, and I ignored Nyx as he tried to speak to me. He didn't say much, but he asked me questions about my past and my gift.

"You'll be booked in by one of my workers before being taken to your assigned pack," he told me as we pulled up to a large building, the brick crumbling and dark and desolate-looking. It was eerie and a chill wracked through my bones, causing me to wrap my arms around myself as I shivered.

I got out. I'd been paying as much attention as I could on the drive, but all I could see were trees. Everything looked the same, and it didn't give me much. Besides, it didn't look like any gifted wolves were being held here. Like he'd said, this was just the booking-in centre.

A doctor pulled me into a small room as we entered, and I lost sight of Nyx as he wound down a long corridor.

"Name, please," the doctor said to me, scribbling down onto her clipboard.

"Scarlett."

"Last name?"

I shrugged. "I don't have one."

The doctor eyed me up before sighing and moving onto the next question. "What's your gift, Scarlett?"

I remained quiet, and this caused the doctor to drop her clipboard. "We assign people packs based on their gifts. If you don't tell me what it is, I'll just send you to the highest security pack."

"Okay," I muttered. That was interesting information. They had different security packs. "The weather. I can manipulate the weather."

She hummed. "You're the third wolf we've had come to us who can do that. Before I can assign you the necessary pack, I'll need to see proof. Can you do something for me? Make it rain. Snow. Whatever you want."

I gulped. Oh shit. "I can't. My mate gave me a sedative, so I couldn't shift, but it's affected my gift, too."

"Was that confirmed with Nyx?"

I nodded. "He was there for the hand-over."

The doctor stood up, yanking on a pair of blue hospital gloves. "Alright, I'll check that with him. I'm going to need to perform a full body check on you so we can determine what state you're in. This will impact the job you're given."

I swallowed. I was just praying I'd be sent to a pack near here.