I was out of my chair and following Silas down the hall within seconds. The only thought running through my mind was that Lara was hurt and that she needed me. When we reached the bathroom there was a loud crash and the sound of glass breaking. Were we under attack? The questions cleared when Silas pushed the door open and rushed inside.

Lara was on her hands and knees on the floor near the basin with blood and glass surrounding her while Avery stood a few feet away already half shifted. My eyes dropped to her hand were blood dripped from her claws. Lara's blood.

"Avery. . ." I snarled but my words died down when I heard a snap.

Silas pushed me out of the way and crouched next to Lara. He placed a hand on her lower back and spoke softly to her. Whatever he was saying wasn't really having a calming effect on her like I knew it was supposed to. Lara whimpered and arched her back. Another bone snapped, quickly followed by another and another.

Avery moved, snapping my attention towards her.

"Lara, breathe. Fight it."

But it was too late. Avery completed her shift and run passed me and Lara was right behind her. I run after them with Silas right behind me.

"What's going on?" Devon questioned when we ran passed him.

Lara and Avery were in the yard, slowly circling each other. A grip on my arm stopped me from moving forward to intervene. I glanced up at Silas who shook his head. He wanted me to stand aside and watch them fight? Was he insane? Lara didn't know how to fight in her shifted form which meant that Avery could easily kill her. Was that what he wanted, for Avery to kill his mate.

I was briefly aware of the others stepping out of the house and joining us. The elders were complaining and my father's were trying to calm them. Silas's hold on my arm tightened when Avery attacked.

Their growls and howls of pain echoed around the trees as they started to fight. Both their coats were already covered in blood. I swallowed and tried to fight the panic that threatened to overwhelm me.

Avery had Lara pinned to the ground with her jaw snapping inches from Lara's neck. My lips parted, but then Lara dug her claws into Avery's stomach and it was enough of a distraction to kick Avery off. Lara struggled to her feet and shook out her fur. She turned and tracked Avery before she lowered her upper body, ready to attack.

Avery was breathing heavily. I could tell that she was struggling to stay on her feet. Lara took that as the perfect opportunity to attack. She had Avery pinned to the ground and her jaw locked around her neck within seconds.

"Enough!" Silas's voice held so much power that my knees actually weakened.

I knew everybody else felt it too because I heard my mother gasp. Silas dropped my arm and stepped forward.

"Grab blankets," he ordered over his shoulder as he made his way towards them.

I watched as Lara growled down at Avery one last time before she got off her and staggered away. She only took a few steps before she dropped to the ground. After one last glance in her direction, I pushed my way through them to grab some blankets from the house.

***

Silas

I ran a hand down Lara's side as I kneeled next to her. My eyes instantly started trailing over her body in search for wounds. Lara only had a few scratches here and there but most of the blood belonged to Avery.

"Breathe, sweetness," I said softly as I leaned over her. "Count and breathe just like I taught you."

"Here."

I glanced up to find Ethan holding a blanket out to me. His eyes were focused on Lara and that just angered me more. This happened because of him. Couldn't he see all the damage he was causing?

"Get Avery out of here," I ordered as I grabbed the blanket from him.

I covered Lara with the blanket as she started to shift. When she was done, I made sure that every inch of her body was covered before I slipped my hands underneath her and pulled her against my chest. She clutched at my shirt and pressed her face against my neck. I could feel her tears dampening my skin.

My eyes locked with my father's as I walked past them and into the house. By the look of things, they weren't happy at all but that was the least of my worries. Lara hadn't shifted since she killed that man but that was only because I was always there to calm her. This time she was all alone and by the time I had reached her, it was already too late.

"S-sorry," she croaked.

I walked up the stairs and headed towards the guest bedroom where I walked right into the bathroom. Lara was already pushing at my chest to let her down so I knew what was coming. I lowered her to the floor right in front of the toilet and just in time for her to start puking.

Walking over to the shower, I set the water to the right temperature and then grabbed the shower head and placed it on the floor.

Lara had slumped to the floor with her cheek resting against the cool tiles. I picked her up and pulled the blanket off before placing her down on the shower floor. Lara stayed silent as I washed the blood from her body. I turned the water warm when she started trembling.

"I almost killed her," Lara whispered, glancing up at me. "I wanted too."

"I know," I said softly. "But thankfully you didn't."

She licked her lips and reached up to close the tabs. Placing the showerhead aside, I held out my hands and helped her to her feet. The wounds she had were already starting to heal but I was still planning on calling the doctor. I should've called him when we made it to the pack house.

I gripped her hips and lifted her onto the cabinet and grabbed a towel to dry her. Throwing the towel aside, I cupped her face and tilted her head up so I could get a better look at the scratches on her cheek.

"She scratched me," Lara muttered. "She was taunting me and I might've said something I shouldn't have and she got mad."

"What did you say?"

She licked her lips and dropped her eyes. Even before she uttered a word I knew that the fight started because of Ethan.

"She was taunting me about being mated to him and that they already had a family and that I would never be able to get that." Her eyes darted up to mine. "He told her that she marked him while she was giving birth. He told her that it was her mark and not mine."

My lips twitched. "And you just had to rub it in, huh?"

I sighed and pressed a kiss against her forehead. We really need to get everything sorted out before Lara actually ended up killing Avery. A knock on the door had both of us tensing.

"Silas? I have some clothes for Lara," my mother called through the door.

I pulled the door open a few inches and held out my hand. "Thank you."

She hesitated but said nothing else. Turning, she walked out of the room and closed the door firmly behind her. Shaking off her weird behaviour, I made my way back to Lara and helped her dress.

"I—" She shook her head and slipped her arms around my neck. "I messed up, huh?"

"Don't worry about it." I slipped an arm around her waist and picked her up. "I'll take care of it."

"You can't always do that, Silas. It was my mistake and I have—"

I silenced her with glare. Lowering her to the bed, I took a seat on the edge of the bed and leaned over her. I reached out and moved a few strands of hair from her face. She was pale and sweat coated her forehead and upper lip.

"I'm going to call the doctor to check you over." I expected her to start arguing but Lara only nodded. "Get some rest, sweetness. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"No fighting."

I smirked and pressed another kiss against her forehead before I stood and made my way towards the door. With one last glance at her over my shoulder, I exit the bedroom and made my way downstairs where everybody was waiting for explanations. Not that they needed any, but Ethan needed to understand a few things.

I expected Avery to be in the living room with them but there was no sign of her. My frowned deepened when Devon turned to glare at me.

"What the hell did you do, Silas?"

"Right, blame it all on me." I scoffed. "It's all you've ever been doing—blaming everything that goes wrong on me!"

"That's because it is always you."

A harsh laugh fell from my lips. "Because your precious son can never do anything wrong right? Ethan is a fucking angel in your eyes, am I right father?"