A/N:
Well. Guess I'm a liar now. I said I wouldn't post another chapter until I finished the book but here we are. Enjoy :)

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A roar shakes the entire city, reaching out to who knows how many miles. Although it seems impossible, something tells me that the whole world heard it. A powerful, ground shaking omen that's deafening to the ears. It sends vibrations throughout my entire body, shaking me to the core both physically and emotionally.

An aura of dominance. An order to submit and a forewarning of unimaginable consequences if you don't. But above all else, it says one thing: whatever made that sound, it isn't human.

In that single instance every scrap of self control contained within me shatters. Every emotion I've ever smothered down spills out like blood on the ground. The howl long suppressed rips itself from my vocals, a long, drawn out cry. It pierces even my own ears and sends chills down my spine.

If heartbreak had a sound, it would be that.

"Amber, what the hell?!" Cole's distressed yelling is somehow drowned out before it reaches my ears. As if he's screaming from underwater.

My entire body seems to quiver, barely holding itself up. My hands shake as I bring them to my face, staring at them as if they're foreign objects. My vision blurs, like invisible tears in my eyes.

"AMBER," two hands forcefully shake my shoulders, Cole's face staring back at mine, "ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!"

As if finally being lifted from the daze, reality comes surging back. The horrified screams of people in the city registers in my mind, as well as Cole's interrogative stare.

"No time. Go. Now," my words are firm and commanding as he's pushed away hastily.

He laughs bitterly. "You're fucking funny. I just found you after two years and I'm sure as hell not doing it again," he then drops his voice into a mutter, almost to himself, "It was too much work."

My hand reaches for the collar of his shirt, grabbing it rougher than intended due to the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I yank him toward me, our faces threateningly close.

I speak to him in a low and even tone. "If you value your life in even the slightest then get out of my sight. In fact, I'm not giving you a choice," I release his shirt and forcefully shove him back with a snarl, "Go."

Adding fuel to the fire, Cole plants his feet where he was pushed to. An expression so familiar that it's chilling falls over his face, like a mask blotting out the real Cole with a rare instance of seriousness.

Even after two years, I still remember that look...

My mouth opens to yell at him, to spew profanities, to say anything in my power to get him to disappear into the shadows like he always did. But I never get to. The presence behind me turns my body rigid and sends chills down my spine. Fear exploded in my chest, and at the same time, there was happiness that blossomed with it.

As if possessed by some other force, the consciousness of my actions slips through my fingers like sand. I find myself running, eyes locked on a familiar face. Within seconds my body collides with another, strong arms firmly wrapping themselves around me in an immediate embrace. My legs naturally lock around a waist, and my arms around tense shoulders, pressing my face hungrily against the junction of a neck.

Not even drinking in his heavenly, sublime scent calms me now. I remain glued to my Lifeblood like his existence and mine both depends on it, refusing to let him go even if it were the world trying to rip him away. He returns my actions in full force with those of his own. His arms envelope me tightly, his hold more unbreakable than even the strongest of metals. He too buries his face in my neck and hair, like getting high after suffering too long from the withdrawals.

So many mutual feelings and so much pain is shared between us in this moment, but above all else one word comes into mind: desperation.

The agony of the separation is finally over. The torture of the bestial instincts clawing at our insides is eased, content even. But there's still pain. The ecstasy of it hurts. It hurts in a way that I would tolerate for an eternity if it meant this moment never ending.

A raspy sound comes from behind me, the sound of Cole's throat clearing. It's as if the realization of his presence cuts the emotional connection between Asher and I like a thin piece of string. Asher's head raises, a deep, threatening growl resonating through his body and vibrating through mine. His eyes glow the same deadly golden color that I've missed-- like molten honey illuminated in the light.

A snarl rips from his throat as he stares over my shoulder at Cole. With that the phase of relief is over, and in its place come the build up of consequences that can no longer be evaded.

It's all too familiar to me-- the body language, the livid eyes, the instincts of the wolf surfacing-- all of it the symptoms of someone seeking an alliance with Death. Someone seeking to do his job for him.

My legs drop on their own accord, my feet planting firmly on the ground. It's as if our thoughts occurred in the same second; his to kill Cole and mine to stop him from doing so. My arms push against his shoulders, legs bracing themselves backwards and out from under me for traction. He responds with just as much force, matching me strain for strain. A couple steps back, a couple steps forward, and the pushing match ends on a stalemate, eventually turning us into statues unable to push the other any further.

How the hell is he able to match me?

A Lycan's strength is suppose to be immeasurable. Unequaled. Not anything near what a simple short-fused werewolf could match in a fit of anger.

Then my eyes meet his golden ones, and an observation surfaces that I've never payed attention to before: every other wolf's eyes are black.

"ASHER!" A scream pulls me from my thoughts, angry and familiar. Daniel comes running up the side of the hill, trailed along by the pink haired girl whom I remember as Venya.

The Beta reaches us, trying in vain to pull Asher back by locking his arms around his torso. A change is barely noticed in the resistance, gaining me only half a step forward.

All this time I was hiding what I was from him, now it appears he was doing just the same.

"Asher, stop!" The command comes as a hiss pushed out between my gritted teeth.

As if realizing what he were doing, he reluctantly stops resisting, in result causing a break in the chain of force and becoming sandwiched between Daniel's body and mine.

"Tell me who he is before I rip him apart," Asher demands as his voice shakes in lividity. His jaw is clenched so tightly that a subtle cracking can be heard, as if someone were grinding sand between their teeth.

Neither Daniel nor myself move from our positions, remaining frozen in the poses we were in while restraining him. My muscles remain tense, expectant for him to make another sudden lunge.

"He's a friend," I answer calmly and clearly, "I just found him after two years of separation. There are no feelings between us. He means nothing to me, not like that."

Even if my words did calm him down, all affects of doing so are reversed by Cole's comment.

"Well damn Amber, I'm hurt," he interjects, pressing his palm over his heart. Even after so long he hasn't changed in the slightest-- still having to insert his smartass opinion no matter how inconvenient it is.

A growl erupts from my throat, my temper rising like a thermometer in a pot of boiling water.

"Shut your fucking mouth, Cole!" My snapping at him seems to satisfy Asher, his shoulders visibly relaxing. His eyes still send daggers at him, although he's no longer fighting to get to him for the sole purpose of ending his life.

Leaving Asher and Cole locked in taut eye contact, my gaze falls on Daniel, who has now released his hold on my Lifeblood and taken a small step back.

"What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What the hell are you doing here? I followed this stupid son of a bitch to make sure he didn't get killed," he shakes his head, a bit of a disbelieving smile cracking his lips, "I didn't think you had the guts to leave. I figured you'd be back the next morning. Now we're in fucking Italy." He throws his arms out, gesturing to the world around us.

"You know what though," he continues, a sort of eccentric approval in his eyes, "It's not every week I get to see an entire pack killed."

Before his statement can be questioned, an array of yelling and shouting starts up in the city below. Everyone falls silent, heads turning in unity towards the noise.

"Oh, yeah..." Cole speaks awkwardly, breaking the silence among us, "I may have forgotten to mention that the Liberators are here."

Venya opens her mouth for the first time since arriving, starting her sentence with, "Who are the-"

"It doesn't matter. We have to go," I interrupt angrily, avoiding the answers to any questions that can lead to the past. But the past is closing in on me. I know that now. And it won't be much longer until I'll run out of corners to round.

"Run. I'll see if I can distract them and catch up later," Cole states, signifying that this will be one of the rare life or death occasions in which he chooses to act maturely. Within the timespan of a single blink, a large, deep brown wolf resumes his place, heading towards the outskirts of the city with long strides.

Silently, Daniel follows his lead, transforming with an assortment of grotesque popping and cracking sounds into a lighter brown wolf, streaking over the hill after his new ally in the fight to come. Venya goes last, her dark grey figure trailing closing behind the other two. It's still a mystery to me as to why she's here in the first place, albeit forced considering the deep hatred she harbors for the three of us.

A series of howls sound out in the direction they ran, cries of battle sounding the alarm.

My hand firmly grasps Asher's, pulling him with me in haste. "Come."

He follows without question, giving my hand an unintentional squeeze as if not to let it slip from his grasp. One place comes to mind for refuge, the same place Cole and I could always relied on for shelter even against the gravest of consequences. Eventually we break into a  run, climbing the vast mountainside as if it were flat ground. A well known, weathered tower turret comes into view over the trees, already calming me with the thought of safety.

We finally reach our destination, the sight of the old faded brown brick structure greeting us. Its walls are chipped and worn with time, looking the part of an ancient artifact. Remnants of a historically wistful castle litter the surrounding area, this single watchtower being the only thing that remains of citadel that once stood here.

I release Asher's hand and he hesitates, as if torn between reestablishing his hold or letting me go.

I've lost his trust. But who can blame him?

Without even searching for it, habit takes me to the rope hiding in the tower wall, removing a brick and pulling it out from the space within. The brick is then replaced, put back into the same spot like it had never moved.

The rope is thick, various knots tied throughout the length of it to assist the climber. A large metal piece is tied at one end in the shape of a curved 'T'.

I swing the rope for a few seconds, gathering momentum before launching it towards the sky. It wraps around a wooden rod jutting out from the side of the tower, the makeshift grapple hooking back into itself.

Asher and I ascend the rope one by one, being embraced by the protection of this forgotten structure.

Safety was obtained, but peace? Peace is too much to ask for.

Asher turns on me, his yellow, wolffish eyes presently burning.

"I want an explanation."

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A/N:
Ugh I feel like I'm so bad at writing climax scenes like this. It's too hard and I'm sick of it XD

Anywho, your thoughts on Cole? I'm excited to write more scenes with him and his personality.