Spending an entire life within confined walls, was a life that couldn't be lived completely. There would always be questions, wonderings and dreams about the outside world. There were plenty of people living in such conditions that never harboured any kind of feelings driving them to fight for more. To see more.

Live more.

That pull hadn't grabbed me either, until Reece mentioned the possibility of it. I had always wondered and dreamed, but actually stepping out of those boundaries to be thrown into a world completely foreign? It was an entirely new concept. An entirely new way of life!

And now came the time for me to make a decision. Was I even ready to just up and leave a place I had grown up in?

Was I ready to give up my runs through Everett Forest? 

Give up the search for answers that the council fought so hard to keep hidden? 

The bones down at the ocean? The books that had been moved? 

How they'd constructed the protection barriers?

There were still so many mysteries left open. If I'd leave Everett Valley, I would leave behind my home. The kitchen, in which countless conversations had taken place. The Iarhus, where I'd spent hours upon hours listening and learning.

"Catherine, it's time," a maturing voice spoke, causing me to stir from the sleepless dream—the daydreaming—that I had been caught up in.

My limbs, once I tried to remove myself from the couch, ached. It was as if I had actually slept for an eternity in an uncomfortable position. I guess in a way I had.

"You've been staring at the wall for hours. You need to go now, unless you're not going to do it after all." Emmet stared down at me, a somewhat concerned look on his features. I shook my head.

"I've been thinking," I started, standing wobbly on my two legs, "and I'll go talk to them. I'll be back tonight."

Emmet nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving me to stretch my aching limbs and feel the bones in my body crack. I heard Emmet turn on the stove and grab a few kitchen utensils. I furrowed my brows.

Emmet didn't cook.

My confusion cleared up as soon as Reece burst the house-door open and brushed past me. I rolled my eyes and stood there, watching my brothers start to cook together, not a word being uttered. 

They were quiet. 

Just when I was about to turn and leave the same way Reece had come in, he glanced over his shoulder and our eyes connected.

I blinked once, telling him without saying it that I'd do the right thing. Subtly, he nodded in return and steered his attention to the pan Emmet almost banged his head on.

Sighing, I turned around and left.

The cool breeze of autumn whisked my hair out of my face. Although I was dressed fitting to the chilling weather, I still managed to freeze. That was one of the things I didn't enjoy about being human. 

Humans always got cold so fast.

When my wolf took over, even in the deepest winter, the temperature was never of such significance. Unless one managed to get themselves soaked in water—then no animal with fur was immune to the cold. It only made me wonder what the weather would be like outside of Everett Valley...

Any proper subordinate goes where his alpha leads him, I thought to myself as I continued my walk.

But in this community things weren't that simple. Especially not things like the chain of command.

One leader in a human-driven society was a dictator, according to the council. And dictators never did anything with interest in the wellbeing of their people. Having the pack's leader deciding things would basically be like having a dictator. That just wouldn't do.

How blind they all are to reason.

How ignorant they were not to understand that it was the leader who decided how to lead. Not the title itself. It made me sad that everything was changing. More than twenty winters of routine were going to turn into more winters of constant uncertainty. 

There was a lot at stake. And I didn't have the faintest idea how I was going to convince others to come if I myself wasn't sure.

Once the famous blue shutters came into view, I took a slight curve and steered towards the Denn's home. Before I was able to knock, Kendra's curls were already all over my face. 

She bumped straight into me, as if she'd been in a hurry to get out.

"Hmpf," I let out, stumbling a few steps back and taking in the sight in front of me. Kendra had her dark hair open and her cheeks powdered. When I looked down at what she was wearing, I raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Where are you going?"

Kendra blushed and she bore a facial expression that displayed how 'caught' she felt. I rolled my eyes.

"Please don't say what I think you'll say—" I started.

"This is not what it looks like—" she said at the exact same time.

We both chuckled lightly. My eyebrow wandered higher. She sighed, exasperated, and her shoulders dropped instantly.

"Alright. It's exactly what it looks like," she confessed and fastened the straps of her grey bag around her left shoulder.

"And what would that be?"

I absolutely loved setting Kendra on edge and making her squirm.

She sighed again. Moving uncomfortably, she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Her cheeks were still flaming red and I could see how very upset she was. Only because she was my Maecena, I let it go.

"I'll let you go to Dante in a minute."

As soon as his name left the tip of my tongue, Kendra took in a sharp breath of air and was visibly shocked at my reaction.

She stammered, "I'm—I don't—uh..."

I shook my head. "At this point, nothing really matters except what you want and what will make you happy. I've found my own promised who happens to be Dante's older brother," I explained, watching her expression turn from uncomfortable to plain shocked.

Her mouth gaped open. "How could you not—"

"There is no time to explain. You've got to listen to me, Kendra, and I can only say this once." I paused, looking around as to see if anyone was listening in. 

We still didn't know how the council was monitoring us. I just hoped they weren't watching now. 

"Shall we sit on one of the benches down the street?"

If they were listening, then it would only be a matter of time until we needed to hurry and leave.

Kendra took a few moments until she was capable of nodding. During our short walk down the street we kept quiet. We went the short distance I had come from and took a seat on our typical bench that stood surrounded by trees. The trees were planted evenly down the entire street. Kendra and I didn't speak a word.

She kept wanting to say something—judging by the way she kept opening and closing her mouth. There was not enough time for any other questions. I was on a tight schedule and as much as I wanted this to work, she needed the rest of the day to think her decision through. 

It was going to be the hardest one of her life.

"Kendra, you're one of the most important people in my life. And I'm telling you this because I couldn't bear to leave you behind without having given you a choice. You deserve to know more than anyone else."

Kendra drew in another sharp breath.

"Heavens, C, stop talking around the bush and just come out and say it," she said with an annoyed undertone to her voice that made me proud of her. 

It had started becoming worrisome that she never lost her cool. Even happy Kendra had to get pissed off once in a while.

"Alright."

This time it was me who took in a deep breath, bracing myself for her reaction. I could probably try to brace myself for hours without end and I still wouldn't be prepared, because quite frankly, I had no clue how she'd react. A small part of me was scared.

"Reece is leaving. And so is Jarred. I'm not sure about anyone else in the pack. The only people I am concerning myself with is you and Holden. And I'm going too."

Saying it out loud made it feel a lot more real than when I had been thinking about it.

And it scared me shitless.

"What!?" she nearly screamed. "You're what?"

She waited a few moments, breathing heavily.

"Why?"

"Because there's a killer in Everett Valley. It's not safe anymore. I'm sure Madame Esmara has told you about it?"

I waited for Kendra to nod, but she never did.

"See, that's exactly what I mean. And that's the reason Reece insinuated this whole thing. He's supposed to be alpha. And an alpha leads his pack. But here, the council rules. Your grandmother rules, together with human and immortal elders. It's not in an alpha's nature to share. Although, in our community, he doesn't share it, he only serves as an advocate. He never actually makes active decisions about things that matter," I explained. 

"And there have been more killings since the dead body we found in the cave. The Frey's were found dead a few days ago, Kendra. And Emmet and I were attacked in our own home, that day you asked me about the bruises."

Kendra's face contorted, deep lines streaking her forehead while her lips trembled. "Wh—wait—wha..." 

Kendra closed her mouth and opened it several times, not managing to utter a single coherent word.

"You remember that time when Alice went missing so many years ago?" 

Waiting for Kendra to nod, I continued once she did. 

"I went down to the ocean too. Not even the Protectors go down there. There were remains there that the council doesn't want us to know about. They've been moving books from the human section of town out of there, so nobody has any access to them anymore," I said quickly with a hushed voice, frantically looking around. 

"You do not get to tell anyone about this, Kendra, no one. I haven't even told Reece about the remains yet," I continued. 

"There are a lot of things going on that have question marks written all over them. We don't know if these things are coming from Madame Esmara, Sir Francis or the human elder, Madame Maxine. Maybe all three of them are doing something. Reece hasn't found out anything—"

Before I could continue, Kendra interrupted me. "Would you shut up for a second please?" Her agitation caught me off guard. 

Taken aback, I widened my eyes and waited for her to explain or do something.

When she remained silent and breathed through, I realised she probably needed time to process all the information I was loading on her.

For a few moments, we sat there in complete silence. I felt the emotional turmoil inside of her, how worked up about it she'd become while listening to every detail.

I couldn't wait any longer, however. "He's sick of the council's ways. He's sick of being a puppet," I added. 

"And although I would have never gotten the idea to leave myself, I agree with him. And he's my family. So I'm going. And I want you to come, too. We're leaving Everett Valley to find a place in Espheros we can start anew."

There.

I finally said it.

Just when Kendra was about to open her mouth and give me some kind of a reply, she got cut off before she could even start.

Suddenly, something inside of me clicked into place—that pulling feeling that I'd had since the day at the mansion just disappeared. Gone. I felt freer than I did before.

How was that possible? Was it the mantle?

"Here we were, discussing strategy and what the hell to do with this place," a voice interrupted.

A chill ran down my spine and my heart froze. Reagan.

I felt like I was about to choke and die on my own saliva.

"But then I thought... since Dante was about to meet up with little Miss Denn here, why not get my promised, too?"

A deep, humourless chuckle rumbled through a broad, mouth-watering chest.

"You two ladies will be joining us in The Mansion. And this is not a request."

I wish I could have died on the spot.

Chapter Question: Yay Reagan's back! What do you think he wants them at The Mansion for? 

Reader Question: I love cliffhanger endings. I love writing them much more than reading, haha! What do you guys think? Good, bad, no feelings at all?