Something warm pulled me close into them while something soft glided over me. My toes wiggled while my wolf yawned in my brain; we both felt like we had been dead like a rock. The soft pitter-patter of what sounded like rain started to wake me up, along with thunder that almost calmed me down rather than frightened me.

I turned, my body was sore–like it had been through some sort of meat grinder. My head was starting to dully throb, like I had a hangover. I turned over again to see a glass of water and three ibuprofen on my bedside table with a sticky note that said, 'Take these, love E–as in Evan because Ethan couldn't find the ibuprofen.'

Smiling as tears prickled at the corner of my eyes, Ethan pulled me back to him, he fidgeted slightly–tucking his head into the crook of my neck and sleepily inhaling. My breath almost hitched when I caught a glimpse, because for a good while in that cage I was convinced I wouldn't see him again.

Tears beat at my eyes again but I pushed them back. I scooted over a hair and reached out for the medicine–tossing it back and chasing it with water that tasted way better than I anticipated; it quenched a thirst that didn't realize that I even had.

"Want me to get you some more water?" he murmured against my shoulder.

"Please," I replied back in a voice barely above a whisper.

I felt Ethan slide out of bed, his presence leaving me which immediately made my wolf whine. He walked into the bathroom, turning on the sink while I curled back into the warmth of the covers in our bed. My nose turned to the pillow, inhaling the scent that was him and our home all mixed together like its own blanket around me.

"Here," he murmured to me, his hand extending a glass to me while he slid onto the bed to sit next to me.

I took the glass and chugged it down while I tried to sit up a bit. Ethan took the glass from me after I was done, then walked back into the bathroom and filled it up again. Wiping my mouth, I scooted over as he set the cup down on the nightstand; he slid into bed, his hand reaching out to push my hair back.

"How do you feel?"

I shook my head as I rubbed my face, my brain was still groggy and my beast and I were still tired. "Like I was in a nightmare."

Ethan opened his mouth and closed it before he looked back up at me. His thumb rubbing the edge of my jaw and his eyes looking over me like I was about to vanish. "I'm sorry, I should have–"

"It's not your fault," I quickly rushed out. "They just came, there was nothing we could have done."

He let out a hot breath then pulled me closer to him, carefully so my head was cradled on his shoulder. "Sam said that it would be probably another day before it was all out of your system."

"How long have I been out?" I murmured against his skin.

He eyed me warily as fingers started to play with my hair. "Two days."

"Two days?!" I rubbed my temples then looked back up. "Why didn't you wake me? We have so much to do and–"

"Charlotte–" Ethan paused before his hand moved to my waist, toying with the fabric of his shirt. "You were in–Sam said you needed to sleep. The drugs needed to work their way out. You've been in and out, but mostly out."

On cue, my bladder seemed to wake up. I sat up, my head dizzy–so dizzy that I wanted to lay back down, but I pushed myself forward. Ethan sat up quickly and watched me carefully, almost like I was about to break. "I'm fine I just need to pee."

He nodded while I slipped out of bed. I quickly walked to the bathroom and shut the door; I pulled down my panties and sat down on the porcelain throne, which was colder than I anticipated. At least the cold woke me up a little more.

Looking down though, I saw red. Red in my underwear.

My period.

"Really?" I hissed out as I relieved myself before I looked down at my stomach. "Really?!"

"Babe? Are you ok?" Ethan asked from outside the door.

"Ya!" I called back as I angrily ripped off some toilette paper that wiped more blood out from in between my legs than anything else. Groaning I pulled the underwear off, eying the bloodstains that seemed to snap something while thunder rumbled in the background.

Blood.

There wasn't any blood when they killed her, just black smoke. Black smoke that looked like it was choking her–Amber.

I bit back a sob while I felt like I was getting beat with heavy waves; memories of Blake's black veins came to my mind while Barrett's sad smile flash in my brain.

"Charlotte?!"

Eve.

I remembered Eve and Margaret and part of me wondered if any of it was real or if the drugs had made me that crazy. They were there, though–they were the reasons I was still alive, they helped bring me home.

Sliding down the wall while more sobs poured out of my mouth, I felt like I didn't have control over all of it. Everything felt like trying to hold onto sand–trapped. Trapped in my own body like when Dominic compelled me, took away my own choice from me.

Why the hell did Amber do that?! She didn't have to do that! It was my job to look after her!

"Baby," Ethan rushed out as he ripped the door open. His eyes were wide with worry as he knelt down to me, pulling me to him and taking the dirty underwear away–tossing it in the trash while I cried into his chest. "I'm right here Charlotte, you're home," he breathed out against my hair while he pulled me tighter to him; although I felt like he was trying to convince himself more than me. "It's going to be ok."

"No, it's not," I sobbed. "They're dead and it's my fault... they're gone."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he murmured to me. I shook my head quickly because I knew I couldn't talk about it without crying hysterically. "Do you want to show me instead? Please?"

"Ok," I replied back, my voice weak but my crying settling.

Ethan didn't move, he just leaned back against the wall and kissed my temple while images of everything poured out. Images of the witches and of Nessa and Drew; I felt his beast rush forward as he watched Drew stick Amber with a needle, his beast that reached out to me when images of the cell rushed forward.

More images came–images of Dominic and of the compulsion; the feeling of being in my own body without any control while I watched the witches kill Amber, who willingly walked to her own death. More sobs wracked my body while Ethan held onto me tighter, rocking me while the pain pulsed through me.

Crying against his chest his coaxed me to keep going with a voice tense with a need to know–a need to know everything. I let more images flood forward, the images of the crates and of Blake, Barrett, the warriors, and Dominic. Ethan hissed when he saw the status of the room and almost growled when Dominic compelled me to sleep.

I showed him my escape. How Blake and I got out and how I stole the pouch of red rocks; the feeling of my heart and beast while Blake and I ran through the forest blooded over as well as the intense sense of panic when I watched Blake die.

Ethan bit back another growl while sharp sobs beat at the inside of my lips. I wanted to cry and scream and growl and yell out all in the same emotion.

"How did you get to the diner baby?" he quickly asked, petting my hair back while my skin slightly shook.

"Your mother and Eve," I replied quietly, closing my eyes as I let the rest of it pour forward.

His mother was there. His mother and Eve were there, and they were the ones that led me from the woods to Shirley's–to the diner. His mother that was encouraging and kind, whereas Eve knew exactly how to push me. They brought me down the hills to the back of that dumpster were Shirley in her glorious blue eye shadow found me.

They saved me.

"What!?" he gasped out.

I choked out another sob; it was so much–it was too much. I felt like I was breaking and suspending in the air, not moving forward towards healing or backward to pain–just floating in between.

Ethan let out a shaky breath and kissed my hair. "I'm so sorry baby."

I tried to answer but more cries came from my lips. Ethan picked me up and carried me out into the bathroom, setting me on the counter so he could go start the bathtub. Picking at my shirt, my fingers lifted some of the neck of it up so I could wipe the salty tears from my cheeks.

Ethan walked back and carefully pulled the t-shirt off of me. His thumb wiped some loose tears away and his lips kissed my forehead before he picked me up again; walking me to the bathtub, he set me carefully down in it while the warm water continued to pour in.

I leaned back against the tub while he went to the shower. He walked back carrying my shampoo and conditioner along with my razor. Setting everything down in a little metal basket that hung over the tub, he looked back at me with blue-green eyes that still held a dull pain in them. "Do you want a picnic too?"

I shook my head. I wasn't hungry, not after everything. The thought of food made me want to puke.

"Baby, you need to eat something," he replied, his voice soft while he pushed some hair behind my ear.

"Blobs?"

Ethan kissed my forehead then nodded. "We can have blobs after."

"Ok," I breathed out while he slipped his shorts off.

He climbed in behind me, legs straddling me while lips kissed my shoulder. "Lean back, let's get your hair washed."

I didn't say anything, I complied and let Ethan wash my hair out–every now and then, tears or sobs spilling from me while the rain continued to pour outside. It felt like everything was storm right now–an ugly ass storm that we couldn't sail out of.

He was gentle with me; careful to not get shampoo in my eye or use too much conditioner. His fingers were careful but thorough as they worked to get all the tangles out. He would pause to let me cry; his arms would pull me back to him while I justly the tears win the battle I was fighting with them.

Eventually, Ethan moved around to sit in front of me. I wasn't sure about him shaving my legs, but he was incredibly persistent. That and I was too tired to argue with him, I was too tired still to do much at all, but in reality, I was just so happy to be back with him that I could care less if he wanted to shave my damn head.

Ethan had my heel resting on the edge of his shoulder while he slowly moved the razor up my leg; his bottom lip between his teeth as his eyes steadily held the trail of skin the razor left between the absurd amount of shaving cream he used–his shaving cream, because apparently 'it works better.'

Successfully, he went over my knee then looked up at me with a shit-eating grin. "Not bad huh?"

"One down, you have a whole leg to go," I replied with a soft smile before I took another long sip of water that he had fetched me; he was more than adamant about making sure I flushed all this shit out of my system as quickly as I could.

Ethan rolled his eyes and went back to work, carefully shaving off the stubble that had grown on my legs like it was some kind of bomb he was diffusing. Sighing, I set the glass in the metal basket next to my shampoo and looked back at him. "Show me."

"Show you what?" he replied before he rinsed the razor off in the bathwater.

"What happened here–what's happened since I've been out."

Ethan flickered his eyes to me while his hands stilled. "Are you sure? We can do it later?"

I shook my head. "I want to know–please?"

He nodded then kissed the top of my foot before he went back to work, the bond flooding with images.

I saw the state of the house when he came; the kitchen destroyed while Nessa and Drew looked around in shock. They were blabbering out to Ethan desperately, I guess assuming that he would spare them.

Fools.

A growl tore through my lips, stopping Ethan as his angry eyes met mine in a moment of understanding. "I want their blood."

"So does Aaron," Ethan replied.

Nodding while I sat back against the tub, he let more flood over to me while his hands went back to their task. I saw how worried he was and felt the pain he went through; it gripped my heart almost to the point I couldn't breathe.

I saw him search everywhere, everywhere he could think of without sleeping or resting. I saw Levi with him–Levi who was close to killing everyone. Images of Evie flooded through when they interrogated rogues–crazy and sick with laughter that sent chills down my spine.

Jake.

I saw Jake meet him mate and instantly it broke my heart. The girl was crazy–sick. They were trying to question her but she only rambled out things that scared the hell out of Ethan and had me gripping the tub in horror.

Ethan was rubbing my leg, murmuring reassuring things to me while more poured out. I saw that day–the day they found me. He had Jake try to talk to Cora, but she was just as useless as before.

Sam thought she was sick–going rogue, but she wasn't sure how. Ethan was furious, frustrated, and ready to kill someone when someone said a few wolves with 'my body' were at the line.

He almost lost it. Evan had to keep him calm while they ran to the line where there was a body with a blanket left over it on the very edge of out pack line near Tikanni's. Red dust and some rocks had been left, like whoever left it was in a mad rush to get the hell out.

Amber.

Amber was below the blanket. Ethan was so confused–stunned for a moment as her body, untouched, lay like it was sleeping.

Aaron lost it. Aaron lost it and Evan along with Ryder had to keep him from hurting himself–he saw his sister and his beast about tore into the first person that was around.

My heart twisted while Ethan tried to calm him down–but there was nothing to soothe that. His sister was laying dead like a fallen angel in the grass; she had gone to the other side, and she wasn't coming back.

But Ethan was terrified. He was terrified because he knew that it would be a matter of time before they realized that Amber was not me. He was terrified because he knew now that I wasn't a hostage–they meant to kill me, rip me away from him.

He was terrified until Levi linked him. He linked him and for a few moments, he thought it was crazy until Remi linked him as well, right after he had gotten off the phone with me.

I saw him find me at the diner and take me home, looking at the red rocks that he locked half of in our safe and gave the rest to Bernard. He didn't leave me; he had been here since I was out. He was either next to me, sitting next to the bed, or downstairs with Evan and Levi trying to clean the mess up.

Levi.

He had come and sat with Ethan while Sam checked me over. He let Derek wash me off while Levi spoke with him downstairs; apparently, they had raided the place they found me. Levi and Ethan let Evie walk on me while I was asleep, and it was almost impossible to make her wait for Levi to round up his men to go with her.

They found Barrett, he was almost dead–apparently hooked up to some machine draining his blood out, but he was alright. Evie had him in a cabin down the hill, my old cabin, and told Levi that he was going to be fine.

But Levi's warriors were dead.

Greg threw a fit when Levi showed up, but Levi just tossed his ass into a tree then let Lander have at him. He and David marched into the building to see the warriors hanging by ropes with their fangs ripped out in the room they had kept me.

Alex and Leo apparently helped Levi raid the building–they met them on the way there, Alex apparently almost broke the car because he was driving so fast on the way there; Levi's men raided the pack along with Ajax and his men since they were Greg's neighbors–the pack that was now under Ajax and Levi's marshal law.

The pack who's alpha, beta, Master of Arms, Sergeant of Arms, head tracker, and accompanying females were all sitting in a cell guarded by furious Tikanni warriors. They're warriors knew better than to put up a fight, as did the pack; apparently some of the pack didn't have a clue about what Greg was doing, they just thought the building was part of their cells where they held rogues–a place were normal pack members don't every really venture to.

Half of the captains were in on it, while the other half were not–Evie confirmed that much. The ones that were in on it, apparently had their hearts ripped out before Levi and Lander had them have them skinned and hung out in front of the pack house; eventually, Ajax was tired of 'that filth on this land.' They let Ajax's pigs have them.

They had already burned the bodies of the Tikanni warriors, including Blake's which David seemed really broken up about. He had come to visit with Penelope, who had brought me some flowers that I remembered seeing on the nightstand.

Dominic was gone, though.

Alex was furious. He found traces of Dominic's blood, but no Dominic. That thought in itself made vile creep up in my mouth–he was something that no one needed in their hands. Dominic was too powerful for his own good; a weapon that no one needed to have.

I sucked in a breath as the images over the bond faded. Ethan placed a long kiss to my calf then leaned his chin covered in slight stubble on it. "Cora?"

He let out a tired breath and set my leg gently back in the water before he picked up the other. "Sam thinks she has the cursed blood–"

"What?!" Ethan nodded to me while he squirted out some shaving cream and started to lather it on my leg. I quickly shook my head because the idea in itself was mad. "Are you sure? Is she? I mean how?"

"She doesn't know," he replied as he dipped his hands in the water before he picked the razor back up. "She says that Cora is showing all the signs of going rogue without the sadness or sorrow–she smells of sickness, but it's different than the ones we have in the cells."

"Oh my God," I breathed out. "Poor Jake, can she do anything?"

Ethan shrugged. "I don't know sunshine. Dagny is helping her look into it with Daphne. Sam has some blood samples from Cora and the other rogues–I hope so. It's not good for Jake, I don't know how to help him."

"Does it help? Him being around her?" I asked while he started to shave away carefully at my leg.

"A little," Ethan answered. "She's gotten calmer when he's around–actually Ryder says she won't talk unless he's there with her. Apparently, she goes through states of being totally Joker crazy to where Ryder says she almost sounds normal."

"Maybe he's helping then? I don't know, maybe it does something?"

"Maybe," Ethan breathed out as he dipped the razor in water to rid it of the excess cream.

"What about Aaron? You didn't light her pyre?"

"He wanted to wait for you to wake up," Ethan replied with a sad smile. " He came by a few times; he's doing ok. Debbie had him move into their house with Jake and Ryder. It's cramped but Evan and Lyanna have been so busy, and he really needs someone to look out for him right now.

"Debbie's like everyone's adoptive mom anyways. She took Ryder in when Nick died like he was one of their's, even offered to adopt him. She'll keep him together until he's ready to decide what he wants to do."

"What about Barrett?" I asked. "And Elliot? Have you heard?"

"Barrett is going to be ok," he replied without taking his eyes off my leg. "Alex already left before he and Levi could get into it, but Leo stayed. I guess Alex tore off with Helen to look for Dominic, but Elliot is fine. There were no rogues, but he said there were signs of them everywhere. He thinks they moved them; he found a few dead bodies floating below the ice floor–so they were definitely there at one point."

"Christ, maybe Dominic got away?"

Ethan shook his head. "I don't think so, baby. He didn't look that strong in your memory, I think they either wore him down or got some leverage on him."

I nodded. "I don't know whether to hate him or not. I feel like after everything we've heard that I should want to hate him, but he just–he helped me. He was kind to Amber, he could have let them defang her, but he didn't. He never seemed like the kind of person to care about that. He saved my life, whether I agree with how he did it or not."

"Well, I certainly don't want to kill him," Ethan replied before he kissed my ankle. "But he's someone we don't need working against us, he's dangerous enough as it is."

Shaking my head while he worked the razor up my leg again, it was all so much and so insane. "Where's Levi? And what about those rocks I got?"

"They are called Bloodstones, and Bernard and Caleb can explain it all. Apparently, you found something big baby, Caleb about shit himself when he saw them."

"Thank God," I breathed out while Ethan continued his task.

"Levi is fine, he's actually been staying here with me. He's not here right now, he went to check on Barrett but he should be back." Ethan paused and looked up at me with a sad smile. "I can't believe you saw them."

My throat tightened as my mind drifted back. "I thought I died," I said before a mix of a laugh and sob broke through my lips. "I really thought I had died. I thought that I was with them because–"

"Baby," Ethan breathed out while I covered my mouth to stop the sobs. He rubbed my leg then kissed my calf, leaning his cheek against it while I tried to calm down. "Do you think they've seen anyone else? I know Evan said he thought he heard Eli in his room one night, but Levi's never said anything..."

"I don't know." I shook my head quickly then looked back at him. "I have no idea, I mean, I could see why. It may still even now be too much, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lucas hasn't tried."

Ethan was quiet while he continued at my legs. Every now and then he would stop and kiss an area that he shaved–looking at it like the skin was about to disappear. He eventually finished then rinsed what was left of the shaving cream off before he helped me out of the tub.

I dried off and fished out a tampon from the cabinet, because apparently, Mother Nature had impeccable timing, while Ethan found me a new shirt and some sweatpants. He was laying on his side looking at my side of the bed when I walked back in; quietly, I crawled back in bed and scooted over where he opened his arms for me.

He kissed my temple and then looked back down at me. His eyes still held pain and fear, a fear that felt so real because in a way I still felt so helpless. Ethan pushed some hair out of my face then kissed my forehead again while his thumb traces my bottom lip. "I think I thought you died. I thought about going to the tree to make sure–she told me you were with Eli."

"She?"

"Cora."

My eyes widened before my bottom lip started to quiver. "They just came. How–how do we fight that?" I replied, my voice shaking slightly as it tumbled out.

"Caleb and Bernard have a few ways now, there's something about those stones that helped," he replied with a soft smile. "And I am super gluing you to me, so if it happens again, at least we'll be together."

A small laugh tumbled out of my lips before Ethan gave me a tired smile with that teasing look in his eyes that I loved so much. I leaned closer then let my lips graze his before I pressed a little harder; kissing him slowly like my lips had completely forgotten what he felt like.

"I love you," I breathed out, my forehead resting on his.

He let out a shaky breath and dipped down to kiss me again. "I love you too sunshine."