The pair made it back to the camp before their hour together came to an end. They climbed back up into their bedroom and back into bed. Lance held Cyrus's hand underneath the blanket, and that made it a little easier for him to fall asleep.

The following morning Cyrus didn't immediately get up at the crack of dawn. He woke up to Lance's smiling face and his deep voice, "Good morning."

Cyrus rubbed his eyes, yawning tiredly, "Were you watching me sleep?"

"Yeah, can't help it, you're a pretty sleeper."

Cyrus hides his smile into the pillow, "Shut up."

"C'mon, let's each breakfast!" Lance gets up and slaps Cyrus's bottom, walking over to the dresser and getting dressed. Cyrus groans and drags himself out of bed, getting dressed as well.

He's had to get up earlier than this for two weeks now, he didn't know why he was struggling to now. Maybe because he wasn't so worried about facing Adonis as he was before. If he wanted to enjoy these last few weeks he had with Lance, then he would.

Most of the pack members were surprised to see Cyrus join them for breakfast, but welcomed him. He grabbed a plate of breakfast and sat beside Lance as they ate. He happily scarfed down his food. Carolyn set down a water bottle to grab his attention. He was surprised to find her smiling down at him, but he returned the smile.

She spoke, "Don't tell me you're taking the day off again."

"Of course not, just eating breakfast first."

"Good. When you're done, meet me outside."

She left the room and the water bottle, and Cyrus sighed. He would have to explain to Carolyn how he wouldn't be taking training as seriously now. Hopefully she would make his training a lot simpler. He would also have to ask her about last night, if anything went wrong. Considering her behavior, he assumed nothing went wrong.

Last night... his face began to burn as the heated memories of the night prior resurfaced. It almost seems like a dream come true. A very heated, sensual, and intense dream. But still, Cyrus couldn't be happier. He smiled as he took a bite of his toast.

'You want me to tag along?' Lance's voice echoed in his head. Cyrus coughed, then cleared his throat. He still wasn't used to this whole telepathic thing.

He shook his head, I won't be long.

'Are you sure? I think you'll miss me too much.'

Cyrus fought back a smile. Cocky, are we?

'Yes, very. I just winked, by the way. You weren't looking. Oh, Ethan. Ethan, Ethan, Ethan. Now I can say your name however much I want!'

Cyrus shivered. Stop that.

'Why? I thought you liked it when I say your name. Actually, I know for a fact you do.'

I'm leaving. Cyrus stood up and headed outside. The sky was bright blue and clear. Cyrus waved at Carolyn and the two headed towards the woods.

Lance's voice still followed him, 'You do know how this works, right? You can't escape me that easily.'

Cyrus rolled his eyes. Yes, but I can still block you out. Don't you have work to do? As the Alpha?

'Well, yeah. I was planning on finishing that sketch of you from last night. But I want to talk to you. Don't you like my voice in your head? I know I like yours.'

Lance...

'Yes, Ethan?'

I'll see you later.

'Noooo-'

Cyrus blocked him out before Lance could say anything more, smiling down to himself. Such an idiot. He cleared his throat when he noticed Carolyn casting him strange glances.

"Are we just walking today?" He asked.

"For now." She answered.

He pursed his lips, deciding not to say anything more. They walked in a comforting silence. The water inside of the bottle he held in his hand sloshed around as he took small strides. Trees rustling in the wind, and the chirping of birds had Cyrus at ease. He told himself today was going to be a good day. Thinking of Lance back at the house, waiting for him with open arms and a smile, it warmed him. He couldn't wait to spend these last few weeks with him. Naturally, a smile grew onto his face, like a flower that had been bathed in the sun.

Carolyn stooped, and so did Cyrus. He slowly slid out of his thoughts as he looked around at his surroundings. What's the probability that Carolyn led me into another trap? He found himself scouring the trees for any sign of life. He sniffed, waiting to smell a certain someone that didn't belong. He shook his head when he didn't sense anything amiss. As if. She has no reason to do that anymore.

Carolyn walks to an old tree stump and sits down. She pulls a water bottle out of her backpack before taking a swig. She sighed, "We're taking a short break before going further."

"Where are we going?" Cyrus asked, unscrewing his own water bottle and taking a swig.

"You'll see."

Cyrus nodded slowly. As secretive as ever.

He followed Carolyn when she got up and began walking again. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. Cyrus stared at the back of her head, "Aren't you going to ask me how last night went?"

"Oh, well, I assumed it went well since you didn't say anything."

"He found out."

Cyrus's heart drops and he slows to a stop, "W-What do you mean?"

She keeps her back to him, "He saw you leave on the cameras. Turns out he's always watching."

"You... you lied to me."

"No, she didn't lie, per say. She just didn't know."

"'She?'"

"Ah, I let it slip. Oopsie." Carolyn turns on her heels to face Cyrus. Her eyes glint darkly as she grins. A pit forms in Cyrus's stomach.

"Adonis?"

"Boo!" Carolyn shouts and Cyrus flinches. She giggles at the profound sight of shock on his face.

"You're probably wondering 'how is this possible?!' I know you haven't used your shop at all since our last world together. That's where you get a little dumb, Ethan darling. Anyway, you're smart enough to figure out how I'm in this body, aren't you?"

If I'm recalling it correctly, he did a soul transfer. It cost 10,000 points from the store. It lets you swap souls with another living being for one hour. He swallows the lump in his throat. He was watching when Lance and I left last night. So... he waited until the next day to use the soul transfer and lure me away from the camp.

"Ah, you figured it out!" She claps, "I can see it on your face - the little cogs turning."

Cyrus glares, "What did you do with Carolyn?"

She rolls her eyes, "You're still worried about that pest? No, not pest, puppet," she giggles, an insane glint in her eyes, "Whether she wants to be or not. Say, should I break her arm? That would be a nice present for her when she gets this body back."

"Stop it!"

"Alright, relax... she's in my body, locked away far from here. But don't worry, by the time she gets this body back, we'll both be far far away."

Cyrus clenches his fists, "I'm stronger than you, you're not laying a finger on me."

"You want to talk about fingers, do you?" Her smile darkens, "Do you have any idea how hard it was to restrain myself when I saw you leaving with that brat? Just thinking of what you were doing with him. Thinking of him touching you, fucking you, well... you know how much it irritates me, don't you? I wanted to track you down just so I could rip off all of his limps in front of you. And then, after that, I would drag you back to that filthy house you live in and slaughter everyone inside. Perhaps then you would learn your lesson, because, clearly you weren't taking my warning seriously!" She begins to furiosily pick at her fingernails, until, soon she is ripping them off one by one. She looks down at her bloody fingers, sighing, "But, of course, I kept my composure. Dangerous thoughts run through my head, Ethan, about what I want to do versus what I need to do. This time slaughter wasn't beneficial for either of us... and I simply couldn't ruin my master plan because of my impulses now, could I?"

Cyrus doesn't say anything when Carolyn looks up at him expectantly. His fists tremble at his sides. She rolls her eyes, "Oh, listen to me rant, it's the least you could do after cheating on me. Besides, my work is already done." She glances down at the water bottle in Cyrus's hand. Cyrus follows her line of sight and throws the bottle like his hand has brushed fire. Carolyn giggles again, "You're so trusting, Ethan. It's one of your weaknesses. Don't worry, we'll work on that."

"You..." Cyrus swallows his helplessness, "You drugged me."

"Dreamslice. Are you familiar? It's quite simple to acquire if you know where to look."

"What's your plan?"

"Well, since you just had to go and make me angry, I've decided to go with Plan B. Kidnap you, keep you locked away, and finish this world for you."

Cyrus shakes his head, refusing to accept this reality, "No..."

"No?" Carolyn tilts her head innocently.

Cyrus turns on his heel and sprints into the woods. He hears Carolyn's spine chilling laughter as he runs further away. No, no, this can't be happening. I have to get back to Lance. Lance! He calls, hoping to reach his mate telepathically. His head is silent except for the pounding of his heart. Lance?! He tries again; nothing. Was the reason Adonis lured him so far away so he couldn't communicate with Lance? Did the link only go so far? Fuck! No, please, Lance! I just have to run a little further. The dreamslice... I still have more time, right? If I can just get close enough to reach Lance, then I should-

'Hello? Ethan? You called?'

Cyrus sucked in a breath of relief, almost crying at the sound of Lance's voice. Lance! Lance, it's Adonis. He knows!

'What?! Where are you right now?!'

In the woods somewhere west of camp. I don't have much time before-

'I'll come to you. Don't worry, Ethan. I promise I won't let anything-'

Cyrus was ripped out of reality, his breath torn from his lungs. A split second later he was in the woods, yet, the moon was bright in the sky. The dreamslice brought him back here, to this prison. His eyes darted around his surroundings. No, damn it! Lance! Lance?! He cried when there was silence.

"Lance!" He screamed until his voice gave out.

He thought back to where his body was in the real world. Would Lance find him in time, or has Adonis? Adonis was probably tracking his every move, there's no way he would let him out of his sight. That means... Adonis took him away. That means... he lost.

"No... I have to find a way out of here..."

He remembered his time spent in this world passed a lot quicker than in the real world. An hour in this world meant a day in the real world. He didn't have time to spare.

He took a deep breath, "Focus."

He sprinted off into a random direction, dodging trees and his eyes darting in every direction. How did he get out of here last time? He found his wolf... and then, somehow, he was able to escape. But he didn't sense his wolfs presence at all. Last time... last time he found his wolf through a door. He just needed to find a door, and that would be his way out, right? It was better than nothing.

He continued to run, searching for a door. He didn't know how long he ran, he tried not to let how much time was passing in this world get to him. At times it felt like he was going in cricles, but he didn't allow himself to stop running. The very thoughts of what might be happening in the real world terrified him, but also filled him with determination to escape. He couldn't allow Adonis to keep him locked up and follow through with his plan. None of this was supposed to happen, he was supposed to be spending these last moments with Lance. Tears burned at his eyes. He let his guard down for a second... and then this.

No... no... I have to get out of here. It's not too late. I can beat Adonis, I'm stronger than him. I am. I can't lose to him like this.

Finally, as if his prayers had been answered, Cyrus came across a field. A very familiar field of red and white striped carnation flowers. This is where he first woke up. He barely payed any mind to this fact and instead focused on the variety of doors stood in the field. They were each worn down and wooden, covered in moss and vines and each at the bass was overgrown grass. Whatever the case, they were still doors, and one of these doors might be the key to getting out of here.

Walking into the field he approaches the closest door and tries at the handle. The door creaks open, and inside peers a room of darkness. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Cyrus takes a step inside. The second he does, however, he's immediately transported somewhere else.

He's running. He's running on all fours; he's a wolf?! But that doesn't make sense, he can't turn yet. It takes him a moment to realize he isn't controlling his body... it's as if he's simply viewing the world from the eyes of another. He looks up. The sky from beyond the treeline is blood red. And he's scared. His heart is beating rapidly inside his chest.

What is this? The future? But how is this possible? Soon, he comes across what looks like a village... but it's on fire. The sight before him terrifies him. Laying dead on the ground, slaughtered like lambs, are the last remaining red wolves. The smell of blood is haunting. A whimper erupts from his throat when he sees a certain wolf, larger then the rest, lying atop a small cub. Both dead. Then, he growls, when a black wolf emerges from the treeline. Glowing eyes appear from the dark trees behind him, clearly the rest of his pack. Blood drips out of the black wolf's mouth as he spots him.

With no other choice, he turns around and sprints back into the woods. He hears a howl and footsteps rapidly approach from behind, chasing him. He was scared, sad, and angry. Emotions he knew weren't his. This wasn't the future, this was a memory. The red wolf pack dead... the last remaining ref wolf, these were Cyrus's memories. The real Cyrus. Somehow he was seeing into the past, but why? Why now? His thoughts were interrupted when Cyrus jumped over a cliff, hoping to make it to the other side. He scrambled on the edge of the cliff, desperately trying to pull himself up but ultimately fell, down into the raging river below. Everything went black. And then the memories all began to blur together. He saw Etnas face, treating his wounds, a young boy... Lance? Words echoed in his head. Prophecy, Cyrus, the Red Moon. And then suddenly he was laying down in a bed of flowers, and Etna was looming over him with a stake.

"The time has come, boy. You must fulfill the prophecy, he is our only hope."

Warmth glided down his cheeks; tears. Cyrus was scared. He was scared, but at the same time he felt strangely peaceful. His last memory was the bright moon in the sky and all the stars wishing him a peaceful rest. He closed his eyes as the stake came crashing into his heart.

And then his eyes opened again, and he was stood in front of a new door, in the same field he was stood at to begin with. But this door... this door didn't belong here, that much was apparent. It was a blinding white, you could say it was even glowing. The light, it was pulsating. This isn't supposed to be here, something in the back of his head told him that. Something he wasn't even aware existed. What... is this? It felt familiar. Terrifyingly so. Like it came from a memory that didn't exist. His hand naturally gravitated towards the light, and the sounds of the forest grew increasingly silent, until all he could hear was the hammering of his heart and the pulsating light of the door, that grew louder and louder the more his hand grew close.

When his hand made contact with the door, a fire hot pain shot through his arm and suddenly he was falling through a white space. Someone was reaching for him. Who? They were yelling, screaming, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

And then, Cyrus woke up. He managed to escape the prison of his mind. He had no idea how, or what that strange door was about, but he would decide to dwell on it later.

He tried to move and realized he was chained to a chair. He tried to break these chains but his body was exhausted, and the chains didn't budge even a bit. He huffed and scanned his surroundings. He was in some kind of old shed, clearly Adonis put him here. On the walls were all kinds of tools, and the dried blood on the floor and walls clearly told him they were used for torture.

"Fuck..." Cyrus swallowed his dry throat. Tied up... it reminded him of his last world where Adonis had him tied up, right before shit hit the fan.

He had to focus, get out of here. And that meant getting out of these chains. What were they made out of, fucking titanium? He could send a car flying but couldn't break these chains? They were clearly designed for wolves of superhuman strength, otherwise he'd easily break them. Maybe he could scooch his way over to one of those tools and use them to cut the chains? He doubted it would work but it was worth a shot. He couldn't sit here and wait for some miracle to happen.

He began to use his strength to move the metal chair. The chair was bolted to the floor, but it only took a bit of effort to lift it up and off the ground. He wobbled over to the workshop. Now, how was he supposed to reach that saw? His hands were chained behind his back. He couldn't kick it down, his legs were also chained to this chair.

He tried to hop up onto the table, desperate to reach one of the tools that could help aid in his escape, but instead he slipped and fell hard onto the concrete floor. He groaned when his head made contact.

Goddammit... he opened his eyes and came into contact with a small window peering out into the outside world. What he saw made him freeze in shock. Everything was painted in a hue of red, and in the sky was the red moon.

No way, it's already been-!

Immediately his thoughts went to Lance. He had to get to him. He had to get out of here. Adonis was going to kill him. There was not a second to waste. His wolf stirred within him, just the thought of his mate in danger made him furious. Get out. Get out! GET OUT!

Cyrus struggles with the chains, using every bit of strength he had to break through them. He screamed, and the chains snapped. Stumbing to his feet, he kicked down the door and raced outside. He tried to pick up a scent, any scent that could give him any leads to where Adonis, Lance, or the rest of the pack were. He couldn't pick anything up. There had to be someway to find them.

Cyrus perked up, Sai!

[Yes, host?]

At the sound of his voice Cyrus was flooded with relief. Please, open shop.

The menu appeared before him. He didn't like using the shop considering what happened the last time, but he had no other choice. He couldn't roam around aimlessly searching for Lance or Adonis, he didn't have time for that. Scrolling through the shop, he found the perfect thing. The System
Eye. Grants the system a physical form relevant to the world. System is able to search nearby areas without being detected.

Purchase System Eye.

[Purchasing...]

A moment later a small floating blur orb appears in front of him.

"Sai?"

"Yes, host!" The orb beams.

This also reminded of his last world, where Sai had taken a human form to help him. He desperately wished the events from the last world weren't repeating themselves. He wished he wasn't too late.

"Sai, please search for Lance."

"Yes, host!"

Sai floats up into the sky and zooms into a far off direction. Cyrus impatiently waits. He feels anxious just standing there and not doing anything. But what can he do? God, just thinking of what could be happening this very moment, of whose blood might have been shed. The battle between packs must of already started, the moon is at its highest peak in the sky.

Cyrus begins to pace. It's the red moon, doesn't that mean he should be able to shift? Lance tried to show him once, he made it look so easy. So, how do I-

[Host, I have located Lance Greywolf.]

"What?! Show me!"

[Streaming now...]

Suddenly a screen pops up in front of him, the sight before him is bloodcurdling. Bodies upon bodies, each from both packs. The red hue of the moon intensifies the color of blood which paints the grass. The camera zooms in on Lance and Adonis, with Lance protecting Carolyn and Rudy. Carolyn is sitting beside an injured Rudy, desperately trying to cover up the gash in his stomach with her hands.

"Car," Lance speaks, not taking his eyes off of the amused Adonis, "Get him out of here."

"I'm not leaving you-"

"I said go. I'll be fine."

Carolyn eyes his back for a moment before picking up Rudy, "You better not die." She grimaces before running off into the woods. There's a tense silence as Lance and Adonis stare each other down.

Cyrus furrows his brows, he knows where that is. Keep watching them, he orders Sai before rushing into the woods. The screen stays in his line of vision as he continues to watch the scene unfold. C'mon, we have to go faster, you need to take over. He tells his wolf. There's silence. Lance is in danger! Please! More silence.

"Dammit!" He huffs, dodging trees and pushing his legs as fast as they will allow him.

"I can't believe she let you follow him too," Adonis starts, "Like a lost little puppy following its owner."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Adonis scoffs, "Well, of course you don't remember, she got rid of the memories of your previous life - as the frail, pathetic, innocent Charlie. All you had to do was say yes, get rid of your memories, and you got reincarnated to this world. While I... I had to go through hundreds and hundreds of worlds just to get to this point. You don't think I'm going to let you jeopardize that now, do you?"

Lance shakes his head, "You've lost it."

Adonis smirks, "I've lost it a long time ago. Now, c'mon, I know little Charlie is in there somewhere. Come out, come out..."

"I don't have time for your stupid mind games!"

"Poor, poor Charlie. When Ethan died, he got so depressed, locked himself away in his room for months,"

"Ethan?" Lance frowns, "How do you-"

"Shh, listen up. Charlie's big old brother couldn't do a thing to help. Charlie wouldn't talk to him, he wouldn't eat, refused to go to school. He blamed himself for the death of his dear friend... if only he hadn't been so stupid to trust Miles, who was stuck in a jail cell. One day, Charlie got very so sad, he walked to the nearest bridge and stood on the very edge. He simply couldn't take the guilt anymore. He jumped-"

Lance held his head in his hands, wincing at the massive migraine that suddenly came over him, "Shut up!"

"Now, now, we're getting to the good part," Adonis giggles, "When he comes to, he's introduced to a beautiful woman who offers him a second chance to see his beloved! Only, there was a catch to this, he would lose all his memories - and would be stuck in someone else's body, only to watch his precious Ethan from behind a prison. He would never be able to tell him how sorry he was, how he loved him, how he had saved his life..."

Tears streamed down Lance's cheeks, "Stop it!"

Adonis approaches Lance, gripping his chin and forcing him to look up at him. He glares, "Ethan is mine. Do you understand?"

"No!" Lance slaps his hand away, "He was never yours!"

Adonis strikes Lance down with a hard fist. He cradles Lance on the ground and continues to rain fists upon his head and face, all while Lance struggles to block them. Adonis screams, "Mine!" With each raining fist.

Cyrus becomes furious. At the sight of his mate being hurt, his body began to shift. His wolf form took over, and he was running faster than ever. All he saw was red. Lance! He called in his head, over and over. He hoped the mind link would reach him the closer and closer he came. Lance! He cried, biting back his tears. Memories of his smile, his voice, and his laugh were being shattered by the image of his bloody and broken face on the monitor. No... please! Please, Lance...

'Ethan...'

Lance!

'Ethan, I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you, even now.'

Charlie...?

'I'm sorry, I tried to hold out as long as I could. But I made Lance weak, his mind, his wolf, h-he couldn't protect himself... it's my fault, please forgive me. But... talking to you just one more time... it was worth it. I love you. I love you so much. Forgive me.'

What? No... Charlie! Silence. Lance?!No, no, no! Come back. Come back!

The second Charlie's voice disappeared from his head was the second he was consumed by rage. When he finally came across Adonis beating down on Lance, he lunged at his, tearing apart his neck with his razor sharp teeth.

Adonis laughed, "You're too late!"

Cyrus releases Adonis, turning to see Lance's lifeless and bloody corpse on the ground. At that moment, his wolf leaves with an agonizing cry, reverting back to the prison in his mind. Cyrus reverts back to his human form, and crawls over to Lance's body, his limbs shaky. He doesn't take his wide eyes off of Lance, refusing to believe what he is seeing. He cradles Lance's body in his arms, brushing away the hair from his bloody and mangled face with his trembling fingers.

"Lance?" His voice breaks.

Lance was dead. Charlie too. They were... gone. And he was too late. His strangled sobs echo throughout the forest as he hugs Lance's body close to his chest, rocking back and forth. No, this wasn't fair. This wasn't supposed to happen. Lance wasn't supposed to die. He couldn't... He can't...

"You can't leave me..." Cyrus whispers with a broken voice, continuing to caress Lance's hair.

He's not sure how long he layed there, cradling Lance. When he finally came to his senses, he carefully placed Lance down onto the bed of grass and glared over at Adonis, who clutched his neck wound and smiled at Cyrus with his broken and bloody teeth.

"It's all your fault." Cyrus hisses, standing and walking over to him.

Adonis looks up at him, admiring the pure rage in his eyes, "Go ahead, kill me." Cyrus's fists tremble at his sides. Adonis continued with an insane glint in his eyes, "You know what will happen, what will always happen. I will find you again. I will take away everything you will ever love until you have nothing, no-one. Then, you'll have no choice but to love me back. Unless you want people to keep dying because of you. Over, and over, and over again..."

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up! It's your fault. Everything is your fault!"

He took out his anger on Adonis' face, each and every fist was each and every second he ruined or destroyed something. Every fist was every second he could of have been spending with Lance, now... forever lost. Adonis continued to smile, taking the beating. He continued to cry. His sobs mixed with his screams of anguish. Tears blinded his vision. But he kept punching, even when he began to miss, punching the ground.

Adonis spit out blood and teeth, smiling a toothy smile, "Yes! Yes... that rage you feel, take it all out on me. Only me. I love you Ethan. I love you so much. This is what I deserve. My punishment. But it's okay... as long as you're by my side. I can do this forever. Forever and ever!"

His laugh is haunting. Cyrus grabs Adonis by the neck, pulling his face closer. Adonis stops laughing and innocently stares into Cyrus's burning glare. A mix of tears and blood drip down onto his bruised skin.

"I will never love you. No matter what you do. You're a fucking monster. And guess what? I will kill you. Over and over. For-fucking-ever. You can look forward to that. You sick perverted bastard."

Adonis simply smirks, "Looking forward to it, hot stuff."

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End of Arc 2: Mate

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