Word Count: 1961

¬Rosie

It took an excruciating amount of time for Thought to find where my brothers were hiding out.

With their main base having been burnt down and destroyed, their technology is limited, which allowed Thought to pinpoint their location in the mortal realm, of all places. I'm not sure what their business is being in the Desire Pack, which is another of the thirteen Packs. They must have other people involved in their movement there, as they found a rather beautiful manor to reside in.

Currently we walk toward up, up a very large driveway. Time is back in the immortal realm, far too ill to even move from his bed. So in his place I have Thought, who seems eager to confront my brothers to do whatever it takes to get the antidote for his brother.

To think they hated each other only a few weeks ago.

Sariah walks beside me, all the colour drained from her face. For her, I hope this goes well. She deserves to have a mate, even if that mate has a death wish from messing with Time.

"You shouldn't worry. He would be crazy to reject you again. You're beautiful," I tell her firmly. Her cheeks flush as she smiles lightly, the tension in her shoulders reducing slight. She has a glamour over her, concealing her from Harlan and Altin for the meantime, so we can enact our plan.

"He hates immortals. You should have seen the look on his face when he saw me," she admits, that glimmer in her eyes that must be a trait of a Virtue fading slightly. Knowing how great it feels to give yourself over to the matebond and accept how right it is, I can't help but feel bad for Sariah. As a Virtue she deserves the best possible mate.

Not someone like my brother.

"He's always been stubborn. He doesn't know what he is missing out on yet," I assure her. From beside me Thought rolls his eyes, still yet to find his mate and realise what it is like. Well, at least I assume he hasn't found his mate.

"We get there, I tie him down, you touch him, and we get the antidote," Thought says in one breath, irritated by our talk. Him and Sariah, as immortals, have no issue walking up this incredible hill to the top, where Harlan and Altin's manor is. With the glamour Thought has put on us all, I doubt they have any idea we are approaching us, which will hopefully give us the upper hand.

"Touching him when he doesn't want me to...I don't like the sound of that," Sariah mutters, looking at me for help, but I just shrug. We are both trying to get back their connection and get the antidote. Hopefully these two go hand in hand.

Thought rolls his eyes, once again. "It's not like you're putting your hand down his pants."

"I still don't like it."

"Do you want Time do die? That's not very virtuous of you," Thought comments, delving a hand into his dark strands. I nudge him in the side, feeling the tense impact of his taut abdomen. Sariah is struggling, and as powerful as she may be, this isn't something she is experienced in.

And neither is Thought.

"Thought, stop," I reprimand, looking toward the manor. Now that we have reached the top, I can see the full extent of it. It's magnificent in its size, casting chilling shadows across us. Something tells me my brothers don't own this. "We need to concentrate now, stick to the plan. No more talking."

Sariah rounds the house, concealing herself. Thought removes our glamour, yet keeps hers on, in case we don't get invited inside, which seems like a very viable option.

We don't even have to knock, before Harlan opens the door. "You finally found us."

Beside us where Sariah stands, I see her tense, the sound of his voice frightening enough to her to make her flinch. I keep my face neutral, remembering why I'm here. Time is home, moments away from death, which is a thought I have to put to the back of my mind as to not break down right in front of my brother, who would hardly be impressed.

"Harlan. I would say it's good to see my brother again, but I can't exactly say it's true," I mutter, visions of him tied down a chair by my mate coming back to me.

Harlan doesn't look at Thought, even as he speaks about him. "And you had the audacity to bring a pure-blood."

I can feel the wrath pouring from Thought as he tenses beside me.

"We are here to negotiate. We have someone you care about it in a very bad situation, and if you don't give me the antidote for Time, they are going to seriously suffer," I tell him firmly. Our plan is to make him think Sariah is in danger, to hopefully spark that dormant part of him that wants to protect his mate.

"Well I suppose it's too bad I don't care about anyone other than my brother, who is inside right now, safe," Harlan sighs, resting his shoulder against the doorframe, crystal blue eyes examining me grimly. "Didn't want him to come out here only to feel sorry for you."

I knew it, that Altin was feeling remorse for what he has done. Harlan doesn't trust that Altin won't just hand us the antidote himself.

I can sense it's taking all of Thought's control not to attempt to dive into their mind and find where this antidote is for himself. There is no guarantee they aren't using more technology to ensure that it doesn't happen, and right now, we can't risk upsetting Harlan.

"You care about this person. You just don't know it yet," I tell him slowly.

Something in him changes, flickers with understanding. It's feral, primal part of him that cannot be controlled, that I've seen in people before, including myself, including my mate. "Sariah. What have you done?"

"Nothing has to happen to her, if you just hand it over," I tell him, trying not to glance at Sariah to gauge her reaction. I don't have to, I can practically feel her relief, at the slightest hint that her mate is reacting to their bond, that desire to ensure she is okay, above all else.

"You're lying. You may be stupid enough to fall for an immortal, but you aren't stupid enough to hurt someone," he comments, as if he has stripped me bare of every facade I keep up in front of him.

I search for a motive, a reason why I may be willing to hurt Sariah, as if she isn't standing right beside me. "I'll do anything for my mate."

"Shall we just cut to the chase?" Thought questions when Harlan doesn't say anything.

"I don't care about her, you know that. I wouldn't give myself over to an immortal," he says, although I hear the reluctance. Does Sariah, or does she not know him well enough to decipher the slightest change in tone in his voice? His words may say one thing, but I can hear the pain in his voice as he turns his mate away.

Thought loosens a breath. "The hard way it is, I suppose."

Without warning, he steps forward, grabbing the side of Harlan's head before slamming it unceremoniously on the side of the door frame. He collapses, making me wince. That was the plan if he didn't cooperate, yet it still makes me feel ill. We don't know what weapons he has in this house, so we needed to act before he could.

The house seemed empty as we wander around, looking for a spare room. With Altin nowhere to be found, we quickly bind my brother to a chair, Sariah watching from the doorway, chewing anxiously on her nails.

It didn't take Harlan long to escape from unconsciousness, the blow to his head not too severe. Thought and I back up, allowing Sariah to take the centre spot of his attention.

"Sariah," he murmurs, her name the first words to come from his mouth.

Despite the pain he blinks through, I can see his relief that she isn't hurt painted across his face. Biting my lip anxiously, I glance at Thought, who looks ready to interfere at any moment. Our last resort is for Thought to sift through his mind, regardless of whether it could be a trape.

"Harlan. I'm sorry about this," Sariah says quickly. "We have to get that antidote back. Time doesn't have much life left in him, and if he dies, the world will change as we know it. Not to mention his brother will likely kill you."

Harlan's gaze shifts behind his mates shoulder, looking at me and thought who dwell back in the shadows.

"Good, let him kill me."

"Why did you give up on me? On us?" Sariah questions, her voice softening as she kneels down in front of him, holding her hands out as if she wants to rest them on him, but quickly changes his mind.

Harlan shifts uncomfortably. "You're immortal. You may be a Virtue, but no one should have that much power, despite the good you want to do."

"You're destroying relationships with everyone you care about. Your sister, me, your brother. Is that what you want?" she asks. That comment makes my stomach turn. I don't want to lose my brothers forever, especially since I've mourned them since they died in the mortal realm, and when I arrived here, I wanted so desperately to connect with them again.

"It's for the greater good."

When Harlan looks away, Sariah quickly grasps his chin, forcing his gaze back to her, as reluctant as it may seem.

"Look at me," she whispers. "I want to help you, to be with you. Please."

"How do I know I won't lose you, in all this?" he questions.

Finally, she's broken him, it seems. Shifting uncomfortably, I consider leaving the room, not sure whether I should leave right now, as if I'm interrupting this intimate moment.

"I'm not going anywhere. No one you care about is, okay? Time could kill you after you give up this antidote, yet your sister will ensure that doesn't happen. Despite all you've done, she cares for you, and isn't going to give up on you. Does that not prove anything?" Sariah asks, almost pleading at this point. I realise in this moment, I owe her my life for not only helping cure my mate, but saving my brother. Hopefully Altin will relent too.

His shoulders slump, his head bowing down as he looks at his lap. "I don't want to be alone."

"Then accept me. Let me help you," Sariah breathes.

Slowly, I feel my heart break, piece by piece. I know how he feels, to think that after everything we have been through, everything we lost in our mortal life, being alone is the most terrifying idea. He may hate immortals, but I feel as though he will make an exception for his mate.

"I'll give you the damn antidote," Harlan mutters, looking past Sariah at me. "You win, Rosie."

❤️••❤️

Hey guys! If you're enjoying the story, you can head over to Radish and read Time ahead of Wattpad!

🌹••🌹

I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radiah! It will be following the same storyline with the same characters, but with revised scenes and some new ones!

I love Jasper's story so much that I wanted to go back and rewrite it. I hope you guys will enjoy it, you can find it now on Radish (:

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~Midika 💜🐼