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Coming to terms with everything that had happened over the last few months of my life was hard.
I missed my family, my life—the simplicity of knowing what my day would look like, even if I hid my true nature. The whirlwind that had swept me up since meeting Sariel at AMH seemed neverending, and when we finally crashed down in the Resistance camp again, I saw it through new eyes.
However reluctant Barimuz had been to do it, he’d tainted every place with a memory that didn’t belong. Sariel understood my rapid-fire emotions when we stood in our bedroom each night, but that didn’t make things easier—in fact, I might even say that it made things so, so much harder.
Here I was, struggling to swallow this one pill when he’d been through so much worse and was still managing to keep it together.
Life kept going, even though I felt like I was being left behind at every turn. Sariel rediscovered his place within our group, Auren started laying the groundwork for a civil war now that we had parts of the Upper Council backing us, and I… was still just there.
Training, eating, sleeping, and contributing nothing of value.
I hadn’t even been able to fully reconnect with my mate after he’d explained he would need time to heal from what had happened.
So, when I discovered Tyler Bastille—and I couldn’t explainhowI knew it was him, seeing as he was fully shifted and roaming the woods around our training grounds—I nearly killed him.
My angel lurched to the forefront, eager to rip him apart for all the pain he had caused in his life, but I managed to wrangle her back.
“What do you think? Does he deserve to live?”
Kiran’s sudden voice made me flinch, and Tyler’s ears pressed back against his head as he snarled. His red eyes were nearly glowing in the light, his tail tucked tight to his body. I knew better than to turn my back on him, so I just glanced at the other hybrid.
“No.”
He laughed at my immediate response. “Not even if you thought he could help someone else? He’s feral now, so it’s not like the man who killed your family is even still in there.”
I winced, wrapping my arms around myself as he came to stand beside me, staring down the pacing wolf. “How’d you know about that?” I asked.
“Oh, love, I knoweverything. Haven't you worked that out?” Kiran chuckled, leaning forward enough for me to catch sight of his unglamored face. Four eyes stared Tyler down curiously, and his grin was almost manic, showing off rows of sharp teeth.
“Atlan and I have a bet running,” he added. “I knew you’d want to use him as a guinea pig, but he’s certain you’ll kill him and leave his body for the crows.”
“A guinea pig?” I repeated.
The question came out tentative. When he beamed at me, I was glad his glamor was back in place.
“There’s been no real research into the madness that fallen-blood wolves experience, and they’re put down and discarded so fast that anyone who might have been interested in helping never makes it in time.”
I nodded slowly, putting together what he was getting at. “You think we should run some tests—try to cure him.”
My gaze shifted back to my estranged uncle, wondering if that was possible. To my knowledge, mated fallen wolves were the only ones that could escape the madness, so I’d just assumed that was the only way. It hadn’t even occurred to me to try utilizing Resistance resources to find a cure for those who weren’t lucky enough to find someone.
“I knew you were clever,vehashka.”
I turned to ask what he’d just called me, only to find myself standing alone.
Looking around, I couldn’t find the friendlier twin, and despite the uneasy feeling that settled in my chest, I turned back to Tyler.
It was my choice.
My angel pressed insistently against me, obviously wanting to eliminate any potential threats to our people, but my wolf… Her low whine was enough to set my teeth on edge. I wanted to cover my ears, despite knowing it would do nothing to block the sound.
Wolves were pack-oriented—despite our best efforts, honestly—and while I had managed to escape most of that with my shitty childhood and meeting my mate, I was now standing here with the opportunity to help people like me.
It was impossible to resist the temptation. I… had to at least try.
Even if Tyler Bastille was a waste of oxygen, there were plenty of innocent fallen wolves who didn’t deserve the hand they’d been dealt.
When I turned and sprinted back towards the camp, I was unsurprised to find the twins waiting at the tree line, mumbling to one another. Kiran grinned at me, eyebrows wiggling when I approached.
