I ran back into the house, finding my suitcase. I changed into something thick and tight, following Evander and pulling on my combat boots before running out of the house.

The packhouse was hectic when I entered. I could tell they all were trying to remain calm as they ran about. Nobody paid attention to me when I walked into the armory. Most of the weapons were already gone but there was still a lot more. I shoved three knives into my boots. A belt tightened around my waist filled with blades and two guns.

For my main weapons, I went with two swords. Hopefully, those three years of fencing classes paid off. Not long after I raced to the border where the screams and shouts were coming from.

Immediately, I spotted my father tearing off the head of another. I should get used to that.

"Stupid wolf," someone snarled beside me. A knife was thrust at my chest but I dodged it, shoved my sword into his back, and pulled it out.

I moved closer into the fight. There were a lot of people here and it worried me. This army was much bigger than the one in New York at the Blue Lilac pack.

Next, I'm suddenly pushed to the ground, the swords flying out of my grasp. My eyes widened when I saw the filthy brown-haired man approaching me with a smug look on his face. He acted so quickly, I wasn't even given time to make a move.

The soul of his shoe pressed deep in the curve of my neck and over my throat. My hands were trying to push his shoe off but the more that I tried the harder he pressed down on my throat with a wicked and merciless grin on his face.

"Goodbye, little wolf," he snickered out. My eyes widened as I stared at the gun in his hand that was pointed to the middle of my forehead.

"Goodbye to you, idiot!" I hear someone shout before I realized that it was Jessie. He came in with a full force, knocking the rogue off me before beheading him.

Well, that's a lovely sight.

I gasped, trying to calm down my heart. A hand appeared in front of me and I accepted it, standing to my feet and grabbing my swords. "You aren't supposed to be here," Jessie cautiously looked at me.

"And these rogues aren't supposed to be here either," I snapped. Everyone was going to tell me that I shouldn't be here but who was them to decide this?

"Let's get you to Evander so he can...help," Jessie suggested. I huffed but followed him anyway. "Jessie, duck!" I hear Lexi shouted from across the field. Both bent out backs, dodging bullets aimed at our heads.

"They never stop," Jessie mumbled to himself, grabbing my head and pulling me through the trees.

My eyes softened in relief when I spot him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Evander hissed, pulling me into his chest for a quick hug before shoving me behind him. I turned around, pressing my back to his as we circled. "You doubt me, Ev," I told him, looking at any possible attackers.

I have no idea where Jessie disappeared.

"No love, I'm protecting you," Evander corrected me. "Whatever, I'm already here so I'm gonna help," I declared. Evander bit his lip as he thought. I knew they were chaos running through his head. I hated that we were standing here when we could help save lives.

"If you're in danger mind link me okay, promise me," Evander ordered, his chest rising and falling. I pulled the gun out of my chest and triggered two bullets into the rogue's head that was planning on attacking Evander from the back. "I promise," I repeated, pressing my lips to his before running away.

"Nice try," I tell the rogue who was about to tear a warrior's arm off. Instead, I shoved him to the ground and the warrior finished him off without another thought.

Everywhere was fur, blades bullets, skin, and blood. It was all I could see under the rising sun. They never stopped coming. They just never got the hint to back off but we never stopped fighting.

Eventually, the borders were laced with men and women in uniform, stopping any rogues from entering while others were trying to get the ones inside to leave. If that meant throwing them out by the tail or foot, even if they're dead.

At this point, all I had to protect myself was my claws and the knife I was desperately holding onto. The gun was out of bullets and I'm pretty sure my other knives were still in dead rogues' chest.

When I spot Evander, proudly and effortlessly getting rid of his enemies, I felt happy for the first time in a long while.

I ran to him, ready to help.

When he spotted me, his eyes filled with relief and happiness. "I need to tell you something, Rieka," Evander shouted, clawing off another's rogues head. I dodged the sword, kicking the rogue in his stomach to get to Evander.

"What?" I blurted out, taking the knife I had and driving it into the heart of the rogue who dared to stop me from getting to my mate. I wondered what the hell he had to tell me that was so important right now.

"I love you," Evander gasped, a smile forming on his lips as we stood in the middle of the battle.

"W-"

I hear the footsteps of another rogue approaching both of our sides with scowls on their faces. I drove the knife through his chest and the man fell down, dead. Evander had already taken care of the other rogue.

"I'm in love with you, Rieka. It's pretty obvious," he repeated, making my heart flutter in the middle of this chaos. His chest rising and falling. I knew the gash on my forehead was running down the side of my face.

"I'm madly in love with you too, Ev," I replied with my eyes watering. Relief flood through him as he smiled deeply, bringing my body to his chest.

"I love you," he whispered before flipping us around so quickly that I almost missed it. His claws tugged out the heart of the rogue who was about to attack me.

"We're famous today," I grinned.

Our eyes were like magnets that just attracted our bodies together. I always wanted to be close around this man and it only worsened after being marked. We were like actual magnets. "I need to go take care of a few-" I cut him off, the gut feeling that we can't lose settled.

"Go," I pushed him by the shoulder. Evander stepped forward and provided a chaste kiss to my forehead before running away. I watched as he ripped off this jersey and pants, revealing shorter pants under them before he shifted into the beautiful hazel wolf.

Following in his lead, I ran, about to shift when I was knocked into a free. I felt my ribs break in slow motion as I'm shoved hard into a tree, falling to the ground with a loud thud. "Son of a bitch," I groaned in pain, holding my stomach. My head also hurt and I have a feeling that the taste of blood had something to do with that.

"Rot in hell, runt!" The same guy spits his words at me before aiming his knife at my heart. My face paled when I realize the chances of be dying right now were very possible.

This can't be happening.

I'm not ready.

I've saved myself too many times in the last two or three hours for it all to end here. A gunshot distracted him but not well enough since the knife tore through my stomach.

The crazy thing was I just knew it, I could feel it. It was laced with vervain. He probably thought I was a vampire.

Blood oozed out of my stomach without trouble. The knife was still burning my skin, adding to the pain. "Shit," Jessie cursed, falling to my side and pulling out the knife immediately. I yelled out in pain, clutching Jessie's hand that applied pressure to the wound.

I needed a hospital now.

I could just feel how deep it was. My throbbing head and aching ribs weren't even helping.

"Are you okay?" Jessie worriedly asked me. I didn't have time to worry about the scar on his face or the gash on his leg. "I'm fine, it's gonna heal so just pull it out," I lied. My muscles felt like it was diminishing slowly. What's happening to me?

Jessie seemed hesitant and worried before he pulled the knife out. "Shit! That's vervain!" Jessie dropped the knife like it was fire. Cats out of the bag.

"Jessie!" Lexi screamed from across the field. I turn to see Evander and others trying to stop something but my eyes wouldn't stop blurring. "Go! I-I'm fine," I blurted out, trying to seem smooth with my words but it wasn't happening.

"I'm so sorry, I'll be back for you, I promise!" Jessie shouted, standing up and running towards the chaos.

Okay, Rieka, you are stronger than this, you're a doctor, you can do this.

I grabbed the knife by the handle and tore out the bottom layer of my jersey before wrapping it tightly around the wound to stop the bleeding. Next, I needed help. Trying to stand up wasn't easy but with the help of the tall and sturdy tree, I got on my feet.

My right hand was holding the tree and the other hand was applying pressure to my wound. My eyesight was finally better and the blood running down the back of my throat had stopped. That didn't mean the pain stopped though.

My eyes scanned around me and they go into panic mode when I saw my father behind held up by two strong rogues while another was in front of him with a gun pointed at his heart.

I bolted to him immediately, it hurt for me to walk but I did it anyway. I was focused on trying to save my father. I couldn't lose him, Jessie couldn't lose him, not again. "Lights out, Dracula," the rogue wickedly grinned.

The only thing I could have done in my weak state was jump in front of the bullet. It pierced through my chest like a rocket and I immediately dropped to the floor.

I felt so weak and sleepy all of a sudden. "Rie, no no! Not you! No! Why did you do that! Rieka!" My father screamed, falling at my side. I didn't know how he escaped but he did.

"I'm okay," I lied. His eyebrows furrowed in pain. "R-Rieka?" Someone called out faintly. I look to my other side to see Jessie crouched down beside me. He looked completely worse than he did before. His skin was burnt up bloodied and bruised. So many gashes and scrapes, I couldn't see anything but blood.

"It's over, Rieka, we did it, we won," Jessie assured me, pressing down hard on the bleeding wound. My blurry eyes looked around to see everyone hugging each other. No weapons in anyone's hands and instead there were smiles on their faces.

"Where is she?" I hear my mate shout over and over before he was finally staring at me. Evander's body scared me. He had too many wounds. So many open cuts, so many tore up skin. His face was bloodied and bruised from taking so many punches. I frowned at the scratches and gashes littering his perfect body. My eyes directed to the bloody hands and the bleeding shoulder.

"You're hurt," I whimpered, trying to get up. I needed to get up, I need to take care of everyone and make sure they're okay.

"White? I need your strength now," I tried to call on my wolf. She promised me that she would be my final option when I needed strength the most. But that promise wasn't fulfilled since she wasn't responding.

"Sh, stay there," Evander whispered, falling to the ground beside me. "The paramedics are on their way," Jessie assured me, not leaving my side. My father was nowhere to be found.

The more I looked at Evander, the more I noticed the bullet holes in his jersey. His shirt that I remembered was baby blue was now torn, had small holes and the color was now dark blue. What scared me was that the blood could have been his.

"Are you hurt badly?" I asked. His eyes screwed tightly, probably in so much pain. "You both gonna be okay, just hold on," Jessie panicked next to us.

"Don't let me go just yet okay?"Evander whispered out. I felt the blood running down my throat again.

"Ev," I cried out as a wave of pain hit me. "I feel your pain, you're so strong, just hold on okay?" His voice soothed me.

I felt completely exhausted. My eyes felt droopy, and I know Evander felt the same. His pain and exhaustion connected us. He held me to his chest as we lay on the grass. "I'm here, I love you," I answered back, finding it difficult to concentrate and breathe.

Both of our eyes started dipping, our hearts beating torturously slow. Both of us silently knew what was going to happen, neither of us can fight it. I wanted to scream as the thoughts invaded my mind but I was too tired to move. After everything we had been through, enduring through all that pain, we both just wanted to hold each other.

"I love-" he began to reply but couldn't continue no more as both of our hearts stopped beating.

Three more chapters until the epilogue:):