Kayla’s face grows tense and she takes a step back, “That’s not normal. I don’t even think that’s entirely Other. I’ve never seen something like it.”The creature has a human face but completely expressionless. However, there is a vicious greed in its eyes as it looks at Kayla, whose flames begin to spread down her arms.“Sarah,” I say in warning. “This isn’t good.”“I know,” She replies, her face pale. “Kayla-““He wants me,” The Phoenix says, harshly. “Don’t get in our way. That one is powerful-““We’re not leaving you by yourself!” I hiss and Sarah nods in angry agreement. The frustration in Kayla’s voice is sharp, “He’ll kill you!”Sarah pulls out her swords once again, “We’ll take our chances! You stay behind us!”The enemy seems to have given a wide berth to us, no one wanting to interfere in this new fight.At first there is silence and then the demonic looking creature makes a beeline for Kayla. Kayla lets outs a stream of fire that stops the creatur

Shock enters Sarah’s eyes and suddenly the whole scenery crumbles and I can no longer see her. This time, I am standing in pitch darkness, all except for a single golden thread in front of me.It looks dull and faded, as if it had once seen glory days but now, no longer. My heart is trembling from the force of my emotions but Sarah is no longer there.I call her voice in a raspy tone but once again, like before, I am met with a heavy silence and an unnatural stillness. “Sarah?” I call out again.The silence is heavy and damning and I approach the dull looking golden thread.As I approach it, I realize, it’s not a thread but like a thick rope which is frayed at the edges, barely holding on. There is a beautiful deep engraving on it. A closer inspection reveals that the engraving has begun to fade a little from the edges.Straightening up, I look around once more, “Sarah?”But my call fades with no answer.I turn my attention back to the rope and this tim

“Kayla?” Sarah’s voice is shaking.Kayla just smiles, allowing Sarah to touch her face, “Sorry. This must come as a shock to you.”Malcolm is already healing as he hobbles over, “She achieved her original form. That’s what happens when the Phoenix undergoes both her transformations. It shouldn’t happen this early on but when it does, she will assume her adult form, and her memories of all past lives will return.”Kayla studies me and Sarah, “It’s how I died during the Great War. I had been far too young to sustain the transformations and I had gone through too much emotional pain. This time, you and Lucas took me in, loved me, and allowed me to make peace with my family’s deaths. You gave me a new family. It’s how I was able to retain my adult form this time because I wanted to live.”Sarah touches her cheek, carefully and Kayla laughs, “I’m not going to break. I’m still me!”I am the first one to reach out and hug her. Sarah follows suit.“I’m so glad you’re okay!” S

“I have no reason to be there anymore,” I tell, quietly. “I was never built to be an Alpha. The only way I managed to keep the pack running was by following the guidelines you had set in place. But after you left, the pack’s progression came to a standstill.”Sarah’s face is taut with tension but I hope she will understand.. Because this whole time with her has showed me that while she still does have feelings for me, the scars on her soul are too deeply engraved.“I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to try and win you back especially now that I know what you went through,” I confess, wearily. “I just want you to be happy. And that’s never going to happen with me around, I’m always going to be a constant reminder of more pain, I don’t want to put you through that.”My hands ache with the desire to hold her but I refuse to allow myself that, “With you by my side, I never had any problem living in that pack. You were the reason I called it home. But without you, I don’

SarahBeing back in the pack is difficult in a way that I never imagined it would be. It is everything I wanted. This is everything I wanted. And I’m grateful Lucas and I have decided to heal together. I know this was ultimately the right decision for both of us. It’s just…I move from beneath his touch. Lucas and I went back to sleeping in the same bed together right away.I feel safer that way. I’m a comfort to him. And it feels so natural and yet so strange at the same time.I sit up with my knees brought to my chest. I watch my sleeping mate. He breathes slowly, like he’s caught in some dream.My mind flashes back to him with Carmine. Out of my control, I imagine what they did together. I think of her hands on him. His hands on her.The trauma Lucas went through is clear. If he had been in his right mind, I know for sure he wouldn’t have wanted it. He wouldn’t have chosen this.Still, I went through so much. The pain was overwhelming. And this isn’t as easy as just choos