Genevieve

I followed Shawn up a ladder. We ended up in a pool house. The water in my cell must've been coming from the pool. We walked through the house. People bowed their heads at me and I nodded at them. Shawn lead me outside and to a van.

"You must be Princess Genevieve," a man greeted us.

I nodded and Shawn spoke. "She needs to see a doctor."

The man scanned my body, looking for visible injuries. "You are not physically hurt. Why do you feel the need to receive medical attention?" he inquired.

"Are you a doctor?" I questioned.

The man nodded. "A mental and physical doctor. I am part of the Blue Moon Pack. I'm Dr. Nale."

"The doctor that saw me in my cell, he said that my wolf died," I explained.

"What do you mean she died?"

Both men waited for my answer. "Well, my mate is an ass-hole. He almost killed me, now he killed my wolf," I stated calmly.

"He killed your wolf?!" Shawn growled.

I shrugged. "That's what the doctor said."

"Why does he think your wolf died?" Dr. Nale questioned.

"I was able to touch the silver bars in my cell. I didn't get burned. And I haven't heard from Ingrid- my wolf- since I got here," I explained.

Dr. Nale nodded and turned to Shawn. "Can you go get Alpha Reed for me?"

Shawn nodded and started to walk away, but I blocked his path. "I don't want Alpha Reed here," I stated as calm as possible.

"You need your ma-"

"That bastard is not my mate!" I shouted, cutting off the doctor.

"Eve," Shawn said softly. "He makes you stronger. You need that strength from him."

I growled at my best friend. "He cheated three times. I had to feel that pain three times. And the third time actually killed a part of me," I hissed. "He killed my wolf, Shawn. He hurt me too much. That guy is not my mate." I thought my best friend would've agreed with me.

Dr. Nale spoke softly with sympathy. "Princess, you can't change who your mate is. Asher screwed up, big time. But he came here to save you."

I scoffed. "He came here to be a hero. He came here cause he felt bad for me. He felt guilty. None of this changes anything. Asher rejected me. He blamed me for having to go though the pain of him being with Wendy. He put me in a coma, but right after I wake up he leaves-"

"He left to give you time" Shawn interrupted me.

"He left to be with Wendy," I spat. "Then he came back and apologized. And being the naïve person I am, I gave him another chance. Then he takes me to meet his pack. But he has Wendy lined up to be Luna."

"He didn't find his mate when he was younger. Wendy was a replacement," Dr. Nale stated.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't care if she was a replacement. But the fact that she is- like currently- still a replacement, it hurt. The pain of knowing that my mate replaced me in every way possible was unbearable," I sneered.

"Was?" Dr. Nale asked.

I nodded. "It was. I don't feel it anymore. I don't feel anything," I said. Both men stared at me in confusion causing me to roll my eyes. "I turned off my emotions," I explained. I thought doctors were smart.

"It hurt so much, that you turn off your emotions? You wanted to stop feeling everything just because of the pain?" Shawn questioned.

"You didn't feel it. It hurt more than anything I have ever felt," I explained. "What hurts more is that its my mate's fault."

*****

Asher

I walked to the front yard and saw Eve talking with Dr. Nale and Shawn.

While walking to the main house, I decided that I would be there for Eve. Not just because we're mates, but because I know this is all my fault. I hurt her a lot, so much that she turn off her emotions. She stopped feeling because I put her through pain. And that pain killed her wolf.

Whatever happens doesn't matter to me. I just want Eve back. The giggling, happy girl that was in my office two days ago. I want- no, I need to get her emotions back. From what Dr. Nale explained, people who turned off their emotions, only feel hate. For Eve, all that hate is directed to me.

The only way to stop the hate and bring back the rest of the emotions is to make her love me. I'll have her fall in love with me. It'll take time, just like Jacobs said. But she needs to feel. I know this girl isn't Eve. This isn't the girl I fell in love with.

Yes, I love her. I've been in love with her. And I will do anything to make her at least be able to tolerate me. I moved closer to hear Eve, Shawn, and Dr. Nale.

"-my mate's fault." Eve's sentence ended.

Dr. Nale made eye contact with me for a split second. If it wasn't me who he looked at, I wouldn't be able to see his gaze shift. "Alpha Asher didn't mean to hurt you," Dr. Nale assured her. "He cares about you."

"Cares?" Eve scoffed. "He put me in a coma. He cheated. He killed my wolf. He only comes to my rescue when I'm hurt because he feels guilty. Don't you dare lie to me and say that he cares!"

Well, that stings. If only she knew how much I actually care. I never wanted her to be in pain. I didn't know that she would be in pain. It hurts. Not because she's angry at me, but because most of what she's saying is true.

I went to the castle because Shawn said she needed my help. I left, then kissed Wendy; but I went back to the castle the same day. When I kissed Wendy in front of Eve, I went to her room because I knew that I hurt her. I went looking for her because I knew none of this would've happened if I wasn't so attached.

I had already explained everything to Dr. Nale. He said that Wendy and I were each others' support mechanism. We were together when our parents died, and we became each others' stability. But that only resulted in my relationship with my mate being screwed up to the max.

Every time that I hurt Eve, I knew what I did. And I did feel guilty. But that's not the only reason that I keep coming back after I hurt her. I'm fighting for her. I want her back. I know that I messed up a lot of times. But its never gonna stop me. I'll keep making mistakes. But I'll never stop coming back for my mate.

"He does care," Shawn insisted. "You just don't feel it."

"I don't want to feel it!" Eve shouted. "Its either I feel everything- all the pain and the little sparks of happiness- or I feel nothing. And I'd rather feel nothing than go through that pain again."

'Leave,' I ordered my pack members through the mind-link. They all went to the backyard. Leaving me, Jacobs, Dr. Nale, Shawn, and Eve.

"So you don't want to feel love? The love that only your mate can give you. The love that you have with Asher?" Shawn inquired.

"I can't feel it," Eve said quietly.

Shawn took a step closer to my mate. "Just let it in. You might have to go through the pain, but you're not alone."

Eve shook her head and backed away from her best friend. "I-I don't want to turn it on."

"Why not?" Shawn questioned softly.

"Cause everything will come back. Every feeling, Shawn. The guilt, the jealousy, the fear, the regret. Everything. The pain." Eve took a deep breath. "And it's not one at a time anymore. When I turn it on, its all just gonna hit me. All at once. I can't handle that."

"We'll all be here, Eve," I said, making my presence known.

She turned around and glared at me. "I don't want you here," she snapped.

"Too bad. Cause I'm not going anywhere," I stated defiantly and crossed my arms.

Eve scoffed and chuckled dryly. "Wasn't it just a few days ago that you promised you wouldn't go anywhere?" she asked sarcastically. I was about to argue, but Eve continued to speak. "All it took was for Wendy to walk in your office. You forgot that I even existed," she hissed.

"Can you guys give us a minute?" I asked while never taking my eyes off of Eve. I heard the guys leave, then it was just me and Eve. I don't know how the humans slept through all the noise we're making, but none of them came outside.

"What? Are you gonna explain yourself? Try to justify what you did with a bunch of lies?" Eve questioned angrily.

I shook my head and took a few steps towards her. "There's no explanation that would excuse what I did," I started. I wasn't going to tell her about what Dr. Nale said. I didn't want to add more into this whole mess. "You deserve so much better than me. So I'm here. I want to make this right. I want to fix this because I-"

"Feel guilty?" Eve cut me off.

"No. I mean... Yes, I feel guilty... But that's not why I'm here right now. I love you, Eve."

*****

Genevieve

Did he just...?

He just said that he loves me.

I froze and my face paled. Asher reached out to touch me, but I stepped away from him. "I-I can't be here r-right now," I stuttered. "I'm sorry." I spun around and ran as fast as my legs could take me. I sprinted into the forest and ran. Far away from my mate.

'Mate', a voice in my head whispered.

'Who's this? Asher?' I thought to the voice. Even without wolves, mates can mind-link one another.

'Go back to Asher,' the voice said. It was male, so I knew that it wasn't Ingrid.

'No. Who are you?' I questioned the voice.

'Ingrid needs help. Go back to Asher,' the voice pleaded.

I stopped running and started panting. 'Ingrid? She's okay?' I asked.

'Help Ingrid, go to Asher,' the voice demanded and started to fade away.

'Wait. Who are you?' I said.

The voice was quiet, but responded with one word. 'Gavin,'

"Who the hell is Gavin?" I asked aloud, while turning back around. I don't know who Gavin is, but he knows Ingrid. And he said that she needs help, so she must still be alive. That's all I need to know.

I decided not to run back, but to fast-walk. It would give me time to think about what I'm gonna say to Asher.

I can't just go back and say nothing. I ran off after he told me that he loves me.

But I have to go back. There's a small chance that Ingrid is still alive. I don't know who Gavin is, but he could be lying. Even if the chance of Ingrid being alive is slim, I have to try to get her back.

*****

I got back to the neighborhood about three or four hours after I left. It was around midnight, I spotted the house. Jacobs was out front, talking to Asher, Ryan, and Shawn. Most of the cars that I saw earlier, were now gone. I slowly made my way over to the group of guys.

"Eve!" Asher exclaimed and ran towards me. I took a few steps back and held one hand up, stopping his movements.

"What happened?" Ryan asked, coming up behind Asher.

My mate ignored him and mind-linked me. 'Why'd you run off?' he questioned.

'I need space,' I answered quietly.

"If you wanted space, then why'd you come back?!" Asher shouted angrily.

I glared at him. "You don't get to be angry! I didn't do anything wrong!" I yelled.

"I have the right to be mad! My mate thinks I'm an asshole an-"

"I don't think you're an asshole. I know you're an asshole" I corrected. Asher growled at me. "You can't be mad at the truth. You. Are. An. Ass. Hole." I stated.

"If I'm such an asshole, then why'd I come here to help you?" he questioned.

I shrugged. "I'm wondering the same thing."

Asher sighed, no longer angry. "I-I... I love you, Eve. I came here because I love you. I told you that, and you just ran off."

"You don't love me," I stated. I looked over Asher's shoulder and saw Shawn, Ryan, and Jacobs watching our conversation. Well, aren't they just the best? They give us so much privacy.

"You can't tell me what I do and don't feel," Asher replied. "I do love you. I don't care if you don't feel the same way right now. But I know that you can love me."

I shook my head. "I can't love you. I don't have em-"

"I know you can't feel anything now. But before all of this, you at least liked me. When we were in my office, you were happy. You can't deny that."

"I wasn't happy when you started making out with Wendy a foot away from me," I stated bluntly. Asher didn't say anything, he just looked down at his feet. I walked past him and stopped in front of Ryan, Shawn, and Jacobs. "Who's Gavin?" I asked.

Ryan shrugged. "Never heard that name."

I looked to Jacobs and he shrugged too. "Don't know who that is."

"Maybe he's in Asher's pack," Shawn said. I turned back towards Asher. He was kicking small rocks with his foot.

"Can you ask him, please? I don't think I should..." I trailed off. Shawn nodded and walked to Asher. I looked at Ryan and Jacobs. "So you didn't kill him?" I asked Ryan.

"We're good. I don't trust him, but I'm not gonna kill him" Ryan stated. "Plus, Jordyn's back at the castle making everyone watch some chick-flick with her." I simply nodded.

"What did Gavin say to you?" Asher questioned from behind me.

"You know Gavin? Who is he?" I asked, instead of answering his question.

"He's my wolf," Asher stated. "What did he say to you?" he repeated.

"He told me to come back."

Asher studied me. "Why would you listen to some random voice in your head?" he asked.

"He knows Ingrid, my wolf. He said that she needs help. And that I need to go back to you," I said quietly.

"So she's alive?" Shawn asked.

I shrugged. "I think so. Can you ask Gavin?"

Asher nodded and his eyes glazed over. He blinked several times, until his eyes were golden, meaning Gavin was in control.

"Gavin?" He nodded. "How is she?" I asked, referring to Ingrid.

"Very weak," Gavin said sadly. "I am very sorry. Asher is a stupid human."

I chuckled. "Yeah, he is..." I trailed off before going back to an important subject. "About Ingrid. Is she gonna be okay?"

"I honestly don't know," Gavin sighed. "I don't want to pressure you, but it would be easier for her if your emotions were on."

"How would that be easier? Wouldn't it just hurt more?" I questioned.

Gavin shook his head. "The positive emotions that you would have, plus the feelings that you share with Asher, would make Ingrid stronger," he explained.

But would all of that overpower the hurt. There are a few times when I was happy, there were feelings that I had for Asher; but there is more pain. The pain from Asher cheating. My parents.

I didn't even mourn. They've been gone for almost a month, and I cried for them twice. When I saw their bodies, I cried, then went into a coma. When I found my locket, I cried. But I never dealt with the fact that they are gone.

"You won't deal with it all alone," Gavin spoke softly. "You have me, Asher, Ryan, Jordyn, even Matthew."

"You have me too," Shawn said, stepping forward.

Gavin glared at him. "You're not mated," he said with his eyes narrowed at my best friend.

Shawn sighed. "We've known each other since forever. Stop being a jealous mate," Shawn replied.

Gavin rolled his glowing eyes. "You have him too," he said grudgingly. "They can all help you get through it. I can help too, just tell Asher to let me in control. I have to go."

"Thank you, Gavin," I said. Gavin nodded and closed his eyes.

Asher's eyes opened and they were back to their blue-grey color. I yawned and lost my balance. Shawn quickly helped me stand straight. "Let's go home. Its been a long night." I nodded and we walked to one of the cars.