In the next moment I was completely weightless, my stomach going up into my throat. My body felt out of my control, all my fears of falling from high places hitting me just as hard as when I hit the water.

It felt as though I were landing on cement, the loud splash being the only indicator that the substance wasn't solid. Ice water covered my body, flooding into my nose as I struggled to breath. Kicking and paddling, I managed to break the surface of the water for a gasp of fresh air.

Rufus hadn't jumped in after me, and it only meant that I had to move quicker. I pushed myself to swim as fast as possible, gliding through the water without an understanding of fatigue. Lighting exploded in the sky above me, only making me paddle harder.

I reached the edge, grabbing onto tree roots and branches to pull myself from the water. Climbing up the rocks, the lightning put the forest into light again. Hope filled in my chest; the path out of the woods! I knew it, and here it was right in front of me.

Breaking into a sprint, I ran through the tree branches, trying to follow along the clear pathway as best as I could. Stumbling over roots, I managed to claw myself up a small slope, my soggy socks hardly helping with traction.

Once I was up the hill, I darted around bushes and over logs, letting out a cry as I ran straight through a cluster of thorns that tore through my clothes. Stumbling, I fell against a tree trunk, my foot burning in pain. I'd stepped on the thorns roughly, and now I could feel multiple digging into my skin.

Whatever pain I had felt before became small as something connected with my head. My forehead collided with the tree trunk, my vision turning black and starry like the night sky as I collapsed onto the ground.

Rufus let out a low growl, a sob rising from my throat as I felt his breath on my face. I managed to blink, his wolf's merciless eyes gazing down at me with his teeth bared. This was it.

One of his paws came down on my neck, making me cry out as he suffocated me just for the fun of it. My lungs burned as tears pooled from my eyes, my fingernails digging into the dirt and Rufus' fur as I tried to fight back.

When my eyes nearly closed, he released me, my airways opening once again. It hurt to even try to suck in air, making me flinch with each breath. Rufus looked down at me with a glimmer in his eyes.

He was enjoying this, watching me struggle as he pushed me to death before reviving me to do it all over again. He wasn't finished with me yet.

I couldn't move, my mind fuzzy as I could barely move my arms. My head was pounding with a pain I'd never experienced as I gagged and wheezed for air. Rufus opened his mouth, giving the side of my neck a long lick. Then, he widened his bite, resting his teeth on either sides of my neck.

The final bite. I was existing in a dream and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

A snarl echoed in the air, one that distinctly wasn't from Rufus. From the trees emerged a second wold, silver fur bristled along its spine with bared teeth. It snapped its jaw, making Rufus' ears lie flat against his head.

Finn.

Rufus let out a growl, one that made my body vibrate. One of his paws came down on the side of my face, making me flench. He tilted my head painfully to the side, making Finn and I lock eyes as he kept his teeth against my neck. Rufus let out a low bark, one that echoed with challenge. He had me, and he was challenging Finn to do something about it.

Finn took a step forward, a similar bark rising from his throat as well. Neither moved for a moment before Finn took two steps forward, and Rufus let his teeth protrude deeper into my neck. I couldn't help but let out a strangled scream, my voice nearly gone as agony radiated through my body.

The grip on my neck loosened as I shook, wheezing for breath while every one of my limbs quivered. Tears spilled down my cheeks, Rufus' heavy paw weighing down on my face. I managed to open my eyes, rain rolling down my cheeks as I met Finn's eyes.

His wolf let out a low moan of pain that seemed intended for me, his body shaking just as badly as my own. He was pacing in place, claws digging into the ground. He couldn't take another step yet he was itching to get to me with every passing second.

In the next moment, Fate herself intervened. Lighting coursed through the air, striking one of the trees near us, a ear-shattering boom sending Rufus and Finn into a frenzy. In his bewildered state, Rufus released my neck to raise his head and Finn pounced.

Their bodies struck one another above me before they were out of sight behind me. Loud barks, growls, and the sound of snapping jaws resounded behind me as I struggled to move my neck to look. Every fiber of muscle above my shoulders burned as I slowly managed to rotate it.

Finn and Rufus were rolling around in the mud and thorns, claws slicing through the air with vigor as they both tried to sink their teeth into one another. My eyes blurred, their once crisp figures turning into fuzzy splotches that danced round and round together. Whimpers and cries of pain on both sides echoed in my ears before I could see clearly again.

In the heat of their fight, Finn raked his claws across Rufus' chest before sinking his teeth into his shoulder blade. The black wolf screamed out in pain, swinging his claws across one of Finn's legs before digging them into his back.

Finn yelped as he flipped Rufus onto his back, even in his pain trying to pin the wolf down. They tussled, spinning about in the bushes while emitting sounds that were worse than any dog fight I'd ever heard in my life. Finn's claws cut Rufus' underbelly, slicing deep down into his stomach. In a rage, Rufus slammed his teeth into Finn's left hind leg, the audible sound of breaking bones making me scream out his name.

His wolf's cries of pain wounded me as badly as Rufus' bite. "Finn!" I managed to yell, my voice still soft but enough to be heard from the twitch of his ears. Rufus' head whipped around to look at me as he licked his lips, letting out a menacing snarl. He took a single step towards me before Finn threw himself at the black wolf.

They collided with a tree trunk, Finn slamming Rufus' skull into the bark as his claws went to work carving up the black wolf's flesh. Their mixed cried, yelps, and howls ended abruptly when Finn's teeth came around Rufus' neck, his jaw closing shut in one clean snap.

Rufus let out a long, low moan before his struggle began to die away. He slowly became still, his head going limp in Finn's teeth. After a few moments, Finn released him, the body falling against the mud with a splat.

Finn stayed in his wolf form, staring down at the dead wolf. He seemed to be in shock, and I could hardly blame him. The wind whipped wildly through the tree branches, the darkness in the air seeming to lessen now that the hunt had ended.

Finn shifted his weight, scanning the area before his eyes fell on mine through the pouring rain. His wolf let out a long whimper as he limped towards me, making my heart constrict in my chest from where I laid in the mud. His leg was caked in blood, snapped and hanging at an awkward angle. Rufus had fucked up Finn's bad leg all over again.

I felt tears fall down my cheeks as I tried to sit up, but my body ached and groaned in reply. I couldn't sit up as I let out a hiss of pain. Finn's body shifted and transitioned at my cry until I was looking at the tear stricken face of the man I loved. I tried to push myself to sit up with all the strength, one of Finn's hands coming to hold me up by supporting the small of my back.

His fingers traced across my right cheek as he leaned his forehead against my own, taking a deep breath as though now he knew I was real, real and still alive. I tried to lift up my hand to touch his face, but I felt a sore ache in the muscles that made me flinch. A gaping cut ran along my bicep, a single claw mark that I didn't remember receiving.

His eyes reflected a new level of pain as he positioned himself behind me, one arm wrapping around my shoulders with his nose nuzzled into my neck. His other arm was cut open, and he kept it at his side. I rested my back against his chest as I held his strong arm tight against my body.

His legs rested on either side of me as I leaned my temple against his. I felt myself begin to relax just from his touch as the pain felt far less acute.

Finn began to cry and so did I as we clung to each other, covered in blood and broken down to the bone. My vision was blurry as I stared into the darkness, thunder and lighting making Finn shake violently under the harsh pounding of the rain. I tried to talk to him, but my throat burned and my voice came out constrained and scratchy which only made him sob harder than he had before.

Neither of us could speak as we rested against each other. We were both trembling as I stroked my fingertips along his forearm to try and calm him in the storm. Finn only let out labored breathes against the curve of my neck as his fingers ran along my opposite cheek, brushing away my tears with his thumb.

He was trying to comfort me the best he could even though his worst nightmare hung in the air around us. Those huge wings of his had wrapped around my body as they tried to act as a shield from the rain.

I knew in that instant that the only place I ever wanted to be was his arms and I wanted to comfort him all the days of my life. I knew in that moment how truly and deeply I loved Finnigan Shay. He was the most honest, courageous, and good-hearted man I'd ever met in my life. He was here, protecting me when he needed to be protecting himself as well.

He was trying to keep me warm as he shook in the cold rain. He was trying to make me feel safe when he could barely breath from terror. I loved this man, and it made me cry harder that I couldn't make him feel as safe as he made me.

"I'm sorry..." He choked. Listening to his heartbroken voice only made me suck in a breath as I squeezed my eyes shut. "I'm sorry I let him hurt you. I'm so, so sorry..."

"No..." I managed to say as I opened my eyes, turning my head slowly to look into those beautiful blue eyes. "No, you..." My throat burned as new tears leaked my eyes and I squeezed them shut.

Finn's body tensed as he pulled me tighter to his chest while tucking his wings closer to my body. "Sh... Kate, please don't." He brushed a strand of hair behind my ears, wiping more of the rain water and mud from my face.

I tried to open my mouth again, but he rested a finger against my lips, shushing me instantly. I leaned my head back against his shoulder while he rested his face close to my neck again.

Finn's head shot up as his eyes started to burn a rich gold. His arm wrapped tighter around my shoulders, a deep growl rumbling from his chest. My eyes followed his gaze to where Cybele and Secta stood across from us at the edge of the tree line, their shadowed eyes fixed on us both.

"They're all around us. They're in the shadows, his accomplices." Finn whispered to me as he glared Secta and Cybele down with intense, predator-like eyes. I stiffened; he thought he was back in the forest still with those awful wolves.

"Friends..." I managed to croak while managing to touch his face. Running my fingers along his cheek, I made him look me in the eyes. "We're safe."

Cybele took a step forward, only making Finn let out a deep snarl. She halted, taking a quick glance to her father. "He's not fully here, is he?"

"He killed Rufus. Of course he's out of his mind. He's in the past, Cybele." Secta stepped forward without fear as Finn's wings curled tighter around me.

"Finn..." I said, my vision blurry as my head rolled back. I was gone in that instant, slumped against his shoulder as I fell into nothingness.