Nick and the unnamed guy lead me down one hall before deciding their vamp speed is better. The halls pass in a dark, muddy blur. It would have been so much better for me to close my eyes. Then I wouldn't be as disoriented as I am now.

Not realizing we've stopped, a hard elbow in my abdomen pulls me from my disorientation. The pain takes a moment to register, but when it does, I cry out. I press my hand to my ribs, rubbing frantically to alleviate the pain.

"Pay attention," Nick grunts. He shakes his head before signalling to his partner.

The man grabs the handle of the door. This is the moment that I realize I have no idea what's going to happen. He opens the door and steps in first. Nick then follows in after, tugging me with him. The first thing I notice is the large, dark chair at the far end of the room. A black cushion is placed down for comfortability. There are spikes of various sizes coming out of the top. They look sharp enough that just one light touch may prick a finger.

Removing my gaze from the chair, I survey the room. The room looks like some sort of mock courtroom. Though there's not a jury section or a section for random people to watch. There are about twelve guards standing to one side of the space. All are in uniform and standing stiffly with their hands crossed behind their backs. Trailing my eyes over them, I first notice Ingrid. She's in the middle of a man and woman, making me remember that they're the two who were first with her. Then I notice the two males from the car ride, followed by the driver. The remaining people are unrecognizable.

Except one.

My blue eyes connect with the green ones of Alexei. My feet move on their own as they try to guide me to her. One tug from Nick pulls me back in line. But our eyes stay affixed until she looks away from me. My lips turn into a frown, hurt that she's so determined to deny our bond.

Nick pulls me to the other side of the room, opposite from the mock jury. My back painfully smacks into the wall from his forceful tug. We don't wait long before the door opens again. In walks the queen. Her figure is adorned by a long, black, long-sleeved gown. All of it is made of lace, revealing her black bra and underwear beneath. A gunmetal colored crown sits tall on her head while her hair is pushed back into a neat, elegant bun. She struts into the room like a model walking down the runway. The train of her dress is being held up by the blonde lady from before.

The blonde rushes behind the queen, trying to keep up with her superior. Her breath of relief is noticeable once the queen takes her seat. The blonde lets go of the train and takes her place next to the queen.

Though Ameri is gorgeous, all this black is starting to make me feel nefarious.

"Alright, let's get this over with." Ameri rolls her eyes. She moves her dark, stern gaze to my direction. Her red lips tug up into a smirk. "Hello, little wolf," she spits the word 'wolf' out, mocking me.

I don't offer a reply. There's nothing I can say to this cruel woman.

"Hmm, wolves are typically known for being mannerless," she says, shaking her head. Then she claps loudly and the sound reverberates around the room. "The reason we're here, Alexei, step forward."

My mate takes slow steps to the front of the queen. She kneels down and bows her head.

"My queen, the she-wolf trespassed onto our coven grounds, her and her lycan," Alexei starts. Gasps come from those not part of the original equation, but that doesn't deter Alexei. "We believe the lycan is responsible for killing Stephanie Corte, my former beloved. We've gotten mixed responses from the she-wolf and lycan."

It's quiet as Alexei makes her way back to her original spot. She crosses her arms behind her back once again. The silence remains for a couple of seconds before the queen motions me forward. Nick clenches his hand on my arm and drags me to stand in front of Ameri.

"Speak your side, girl," she commands as soon as I settle.

Taking a gulp, I open my mouth. I tell them what happened, leaving Rory's name out as best as I could. I tell them that I'm the only person who killed the vampire, Stephanie. Though I can't remember my speech from the day they locked me away. I hope I didn't say anything then to persecute Rory. I would never forgive myself.

Once done, Nick pulls me back to the wall. This time, he doesn't slam me into the panel which I'm grateful for. There's some more waiting then nothing but silence. Ameri's eyes are boring into me, but it's not her eyes I want on me.

"Right," Ameri finally breaks the silence. "Bring in the lycan."

Shooting my gaze to the door, I take a stuttering breath. Slowly, the door opens and two guards walk in with Rory grasped tightly in their hands. The sight of him causes tears to fall down my face when I thought I had no more tears to offer.

Rory looks pale and sickly, a terrible contrast to his normally tawny skin. His eyes are sunken in and he has dark, purple shopping bags under them. Rory has never been really buff, always having more of a lean figure, but now he looks lanky. He's lost weight and now he looks unhealthy. Rory looks unwell and while I know I'm not in the best shape either, I wish I could take his place.

I begin moving before I can stop myself. When I step forward, Rory lifts his head from the ground, linking our eyes instantly. My heart drops when I notice the dried tears that are being replaced by new ones as we speak.

Nick's hands clutch onto me tightly, but I can't stop. I won't stop. My body thrashes, trying to get his hands off of me. It doesn't work, which causes something to well inside of my chest. A tight ball forms in my chest, constricting it and stopping my breaths. Turning, Nick must see something in my eyes because he drops his hands off of me. Watching him, I see his mouth drop open and his eyes widen in horror. Maybe it's something behind me that has scared him. I just can't worry about that right now.

Turning back around, I move faster than I ever have in my life. When I'm a foot from Rory, I launch myself at him, wrapping my body around his. The force of my body causes him to stumble, breaking free from the guards holding his arms. He can't balance us though because of his changed form, so we topple to the ground.

Rory groans under me, making me feel guilty. He's already so fragile and I'm not helping matters. I go to pull away, already thinking of my apology speech.

"Sophia-Grace," a broken voice whispers. Looking down, I see Rory already staring at my face.

We don't break our gazes until something else does. The world melts completely away, everyone and everything disappearing. It's just me and Rory, right here, right now. Something below us starts to glow, causing me to break our gaze and look towards it. Another tether is forming, the same one that had formed between me and Alexei. The gold is familiar and I welcome it. This time, I don't try touching it, not until it's completely connected between the two of us.

Lifting my eyes, I watch and wait for the tether to burst into Rory's chest. When it does, I'm not disappointed. The love that surrounds his eyes becomes more prominent, completely taking over his features. His chapped lips drop open in awe as if he's seeing for the first time. His pale cheeks become red, reaching down his neck and to the tops of his ears.

"Mate," Rory speaks. I feel his arm move and I think he momentarily forgets his chained hands. A groan of frustration leaves him. "You're my mate."

"Mate," I repeat. Slowly, I begin smiling at the boy laying below me.

Then I'm suddenly and unexpectedly yanked off of Rory. My shirt collar chokes me a bit as I'm pulled by the back of my shirt. The fabric digs into my skin painfully, but I choose to ignore it. Turning to see just who it is, my eyes connect with bright green ones that reflect anger and betrayal.

Alexei hisses as she lightly pushes me aside. Then she rounds and heads for Rory. She's too fast for me to grab her. Alexei rushes Rory and grips him by the neck, lifting him into the air so that his feet dangle helplessly. She brings him down so that their faces are leveled with each other.

My own eyes widen, my heart breaking into pieces at the sight. "Alexei, no!" I shriek, rushing over to them. I wrap my arms around her waist, trying to pull at her, but she doesn't budge. "Please, don't kill my mate. Don't kill my Rory."

That seems to pull her from her murderous daze. She drops Rory and he falls to a heap on the floor, then she turns to me. The sheer force of her hurt and sorrow nearly knocks me off my feet. Her eyebrows furrow and her mouth sets into a thin line as she watches me. I want to reach forward to comfort and reassure her that she's my mate too. She's my Alexei, but I don't know if that's the best idea.

My heart pounds against my chest as we stay silent, watching each other. Then Alexei shakes her head, a small, almost unnoticeable scoff leaving her. She tears her eyes from me and maybe that's the most painful moment of this. If she thinks I don't care, that's not true. I can't stop caring.

"Okay, just what the absolute fuck is going on here?" And just like that, the moment ends. I turn my gaze towards Ameri, meeting her blazing, angry eyes.

What is going on here?