Titus wrapped me in a thick blankets. It was hard to remain sitting up. My head was pounding and weighed more than usual.

"Where are we going?" I whispered when he picked me up.

He kissed my forehead. "You're going to Midfield. They have a medical team that's going to look after you."

I shook my head, turning towards his chest. "I want to stay here."

"I'm going to Midfield too."

"Oh," I breathed, smiling. "Okay."

He carried me out to the main chamber. Darius and Xavier along with several other pack dominants were waiting.

The red werewolf ruffled my hair. "You'll be okay," he said softly in my ear. "No matter what, you'll be okay. I promise."

I took a shaky breath, not really understanding what he meant. I didn't understand what any of this meant. I just wanted to be with Titus and go back to sleep.

My mate took me to the parking lot. He sat down in the back seat of an ATV and set me on his lap. Darius was driving with his father in the passenger seat. The small fleet of vehicles started down the road soon after.

"Titus?"

He peered down at me.

"We're going the wrong way."

Beaming down on me, he tucked the blankets tighter. "We have a helicopter waiting to take you. You don't have to be stuck in a car for twelve hours with Darius."

"Oh, that's good."

I looked above me. The trees were a mixture of green and white. My first winter in Northern Ridge. I'd probably freeze, but I was excited to experience it. The treetops disappeared to reveal a baby blue sky. Wisps of clouds were scattered here and there. It seems like it was going to be a nice day.

The ATV stopped, and Titus climbed out with me in his arms. We walked into a clearing where Trevor stood in the middle. I spotted the helicopter.

"We can see River," I said in a hoarse voice.

"Maybe." Titus tightened his hold on me.

Something wasn't right.

"Titus?"

He gave me a weak smile.

"So you're finally here?"

The deep voice cleared my mind for a moment. My eyes shot over to the other line of werewolves.

"You can hand over my mate," snapped Jet, bearing his teeth.

Darius started to laugh louder than necessary. "You actually think Aden's your mate." He folded his arms. "I'm pretty sure my brother marked him first."

Jet took a step forward. Trevor shifted, shredding his suit. The black werewolf stepped between the pair. He was taller than both, and I could feel his presence was greater than any of the future alphas.

"We're not fighting about this." He glanced between the two groups. "Both packs have agreed to the death match and that is how it will be decided. Am I understood?"

No one moved, but heated stares were still exchanged.

"This is a conflict between Jet and Titus now. Whoever wins, that is where it ends. If either of you start a war over this," he looked at the two reigning alphas, "Midfield will step in."

"Then let's make it clear," stated Oscar. "Winner gets Aden. I don't need Xavier hiding him among the humans, and WIR getting in the way of my son claiming his mate."

Trevor nodded. "I will oversee it myself. Whoever wins gets Aden. Until then, he will stay with me."

"No." I put my arms around Titus's neck. "No, I want to stay in Northern Ridge. I want to be with you."

"It's okay." He rubbed my back to comfort me. "Trevor is going to take care you."

"Please." I tried not to cry, but it wasn't working. "Don't send me away."

"No, Aden. I'm not sending you away." He pulled back and peered into my eyes. "You need medical treatment. Trevor is going to see that you receive the best care. This is just for a few days, and then, we can go home."

I nodded.

Trevor walked over and held out his arms.

Titus kissed me. "I love you, and I'm going to win this for you."

"I love you too."

I was passed to Trevor, who headed toward the helicopter.

"Don't give him false hope, Titus," yelled Jet. "He'll be returning with me."

"He'll never love you." My mate gave him a grin. "His heart belongs to me. No matter what happens, you'll always be second."

"I'll take being second to a dead man." He turned and started toward the border. The rest of his pack followed.

"Dead man?" I whispered. My chest tightened. I had heard it all, but I was starting to comprehend it. They were going to fight. Someone was going to die. A death match, I started gasping for air. Titus, he could die. I'd have to go with Jet.

"Hey, Aden," called Darius.

Trevor stopped and turned around

"Don't worry. My brother will win. No one takes a mate from Northern Ridge." The red werewolf flashed his usual smirk. "So rest well, princess. You'll be home soon enough."

***

I never liked hospitals. The smell of disinfectant always got to me. Luckily, this place didn't have the smell, but the needle sticking in my arm was making up for it. I knew I was in Midfield, but I don't think it was the mansion, though the room was just as nice as one we had stayed in.

The door opened, and Trevor poked his head inside.

"Hey, you're awake."

My eyes went to him for a moment before drifting back across the room. My brain had caught up with what these idiots were planning, and it was the head idiot's fault.

"So," he said, sitting on the end of the bed, "how are you feeling? The drugs should be doing wonders."

I arched a brow and gave him an unimpressed look.

"Are you giving me the silent treatment?" he asked, trying to hold back a smirk. "You're a little old for that."

"You're not funny." I turned my head toward the wall. It was far more worthy of my attention than him.

"Hmmm..." He took a deep breath, rocking back and forth. "After being around River, you'd think I'd be use to this sub drama."

I snatched a pillow and threw it at him. Trevor blocked it before it hit his face.

"You did this." I pointed a finger at him. "My mate could potentially die, because of you. The almighty Midfield alpha, if you're actually that great, then taking control of Bloodhound should be easy."

He shrugged. "It would be, but it would also cause even more problems among packs. In my defense, I offered a death shock."

"A what?" I glared at him annoyed.

"Words spread about the fight, and an alternative option turned up. I guess usually one of the mates would just agree to have their heart stopped, and then two seconds later you shock them again. They only need to be dead for just a moment, and the enzyme is gone. The sub's blood test completely clean, and he lives happily ever after with their remain mate. It's a pretty simple solution."

"Then why the hell don't you have Jet strapped down to a bed?"

The alphas chuckled. "Your fur makes more sense the longer I sit here."

"You're really pissing me off," I stated, folding my arms.

"I offered it, Aden. Jet declined. I offered it to Titus as well, and he almost punched me in the face. So I am trying to solve this without anyone dying. No one is willing to cooperate, though."

"Whatever."

We fell silent for a few minutes. Trevor kept rubbing his face. I hope he was frustrated. It was my mate who was going to have to fight another werewolf, and one of them had to die.

"I'm on your side. I want Titus to win," the alpha said in a subdued voice. "I think he will." He nodded. "I think just having your support will be enough for him to beat Jet."

"Why are werewolves like this?" I sucked in my lips. "Constantly fighting, hurting each other," I sunk down into the bed, "killing."

Trevor leaned back on his arms. "We can fake being human pretty good, but we'll never be like you." His eyes met mine. "This is how we solve problems, and to us, this is considered an honorable death."

"I'd rather it be a dishonorable one, and someone just killed Jet." Bowing my head, I wrung my hands together. "I don't have as high of morals as everyone thinks. If someone has to die, it just can't be Titus. I was so close to losing him already. Why is this happening again?" I wiped my face with the back of my hand. "I don't want to be with Jet. Even when I was with him, he was kind and tried everything to win me over, but I felt nothing. He'd never be anything but that. Titus means so much more to me." Letting out a shaky breath, I rubbed my eyes. "It's probably an alpha thing. They're arrogant assholes, and after being surrounded by those type of guys in school, I just can't get passed it."

Trevor cleared his throat. "I don't necessarily agree with that, but I get your points."

"You arranged this," I said firmly, eyeing him. "You're in the running to beat Darius as the number one asshole."

Groaning, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Comes with the territory, I guess."

I shifted in the bed. "I'm glad your brother isn't like you. If he was, I'd take River home with me."

The alpha laughed. "Troy is a lost cause when it comes to that boy, but Titus is a bit of a mess when it comes to you."

I smiled. "Can you stop this?"

Trevor shook his head. "It's decided. The fight will take place in three days. The doctors worry that the medicine might stop working if we take any longer than that."

"Will Titus be ready? His lungs still need to heal."

"We're werewolf, Aden." He stood. "Xavier is just rather protective of his boys. Titus will be fine by then, and knowing Darius and the complaints from my staff," he sucked in his cheek, shaking his head, "they're not leaving anything up to chance. They've already broken a couch and a couple lamp, because training inside when it's a beautiful day outside," he motioned to the window, "is a good idea to ferals."

"Hey, I take offense to that. I'm traditional."

Smiling, he walked to the door. "I guess you are. Don't be ripping apart your room, Aden. Unlike us arrogant assholes, subs are expected to have a bit more class."

***

The bed pushed down beside me. I was jarred awake and rolled over. A man with dark hair sat there. His scent was an instant comfort.

"Titus?"

He leaned down and kissed me. "Hi."

"Titus." I threw my arms around his neck and smashed my lips to his. Pulling him down on the bed, I kept kissing him, never letting him go far when we came up for air.

"I didn't know you missed me this much," he chuckled, placing soft pecks across my jaw. "I wouldn't have waited this long to visit."

"Tomorrow?" I breathed.

He sat up and nodded. "I'm ready. This time, I'm not going to fall for his tricks. I'll beat him."

"You have to do more than that." I touched his face.

Titus placed his hand over mine. "I will. Then we can go home. Your mom called. We're invited to Thanksgiving."

I covered my mouth as the tears came quickly.

"And we're also expected for Christmas."

I smiled.

"We're also staying a couple weeks. She made sure to tell me that. She's also quite upset that you haven't been calling as much lately, so you're supposed to work on that."

He got a laugh out of me.

I pressed my finger to his lip. "Don't make me go alone. It would break her heart just as much as it would mine."

Titus placed a kiss on my forehead and grabbed both of my hands. "I will win, and we are going to enjoy a very long break at your parents. We might as well stay the whole month of December."

I nodded. "I think so too."

"I'm really excited to get to eat some of your mother's cooking. I even want some of the chocolate pie."

"I'll help her make it, so it won't be too sweet."

He flashed me a grin. "You spoil me."

"No one else does." I shrugged. I ran my hand through his hair as he wiped away my tears.

"I love you, Aden. Once we get passed this, there isn't going to be any more fighting. I'll become a respectable werewolf. I'll keep my temperature in check, and if Darius runs his mouth, he'll just have to fend for himself."

I laughed. "It's okay. You can help him. Unless he deserves it, then he can fend for himself."

"Deal." He kissed me again, slow and soft. "Get some sleep. You're looking a little pale."

"I'm fine." I took in a deep breath.

"Of course, you are. You've been telling me that since the beginning." He tucked the blankets around me. "Goodnight."

I nodded. Titus climbed off the bed and wandered over to the door. He opened it and glanced back at me. Titus flashed me that same cheesy grin that won me over on the bank of a rundown campground lake, and that was all I needed to feel at ease.