Guys, I graduate in like a week :O All this graduation stuff is what has caused me to be horribly inactive on my account! I'm sorry, but here is another chapter for you! No, this is not the last one.

Question: Out of all three books, who is your favorite character(dead or alive)? And, why?

~ Lissa

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I spotted Amanda near a military vehicle, surrounded by soldiers. She was dressed from head-to-toe in black, her red lips pinched together in distaste. A pair of sunglasses were perched on the top of her head, almost as if it was just any other day. She watched nearby werewolves, casually ordering her surrounding soldiers to shoot at a particular one. Gritting my teeth together, I lunged forward, holding a gun that I had managed to possess. Temp quickly grabbed my upper arm, jerking me backwards with a frown. "We have to be smart about this."

"I'm going to kill her," I told him, angrily. "Let me go."

He hesitated, then released my arm. "Okay, I have your back. Always." I nodded, then rushed forward, raising my weapon. He followed after me, red and sweating. As soon as Amanda noticed us, she pointed her finger our direction and her surrounding soldiers started shooting at us. We shot back, somehow managing to avoid their bullets, and halfway into the gunfight, werewolves started helping us out, taking down a couple of the soldiers.

Fear appeared in Amanda's eyes. As we continued moving closer, I witnessed her scramble into the military vehicle. I turned my attention to the nearest soldier, shooting him in the chest. Another came running forward and I nailed him in the forehead. My aiming was getting better. I dodged a werewolf who came dashing forward, tackling two soldiers to the ground. I winced at the flying blood and body parts.

Eventually, two gunshots rang out, strangely louder and different than the others. I felt a pang in my chest and I felt my knees grow weak. My eyes started burning and I lost my breath, unable to inhale any oxygen. I whipped my head around, rotating in a circle, everything in slow motion. I literally felt as if the world suddenly stopped, as if a dream suddenly transitioned into a nightmare, as if my single reason for living was suddenly ripped away.

There was Amanda, lingering near the military vehicle, her handgun raised. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were twisted in pleasure. At the end of the barrel, was Temp. I opened my mouth to shout, but nothing came out. His eyes dropped down to his chest where two red patches were forming. He lifted a hand, shakily touching one of his wounds in disbelief. When his eyes met mine again, he dropped to his knees, his gun slipping from his fingers.

I opened my mouth again and this time, a scream came out. Not a scream of anger, but of pain. I charged forward, paying no attention to those around me, with his necklace, the 'T', bouncing against my chest. By the time I reached him, he was curled onto his side on the ground, blood sputtering from his lips. I collapsed at his side, feeling the tightening of my stomach, the breaking of my heart, the stopping of my world.

Immediately, I rolled him onto his back and pressed my hands against his wounds. "Temp! Please, please, please, look at me!" His breaths came out short and quick; his eyes met mine, filled with tears. "Don't you dare leave me, okay?! Don't you f-f*cking dare - we aren't finished! No, you and m-me, it's always been you and me!"

He struggled. "Kill h-her."

When I looked up, I saw Amanda directing her barrel at me, unfazed. I reached for my gun, which was on the ground next to me, but I froze when a familiar face appeared beside her. Ryker, drenched in blood, smacked the handgun out of her hands. His eyes were a murderous red; he was beyond terrifying. And, judging by Amanda's face, she was scared and surprised to see him of all people. His hand shot out, wrapping around her neck.

His growl rumbled the ground. "I don't think you have a misconception of my kind. We are beasts. We are not human. . .and, you - you are awful." His grip tightened and her face reddened as she desperately scratched at his hand. I watched with burning eyes as he moved his face closer to hers, baring his sharp teeth. "But, I'm much worse."

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he snapped her neck. Amanda's body crumbled to the ground at his feet. She was dead - she was finally out of our lives. Relief overwhelmed me, before I realized that my hands were no longer moving up and down on Temp's chest with his breathing. I looked down, releasing a painful scream when I saw that his eyes were closed, his face was motionless, and his body was covered in blood. Instantly, I started performing CPR, desperate for him back. I pounded my hands into his chest, giving him mouth-to-mouth.

"Open your eyes! Damn it!" I shouted, pushing at his chest. "You are not dead! No, y-you are not dead, you hear me?!" As I fell apart right there, Ryker slowly approached me. "Temp! We're s-supposed to make things right with your family a-and - remember? You remember? I need you!" Hot tears rolled down my cheeks and I found myself nearly puking at one point. "Come back to me!" I blew air into his mouth again. "F*cking breathe!"

"Thea," Ryker spoke, kneeling down in front of me. "He's gone."

I glared at him. "No, he's not - help me save him!"

"It's too late."

I continued with CPR, feeling the protest in my muscles. Ryker reached forward, grabbing my wrists, stopping me. A whimper came from my lips and he lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. His eyes were back to their emerald color, same as Ethen's. Ryker pressed his fingers against my temple and warmth overwhelmed me, before I fell backwards, sinking into a black hole.

* * *

Crouching on the tiled floor, I wheezed at the burning bile in the back of my throat. I wiped the dots of sweat on my forehead away, swallowing it down. A headache was forming, slowly beginning to feel as if somebody was repeatedly smashing my head against the wall. I was pathetically hunched over the toilet, listening to the dripping of water from the faucet and overwhelmed with the smells of my vomit and lavender soap. I ran my fingers through my damp hair, feeling tired. I flushed the toilet and collapsed against the nearest wall, pulling my legs to my chest and pressing my forehead to my knees.

A few minutes had passed until the tingling feeling returned and with a moan, I shoved my face back over the toilet. I coughed up the last of the food in my stomach, grabbing the edge of the toilet, shakily. My eyes started burning and frustrated with myself, I spit into the rippling water below. Temp was gone. He was dead. He wasn't the only one. Kolton. Noah. Emma's brother, Ethan. Cole. Pete. The war killed nearly everybody, but it was over. We had won - and judging by the news, humans were considering some sort of alliance.

"Thea, are you okay?"

I looked over, seeing Ethen. Concern was evident in his emerald eyes. No, I wasn't okay. It had only been fourteen hours since Temp's death. I flushed the toilet, then clambered to my feet. Us survivors were staying at a cheap motel, our rooms on the same floor.

"I'm fine," I croaked, leaning against the sink. "Actually, I'm not. I don't want to be here - a-all I can think about is him. He's dead, Ethen. He isn't coming back."

He dropped his head. "I know."

"You know, I-I wanted a happy ending," I told him, my throat burning. "I wanted you and I wanted my best friend. I wanted to see Nora and Drew's wedding, which isn't happening anymore. Not now at least. I wanted to see everybody happy." I shook my head, glancing at my reflection. My eyes caught sight of the necklace around my neck that Temp had given me. "But, things are different now. Things are changing."

He hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, they are."

"I know what you and your brothers are going to do," I continued, shakily. "I-I overheard you talking to them. I, uh, I don't blame you. Not after what we've gone through." Sadness crept onto his face as he leaned against the door frame, tiredly. "You all are disappearing again. You're going your separate ways a-and it's - it's not what I pictured happening."

"Come with me," he said, quietly. "Ryker is disappearing with Emma."

I bit my bottom lip. "And Caine?"

"Nora has chosen to stay with Drew," he answered, watching me. "Caine will be on his own, but I don't want to be on my own. I want to be with you, Thea."

A tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. "I can't, Ethen." He stepped forward to argue with me, but I raised a hand, stopping him. "I'm not okay. I'm not a-and I can't runaway with you pretending that I am. I-I can't run into the sunset, as much as I really want to. I'm not ready - I-I need to heal first. I need to focus on me. I need to take a step back a-and straighten myself out, before I even consider giving us another chance."

"But, I do - I do love you," I continued, struggling to speak. "I didn't get to say goodbye to Temp, not how I wish I could've, so I don't want to regret not saying this. . . I love you and it's taken a war for me to say it, but I mean it." The expression on his face broke my heart. "One day, I-I want to give us another chance, but I need you to be patient with me. I need you to l-let me go for now. Let me go, Ethen."

A tear slipped from his eyes. "How can I let you go when you're the reason my world continues to spin?"

I forced a smile. "Because, I'll come back to you."

"When?"

"Uh, I don't know," I replied, plopping one of the mints off the sink into my mouth. "But, I will and when I do, you'll have me. All of me. You'll have your prize and I'll have mine." He stepped forward, gently grabbing my hand and entwining his fingers with mine. "The sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be back." Holding my breath, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his cheek. "Goodbye, Ethen."

He shook his head. "You d-don't have to leave now."

"Don't beg for me to stay," I pleaded, releasing his hand. "This is for the best."

"I'm losing my mate," he countered, quietly. "How is this for the best?"

"It's best for me."

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Where are you going to go?"

"I can't tell you," I muttered, stepping around him. As I backed out of the bathroom, I looked him in his eyes one last time, remembering them for my lonely nights. "I love you."

Another tear came from his eye. "I love you, Precious."

"That's the nickname you finally came up for me?"

A sad grin came onto his face. "You better go, before I force you to stay."

The corners of my lips quirked at his words. I took a deep breath and turned away, leaving the man I was in love with behind.