"Hey," Theo says softly as he approaches. I don't turn back as he lowers himself down onto the grass beside me. "I thought I'd find you here."

I personally didn't think my mother's grave was very obvious, but I guess Theo did. "You know me too well, Theo, honestly," I say with a hollow chuckle that doesn't sound convincing because it isn't.

Theo sighs softly. "You're not only upset about Mason," he murmurs. I keep my eyes trained on the grass in front of my crossed legs, picking out dead grass and flinging it onto the ground somewhere else. "This is about Josh." He waits for me to say something, but when I don't, he continues. "I thought you hated him."

"Now, now, Theo," I say, looking up at him as the corners of my mouth lift into a small smile. "Hate is a strong word."

Theo grins. "But I'm right."

I huff out a gentle laugh, raising my eyebrows. "You've got a point there." I look down at the grass and then back up at him. "You can't kill your pack, Theo," I say. "It's just...It's not how we do things."

"It's how we do things now, though," he says. "If I'm to get the Beast's pow—"

"You killed Josh, Theo," I say. "You didn't kill just a member of your pack. You killed Josh. He trusted you, Theo. He was scared." I swallow hard. "If Deucalion wanted you to kill me, would you do it?"

"That's different," Theo says. "That's completely and utterly different. No. I wouldn't kill you. You think I didn't mean everything I said last night? I did, Arden. We're still getting away from here after the Beast. This doesn't change anything."

"I want you to stop listening to Deucalion," I blurt out. "I mean, I don't think — well..."

He puts an arm around me and draws me to him. "What is it, baby? Tell me what you're thinking."

I fix my gaze onto his. "I don't trust him, Theo," I say. "He's trying to make you do stuff you normally wouldn't. I just...I don't trust him. There's something about him that just seems...off."

Theo sighs. "You know I hate fighting with you, baby," he says. "I'll keep a closer eye on him, okay? We just need him to help us get to where we need."

"Theo," I begin. "Just don't do something that you'll regret."

"I won't."

We sit in silence for a while until I finally break the silence. "Are you going to kill Mason?"

"He's not going to be Mason for much longer, Arden," he says. "There's nothing I can do to stop it and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it. I'm not trying to kill Mason, Arden, I'm trying to kill the Beast of Gevaudan. I'm trying to kill Sebastien Valet."

I lean into him and wrap my arms around his middle. "I want this to be over, Theo," I whisper. "I want it to go back to before my mom died and before Mason became the Beast."

Theo caresses my hair, his fingers brushing down my spine. "It will," he murmurs. "I promise."

After a while I say, "What about Scott? Would he know what to do?"

"Arden," Theo says suddenly. "I didn't see Mason in that mask. I saw Sebastien. I didn't want to tell you."

I purse my lips. "Mason won't exist for much longer, will he?"

"That's why we need to see Scott right now," he says. "Can you text the little one?"

I furrow my eyebrows. "The little one? You mean Liam?"

"That's his name," Theo says. "Sorry. I don't really bother with names when they're so insignificant."

"Theo!" I scold, but I'm laughing as I speak. "Don't be mean to little Dunbaby!"

"I'll try," he grins. He pulls me into him and kisses me. "We should get going, shouldn't we? Don't want to miss Scott and the little one."

Theo takes my hand in his and we walk to the car while I simultaneously send Liam a text to meet us in the locker room at school, which is also Theo's idea.

I sink down into the passenger seat of the car as Theo starts up the engine and drives off. While the car is cruising down the streets to the school, the first thing Theo says during the ride is, "So I've been thinking."

When he doesn't continue, I beckon him to. "Yeah?"

"About where we should go when we leave," he continues. "I was thinking Europe, you know. Nobody knows either of us there."

I gnaw on my lip. "Europe? Isn't that a bit far?"

"Exactly," Theo sighs. "It would be a real chance to start a new life for us, Arden. We can finally sit back and look at how far we've come together." He smiles. "I can see it, you know. Living in a small cobblestoned street in a house that you decorated. I'll go out to work and then you go off to university and when you come home I'll have dinner ready for you. We'll talk about our day, talk about the people we met while we were out. You'll probably crack out some wine and pour us glasses and then when we finish, you'd want to do your assignments but I'd want to spend time with you and that would be the biggest problem we have."

"Theo," I start off softly. "You know it's not that easy."

"We can make it that easy," he says.

"Why do you want to let the supernatural world go so abruptly?" I ask. "Don't you want a pack?"

"I'll be an alpha and an omega after I kill the Beast, Arden," he says.

"Exactly. Won't you want to get betas?"

"Okay," he breathes. "I had a thought the other day about how you're only very partially werewolf and it got me thinking you know. You're already stronger than most supernatural creatures. You can kill humans with a word, and supernatural creatures with sentence. You can heal faster than a normal siren, but still not as fast as a werewolf. You don't have speed or hearing abilities.

"But what if I could give you it, Arden? There's nothing to say that it won't work, and even if it doesn't work, it can't kill you since you already have the wolf blood inside of you. It'll make you stronger, faster, more dangerous. You'll be able to fight better, your senses will become stronger and your ability to heal will be as fast as mine.

"I want to give you the bite, Arden."

I analyse the situation carefully. What is the worst that could happen? I lose control at first and kill someone? But what is that to someone who has slaughtered an entire pack? Nothing. Since finding out I was a siren, I've believed I was a monster too many times to count. Becoming a werewolf would change nothing in that aspect. I would be almost invincible, a walking weapon.

"I think," I begin, "that once you take the Beast's power, I want you to give me the bite, Theo."

The corners of his lips raise into a small smile. "Then that's that."

"I'll find a real estate agent tonight," I say. "I'm selling the house and we're going to France."

"Are you sure you want to sell it?" he asks.

"I'm sure," I say. "That's the house in which my mom got killed. I want peace, Theo, not reminders of how violent her death was. I want to do this with you. We're in it together."

"I'm looking forward to running away with you, Arden Caraway."

"And you, Theo Raeken."

The car slows to a stop outside the school and I open the door, stepping out and looking over the car roof at Theo. I catch up to Theo's long strides and intertwine my fingers with his.

"Promise you're going to behave?" I grin at him.

"I'll try," he says back, a sly smile plastered on his face.

When we get to the locker room, Scott and Liam are missing. "Do you think they're going to bail on us?" Theo asks, sitting down on one of the benches and checking the time.

I furrow my eyebrows slightly. "No," I say. "No, I don't think so. Liam said they'd be here."

As if on cue, two faint voices break the silence. "How stupid are we to be doing this?" the voice of Liam Dunbar inquires.

Scott's voice answers him. "We're not stupid," he reassured the younger boy. "We're desperate."

"How desperate?" Liam asks, clearly worried.

"Incredibly desperate."

Scott and his beta come around the corner, not even bothering to come with their guard up. This must be a lot worse than I thought.

Theo smirks. "I told you we'd end up on the same side."

Liam clenches his fists at his side, cocking his head to the side. "How about I punch you in the balls to remind you we're not?"

I find myself stifling a laugh. Meanwhile, Theo chuckles loudly. "I love this kid," he sighs.

"We know you're not on our side, Theo," Scott says. "You said you wanted to save Lydia but you left Eichen with something else, didn't you?"

Theo raises his eyebrows. "You mean the mask? Are you worried about that?"

"Did you put it on?" Scott asks. "Who did you see?"

"Not Mason," Theo says.

"What does that mean?" Liam urges. "It's not him?"

"It means that he's a lost cause unless we do something, Liam," I say. "I'm sorry."

"We all want the same thing," Theo says. "We want Mason back."

"Okay," Liam says. "But the difference is that we want him back alive."

"I'm open to compromise," Theo says, shrugging with a what-can-you-do smile. "You still got the map with the telluric currents on it? Bring it to the operating theatre in two hours."

Theo begins to walk away and I trail behind him before Liam says, "Arden, wait."

I take a glance at Theo, who's stopped in the doorway. He gives a small nod and I stay back, waiting for Liam to speak.

"You said there was something you needed to tell me in the text."

I stick my hands in the pockets of my jacket. "Um, yeah," I say.

"So?" Scott asks.

"Well," I say. "See, the thing is, I just wanted to let you guys know that Theo and I are leaving town after the Beast thing is finished."

"So you're just going to skip out on Beacon Hills?" Liam asks. "With Theo?"

"Liam, you know how bad the past month has been for me here," I sigh. "With my mom, the Beast, the Vinceret pack. I need to get away. I need to start afresh."

"Where are you going?" Scott asks.

"France," I say. "I need to get away. You guys don't understand. Me and Theo are going to find a new life there, away from Lucien and away from the Dread Doctors and away from all of this."

"Arden, are you just going to leave us? Leave Lydia? Leave me?" Liam asks.

"Liam, you know it's not like that."

"Nothing I say will make you change your mind, will it?" Liam says. I shake my head. "You've always been stubborn," he says in response.

"Liam, I'm leaving," I declare. "It's what I want."

He looks down at his feet and then back up at me. "Don't I at least get a hug?"

I smile, rolling my eyes playfully. "Ugh, fine," I say. "Come here, you little cinnamon roll."

He smiles and wraps his arms around my middle. "I'm going to miss you, Arden," he says. "You have to visit."

"I will," I say, patting him on the back. He releases me slowly.

"Well then that's that," Scott says. "I guess I'll see you around before you go then." He pulls me into a warm hug, the type that you'd expect from Scott, long and genuine.

"Sorry about that time my boyfriend killed you," I say.

"Thanks," he says awkwardly.

I pull away. "Good luck with everything." I pause. "And I guess I've never really been that close to you, Scott, but if you need anything just give me a call in France. Or just call me on Liam's phone. Overseas calls are expensive these days."

"Couldn't have moved to another state or something?" he jests.

I laugh. "I'll see you in the operating theatre, I guess," I say. "And just so you know, whatever goes down in there, I wasn't expecting anything, so we're both in the same boat. I want to get Mason back too."

And with one final curt nod at the two of them, I head for the door.

I flinch when I see Theo waiting next to the door, standing against the wall. "It's rude to eavesdrop," I say, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll get over it," he says, grinning. He grabs for my hand as we walk back through the school to the parking lot. "I'm going to go see our little friend Deucalion before we go to the operating theatre."

"Why?"

"I need to ask him something."

"I'm telling you, Theo —"

"I know, Arden. I shouldn't trust him. I just need his counsel this once."

"Be careful," I say. "He influences you to do stupid things, Theo."

"I know," he says. "I will. You want me to drop you off home?"

"Sure," I say. "Thanks."

When Theo gets to my house, I farewell him with a kiss and a "Be careful!"

He rolls his eyes. "You're going to make a great mother one day, you know that? You're already acting like one."

I grin. "Theo," I chuckle, peering at him through the open window. "Don't get too clucky there, babe. I've still got time on my biological clock."

"Oh, shut up, Arden," he laughs. "I'll see you later, baby."

I smile, tugging on my bag strap absentmindedly. "See ya, babe."

He gives me a small wave before driving off. I head inside, plonking my stuff down on the couch and flipping open my laptop on the dining table. I type into the search bar. Real estate agents Beacon Hills.

It's funny how circumstances skew our sense of time. A few months ago, I wouldn't have even dreamed of being left on my own, having ownership of a house and preparing to sell it. I doubt most of the people in my year level would even dream of it now. It was a big decision I guess, but not a life-altering one.

Or maybe it was.

But right now, I'm more concerned about having a life than altering it. Being so close to death has its perks, I suppose. Little things I used to worry about don't matter that much anymore. Like if I skip days of school, it pales in comparison to knowing that I'm unhurt and alive and breathing. In a way, it's made me stronger and less naive.

I hear the door open and shut with a click. I look up quickly, my body poised for attack. When Lydia Martin's figure steps through the door, I relax.

"Hey, Arden," she says.

I smile. "Hey," I respond. "What's up?"

She purses her lips, as she does when she's tense. "I heard you're leaving with Theo."

"I should've told you sooner," I sigh. "I just thought —"

"You thought I'd get upset," she says. "I am. But I do understand. Sometimes I just want to get out of this godawful place, too." She waves a hand around. "Like who knew one town could have such bad luck, right? This place must be built on some ancient burial ground. I hate it sometimes. But then I remember I have my friends. Arden, we don't want you to go. Sure, we want Theo to get hit by a car or something, but you're a package deal, I suppose." She sits down beside me, pausing. "I guess it's better for everyone that Theo leaves town. I just wish you didn't have to go with him."

"I don't have to," I say softly. "I want to."

Lydia sighs, running a hand through her long strawberry blonde locks. After a while of saying nothing, she leans over and says, "What are you looking at?"

I look at my laptop, back at her and blink. "Porn."

She shakes her head. "You are so vulgar, Arden!" she exclaims. "Honestly, though. What is it?"

"Real estate agents," I say. "I'm going to sell the house."

"Oh," is all she says before she clears her throat. "Your mom would be proud," she says. "It's brave doing something like this. Leaving everything behind. I think your mom would be looking down right now and admiring what a smart, responsible young lady she raised."

I feel tears at the back of my eyes. "Thank you," I say. "I mean it, Lydia." The tears come without me expecting them, running down my cheeks in a steady stream. Lydia pulls me into a hug, my chin resting on her shoulder.

As I cry to her, she softly says, "It's brave, you know that right? You followed your heart, Arden, something that I couldn't even do."

***

Hello my loves! Gonna be honest, I didn't really know how to finish the chapter so I thought I might as well give you guys a Lydia and Arden moment :) I'm so upset because I'm almost up to writing the scene and it's hurting me a lot ok. Hope you liked this chapter!!

Much love, Georgina xx