Hey!

Sorry for any mistakes!

~ Lissa

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~ One Week Later ~

"Nobody can die."

Wandering down the hallways, I found myself thinking about Caine's words, struggling to accept them. Somebody who was standing in the office - Drew, Caine, Brody, Cole, Noah, and me - were going to die in the upcoming war. Other than Cole, everybody was important to me; each one of them held a place inside of me. But, at the time, I knew that if Cole died, it was going to break Drew. The two of them were best friends, despite my dislike towards his Beta. And, while I barely knew Caine, he was important to me - he was my mother's mate. It was impossible to not care about him dying, though considering his power, a part of me was assured that he wouldn't be the one to die.

"Nora, we can't prevent it - it's Fate. Remember, you can't win against Fate, no matter how hard you fight."

The image of my brother's dead body on the ground appeared in my head and I chomped down on my bottom lip. I couldn't lose my brother; at the moment, my father wanted to kill me, so I didn't consider him family, meaning Noah was all I had. Brody popped into my head and there was a gut wrenching feeling inside of me - I didn't think that I would bond with any of Drew's pack, yet I did. To be honest, Brody was my best friend; back home, I didn't have people who stuck by my side. Basically, my 'friends' were friends to my face, but not behind my back. If I lost him, it was going to have a large impact on me.

"I'm going to prove to you that Fate can be defeated."

Then, there was Drew - for so long, I fought against the mate-pull. We had our ups and downs, but that didn't change how I felt. I knew there was a possibility of him dying, even though he was an Alpha. With my decision to fight, I knew that his first instinct would be to protect me, meaning if he had to, he'd throw himself in front of me. To protect me, he would risk his life over and over again; if I fought in the war, he would be more concerned about me than himself. I was his weakness and if I didn't be careful, I was going to get him killed.

"You won't succeed."

The conversation ended with Caine after that; I ended up stomping out of the office in frustration. He seemed upset that I was going to attempt to break Fate - the only reason he was sticking around was to keep his promise to my mother about keeping me alive. And, once again, I was putting myself in danger. Suddenly, a hand grabbed my upper arm and tugged me into a warm body. I raised my fist, prepared to swing, but I lowered it when my eyes connected with a familiar pair of blue ones. Drew. His hair was brushed and he had changed into a nice shirt with some dark-washed jeans. "Calm down, it's only me."

I exhaled loudly. "You're lucky I didn't punch you."

"Yeah, you've already busted my nose twice," he pointed out, a small smirk on his face. I shrugged innocently and he shook his head, before draping his arm along my shoulders. The two of us started walking down the hallway together, our hips bumping against each other. "So, your brother and I had a long conversation about keeping it in my pants - he threatened to cut-off my beef stick if it got anywhere close to you."

I laughed. "When did this happen?"

"Five minutes ago," he answered, releasing a chuckle. "He's very protective of you; even being around him for a few minutes, anybody is able to tell that you two are siblings." We turned down another hallway, one that dimmer with fewer paintings on the wall. "Where do you guys get your attitude from, anyways? I swear, you two have the worst mouths - seriously, I haven't heard somebody be so foulmouthed in my life."

I slapped his shoulder. "Hey, it's a talent." He rolled his eyes and huffed, bringing my closer into his side. "And, to answer your question, I'm not sure - I mean, my mother was very outspoken; she was famous for her quick remarks. Uh, I know my brother rubbed off on me, especially when I started hanging around his friends. But, I know for a fact that we got our father's temper; trust me, there was a lot of shouting in my house growing up."

He smiled. "My family was the same way - my brother and I didn't get along well. He was always annoyed with me; I don't blame him, though. I was that younger brother who looked up to him and followed him around everywhere." He shook his head, the smile remaining on his face. "One time, he changed my cartoons to some sports channel and next thing I knew, the two of us were rolling around on the floor, throwing blows at each other. While he walked away with a missing chunk of hair, I lost with a busted lip and black eye."

"You think that's bad?" I laughed, flashing back to my childhood days. "One time, my brother threw his pumpkin at me because I ditched him in a haunted house. I ended up falling forward and hitting my head on a rock - I got six freaking stitches from him that day." Drew laughed as I lifted a chunk of my hair, revealing the small scar on my scalp. I started slowing down in the hallway until I stopped completely, pulling away from him. His smile disappeared, replaced with a look of confusion. I folded my arms across my chest, before asking, "Do you miss them? Do you miss your siblings?"

He forced a grin. "Every day; they're all I have left." He scratched the back of his head and took a deep breath. "Lets talk about something else, huh?"

"Uh, I'm afraid I have to interrupt," a familiar voice came, startling us. Drew swore under his breath as I turned around, seeing Caine standing in the middle of the hallway. His hands were clasped together and his emerald eyes were focused on me, a greeting grin on his face. I pressed my lips together in annoyance; after the last conversation with him, I didn't want to speak with Caine. His words about somebody dying echoed in my head as I looked at him. Seeing the unpleasant look on my face, he cleared his throat. "We need to start practicing, Nora. You'll have to leave your mate for the time."

"Practicing?"

"Magic," he responded, calmly. "You need to be prepared for the war and I'm willing to teach you everything I know."

"It isn't a good time," I told him, frowning. "I'm spending the day with my mate." I entwined my fingers with Drew's, forcing a grin at him. He beamed, surprised that I had referred to him as my mate. While I was eager to spend the day with him, the majority of me just didn't want to be around Caine. I didn't want to hear any more about destiny and death; I knew the war was just around the corner, but I wanted to sit back and relax. I was already tense about the situtation with my father, so the last thing I needed was my mind to be clouded too much. Caine tilted his head to the side, reading me as easily as a book. He knew the real reason why I didn't want to be practicing with him - I didn't want to be around him.

"You need to learn, Nora," he said, irritated. "The war is close; if you don't know how to use your magic, you'll lose - the world will turn dark."

"It's not my magic, it's yours," I corrected, pointing my index finger at him. "And, I don't want anything to do with it, okay? I'm already stressed enough with everything else."

"But, magic is how you'll defeat Killian," he argued, narrowing his eyes.

"I'll find another way," I told him, rolling my eyes. "I'm not talking about this right now." I tugged on Drew's arm and started walking down the hallway away from Caine in frustration, pulling Drew behind me. Drew swung his arm back onto my shoulders and pulled me into his side, inhaling my scent - I imagined that I smelled a lot like him, considering I had ditched the clothes Katie purchased me and stuck with his T-shirts. When we turned the corner and disappeared from Caine's view, Drew looked down at me with a raised eyebrow. "You know, if magic is the best way, you should have him teach you."

I shook my head. "I don't want anything to do with magic."

"Why not?" he questioned, quietly. "Not many people are able to use magic to their advantage, Nora - you're lucky. And, certainly, not many people have one of the first werewolves ever fighting for them. Honestly, if magic will help you win against Killian, I want you to learn how to use it."

I looked at him. "If you don't remember, I'm human. That means, magic doesn't belong in my hands; I'm not a witch. It isn't right, so if I use it, there will be consequences."

"But, it could save your life, Nora," he responded, leading me down another hallway. "If what Caine is saying is true, you need to use magic in the war."

"I thought you didn't want me fighting?"

He grinned. "I've known you long enough to know that you would find your way to the war, Nora. Even if I locked you up, you'd escape to help us. Plus, you're our only hope to defeating Killian." He stopped in the middle of the hallway and grabbed my shoulders, looking me in the eyes. "But, what really matters to me, is that you're alive. If you have to use magic to keep breathing, then that's what you need to do. I'll be out there with you and your safety will always be my first priority, understand? I'll be fighting for the secret of my existence, for my pack, but mostly, I'll be fighting for you."

I nodded. "I'm not use to somebody fighting for me - I'm usually always the one doing the fighting. I mean, I have my brother, but it isn't the same."

Drew pecked my forehead. "That's because he doesn't love you like I do." I lost my breath and froze, feeling his palms against my cheeks. He stared into my eyes, waiting for my response. He just admitted his feelings; he just admitted that he loved me. My heart was pounding in my chest and I knew that I needed to say something. But, what was I going to say? Other than family, I had never told a guy that I loved him - mainly because I tended to push them away when I felt myself growing attached. But, now, after knowing Drew for weeks, I couldn't say the words. He nodded his head in understanding, saying, "It's okay - one day, you'll say it. Come on, lets go see everybody else."

* * *

Sitting in the kitchen, I nibbled on some crackers, seated next to Noah. He was talking with Brody about video games; it was actually the one thing that they had in common. Cole lingered in the farthest corner, glaring at the two of them with his arms folded across his chest. Drew was having a small conversation with Katie on the other side of the counter, drinking a beer. Hulk and Katie had returned in the morning, carrying in multiple bags, mostly belonging to Katie. Surprisingly, she came back with her skin sun-kissed with no blemishes able to be seen. Her blond curls bounced as she nodded her head to Drew's words; he glanced at me, grinning. A part of me still felt bad for leaving him hanging when he had confessed his feelings for me.

I looked over my shoulder, seeing Hulk seated at the kitchen table by himself. His head was down as he shoved a piece of cheese into his mouth. I took a deep breath and hopped off my stool, hesitantly walking over to him. As he plopped a piece of sliced ham into his mouth, I pulled out the seat next to him and flopped down, catching his attention. I expected for him to scowl or possibly threaten me, but instead, he raised an eyebrow. "Isn't this a surprise? So, what do you want? If you think I want to kill you, you're mistaken, Nora. I didn't kill you before; I won't kill you now."

I shook my head. "But, your brother was still alive before."

"He was," he muttered, nodding his head. "But, he isn't anymore - he was an idiot. I told him to back down, but he didn't listen to me." He was still for a moment, before he shoved another piece of cheese into his mouth.

I hesitated. "It's okay if you blame me."

"Blame you?" he responded, shaking his head. "I don't blame you for his death, Nora. He was going to kill you; he wasn't the same brother that I grew up with. He changed - he became overwhelmed with vengence to the point that he wasn't thinking clearly." He picked up another slice of ham from the platter and plopped it into his mouth. "You killed his mate, pushing him to the edge. While I don't blame you for his death, I blame you for his change in behavior; it was his mate's death that drove him to that point."

"I know," I mumbled, shrugging. "But, I'm not like that anymore - I'm done with hunting. I'm no longer your enemy."

He looked at me, the corners of his lips quirking upwards. "Since the first day, people questioned me on why I didn't harm you, despite you being Alpha Drew's mate. Everybody thought that I would take my brother's side and help him kill you, especially now - they're all waiting to see how I'll react when I speak with you. I mean, if you didn't kill Reece's mate, he would still be alive. He wouldn't have changed and I wouldn't have had to bury my only brother; the only family I had left."

"And, why didn't you harm me?"

"Because, I saw good in you," Hulk responded, truthfully. "I knew that eventually, you'd accept Drew as your mate and see everything our way; you'd realize your mistakes, maybe feel guilt for your murders. And, well, I wasn't wrong." He looked me up and down, slowly nodding his head. I bit my bottom lip, soaking in his words. He took a deep breath and lifted up his glass of liquior, glancing at me. "But, while I believe in second chances, I can't forgive you."

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness."

"Then, why are you sitting here?" he asked, curiously.

"To see if you're okay," I mumbled, glancing at Noah. "The thought of my brother dying scares me, so I can't imagine what you're feeling."

He grinned. "I like this Nora - she should stick around." Then, he tipped his head back and swallowed the last of his liquior. I nibbled on my upper lip and looked over my shoulder at Drew, seeing him looking at me. He smiled and picked up a cracker, dropping it into his mouth. My eyes shifted towards Brody who was cracking another joke, causing an ugly frown to rest on my brother's face. Then, there was Katie who was chatting with Cole, offering him a bottle of beer. I ran my fingers through my hair and rose from my chair, walking out of the kitchen. I hurried down the hallways with the faces of everybody in the kitchen flashing in my head.

Pushing open Drew's office, I spotted Caine leaning against his desk, flipping through a book. At the sound of the door creaking open, he turned his head and looked at me. Judging by the look on his face, he expected my presence. I cleared my throat, before speaking.

"Okay, teach me what you know."