Hey!

What!? Why am I updating so early!? Well, I have finals next week, so I won't be able to write or update then! So, here you go - hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm so sad that this story is coming to an end! Sorry for any mistakes!

~ Lissa

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"Nora, you need to stay focused," Caine said, urgently. I pinched my lips together in frustration, keeping my eyes closed. For the last five minutes, I had been seated in one of the leather couches of Drew's office with Caine seated across from me. To be honest, I felt as if I was wasting my time or there was some sort of mistake - maybe he exaggerated on how large the stain on my soul was, meaning I wasn't able to access his magic. It was ridiculous how difficult it was to perfom a simple spell - to light a candle with my mind - and I was growing tired of this. The only thing that was on my mind was Drew who was probably teaching his pack members how to defend themselves again; I could've been helping him with that. "You need to clear your mind."

I opened my eyes. "Okay, this is stupid. It shouldn't be this f*cking difficult to light a candle." I glared at the candle on the table in front of me, angry.

"It takes patience," he told me, calmly. "It's not as easy as it sounds; this is why we're practicing, Nora. You'll need to do things much greater than lighting a candle soon."

"I can't do this," I muttered, shaking my head. "Look, if I was able to reach into your magic, I should've done something by now, like create a spark. But, nothing has happened - it's a sign that you were wrong about the whole destiny crap." He frowned as I tossed my hands into the air, rising to my feet. Running my fingers through my hair, I walked over to Drew's desk where a container of candle rested. I searched through the container until producing a pink Starburst; with a grin, I unwrapped the delicious candy and plopped it into my mouth. Caine released a groan and rose to his feet, approaching me.

"I'm not wrong," he assured me, watching as I tossed the wrapper into a nearby trashcan. "I've seen the future, Nora. And, I assure you, you're the one to defeat Killian with magic."

"You've seen the future?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "So, you've seen who dies?"

He was silent for a moment. "I've seen glimpses of people fighting, but I haven't seen anybody die. I've seen you fighting Killian, though." I rolled my eyes, realizing that didn't help me solve who was going to die. I grabbed a small chocolate bar from the container, but it was quickly snatched from my hands. I gasped and scowled at him, watching as he shoved the delicous candy into his pocket in a flash. "Come on, you need to stay focused. Lets get back to practicing."

"Maybe you've seen the future wrong," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "You've only seen glimpses - maybe it isn't me who is supposed to defeat Killian."

He tilted his head to one side. "I understand that you're not happy about being the one who has to defeat him - who has to save us all. It's a lot of pressure, but you need to accept your role in this war, Nora." He turned around and walked back to the leather couches, flopping down in his previous seat. I thought about his words for a moment; he was right. I kept making excuses or denying my role in this upcoming war. Caine was capable of many things and despite barely knowing him, I trusted his words. If he said I was supposed to defeat Killian, then he wasn't joking - I was just having a hard time accepting it.

Reluctantly, I walked back to my seat and flopped down with a huff. "Okay, well, get comfortable because we're going to be here for another two hours."

He grinned. "I doubt that."

"I can't do sh*t," I responded, bluntly. "If I can't light a candle, then there's no way that I can kill the leader of the red-eyes."

He leaned forward. "Close your eyes." I stared at him for a moment, wondering if that was really necessary. When he gave me an annoyed look, I snapped my eyes shut and took a deep breath. "Now, I want you to clear your mind for a moment. Don't think about anything, alright?" Slowly, I nodded and cleared my mind from the war, Drew, and my father. It was depressing how much was clouding my head; no wonder I couldn't stay focused. Other than our uneven breathing, it was silent for a long moment. "I'm going to ask you a question, Nora. I want you to answer it - why did you start hunting werewolves?"

I cleared my throat. "To avenge my mother's death."

"You fought for your mother," he said, quietly. "Now, think of what you're fighting for during this war. Life? Your brother? Drew? Set your mind on what makes you want to fight - concentrate on your reason to fight."

"I'm concentrating."

"What are you fighting for?" Caine asked, lightly.

"My brother," I answered, entwining my fingers. "Drew - uh, my new friends. Everybody that I've bonded with here."

It was quiet for a moment. "Those are all great things to be fighting for, Nora. But, that isn't going to help you reach into my magic; those reasons aren't strong enough." I opened my eyes and looked at the candle, disappointed when it wasn't lit. I looked up at Caine in confusion, seeing him looking at the candle with his lips pinched together in thought. "There's one more reason that has you wanting to fight in this war, Nora. Close your eyes and focus on that reason."

I shook my head. "Those are my only reasons!"

"No, there has to be one more," he told me, receiving a glare. "And, for you to reach into my magic, I'm assuming it must be about yourself. What's another reason to fight, other than for the people you care about?" I stared at him for a moment, before closing my eyes once again. I started running my hands up and down my thighs, making soft sounds with my mouth. "You know what that reason is, don't you? You just don't want to say it; come on, what is this reason, Nora? What is your fight all about?"

I hesitated for a moment. "I'm going to fight for the people I care about, but I'm also going to fight for me. I'm going to fight to prove myself - I feel as if I have to prove everybody wrong."

"Prove them wrong about what?'

"That I'm not the same person," I admitted, quietly. "That people can change; the bad don't always have to be bad. People aren't born evil, meaning I'm not completely terrible. There's a good side to everybody, but it just takes some longer to get there, you know? I want to show everyone that my good side exists - by fighting in the war, I'll show Drew's pack that I'm no longer their enemy. I'm tired of being the bad guy." The last part came out softer and if Caine was human, he couldn't have heard it.

"Open your eyes."

Slowly, I peeled my eyes open, staring a flame. "It worked! I did it!" A small grin appeared on my face as I stared at the candle, proudly.

"I knew you could," he told me, grinning. "And, you should know, your mother would be very proud of you right now."

I rolled my eyes. "I only lit a candle - it's not like I won a gold medal in the Olympics."

"Not because of that," he said, rubbing his knees. "You've came to realization of who you really are, Nora." He rose to his feet, looking down at me with several emotions swarming in his eyes. "And, I don't see any bad."

* * *

"That is so cool!" Brody exclaimed, watching as a flame appeared on top of the candle in front of us. After my practicing session with Caine, I ended up with Brody in the living room, showing him the new trick that I had just learned. The credits of a horror movie were rolling on the television, though we weren't paying attention to that. A couple empty cans of soda were scattered around us, along with some ripped open packages of candy. His brown eyes stared at the flame for another second, before he blew it out. "Do it again."

I frowned at him. "I've already done it fifteen times."

"But, it never gets old," he whined, patiently waiting. "Come on, just one more time." I exhaled loudly and closed my eyes, thinking of my reason to fight for the war - to prove myself. When I heard his happy gasp, I knew that it had worked once again and I opened my eyes, reaching for the package of Junior Mints. I plopped a few into my mouth as he looked at the flame from every angle, probably wondering if his eyes were playing with him. Then, he blew it out, waving the smoke left behind away. "One more time."

I rolled my eyes. "No."

"Just one last time," he pleaded, clinging to my arm. I shook my head and shook his hands off me, receiving a pout in response. He picked up his package of Skittles and dumped a mouthful into his mouth, chomping loudly. At that moment, Cole decided to enter the living room, sipping a can of soda. His eyes shifted around the room until landing on the two of us; he raised an eyebrow at the mess around us, before narrowing at Brody. "What the hell are you two doing? Are you actually going to clean up your mess this time, faggot?"

Brody scowled. "I always clean up my messes!"

"Really? What about last week when you spilled paint all over the floor?" Cole asked, harshly. "Right in front of my bedroom door? My socks are forever purple!"

"That wasn't an accident," Brody mumbled, shaking his head. I bit my bottom lip to hold back laughter and Cole growled, taking a step towards us. I lifted a hand, quickly. "Calm down or else I'll yell for your Alpha." Cole glared at me, though shook it off his shoulders. He walked over to the recliner and flopped down, taking a long drink of his soda. "So, why are you two creating a mess? Haven't you heard of a trash can?"

"Nora is showing me her magic," Brody informed him, eyes narrowed. "But, you're not cool enough to see it."

Cole looked at me. "Ah, so you're actually useful around here now?"

"Did you forget that your Alpha is my mate?" I asked him, grabbing some more Junior Mints and shoving them into my mouth. I didn't blame Brody for not liking this guy; he was a complete d*ck. He was cocky about his position as Beta, which was obvious. "And, you should be thankful for my effort with magic because I'm going to be the one saving your a*s."

He rubbed his jaw. "Whatever you say - so what can you do? What has the powerful Caine Volkov taught you, huh?"

"She can light this candle with her mind," Brody said, nudging my shoulder.

Cole laughed. "That's it? A small flame won't save us in the war, little warrior." I remembered his stupid nickname from when the two of us battled it out; he ended up losing his temper and Hulk was forced to break it up. I barely tolerated Drew's nickname for me - I didn't need anymore because they were annoying. "Wow, I think I have a better chance of saving myself with my teeth rather than the little magic you have."

"You can't light a candle with your mind! It's more than you can do!" Brody blurted, defending me. "And, you heard Caine - she's capable of great things. This is only a small thing she can do; once she practices more, she'll be able to do more!"

Cole shook his head. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Brody leaned in closer to me, before whispering, "Do you think you could create a bigger flame? You know, one that could burn a werewolf alive?" I smiled at him and nudged him away, shoving more candy into my mouth. Cole grabbed the remote and started scrolling through channels on the television until stopping on the sports channel. Next thing I knew, some college basketball players were bouncing a basketball across a court with the large crowd cheering. I shook my head and turned my attention back to the candy scattering the table. "Nora, how close do you think this war is? Like, really close?"

I looked at him. "Why?"

Brody took a deep breath. "I'm nervous - everybody knows that I'm not the best fighter and I've never killed somebody; actually, I've never seen somebody die."

"It'll be okay," I assured him, forcing a grin. "I'll protect you."

He frowned. "But, you have to fight Killian."

"Friends come first," I told him, patting his shoulder. "There isn't any way that I'm leaving my homie all by himself out there, alright?" He grinned and dumped some more Skittles into his mouth, releasing a pleasant moan. As I grabbed another package of candy, I noticed Cole looking over at us, his lips pressed together. He was staring at Brody, watching as he struggled to chew the numerous amount of Skittles in his mouth. Though, when he noticed me staring, he scrunched his nose up in disgust and turned his attention back to the television.

I didn't know how long it was until I grew tired and stumbled upstairs to my bedroom. Seated on the bed with papers scattered out in front of him was Drew. A pen was hanging from the corner of his lips as he flipped through a packet, looking frustrated. I walked towards him, brushing a strand of my red hair away from my face. "So, this is where you've been? Looking at papers about - " I peeked at some of the papers that contained pictures of landscapes. "- landscapes. Is there a trip we're taking that I don't know about?"

He took the pen out of his mouth. "No, we aren't. Some packs joined our side - uh, the Claw Pack and the Greenwood Pack. We're trying to plan everything out; you see, a large group of red-eyes were spotted to the north, so before they're able to set foot on my territory, we'll be able to stop them here." He pointed at a dead meadow with the tip of his pen. "The only problem is knowing the day and time of when they're planning on attacking; the other packs suggested waiting until they got close enough to the border, then we attack."

I shrugged. "Sounds like a good idea."

Taking a deep breath, he ran his fingers through his hair. "It's complicated, though. It's all complicated. . ."

I took a seat next to him, crushing some papers. Hesitantly, I placed my head on his shoulder, looking down at the overwhelming information on the sheets in front of us. Seconds later, I felt his arm slip around my waist and his smell of expensive cologne and trees filled my nose. It was silent for a long moment until he cleared his throat, speaking. "You need to know something, Nora. If comes down to someone and you - and I have to choose who to save - I will choose you. It doesn't matter who the other person is; if it's Cole, I'll choose you. If it's your brother, I'll choose you. I'll always choose you, Nora."

I grinned. "How about you stay worried about yourself, okay?"

"But, I'm not concerned about me," he said, shaking his head. "We're going to war and there's a possibility I'm going to lose somebody I care about - I'm going to lose pack members. But, I refuse to lose you."

"Well, you can't sacrifice your life for mine, understand? You can't leap in front of me if some werewolf charges at me," I told him, seriously. "You're forgetting that I would be hurt if you died; it runs both ways, Drew."

He looked at me. "It's my instinct to protect you, Nora." He moved his head until his lips were pressed against my forehead. After pecking my forehead, he moved his nose into my hair and closed his eyes, breathing in my scent. "It'll always be my first instinct, sweetheart."