Alpha Hugo's POV

My arms wrapped her closer to my chest as I noticed her breathing becoming weaker. I felt powerless as her body got frailer by the second. I rocked her back and forth, not willing to look up at what I believed was an intrusive figure lurking in the shadows.

"Hugo . . ." A familiar voice rang forth emerging from the mists.

"What is she even doing here?" Wolfie voiced out exactly what I was thinking. I didn't have the energy to focus on Izzy, especially not while Talia was on the verge of passing out.

"Izzy, I don't know what you're doing here but you need to leave" I muttered not glancing up. I prodded Talia's body while her eyes remained closed as she was drifting into oblivion. As I let her down on the ground, panic gripped me, and I wondered whether or not to hoist her onto my body and sprint back to the mansion. Falcon Valley was quite a distance from Thornhelm City, making it challenging to whisk her along without detection.

As Izzy's footsteps inched closer despite my demand, I became infuriated.

"Is . . she injured?" Izzy took a few steps closer but I let out a small growl that made her halt her approach.

"Leave" I demanded as my scarlet eyes glowed.

Izzy was startled to see the color of my eyes and took a few steps back. She paused briefly, as though gathering her thoughts. She kept her cool and gazed at Talia, who was helpless on the ground, disregarding my warnings.

"Izzy, I won't tell you again. Leave or I'll make you" I grunted, reaching out to Talia. I wasn't sure what was causing Talia's frailty. Maybe the last full moon heat wave took a huge toll on her. However, getting her somewhere safe was my top priority since, given her current state, I couldn't fend off the Shadow Pack if Izzy summoned them. I glared at Izzy after noticing that she was continuing to stand her ground.

"Look, I'm just trying to help" Izzy insisted, getting annoyed by my cold demeanour. I locked my gaze on her for a few seconds, trusting my intuition. The last time I saw her was a while ago. Although she didn't appear different, she had a distinctive look. Izzy proceeded to walk over to Talia and knelt down beside her.

"She's in heat" I mumbled softly while brushing Talia's hair and moving her curls away from her face. Seeing her in this state devastated me. But I knew she needed help. Help that I couldn't provide and I doubted Izzy could either.

Izzy glanced at Talia and then back at me. She pulled out a little vial of fluid with her hands as she reached into her pocket. She unsealed the lid and held it out to Talia's lips. My hands instantly took the vial out of her grasp as my instincts for Talia's protection intensified.

"What is this?" I questioned, bringing the vial near to my nose so I could take a whiff. It had a similar essence to the concoction back at the mansion but it smelt different.

"I was told to carry this around because of the beast. It's a healing fluid. It won't heal her fully but it'll at least help wake her up" Izzy murmured. I carefully extended my hand to return the vial to Izzy. Izzy helped Talia sip the liquid while holding the vial to her lips.

"Now what?" I asked when I noticed Talia didn't instantly wake up.

"Now we wait" Izzy responded with a smile. As the moonlight shone brightly, we sat in the tranquil woods. This was not how I anticipated the evening to unfold. I assumed we'd be back home by now, fucking her heat away. But now she was unconscious, and Izzy was helping her.

"Is she your mate?" Izzy finally broke the silence, gazing at Talia.

I nodded.

"You haven't marked her yet?" Izzy questioned. The comments regarding the absence of my mark bothered me. First from the Silverbacks and now from Izzy. At this point, I couldn't wait for the ritual to commence so that I could mark her and claim her as mine.

"Our mating ceremony is in three days. We're waiting till then" I replied. It was best to keep the curse's existence a secret. Talia would appear to Izzy as a wolf and nothing more because her memories had been erased. I was grateful that although we were not concealed, our scents were still masked. Our bodies told a different story as they were covered in the blood of the Silverbacks but Izzy made no comment about it.

"Ah I see. Congratulations. I'm happy for you" Izzy's words drew my attention to her. Not because I had anticipated that she would be rude to Talia, but rather because her remarks didn't feel empty; they felt sincere.

"Thank you" I dimmed my response. It was just a matter of time before I decided to question as to her purpose at this site. Why has she returned when her pack no longer resided at Falcon Valley?

"What are you doing here, Izzy?" I asked.

She inhaled deeply before heaving a sigh. She appeared reluctant to discuss it as she bit her lip. However, after a while, she threw a remorseful gaze my way.

"I . . I guess I really wanted to know if you left on your own accord or if you were taken. Even after reading the letter a billion times, I was in denial. I thought maybe the beast had found you after your escape and executed you. I thought of many reasons but refused to believe that maybe I was the reason. A lot has happened since the day you left, Hugo. You wouldn't even believe me if I told you" Izzy chuckled and continued.

"I did a lot of self-reflecting. I realized how poorly I've treated you and that you had every right to reject me as I rejected you once too. As the days passed, the clearer things became. And as fate would have it, I happened to move back to Falcon Valley recently and I've been coming here now and again thinking even if you left town, you'd at least visit your parent's graves. I just wanted to know if you were doing okay" Izzy mumbled a lot of words at once. But once they were all out, she let out a breath of relief.

"You don't owe me anything, Izzy" I stated.

"We were friends first, Hugo. Even if things got a bit ugly at the end, we truly were friends when we met each other. You wouldn't have liked me in the first place if I was a bitch to you from the very start, would you? I started being a bitch when I got too ambitious and completely disregarded your feelings. I guess the mere thought of power got the best of me. But I want you to know that I did care about you." Izzy stressed her words.

"I appreciate that." I murmured. Despite the sincerity of her words, my attention remained drawn to Talia, hence I was incapable of fully paying attention to her. I caressed Talia's hands with my fingertips while I held them, noticing that her breathing was getting better.

"She's a lucky girl" Izzy stated, staring at Talia.

"No, I'm the lucky one. She's everything I could ever ask for and more" I replied, glancing at the love of my life. Izzy edged closer and peered at the claw markings on my chest while the moonlight glistened brightly over our heads.

"Those claw marks look like what everyone's been saying about the beast" I doted at my chest as she concluded her words. I still had the scars from Damien's talons across my chest. They obviously differed in appearance from typical werewolves. Just like Talia, Damien was a hybrid. I silently nodded while tracing my fingers over the claw wounds on my chest.

"So you fought the beast?!" Izzy asked as her eyes widened in disbelief. My face lit up at the thought of severing Damien's heart from his body.

"I did, and I killed him" I replied. The irony that Talia was the beast Izzy was alluding to and that she was lying just in front of her was not lost on me. But in all honesty, Damien was the real beast all along, and I'd prefer that everyone in town believe that the beast is no longer among us.

"You killed the beast?" Izzy gasped.

"Yes I did. It's what transformed me into an Alpha" I stated proudly.

"Gosh, you just made me eat every shitty thing I've said about you" Izzy sniggered sheepishly.

"Tell your pack, I said 'you're welcome'" I smirked. Izzy's expression changed when I brought up the Shadow Pack. She cautiously tucked her hair in behind her ear to expose a fresh mark adorning her neck.

"I left my pack few days ago. Father didn't approve of the mate I had chosen. So here I am back in Falcon Valley with my new pack the Delta Hunters." Izzy remarked.

"I bet Alpha Theodore would have despised the fact that you fled" I stated.

"Yeah well sucks to be him then. I realized that I cannot live my life seeking his approval all the time. It was getting exhausting. And now I'm mated to the beta of the Delta Hunters. His name is Julian. You'll like him. He's pretty protective hence why he makes me travel with the vial since everyone is still very alert about the beast. But I'm glad that's taken care of now" Izzy replied.

"I'm glad you found your mate" I muttered with a faint smile.

"I'm glad you found yours and damn she's a stunner" Izzy grinned.

"She is, isn't she?" I chuckled glancing at Talia's face.

"Thank you for hearing me out. I feel like I can start my journey having no regrets from the past" Izzy spoke, while standing up.

"Thank you for helping her." As the words left my lips, I truly meant them. With all our differences aside, I could now view Izzy as someone I know, not someone I couldn't recognize.

As she got up to leave, I gave her a slight nod. She turned back around and said, "And thank you for taking care of the Silverbacks. We heard of their recent encounter with an omega but everyone in town feared their Alpha so much so, they didn't bother do anything about it. Until you did. It truly feels like Falcon Valley will be safe in the hands of the Shaws again."

Her words carried far more weight than she could have imagined. I smiled at her feeling proud that the name Shaws will soon make its way back to Falcon Valley. Tonight, intuition was the key. While the Silverbacks lacked any, I trusted Izzy's offer of assistance. Although I was aware that Talia wouldn't have enjoyed the fact that it was Izzy that helped her, I knew that I had made the right decision to trust Izzy tonight.

And given how rapidly word spreads, by tomorrow evening everyone will be informed that the beast has died. Thanks Damien, I guess you were of some use after all.

My thoughts were interrupted as Talia reluctantly opened her eyes after some time had passed.

"Oh fuck, my head hurts." She murmured trying to immediately stand up despite her weak body. I leaned in closer and placed her head on my chest.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked.

"Hmm. . heat" She whispered into my ear. We couldn't continue our festivities here since there were still wolves roaming the area, I realized as I checked the perimeter. More werewolves would prowl the vicinity the more deserted a place appeared to be.

"Okay, I can help you with that, but first we have to relocate." I stated.

"No mana, no teleport" Talia murmured. She quickly grabbed my hand and slipped it between her legs as her heat overcame her. I knew she needed me but we couldn't continue it here. Not when other packs are prowling the area. She cried despite my headshake.

"You promised me your cock! You said your cock will be inside me at all times. Do you not remember? Should I do a flashback spell? Hugo . . why are you staring at me like that? Am I not desirable enough for you?" Talia complained.

"Is she drunk?" Wolfie asked curiously. I stared at her, perplexed. Perhaps there was more wolfsbane combined with restorative substances in the vial. It may cause inebriated behavior.

"Tal, stay quiet" I implored her, but she waved her arms in the air before grabbing my member.

"Fine, I'll just take it myself. You don't understand the relationship between your cock and I. We're like legit lovers. We go waaaaaaaay back!" She giggled while attempting to stroke me. I inhaled a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. As another pack got closer, I stared into Talia's eyes and mind-linked her words she might find familiar. Words that I found hilarious to utter. Words she had once told me a long time ago.

"Talia, I will not repeat what I am about to tell you so listen very carefully. In 60 seconds, I will shift and once I do, I expect you to climb onto me and hold tight. If you talk, I won't fuck you. If you scream due to the heat pain, I won't fuck you. If your mouth leaves as much as a small giggle in any way shape or form, I . . won't ... fuck ... you. Have I made myself clear?"

She gave me a horrified look before meekly nodding. Without a minute to waste, I transformed into my wolf form and she instantly climbed onto my back and clung on as I rode her out deep into the forest toward the riverbank.

A place I used to go alone to clear my head back in the days. A place I've never brought anyone else before. A place she's going to get fucked until she begs me to stop.