Two weeks had passed since Laurel had returned from Irkalla, and she wasn't herself. She barely slept and ate, and her eyes weren't full of life. A part of her soul had stayed there, and the rest of it was fighting with guilt and regret.

Her friends tried to make her laugh and walk outside, but nothing seemed to cheer her up. Rakel was cooking for her, and Chloe read her stories with her beautiful voice. Zach, even though he didn't know her very well, had realized long before the others that all she needed was some peace. He was there when she woke up and when she slept. He was there when she needed to stare at the sky without thinking, and he was the person that made her calm down because he never asked or questioned her, and he let her take her time.

Zach was the seventh child of an Alpha. He was never meant to rule or lead his people, and the age gap from his older siblings was big enough to create distance between them. His mother died when he was a baby, and his father was too busy to look at the child that reminded him of his lost mate.

In a house full of voices and sounds, Zach had learned to be silent, never to interrupt, and to always obey the rules of his older siblings. He developed an interest in computers and technology, and his passion made him dig further into silence and cutting him off further from his family. He soon realized that his family didn't need him and that he was feeling unhappy in a house that never provided him with safety or happiness.

So, he fled away and never looked back. He used his intelligence and his abilities to do good and help others but, still, something was missing.

The missing part was found when Laurel woke up from her deathbed. He saw inside her soul fire and will, even if she was at that time, a shadow of her true self. He saw that all this girl wanted was the silence he had conquered and claimed as part of him. At first, they would sit on the ground, touching the grass and letting their lungs fill with fresh air without speaking or moving. A few days later, they would exchange some words. Two weeks later, she made the first full sentence, and they went for a walk.

Thomas, Lena, and Rakel were impressed and extremely happy for his influence on her.

A month had passed when Laurel laughed. Was it hope the sunlight that brightened their world? Was it a message that things could go well? Or was it their love that they now shared that had started healing their wounds?

A year after Laurel's return, the six of them had created something unique and special. They were a family who cared for all its members, and a team that worked in unison and harmony and protected the world. Laurel was back in full force physically, but her soul remained wounded.

They were tracking Charles since he had fled that day and never returned. He was dangerous, and they had to get rid of him. Zach tracked him down somewhere in South America, and the team got ready.

It was a trap. Dozens of werewolves and vampires, all Charles' supporters attacked them and left them wounded. That night, Thomas fell into the flames to save Rakel, and his back never recovered from their brutal touch. The marks would always be there to remind him of the incident.

Laurel kept training, and slowly, but methodically, they took down one by one the most cunning followers and allies of Charles. They were sure that next time was their lucky charm, and they would be done with him once and for all.

It was early in the morning when Chloe woke up from some giggles that sounded outside her room. She got up and opened the door and saw Rakel and Thomas hugging and smiling with joy.

"Hey, what happened this early in the morning?"

"We have something exciting to tell you after breakfast," Rakel announced, but the announcement never came.

Charles wanted to end with them as much as they did. He wished to take back Laurel and be with her. He thought that her life with these people was permanent, and she would see that he was her only destiny. They would create their own family, and she would never have to worry about anything ever again. After all, he was creating a kingdom for her, and she would be the queen.

Driven by madness and delusions, he attacked their house and tried to slaughter them all, except for Laurel. Chloe's spinal cord was broken, and she was left bleeding in a lake of blood, unable to move. Charles saw Laurel fighting in the center of the room, and he went for her.

Thomas saw him moving, and thinking that he might kill her, jumped in front of him to stop him from hurting his friend. The two men started fighting, and eventually, Thomas was left without weapons and only his claws to use. He had fallen to the ground, his burn marks bleeding and making him want to scream in pain because Charles had sliced his back with his claws.

Charles was two meters away from Thomas, with a silver knife in his hand and seconds away from killing him. The young woman screamed and jumped in front of the knife which hit her and penetrated her right above her heart. She took one deep breath, and a small pearly tear left her eye while her lips lost their color and turned white like the snow.

"Baby?" her mate asked in despair. "Please, look at me. No, don't close your eyes. You are going to be okay. Stay with me, Rakel. Please. . . ." he begged while he took her in his arms and tried to stop the bleeding. "Please, baby. Don't leave me," he muttered, and with bloody hands, he shook her body.

The doors of his soul burst wide open, and rivers started flowing from his eyes. There was nothing left in his chest, and his heart died with her. "Please!" he screamed with a raw voice and a desperate look. "Please, don't take her!" he begged the gods and prayed to them.

A small angel came to take her soul, for she was pure and destined for heaven. While the angel picked her up and lifted her soul in his arms, she stared at her broken mate and tried to wipe away his tears.

"Farewell, my love. May we meet again," she said and left for heaven.

Before he had time to react, Charles was gone, and Thomas was left with a firestorm blazing his soul. His mate was gone, and he had no reason to live. His love was gone, and he was a sun with no light.

Laurel stayed by his side, taking care of him and keeping him from ending his life. Losing your mate was worse than losing yourself. A part of you was gone, but also the most precious and sacred person for you was no longer there to make your life matter. She had to try hard to keep him from going to the dark side. She knew well how much damage this would create to his soul, and she decided to prevent it at all costs. They made a plan to take Charles down, and so they did.

With Chloe still recovering, Lena and Zach took care of the last pieces of Charles' army. Laurel and Thomas destroyed every person close to him until he was left weak and powerless with no one to assist him. For the first time, Laurel was happy to let her dark instincts take over. She would do anything for Thomas. Afraid of nothing, after being condemned, she would keep fighting to take all hell with her and save his soul.

After torturing Charles physically and mentally, they had to decide his fate.

"He deserves to die!"

"He does, there is no doubt for that. But it won't make the pain go away. Trust me. Let him live. He lost everything. His money, his army, his followers, his strength. It will be a miracle if he ever carries a sword again."

Thomas wanted so badly to take revenge, but Laurel's words made sense. Killing him wouldn't stop the ache of his heart, and he would only end Charles' misery. He wanted this man to suffer and rot in pain and madness.

"May you rot in hell," he said finally and left.

His mate couldn't come back, and life had to move forward with or without him. Rakel was his heart and soul, and now they were both gone. He had to find a way to live without them. He owned to Rakel to survive and hope that one day he would see her again.

"I knew you cared for me," Charles mumbled.

"I didn't do it for you. I don't want Thomas's heart to turn black. Killing you wouldn't bring him the peace he desires. You deserve everything that happened to you. I went to hell for my sins. Now, it's time for you to rot in hell. But your timing starts from now because you have nothing left to enjoy."

"You can handle many things, dear Laurel, but at the end of the time, you only stay with yourself. You can't bear to live with yourself. I'm sure you don't even look in the mirror."

"You know nothing, Charles."

"When I first met you, we promised we wouldn't lie to each other. When it comes to you, I always tell the truth."