We stood on the borders between our pack and the outside world. To my left was Melloni, her head held high. Jonah held her hand tightly. He had argued with her for the both of them not to go but she won.

We opted to not let any other guys come. Because to Arlis... guys were far more threatening. So Electra stood to my right, Iris on the far side. Dalia refused to come, she was far beyond pissed at me. I was okay with that, she'd thank me later. Vera left early to go help her brother, Chleo. Chance had come back to my house for a couple minutes and when we told him our plan he flipped out. He begged me not to do it. But... I eventually got him to agree. So he was still back at my house with the other guys.

So it was just us. Melloni. Jonah. Iris. Electra. Me. The perfect team, I suppose. I could've opted for a couple other people at my side. Iris made it very clear that the five of us were not strong enough to take Arlis down.

"How do you know he's here?" I asked.

Jonah had led us here. He couldn't explain how he knew or why Arlis would be here, just that Arlis was here. Just that... he was going to be here.

"Here" to be specific, was a small clearing in the woods. I didn't see any significance in the spot, but apparently it was a special place.

"He is," Jonah whispered. I had never seen Jonah scared, nor did I like seeing him scared. He clung to Melloni's hand like if he let go she'd slip away from him. He jumped at every sound, looked over his shoulder far to often for me to not to feel anxious too.

My earlier heat of the moment bravery and badassery had fell down the drain. I had no clue where that side of me went. I wanted that part of me back right now.

"What's so special about this spot?" I asked, hoping to get an actual answer instead of vague words. I always hated getting vague hints.

Jonah looked down at the snow. Something I did notice that was weird about this area, was that it wasn't just a normal clearing. There was no life for a near perfect circle. "This is the spot Arlis met Constance and Becker. It's the spot Constance killed her husband. It's where Kasparov tied Constance to a pole. Becker sent Konrad to Hell here. So many things happened here."

I noticed where a tree had been skinned towards the top. I... had been here before.  "Me and Arlis were here... with my brother. We found Everly on the ground here. Because... Konrad was risen here."

ELectra's jaw twitched. "So much supernatural blood has been spilled here. So much it has literally cursed this area. And Arlis feeds off of this land. Last time he was Rogue, this circle was his home. Jonah is right... He'll be here."

I shivered as a particularly cold wind blew through. I had noticed that I was starting to feel the weather less and less. And the longer we stood here, the more I seemed to get used to the negative weather. Melloni had sweats and a fluffy hoodie on, but the rest stood in regular clothes. Jonah was wearing a T-shirt for crying out loud.

As crazy as Jonah looked at the moment, however, he was right.

Moments later a growl ripped through the wind, tearing at my eardrums. I didn't flinch, didn't jump. This was Arlis. And he was coming back. I needed him back. He had to come back.

A black wolf strutted out from behind a tree, yellow teeth snapping at us. He looked at me and his growl only got worse.

"Kate," Iris asked, her voice shaking. "He does not look like he recognizes any of us."

"That's because he doesn't," a silky voice came from the sidelines. Out of nowhere, Konrad materialized next to Arlis. I expected Arlis to tear him to shreds but he just sat there, his wolf emotionless.  "He's Rogue, but a clean slate Rogue. He doesn't know you all from a deer. The only thing he understands are my commands."

I narrowed my eyes. "You have the journal, what else could you possibly want?" I yelled.

Konrad sighed. "So many things, dear. So many things. Take... you all dead for example." He smiled brightly. "Arlis always was supposed to kill his mate. Just like his father. Just like his grandfather. Just like every other man in his family."

Jonah stood protectively in front of Melloni. "Jonah what is he saying?" Mell asked. Jonah ignored her.

He looked far more fearful than he did before. I wasn't sure that that was a task that was accomplishable but apparently... he could out-fear himself. "We figured that out!" Jonah yelled.

Konrad shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk. No you haven't. You're all cursed, just like the very land we stand on."

Jonah cracked his back. "No. While you were rotting in Hell Arlis went to a witch. To see... and she said that Arlis broke that curse when..."

"When what? When I died? But Jonah... I never died," Konrad laughed.

"What is he talking about?" Melloni shouted.

Jonah gulped. "The Barron blood line is cursed."

Konrad put a hand on Arlis's head, rubbing his fur. I thought Arlis's calico wolf was big but his Rogue wolf... reminded me of the Ancient Wolf from Norse mythology, Fenris. "Yes... it is. Because Arlis's ancestor killed the first Salem, his blood became tainted. He could kill a Salem as well, and he is slightly immune to Lotus. Of course, this also came with a price... the Barrons will always watch their mate die."

I looked to Melloni. She cupped her mouth and looked to Jonah with mad-eyes. "You knew this? And you didn't tell me?"

Konrad thought the situation was hilarious. "The deal was that the only way to break the uh... this sounds like a fairy tale book... the curse, would be to kill another Salem. To get rid of the blood. Like a negative times a negative equals a positive?" He smirked at us. "You all thought it was gone but... no. Because I never died."

Jonah grabbed Melloni's cheek with his hands. "I want you to run, please run," he begged, putting their foreheads together. "Please."

Melloni grabbed his hands. "We do this together, Jonah."

"Awe how sweet. Kill them, Arlis. All of them." And on that note, Arlis dashed towards us.

Jonah switched into a wolf last second, tackling Arlis to the side. It didn't look like Jonah's usual blonde and white wolf. This wolf was black, much like his brother's.

Jonah was rogue too.

"God no. He's going to get slaughtered." Melloni fell to her knees.

"Can we do anything?" I asked.

Electra rolled her shoulders back. "No. Not until Jonah gets thrown to the side and Arlis's target changes. Any wolf that interferes in that fight will... come out bloody. Two Rouges fighting..."

"They're going to fight until one of them dies! Electra DO SOMETHING!" Melloni screamed.

Electra didn't do anything, just took a step back. But... something none of us saw coming... was a pure white wolf bolting out from behind us.

"CHLEO!" Iris yelled.

I tried to move forward but Electra grabbed my arm, holding me back. "Chleo has made his decision."

Instead of going for Arlis and Jonah like I thought he would have, he had his eyes on a different steak. Konrad. Konrad was busy laughing at the fight going on between the two brothers that he didn't notice Chleo. He didn't notice Chleo until it was too late.

Chleo latched onto Konrad's side, biting and tearing until a full piece of flesh ripped off.

Konrad stumbled to the side, a loud pop sounded through the air. I looked back to Arlis who, just for a second, stood back and shook his head. I thought we had him back. But it was a false hope. He was back to snarling and growling.

But it was enough time for Jonah to get Arlis's neck between his jaws. And finally... Jonah's wolf shifted back to blonde. Black hair fell from his wolf and landed in the snow. Electra shifted and ran forward, helping Jonah hold Arlis down.

I looked over to see Konrad pick up Chleo's white wolf with black smoke. Iris ran towards them, her wolf's speed much greater than anything I had seen before. Much faster than I had ever even seen Arlis run.

But she wasn't fast enough. Black smoke poured into Chleo's wolf, choking him. Iris managed to latch onto one of Konrad's hands. She pulled until it tore off.

Konrad screamed out in pain and horror and then it was silent. A bright white light spread through the woods, blinding me.

I fell to the ground, my head ringing. When I could finally see again, everything was either red or white.

A naked women, Iris, was draped over a white wolf. The wolf wasn't moving. Wasn't making any noise.

I looked over to Electra and Jonah, who now had Melloni's wolf helping them hold Arlis's rogue down. From the distance, more wolves began running towards us. At the lead of the pack, was a twin to the other blonde wolf, Dalia.

I walked to Iris and fell down in the snow next to her. The white wolf's eyes were still open, looking blankly off in the distance. Iris was crying, but I couldn't hear anything. Not a single thing.

"Is this what you wanted?" Konrad asked. I couldn't see him anywhere, and a part of me knew I wouldn't, that he was just in my head. "Your friends dying?"

Someone grabbed my arms and tried pulling me away, but I fought against them, determined to stay with Iris and... Chleo's body. He didn't deserve to die like this. NOT LIKE THIS!

"Are you happy?" I screamed out for him to shut up but I couldn't even hear my own voice. "Because I am. I have you all exactly. Where. I. Want you. Nobody gets away. Nobody lives. Nobody dies. Without my permission."

AND THAT'S IT FOLKS. HOPE YOU ALL HAVE AN AMAZING DAY! HAPPY NEW YEAR! MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Please don't come after me.

sorry.