"Mom first." Arlis was very adamant that we went and saw Iris first. I couldn't blame him, that was his mom after all. We decided to surprise people. We figured that would be best. Because if we told everyone that Arlis was back, there would be no time for Arlis to individually hug his family and have a moment with them. "And dad." He added.

I didn't know how to tell him that I didn't know where they were. So I strayed the subject as we walked, wanting to get to a certain point. "What makes you Alpha Alpha. You say you're one of the most powerful Supernaturals—"

"Third" He corrected. "Third most powerful." His voice wasn't as strong as it once was, it didn't hold the same unwavering confidence.

"How are you stronger than necromancers and witches and... you're just a werewolf." That wasn't ever a sentence I thought I'd be saying.

Maybe... just maybe... I could get him to bring it up. I could get him to admit it before I asked him.

But I wasn't just trying to accomplish my second agenda. I did genuinely wonder what made him special. To me, it was just him in general. His laugh, his smile, his tears. Everything about him was beyond perfect. But what made him special to Konrad? To the rest of the supernaturals?

He bit his lip. "There's a lot that goes into account. It's no so much that I can do things better than others, it's that I can do things that others can't." He explained. "Lotus can't kill me—"

"Why not?" I asked. I felt stupid for asking. But I could lead him to this subject, I was sure of it.

"Because my ancestor killed the first Salem. It was a blessing and a cu—" He closed his eyes as he looked at me. "You know." There it is.

I nodded my head. "Oh yeah. Why didn't you tell me? You were supposed to kill me?" I shook my head at him. "Arlis you lied to me. A lot."

He shook his head, narrowing his eyes at me. "That was the only time. I swear." He looked so trustworthy. And my heart hurt to say this, I felt like I had been hit by a truck.

"Liar." I stated. Once, it was almost a joke. But this time, it was one of his personality traits.

He stopped and grabbed my hand as I tried to walk away. He looked into my eyes and kissed my knuckles. "What do you think I lied to you about?"

I huffed out a breath, holding back tears. "Vix is dead? And you didn't tell me."

"I— she... you don't..."

"Did you know." I confirmed.

He groaned. "I didn't lie to you." He brought me to his chest as I cried. Vix was my best friend. And I left her alone, not caring. I didn't think about her as much as I should have.

"I just didn't know how to tell you." He admitted, his head down.

I should've been mad. I wanted to be mad. He kept my best friend's death from me? On so many levels that wasn't okay.

But he just got back. And if I looked at it from his point of view, it made sense. We were and still are going through a lot. I wouldn't of known how, or wanted, to tell him that Chleo was dead had he not remembered.

I can't ask others to do something I would've struggled with or just not done either.

I put my fingers on his chin and made him look at me. "Arlis, I understand. I'm glad you're back." I kissed him, wanting to pull him to my chest and never leave.

"But that's it." He shot me a promising look.

"And you sending Alpha Rylee's members to attack a human party?" I asked.

He bit his lip in anger. "You were never supposed to—"

"Know?" I offered. I scoffed back at him.

He winced, taking a step back from me. "Well... no."

"You can't just lie to me." I wasn't yelling, I wasn't going to argue all my points without giving him a chance to defend himself. People do things for their own reasons and whatever reason Arlis had, I doubt it was malicious.

He huffed, running a hand through his dark hair. "I know. And I don't mean too. I just didn't want to lose you."

"That's not an excuse." I argued back. "I love you but you can't use that as an excuse. I wouldn't of left you."

He looked down at his feet, shuffling them. "I know. I was just happy, for the first time in a long time. I didn't want to make a single mistake. I wanted you to think I was perfect and—"

"You are perfect." I cupped his face with my hands. "I'll always think you're perfect. But you can't lie and hold things from me. We might be mates but that doesn't mean our relationship doesn't need to be worked on." I leaned my forehead against his. "I love you. Don't ever lie to me again."

He nodded, biting his lip. "I'm so sorry. I—" he stopped and wiped a single tear off of his face. "I never meant to hurt you. I was trying so hard not to."

I kissed the tip of his nose. "I'm not mad. You made a mistake and we talked it over. Everything is okay. But if you do it again— I'm gonna start taking Iris's advice." I chuckled.

He wrapped his arms around my waist. "Please, no!" He laughed. My heart warmed and my stomach filled with butterflies.

My smile slowly faded away. "I missed you." I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him close to me, scared he would sink away and be lost to me for forever.

"Hey." He chuckled and then wrapped his arms around me. "I missed you too." He whispered and then kissed the top of my head. He softly pushed me away from him and then set his hands on my shoulders. "I won't leave you like that again."

I looked at the snow, the sensation of cold not effecting my body in any way.

Cold tears started raining down my face. He pulled me to his chest again and ran his his hand through my hair.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded in his chest, the smell of him a scent I didn't know I could miss. "I love you. So much."

Arlis held my hand in his, turning my ring around my finger. "I love you too, Kadelyn." He whispered.

It was a moment of bliss; just us, our tears tangling together like two pairs of legs after a long, drunken, night.

I don't know how long we had stood there. It could have been ten years and I wouldn't have noticed. It could have been four seconds, and yet it felt like an eternity.

Someone tapped on my shoulder. I spun, drying my eyes on my arm.

It was... I couldn't remember his name.

"Win." Arlis greeted.

Win blinked at Arlis a couple of times. "A— Ar— you're... you're back!" His eyes winded. "Tha— that's... AWESOME!" Win looked me up and down, as if I was a ghost. "You're— alive."

I nodded my head. "I believe so?"

"We have a— problem." He gulped.

I shook my head and plugged my ears. "Nope. No we do not. La la la la." Win tugged on my arms, pulling them out of my ears.

Arlis growled and stepped between us. "Lay another hand on her and you'll find yourself without arms."

Win huffed out a breath. "Dawns." Was all he said, fanning his face.

"Constance?" Arlis perked up.

He shook his head. "Uh um— no."

"Fiona? Bring her, now." He ordered. "I need to speak with her, Win."

"Hello, mutt and... mutt-ett." I heard her vicious, cold, voice before I saw her. "And traitor." She laughed at Win's scared expression.

Win took a step back and fell in the snow.

"Everly?" Arlis turned and looked at her, his eyebrows raised and eyes widened. "You're not... dead."

She shook her head. "That's a long story." It didn't seem like a subject she wanted to talk about.

Two people came up with Everly. Both didn't feel like a Werewolf or a Hunter. There was a short and stout redhead and a dirty dark blonde guy, tall.

"And you've killed someone." Arlis whispered.

She flinched, and then straightened. "How did you know?" She asked weakly.

"I can smell it. A Hunter? You killed another Hunter?" Arlis asked. "What have you gotten yourself into Everly Dawn?"

She widened her eyes and blew out a breath. "Far too much, I can tell you that."

I grabbed Arlis's hand, feeling out of the loop. "Can someone catch me up? Please?"

Everly looked me up and down, a pleased look on her face. "You're a werewolf now. How sweet. I was imprisoned with Arlis. He helped me escape. Konrad found me, killed me. A Salem Of The Old Witch traded her soul for mine and resurrected me. I'm alive again." It was a quick catch up, but even the seemingly short version chilled my blood. What had they gone through with Konrad? What horrors did he impose on them?

My jaw dropped when I realized she had said a Salem traded lives with her. The only Salem I knew was Becker. And he was with us. "But Beck—"

"It wasn't Becker. It was Polyphema." She explained.

The guy by her side looked at Everly with a shocked expression, laughing. "You're hilarious." He didn't believe her, and quite frankly, neither did I.

"I'm serious." Everly said. "The Salem Witches aren't dead, they're hiding. Well... now Polyphema is." I wondered if Becker knew, if she had told him. Although Everly seemed like the kind of person to let others break the bad news. "Also..." She faced Win with an evil look.

"Yes?" Arlis narrowed his eyes.

"He's working for Konrad." She stated.

Win shook his head wildly, his eyes fearful. "No! I'm not!"

"Sergei told me." Everly hissed out.

Arlis seemed to believe her. I didn't know who Sergei was but was he a trustworthy source? Win was one of the first people at the fire before Christmas. Surely he wasn't a traitor.

Win got onto his knees when he realized Arlis was believing Everly. "Please. I swear I only did it to protect myself." He was begging for his life, trying to plead, almost as if with the Devil.

He... he was a traitor? That sounded like a confession if I ever heard one.

Arlis got onto his knees and pressed his palm against Win's forehead. I didn't understand what he was doing. "As an Alpha I have the power to execute you. As a Luna, Kate has the power to be judge, jury, and executioner."

I took a step back. "I can't." I can't decide if someone should die, and I definitely couldn't kill anyone.

Everly rolled her eyes. She probably made these decisions all the time. She had killed a man. It's not my fault I wasn't as cruel as she was. Not everyone can stomach being vile like her.

"Does he deserve to die?" Arlis asked, looking up at me, his hand still on Win's forehead.

I stuttered, looking for an answer. I felt like a goldfish, my mouth bobbed open and closed. "He..."

He confessed to working for the enemy. He was a traitor. He got people killed, probably helped get Arlis taken. But everyone made mistakes to protect themselves. I hated him for what he did, but death was irreversible. Unless you were Everly Dawn, apparently.

I closed my eyes. "I don't want to make that decision."

Behind Everly, I heard the red head sigh annoyingly. "Then I'll make it." She lunged for Win.

Arlis rolled out of the way as the girl ripped into Win's neck. The snow around us turned red as blood seeped into the ground beneath us.

I felt like I was going to puke. The scene that played out in front of me, was surely something only the Devil could make happen. I understood why people believed vampires worshipped Satan.

Arlis wrapped his arms around me, "protecting" me from the scene. My eyes lit up in horror.

Win screamed and screamed. His yells were tattooing themselves into my head. The guy by Everly's side came in, helping his mate devour Win until he didn't have a throat to scream from.

"He helped get Chleo killed. Helped Konrad figure out things he shouldn't of known. Don't feel bad. We need a plan." I watched as Everly glanced at the body, but only for a second. I didn't think anyone else noticed

Arlis put his arm around me. "We need a lot of things." He cleared his throat and held his chin higher.

Everly scoffed at Arlis offhandedly. "Then let's go in without a plan, like you and Constance and Becker did." What was she thinking?

Arlis moved his hands over my body. His palm came to a stop at the small of my back. "He's smarter this time." I was still turned away from the scene, facing Everly.

I tried to turn around but Arlis's hands held me steadfast. "Do not turn around."

I watched Arlis shift into a wolf. He too, also tore into Win. I heard something smack on the ground, I didn't have to guts to turn around and look at it.

"He's still an idiot." Everly continued talking about Konrad. "Besides... he would see a plan coming. He wouldn't see us all just attacking him. We just need to free Becker first." She didn't know... about Becker. About anything, probably.

"Oh Cassidy, we should run away. Seeing you drink makes me hot." The guy laughed.

Cassidy, the red head, smiled. Blood stained her teeth. "I would love to. But we have business, darling." She smirked.

Arlis laid down as a wolf, his head at my feet.

Can you translate for me? Arlis asked through our mind link. I nodded back.

"I was thinking on my walk here about how to help Becker," she started."We can—"

"Becker is here." I rolled my shoulders back, taking a deep breath. "He has no magic. Konrad stripped it." I wondered how she'd react, if she'd go off and kill another person.

"He's here? He's okay?" She looked relieved instead of angry.

I looked down at Arlis, who almost looked asleep. "Yes. To both."

A shaky exhale escaped from Everly's lips. "How do we kill him then? We need another witch."

"My mom might he able to help." I offered. I wasn't sure if she would be able to help us, or if she'd still stay out of it. Maybe she'd take too long. And the attack was planned... apparently today. We didn't have a lot of time. "He's planning his attack for today, never mind." I said.

Everly closed her eyes. "Well we can't just give up." She laughed. "We have most of what we need. We don't even need Becker."

She was delusional if she thought we could do this without a witch. "Becker is the only defense we have. None of us can undo a spell." I argued. If we didn't have a witch, we didn't have a shot at winning.

Everly tapped her chin. "We don't have another option." She whispered.

I understood what she meant. We were low on options. And if we were to die trying to kill Konrad, it would be okay. At least we tried.

There's always an option. Beckerann would agree with me. Arlis said.

"Arlis says that there's always an option. That Beckerann would agree." I translated.

"Reminds me of better times." Everly spoke, but her mind wasn't focused on us. She had drifted off to a different place.

I remembered better times too. When I first met Arlis, when he tickled me in the hallway and Iris took a picture.

The time I fell into the frozen pond and he came, he saved me.

I remembered the quiet nights we had spent together, the secrets and memories we shared. Every moment in life, it felt like it led up to him. We were together, it was meant to be.

His voice was like a symphony, no matter what he was talking about. Whether it be about Gracie or Becker.

Beckerann.

My face lit up as I remembered what we were talking about the first time I learned his full name, the jokes I made about magical baby-monitors. "What about stored magic?" I asked.

Everly tilted her head, her mind drawn back to the present. "What?"

"Magical objects that Becker stored his power in. Can we transfer it back to him?" I asked.

Maybe I was onto something, maybe I was helping. If my idea might even work a little, it was worth a shot.

Everly nodded wildly. "Yes! But we need another witch to do it."

I doubted my mom would be able to do it, or know how. She didn't seem very caught up on the witchy world.

But we did have a close by sort-of witch. He might do it. "Will a necromancer work?" I thought about Ralph, his magic, and how much hatred he held for Konrad.

Everly narrowed her dark brown eyes at me. She thought about it for a second before finally answering, "I almost think that would work better."

And that sentence made all hope return to me.

THE NEXT SCENE IS ROUGH. ITS TRIGGERING AND... it holds some symbolism. It brings to show how Konrad holds his power and just how terrible he is. It's not super important, but... Proceed with caution.

KONRAD
Konrad looked down at his hands. Blood covered them from the wound he inflicted on Becker. He had healed Becker. Not out of feeling remorse, but out of wanting Becker to see the dawn of a new ruler.

His mouth twitched into a smile. He snapped his fingers and then smirked as two ladies walked into his room.

One, was a deadly blonde with eyes as soft as sandpaper. The other, was a spunky blonde with a eyes as rough as a freshly dried blanket. Both were beautiful beyond rating.

"Fiona, Corin" He cooed. "Bring me your brothers. And Anaforo if he is back from his little... escapade of helping some vampires escape."

Fiona bowed her head. "Will do."

Both Fiona and Corin started to turn but Konrad reached out and grabbed Corin's hand, pulling her to him. Tears poked in her eyes. "Please. I'm tired. I don't want to tonight."

"Konrad, let her go." Fiona wasn't crying, she had long time come accepted Konrad's actions. She couldn't stop him. And if she tried... things only got worse. Maybe that was why Konrad enjoyed her company so much. She fought back, and she fought dirty.

But Corin? The King of the Necromancer's wife? She was a soft soul. She was new to this. And as well as an experienced woman, Konrad could appreciate the faux innocence Corin had.

Konrad thought that they could escape together. Corin was a witch after all. A witch who ninety nine percent of people assumed was a necromancer. But Konrad knew the truth. However, the two together were apparently not strong enough to over throw him. He liked it. He liked the danger, the challenge. It was like keeping a tamed lion as a pet in an apartment building. It was dangerous, it revved certain engines.

Konrad chuckled ominously, his dark red hair reflecting the burning candles in his room. Something about the Golds, the Reinhearts... they all had the same deep blood color and gold accentuated rooms. Konrad was no different.

"Today is monumental. You do not want to deny me what I want today, Fiona." He was gone for a split second and then he reappeared in front of Fiona, grabbing her chin. "If I am to pull off what I want to today, I need your siblings and Corin's husband."

He pushed Fiona to the floor. She was wearing a long gold dress, most of the fabric a thin sheer That exposed the tan skin underneath. It left little to imagination. Corin wore the same, but in a deep maroon.

Fiona stood up and stormed up to him. She held her fists by her sides.

"Please. Hit me. You know what it does." Konrad laughed wickedly. He trailed a finger down her chin, almost as if wiping away a tear. But Fiona never cried, she only fought.

Fiona shot one long and regretful look towards Corin. Her eyes twinged with sadness and the long skirt around her waste twisted with her when she turned and marched out the door.

Corin cried, screaming for Fiona, and unlike Fiona, she cried a lot. "I want you to bow down and kiss my feet." Konrad put his hand on her shoulders. He understood Corin was expecting much worse but... Konrad was far too happy to waste energy on women.

The doors reopened and Fiona, followed by Dallas, Zach, and King Anaforo stepped into the room.

"Cor." King Anaforo's eyes went pitch black, revealing the near-soulless pits of Hell inside a Necromancer. "Get your hands off of her."

Konrad rolled his eyes. "I just want some respect." Fear, pain, submission... what greater respect was there?

"Please." King Anaforo's strong voice moved to a softer, trembling, tone. "I've already been forced to watch you touch my wife the way only I should. You can't torture us much more."

Corin kneeled onto her knees and kissed Konrad's shiny shoes. Konrad's chest swelled with delight and he stood a little straighter. The so called Queen of the Dead was kissing his shoes.

This was what it felt like to be King— no, to be God.

"I can and I will." Konrad kicked Corin, her body falling back and rolling across the hard floor. Her face was bloody as Anaforo helped her up.

Anaforo ran towards Konrad, his teeth bared and his throat making a near animalistic sound.

"Astraledo!" Anaforo yelled at the same time Konrad yelled out, "Ignismo Arazi!"

A line of fire shot from Konrad's hands, just as a purple galaxy rope shot from Anaforo's.

The two sparked and started to smoke where the lines met between them. Anaforo held up his side quite well, Konrad thought.

"You will lose, Anaforo! As you have before!" Konrad pushed forward, his fire gaining on the astral rope Anaforo had.

Anaforo's veins were bulging in his arms, sweat rolled down his forehead. Konrad wasn't even tired.

"Someone has given me faith." He said through gritted teeth.

"Faith won't save you." Konrad was done playing. He pushed just a tad bit harder. The fire line pushed through the astral rope. A loud crack fled through the air, escaping into everyone's ears.

The fire line wrapped around Anaforo's throat, choking and burning him. Anaforo couldn't even scream.

It stayed like that for a few moments before Konrad pulled back. "I need you all to do something for me. And you will do it?"

Fiona helped King Anaforo up. "What do you need?" She asked bravely.

"Mugitor." Konrad whispered and suddenly all of them were in the lounge. The ceiling was a glass dome, the roof was stained glass, colored to mimic Polyphema. "I want my wife. Find me Kadelyn Barron's torn up body. And if she's still alive... cut her heart and bring it to me. Kill anyone who stands in your way."

Fiona narrowed her eyes. "Why do you need her heart?"

Konrad licked his lips. "I plan on using it. To summon my wife. Bring her forth. I need the heart of her descendant. With that, I can command her of whatever. Arlis was supposed to bring it to me but... he hasn't."

Fiona spit on the ground. "Psychopath. I pity her, your wife."

"Why?" Konrad asked. He was genuinely curious. Konrad would give Polyphema anything and everything.

"She married a monster." Fiona responded.

Konrad smirked at the ceiling. "She fell in love with a hero. By the end of today... supernaturals will no longer have anything to fear. Nothing to fear but judgment. The world can return to Salems. To peace."