"It is not death, but dying, which is terrible."
~Henry Fielding

Anna

For the love of God, Elsa, answer me!

I'd been trying to reach my sister ever since she left, but something, or someone, was blocking me from doing so. Distance never had any effect on us before, so I refused to believe it did now. She was alive, at least. I knew that much. But not being able to reach her left me anxious and short-tempered. My family had been on the receiving end of it lately, and I decided to go for a walk to clear my head and calm down. Besides, I couldn't let the Kellermans see me like this. They were already breathing down my neck, trying to catch me being treasonous.

What weirded me out the most was the fact they had no scent, which meant two things. Firstly, if they were following me, I'd have no idea. Secondly, when Elsa and I had been searching for Spencer that night he'd been attacked, and we'd lost our sense of smell briefly, I realized now it was the Kellermans. Or the controllers of the Stark pack. I wasn't sure which. But I'd lost my scent around the Kellermans before. Maybe that in itself was a sign of their presence that I could look out for.

Regardless, I'd have to stay alert and have my explanation ready about why I was out here.

No one knew I took these midnight escapades, so I had to be careful. Anything could happen, even to a wolf like me. But so far, the only thing I'd seen was a bear lumbering away. I'd smelled a few mountain lions, but their scent was faint, meaning they hadn't been here in a while.

I trudged up the hill to the neutral territory, hoping Dom was already there. We were supposed to meet to discuss our findings in the search for Elsa and Spencer. I had a couple leads, but mostly based on circumstantial evidence. Without the ability to ask my sister exactly where she was, I had to search for her the old-fashioned way. It was a lot more arduous.

Not to mention annoyingly tedious.

As I crested the hill, I stopped dead in my tracks, freezing at the sight of someone sitting by the lake. With their flaming red hair, it wasn't hard to figure out who it was. I didn't want her seeing me considering my identical twin was the reason her ex-fiancé ran off and abandoned his pack. Last thing I needed was her mistaking me for Elsa and attacking, which I had no doubt she would. Callie possessed quite the temper, and I feared getting in an entanglement with her when she was really pissed off.

A breeze blew my hair in my face, and my heart sank. Without any substantial cover nearby, my scent would reach Callie in three... two... one...

The O'Connor girl leaped to her feet, swaying a little unsteadily. It was only then I noticed the bottle of vodka in her hand.

Great.

So now, not only would she be angry, but she'd be drunk too. This could either work in m favor or not at all. There was no in-between.

"Who's there?!" She demanded, turning around. Her eyes rested on me. For a moment, all Callie did was stare at me, taking in my presence. But soon, the drunken gaze in her eyes shifted into a murderous one.

"You," Callie said accusatorily. "You're the reason my fiancé left me!"

"No, I'm not," I replied softly, holding my hands up to show I meant no harm. "I'm Anna. I'm not Elsa."

"Bullshit," she spat. "That's exactly what a person would say when they're the person they're accused of being."

"Why would Elsa be here? She and Spencer are both wanted by our packs. They committed treason. I'm Anna Laroche. I'm out for a walk to clear my head because I'm upset over everything that's happened. Judging by the bottle, you are too."

I wasn't sure what I was trying to accomplish by talking to her. Maybe I hoped there was a sliver of civility in her that would make her realize I wasn't the enemy, that I didn't want to be the enemy.

Callie tossed the empty bottle into the grass and slowly started walking towards me. I tensed, looking for a way out. The slope was too steep behind me for me to move quickly, and Callie could cut me off if I went left or right. And God knows going straight wasn't an option. All I could do was try and appease her.

"Why are you drinking? What's on your mind?" I asked gently.

"I'm drinking because I'm pissed, upset, and lonely. If you really are Anna Laroche, then I want you to know that your sister took everything from me. She took away my happiness, the love of my life, and my future," Callie declared, slurring some of her words. She stopped a few feet away from me and cocked her head. "I want to return the favor."

"How?"

"You have a twin connection with her, right? Like I do with Brian?"

"I do, but it's not working right now. I can't reach her. I've been trying, but it's like something's blocking me from talking to her, so if you want me to relay a message, I can. I just don't know when it'll get through."

"No, no message. Not a verbal one, at least."

Panic started rising in my chest, and fear flooded my veins. "What kind of message do you want to send then?"

"A physical one. I'm going to take away the thing that means the most to her."

I clenched my teeth, sensing where this was going but deciding to ask to make sure. "What's that?"

"You."

In the blink of an eye, Callie lunged at me, shifting midair and going straight for my throat. I barely had time to jump to the right. For better or for worse, I'd expected her reaction and had prepared myself for it.

As she stopped herself from sliding over the side of the hill, I bolted off in the other direction, switching to my wolf form in the process. I could run faster this way. I had agility on my side, but she had strength, and we were evenly matched speed-wise.

I began to outdistance her, and I focused on getting into the trees again. I would be in the clear if I could get into the forest where I could use my agility against her.

But I made an unintentional and fatal error.

The bottle she'd thrown had shattered, but I'd been so focused on her that I hadn't heard it.

My foot found it, a shard of glass piercing through my paw. I let out a yelp and stumbled, trying to pull it out in a panic before Callie could reach me. Thankfully, it was big enough for me to get a grasp on it with my teeth. With a yank, I pulled it out and spit it out on the ground, taking off once more.

I got two bounds in before I noticed the shadow on top of me. I tried to roll out of the way, but Callie still grabbed ahold of my flank with her teeth. I collapsed to the ground, stars dotting my vision. Blood soaked my fur and dripped onto the ground. Even in my shocked state, I knew I was in dire straits.

Suddenly, through the haze, I saw Callie in human form standing over me, a malicious look in her eyes. I shifted back into a human as well, so I could talk to her and convince her not to do this. But the moment I opened my mouth, her foot connected hard with my shoulder.

"Don't talk, bitch. I want to prolong this as much as possible. I want Elsa to feel the pain I've felt, the hopelessness, the helplessness. I want her to suffer."

I was going to die.

This was the end.

And I refused to go out whining or crying. Gritting my teeth, I growled, "All this over a guy? That's pathetic. No wonder Spencer left you."

Callie kicked me in my hip, right where it was torn open from her teeth. I screamed in agony, tears streaming down my face. She grabbed my face roughly and said, "What's pathetic is your inability to fight."

Her nails dug into my cheek as she continued, "You are going to die alone, without your pack, without your sister, and when Elsa feels your death, she'll come looking for your killer. And I'll be here, waiting to do the same to her. You Laroches think you're so amazing and strong. But look at you. You didn't even put up a fight."

Callie dropped my face, and my head thudded to the ground.

Elsa, I love you. I love you so much. I thought, images of us flashing through my mind. All the laughter, late-night talks, inside jokes, the tears... all of it. I was glad I had those moments with her so I could remember them before I died.

I saw Callie shift into a wolf and bare her teeth.

This is it.

I shut my eyes, repeatedly trying to tell Elsa I loved her, hoping she'd hear at least one of them. Callie's hot breath huffed on my neck, and I felt my death coming.

The last thing I heard was Elsa screaming my name in my head.