Ember's POV

"Still going, I see?" Axel said while I was on my way out of the door,


"If you weren't my brother and I didn't know you did all that you did from a place of love and I would have actually hit a place of frustration by now."

"Far be it from me to try and frustrate you. " he said smiling and handed me a bracelet, "here."

"aw, thank you." I said accepting it, before handing out my hand, so he could help me put it on, " I see stones on it, do they have any purpose exactly?"


"Rose quartz crystals, something about emotional balance and all that," he said, and my smile deepened,

"I didn't realize that you believed in such a thing."


"I didn't realize I believed in such, only until recently. So you put this on, and I hope it can counteract that pendant of yours if ever it acts up again."

"It's a nice gift." I said, hugging him, "Thank you."

Work was the same as usual. I counted it lucky, when half the day had gone by, and the president had not called me in for any reason. So perhaps, he judged some of the papers I had sent to his table as worthwhile and free from flaws. And if he didn't, well, at least I was allowed to stay at work.

There were a few welcome-back packages again, and I made a point to send thank-you notes, but my co-workers were incredibly thoughtful for being so damn intentional.

By the end of the workday, I had considerably overworked myself and was thankful for the end of the workday. Perhaps it was the mental drain I already had or the fact that I had genuinely gone out of my way to overwork myself. But whatever it was, I had trembling hands as I made my way to the car park and was thankful when I saw Jean from the distance.

He spotted me the same moment I spotted him, and when I raised my hand in a wave, I felt the world around me spin a bit,

"Oh brother," I said, bringing my hand to my forehead,

"Ember, are you okay?" Jean asked, he had gotten to my side in a matter of seconds and was holding me, keeping me from falling,

"I don’t think so. The world just spun." When I tried to focus on him, there was more than one Jean, until there was no more Jean.

I woke up in a white room. And by the smell of antiseptic and sterile water, I guess it was safe to say that I was in a hospital room.

I had blacked out, that much I remembered and brought my hand to my head, where I felt a quiet thud that made me question my own wellness,

"you're awake." I turned slowly to the sound of Jean's voice, and smiled a little,

"And you're here," I said with gratitude,

"Of course I am. I was worried sick." and he did look worried. His brows were drawn with concern, and his lips were hard-pressed,

"What exactly happened? All I remember was the fact that I raised my hand to say hello, and the earth beneath me staggered."

Jean chuckled lightly, "that's a cute way to put it." he said, and took my hand, before sitting at the edge of my bed,

"The doctor's a wolf doctor, and he said something about a wolf emergence. I'll let him explain better."

"Yeah, alright."

The doctor joined us minutes later, beaming down at me,

"Ember McGregor, good to see that you're awake."

"Any information on why I passed out in the first place?"

"ah, yes. I believe you were hat pendant to strengthen your wolf core, am I correct?"

I nodded slowly, "well, yes I do."

"Well, that's just the thing. Your wolf core has strengthened. And greater strength emerges. Your passing out is a result of your wolf form and your human form trying to find a balance."

"one hell of a balance finding, if you ask me," I said weakly, while a headache slowly simmered,

"can't exactly always be the best feeling in the world I believe. But it really does get better. You really do get better."

"Thank you," I said, fingering the bracelet Axel gave me,

"I'm a firm believer in science, but I think that bracelet will help keep you steady as you navigate this point in your life." the doctor said and I stared at the bracelet in my hand with a smile,

"I guess I can thank my brother for this one." the doctor nodded,

"Well, you can be discharged."

"Anything for this headache I feel growing?"

"It should go away soon, but I'll write you a low dosage of Aspirin. You'll be just fine."

"Thank you," I said as he handed me the prescription and then he excused himself.

“Well, that was the scariest one hour of my life.” Jean said after the doctor left and I looked up at him smiling,

“Meanwhile I was swimming in oblivion. I don’t think I went anywhere that was particularly fascinating this time.” I said and reached for his hand, “and just like last time, you were right here, with me. Thank you.”

“I’m not sure life is giving me a choice.” He said quietly,

“But on the bright side, my Wolf is emerging and I’m getting stronger.” I said, hoping to lighten his mood and make him feel better.

“I suppose.” He said and ran a hand through his hair, “do you feel stronger though?”

“Good question.” I said and searched within myself, “meh. I have a headache and a sound desire for a sandwich. But I’m sure she’s emerging finely.”

"Wolf emergence or not, you gave me a terrible scare." Jean said, wrapping an arm around my neck, "Try not to do that to me again."

"I won't," I said, my words muffled against his neck. And I liked it there.

I walked to the reception area to wait for Jean while he settled my bill and was in total confusion when I saw no other person but Paris standing outside the door of a VIP room.

"Now what on earth would you be doing here?" I asked, pausing in my tracks. I considered turning away and acting like I didn’t just see a ghost, but then, I also considered going to him. Because I wondered if maybe he had gotten knowledge of my passing out and wanted to come check on me.

But how was that even possible? It was just Jean and I who knew I was here and there was no way that Jean would have called up Paris to tell him I was unwell. Or had he felt it the same way I had felt his car accident that last time?

While I wondered, I watched the door to the VIP room open up and Kate being pushed out of it in a wheelchair.

"Of course." I angrily muttered to myself. Suddenly feeling very stupid. "of bloody course." I said turning around, so I wouldn't be seen, and took a different route to find Jean.

PARIS'S POV

"you can't possibly have jailed your own sister," Kate said in shock whisper and I rolled my eyes,

"Alas, I did just that. And I'll do it again if, after this period in time, she refuses to be reformed."

"Can you even hear yourself? You speak like you are speaking about a stranger." Kate said angrily and I looked up from my papers to look at her,

"I would like to remind you that she chose her own path. Again and again, she did things that didn't resemble the girl I grew up with. Time and time again, I ignored it, simply because, as you have said, she is my sister. But there are only a couple of wrongs that I can ignore until I'm simply her accomplice, I hope you see where I am coming from."

"I don't."

"Well, that's because you're possibly her accomplice as well. But you are distracting me from the work I ought to be doing. You need to stop."

"Not until you set her free."

"Kate, there is someone in this pack that is trying to tear it apart limb from limb. I'm not about to set my sister free, should she have a hand in it. Let your worry be focused on who the culprit is or who the culprits are. That's the matter at hand at the moment. That should be your major problem."

She was quiet for a moment before speaking, "What do you mean to tear it apart limb from limb? Just what are you talking about?"

"I don’t think I'm speaking a foreign language. You heard me, Kate. There is a murder on the loose. He is on our pack land and we need to find him before he hurts someone who can't defend themselves." I said and got up, to get away from her, because I had genuinely had enough, but she followed me,

"Kate!"

"Paris! Don't yell my name that way. All you do is continually turn away from me, and anytime I try to put my foot down, you call me out as though I'm some insufferable sidecheek. I'm not your sidecheek, Paris. I'm your mate! "

"did I or did I not try to free you from this bond?"

"I never asked to be freed. Why don't you say it as it is? Why don't you simply say that you want to be freed?"

"That's not looking very far from the truth at the moment, to be honest," he said and walked down the steps.

"Paris! Paris, don't turn away from me." but I was already at the bottom of the steps, and rather than hear footsteps following me, there were hard tumbles that had me turning in horror to face her.

"Kate? Kate!" I cried and ran to her. Her ankle was turned in the wrong direction and I had a feeling that one was going to be bad,

"oh Kate, what the hell have you done?"

"Paris!" she cried, "it hurts. It hurts so much."