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“You can say that all you want, but you wouldn’t be here…” My eyes dart to the bed, to Sol, where he remains motionless. “hewouldn’t be here, and—” I choke on the words as the image of Lyle running from the village flashes in my mind.

I drop my gaze, unable to meet either of theirs.

Lyle wouldn’t be gone.

Blair drops his hold on my face and sighs before pulling me into his chest and squeezing me tight enough to steal my breath. I can’t bring myself to complain, though. This is the closest to whole I’ve felt since the guys left to defend the villages without me.

Everything changed, and I’m not sure how to get it back to what it was, if it’s even possible.

“We’re going to figure this out, Little Rabbit, together.”

Pike gives a yip of agreement, and in the safety of Blair’s arms, I let myself hope he’s right, that it’s even possible.

Sol’s still bleeding, Rena's out cold, Lyle’s gone, Garrett’s pissed, and that Draven guy disappeared before we could do anything about him. Although I'm not sure we could've done anything anyway, his monsters were a fucking pain to deal with, and he wasn't much better.

Storm is on my back with Sol in hislap,as I run back to the castle. Garrett flies overhead with Serena in one of his enormous claws, and Blair brings up the rear.

What the fuck just happened?

It's a question for them, but also not. Honestly, I'm not sure they're going to answer. For all I know, they might be just as confused as I am.

‘We got our asses handed to us,’ Storm answers, and I can't stop the whine that’s ripped from deep in my chest hearing him. He's been quiet since we left the village; his worry for his twin is something I swear I can feel hanging in the air. Even his answer is solemn, no hint of his usual sarcasm.

Worry seeps into my bones, knowing this is bad. I've never seen anything that can hurt us like this. For the most part,we recover faster than we can be hurt. It's part of being not only alphas but having extinct beasts. But even with Garrett's healing light magic, Sol’s wound refuses to heal, and he's losing a lot of blood.

It doesn't make sense, though. The other guy took a hit from Lyle even after he turned into one of those things, and he healed.

He took that hit for Rena when the rest of us would have been too slow.

The beast in me doesn't like that he was able to do something for her that we weren't, but I also can't help but be grateful that he was there. Serena is safe because of him. Without him, she might be just as bad off as Sol, maybe worse.

Maybe that's why Garrett's so mad. Is he jealous of that guy, too?

Who the hell was that guy?

‘That was Ryker. He's Draven's abomination of a son.’

I didn't realize I was thinking out loud, and the heat in Garrett's tone catches me off guard. He's been a pretty laid-back guy, given the way we treated him when we first met. He even deals with Lyle pretty damn well considering the fact that he's a grade A asshole. It's not like he's perfect. Garrett laid his ass out when we were sparring, but Lyle deserved it. Hell, he probably deserved a lot worse, but again, Garrett’s pretty laid-back.

This somehow doesn't feel the same.

‘It's not the same. Ryker is a murderer and a monster.’

‘She’ll find me if she needs me.’ That’s what he said before he left, disappearing into thin air before our eyes.

I can feel Garrett’s anger as it continues to build, and while I’m sure he can still hear my thoughts, nobody says anything, and I don’t push. Right now, we need to worry about Sol and Rena; nothing else matters.

The castle finally comes into view after what feels like forever, and I let the topic drop. I have so many questions; so much doesn't make sense about what happened tonight, but right now, the most important thing is getting Sol to the Queen so she can heal him.

She has to be able to.

There isn't another option.

The Queen is waiting for us in the garden where we first met her. This time, nobody dares try to stop us, instead moving aside as we rush through. She takes one look at Sol, and I see understanding flash in her eyes. She's seen this before, and judging by her shocked gasp, it's not a good thing.

"Take him up to the medical wing."

I don't stop; don't bother shifting. We'll get there faster like this.