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Serena can handle herself. We all know that, but we don't have to like this. No, I don't think we could keep our beasts quiet even if we tried.

"I won't go running scared knowing he's going to make you do terrible things you don't want to do. Don't go, please."

Ryker flinches at her words, and I know she's hit a nerve, and so does he.

He grits his teeth as he takes a step forward, pressing Serena back into Blair's chest, and I hear the low rumble of his beast. It's kind of shocking he hasn't cracked a tooth already with the harsh set of his jaw.

"Fuck!" he groans, as he takes another step, his legs almost seemingly heavy, his steps dragging, and suddenly I understand.

"You can't stop..." I didn't mean to say it out loud, but the second I do, I know it's true, even before his shoulders sag in defeat.

For the first time since I stepped foot in his cabin, Ryker meets my gaze, and I see him as more than the monster I always believed he was.

He's trapped, unable to resist the call the same way the chimeras are, the same way Lyle is.

His own son, he turned him into a weapon and uses him with no remorse and no care for what it will do to him. We could have killed him one of the many times we fought to stop him and thechimeras from destroying innocent lives. The whole time I didn't even stop to consider the fact that he was a victim, too.

The pain in his eyes cuts through me, and I have to look away, but looking at Serena isn't much better as tears well in her eyes.

She knew.

She was able to see past the monster to the person, the one trapped in a life he never wanted. Hated by everyone...

"I don't have a choice. When he calls, I must answer the same as the rest of them." He doesn't meet anyone's eyes, instead looking down at the ground, his shoulders slumped forward as if ashamed, but he still holds Serena at arm’s length.

With a deep breath, he looks up and meets Blair's eyes. "Please, don't let her follow me. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt her."

Blair holds his gaze for a moment, and I know he's assessing him, looking for a lie in his words. I know he doesn't find one when he shifts his lower half, and I watch Serena's face morph into anger as he coils around her, holding her in place as Ryker slips past them and out the front door. He's gone so fast he doesn't even close the door, leaving the seven of us at his home as he goes to answer the call of the real monster.

His only request was for us to keep Serena safe. I want to say we can manage that, but I know we can't. Nobody has ever been able to make her do anything she doesn't want to, and now... I'm not sure anyone's powerful enough to stop her, not even Draven.

Iknow I can’t hold Serena for long, but she doesn’t seem to realize just how easily she could break free. Her eyes are wide as she spins to face me, her shadows having pried her free with ease.

Serena has always been strong; she just didn’t know it, but this, this is so much more than just strength.

No, now Serena is powerful.

She blinks at me in sheer disbelief before she shakes herself and seems to remember she was in the middle of something.

Unfortunately for her, I won’t be letting her run off the way she wants to, no matter how strong she is. Thankfully, I’m pretty good at handling Serena. She’s been my best friend for so long now that being around her is like breathing, and calming her down is damn near second nature.

She charges toward the door, and I’m ready, letting her run into my chest instead of moving. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight to me.

She struggles, but unlike when I held her with my tail, she doesn’t use her shadows, though I’m not even sure she did thaton purpose. I know she won’t call on them now; she’s still too unsure with them.

“I can’t let him go off on his own, Blair! He hates what he is, all because of his stupid-ass father and his desire for more power! I have to save them. I have to save both of them,” she cries, giving a halfhearted attempt to break free.

I don’t need to see her tears to know they’re there. After years of holding her while she cried herself back to sleep, I don’t think I could miss them.

“I’m not asking you to let him go, Little Rabbit. We just can’t run after him without some kind of plan. If we’re going to save them, we need to be smart about it.”

She goes still, her heavy breathing the only sound in the room. I feel it when she finally relaxes, trusting me.

There’s never been anyone like Serena for me. I’ve never felt a crush or minor attraction for anyone else—it’s always been her. Serena’s trust is precious to me in a way I can’t explain; I’ll never chance losing it, which is why we need to do this right.

With Serena still and calming down in my arms, I turn my gaze to Theo. Her brows are knit together, and I don’t need to ask to know she’s confused; it’s written all over her face. As if she can feel my eyes on her, she looks up, meeting my gaze. She cocks her head to the side as if she’s never seen me before.

“Is there a way to free Ryker from Draven?” I ask, cutting to the chase.