Epilogue

I know before I've even opened my eyes that I'm in the Shadow Realm. The lack of sound in the atmosphere around me is a dead giveaway, not to mention that my arm is throbbing from where the shadow beasts wounded me the first time I was here. I glance around dully, yup, nothing's changed. I close my eyes again, curling up on my side.

Tori's dead.

In the warehouse, my wolf form had become shadow, seamlessly using the shadows to ghost from place to place, ripping the agents to pieces. I know I should feel regret or remorse for killing them, but the only thing I feel is numb. I hadn't known that my wolf form and my shadow powers worked together. If only I had known that sooner, I may have been able to save Tori.

"I suspected I would find you here." Em's voice flows over me, but I don't open my eyes, I don't even move. "I'm sorry. I heard about what happened," he says quietly, and it's his tone that makes me open my eyes, not his words, but the pain and grief in them reaches me.

"How do you know what happened?" I ask, looking up at him from my curled position on the ground.

"You are tied to the Shadow Realm with your powers, as am I. I can sense when you use your powers," he explains, and I suspect he isn't telling the whole truth, but I don't have the energy to argue with him. Sighing, I push myself off the ground and look up at him again. His body is still in his light form, but he seems dimmer today, like the life has been sucked from him.

"You know that my best friend is dead?" My voice cracks on the last word. Although I can't fully see his features because of the light, I sense his empathy for me as he nods.

"Losing someone is never easy."

"Why are you here?" My words are quiet, lost.

"I wanted to check that you were okay," he's silent for a moment before he sighs and sits down in front of me. "And I have something to tell you." I look up at him expectantly, is now really the time? "You need some answers, and I can help. It's time to come and find me." I frown at him, wondering where this has come from all of a sudden. "It's to do with the disappearances and shifter deaths. But you're not going to like it, and it won't be easy to get to me." He rubs his hand across his face.

"Okay, where are you?" Perhaps if I can focus on something other than Tori's death, it will stop me from feeling like my heart has been ripped out of my chest.

"Don't get mad at me, just hear me out." I frown at his words, what is he talking about?

"I work for ASP."

The End