Chapter 11

S tanding in front of the huge metal door, I flinch at the loud sound of the locks being pulled back. I'm not sure what to expect and keep having to remind myself that these are Garett's brothers. They need me. Taking a deep breath, I reach forward, grasping the handle as I feel a familiar presence behind me.

"You don't have to do this." I would've known it was Killian, even if he didn't say a word, the little part of me that's connected to him warming as soon as he's near.

"I can handle them. I know how to protect myself." My words sound defensive, but they aren't, I simply state them as fact. Standing still, I feel the hairs on my arm stand up as steps closer to me. I don't turn around, my hand still on the door. All I have to do is push it open, but I don't. Instead, I wait, listening to the soft sound of his shoes on the carpeted flooring, the only indication he's coming closer. I can feel the warmth radiating off him, and I have to resist the urge the lean back into him, my wolf feeling comforted just by his presence.

"It's not your fighting skills I'm worried about. I'm more worried about what this is going to do to you." My hand drops from the door as I turn to face him, not because of what he's saying, but because of how he's saying it. "I can't risk you disappearing into the Shadow Realm again. Every time you go, I feel like part of me has gone with you, and I'm never sure if you're going to come back." My heart pangs in my chest as his voice cracks. When I glance up, his eyes are dry, but I can feel his pain through the bond. No matter how hard he tries to hide it from me, he will never be able to conceal his feelings from me.

There are many things I could say, explanations and justifications, but I don't need to, with Killian, I never have. Instead, I lean forward and press a kiss to his lips, resting my hands against his chest as I send him my feelings down our bond. "I will always come back," I whisper against his lips.

We stay like that for a moment, and when I open my eyes again, Killian is staring down at me intently. With a nod, he presses another kiss to my lips and pulls away, turning and walking back down the corridor without another word. Facing the door once more, I reach for the handle and push it open, not hesitating anymore.

I see Jake as soon as I enter the room, but that isn't hard. The large square space is mostly empty, the same room I had seen Max in not long ago, with just a bed and a small table in one corner. The large mirror against the wall behind me is actually a one-way window, and I know Killian and the others are watching, ready to burst in if they are needed. The twins had been separated once they snapped, since they hadn't been able to control both of them together, but my heart clenches when I see him.

Pacing up and down the room, Jake is obviously agitated and hasn't noticed me yet. The twins are older than Garett, but they never acted like it, their excitable energy so infectious, you would smile whenever you shared a room with them. The feeling now couldn't be any more different. His desperation and determination are so strong, I can feel it seeping into my pours. The twins are large in build, like their brothers and other bear shifters, but Jake looks skinny, his skin pale and bruised, like he's been trying to escape the room, and as I look around, I can see scuffs on the wall proving my theory. He looks like a caged animal.

"Jake?" Keeping my voice low, I move slowly towards him. His head shoots up as I speak, and a beautiful smile crosses his face, pushing back the madness that lingers around him.

"Little sister!" Speeding towards me, he wraps his arms around me, enveloping me in a huge hug. "I missed you," he murmurs into my hair, placing a kiss on my forehead as he takes a step away, excitement filling his face. "Did you come to help me find her? They locked me in here, they don't believe me, but you believe me, don't you?" Speaking fast, he bounces on the spot like he longs to be running round the room, and I blink and struggle to keep up with what he's saying. Taking a deep breath, I try to decide how I'm going to handle this.

"Jake, find who?" I ask gently, but I know exactly who he's talking about. However, that doesn't stop the despair that washes over me as he answers.

"Tori of course!" My stomach drops at his words, his eyes shining with a madness that breaks my heart.

"Jake, Tori is dead. You were there, you saw it." No matter how much I try, despair still marks my words. Taking a step away from me, I see the hurt in his eyes as he realises I don't believe him.

"Yes, yes, yes, I know . But she's back and she's hurting, and they won't let me out!" He bellows the last part, hurling himself at the one-way mirror, pounding his fists against it like a man possessed. I want to believe him, I would do anything to have Tori back. But it's hopeless, she's gone, there is no coming back from death.

Watching him and seeing the full effects of what losing your mate can do to a shifter breaks my heart. I shudder at the thought that this could have been one of my guys.

Walking towards him, I try to call out to him, desperate for him to stop. "Jake, stop—you'll hurt yourself." When I reach his side, I leave plenty of room between us so he doesn't feel trapped as I approach him. Hearing my voice, he suddenly stops, surprise lighting his features as he sees me, and a happy smile spreads across his face.

"Little sister! When did you get here? Are you here to help me find Tori?" His delighted words make me sad beyond reason as I reach for his clenched fists, checking them over for wounds. "They locked me away, they think I'm crazy." His voice drops as he looks over his shoulder at his imaginary foes, baring his teeth. "We need to get out of here." He turns his frenzied eyes on me again, and I have to fight the tears clogging my throat. They were right—losing Tori has broken him, and I'm not sure I can cope with seeing the same thing in Ben.

"I—" My words cut off, and I have to clear my throat as agony, loss, and despair claw at me, but now is not the time to lose it, the twins need me. "Jake, I'm going to speak with the alpha. I'll be back, okay?"

Jake has gone back to pacing the room, but as I speak, he stills, and a feral edge enters his eyes as he looks up, turning his smile from something comforting to a disturbing sight.

"Take me with you. We need to find Tori." His slow, stalking steps towards me remind me of a wolf hunting its prey, the happy, playful person I know gone. Shifting into a defensive stance, I take a slow step back towards the door, raising my hands in a calming gesture.

"I can't let you out just now." My words are firm, and I continue my slow retreat as his face twists in anger.

"You're just like them, locking me away, trying to keep me from Tori." Jerking towards me, his stride lengthens, his nails elongating into claws, but his eyes never leave my face.

"Jake, Tori is dead. I held her in my arms as she died, you were there, you saw it." Keeping my voice low, I try to reason with him, but I know it's useless, he's past the point of reasoning, his grief stripping away his good qualities until all that's left is hate and anger .

"I know!" he roars, his voice guttural as he drops to his hands and knees, fighting the change that's trying to take over his body. "But she's back, I can feel it." The agony in his face breaks my heart, and for a second, I see his eyes clear. "Ari, you need to leave, I can't hold back the—Ahhhh!"

He cries out as the shift finally overpowers him, his body shaking as it starts to change. Holding back a shift is agonising, and the pain in his voice is obvious. Continuing to back away slowly until my back hits the door behind me, I twist my hand until I can grasp the door handle, then let out a curse when I realise it's locked behind me. Knocking against the door, I don't take my eyes off Jake, who has now fully shifted into his bear form.

The bear shakes his head and sniffs the air, looking around the room until his eyes land on me. His lips pull back over his muzzle, exposing his rows of sharp teeth, releasing a roar aimed in my direction. I don't think he means to attack me, but I can see the agitation in his movements as he steps towards me. Time seems to slow down as I hear someone scrambling to unlock the door behind me, voices shouting from the room behind the mirror, not to mention Killian's anger and fear pouring down the bond. All of this only seems to agitate Jake's bear as he aims another roar in my direction and stands up on his hind legs. His bear form was big before, his head coming up to my shoulder, but on his hind legs, his ears almost touch the ceiling. I realise in that moment that he's going to attack me unless I do something.

Calling on the power within me, I let my wolf rise to the surface, my skin prickling with the strength of my alpha power. I rarely use it, I hate forcing others to do my bidding like it was forced upon me so many times during my time with Shadow Pack, but this is the only thing that Jake's bear will respond to right now.

"Stop." The command falls from my lips, and although I know the bear can't understand what I'm saying, the strength of my alpha wolf is imbued in my words. He may be a bear, but I'm still strong enough to make his steps falter. I know it won't last long, but it should give me enough time to escape from this room. The lock finally gives, and the door swings open slowly behind me. Jake's bear moves his attention from me to the open door, sniffing at the air as he takes a step forward. "Stop," I command again, his roar filling the air as I take a step back over the threshold, but it works, the bear halting.

Keeping eye contact for as long as possible, I walk backward, my hand brushing along the length of the door until I feel the edge of it. I grasp it and quickly slam it shut, locking the door as an almighty roar seems to shake the building when Jake realises he's trapped again.

My breath comes out in rapid gasps as a set of hands lands on my shoulders, and I know who it is without having to turn around—Killian. Frustration is radiating off him, and I know he's fighting against the urge to go tearing into the room I've just escaped. I turn around and meet his gaze, watching as some of his anger releases as he runs his eyes over me, checking for any injuries. I don't bother to stop him, knowing he needs to do this to calm his wolf's instincts.

Over his shoulder, I see Garett watching with concern etched deeply into his features. "Ari, I'm so sorry—" he starts, but I cut him off with a narrowing of my eyes before walking past Killian, who simply stands to the side, letting me pass.

"No. You don't apologise for this. This is not your fault, this is ASP's fault. They're the ones who killed Tori and ripped away their future," I growl out, my voice deepening with anger as I jab a finger back at the locked room, where I can still hear the growls and thumps of Jake's bear trying to escape. Sighing, I walk towards Garett, grabbing his hand and pulling him along as I go to the room behind the one-way mirror, with Killian stalking silently behind us. Alex and Seb are watching grimly as Jake's bear tears through the remaining furniture in the room.

"Is that what would happen to Killian if Ari died?" Seb's horrified question makes me pause and glance over at Kill, who's wearing a sullen expression. He nods once, causing horror to run through me.

"The bond that true mated pairs share binds them together," Alex explains, keeping his sorrowful gaze on the rampaging bear through the mirror. "Most die when the other does, their soul unable to exist without their pair. Some of the stronger shifters have been known to survive their pair's passing, but it breaks something within them. Either they live a half-life, or something like this happens." The room falls silent as Alex talks, a heaviness filling the space between us.

Shouting comes from somewhere in the building, and without a word, Garett hurries out of the room, leaving the rest of us frowning.

"What—" My question is interrupted as Garett hurries back in the room, his expression grim as he scans the area before his eyes settles on me.

"Ben attacked the alpha. He escaped."