KRISTINA'S POVHe needed me, and I needed him. And I loved him, too; it was impossible not to. I knew that if he wanted, he could run far away from here, leave me in this dark alley surrounded by shadows, and disappear forever. It would be better for both of us. Better for me, because I could continue on living the life I enjoyed and I'd forget all about my past. For him, however, it would be hard enough to escape the past, but to abandon me? Never. I was the only one he needed. And I refused to let him go. I took a deep breath, steeled my nerves, and pushed open the door to the house. There was only silence. A sudden burst of light startled me awake. I opened my eyes abruptly, instantly waking up as soon as consciousness came back to me. The lights in the room were bright and glaring. I instinctively covered my eyes to shield them from the harsh glare. I blinked several times and rubbed my tired eyes, trying desperately to wake up. My head spun dizzily as it struggled to focus. I

KRISTINA'S POV"Not now that I know about the Alpha. It doesn't matter that you're here, she needs protection. Maybe even legal guardianship. Or, better yet, a family who has no knowledge of the situation. Like us," I added, glancing back at him quickly. He didn't react. I pressed on, forcing myself to meet his gaze. "Someone who knows that she's safe here." His expression hardened ever so slightly at my suggestion, and I sighed. "Please let her stay," I pleaded quietly, my eyes pleading with him. "This is my fault. Please, don't make me lose her to the consequences of my mistakes…" He shook his head once before stepping closer to me. His hand reached out to take hold of mine. His grip was surprisingly gentle. I looked up into his gray eyes, searching for answers, hoping to find compassion or remorse, but there was none. "You know I can't agree to that. Their father made this decision, whether you like it or not. Your children don't deserve to suffer because of their parent's mis

KRISTINA'S POVNathan didn't give up. He seemed to understand. Of course he did. This was how he dealt with all the things that bothered him. All the things that made him question everything he thought he knew. The more he understood, the more he wanted to help people. Nathan always believed in helping everyone, no matter who they might be or what they may have done. And that meant he would fight until he found the truth. Because, well... that is what he believed in. But Nathan didn't just believe. He acted. And sometimes, people needed saving. And that was exactly why I was here. Why I was now sitting opposite two of the most important people in my life. What could possibly justify such a drastic act? I sighed. How should I answer this? "Well, the thing is–" "What kind of thing is that, Kristina?"Nathan jumped forward in his seat, startling me into silence as I tried to find the right words to explain my decision. How was I supposed to tell the story of my actions without making

KRISTINA'S POV"Not yet," I replied, smiling faintly. His face fell for a moment, before he sighed, rolling off of me and lying flat beside me, his head on one hand, the other propped up next to him. I smiled as I stared up at the ceiling, trying not to notice how attractive he looked lying there looking tired and disheveled. "But we'll have to hurry. We only got until the sun went down." Nathan frowned. "What do you mean by that?" "You heard me." I leaned over, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "It's tradition to light your fire when it gets dark." "Oh." Nathan ran a hand through his hair, pushing some of the messy curls out of his face. "Well, if that's what we have to do, then I suppose that's fine." And with that, he flipped over, crawling across the floor towards the fireplace. I laughed. It wasn't long before the two of us were surrounded by the warm orange glow of the flames. We sat side by side, watching the dancing heat rise up from the grate as we relaxed together. It

KRISTINA'S POVHe probably thought he was being funny; but it did work in giving me some confidence. I couldn't afford to faint, not after the last attempt. I nodded at him to show that I understood and we walked towards the elevator silently. The whole thing had felt like one huge blur to me. Like I was walking through cotton wool. I tried hard to remember every detail of the day. It was important for me to do that. For Nathan, too. But I just couldn't. As we entered the elevator, I could feel myself becoming weaker, like my body was giving up on itself and letting my imagination take control, leaving nothing but an illusion. It happened a lot during this transition period. I had no idea what was going on, where I was, what had happened before, or what was going on now. I simply existed in a state of limbo between reality and fantasy. The only solid thing was Nathan, his presence. That was enough. As we arrived at the ground floor, we exited the elevator and stood in the doorway,