Declan stayed in his bed until the morning light came bursting through his windows, urging him to get up and get moving. He replayed the night with Noelle over and over in his mind, and he couldn’t figure out why he had let her walk away. He knew that she had not done anything —he knew that Maria’s accusations were wrong. He knew it, yet he said nothing.

The moment the words came out of his mouth questioning whether the cure was the right one, Declan felt something shift in the air. It felt as though whatever invisible cord which connected them and kept them tied to each other through all of this, had finally been stretched too far. Now, it had snapped.

He sat up in his bed and massaged his temples gently trying to ease the pounding in his head. He went into the bathroom and started the shower. Quickly, the steam filled up the room and fogged the mirror, which he was glad for, because he wasn’t sure he could stand his own reflection right now. He stood under the burning water for a while, not thinking about anything other than the water.

When he was finally finished, he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off with a towel. He walked over to his closet and pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt. It was time to find Maria.

As he walked into the kitchen, he heard a loud knocking at the door. For a moment, his heart jumped into his throat and he thought maybe it was Noelle coming back. But then he remembered that cold look in her eyes, and he realized that she would never be coming back to him.

Declan walked over to the door and pulled it open. Maria stood there, wearing her brilliant smile, until she saw his expression. Her smile immediately disappeared.

“Woah, Declan,” she said. “Who spat in your Cheerios?”

“Is that even how that phrase goes?”

“I don’t know,” Maria said, trying not to laugh. “Either way, you get my point. What happened to you?”

“Noelle happened,” Declan said as he sighed and sat down on the couch in the living room. The furniture creaked under the weight of him and he started feeling like nothing in his life wanted him there anymore.

“So, I take it I was right?” Maria asked quietly.

Declan shook his head. “No,” he said. “You were wrong.”

Maria raised her eyebrows at him and then sighed as she sat down next to him on the couch. “That’s a good thing then, right? So, why the long face?”

“I let her go, Maria,” Declan said sadly. The image of Noelle walking through the door would be forever engrained in his memory.

“What are you talking about Declan? I am not following you at all.”

Declan looked up at Maria and a sudden bout of anger came over him. “You were wrong, Maria! She came back here last night to give me the cure to save you! And I fucking accused her of trying to kill of you, all of us. And then, I just let her go!”

Maria leaned back in her seat, shocked at Declan’s exclamation. She had never seen him get angry before and it was definitely not something she wanted to witness again. His face was as red as a cherry and there was a vein in his neck which popped out against his skin, giving the impression that his very insides were trying to run away from him.

“I’m sorry,” Maria whispered. She meant every syllable. She hadn’t intended to cause anything like this, especially not for Declan who had been nothing but kind to her since the moment they met.

He looked at her and she watched as the overwhelming sadness took over. Tears crept into his eyes, but he turned away so she couldn’t see them fall. She stroked his arm gently, but remained silent as she waited for him to collect himself.

“No, I’m sorry Maria. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. You are just fate’s victim like the rest of us.” Declan got up from his seat and walked into the bedroom where he picked up the bottle. He crossed the living room and handed it to Maria.

“Is this the…” Before she could finish her question, Declan nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, Declan, but how can we be sure? I know you trust Noelle, but maybe Edmund told her the wrong bottle?”

“I don’t think so,” Declan said sadly. “They needed her to choose them, so he did this as a way to gain her trust and loyalty. Little did they know, all they really had to do was get me to open my stupid mouth to send her flying into their arms.”

Maria looked down at the bottle and examined the clear liquid and then she looked back up at Declan. “Well, bottoms up… I guess.” She took the top from the bottle and pressed it to her lips. Closing her eyes, she tilted the bottle back and swallowed the entire contents of the bottle.

As she lowered it from her lips, she looked at Declan. Seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity. She waited for something to happen and Declan watched her expectantly.

“Anything?” he asked. Maria shook her head and pressed her face to her hands. She had been counting on this cure and now they were back to ground zero.

Just then, a searing pain shot through her abdomen and Maria screamed out in agony. She revulsed so hard that she fell from the couch onto the floor, and Declan ran to her to try to keep her body still. It looked as if she was having a seizure as her entire body convulsed against the floor. Declan reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it up so that he could see the wound.

He was so afraid that he would find a gaping hole where the small wound had been before, but to his surprise, the skin was growing together rapidly, and the infection was disappearing altogether.

“Maria,” Declan whispered as her body finally quieted down. “Maria?” He looked down at her to find her breathing steadily as she fell fast asleep. He picked her up and put her on his bed to rest until she woke up.

“She saved you,” Declan said to no one. “She saved you.”

* * *

Edmund sat in the corner chair of her room and waited for her to walk inside. He didn’t know what he would do or say when she arrived. Would he play it cool like he didn’t know anything, and try to see if she would lie to his face again? Or would he attack her on sight and take advantage of catching her off guard?

Her betrayal left a sour taste in his mouth and he was beginning to question whether she was going to return at all. He stood up from the chair and paced up and down the room, and then he sat back down again and replayed the events from the morning…

Noelle’s parents walked into the main room and greeted him warmly. He smiled and shook their hands as though nothing was wrong. He explained to them that once they took the cure, they would probably not feel any different. He didn’t mention, however, that he’d spent the rest of his night cooking up something extra to throw into each of their cures, not that they would notice, of course.

Her parents accepted the bottles eagerly and toasted to each other before swallowing down the contents. They looked at each other and smiled. And then, within seconds, they both fell to the ground, unconscious.

They would wake up later in the day in their own house and nothing would seem at all off to them. They would not notice the pictures of Noelle missing, or the fact that her room was an empty space with just a bed for guests to stay in. They wouldn’t notice any of these things because Edmund made sure that they would no longer remember they had a daughter.

A chill ran through him as he thought about his plan for Noelle. Initially, he considered killing her. It would be quick and easy for him with little remorse, but it would be too quick and easy for her. No, he needed to make sure that she suffered because of her decisions. He also needed to be sure that no one would go searching for her where he planned on deposing of her. Did she really believe that she would be able to continue her pathetic love affair, with no consequences?

* * *

Noelle walked into the warehouse, her mind still reeling from her encounter with Declan. She wanted nothing more than to just forget about him in that moment, but she knew it would be impossible. As she made her way up the stairs and into the main room, she noticed that it was empty.

She looked over at the boxes which Edmund had presented her with and removed the lid from the box on the top. She pulled out the same envelope from before, and forced herself to study the picture of Declan’s father and Megan’s sister again. Maybe everyone was right, maybe her feelings toward Declan would just continue to end in disaster for both of them.

Noelle replaced the photos and slid the envelope back into the box. Curiosity took hold of her and she pulled another folder from the box and slid out the photographs that were there. She was perplexed to find that the photos in the box were the same —Megan’s sister and Declan’s father. She turned the photos around and read the exact same information.

She slid out a few more envelopes and they all contained the same information. Frantically, Noelle opened the second box. To her bewilderment, all the envelopes within this box were filled with empty photo paper. The third box contained the same, as well as the fourth.

Noelle’s head started spinning. Why did they have the same photographs over and over again? Suddenly, she realized their plan. They had hoped that once she saw the pictures of these humans massacred by the werewolves, that she would have no doubts whatsoever about joining their cause. Noelle had a sickening thought —perhaps the council rebels had lied to Megan. Perhaps that was not her sister and her parents were not killed by wolves, after all. It was all propaganda to gain their support and loyalty.

Noelle’s mind and heart were racing as she quickly replaced the envelopes into the boxes. She didn’t know exactly what she would do with this information, but one thing had been made absolutely certain. She would never be joining their cause!

She slowly walked toward the room where she had been staying. She noticed the door to the main room open and close behind her, but she did not look back to see who had entered. Instead, she pulled the door open to her room and wanted nothing more than to be alone to try to come up with a plan.

* * *

The door clicked open and Noelle tiptoed inside of the room. Edmund watched her carefully as she sat on the edge of the bed and pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes —she was tired.

“Noelle?” Edmund asked from the corner of the room. Noelle jumped from the bed, taken off guard by his presence. Edmund rubbed his eyes, pretending that he was waking up. “I fell asleep here as I was waiting for you. You took longer than I thought, is everything okay? Did you find it?” Edmund stood up from the chair and walked over to her on the bed.

Noelle looked up at him, and Edmund felt like he could see her mind racing to come up with some kind of excuse; anything to explain why she had been gone so long.

“Yes,” Noelle said slowly. “I went in and found the cure where you said it would be. But when I went inside of the apartment, they were still awake and saw me. Obviously, they started asking questions and I had to stay a while to avoid suspicion.” Edmund grimaced at her lie, but he’d decided not to give away that he knew the truth, until later. After he’d had a little fun.

“Well, I guess what you told them must have worked if they let you go,” Edmund said. He smiled at Noelle and he could see her body finally relax as she thought that he had bought her lies. “Did you see Declan?”

Noelle nodded but didn’t offer anything more on the subject. Edmund had to work hard to fight back his rage, but he knew all this pretending would be well worth it in the end.

“Come on,” said Edmund as he took Noelle’s hand in his. “Let’s go eat.”

Noelle was about to refuse the offer, but Edmund pulled her from the bed, making it clear that a refusal would not be accepted at this point. They walked through the main room and Edmund cast a careful glance in Thomas’ direction. Luckily, the man was not paying attention to them as they made their way into the dining room.

Once they entered the room, Edmund excused himself briefly to inform the kitchen staff that they would like to have something small to eat. Noelle waited, feeling oddly anxious. She couldn’t help but reflect back on her exchange with Declan. After all they had been through together, he still did not trust her. He had hurt her deeply with his accusations, but what hurt even more, was the fact that he’d let her walk out of the apartment without even trying to stop her. Her mind quickly shifted over to her discovery in the main room —how could the council try to manipulate her like this? She wondered if Edmund knew anything about this and she grew determined to find out.

Edmund reentered the room carrying two glasses. He placed one down in front of Noelle and said, “Drink this, it should help with your nerves.”

Noelle gave a small smile and sipped at the glass. There was a bitter taste and she nearly choked on it as it slid down her throat. “Woah,” she said as she placed the drink down on the table.

“I know,” Edmund said smiling. “Not the greatest taste in the world, but I promise, it works wonders.” Noelle watched as Edmund took a sip from his own glass, his eyes never leaving hers. Noelle took a bigger gulp and the drink went down a bit easier this time.

“Where are my parents?” Noelle asked.

Edmund, who was about to take another sip, froze in place, and then very slowly he brought the glass down again.

“Your parents went home, Noelle.” He said this as though it was a simple fact that she should have been aware of. Noelle’s eyes widened slightly as he continued. “They took the cure this morning. They wanted to wait for you to be here, but you took longer than anyone expected.”

Noelle narrowed her eyes slightly at Edmund. She knew her parents, and she knew very well that they would have waited for her before taking the cure and heading back home. She took the opportunity to try to determine whether Edmund had known anything about the false evidence.

“The pictures of Megan’s sister and the other guy were devastating,” Noelle said quietly.

Edmund looked up from his glass and placed it down carefully. “Yes, we cannot forget what those beasts are capable of, Noelle.”

“It makes me wonder why the rebels would be interested in helping them at all,” Noelle said, watching Edmund’s reaction carefully.

“Well, I’m sure my grandfather explained all of that to you, already.”

“He did, yes,” Noelle said as she nodded her head slowly. “I’d be interested to see some of the other victims. Perhaps there is a pattern that would help us with our cause?”

“I’m sure that’s not necessary,” Edmund said smoothly. “It would be quite disheartening to look at so much death. The two that you saw are sufficient enough, I think, don’t you agree?”

Noelle realized that Edmund was probably in on the whole thing. She had to swallow back the sickening taste which arose in her mouth. The room suddenly felt hot and she felt as if the walls were closing in around her. She stood up from her place and pushed in her chair in a sudden need to get out of that room with Edmund.

She looked at Edmund and said, “I think I should get going. My parents will probably be wondering where I am, and I am anxious to see how they are transitioning back.”

“I doubt it.” Edmund laughed as he said this, knowing full well the entirety of the meaning behind his words. Noelle gripped the back of her chair tightly, to the point that her knuckles turned white.

“What does that mean?” Noelle asked carefully. She struggled to keep her voice even as she spoke. Edmund’s face had changed from the amiable doctor she once considered a friend, and once again, she came face to face with the monster who had kidnapped her.

“Noelle,” Edmund sneered her name and Noelle straightened up her posture, aware of his suddenly threatening tone. “Oh Noelle. You just shouldn’t have lied, and all of this could have been easily avoided.”

“What are you talking about?” Noelle asked, taking a few steps away from the table. “I haven’t lied about anything.”

“Another lie! My goodness, you just don’t know when to stop, do you?” Edmund stood from his own seat, taking the corner of his napkin and dabbing the corner of his mouth. Noelle continued taking steps backward, but Edmund now started walking toward her. “Tell me again about the relationship you have with Declan, Noelle.”

Noelle’s eyes widened and that was all the confirmation that Edmund needed in that moment. He frowned and quickened his approach toward her. Noelle turned and ran for the door, but when she pulled on the handle to open it, she found that the door had been locked. She turned and found Edmund standing right in front of her, wearing a nefarious smile.

“I thought I could trust you,” Edmund whispered. “I had one of our men follow you just to be sure that you were safe, because I never lied to you, and I do actually care for you. Well, did, I suppose, considering our current circumstances. Guess what good ol’ Thomas saw, Noelle?”

Noelle stood frozen in place, backed against the door. Her eyes were flicking all over the room to find the best escape route and it seemed like the door to the kitchen would be her only option. The only problem was, it was all the way at the opposite end of the hall.

“He got a front row seat to the Declan and Noelle show. Now, tell me, how is it that two people who are supposedly only friends can fuck so vigorously?”

Noelle’s face reddened and her eyes finally met Edmund’s. She spat right in his face, and in the moment of surprise, she took off running toward the other end of the hall. Edmund caught up to her quickly and grabbed her arm, throwing her to the ground. She landed on her stomach and tried to crawl out of the room, but he climbed on top of her back and pinned her arms.

“Should I show you how a real man performs?” Edmund sneered into her ear. Noelle closed her eyes and willed herself to transform in that moment. She called on her inner wolf, but nothing happened.

She was met, and only with silence.

“She saved you,” Declan said to no one. “She saved you.”