Welcome back, everyone! Since I took care of the disclaimer in the summary, I have a lot less to type. Anyway, I'm continuing with Aqua's POV unless otherwise noted.

"What do you mean, we can't break the Cross?" Connor exclaims, clearly exasperated and bewildered.

My father clenches a fist; I feel power radiating from the small bloodstone in his palm, which he hasn't let out of his sight since the visit from my mother. "Exactly that. We need to be at the sacred site pertaining to that piece of the Elemental Cross in order to separate it," Shay clarifies. Fresh grief from seeing Calla is hidden beneath his serious-alpha exterior. "And you already know that only Aqua and I are able to break it."

I exchange a glance with Brady and Renier. The chains around their necks show, but barely – the rest of their necklaces are hidden under their shirts. I finger my own necklace worriedly. Our meeting to discuss strategy has quickly turned into chaos.

Ariadne spares us a sympathetic look. "Why don't we let the young wolves into another room while we talk?" she suggests.

Shay flashes her a grateful smile. "Do you three mind?"

"Not at all!" Ren leaps to his feet and saunters out of the room. Brady gets up to follow more slowly. I meet Dad's gaze, give a tiny nod, and trail after my friends. My stomach hurts from what little food I ate at breakfast. Ren pulls me to him when I stumble. "Jeez, Aqua, what's happened to you?" Concern underlines his usually flippant tone.

"I don't know." I clutch at my torso. "But I don't like it."

Brady comes up on Ren's side, resting his hand on my shoulder. Ren's grip on me tightens slightly. "Nick," he confirms with a growl.

His brother is evil. Not the sibling-rivalry kind of evil, I mean evil. Working with Bosque Mar the Harbinger, seducing my best friend, and chasing us out of the Academy in Vail to come to this hotel in NYC. I miss Jasmine and my packmates with a deeply heavy heart; we had to leave them behind for this team of eight. And four of the eight have little to no respect for wolves.

"Make it stop," I whisper hoarsely, legs buckling. Ren is the only thing holding me upright at this point. Without thinking, I shift, collapsing onto my side. The two boys both shift, too: Ren shoves his shoulder under mine, sliding his muzzle under my own to get me somewhat off the ground. Brady rasps his tongue over my ear before pulling my Cat's Eye Aquamarine over my head. On a silent cue, they slip off their own necklaces (Ren with Pyrope Garnet, Brady with Star Ruby) and place the gems on either side of mine. I gasp and barely catch myself saying "Beware the innocence of power," before blacking out.

###

Visions plague me, but I force them away as I struggle into consciousness. An hour has apparently passed. Ren is curled up next to me, his tail-tip resting lightly on my flank. Brady is gone; voices sound from mine and Dad's room, including his, and I know instinctively that he told them and is acting on my father's order to check in every once in a while.

One of Ren's eyes opens a tiny slit. Feeling better? A hint of a growl to his tone.

I touch my nose to his ear, blinking at the shock of pain that courses through me. Did you guys really have to do that?

Close you off from Nick's control? He shakes out his ruff. He probably could sense your sadness and made sure to strengthen it to the point where you barely wanted to do anything. To add to that, he probably spied on us through you without any of us knowing.

I growl deep in my chest. Smartass.

I'm not changing my personality anytime soon, either, so get used to it. He presses his muzzle against my fur. You do know, don't you?

Know what?

Yeah. Brady pads in, eyes glaring at seeing Ren so close. Know what, alpha?

The one word reminds me that, as a member of the older pack in Vail and the beta's son, Ren was eligible for a favor – and that meant he had trained for the title of alpha, even though it goes against most ancient wolf codes. Somehow he'd found a loophole.

Ren shifts, cracking his knuckles. "Nothing."

"I'm sure," Brady remarks coldly after he shifts back as well.

"Stop," I snarl, fixing them both with daggers. "You two were getting along fine until this morning. I don't care that you both like me and both want to be with me. I'm the one and only alpha here, and I meant what I said when I told you to stop acting like newborn pups!"

Way to go, Aqua, my Guardian Angel's voice whispers in my head. Tell them who's boss but don't let go of friendship.

Bittersweet memories fill my mind when a breeze brings Calla's scent to me. I blink, drawing in familiarity, and realize that they just want what's best for me… even if that means giving me up. Neither of them can bear the thought of not being able to be with me, yet not protecting me (from somewhere else) is even worse.

"The others figured out a plan," Brady informs, looking at his feet. "We have four days to rest. Then we're off to New Zealand."

"And an active volcano," I remind them, imagining the fiery pit where Lyulf had almost killed Adne the first time. "I just hope the fire wolves aren't there anymore."

Ren nods. "If they are, we have to be sure to bring water with us." He draws a symbol in the air, and I gape at him when the symbol dissolves into floating water droplets. He hooks one finger at it, drinking the tiny group of drops. "So refreshing."

"So weird," I mutter under my breath. "I'll talk to you later, Ren. For now, I have to talk to Brady." Understanding flashes in the depths as he turns to leave. When I face Brady, he has nearly hidden his fear under fake calm. But nearly isn't enough.

In case you didn't recognize it, Aqua's pretty pissed now. Chapter 2 will have both of her "chats" with the boys. Stick around!