A/N: Wow, so many reviews! I appreciate y'all telling me what you think :)

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I have waited so long to write it...I definitely finished it while I was washing dishes tonight :P

It was dark but for the ball of light swirling in his hand. He didn't move; he merely sat, staring at the endlessly swirling magic in his palm.

He heard his door open and shut, and became aware of a familiar presence at his side.

"What do you want, Farkas?" he asked, not even bothering to conceal his magic.

"What are you doing?" asked Farkas, momentarily distracted by the odd light in his brother's hand.

"It's Restoration magic," said Vilkas quietly.

"So you do love her."

It was as though Farkas had stabbed his brother in the rear with a red-hot poker. His twin leapt off the bed, the magic dissipating from his hand at once. He stood, seething, anger in his eyes.

"What do you want, Farkas?" he snarled. "Or did you just come here to rub salt in open wounds?"

"Why won't you admit that you care for her?" Farkas asked pointedly. "It's painfully obvious, even to me."

At this, Vilkas lost control. Unable to reign in his anger, he began breathing heavily; it was all he could do to hold back a transformation. When he looked back at his brother, it was through the beast's eyes.

"Why would she ever love someone like me? A monster?" he roared, rage clouding his mind. Farkas placed his hands on his brother's shoulders, squeezing hard, trying to ground him, as Vilkas continued to speak. "You didn't see it—you didn't see the terror in her eyes when I tore that sabre cat apart in front of her. You didn't see the fear when I picked her up, lifted her off the ground, slammed her against the cliff. You can't know, brother. I am an obscenity. I will never be worthy of…of her…"

Farkas watched as the beast receded from his brother's eyes. Vilkas looked away in shame, and Farkas could smell his tears.

"She…reached out to me," he said, his voice barely a whisper, wavering as he fought back the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. "While I was a beast, and held her in the air. She reached out and laid her hand on my snout…"

"She doesn't think you're a monster, Vilkas," said Farkas.

"I know, brother. And that…" his voice cracked, "that is how I know I will never deserve her affections."