A Wolf's Cry

by Serenity Angel14

A perilous Immortal War. The sake of all mankind. The burdened waning soul of an Immortal warrior Lycaon prince. Everything rests in the hands of one mortal girl who wants only to live a normal life.

14. Chapter 12 Sacrifice

I know, I know. I'm so late it's beyond comprehension. I am so, so, so, so sorry!

But I've had A LLLLLOOOOOOOOTTTTT of trouble with the ending to this story. You have no idea. I have NEVER had this much trouble writing in my life! I have written and deleted no less than 2 endings, and then have had to write a THIRD! That never happens to me, most of the time the ending is fully mapped out in my head before I even start Chapter 1! I'm not kidding!

So here is my third attempt. It's not my best work but believe me it is lightyears above my first attempt, and has small parts from my second. Thanks to everyone who has been so wonderfully patient in waiting for me to finish, but I think I finally have it.

I have listened to fans and put more of the girls into the ending, making it longer, so no surprise here, there is still another chapter to go.

But it's almost done.

Please note: my editing in this chapter is really shocking, so please have patience with my spelling and grammar, I was in a real hurry to post it.

Enjoy! The girls substory is all new, inspired by everyone who reviewed!

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Chapter 12 – Sacrifice

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Serena was so lost to her body's transformation that she didn't even notice that everyone in the room was staring at her with amazed confusion as Serena – the woman who was the mortal bonded mate to their Crown Prince – transformed in a large – but small for their kind – beautiful wolf before their wide disbelieving ageless eyes.

Never before had a mortal been able to shift into any form, let alone the massive form of a Lycaon wolf!

Serena in her wolf form was stunning in her beauty and magnificence, a spectacular breath-taking innocent beauty that Disney repeatedly tried to capture but never quite got right in their animated fairy tales.

Serena's soft pelt was a glistening smooth pale gold, so light in shade that it was almost the exact shade of blonde as her hair when it was hit by direct sunlight. Her pelt gleamed like the morning sunlight hitting the colourless surface of an utterly still lake. Her snout, belly and paws were pure white, white as flawless as newly fallen snow.

Around the room, each and every Immortal and Damned stood frozen in stunned awe in wake of the impossible miracle that had just happened before their very eyes.

This was impossible! They knew their own! They could smell it in the blood, knew it in spirit. Serena had been mortal, human in full, in every sense of the word! One of their own – their Crown Prince – had even tasted her blood! Even if her scent had somehow been disguised, the truth would have been betrayed in the very first tasting of her blood!

Never, not in all their history had this even been heard of!

Serena was unaware of the awed atmosphere around her. Unaware of just how truly stunned she had left the entire room, friend and foe. Instead she was too focused on herself, on what had just happened to her.

With sheer childlike wonder and curiosity Serena wished that she could see her new self, her new form, and almost gave into the ill-timed desire to find a mirror, as eager to see her reflection as a little girl who'd just tried on her mother's best and prettiest dress for the first time.

Serena looked down at her feet – paws – and did a double-take when she caught sight of her reflection in the polished marble floor beneath her. It wasn't a mirror, but her reflection was clear enough that she could see herself well enough to study her new face.

She was a beautiful cream wolf! Her eyes were the same, only rounder and far larger in size, but the colour was the same; she even recognised herself in them which gave her reassurance that she was still her. In size, she wasn't as big as Darien was in his wolf form. If she had to guess she'd say that she was just slightly bigger than half of Darien's size. She had a long furry snout, four long lean legs, two pointy ears on the top of her head and a tail! A tail she could feel against the back of her back legs.

And she was covered from head to toe in fur! Fur that was surprisingly soft, softer than even her hair was and she conditioned every day!

Serena swung her head around until she could see her tail and she gave it an experimental wag, and before her eyes her tail wagged back and forth as commanded. Serena immediately felt very pleased and more than a little smug.

She not only have this new amazing strong body, but she had full control over it as well! Until her tail had moved as she had wanted it too, some part of Serena's mind had still been sceptical that this amazing wolf body was actually hers!

An excited soft yip filled her ears and Serena automatically looked around for the wolf that had made the sound but there was no other wolf, Lycaon or otherwise in sight. It was a full moment before Serena realised that the sound had come from her. She had made the exited yip sound, just like a real wolf!

If someone had told her a few months ago – or even two weeks ago – that one day soon she was going to turn into an enormous big wolf and be happy and excited about the prospect she would've called the men with the little white jackets because she would've believed them to be completely and utterly out of their minds!

How was this possible? And how had she had absolutely no warning? How had it come to be that she'd been able to shift into the form of the mighty Lycaon Wolf just because she'd really really wanted too?

It couldn't have just happened like that, could it?

How hadn't she noticed any changes in her body or in her senses? Surely a change of this magnitude couldn't have happened just all of a sudden? Or had there been changes that she hadn't noticed? She had been very distracted lately.

A familiar scent tickled her nose and a delicious buzz instantly zinged right through her. She didn't need to be told whose scent it was. Serena would've known this particular scent in her sleep – hell, she'd been inundated by it nearly every night since Darien had taken her from the club. The scent was a part of her now and as Darien would always know her scent, Serena would always know his. Only now his scent was much more potent to her acute sensitive nose than it had been before.

In Darien's scent Serena could smell the deep uncharted woods that whispered of the wild animal within him who loved to run free. She could smell something really old that she knew was embedded in his very being from the times of old and she could also smell the musk of a man who was strong and powerful who wanted to do naughty things to her into the early hours of the morning.

Serena wanted Darien so badly that she burned to lay naked beneath the light of the full moon and make love to him in the heart of the deepest woods where no one could hear them scream.

Serena breathed the scent deeper, basking in the sweet richness of it, knowing that she would always know the scent better than even her own, even if she didn't come across it again for hundred years.

If she'd had a human mouth, Serena would've laughed and cried out in sheer joy. She had turned into a wolf, she was just like Darien! Who cared how or why it had happened. She had everything she wanted now; she was one of those she had chosen to live amongst. On top of that she could eventually come to really understand this part of Darien's life, this part of Darien and his world. She wasn't a mere mortal amongst superhuman beings any more, as helpless as a child. Now she was a powerful dangerous creature of the night!

Just like Darien.

Darien.

Just like that, reality returned and a dark cloud descended down over her, spoiling her bliss, as she considered what Darien could be thinking about her new look. He'd called her beautiful in her human form, but what did he think about her as a wolf? Would he still think her beautiful or wouldn't he like it now that she was just like him? For that matter, was she even beautiful in her wolf form?

Reluctantly, Serena slowly turned and looked into Darien's wide shocked eyes from where he stood between the two equally stunned and motionless Damned Immortals. His eyes were so wide that it had to be uncomfortable and Serena was somewhat certain that Darien hadn't blinked – or drawn breath – since she'd changed into a wolf.

Hesitantly, and carefully as she had to take the time to learn how her new body moved – she did have four legs to walk on now, not two – Serena realised that she was no longer restrained by Damned hands. Not paying any heed to where those hands now were, Serena slowly and timidly went to Darien with her head bowed low to avoid his gorgeous deep blue eyes. Serena reached deep within her, trying to work up the courage to meet his eyes and read the emotions within them.

As the golden Lycaon wolf moved closer to Darien with her gaze fixed firmly to the floor, the two Damned who were restraining the Lycaon Prince immediately released him and moved back away from him and the approaching Lycaon wolf that somehow seemed to shine like a small golden sun.

With a combination of exhaustion and the stunned awe had him speechless, Darien sunk to his knees as Serena in her new form came to a stop a few feet from him. But she did not raise her head or her gaze as he expected her too, instead Serena seemed unwilling to even come too close to him let alone look at him. It was as if she were afraid of him, or more specifically afraid of his reaction to this new turn of events.

Silly Serena. Even after everything he had said to her, after everything he had done to prove his helpless devotion to her, she still doubted her own self-worth, her own unconditional everlasting beauty in his eyes. Did she really believe that her form changed anything between them other than to make him realise all the more just how unworthy he was of her and how happy she made him just by being?

Knowing he would have to be the first to act, Darien slowly crawled forward, ignoring his body's sharp painful protests, his badly weakened state and the dizziness that was making his head spin. The combination of the three threatened to have him face flat on the floor. He weakly raised his hand to out towards her, ignoring the way his hand shook, closing the distance between them an inch at a time, stopping just an inch short of contact. The last inch would be Serena's to take; it would be her choice, not his.

After only a brief moment of self-conscious hesitation, Serena closed the last inch between them as she pressed the top of her head into his outstretched open hand, and only then did she raise her eyes to look at him, to meet his gaze.

In awed wonder Darien gently ran his hand down her face and muzzle, unable to believe what was happening but at the same time basking in the feel of her incredibly soft pelt beneath his touch. Her pelt was as soft as a young pup's, and she was flawless in her wolfish radiance. The medium blue of her eyes was perfectly matched to the golden shade of her pelt that was without a single flaw.

"How?" Darien asked breathlessly, bewilderedly. This should never have been possible! Immortal kind had always been born, never bitten, never made! All attempts throughout the history of Immortal Kind had died a swift excruciating death as the blood of Immortal Kind and Anami saliva were lethal poisons to mortals.

Until now.

Darien knew without doubt that Serena had been fully and completely human when he'd tasted her blood the night he had found her, but here she was, living proof that everything they had previously believed was beyond the realm of possibility could actually be possible.

Serena opened her mouth to answer him but at the last moment she remembered that she didn't have a human's vocal cords to communicate with. She couldn't answer him out loud but Rei and Jadeite were still able to communicate in their Lycaon forms, just in a different way.

What would happen if she tried it? They were Wolfmates after all and it was obvious that she was no normal mortal woman; she had become a Lycaon wolf, so why wouldn't she be capable of talking to him with her mind? If she could turn into a Lycaon wolf now, then it stood to reason that she could talk telepathically with her mate, just as natural born Lycaon Kind did.

Serena breathed in deeply through her long furry muzzle and relaxed her alien body, allowing the muscles of the wolf body to relax.

Exhaling slowly and calmly, Serena gently willed her mind follow suit, to relax, and just like that a calm wave of serenity washed over her, and in its wake Serena could almost feel her mind's mental shields – that everyone naturally built over a lifetime – fall at her command.

And there, on the very outer edge of her consciousness, Serena sensed another presence, a warm loving presence whose close proximity to her unshielded mind made her feel loved and safe instead of feeling the urge born from self-preservation to shy away from such an intimate invasion as Serena had expected. Serena mentally moved closer to the presence, to Darien's mind, and that was when she felt it.

The weight and power of Darien's consciousness. The awesomeness of Darien's mind, the intensity of its power, made Serena want to pull away, to retreat from the much stronger force that could snuff her own consciousness out as like a bug zapper would a bug. Serena could feel Darien's power, his mind's fierce unyielding might, and Serena had to fight against the overwhelming urge to kneel before him, to submit to this greater force.

Only now, feeling the weight of Darien's ageless power for herself, did Serena truly understand that she absolutely no understanding of just what Darien truly was. Darien was an Immortal supernatural warrior Prince who would one day be a king and the power of his mind reflected his many long lonely centuries filled with fierce battles, devastating loses crushing burdens.

How had Serena ever been foolish enough to believe for even a moment that she could best him in a battle of wills? At any time since he'd first laid eyes on her he could've bent her to his will with so little effort. Darien's physical strength and abilities were nothing compared to the power of his mind, to the sheer strength and magnitude of his will. His inner strength and endurance were as limitless as the depths of space.

It had only been because of Darien's respect and devotion to her that she'd been allowed to do, all the things she had done in her effort to escape him, to defy him. He could have stopped her at any time from doing any of the things she'd done. But he hadn't. Instead Darien had allowed her to express her free will, to find her own way to him in her own time by her own choosing.

Serena could clearly see why this man would be the next King of all the Lycaon kind. It wasn't just the blood in his veins that would make it so; it was that this man already was a King. He was as mighty as a god but he had great compassion and wisdom.

One thing Serena could not understand though was why anyone with eyes could ever have been foolish enough to even think that this man, this force stronger than that of any on the planet, ever would have let himself fall into Damnation. Darien never would have let himself fall, he would have held on until the end of time even if he had never found her.

But Darien had found her and it had only allowed him to become even stronger than he already was, as hard as it was to believe. This awesome creature, this god on earth, was hers. It staggered Serena's mind and she loved him all the more.

'This is what I was born for,' Serena whispered in her mind to him, focusing the words towards the warm loving presence. The power of Darien's mind was beyond description but Serena knew she had nothing to fear. Darien would never hurt her on any level in any way.

Darien's eyes grew even wider in speechless awe Serena knew for certain that he had heard her words as clearly as if she'd spoken aloud.

Serena stared deeper into his deep dark eyes that reminded her of the night sky, dark – but not black – and so full of twinkling beauty and wonder that gleamed all the more brighter because of his love for her.

Her new wolf eyes could see so much more than her mortal eyes had ever been capable of seeing. She had been reborn into her wolfmate's world; never had she felt more powerful and indestructible, or happy. Never had she been more powerful or happy than she was in this very moment. She was one with her love. She wasn't as weak and defenceless as a child anymore. Now she was a magnificent superhuman creature that ran beneath the moon's gentle silver beams through the woods beside her mate.

'I am your wolfmate.' Serena purred with sheer love and joy.

Darien could not believe his eyes or his ears, even as the loving purred words echoed through his own mind. He had heard her voice in his mind! Her loving warm joyous voice. Here was his mate – who he had accepted would never run through the woods with him on four feet or be able to forge a matelink with him as all other mated pairs of the Immortal kind were able to accomplish – doing just that! But then, why was he so surprised that once again his mate had managed what had been impossible until just this very moment? She had so often done what he thought was impossible for her, always trampling across and over his expectations of her. She was a force beyond that of nature; when she wanted something there was nothing on or above the face of the earth that was capable of standing in her way.

Her strength was so unyielding, so absolute, that she had been born a mortal woman but here she stood in front of him now on four paws; the most radiant Immortal he had ever laid eyes upon in all his long lonely immortal life.

Oh, how he loved her! She was everything his people needed and deserved and so much more! This single smaller-than-average young woman had single-handedly saved both of the Immortal races just by existing, but Serena had gone even further to do things that should have been beyond possibility. No matter what happened from this day on Serena would live forever in Immortal legend, inspiring generations for millennia to come.

And now, standing before him in all her wolfish glory, Darien was left with no doubt that his people – and the Anami – would survive, that future generations would exist because of the strength they had been taught by the woman, who Darien very much intended to be, the next Lycaon Queen.

'Maybe it is the bond between us. Maybe you were able to give your gift to me.'

"Serena." Darien felt numb. He was so disbelieving and unbelievably happy that his mind couldn't focus on anything else but his wolfmate. What this not only meant for the two of them but for his people! If there were more of Serena's mortal kind who were capable of becoming Immortals then his people – and the Anami – were truly saved on the very cusp of extinction!

But before Darien could thrive in the joy of that knowledge or express it to her, Serena tensed and her hackles rose until the fur of her spine was standing on end like she was being electrocuted.

'Shift!' Serena ordered him, sensing movement at her back as her wondrous joyous mood was quickly replaced by a wary unfamiliar and animalistic sense of grave danger that was making her skin prickle and her heightened senses scream in urgent warning.

"I cannot. I'm too weak." Darien said out loud as he looked over her shoulder out onto the terrace as the glass wall had been shattered sometime during the battle; there was nothing between Serena and freedom that she could not overcome with her newly acquired abilities. "Go." He whispered barely, so even with her supernaturally heightened hearing Serena could only just hear him. "Run. Don't stop until you're safe at Andrew's mansion. He'll protect you until someone comes for you."

Serena smiled, even though she didn't know how it looked with her wolfish snout. Ever since Serena had first laid eyes on him, Darien had been risking his life fighting her battles and all the while she'd been wishing she could do something about it.

Well, now Serena had her wish and she damn well wasn't going to run away now that she could fight an Immortal battle. Too many Immortals had fought for her already and far too many had died for her, but that ended now.

Right now.

She was a Lycaon – whether she was immortal or not remained to be seen – and she was going to stand her ground and fight like one. These were her people and had been since she'd realised just how much she loved Darien. She would fight for them, and her prince, with all the fortitude that they had fought for her.

Serena was going to be worthy of this great honour! She was going to live up to what every Immortal believed her to be! Darien, Rei, Andrew and the Beta's had all tried to express to her what her very existence meant to them and their people, and even though Serena couldn't yet grasp the depth of their meaning, from this day forward she was going to do everything she could to live up to their expectations of her. She was going to be worthy of what she had been given – and she wasn't meaning her ability to shift into a wolf large enough to send a black bear running in terror.

Fighting in this battle was the least she owed Darien and his people – the Anami as well – for what they'd done and continued to do for her. They had risked their very lives to protect her, they had fought bravely for her and each and every Lycaon and Anami that Serena had had the pleasure of meeting believed in her. Serena had known nothing but gentleness, respect and security from the Immortal kind. They had made her feel safe and had welcomed her as one of them.

Serena owed her new family more than she would ever be able to repay in one hundred lifetimes.

'I'm done running. It's my turn to fight!' And with that Serena turned, moving with hesitant unsteady steps and taking only a moment to coordinate her paws, trying to move exactly as she had seen other Lycaon's move.

The last thing Serena wanted to do was fall flat on her face in front of her people when they needed her most. She wanted to inspire hope and confidence; not humiliate and dishearten with the epic clumsiness she'd been famous for since childhood.

Serena turned her back to her mate and stood tall in a protective stance between Darien and their worst threat as she had witnessed Darien do countless times before. Raising her lip, Serena released – what she hoped was – a vicious warning snarl at Diamond as she stood protectively in front of Darien. She had no idea how to fight – even as human – but she would do everything and anything she could to do to save her love.

Out of the corner of her more powerful and accurate eye Serena saw Sapphire move to Diamond's flank, the gleeful expression on his face betrayed his anticipation for the coming fight.

"Serena no!" Darien pleaded her weakly, his tone beseeching. He wanted her, was begging her, to run. Serena knew that Darien did not want her to fight; he wanted her safe and as far away from Diamond as she could get.

Serena ignored him even as his heartbreaking beseeching tone left a sickening icy feeling in its wake. Darien had never run when he'd been protecting her, so why would she? She was done running; it was her turn to fight. If this was her only chance, the only time she could become a wolf, then she would spend the precious time being a woman who was worthy of Darien. She would fight with everything she had within her and she would be strong and brave for her new family.

Diamond looked at her through his narrowed black eyes as he cocked his head slightly to the side and laughed cockily at her – looking down on her in more ways than the literal. "You really think you can win, little princess?"

Behind Diamond Sapphire snickered. The two of them reminded Serena of two mean spiteful little boys in the school playground, picking on anyone for anything just to get attention.

Little princess? Serena snarled menacingly at him – again hoping that he got the message. Here she was a wolf three times the size of a black bear and he still didn't see her as any sort of threat?

Now that was just insulting. Serena was really going to enjoy this.

'Serena, no!' Darien half warned, half begged her, his fear and worry for her filling her mind along with the urge that she run, to flee and find somewhere safe to hide from their dangerous enemies.

Run and leave him? Not on his life.

'Serena!' Darien snapped harshly at her offhandedness at facing the gravely feared merciless – not to mention sadistic – King of the Damned. 'Diamond is too skilled a warrior for you to face alone! He'll kill you without any effort at all!'

The feminist in her demanded that she voice an objection to that last sentence, but instead Serena chose to trust that Darien knew what he was talking about when it came to Diamond's abilities – but it changed nothing.

'Then help me.' Serena suggested as casually as if she were asking him to help her put on a jacket and then she lunged at Diamond, completely ignoring Darien. She was going to defend her love every bit as indomitably as he had her. This was her fight now, her war, and she wasn't going to leave him as battered as he was to fight without her.

It was her turn to fight, and perhaps it would be her turn to sacrifice.

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"Where are we?" Amy asked in confounded frustration from the front passenger seat as she adjusted her laptop on her lap as she scoured the paper map in her right hand, throwing the occasional glance at the electronic GPS she held in her left hand.

No matter how hard Amy tried she couldn't find their location either electronically or on the paper map, nor could she find any of the roads they'd been on in the last thirty minutes since they'd left the main road behind. It had been one dirt road after another and none of the roads – that were little more than dirt tracks – seemed to be on any map, anywhere.

Even the electronic GPS wasn't able to pinpoint their location – for the last twenty minutes it had been flashing error warnings stating it was unable to locate a signal.
Even their cell phones were unable to get so much as a single flickering reception bar. There was nothing to help them pinpoint their location, not even a landmark as all they could see out their windows was total blackness.

Lita cast a suspicious sideways look at the fourth young woman in the small car who sat eerily still on the backseat beside her.

After the blond man with green eyes had disappeared into the darkness, leaving them alone with the dangerous looking tall lean man with short dark brown hair and strange hazel eyes, not a minute passed before a woman had stepped out from the darkness without so much as a word.

The man who'd been ordered to 'travel with them by the roads' had crisply told them to return to their vehicle and that the woman – who he'd curtly introduced as Trista – would direct them to where they needed to go even though it had been the man who'd been ordered to accompany them.

Always highly protective of her friends, Lita had suggested that Amy take the passenger seat beside Mina. Lita had then slid into the backseat behind Mina, leaving the strange thin severe looking woman with pale skin with no choice but to join her on the backseat so that Lita could keep an eye on her.

There was something about this woman, something that made the hair on the back of Lita's neck stand up.

The woman was . . . mysterious. That was the only word for it. Lita's instincts screamed at her that this woman was dangerous, and a little bit strange. She was a young woman, maybe only a year or two older than Lita herself was, but there was something about her that made her seem older. And there was something about her that made Lita think that this young woman knew things . . . things that Lita could never image.

All-knowing. That was it. Mysterious and all-knowing, but such a thing did not match with her young age.

Maybe it was that Trista dressed like she was eighty instead of somewhere around eighteen.

But it was more than her out-dated clothes.

Trista was as pale as bleached sheets and dressed all in black that only made her look all the more pale. Her black hair, that strangely appeared a really deep dark green when it caught the light, was tightly woven into a plait at the base of her neck where it ran down her back, following her spine down. Her hair was so incredibly long that even plaited it had brushed the back of her skirt, ending barely a foot above the ground. Her face was flawless in its pale beauty, not a mark to be seen and the only colour on her face at all were her thin pale red lips and her strange eyes – the unique colour of her eyes could only be described as maroon – that betrayed a wisdom that was well and truly beyond her years.

She wore a modest black gown that brushed the ground with each delicate step she took; even after seating herself in the back-seat her skirt had still fully concealed her feet – Lita had no idea if she even had feet. The sleeves of her gown ran all the way to her hands where the sleeves formed a V and looped around each of her middle fingers and the high collar tightly encircled her neck. The gown was plain, with no design or lace or ribbons, but judging by the look of it the material was really fine and had to be really expensive. And she wore no jewellery except a single silver wedding band that glinted and gleamed even in the dim light.

And despite the young woman's appearance and air of decorum that gave her the appearance of a docile well-mannered lady, her posture and alert wary eyes screamed combat proficient warrior. This young woman was very obviously very well trained and experienced in physical combat.

Lita herself had trained in the martial arts for almost as long as she could walk and she held black belts in several of them. She knew the tiny tell-tale signs that well even the best trained warriors could not hide.

The proud and confident way Trista held herself, the way she always kept her hands free and did not link her hands together or fidget and the confident glint in her eyes that betrayed that she was very confident in her abilities.

And this warrior was prepared for trouble. Lita could tell from the wary and watchful alert way she kept her eyes on their surroundings, her body tensed as if she expected to be attacked at any moment.

Was this woman, this female warrior, naturally always on high alert like this, always expecting an attack, or did she know something that they didn't?

Serena had called them for help but had remained intentionally vague on the details. Serena had said that this was a life or death situation and had asked them to get the help of these strange people who lived in the middle of nowhere and wore clothing from their time that was not their own. Serena loved the three of them and would never endanger them, no matter how serious the situation on her end was, so surely the people Serena had sent them too weren't dangerous.

Or at the very least not dangerous to them.

Lita wasn't by nature this distrustful, but these people – this woman – had her finely honed instincts screaming at her to be wary.

Wary hell, her instincts were screaming at her to run, to run fast and to run far.

But unless something happened that endangered Mina and Amy directly, Lita wouldn't run. Running definitely wasn't in her nature. Serena had been deadly serious when she'd sent them out into the middle of nowhere to ask dangerous strangers for help. Something very bad had to be unfolding and Lita had a strong feeling that Serena was mixed up in the middle of it.

Serena wasn't the type to get mixed up in any wrong doings. Serena's nature was made up off everything good in the world, love and devotion, friendship and compassion were the very core of Serena's character, but her behaviour lately – even before she'd disappeared on them – was VERY out of character for her. Something had happened to Serena, something that she hadn't told them about, and now they'd been pulled into it without any idea of what was going really on.

But Serena was in trouble, possibly even in danger, and there was nothing Lita, or Mina or Amy, wouldn't do for her. Lita just prayed that Serena was alright and that they were all going to get out of this unscathed.

Lita clinched her hands tightly into fists against her knees as she had a dreadful feeling that she might just be asking for more than was likely.

"Turn left in four point six three miles." Trista calmly instructed Mina who immediately glanced down at her distance gauge.

Mina had no idea where the young woman in the back seat with a hauntingly soft voice was taking them but a large part of her didn't even care where they were going. In fact Mina was finding it very hard to concentrate, even on the road in front of her. It was taking all of Mina's focus just to keep the car on the road and follow the incredibly detailed directions the young woman in the back seat occasionally gave her – at night from the back seat with no visible landmarks to use as a guide!

Mina was finding it difficult to focus or concentrate on anything because no matter how hard she tried not to her mind kept returning to the man she assumed had been Andrew, the man with pale golden hair and green eyes who'd looked at her with all the intensity of a man who was drowning and she was his only lifeline.

Everything about him had drawn her to him; his smooth soft caring voice that could soothe a tantrum off a toddler in mere moments, his handsome face that would inspire any visual artist enough to fill a gallery and his impossibly deep green eyes that had held her under some kind of magical spell that had left her feeling all tingly inside. His eyes made her think of wild carnal things that didn't come to close to anything she'd ever fantasied about before.

But he inspired more than lust within her. Being near him had made her feel safe and calm and strangely – VERY strangely – she'd felt as if she'd finally found where she truly belonged. As if being with him, in every sense of the word, was what she'd been born for.

How was such a thing possible?

Yes, she did believe in true love, and yes she did believe that two people could be drawn to each other soon after meeting, but love at first sight?! She wasn't sixteen any more, dreaming of the perfect guy that didn't exist outside of movies or books. As most girls did, Mina eventually had come to realise that there was such a thing as lust at first sight, but love?

To love someone you had to know them and you couldn't get to know someone in moments. She hadn't even been in his company for minutes and already she was fighting the idea of love at first sight.

But the way she'd been immediately and intensely drawn to Andrew . . .

There was something there, something between them and Mina sensed that it could become something great, something life altering, but it scared her. It TERRIFIED her. The pull between them was strong, intense, and on top of it all, there was something about Andrew – if that was his name. Damn it! She wasn't even sure of his name! – that made her think that he was much older than he appeared to be. It was the air around him, the air of someone who had lived a long time and had seen and done it all.

Wisdom. That was it; he had an air around him that made her think of him as wise – among a great deal of other things.

Serena had sent the three of them to Andrew, Mina recalled suddenly. Serena could tell her if his name really was Andrew and maybe even offer some explanation as to why he'd affected her so potently. Maybe she wasn't special, maybe the man with the golden hair and green eyes had the same effect on all women.

Mina swallowed in distaste, the thought leaving restless butterflies in her stomach. She didn't want that to be the case, she wanted to be special. Mina wanted Andrew to be as affected by her as she was by him.

Mina wanted to be special to Andrew and she wanted to be the only one. She wanted Andrew to obsess about her the same was she was obsessing about him!

What was she doing?! Mina's common-sense rose against the ridiculous thoughts. She had met him once. Once! Their interaction had lasted less than three minutes, and he hadn't given any indication that he wanted to even see her again, let alone want her pining over him! Where was her pride and self-respect?

Mina knew the answer to that. All of her pride and self-respect had whimpered in crushing defeat beneath his intense eyes and handsome face.

Mina sighed exasperatedly, frustrated with both herself and her reaction to a complete stranger. She really had to get a grip on herself and focus on driving or she was going to drive them all into a tree or a ditch.

Ahead, through the windshield that reflected the dim colourful lights of the car's instruments beneath, was nothing but darkness and the short distance of road her headlights managed to illuminate.

It was a dark night, despite the moon, and the stars were twinkling brightly in their unearthly glory against the blackness of space beyond and around them. It was well past midnight and the fatigue from a long stressful day weighed heavily down on her but the urgent need to find Serena kept her alert enough that it was safe enough for her to be driving.

A few quiet moments past in which Mina refused to let her mind wonder back to the man she had left behind a short while ago, and then, without warning, all hell broke loose.

"STOP!"

At the pale woman's abrupt and very commanding outburst, Mina was wretched from her failing attempt to keep Andrew out of her thoughts and slammed on the brakes before she even had time to think about what she was doing. Or why.

Beside Mina, Amy squealed in alarm as her laptop went flying forward off of her lap and slammed into the glove compartment door before falling to the floor at Amy's feet. At the same time the electronic GPS went flying out of Amy's hand as she slammed both of her hands down onto both the door beside her and the seat beneath her – the map Amy was holding crumpled under her hand, forgotten.

And then everything was silent and still.

Except for Mina's heart that was racing frantically in her chest as she tightly gripped the steering wheel of the now stationary vehicle. Her foot was still pressed down hard on the foot peddle that was the car's brake.

In the back seat, Lita unclipped her seatbelt and turned furiously on the fourth woman in the car, her eyes narrowed furiously. "What was that about?!"

But Trista was ignoring them all as she stared straight ahead through the front windshield into the pitch black darkness beyond the cars headlight beams.

Lita opened her mouth to say more but it was in that moment that all three of the girls heard it, even from within the sealed car.

Mina gasped and looked ahead into the darkness beyond where the headlights of the car reached. That was where the sounds were coming from, just beyond their eyesight, hidden within the concealing darkness.

Ferocious growls, thunderous booming and cracking sounds – like trees and branches were being carelessly destroyed, like when large machinery knocked large trees down – meaty thuds and spine-chilling hisses pieced the silence of the dark night around them, mingled with the occasional grunt of pain or the outraged cry of fury.

"What is it?!" Amy demanded, sounding more than a little freaked out, as the three of them squinted into the night trying to see what the blackness concealed from their eyes but not their ears.

If Lita hadn't known any better she would've said that a fierce bloody war was raging recklessly around them! One fought not by men but the fiercest predators nature had to offer – wolves, bears, lions and so on.

Lita reached for the door handle, intending to get out and investigate even though every instinct she had demanded that she stay put in the safety of the car, but she was the protector of their group – of her family – and they had to get to Serena. They didn't have time for this, not when Serena was possibly in grave danger. They had to help Serena and they were already taking too long to get to her.

In the back of Lita's mind, she reflected on how weird this day had been. First was Serena's cryptic call for help that had included directions to the middle of nowhere where they had run into the strangest people Lita had ever met – not that she was usually the type of person who judged so quickly – and now, after blindly following directions to Serena's apparent location, there was something going on around them that Lita instinctively sensed was very dangerous.

But before Lita could open the door, a cold pale hand closed over hers with a surprisingly strong and firm grip that was only a whisper away from causing Lita real pain.

"No," Trista snapped without even glancing her way. "Stay inside. Our way will soon be clear."

Lita raised her brow in confusion as she stared at the woman who was staring into the darkness completely transfixed. Trista was staring as if she could actually see what was happening within the black darkness ahead of them. Lita could tell that she was watching something judging by the way her eyes kept flickering back and forth but Lita couldn't see damned a thing.

At the obscure statement, Mina turned in her seat so she could see the strange young woman in black who seemed very certain of her words.

Mina frowned. How could Trista possibly know what was happening in the pitch black darkness in front of them, let alone know that it would soon be over?

What was going on? What had they become involved in? What was Serena involved in?

"What's going on?" Mina asked, wondering what the young woman in black was keeping from them. What did Trista know that they didn't and did it have anything to do with Serena and the trouble their little sister was mixed up in?

There was so much that they didn't know, but what Mina did know with all certainty was that Serena was in serious trouble and they had to help her.

"Nothing you need fear, young miss." Trista answered, her composed tone was overly reassuring; her intention was obviously to pacify them. "You are in no danger."

Three pairs of wide startled and freaked out eyes stared openly at her incredulously. Ignoring the out-dated way this woman in black spoke, her words had strongly made the three them suspect that there was a dangerous situation outside that according to this woman was being dealt with.

Not knowing what to say, Mina turned in her seat until she was facing forward once more. She had no experience to say for sure but judging by the sounds it kind of sounded like a ferocious battle was raging not a matter of feet from them.

But there were other sounds too, sounds that were as out of place. There was hissing and . . . . growling. It sounded more like a battle of savage wild animals than humans-.

"DOWN!" Trista roared suddenly, making all three of them jump, startled compeltely out of their skin.

Without another word and with remarkable grace, Trista dove for the front seat where she swiftly pushed Mina's head down and shielded her with her body, somehow doing so without any awkwardness in the limited cramped space of the small vehicle.

A split heartbeat later the car lurched violently to the left with all the force of being hit by a small truck, the two right side wheels leaving the ground. The piercing sound of protesting and bending metal filled their ears, drowning out the noise of battle, as Lita was slammed hard into the left side of the car, agony exploding in her shoulder.

The three girls screamed in terror.

---

Darien froze in wide-eyed horror as he watched his mate in her shimmering pale golden wolf form lunge at Diamond with naïve and foolhardy – cocky – self-confidence. She was going to get herself killed unless he did something but he was gravely injured and extremely exhausted. He had fought against his enemies with everything he'd had as it had been his wolfmate at his back whom he had been fighting to protect. If he tried to help in his current condition passed experience and common sense told him that he would most likely only make the situation worse. He could not even stand under his own power.

So Darien was forced to watch from where he lay on the floor of his own home as his own mate attacked his archnemesis.

As Serena sailed through the air with all the impulsive naivety of a pup, Diamond drew back his fist with the clear intention of striking her, intending to use the force of her own lunge against her.

Like hell!

'Twist!' Darien commanded her sharply, willing her body to twist through their mental link as he expertly knew how.

It was rare but sometimes the most deeply linked of mates could momentarily control their mate's body through the matelink, but the other mate had to completely give herself over to her mate's will with complete and utter trust.

Serena instantly knew what Darien wanted her to do and just like that Serena let herself go limp, her mind go blank. A single heartbeat later Serena felt her body twist as Darien willed it too just before Diamond's blow whirled passed her. In the next moment Serena's clawed front paws landed squarely on Diamond's cold hard chest with all her weight and all the force of her bound.

Serena winced but made no move to raise a resistance to what Darien and instinct was urging her body to do. It felt strange, having someone else briefly control her body – especially her new wolf body that she wasn't even remotely attuned too. It felt like she was dreaming, watching through her eyes while having no control over the body.

And before Serena knew how she did it, she landed lightly on the floor once again in complete control of her body once again as Diamond fell awkwardly to the floor behind her, having been caught momentarily off guard.

In her mind Serena heard Darien mutter mentally to himself that she'd gotten lucky in catching Diamond so off his guard.

If the situation hadn't been so serious, Serena would have growled at her mate in response at his lack of confidence in her abilities – as new as they were.

And as abruptly as a bomb detonating, the room erupted into chaos that was the throes of battle. Some of the pack fought in wolf form and some fought in their human form, but all fought with renewed vehemence against the Damned who'd been holding them prisoner in their own home. An insult they could not forgive.

Serena looked up, aware of Sapphire, who'd crouched low and was hissing and snarling threateningly, but just as he tensed to spring at her to knock her off of Diamond, a brown blur flew straight into Sapphire.

Sapphire and the Lycaon wolf – whom Serena did not recognise – went rolling and tumbling out onto the lawn, scratching, biting and exchanging blows all the way while hissing and growling wrathfully at each other.

Serena looked around the battlefield that was now inside the manor, wondering what had given her kind – she still couldn't believe it! HER kind! – a second wind. Had it been seeing Diamond fall on his royal behind? Sure, she'd knocked him down, but she hadn't killed him.

'It's you, Serena.' Darien whispered affectionately into her mind with loving and possessive pride. 'You cannot comprehend what you are to all Immortal Kind. A miracle before their very eyes when one was needed most.'

Serena closed her eyes for a brief moment – even knowing that now just might not be the right time – and reached deep into Darien's mind and memory. What she saw was what Darien had been keeping her from seeing; the despair and pained sorrow his people had been enduring for centuries, watching as the Lycaon and Anami kind slowly withered away.

And before his eyes during his long lonely life Darien had watched so many of his dear loved ones fall because they'd had no reason to hope.

Serena silently gasped as she realised that she was more than a reason for Immortals to hold on a little longer, she was their reason to hope. She had brought hope and life back to a dying despairing people. To the Immortals she was a miracle before their eyes; they saw her as the dawn of a new beginning, a new chance at life itself.

'I'm like you now. Does that mean I'm Immortal like you too?' Serena wondered idly. She'd never been the kind of person who'd stressed about dying or dreamed of living forever, but Darien was Immortal. If she wasn't, then Darien would die when she died; he would die long before his time leaving his people who so desperately needed him, needed his strength and his guidance. She wanted to be Immortal only for her mate as immortality would be meaningless to her without her mate.

Serena felt Darien's warm comforting presence flow through her mind as soothing as warm milk, offering her comfort and reassurance with his own love and joy. 'Whether you are immortal or not my love, whatever time we have together I will cherish and we will be happy. One moment with you is worth a thousand lifetimes.'

Serena felt calm and loved just as Darien had intended and truly there was no better feeling in the world and it was one that she would fight for; this feeling alone was worth dying for. For Darien and their people there was nothing Serena wouldn't do, and that included fighting Diamond even if her chances of winning were as small as winter's first snowflake.

Too fast for Serena to follow, Darien mentally pulled away from her when his sharp animal instincts alerted him to danger like a security alarm sounding and he turned his focus back to what his eyes were seeing.

And what he saw very nearly stopped his heart.

"LOOK OUT!"

Darien cried out both mentally and aloud a split heartbeat before Serena felt something hard and heavy painfully slam into her back and then she felt something wrap around her lower chest, trapping her in a grip of steel.

Serena crumbled under the weight and the force as she watched in her mind's eye through Darien's wide horrified eyes as Diamond lunged at her, wrapped his arms around her upper midsection as they flew through the air and hit the floor, skidding across the smooth marble floor.

Serena blinked dazed as she scrambled to regather her wits and draw air back into her lungs. It had happened so fast that it had left her stunned into motionlessness as her mind tried to comprehend what had just happened.

It seemed that she had the body of a Lycaon but not yet the mind, or at least the mindset, of one.

One thing Serena knew for sure was that she was having trouble breathing; she couldn't seem to draw in enough breath to feed her lungs.

And then, just like that, Serena understood why; when Diamond had slammed into her, he'd knocked her breath from her lungs and now she was lying beneath him, his weight crushing her large wolf form and preventing her from drawing in a deep breath.

Serena desperately tried to refill her compressed lungs but even though she was technically bigger than the Damned King atop of her, Diamond was still really heavy! It felt like he was made of solid rock.

Serena opened her mouth to demand that he get off of her, but only a breathless whimper escaped her furry muzzle and it took her a moment longer to remember that her canine vocal cords were not capable of human speech even if she'd had the breath to speak.

Instead Serena focused on drawing air into her lungs in the rapid shallow breaths she was capable of. She couldn't act if she wasn't feeding her new body the oxygen it needed.

Then without warning, sharp hot pain exploded through her shoulder, and caught completely unawares, Serena released a high pitched whining howl of pain.

"SERENA!"

Serena winced as Darien's furious roar pierced her sensitive wolf ears and echoed inside her head.

Serena twisted her head to see that Diamond had bitten deep into her flesh in that spot between her shoulder blade and her neck and was feeding on her, drinking her blood like a newborn suckling at the breast after waking up from a long sleep.

He was drinking her blood! No, not again! Not another vampire feeding off of her blood. She was not the same woman she'd been in the park that night everything had been set in motion; she was NOT the helpless victim in need of constant protecting anymore! She was a Lycaon wolf, now capable of protecting others! And that included herself!

And it was time Diamond caught onto that fact!

With the fire that was burning in her soul blazing in her eyes, Serena's pained howl became a growl and Serena twisted her body beneath Diamond in an attempt to dislodge his vampiric fangs, but Diamond was too strong for her and held her still with insulting ease. As Diamond greedily sucked the blood from her wolf body Serena could feel herself growing weaker.

No! No matter what it took she was going to get free of him! There was NO WAY Diamond was going to drain her dry. Not today. Not ever.

And with that determination fuelling her on Serena doubled her efforts to get free, struggling frantically against his iron hold, but despite all her struggling and writhing with four paws, Serena just couldn't get free even with all the new muscle of her wolf body; he was stronger and he had her expertly pinned against his icy hard body.

Damn it! She just wasn't strong enough to shake Diamond off. Diamond was going to drain her dry, effectively killing her, and there was nothing Serena could do about it.

Darien's head snapped up as the thought passed through his mate's mind, his eyes wide with horror and panic.

NO! Diamond was going to kill her! Darien knew it without doubt as he felt Serena's strength drain with every drop of her precious blood that flowed down Diamond's throat. Diamond would drain her to the last drop and in doing so would end her life. She was no use to Diamond now that she had become a Lycaon, except as a means to torture and kill Darien.

Darien had no clue just how much of a Lycaon Serena had become, whether she was mortal or immortal or whether or not she had acquired Lycaon healing ability, but he wasn't going to let Diamond take one more drop from her.

Not as long as he breathed. Darien himself did not have the strength to change, but Serena did. As a direct descendant of the strongest of their kind – a member of the royal family – Darien knew every secret of their kind, of the potential and possibilities of the matelink. And as an Alpha born of the royal family, Darien had a few additional abilities that most of his kind did not. The matelink was a unique and powerful thing, allowing mated couples to draw upon each other in more ways than mental communication and feeling each other's emotions.

The matelink was as strong or as weak the couple in question and a matelink with a Lycaon Crown Prince – an Alpha by blood and birthright – had the potential to be the strongest of all; if their love was strong and true.

Closing his eyes and opening the matelink between them as much as he could, Darien reached deep into his mate and drew upon her energy and her strength, taking caution to take only what he needed. Darien had never done this before, he knew of it only in theory, and he did not want to risk any form of harm to his wolfmate.

Darien had not hidden his thoughts from her so when he reached out Serena gave with no resistance against him. Serena loved and trusted her mate completely. He would never do anything to hurt her and would do everything to save her.

Renewed energy and strength washed over Darien like a cool refreshing tide. Darien couldn't draw enough to completely re-energise himself, not without serious risk to his mate in her increasingly weakening condition, but it was enough. It had to be.

With the small amount of borrowed energy in his battered form, Darien reached deep and called forth his Beast as he willed his body to change, to become the midnight black wolf it had become countless time before throughout his long immortal life.

At first nothing happened and Darien feared that even with some of Serena's energy he was still too weak to shift form, but to his endless relief, Darien felt his body change, shifting into the strongest of his forms.

When Darien opened his eyes, he felt stronger than he ever had in his life, but not in a way he had ever felt before. His body was battered and drained, but his heart and his soul had never felt more alive or more vibrant. Never had he felt more at one with his Beast, as if his Beast was one with him now, as opposed to being an individual almost sentient part of him. Darien felt happy beyond his wildest dreams and his Beast was united with him in a way that he had never dreamed possible. He had so much hope for the future – in fact he was looking forward to the future! He had his precious Serena who would drive back the Darkness that all Immortal kind endured. He wanted to run through the woods with his love at his side, howling at the moon in union with him, giving thanks to the Goddess for all they had.

Darien wanted everything, and he had a real chance at having it. He wanted to live to be with his mate, to watch over her for the rest of her life – however long or brief that was – and he wanted to watch his people thrive in a way he had never known. He wanted to show Serena the world, both the Immortal and the mortal world. He wanted his parents to meet her and fall in love with her just as he had. He wanted to laugh with her and hold her while they slept.

Darien wanted everything the future promised, not just for him and his mate but for his people too.

He wanted to live, to know the future of his dreams. He wanted to spend every waking moment with his mate, making her as happy as she could possibly be.

All that stood between Darien and that future was Diamond and his army of Damned warriors.

And because of that, because Diamond was a threat to his mate and his people in a way he had never been before, Diamond was going to die. Darien was truly sorry for his part in Diamond's fate, in the part he had played in the tragic death of Diamond's destined mate, but Darien had forgiven himself. He had carried her death with him long enough, he could not undo the past and he had to look to the future.

What Darien could do though, in one final act of atonement, was send Diamond into the afterlife where he would be reunited with his mate.

Darien quickly assessed himself. The shift had healed his injuries, healed his broken ribs and battle wounds, but he was still dangerously weak even with what Serena had given him.

Darien rose to his feet, the knowledge that he finally had his mate bonded to him for the rest of their lives shone in the core of him. He felt invincible. With this surge of inner strength pulsing through him he could conquer the entire world.

With Diamond too preoccupied with feeding to notice that Darien was now on his feet, Darien threw back his head, releasing a deafening enraged howl that shook all and everything around him, drawing the instant attention of all to him. The room fell to silence as both sides separated back into their two groups – Immortals and the Damned – and they turned to watch as their royal leaders faced off against each other.

Even Diamond wrenched his fangs from Serena's flesh in startled disbelief at the sight of the mighty Lycaon Prince standing on his four paws, every bit the menacing great prince the whispered stories and rumours from the last five hundred centuries boasted him to be.

All around him, Darien sensed the spirits of his people rise in response to their prince's call, the sight of their battered and beaten prince back on his feet filled them all with renewed hope and the strength hope brought with it. They were exhausted and injured but they would never abandon their prince, the mighty warrior who had brought life and renewed hope back to his people with his mate and his indomitable strength that had lasted centuries.

Only those few truly unable to fight remained on the ballroom floor, most of whom were motionless in their unconscious state.

Serena watched from where Diamond held her prisoner in his harsh iron grasp. She had thought that she knew Darien's fearsome might, in both his human and wolf forms, but never had she been in more reverent awe of him than she was now. He stood tall and proud and mighty on four paws, every inch of him was the millennia old Lycaon warrior prince he was. The Angels themselves would have fallen upon bended knee before him should they have been privileged to witness this moment.

And this proud fierce Immortal warrior was hers, all hers. He loved her and he would always be with her for as long as they lived. Serena's humble heart swelled with love, pride and joy.

Darien did not take his eyes from Diamond where he stood with his arms still locked around his wolfmate, but out of the corner of his eye Darien could see Diamond's own prepare once again for battle. All Damned that Darien could see all wore expressions of dark anticipation and bloodlust as for the third time in one night they prepared to fight for their self-proclaimed king.

Darien ignored his dread and dismay. So few of the Damned showed any sign of fatigue or debilitating injuries that would slow them down. Unlike his own, many of whom barely had the strength to shift let alone fight another yet battle.

Darien was so proud of his pack. Even as exhausted and overcome as they were each and every able man and woman in the room rose to their Prince's call. Their chance at victory was slim, their number of able-bodied warriors had decreased by half as many of the pack were badly injured and some were fighting for their lives. Some lives had already been lost.

Too many had already been lost.

Raised to be a King, Darien had never doubted himself to the point that he gravely regretted a decision he had made, but he found himself deeply regretting his choice not to send Serena to his parents much sooner than he had attempted to do so. He should have sent Serena to the Royal Lycaon Court when he had had the chance, before Diamond had learned of Serena's existence. If he had, then war would not have come to his doorstep and his pack and his people would not be facing their annihilation.

And his mate – the miracle of all Immortal kind – would not be in the arms of his most dangerous and sadistic enemy with blood oozing down her furry shoulder.

Everything that had happened since he had found his mate, every wound his own had suffered and every life that had been lost, lay at his feet.

---

Unnoticed by the main three, Rei gently kissed her husband on his pale blood smeared forehead and then she slowly, but purposefully, rose to her feet and turned her full focus on her brother and his mate. A special young woman, who before her very eyes, had shifted into one of the most magnificent Lycaon Wolves Rei had ever seen.

Of course Rei had seen female Lycaon wolves who in the eyes of the single men of their kind would have been judged higher than Serena, but there was something about Serena in her wolf form, something almost magical that made her seem . . . more. More beautiful, more stunning. More alluring.

Rei did not question or dwell on the impossibility of a mortal truly becoming one of them. Instead Rei embraced it and what it meant for all Immortal Kind. Even if Serena was the only one of her kind, the only mortal able to become one of the Immortal Races, Serena's existence alone would grant all Immortal Kind new hope for the future. Something all Immortals so desperately needed in such bleak despairing times.

And as all that Serena now was, Serena was now far more important than any living Immortal, even the royal families, including the Lycaon Princess. Something Rei now understood and accepted, and if needed Rei would surrender her life to save Serena.

Even if it did mean that Jadeite would die with her, as he would never live on without her, not for anything. They loved each other so much, and Rei herself was so fortunate in that she had never known a single day of life without him. Jadeite had been in her life since the day she had been born, and since a young age Rei had known that Jadeite was the one for her, that Jadeite was hers. She had known this with all certainty even before puberty had hit and their joined destiny had been revealed to the whole world.

At her feet, Rei could feel her love as clearly as though he was truly a living breathing part of her. Jadeite was healing, and as long as he suffered no more harm, he would live – if Rei herself did of course. Rei did not want to die – not for her own sake but for her wolfmate's – but she would not hesitate. Serena HAD TO LIVE and she had to live free of Diamond's cruel control.

Rei was strongest in her Lycaon form but if she shifted Diamond would notice, and Rei would lose her element of surprise. She couldn't take that chance. She had used this trick before and Diamond was clever and cunning enough that the same trick would rarely work twice on him.

But it was all Rei had, the only chance. Serena's only chance. Even more so with Rei in her weakened and mildly battered state.

Rei closed her eyes, ignoring her aching body and the uncomfortable feeling of drying blood on her face and sent a quick prayer to the Moon Goddess who had gifted Serena to them. For so long most had believed that the Moon Goddess had abandoned them, forsaken them, but this day the Goddess had shown her blessing and her love to her people.

And then, with her silent thanks to her Goddess, Rei's opened her eyes, fiery determination flaring within.

Rei didn't let herself think about what she was going to do. She couldn't waste a moment more with thought or hesitation. She had to act and she had to act now, she had to get Serena free of Diamond's cruel hold.

Rei tensed her entire body and lowered her body into a crouch, preparing her entire being for this one action, this one attack on which quite possibly rested the fate of the entire world, the mortal and Immortal world alike.

'I love you, Jadeite.' Rei whispered to her unconscious love through their matelink.

With her thanks given to her Goddess on high, and her farewell given to her wolfmate, Rei silently leapt at Diamond with all the strength and speed she possessed.

By the Goddess, Serena would survive this day, even if the rest of the pack did not.

---

The pain from Diamond's bite was so bad that Serena had to clinch her teeth against crying out. Serena knew that if she made even the softest sound of distress it would only distract Darien. She could remember something being said at one stage about vampire venom being toxic to Lycaons and they hadn't been kidding! It hurt! The sharp stinging from the bite hurt now more than when Diamond had had his fangs buried in her flesh.

And as well as Diamond's bite, Serena was forced to fight just to remain conscious. Diamond was lying on her back crushing her lungs with his surprisingly heavy weight and with his arms locked tightly around her neck he was making it very difficult for her to breathe. And as well as all of that, Serena felt weak and light-headed from Darien having drawn on her strength to strengthen himself enough to shift.

Her wheezing breathing, Serena noticed, was the loudest sound in the room. With her Lycaon ears Serena could hear several heartbeats – some were fast and erratic while others were so slow and weak that Serena knew she was hearing the hearts of the slowly dying – heavy panting and the rustling of clothing but her wheezing was so loud against such soft sounds background noises that it sounded like she was using a microphone hooked up to a surround sound system.

The room was filled with warriors of both sides silently standing on their feet with their eyes glued to the three of them, all waiting for that moment, that signal, to resume fighting. The Damned all wore expressions that reminded Serena of a starved wolf that had been driven to madness by its raging hunger, while the Immortal's expressions were of exhausted determination and something Serena could only describe as acceptance. Acceptance of the fact that they had to fight yet again and may very well lose their lives, but it was something they had to do. They loved their Alpha Prince and their pack too much to ever consider fleeing.

Even the Anami were as deadset on fighting to drive back their enemy as the Lycaons were.

And Serena knew it was because of her. The Anami and the Lycaon kind were united in her defence now, united by their belief that she was something special sent by their Moon Goddess to save their dwindling hope.

Serena honestly didn't know what to think about these glorious Immortals believing her to be some kind of deity or messiah, but if the motion gave even one Immortal the strength to last against Damnation that little bit longer than Serena would tolerate it. If she lived, Serena was determined to reward their devotion by being everything they needed to her be and by doing the best at it that she possibly could.

The Anami and the Lycaon races had both won her affection and her devotion, and there was nothing she wouldn't do for them.

And tonight Serena would prove that to every Immortal present. She was going to fight and she wasn't going to give up until either victory had been won or her life had been sacrificed.

'Do not even think of dying on me, Serena!'

Darien's growling voice warned inside her head, making Serena blink, startled. Oops. She'd forgotten about the link. Darien was in her head now, hearing her thoughts they pass through her mind.

This mindlink was going to take a lot of getting used too. She was going to have to learn how to hide her thoughts from him or she was never going to get away with anything during their life together.

'You can bet on it, my love. And we are BOTH going to survive to live that future, do you understand me Serena?' Darien told her, his tone full of love but at the same time his tone was as resolute as it had ever been. And with that said, his tone became commanding – it was the voice of a man who would one day be a king. 'Once you are free, you are going to find some place safe to hide, or if I can I will clear a path for you to flee. Go to Andrew's manor, he will protect you there.'

Serena didn't need to voice her thoughts to give Darien his answer to that order.

---

Rei aimed for Diamond's back, her intention to take hold of him from behind and use the force from her bound to pull him back and away from Serena. As she had done countless time before, everything else fading from her focus but Diamond as she flew through the air like a bullet from a gun.

In this one moment, Rei was not a princess, she was not a wife or a sister, all she was, all she could afford to think of herself as, was a weapon. A weapon on which the future of everything rested. Everything depended on her hitting her target, on freeing the woman who was destined be the saviour of all Immortal kind. And with just a little more grace from the Moon Goddess, maybe one day Serena would be the next Queen of the Lycaon race.

For the past few decades, with her brother so close to the darkness, it had been whispered that Rei herself would be the next Lycaon Queen, that Darien would fall to the Darkness before he found his mate and as such the crown would pass to Rei and her mate. But that had never been what Rei had wanted, not in the least. She had never wanted to be anything but what she was, but had her brother tragically fallen to the Darkness then Rei would have taken the crown because she had been born a Princess and her life was lived in duty to her people, her people who were fading into time. But so much had changed with Serena, and Rei had no doubt that things would continue to change for the better because of Serena.

And for Serena, for her brother and her people, Rei would risk everything to save the miracle their Moon Goddess had bestowed upon them.

But without warning and without even looking her way, Diamond's hand shot out and a moment later Rei found herself dangling a foot above the ground unable to breathe because of the large hard icy hand tightly gasping her throat.

Rei could not believe it. Diamond had caught her in mid-air with one hand without even glancing her way with the ease of catching a beach ball that had been leisurely thrown to him. His hold on her throat was painful and tight, just barely from crushing her windpipe. She couldn't breathe at all, couldn't cry out, could do nothing but grasp hold of Diamond's wrist with both hands in a futile effort to ease his grip on her throat.

"What is it with your women, Darien?" Diamond asked Darien in a mean derisive voice. "They never seem to learn. Are you that weak-willed with them that they are incapable of learning their place?"

Rei knew exactly what place Diamond had intended for her and any other female he cared to keep like the pets of his conquered enemies. Diamond really did have a one tracked mind. He had no idea how cherished Immortal women were or why, and it wasn't because their number was so few. Diamond knew nothing about love or devotion or loyalty or friendship.

And that was why, no matter how overwhelming his army, Diamond would never win.

Rei's vision was becoming blurry around the edges as her lungs burned from the need for fresh oxygen and she knew her time was limited. She had just enough time to give her goal one more attempt.

Rei moved her eyes to her brother, who stood just within the outskirts of her line of vision, and she gave him a very awkward – because of how Diamond held her – but loving smile. She forced all her mental energy on her brother and reached out to his mind. It took a great deal of effort to focus as they were in their mortal forms, but after a moment Rei could feel the familiar touch of her brother's strong and protective presence.

'Take care of her, brother.' Rei whispered tenderly to him. 'Take care of my sister.'

Rei watched her brother's eyes grow impossibly wide as he realised that meaning behind her words and she swiftly pulled away from his mind before he could confirm his suspicions in her thoughts.

And then Rei turned all her focus back to Diamond, relieved to see that he hadn't noticed her communication with her brother.

It wasn't until Rei's hold on Diamond's wrist tightened that the evil self-proclaimed king turned his attention to her, but it was already too late for him to stop her.

Rei deftly swung her body backwards as far as she could, until she was almost perfectly horizontal with the floor, and then, using all her strength one last time with her throat still held by his crushing cold hard fingers, Rei swung her body forward and up. Once her lower body was close enough, Rei swung her legs even higher, using Diamond's own grip on her as leverage to wrap her legs around Diamond's upper body, linking her ankles around each other on Diamond's opposite shoulder and locking them in place. The front of her upper body was pressed into the underside of Diamond's arm while her most sacred of places was against Diamond's armpit.

Which Rei forced herself to ignore. It would shock those who had never been in physical combat to learn just how up-close-and-personal it could be, sometimes even becoming graphically violently sexual, especially for a woman.

Along her leg that she had locked in place across Diamond's front Rei could feel Serena's soft pelt and the heat radiating from her. Serena's body burned with a growing fever as it fought Diamond's venom that was poisoning her system and zapping what remained of her strength.

Rei had been bitten before, so she knew exactly what Serena was going through.

And despite the hold Rei now had on him, Diamond's hold on her throat didn't lessen in the slightest. In fact, Diamond tightened his grip.

The hazy black around the edges of her vision began to close in, regardless of how hard she fought against it. Within moments all Rei could see was a tiny distant spot of blurry light. She could feel her strength waning as the burning in her lungs grew worse and worse. Her entire head was pounding and she realised that she was experiencing the weirdest sensation. It was like she was drowning, that her very brain was submerged in water and slowly dying, and as a result it was near impossible for her to focus on anything.

But still Rei held on tightly to her enemy that threatened her brother's mate.

An image of Jadeite's smiling face and love-filled eyes appeared in her mind's eye and a sense of peace settled over her. This would be her last act but it would hopefully save Serena and that was all she could ask for.

Her ears could hear her own slowing heartbeat and time ceased to have any hold on her or any meaning too her.

Rei released her hold on Diamond's wrist, freeing both of her hands as she vaguely felt her fingernails extending into sharp pointy canine claws.

Rei smiled, her smile one of peace and pride.

'Take care of him, Serena. Take care of our people. And don't forget to be happy.'

Rei didn't know if Serena could hear her words or not, Rei didn't even know if she was broadcasting them to Serena. She didn't know if anyone heard her words, even the Goddess, but it didn't matter.

In her final moment of clarity, Rei tensed her fingers, reached as far as she could and then she drove her claws straight into either side of Diamond's neck and shoulder.

And then everything around Rei went black. There was no pain, no cold or fear. Somewhere in the distance, in a far off place that was beyond Rei's reach, she heard a furious roar of pain and then an enraged howl but it was too far away to worry about.

'Jadeite.'

And then there was nothing. Rei was gone before she even hit the floor in a crumpled motionless heap.

On the floor, not fifteen feet from her crumpled body, Jadeite whimpered heartbreakingly as he felt his mate leave him even in his deeply unconscious state.

---

Lita slowly, carefully, raised her head, blinking in against the confused and dazed state her mind was trapped within. It was a long moment before she became aware of what her eyes were seeing. She watched as the man from before – the one the blond haired man had ordered to travel with them – wrench another man – this one Lita had never seen before but had the same paleness the other man did – away from the side of the car.

The side of the car that was now badly – and impossibly – bent inwards from where the pale man had impacted.

And then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone. They had only been there a moment. If Lita hadn't been so sure of herself, she would have thought that either she was losing her mind and was now seeing things or she'd been knocked unconscious by the collision and was now dreaming.

Lita was frozen motionless where she lay sprawled against the backseat and the car door, her wide eyes glued to the spot outside where the two men had disappeared into thin air.

What the hell?!

Lita blinked again, trying to free herself of the stupor she was trapped within. During the impact that had sent Lita slamming into her side door, her shoulder had absorbed most of the impact, sparing her head from any injury. Or so Lita had briefly thought until she'd seen what she was pretty certain she'd seen but was having a great deal of trouble believing she'd seen it.

But what Lita thought she had seen was impossible. The car was so badly damaged that it had to have taken a massive amount of force hitting the side of the car to so deeply implode the metal.

Lita felt no pain in or on her head but what if she'd sustained a head injury and just didn't feel it? Strange things could happen to a person with a head injury.

Couldn't they?

Lita raised her uninjured arm to her head and felt along her skull but found no bump, nor did she feel any cut. She lowered her hand until she could see her palm and it was free of blood.

Still feeling very mentally numb, Lita turned her attention to those in the front seat.

Amy was sprawled on top of the vehicle's centre console compartment between the two front seats. She was awkwardly sprawled between the driver's seat that now held two instead of one and the empty passenger's seat that now had much less elbow room. Amy's head rested on the side of the shoulder of driver's seat while her legs were up in the air, her feet resting on the right side of the cracked front windshield.

Thankfully Lita saw that Amy was conscious, her eyes open but dazed and there was no sign of blood on the small young woman who was in the process of gathering herself and assessing her condition and location.

As Amy started to work herself into a sitting position, Lita turned her attention to the two in the driver's seat, straightening herself to get a better line of view but all she could see was the backside of the woman in black who had known the impact was coming! She'd even had time to shout a warning and reacted.

How had Trista known what was going to happen before either of the men even had come into view?! And why had Trista so obviously protected Mina, who had been the furthest away from the impact?

The first thing Mina became aware of when her senses finally returned to her was that she was terribly uncomfortable because she was squished beneath something that was hard and soft at the same time.

It was a long moment before Mina realised that it was a body that covered her, a body that was encased in black. Mina was really confused. What had happened? She could clearly remember the impact but the pale woman in black had jumped on top of her before they'd been hit by whatever had slammed into them.

Another vehicle maybe or a falling tree?

Whatever had hit them, the woman on top of her had seen it coming when Mina hadn't.

Amy! Lita! Mina had to make sure they were alright! They hadn't been shielded as she'd been – why SHE had been shielded, Mina was scared to even ask – and whatever had hit them had hit the right side of the car – Lita was behind the driver's seat, away from the point of impact, but Amy was in the passenger seat!

Amy!

No! Amy! Mina had to check on Amy, she had to make sure that Amy was alright or act if she wasn't!

First Mina had to get out from under the slim woman in black who was still hovering over her without applying any of her weight over her. Planting her feet squarely on the floor for leverage, Mina pushed upwards with all her strength.

But she might as well have been pushing one of the trees outside as no matter how hard Mina pushed at the woman in black who was curled protectively over her – without applying any of her weight onto her – she couldn't budge Trista even an inch.

What was going on? How could this slim woman be so deceptively heavy? And why was this woman – whom she didn't even know – shielding her with her own body with all the dedication of a patriotic Secret Service agent protecting his charge?

And what had hit her car hard enough to lift the two side wheels off the ground? Had they been hit by a motorbike or a falling tree or something?

Suddenly, Mina felt the woman above her shift her weight and lift her head. Mina sunk as low in the seat as she could – which wasn't more than an inch – so she had enough room to turn her head enough to see Amy awkwardly climbing back into the much smaller space that was the passenger seat and take a moment to right her clothing that had been pulled out of place during the impact.

Amy was alright, and Mina could hear Lita in the backseat. They were both okay, thank goodness!

Reassured that her friends were okay, Mina turned her attention back to the woman above her.

Trista was staring out the front windshield, completely transfixed on something and making no move to get off of her.

"Finish off the remaining Damned!" Trista shouted through the glass in a hard commanding tone. "Leave none alive to threaten our Prince's mortal mate!"

All three perplexed girls stared at her with wide disbelieving eyes.

'Remaining Damned?'

'Prince?'

'Mortal mate?'

The words only baffled the three girls even more than they already were. Nothing was making any sense. They were in the middle of something that was either building up to be one big practical – far-fetched – joke or involved some kind of secret delusional – possibly dangerous – cult.

Or this woman in black was completely out of her mind.

What was Serena wrapped up in? And what had happened that was so bad that she'd been forced to drag them into it?

---

Serena breathed a deep breath into her expanding lungs as Diamond let out a furious pain-filled roar and released his hold on her. A moment later he lifted his weight up off her, clutching his neck with his unwounded arm as blood gushed from the deep wound.

Darien howled, the sound enraged and filled with wretched despairing agony.

But Serena gave neither Darien nor Diamond any heed as she immediately swung around and rushed to Rei's side.

No! No! NO! NO! Not Rei! Not like this! Not for her! NOT FOR HER!

Serena was unaware how she did it, how she made it happen, but her body began to change, to shift and become smaller and smaller, her fur coat disappearing until she returned to her human form, completely unaware of her nakedness as she ran her hands blindly over Rei's form as her eyes filled with tears that were running freely down her face.

Rei was lying on the floor in a crumpled heap on her back, her eyes looking blankly up at the ceiling, seeing nothing. She was unnaturally still and her skin was already pale. She was completely still, so still that Serena couldn't bear it.

Serena's stomach revolted and she fought to keep her stomach contents down.

Beyond control, beyond any thought of any kind, Serena placed her hands on Rei's shoulders and shook her vigorously as if Serena could somehow bring Rei back to life if she shook her hard enough.

"Rei! Rei please, open your eyes! Rei!" Serena sobbed wretchedly, her insides were in icy agony; she couldn't bare this! She couldn't bear the thought that Rei was gone forever, they hadn't known each other very long but Serena loved her, Rei was her sister! She couldn't lose her! She had lost her parents, not her sister too! "Don't do this to me, to Darien! Please, don't die! Please, not for me! Please, Rei! Rei! Rei! REI!"

Darien had never known such rage before. He knew he would feel the pain, the agony, of losing his sister before his eyes once his rage burned through him, but for now there was nothing but his rage, his thirst for the blood of the one who had just cruelly murdered his sister.

He would taste Diamond's blood this night, and it would be life's blood! Diamond was going to die, and he was going to die slowly and painfully. Darien would make his death last for days, weeks if possible. Diamond was going to pay in blood and agony for what he had done in Darien's own house!

With blood in his eyes and raging fire in his veins, Darien forgot all about his fatigue and his injuries. Nothing mattered, nothing except his revenge! With an enraged battle cry Darien lunged at Diamond, his hands extended in front of him, reaching for Diamond's throat.

Rei would be the last innocent Diamond ever hurt, even if it cost Darien his life, Diamond was going to die by his hand!

As Darien knocked Diamond off his feet and the two of them went rolling across the floor in a frenzy of wild blows and menacing growls and hisses, the room erupted into complete chaos, bodies and blood flying in all directions and the deafening sounds of battle filled the room.

But Serena noticed none of the war that raged around her. Her entire being, every cell of her, was focused on Rei. She had to help Rei, Serena couldn't let her die!

Serena wouldn't let Rei die! So many times she'd been called a miracle, a gift from the Moon Goddess to the Immortals, and now the time had come for her to prove it, to live up to the title! She had been born a mortal, but here she was a shape-shifting Lycaon mated to the mighty Immortal Lycaon Crown Prince. If she truly was even half of what everyone believed her to be, if she was even partly worthy of everything that lay at her feet for her taking, then she should be able to do something as simple as save Rei's life!

'Please, please, help me.' Serena prayed of the heavens, prayed to the Moon Goddess and every other celestial being man or Immortal kind had ever prayed too. 'Please help Rei, don't let her die! Take my life in exchange for hers if you must, but spare her!'

Without conscious thought of it and with swift moments, Serena arranged Rei until she was flat on her back with her arms spread by her side. Serena had never done this before, but she had helped Amy practise when Amy had gone for her certification.

How long had it been since Rei's heart had stopped? How long had it been since air had stopped reaching her brain? Serena didn't know, but for the first time Serena was truly grateful, right down to her bones, that one of her best friends, one of her beloved sisters, was studying to be a doctor and had occasionally asked Serena and the other girls to help her train or study.

Serena had no idea if this was going to work but it was the only hope she had. The only hope Rei had.

Serena quickly angled Rei's head back, keeping her head and neck aligned, then lowered down over her and placed her mouth over Rei's numbly open mouth, creating an airtight seal. Then Serena pinched Rei's nose and breathed a breath of air down her throat.

Rei's chest inflated and Serena broke the seal on Rei's mouth and placed her ear just above Rei's mouth, feeling the air slowly flow back out.

Serena didn't know every exact about CPR – not like Amy did – but she was determined to do the very best she possibly could. Over and over, Serena breathed air into Rei's mouth, but nothing changed.

And then Serena remembered that she was supposed to be pumping the heart!

Damn it!

Serena straightened and folded her hands together with her palms facing downwards over Rei's heart and using all of her upper body strength, Serena pressed down.

But Serena might as well have been doing CPR to a concrete floor for all the movement she was able to make! She might be able to shift – possibly just once as Serena had no idea if she would even be able to shift again – but in her human form she just didn't have the strength of an Immortal. She didn't have the strength to pump Rei's Immortal heart! She was supposed to pump the heart with enough force to break the ribs.

What was she going to do?! She wasn't strong enough for this! Rei was going to die because she wasn't strong enough!

A broken sob escaped Serena's mouth as she struggled to come up with some miraculous solution, but there was nothing she could do.

She wasn't an Immortal, she didn't have their strength in human form and she couldn't get her thoughts together or settled enough to focus on trying to change again. Not to mention that taking the time to settle herself and try to shift again would be time taken away from her attentions to saving Rei's life.

No!

"Rei!"

Serena gasped and looked up to see Jadeite dragging himself across the floor towards them, his eyes focused so intently on Rei that Serena doubted he saw anything else but his pale motionless wife lying dead on the floor.

Her breath caught in her throat, pure tortured desperate hell was in Jadeite's eyes as he pulled himself across the floor to her side, he didn't even have the strength to crawl!

Serena scrambled across the floor to Jadeite's side, crawling most of the way as she didn't spare the time to even get to her feet. She reached in him moments and then lifted Jadeite's arm, bent low and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and heaved upwards.

But Jadeite was so heavy that Serena couldn't lift him a single inch.

"Please, Jadeite! You have to help me!" Serena begged him, gritting her teeth from the strain of trying to lift him.

Jadeite heaved himself up onto his knees with his free arm, releasing a long strained grunt at the effort and together they made their way to Rei's side.

Serena left Jadeite on one side of his wife while Serena scrambled back to her place by Rei's head. "I'll breathe, you pump her heart! I don't have the strength to get through her rib cage."

Sheer determination filled Jadeite's eyes such as Serena had never seen before. It filled his eyes until there was nothing else and he linked his hands together over Rei's chest just as she had done moments before and Jadeite pressed down on Rei's chest above her heart, using all the strength left in him.

Serena ignored the sound of cracking bone as Jadeite's compressions forced their way through Rei's protective rib cage to press down on her precious heart and Serena returned to breathing air into Rei's lungs.

This was the only chance. It had to work. It had too. Serena couldn't image her life in the Immortal world without Rei, giving Darien hell right there with her.

A minute passed and still Rei did not respond. One minute had just become two when a loud sharp cry of pain snapped her out of her fixation on Rei and Serena whirled to see Darien sprawled on the floor. Diamond stood over him with bloody hands and greedy anticipation of the kill in his black soulless eyes.

Rei needed her to help save her life by bringing her back from the dead, but Darien needed help too. Without help, Darien would undoubtedly follow Rei.

Serena was truly torn, torn between Rei and Darien. She loved both so much and both needed her help. She sat frozen, torn between two treasured people of her heart.

Beside her, Jadeite shifted his position until he was kneeling right beside her and begun alternating between breathing for Rei and pumping her heart.

"Go," Jadeite told her, his voice hard and purposeful. It was the voice of a man who was putting everything he had and everything he was into what he was doing. "I cannot help him and Rei needs me."

Serena hesitated only a spilt second before she nodded her head and shot to her feet. She stepped back from Rei, and closed her eyes, reaching deep inside of her, reaching for that new part of her, that mysterious magic inside of her that had allowed her to shift.

'Please, let me become a Lycaon, just one more time. Please. Just once more. Let me save Darien and stop Diamond. Please, just once more.'

And then Serena felt it. At the same time as she felt the change begin Serena became aware of Darien through their matelink. She could feel his pain, his exhaustion and his blinding rage at being forced to watch helplessly as Diamond had killed his sister, whom he had sworn with his life to his parents that he would protect no matter what.

When Serena opened her eyes, she once again had four paws and pale golden fur, and without hesitation, Serena leapt into the air, right at Diamond.

Diamond was going to pay for what he had done to Rei, for what he was putting Darien and Jadeite through.

Behind her Jadeite continued to breathe and pump the heart of his beloved wife and wolfmate, whom he could not, would not, live without. If he could not bring Rei back then Serena was certain that Jadeite's urge for her to join Darien in the fight against Diamond would be Jadeite's last spoken words.

Diamond's time was well and truly up. Hell or high water, life or death, Diamond's days of terror and death were at an end.

---

The Last chapter - promise! - will be posted within the month. Along with the Epilogue, which I haven't had to alter at all.

Thankyou to all those who have stuck with me, I know it's really irritating to wait so long and I really do appreciate it.