"She certainly is something Troy." Damian said with a grin as soon as Troy closed the door.

Troy bit his tongue to keep from growling. "I know."

Damian chuckled silently at Troy's frustration. "No really. I mean, I can't remember ever meeting anyone as beautiful, and smart, and modest."

Troy knew he was just trying to make him angry. "I'm aware of her attributes." He said through gritted teeth.

Ian interrupted before Damian could retort. "As much as I would really love to talk about Troy's mate and hear you two compete in a game of wits, we have to get down to business."

Damian chuckled lightly, sitting down in his chair. "Of course, you both knew what this evening was really about. So let's not waste any more time."

Troy and Ian sat down. The chairs in a triangle and spaced fairly apart, like a lounge where gentleman drink brandy. "So this is it? It's official now?"

"This city will become a battle ground unlike any other." Damian brought his hands together with an evil smile.

"And the humans?"

Damian shrugged. "Picking them off the street to feed is so barbaric. We've taken to keeping them alive and bleeding them slowly. They produce much more blood that way and we don't have to hunt like animals for our food…The humans not with us will die in battle, but it won't be long before all the humans become part of our blood bank system."

Ian blinked a few times, clearly not expecting such an answer. "How…convenient."

Troy narrowed his eyes, gripping the arm of his chair. "You know I won't let that happen."

"But when you're dead, your opinion won't matter." Damian's smirk was starting to get annoying.

Ian raised an eyebrow. "You seem awfully confident."

Damian let out a little laugh. "I have one of the most powerful witches in history. And a vast army of vampires that want nothing more than to rid the world of werewolves."

"I thought you said you would never declare war until you become a hybrid." Ian asked as Troy stayed silent, waiting for the inevitable threat.

Damian's smile fell, replaced with a pained expression. "You know I'll take her. And I won't stop trying until you give me your blood Troy…I've waited a long time for you to find her, and I won't leave her alone until I get what I want."

Troy closed his eyes tightly. Having Damian become a hybrid is a chance he can't take…But now that Gabriella is involved, things have changed. Having her constantly on the run is not something he can subject her to. And the idea of settling down with her somewhere nice and quiet was becoming a fading dream.

"She's not a part of this."

Damian frowned. "She is now…I don't want to, but I will hurt her if I have to."

Troy narrowed his eyes. "If I give you my blood, you have to give me your word that no harm will come to her."

Ian's eyes widened as his head whipped to Troy. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "Troy!"

Damian blinked a few times, not expecting Troy to relent so easily. "…You have my word."

Troy was silent for a moment. "And you have to tell me what happened to Cassandra."

"Ah yes, the female member of your pack…I didn't take her. The humans did. She's in the city." Damian explained, unable to stop the smile forming on his face.

Troy sighed, grabbing his pocketknife and standing up. He motioned for the bowl on the table next to Ian. "Call Morgause in here."

Damian clapped his hands and she appeared in a billow of smoke, her eyes wide and excited. "It's happening?" She asked as Ian slowly handed Troy the bowl.

"Troy. Think about this. There's no turning back once you do it." Ian tried reasoning with him, but the only thing on Troy's mind was Gabriella's safety.

Troy turned back towards Damian. "My blood makes our deal. But it's void if any harm comes to Gabriella."

Damian held his head high in thought. It was risky, but it was also the only way Troy would ever give his blood. "Morgause will put a spell on the blood, making it a contract." Troy narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, not liking her smirk.

And with a final breath, Troy sliced his wrist, letting his blood fall into the bowl.

The wound healed ten seconds later, but enough blood filled the bowl.

Damian nodded at Morgause and she hovered her hands over the bowl. "Sanguinem coniuge debet laedi non solventur in nihilum. Captus cum illo est scriptor potentiae." A small spark erupted from the bowl as her voice bellowed out the spell.

Ian watched with despair, now Troy and Damian will be equally matched. "That was the stupidest thing you've ever done." He whispered harshly at Troy.

Troy chose to ignore him. "No matter what happens, Gabriella will be safe."

"I promise." There was no smirk on Damian's face when he said this. Only complete understanding and sincerity.

Ian shook his head. "This is why I killed Tamara. So something like this would never happen."

Damian furrowed his brow for a moment. "Troy got lucky. His mate it perfect, in every way."

Troy's eyes widened as he realized all the meanings behind Damian's words. Damian's never cared for anyone in that way before, he just assumed he was playing with his mind, like always. But he really seems to want Gabriella, in everyway. "She's mine. Don't forget that."

"But for how long."

Morgause grabbed the bowl and handed it to Damian. "Drink this my darling, and you will be a hybrid."

Damian looked down at the blood for a moment before grinning. "Two days…We meet for battle, in two days."

.

They sat in silence. After hearing the story of what happened, they were all in shock.

"So this is my fault." Gabriella noted, biting her lip.

Troy turned to her in shock. "Of course not. This has been a long time coming. Don't you dare think that this is your fault."

Nathan took a deep breath. "So now Damian's a hybrid." He bobbed his head up and down a few times. "Shit."

"This means he's more powerful?" Gabriella asked timidly, feeling very stupid for not knowing.

Austin sat down next to her, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. "A regular vampire has super speed, senses, healing, strength, and stamina. A regular werewolf has super senses, healing, stamina, strength, and when in wolf form extra strength, healing, and super speed…Troy has all those combined and heightened…And now Damian is just as powerful as Troy."

Aiden took a deep breath. "So Cass is in the city?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah. The humans have her."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was that bitch Sarah Stone." Nathan suggested.

"Who?" Gabriella asked, again feeling like an idiot for not knowing.

"This bitch that used to work for the government and now spends all her money on trying to isolate the supernatural genes that make werewolves and vampires…She's a cold hearted, sadistic, sexy bitch, with a massive superiority complex." Nathan finished with a little growl.

"She sounds…nice." She said sarcastically.

Aiden stood up, feeling a little agitated. "She's in the city. I bet we can find her today."

Austin scoffed. "I think you four walking around in wolf form would get a little too much attention."

Gabriella raised her eyebrows, a thought suddenly coming to her. "Wolf form?"

Troy let out little chuckle, finally feeling at ease. "I keep forgetting to show you." Taking a quick look around, Troy could tell the room was big enough for him to shift. He stood up and smiled at Gabriella's anxious look.

If she blinked, she would have missed it. But suddenly, in front of her, was a giant wolf. Dark brown fur, blue eyes that could be seen from miles away, and regular wolf features, only bigger. Normal wolves go up to a person's midsection. But werewolves are much, much bigger. It was Troy alright. And he looked so beautiful.

Tentatively, she stepped forward, and placed her small hand on his nose. "Wow." She muttered as she stared into his hypnotizing eyes. Troy whimpered lightly and nudged his nose against her hand, telling her he liked her petting him. It was clear that he couldn't talk in this form though.

She saw his eyes shift to behind her and turned around. In place of Elijah was a wolf with midnight black fur. Aiden fur looked kind of burgundy. And Nathan was light brown. They were all a little smaller than Troy, but she was too amazed to think about that.

"This is…incredible." She breathed out as they tried to get comfortable in the small space.

Austin looked at Nathan next to him and sighed. "Vampire's hate the smell of werewolves, but I've become used to it." Nathan moved his tail so it ran over Austin's face. Gabriella giggled lightly when Austin stomped on his paw.

Troy was the first one to shift back. "I'm glad you think so."

Gabriella turned back around to him, and was surprised to see him naked. "Please tell me you're naked because of your shifting."

Troy looked down at himself and chuckled. "Oh, yeah, our clothes get destroyed when we change. It's one of the few down points."

"Luckily we always have Austin to carry extra pairs of shorts for us." Nathan said as he shifted back and patted the vampire on the back roughly.

Gabriella turned back around and almost shrieked at the sight of Aiden, Elijah, and Nathan, naked. "Okay, I wasn't prepared for that."

Troy caught the shorts Austin threw at him and put them on before turning Gabriella back around to face him. Not comfortable with her looking at other naked guys. "We won't be shifting until we run into trouble. And even then we might not have too…But we are gonna have to go for a while." She opened her mouth to say something, but he quickly interrupted her. "You're staying here."

"I can help."

"No. It's too dangerous. Human mates are almost unheard of. If they found out they'd…do things to you."

She tilts her head curiously. "Like what?"

Troy sighs. "Torture you, dissect you…experiments, those kinds of things. Very few ever come out alive, and when they do, they're not the same."

Gabriella gasped. She almost couldn't believe that something like that was going on. "That's horrible."

Aiden nodded. "That's why we have to get Cass out of there."

"I can help." She said again, feeling so useless in this whole thing.

Troy cupped her face gently. "I know you can. But I don't want anything to happen to you. We won't be gone for long, and the possibility of you getting hurt, or worse, is too high." He could tell she was relenting. "I love you, and need you safe."

With a big sigh, Gabriella leaned up to give him a quick kiss. "Fine…Just be careful."

Troy nodded, kissing her one last time before turning to his pack. "Spread out and search. We should find it within a few hours."

.

Gabriella put down her book with a huff. Feeling frustrated. She's the only human surrounded by werewolves and vampires, who all have super abilities. But she has nothing, and so she can't help.

No strength. No speed. No nothing.

She's useless.

And the idea of being a werewolf sounded pretty great at the moment. At least she'd be able to help.

But when the door knocked, she jumped up and ran to open it, not even checking to see who it was.

"What ha-"

She was surprised to see Ian, but felt relieved that it was him rather than Damian.

"Hello Gabriella." He said softly, the humor in his voice gone.

She held onto the door with one hand, pulling her shirt tighter over her with the other. "Ian. What a surprise. Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No. I just thought it would be safer if we pulled our numbers, and stayed together. Others are coming into town now, and with Troy and I leading, I thought it best that we stay in close proximity."

She thought for a moment. Should she let them in when she's all alone? No doubt Troy wouldn't like it, but she kind of trusted Ian. He was nice, and funny. And despite their first meeting, he was starting to grow on her.

"Troy's not here right now. But you're welcome to come in."

Ian smiled as he walked in. She was surprised to see the rest of his pack come around the corner and follow him in. Hazel and Chris were the only ones she recognized.

"I take it Troy told you about what happened last night." Ian said absently as he took a look around.

Gabriella closed the door with a breath, feeling a little uncomfortable being surrounded by males without Troy around. "Yes. I…I feel terrible. I didn't know that I was going to be the cause of this."

His face fell. "Don't think that. This has been going on for centuries. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Daman has been waiting for Troy to find his mate. Whether this happens now or twenty years from now, it would happen regardless."

She sighed. Knowing that it was true, but still feeling somewhat responsible. "Are there humans fighting?"

"Damian not only has an army of vampires, but he has a substantial amount of humans on his side." Her curious expression prompted him to continue. "You see, the humans are afraid that if he wins, he'll kill them. Which is true. But they also think that if they help him, he'll spare them…Damian has always been in control of the most powerful humans. Politicians, senators, the Secretary of Defense, etc…Behind the scenes, Damian controls everything."

Gabriella took a deep breath. It's so hard to believe that the world she used to live in was nothing but a lie. She felt so stupid for not being able to figure it out on her own. "Wow." She muttered with a pained voice.

Ian felt a little bad for crushing her hopes. "But don't worry. We have some humans on our side too. Ever since we've been around, there've been a number of humans that dedicate their lives to killing us. For the last few centuries they've sided with us, seeing that Damian is pure evil, and we help humanity."

Chris sat down with a growl, feeling uncomfortable with the smell of Austin still in the air. "I don't know why they let that parasite in their pack."

Ian shot him a look, and he quickly bowed his head in submission. "I thought I told you to let it go."

"You mean Austin?" Gabriella asked, her curiosity peaked as she remembered the encounter between the two last night.

Hazel had already raided the liquor cabinet, and was pouring drinks with the three other members of Ian's pack. "Werewolves are born with the instinct to hate vampires. Some of us just repress it better than others." He explained as he took a sip of his whiskey.

Ian held his hand up and Hazel tossed the bottle to him. "Don't pay him any mind." He said with a final glare at Chris before taking a sip.

Gabriella frowned as she watched them finish their drinks. "I fail to see how alcohol will remedy the situation."

Ian chuckled. "It doesn't affect us like it does humans. It merely dulls our senses, making it easier to relax." When he saw her skeptical look, he added, "It takes a shit load of alcohol to make us drunk…Like half of a warehouse."

"Is it nice, being a werewolf?" She asked hesitantly.

He could tell she was debating whether or not to become one. It was an inevitable thing, but he would certainly calm her nerves about it. "It's amazing…I vaguely remember the time when I was human. It was so long ago. But I know this is better."

Gabriella sat down slowly, feeling like a kid being told a special story. "What happened exactly?" Troy told her about all the adventures and experiences he had when he was a hybrid. But he didn't explain how he became one. He seemed to have avoided the topic.

Ian had a look of deep thought on his face, as if he were trying desperately to remember. "We were friends, brothers almost. We were so young, and stupid…There was a woman" He paused for a second, his eyes darkening. "She was beautiful, but she was also very wealthy. We seduced her, and took her money…But we didn't know that she was a witch, and a powerful one at that. We broke her heart, and stole from her, so she cursed us. I, a werewolf, forced to turn on the full moon, and an urge to kill vampires. Damian, a vampire, with the need for human blood to survive. And Troy, whom she loved the most, was turned into a hybrid. He didn't return her affections, so she cursed him to be torn between us two…He chose me."

She could tell it was a delicate subject, but she wanted to know. "Why?"

He sighed. "Damian changed. He started killing for reasons other than food, turning others into vampires. I was forced to make other werewolves to match. But Troy, he couldn't turn others into hybrids. When he tried, they turned into a vampire, or a werewolf, but never a hybrid. But he's stronger than us, more powerful. Damian started to want that power. And the only way to become a hybrid is with his blood. However, Troy would never willingly give his blood, and there's no way Damian could kill him. He's been trying for centuries, but he always fails…He was corrupted by power, turned into someone else. Troy and I have been trying to stop his plans of domination ever since the beginning." With a deep breath, Ian realized he's shared more than he has in a long time. "The humans don't know that Troy and I protect them. Try to save them from Damian's wrath."

Gabriella gave him a small smile. "Wow."

"Yeah." He breathed out, realizing how long it's been since he's told that story.

"I wonder why Troy didn't tell me that."

Ian shrugged. "It's a sore subject. The fact that he had to choose between me and Damian is something that he doesn't like to think about…I personal think it's something he would rather forget. We all chose our paths, and we must stick by them."

Gabriella sighed. "I understand. I'm not big on sharing either. I guess I should tell Troy some things too if I want him to tell me anything."

Ian leaned forward a little, a curious smile on his face. "How did you two find each other, if you don't mind my asking?"

She blushed slightly. "Oh, it's not that great. He was going to the school to investigate vampires there, or something. He made friends with the kids that bullied me in hopes that he would learn to not want me. But then one day he kissed me, and then came to my window that night to…to talk to me."

"You are very attractive, I won't deny that. But I understand his actions. None of us has had a human mate before. It must have been very confusing for him. After all, he is the original hybrid, we all expected his mate to be a powerful witch, or something." Ian said with a little shrug.

Gabriella looked down for a moment, looking back up at Ian with a small frown. "Why did you kill your mate?"

Ian's chuckled softly. "It's hard to explain. I kind of hated her. She was such a bitch. For a while I was elated, because physically we were matched. The sex was amazing, and I've never had sex as good since." She blushed at his bluntness. "But she disgusted me mentally, and it was only a matter of time before I would kill her. I drew the short end of the stick, but I'm over it. I don't think about her, and I don't care."

"I should have expected that kind of answer." She said with a tiny smile.

Ian nodded, adding, "Plus, I think she might have been a vampire sympathizer."

Gabriella scoffed lightly. "So you hate vampires, but you let them into your clubs?"

"Business is business…Also, we kill most of them." She giggled lightly, finding his dark humor kind of funny.

Hazel stood up abruptly, looking towards the door with narrowed eyes. "Someone's coming."

Ian waved it off. "Relax, it's Troy."

Gabriella was still amazed at their heightened senses. Even if she could hear someone coming, she never would be able to guess who it was.

Troy opened the door, and immediately narrowed his eyes at the sight of Ian and his pack. "What's going on?"

Gabriella locked eyes with him for a moment before quickly going over to him and wrapping her arms around him, bringing him down for a kiss. So glad he was alright, and realizing just how much she missed him.

Ian cleared his throat. "Nothing. Just thought it'd be a good idea to come over and pool our resources, start strategizing, etc."

Gabriella heard a small whimper and looked around Troy to see Aiden carrying a half unconscious Cassandra. She moved Troy out of the way and ushered Aiden in. "Put her on the couch."

Cassandra looked a little different then she thought she'd look. But then again, she did just come out of a traumatizing place.

Her short black hair was messy, her pink lips were a little chapped, her cheek was bruised, and she was covered in dirt. But Gabriella could tell that she'd look beautiful if she wasn't in this horrible state.

Aiden didn't seem to want to let her go, but he eventually did, and Gabriella started checking her wounds. Aiden watched with a blank expression, unable to convey the emotion he was feeling.

She had a fractured rib, a broken wrist, and she was a little malnourished. But it was the healing holes in her wrist and the needle marks that were alarming. She was obviously experimented on. And her blood had been taken, which is probably why she looked so malnourished.

"She's gonna be okay, right?" Aiden asked, his voice low, and soft.

Gabriella bit her lip, counting Cassandra's pulse.

It was weak, but it was there, and seemed to be getting a little better. "I think so. She just needs food, water, and rest. There's not much I can do without some expensive equipment. But some bandages would be helpful, her wrist is-"

In a blink Aiden was suddenly gone, and then back, with bandages in his hand. She gave him a small sympathetic smile and started wrapping Cassandra's hand up. "Is that all?" He asked, leaning down and wiping a small bit of dirt of her face.

Gabriella nodded. "When she wakes up, make sure she doesn't move much."

Elijah put a comforting hand on Aiden's shoulder. "Don't worry. She's always been a fast healer."

Aiden nodded, taking her nonbandaged hand and squeezing lightly. "I hope so."

Troy pulled Gabriella to him, putting his arm around her and looking towards Ian and his pack. "If you're going to stay with us until the battle, I'm going to have to enforce some new rules."

Ian chuckled, paying little attention to the unconscious werewolf on the couch, and already knowing what Troy was thinking about. "My boys would have to be crazy to try something with your mate."

Troy narrowed his eyes. "Still, if I see any of them looking at her in the wrong way, I'll kill them."

Ian smiled, ignoring his packs nervous looks. "Now Troy, we are males, primitive ones. And your mate is too much of an exquisite creature to ignore completely. However, I'll give you my word that if any of my boys do anything even remotely out of line, I'll kill them myself."

Troy's eyes soften, knowing he could trust Ian. "That's fair."

Gabriella looked between the two of them and smiled. Ian and Troy have been through a lot of shit together, it was so nice that after all this time they were still close…in their own way. "So what happened?"

It took him a moment to realize she was talking about their little rescue mission. "Oh. It was fine. Stone wasn't there. There wasn't a lot of security, probably because they're getting ready for tomorrow. We only had to kill a few."

"Did you save anyone else?"

He looked down at her curious eyes and smiled. "Yes, we rented a room for them…There were only nine still alive." He knew what she was thinking, and quickly added, "Don't worry about them. Werewolves heal fast." Gabriella looked down and at Aiden tending to Cassandra. She was starting to look a tiny bit better.

Nathan and Austin came in, finished settling in the ones they saved. "What's going on?" Austin asked, frowning at the sight of Chris.

Ian looked down at Chris, giving him a pointed look. "Nothing."

"They're going to be staying with us until the battle." Troy said firmly. His authority is unquestioned, and it really made Gabriella realize how much power he holds.

Ian chuckled, bringing his drink up to his lips. "Excellent. And tomorrow we party."

.

Troy closed their bedroom door, turning around to Gabriella leaning against the bedpost, a small frown on her face.

He walked over to her slowly. "Hey."

She gave him a small smile, bringing her hands up to wrap around his neck. "Hey."

"Are you alright? Did Ian upset you?" Troy asked, looking into her eyes.

"No. It's not that." She said with a little head shake. "He told me how you became a hybrid, and what happened after."

Troy sighed, hoping to keep that a secret for a little longer. "It's not something I'm particularly proud of."

She looked down for a moment, knowing that if she shared something, he'd open up more. It's time to trust him completely. "My mother, or my aunt I guess, used to beat me when I was little…I tried to kill myself when I was thirteen." His shocked expression was almost enough to make her stop talking, but for some reason, saying it out loud made her feel a little better. "I got arrested two years ago for breaking into the university lab and freeing the animals they were experimenting on." He smiled. "I've watched the Wizard of Oz synced to the Dark Side of the Moon…a lot of times." He was so confused it was cute. "And I used to believe that if I stared at the stars long enough, I could become one."

Troy knew that she doesn't like sharing much about herself, and the fact that she just did means a lot. And now that she's opened up to him, he must do the same. "The woman who turned us into...what we are now, she loved me most. We pretended that we loved her, told her what she wanted to hear. She was beautiful, but she wasn't enough. I was growing tired of the charade. And when she found out that we were taking her money and lying to her, she felt most betrayed by me, and decided to give me the worst punishment…So I'm both vampire and werewolf, torn between my instincts. And when Damian turned for the worst, I chose the path of the werewolf. My best friend became my worst enemy, and I fear that when the moment finally arrives, I won't be able to kill him."

She played with the bottom of his hair on his neck. "I'm sorry."

He smiled, letting her know that he was okay. "Don't be, we kind of deserved it. And Damian sealed his fate long ago. I have no regrets, and though I waited a long time for you, I'm glad you're who you are. I couldn't have asked for a better mate."

She blushed slightly. "Troy-"

"You're the most beautiful woman, one of the smartest, and you risked your life for animals…I love you so much, I can't even express it without being cheesy." He said, cutting her off before she could try to tell him the opposite.

Gabriella giggled lightly, leaning up on her tip toes to kiss him, lingering for a moment before breaking away. "I love you too, and I'm starting to like the cheesiness."

Troy picked her up, kissing her hard. He tangled his hand in her hair and tilted her head as he trailed his lips down her neck. But he could feel that she was still a little distracted, something was wrong. "Is there something else?" He asked softly, peppering her shoulder with kisses in a comforting manner.

"It's just hard to believe that I may lose you after tomorrow."

Troy chuckled, bringing his head back up to press his forehead against hers. "You won't lose me. We're gonna win. We always do. Besides, I just got you, I'm not gonna let you go."

Her hands cupped his face, suddenly she was very serious. "Then change me. Make sure you'll never lose me."

Troy stood up straight, her hands falling from his face as he furrowed his brow, not sure he heard her right. "What?"

"Do it. Turn me into a werewolf."

His eyes softened, and to her they looked sympathetic. "No."

She was a little shocked; she thought he'd do it without question. "Why?"

He caressed her cheek gently, running his thumb over her lower lip. "Not like this. Not because of Damian and his war."

"I've wanted this since we came here. Troy, I love you, and I want to be with you forever. These past few weeks have been the most amazing experience of my life. And until you kissed me, I felt like my life meant nothing. You're my destiny, I jus-…I just know it." Gabriella said as she closed her eyes tight, unable to look at him.

In truth, Troy's been thinking about turning her for a while now, but he didn't want to pressure her into it, and he didn't want her to feel that she needed to do it. "If I turn you, I can't turn you back."

She opened her eyes in surprise, suppressing the smile that wanted to appear on her face. "I know that."

He gave her a small smile. "But I don't want you to be a werewolf." She looked down with a shaky sigh, but he lifted her chin up, chuckling silently. "I want you to be hybrid, like me."

"But I thought you couldn't turn others into hybrids." She said with her head tilted, a little confused.

"I never let the others drink my blood." He answered easily. "But you're my mate, and I want you to be my equal." She leaned up to kiss him. "I'll still be stronger and faster than you though, of course. I am the original after all."

She slapped his shoulder a small giggle escaping her lips. "That's fine with me."

Troy brought his wrist up to his mouth, tearing at the flesh with his teeth. He brought it back for her to look at. "You're sure about this?"

Gabriella took a deep breath, looking at his blood for a moment before turning her head to look into his eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that this is what she wanted. This was her destiny. "Yes, I am."

Troy nodded, bringing his wrist up to her lips. Their eyes stayed locked as she drank his blood. It was oddly intimate, and was surprised at the warmth. But didn't last too long, and he healed just in time for her to drink a good amount.

Gabriella felt the need to puke. Humans are not really supposed to drink blood, and her body was reacting to it rather strangely. For a moment she thought it wasn't going to work, but before she could ask anything, she blacked out.

Troy quickly caught her before she fell. He set her down on the bed, kissing her forehead. "I love you." He said softly, sitting down on the bed next to her.

He didn't really know what to do. He's never turned someone into a hybrid before, and the fact that she's human must change things a little. He only hopped that he did the right thing. But how could he deny her such a request when he too wants to be with her forever.

He cursed himself for letting his pride come between them before. If only he had been ready to accept her as his mate sooner, he'd have had more time with her. If only he wasn't so stubborn and scared. And now he has to protect her from Damian too, who'll take her the first chance he gets.

It's moments like this that he cherishes. Even if she is passed out, she looks so peaceful. And he wishes that he could wake up to her face every morning for the rest of his life. He doesn't want to admit it, but tomorrow might be the last time he gets to wake up with her. The last time he sees her.

He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead, inhaling her sweet scent. "I love you." He said again before lying down next to her and shutting his eyes. Ready to be there when she wakes up.

.

I'm sorry it took so long, I have no excuse other than I've been a little busy with life, and I got really swept up in another story I'm writing. But don't worry, I'll finish this story. I think there's only about four or five more chapters to go, and the battle scene will be epic, I promise you that.

Please review, I know I don't really deserve it, but I love reviews.