Author's Note: Well hello there! It hasn't been very long since my last update, so I don't have much to say…

First off, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm so grateful to each and every one of you! This amazing group of people includes: TwilightGurl4Lyfe (I'm terrified of fangirls, and I swear, I would never purposely run Derek over!), Mardelzor (your theory is intriguing :P and I'm sorry for making you cry!), OriannaKnox (thank you so much! I hope the chapters meet your expectations!), MyCrystallineHeart (Thank you so much! I promise to keep updating!), moon-called-princess (I'm gunna start my own book soon – I'll let you know if it ever gets published and you can go out and get it :P), Autumn O'Shea Swan (yep, wolves always = promising! And I agree, Chloe is quite the trouble-magnet), Alondra87 (You are the definition of subtle! :P And I can tell you're a fellow Canadian, eh?), TillylovelifeO.o (Yep, Chloe getting eaten by wolves would kinda suck… not to mention effectively end the story), Taste the Rainbow- Or Else (well, it really depends what kind of cereal you mean… but I am cereal, I'm afraid… and thank you so much! I try really hard not to be annoying :P Glad you like ma style! *Puts on her swag sunglasses*), new-Necro03 (no problem! And we can hope they do… it's either that or they eat her, basically), xXChlerekXx (I think so… read this chapter to find out for sure lol), Bookninja15 (they definitely need to invent another word for cliffhanger, I think! And thank you!), suzi1811 (Thank you so much! The demon is definitely up to something… and there is definitely something off about those wolves! ;) I'll try to update sooner, I promise!), SweetDreamzz3116 (You're very welcome, my dear! And it could be… but I'm not saying a word :P), vampiremom1221 (It would probably take a miracle… but miracles happen, right? Hopefully you don't have to wait too long to find out if they happen for Chloe!), NobodyLikeMe (I'll try! And thank you for the review!), 19furby85 (I'm allergic to cliffhangers too, but they seem to be popping up everywhere these days! :P), Bleeding Hearts98 (I get the sense that you really like Derek… am I right? :D), RenesmeeRedbird (Thank you so much! I hope the rest are exciting too – lemme know!), jenaca (I can neither confirm or deny your conspiracy theory lol :P), .X (Thank you so much! And those touch screens are evil!), LittleMissDreamer7 (Lol I won't tell! And yes, I did bring you your chapter :) And you're going to have to worry for a little bit longer, I'm afraid, no spoilers here :D), cowgirl137 (Thanks for having faith in me! Hope I don't disappoint!), and LilliSouza. You guys all ROCK, and I'm so glad I have amazing readers like yourselves! Next chapter I won't have a big shout-out like this – instead I'm going to answer each and every review individually, because I love chatting with you guys and it's been a while :) Leave me a review if you want to talk! I answer questions … sometimes :P A huge thank-you goes out to my bestest buddy burning.. – she's the Dumbledore to my Harry Potter, and I definitely couldn't have gotten this story this far without her help! See you in Pottermore! :D

And also… Christina gets some cred too :P (Notice I said 'some'? Little miss Christina informed me she would like to take full credit, but as I reminded her, she only writes the disclaimers… sometimes).

Anyways, I'm going to stop rambling now and let you guys read! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The girls are in the hospital recovering from the crash that Steph's risky behavior caused …

Christina: *Is in full-body cast, and is extremely angry*
I can't believe you, Steph! I mean you've done some stupid, thoughtless things in your life, but this one takes the cake!
*Wiggles around, trying to hit Steph, but can't reach*
The minute I get out of this thing, I'm coming after you! You'll rue the day you did this; rue it, I say!

Steph: *Defensive*
Common Chris, it was an honest mistake! How was I supposed to tell the difference between a squirrel and a werewolf from that far away, huh?
*Pouts and lowers voice*
I'm just sad that we didn't get to see Derek! I thought for sure it was him this time …

Christina: ARE YOU KIDDING ME? After all the pain you caused me, all you care about is the fact that we didn't get to meet a fictional character from a series you don't even own?
*Starts swearing like a trucker at Steph and thrashing against the cast*

Steph: *Scarred, starts backing up from bed*
I think maybe you need your meds now – I'll get the nurse!
*Presses call button for nurse, who immediately enters the room with a syringe*

Christina: NO! I don't want drugs; I want to strangle my dim-witted cousin! Let me out of this stupid cast!
*Tries to move, but the nurse injects her with the pain-killers and she falls asleep*

Steph: *Watches Christina with a sad smile*
I really hope she feels better soon!

Illusions

"There are no such illusions quite so pretty as those that – once shattered - have the ability to destroy us."

-Anonymous

You know that scene in every horror film where the heroine is running away from the killer, and she does all sorts of stupid things like fall, trip over rocks and tree roots, and sprains her ankle? Every time I've ever watched a scene like that, all I could think was, "How dumb do you have to be to get caught? The killer's practically walking and you can't run for a few minutes without sustaining injuries?"

Apparently it has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with how terrified you are.

My legs couldn't seem to find purchase in the damp soil, and the faster I tried to run, the harder it got to do so. I could swear for a moment that I actually went so slow that I could feel myself going backwards. My heart was beating a thousand times per minute, and it felt like it was straining against my chest in an attempt to escape itself. I could feel the adrenaline flowing through my veins, propelling me forward, but for all it was worth, I hardly seemed to be getting anywhere. While I ran, I mentally cursed the demi-demon, calling her every bad name I had in my repertoire. She'd obviously known this was going to happen – she'd probably orchestrated the entire thing just so she could finish me off and eradicate my power over her.

Stupid, stupid Chloe – did you really think she was going to do something for you out of the kindness of her heart? She's a DEMON, for crying out loud! A certified servant of hell! Did you really think you could trust her?

No, I hadn't trusted the demon – but I had hoped she would make this easy for the both of us…

She thrives on chaos and destruction; this is probably her definition of easy: letting you get eaten by those wolves.

Point taken.

I ran like a bat out of hell (no pun intended) but it was no use – I could hear the wolves' footfalls getting closer by the second. It sounded as if they were no more than ten paces behind me, and my stores of energy were depleting rapidly. There was no way out except to re-enter the barrier…

And according to my watch, I still had six minutes left.

I was beyond screwed.

I started to pray, then stopped myself. I just made a deal with a demon… I seriously doubt anyone up there wants to help me out right now.

So with nothing left to do, I did the only thing I could do – I kept running, ignoring the protesting cries coming from my aching legs. I forced my mind to go blank as I directed all of my energy to the movement of my legs. Every breath I took sounded like thunder to my ears, but I never slowed. For a few shining moments, I was actually hopeful that I would make it through this ordeal and live to tell the tale…

I should've known better.

One of the wolves came rushing towards me from the side, and I had no time to change direction. He – I don't know how I knew it was a male, but I did – plowed into me. I went down, crumpling like a piece of paper under the tremendous weight of the beast. I felt the its warm, foul breath on my face for a second and gagged as the stench of rotting meat surrounded me. Then a bark echoed through the trees, and the weight of the huge grey beast disappeared as it stepped off of me. I swallowed, feeling a surge of hope – maybe they aren't going to eat me after all? – before I recalled another tidbit of information about wolf behavior learned from Derek: the alpha always eats first.

I scrambled up off my back, supporting myself with my elbows. I couldn't see a damned thing except the flashlight I'd been holding as I ran – I'd dropped it when the wolf tackled me, and it lay beside me now, flickering feebly. I looked up, and my eyes met the gaze of the wolf who'd pinned me. His eyes bore into mine, watching me for any sign of an escape attempt on my part. The message was clear: don't even think about trying to escape. The only reason you're still breathing is because my buddy wants to finish you off himself.

The other wolf stepped out from behind a tree and began its walk towards me; I knew I was done for then.

I was trapped, pinned, and powerless – summoning would be pointless.

It was all over. All of it – the fighting, the running, the escapes, the pain and the sacrifices – had all been for nothing. I was going to die here like a rabbit that'd strayed too close to the den of a hungry bear. And how much more ironic could the situation be – for me to be murdered by wolves when the boy I loved would have been one himself?

I closed my eyes, bracing for the moment it all went out – the flame I'd been ineffectually protecting for so long; the end of my existence.

I took one final breath as the alpha closed in on me. I guess I'll be seeing you sooner than I thought, D.

I prepared myself for the impact and the feel of the wolf's sharp teeth against my neck – I'd heard somewhere that wolves killed by going for the throat – but it never came. Amazed, I said a quick prayer, thanking the Fates or whoever was responsible for the mercy of a quick and painless death. I was anxious for the moment when I'd see Derek again, but just thinking about how my death would affect Simon and Tori dampened my spirits. I felt guilty for leaving them behind, but I knew there was nothing I could do for them now. Simon and Tori and the rest of the rebels would have to make do without me… but seeing as I hadn't really done anything particularly useful anyway, I didn't think it would be that big of a problem.

But what about Tori? Will the demon still heal her?

I didn't think she would – after all, if she was spiteful enough to kill me, why wouldn't she be spiteful enough to let Tori die, too. And even if she didn't cure Tori, I'd find someone here on the other side to do it – there had to be a shaman in limbo somewhere, right? Couldn't their spirits still perform the same type of healing magic?

And speaking of healing… should my ankle be throbbing? Isn't there some rule against pain after death or something?

My eyes shot open as it dawned on me: I could still hear the sounds of the forest – the wind rustling the leaves and the crickets chirping – and smell the grass and the wet soil beneath me. I wasn't dead … yet.

The disappointment hit me like a speeding car.

I was indeed still in the forest. My flashlight still lay next to me, illuminating the tops of my mud-caked sneakers and not much else other than a few feet of forest in front of me. I could hear the sounds of a fight: growling and barking and rustling, so I stood up shakily and followed the noises, hoping the wolves would be sufficiently distracted so that I could escape. The throbbing in my injured ankle was getting worse by the minute, and if I wasn't able to get back inside the safe-zone soon, I would probably pass out.

My original assumption had been that the two wolves had begun to fight amongst themselves – that perhaps the submissive wolf had gotten tired of being just that. But what I glimpsed through the tree as I tried to find my way back to the barrier didn't support that theory: the two wolves who'd caught me earlier were fighting… just not with each other.

Amazed, I stopped to watch, transfixed by what I was seeing. There was a third wolf now, but he didn't seem to be following orders from the Alpha. He had black fur so dark that he seemed to disappear into the shadows cast by the trees overhead. It had its back to me, but even from where I stood I could tell it was powerful – it was single-handedly fighting off both wolves at once … and by the looks of it, the black wolf was winning.

They growled at each other, the black wolf and the hunter snapping their jaws while the Alpha pulled his lips back in a terrifying snarl. I could hardly see their shapes in the dark as the fighting intensified – all I could make out clearly was the whites of their teeth and their eyes and blurs of different coloured fur. I watched in fascination – a sort of trance, I guess – wondering which side would come out victorious.

Uh, it's getting late. How long do you intend to sit here watching this? Those things are going to tear each other apart and have you for desert!

I ripped my eyes away from the action to glance down at my watch: my time was up and I was free to go back inside… the only problem was that my legs were rooted to the ground and I couldn't will them to move. I knew I should be getting out of there as fast as possible – especially now that the wolves had sensed me nearby – but I couldn't leave. Not without knowing if the black wolf managed to take out the others for me.

Because if they were coming back for me tomorrow, I was going to be ready.

I returned my attention to the scene in front of me: the ones who'd hunted me were wearing down as they expended more and more energy, their actions becoming less strategical and more desperate each time the black wolf landed a blow. After a few more minutes the Alpha still looked fine – no major scars or injuries – but his subordinate looked like he'd gotten into a fight with a chainsaw and lost: there were chunks of flesh missing from his right flank, and his fur was damp with blood.

"Vicious little creatures, aren't they?" the demi-demon's voice echoed in my mind. I cringed, then tried my best to mentally shove her out of my head. She laughed, but this time the sound came from somewhere above me and sounded like it held an undertone of malice. "Careful with those powers, child! You wouldn't want to rouse any unfortunate souls now would you? You never know what could be buried in these woods."

I stopped immediately, not taking my eyes off the fight, and she chuckled. "You know dear, there was no need to be so rude about it! I would have left if you had asked nicely…"

I turned my attention away from the battle for a moment. "Nicely?" I repeated. "You expect me to ask 'NICELY' after you tried to get me killed?"

She clicked her tongue disappointedly. "Tsk, tsk! Apparently little Chloe was never taught to respect her elders!" she laughed and paused before adding, "… although, I guess it would be difficult to retain any semblance of etiquette after a fool like Davidoff murders your parents…" I felt the bile rise up into my mouth, but I didn't let myself take the bait she was dangling in front of me like steak for a starving dog. I remained silent, focusing my attention on the fight going on in front of me. Never one to be ignored, the demon inquired, "Did you hear me, child? I said-"

"I heard what you said," I assured her, keeping my voice calm and my tone icy, "but frankly, I don't give a shit. I'm done playing games with you, demon! I'm only going to say this once: leave, or I swear I'll make you wi-"

A howl from one of the wolves made me jump, momentarily forgetting the demon while I tried to determine which wolf had been injured badly enough to make that sound. Maybe it's the Alpha, I thought, feeling hopeful. If the Alpha's injured, the other wolf will forget about me and leave with him, and I'll be safe for a day or two. They might not even come back anytime this week, leaving me without anything to worry about … I let my thoughts trail off, realizing which one had cried out in agony: the black wolf, who'd been the only thing keeping the others from eating me alive. As I looked on in horror, the two partner wolves converged around the third with a hungry look in their eyes: they were about to finish him off.

I couldn't let that happen – couldn't watch an innocent creature get murdered right before my eyes. I thought of the kitten who'd be senseless bludgeoned to death in front of me, and it gave me the mental push I needed: I can't let that happen again. In less than three seconds I managed to rip open the zipper of my backpack and extract one of the steak knives I'd brought outside with me.

Time slowed down considerably then thanks to the adrenalin pulsing through my veins. Distracted by their goal, the two wolves didn't see me come up behind them. The servant wolf held the black wolf down, while alpha dipped his head to the black wolf's throat….

I lunged with the knife in my hands and buried it to the hilt in the Alpha wolf's lower back. He let out a high-pitched howl – more like a blood-curling scream, actually – and turned to look at me, hatred for me evident in his eerily-human eyes. He tried to lunge towards me, teeth barred, but apparently my stunt had given the black wolf his opportunity to escape: he tackled the Alpha, sending him flying towards a moss-covered tree trunk.

The Alpha whimpered, backing away from the black wolf as best he could in a show of surrender. The black wolf held his ground, barring his teeth and growling as he held a protective stance in front of me. The other wolf moved forward fractionally – earning another growl from the black wolf – before deciding it wasn't worth it. He began to back up, dragging the Alpha back into the depths of the forest with him.

I stood there, frozen to the spot, straining to hear the sound of twigs snapping or anything else that would indicate the wolves were coming back to finish us off. The wolf was mirroring my actions, staying perfectly still with his snout in the air while he sniffed for a trace of the other wolves' scents. After standing motionless for ten minutes I relaxed my stance, letting my shoulders sag as I let out the breath I'd been holding. Oddly enough, I wasn't freaking out – which is a completely normal reaction when left alone in the woods with a wolf – just anxious to get back inside the barrier and see how Tori was doing.

I looked at the wolf, still frozen in place. Will he notice if I leave? I wondered. Will he come after me? I began to feel uneasy as it dawned on me: he probably just fought them so he could eat me instead.

Great.

I began to back up slowly, taking care not to step on anything that would make noise. I'm only a few dozen feet away from the barrier; I could make it if I get a good enough head start. I tried picking up my pace a little, turning around so there'd be no chance of me tripping over something and giving myself away. Common Chloe, it's just a couple feet. You can do this. You can do this! Just a couple more steps and you can start running, and then it's home-free…

I heard a low growl from behind me and jumped.

SHIT!

I turned just as the wolf slipped past me. He stopped a few feet in front of me, then motioned with his head in a gesture that I took to mean follow me.

Umm….that probably isn't the smartest thing to do right now.

But I did – without even stopping to consider that it might be a bad idea to follow a huge carnivorous animal deeper into the woods…

The wolf kept a steady pace in front of me despite the injury I could now see to his front paw. He walked with his nose to the ground, searching for – I assumed, anyway – the trails the other wolves had followed. I could tell he was listening for any sound of their return so I tried to stay as silent as possible, but navigating the uneven ground was not easy; every twig I snapped underfoot sounded like a gunshot to my ears. I tried to get my thoughts together while I walked, wondering why I wasn't more worried about where the wolf was leading me, but they flitted away like grains of sand in the wind. I couldn't focus – couldn't find it in me to react. A small part of my mind whispered that I was probably exhausted and in no condition to make much sense of anything, but I knew the real reason for my lack of sense:

This can't be a normal wolf – it's way too intelligent. And it hasn't tried to attack me like the others did….

I looked up from my shoes and stared at the wolf, realizing: its fur is black. If Derek had Changed, his fur would have been just like—

I shook my head to stop myself from allowing that thought to continue. It can't possibly be him. He's dead, remember? You can't keep doing this!

I bit my lip, forcing back the tears I'd felt forming.

Hope is a dangerous thing. No matter how sure you are that something will never happen, hope gives you a horrible fleeting instant of happiness, of maybe – horrible because, seconds later, you crash back to reality and it hurts again, worse than ever. Because for that moment, you forgot how bad things were.

For a moment, you dared to hope.

Hope is a dangerous thing… especially when it's all you have left.

I spent the rest of the walk making contingency plans in case the wolf really was leading me to my doom. I can use the other knife if I have to, I rationalized, and it probably won't be able to catch me if I run – that injury is slowing it down.

And it was true: the wolf's pace had slowed to almost a stand-still, and I could tell it was trying not to put any weight on its injured front paw. If it hadn't been for the fact that I was terrified of having it behind me, I would've sped up and took the lead – well, that and the fact that I had no idea where I was or where we were going.

Finally - after what must've been at least half an hour of walking blindly with my nerves on-edge – the wolf stopped in his tracks.

I looked up and saw where we were: back at the edge of the barrier, standing only a few feet away from where the other wolves had first spotted me. My jaw dropped, and if it wasn't pitch-black outside, I would've thought it was mirage. "What the f-?"

The wolf circled around until it was behind me and nudged my legs gently with its nose. Unprepared, I almost fell flat on my face, catching myself at the last second. I heard a snort behind me, and I felt my face go red. Lovely. Even animals laugh at my clumsiness now. Perfect.

I stood up straight and began walking forward, taking a few hesitant steps. This could be a trap, I told myself. An ambush. Just when I think I'm safe - as I'm about to cross into the barrier - they'll grab me and…. I turned to look at the wolf, but he'd already turned around and begun walking away, flinching each time he used his injured paw. My heart sank watching. He protected me from those things and brought me back safely. Am I really going to just let him go back there? With that injury those other wolves won't have a problem taking him down...

"Wait!" I called, running after it and feeling more foolish by the second. I'm sure the wolf speaks English. God, when did I become such an idiot?

But amazingly, it worked. The wolf stopped walking, turned around, and gave me another push towards the barrier. When I dug my heels in and resisted, it began to whine, as if to ask why I was being so difficult.

"Stop pushing me, I want to help you!" I snapped. It obeyed immediately, dipping its head as I turned around to look at it. "You're hurt," I explained, my voice soft so as not to scare it. "I have to bandage your paw or you'll never survive another attack out there, understand?" Obviously, I hadn't been looking for a response – just trying to calm the wolf with my voice – but after a few seconds it laid down and bowed its head, sticking its injured paw out a few inches farther than the other.

Holy. Shit. This thing definitely isn't a regular wolf. It has to be a werewolf... which means the others who attacked me-

"Uhh, o-okay," I whispered, my voice shaking. I slipped off my backpack and reached inside; searching for the water bottle I'd placed there earlier. I pulled out the bottle and put my bag down, crouching near the wolf. "I have to clean the wound first, to prevent infection," I explained, knowing it would understand. I gingerly poured water over the injury and wiped away the excess with the edge of my sleeve, careful not to put too much pressure on it. Then I pulled off the sweater and tank top I was wearing (out of sight of the wolf, of course) and put the sweater back on. I tried to rip the tank top into thin strips, but the material was too thick and I only managed to get a few wide ones. Improvising, I tied them together end-to-end instead, until the crude bandage was long enough to wrap around the wolf's paw a few times. I lifted the paw gently and wrapped the fabric around, trying to keep it tight enough to maintain pressure, but not tight enough to cut off circulation like a tourniquet.

When I was finished, I sat back and rinsed my hands with what remained of the water. The wolf didn't move, and for a second, I thought the worst – until I saw his ears move and relaxed. For a few minutes we just sat there, the wolf with his head down and eyes closed while I watched it, trying to figure out what was going on. My breathing was beginning to slow as the remains of the adrenalin left my system, but I was still on-edge, so I tried to distract myself by examining my current situation. This has to be a werewolf… but what is it doing here? I wondered. I knew it couldn't be a member of the Edison Group; they didn't hire or associate with werewolves because they thought they were savages. I studied the wolf again, trying to remember if Andrew had introduced Simon and I to any werewolves at dinner. I racked my brains for a face, but none came, and I remembered noting that there hadn't been any werewolves in the rebellion group either. Not even the good guys wanna be around werewolves… how'd they get such a bad rap?

I cleared my throat and the wolf's ears perked up at the sound. "Are you… a w-werewolf?" I asked, voice low. It didn't react, so I took a deep breath to steady myself and asked a different question: "Are you a member of the Edison Group?"

At the sound of the group's name, he began to growl. "I'll take that as a 'no', then," I said, trying to calm it down. But then the growling turned to whining, and I knew something was wrong. I looked around for any signs of trouble, but we were alone, and I was sure if the others had returned, the wolf would've tried to push me back to barrier again. Instead he began to curl in on himself, breathing heavily as his spine began to arch unnaturally. What the hell is happening? I stood there, watching in horror as the wolf's bones began to make the most horrible cracking noises I'd ever heard. "Oh, shit," I whispered, watching as the toes on the front paws elongated and the fur receded into his skin.

He's Changing back! I realised, hugging my arms to my chest. I watched as the wolf began to change form, shivering when I heard it howl in agony.

That was all it took. I ran over, lowering myself onto my knees. What am I supposed to do?

"You're going to be fine," I whispered, placing a hand on its back - it was still more wolf than human, but it was larger now, and the arms and legs had thickened considerably. It tried to shake off my hand, ducking its head – which had begun to Change back as well – so I couldn't see. "You're going to be fine," I repeated, the words catching in my throat as I realized that, had Derek lived to his first Change, he would've been experiencing this torturous process as well.

What would you have done if you had to watch Derek go through this? My subconscious taunted. Would you have just stood there and said "you're going to be fine"?

"What can I do?" I begged him, telling myself that if this were Derek, I'd be doing everything in my power to ease his pain. "Let me help you!"

I placed my hand on it again, trying to calm it down. I could feel the muscles spasming under my touch, but I kept my hand there, stroking the skin/hair (it was lengthening and shortening rapidly) between the shoulder blades. It didn't seem to be making much of a difference, but after about ten minutes, his breathing began to slow. I backed off, giving him breathing room. His form hadn't changed much – he still looked like a wolf, although his limbs had lengthened – but I was hopeful that the worst was over now.

I was wrong.

A few seconds after I backed up his spine arched again, and the bones snapped so loudly I was amazed people in the house didn't come running. I tried to get closer but he was thrashing around, trying to stop the pain, and I couldn't get closer.

A few more minutes of torture later, there was a wolf standing before me once again; his body had refused to complete the reversal, and he'd reverted back to wolf form. I had no idea if this was normal, but he seemed to be in pretty bad shape as he lay on the ground panting. I approached him slowly, wondering what was next. Will his body try again, or is he stuck like this…?

I sank down onto my knees next to him. "Come back to the house with me, through the barrier," I begged. "We have shamans who can help you, experts-" He stood up shakily, his legs unsteady underneath him. I stood up too, knowing I'd have to lead the way if the barrier was going to allow him access. Brushing off my pants, I watched as he took a few steps forward.

He glanced up at me, and for a fraction of a second I thought I saw green.

And then he bolted away, back into the depths of the forest.

A/N: So there's the chapter… I'm looking forward to answering all your lovely reviews (I can sometimes be persuaded to answer questions, ya know… just sayin'). Please review guys, and lemme know what you think of this chapter! :)