And then there were four

Changing the future

   Ivy POV
   Waking, I thought that everything had been a dream. Everything that Hale had told me made no sense, but then, at the same time, it did.
   Slowly, as the days grew on, I felt different, and I had tried to push it off as simply being stressed because of everything that had happened. But that wasn't it.
   I should have known that in the crazy world I was living in, things wouldn't be this easy.
   I should have realized that my place with the guys was more than what I expected it to be and deep down inside, I should have been curious at some point to know if had the gene my father did.
   Yet, it was never a thought that had crossed my mind.
Placing my hand to my forehead, I slowly sat up and looked down at my naked body.
   I was mated with Damian now.
   He had been the dam that blocked my bond before, and in desperation he had allowed me to convince him to complete the bond with me. The only thing I had left to do was save Talon.
   Pushing myself from the bed, my legs wobbled beneath me, and I quickly reached out grabbing the night stand to support myself. My body felt like it was on fire, and my heart was on the verge of exploding.
   I wasn't sure if this was normal when mating with wolves, but I was going to have to get my shit together. If the guys saw me struggling-they would never let me continue.
   Slowly I crept to the bathroom and turned on the cold water, letting the icy sting of its drop bead across my skin. A groan of pain escaped my lips as I forced myself to clean up and make myself somewhat presentable.
   "Ivy?" Damian's voice came through clear from my bedroom, and panic swept through me. He was the last person I needed to see me like this.
   "Just a moment!" I called out as cheerfully as I could.
"I was just going to see if you were hungry," he replied from the other side of the door.
   I hadn't really considered before being hungry, but now that he had mentioned it, I was ravenous. I couldn't remember ever being as hungry as I was right now, and the hunger caused the pain in my body to become that more real.
   "Yes." I croaked out, "I'm starving.. How about putting meat on the grill?"
   Sucking in a breath, I gritted my teeth and forced a block on my link so that they wouldn't sense the immense pain I was in.
   "Ivy... are you sure you're okay?"
   "Yep," I quickly replied. "I'll be down soon."
It took a moment, but then I heard his footsteps turn and head out of the room. With a heavy sigh, I leaned back against the shower wall and closed my eyes.
   Whatever was happening to me was going to have to wait. There were more pressing matters to address, and I had to get my shit together.
   Turning off the water, I staggered to the bathroom sink, wrapping a towel around my waist before reaching for a bottle of tylenol. Hopefully, the medicine would take the edge off, but considering how abnormal I felt, it was only wishful thinking.
   I was hungry, and the hunger I felt was overwhelming.
~~~~~~
   An hour later, and with much debate. I stumbled towards Talon's bedroom door and opened it, peering in to see him sleeping. My heart swelled as I gripped the door frame with a newfound determination.
   Today would be the day. I would save him, and when I did, it would change the future.
   Even though they thought what I was going to do would kill me-I didn't.
   With satisfaction, I slowly closed his door and turned towards the stairs, only to be met with a delicious scent I had never smelt before.
   "Oh, fuck..." I groaned as I pushed myself two steps at a time down the stairs and towards the kitchen. "What is that smell?"
   James and Hale turned to me with furrowed brows as they continued preparing the food before them. "Uh, steak? Damian just put some on the grill."
   Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes, "no it's not that."
I wasn't sure what the smell was, but as I walked closer towards them, the smell got stronger until I caught sight of the kabobs that James was skewering with brightly colored vegetables.
   "Ivy? What's wrong with you?"
   His questions and concerns went out the window the moment I reached forward and grabbed a piece of raw steak from the cutting board and brought it to my nose, inhaling deeply with satisfaction.
   "Oh, shit-"I groaned as I plopped it into my mouth.
   "Ivy! What the fuck-" James exclaimed with wide eyes as I snatched the cutting board, disregarding the vegetables and stuffing the raw meat into my mouth.
   "This is so good," I mumbled as the hungry feeling within my stomach began to slowly dissipate. "What is this.. It's so good."
   The French doors opened, and my eyes caught sight of Damian walking in with an empty tray and a pair of tongs. He paused in his steps, looking at all of us with confusion. "Did I miss something?"
   "Yeah, you could say that." Hale chuckled, "seems our Ivy has a thing for steak.. Just more raw than most."
   As I popped the last piece into my mouth, I moaned in satisfaction, licking each one of my fingers slowly. It wasn't until Damian cleared his throat that I really considered what I had just done.
   Looking down at the blood on the counter and on the cutting board, my eyes widened.
   "Uh, yeah, so I forgot to mention-" I stuttered with a sheepish grin. "There might be something wrong with me."
James burst into laughter as did Hale, while Damian stood shaking his head. "Might? Ivy, you just cleaned the fucking cutting board of meat that wasn't cooked!"
   That might have been a problem, but at the same time, he seemed to make more of a big deal about it than needed. Shrugging my shoulders, I rolled my eyes and grabbed a carrot.
   "Fine, I'll eat a vegetable."
   "I told you, Damian. Sølvmåne." Hale seemed chuffed about his choices, and even though he seemed convinced James and Damian were not.
   A creek from up stairs made my eyes snap towards it, and before the others could react, I was on my feet and clearing the stairs rushing towards Talon's room.
   My heart sank as I saw him laid upon the floor groaning in pain. Rushing towards him, his eyes met mine, and that was when I saw it. Black spider-like veins were spreading down the side of his neck and over the right side of his chest.
   "Talon-" I cried out softly as he smiled at me. "What are you doing? I have to get you back in bed."
He coughed as he tried to laugh and shook his head no, "I don't want to be up here by myself, Ivy. I want to come down and join all of you."
   "Shit-" as James and the others rushed into the room, I stepped back and watched them help Talon back up onto the bed.
   "Talon, what were you thinking?" Damian asked, but even though all of their questions were thrown around, I knew what I had to do. There was no more taking time, and waiting to be sure.
   I had to save him now, and I needed Hale to do it.
   "James, Damian... I need you both to get out."
   "What?" Damian hissed, casting his glance towards me. "Ivy, no. There still is too much we need to figure out."
   "I said to get out." I growled deeply, catching even myself off guard by the action.
   James didn't say a word as he stared at me. Moving slowly, he wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me. "I love you, Ivy. No matter what you decide."
   It was his way of silent approval, and it broke my heart because James had been the kindest out of them all. The way he was with me was free and fun.
   "I love you, too," I whispered back as he pulled back and turned towards the door.
   "It's time Damian. Let's go finish cooking."
   "No!" Damian growled. "I just got you. This isn't going to happen."
   There was pain and remorse in his words as I watched him fight back tears. He had kept me at a distance for so long while the others had gotten the chance to know me.
   It was his fault, but at the same time, I never gave him a proper chance.
   "I will not leave you, Damian. I need you to have faith in me."
   With much reluctance, he turned and stormed from the door, but not before I heard the crunch of drywall from the impact of his fist. He was angry and had every right to be.
   This wasn't about him, though. It was about Talon, and it was about me.
   Selfish perhaps, but it was something I had to do.
   He would have to forgive me later when I fixed our family and brought us closer to our future. Letting out a heavy sigh, I turned to Hale and smiled, "are you okay?"
   "Yes, are you?" he smirked, walking towards me and pulling me close.
   "I will be. I just hope that this works, and everything we have been through wasn't for nothing."
   "I hope the same thing, Ivy. But to be honest, I don't know if Talon has the strength for this in his current state." Hale replied, causing my eyes to look towards Talon who laid upon the bed with his eyes close, and his chest moving rapidly.
   If I didn't do this now, there was no way he would make it through the night.
   "I know he can't in this way, but there is another way he can."
   Turning to Hale, I watched the confusion on his face slowly turn to one of shock as he realized what I meant and began shaking his head no. "You can't.. His beast is worse than mine, and I don't know if I can hold him back."
   Smiling, I left a soft chuckle escape me as I slowly began to undress. "You won't be holding anything back, Hale."
   "What do you mean? Of course, I will. I'm not going to let you be hurt by him."
   He wasn't understanding a single word of what I meant, and as much as Hale had regretted what he did before-it had to be done.
   "For the longest time, a voice has rung through my mind as I slept, Hale. I had always thought that it was just my internal voice giving me guidance when I was stressed, but after I mated with you, it slowly became louder..."
   "What are you talking about?" he asked, backing away from me with a narrowed glance.
   Stepping forward, I let my shorts slip from me, exposing my completely naked body to him. "Do you want to know what it said?" I replied, backing him against the wall.
   "What-" he whispered as I gently kissed him.
   "Two beasts of the night unlock the goddess in silver light."
   Never had I taken much consideration in to what it meant. I had always expected I was slowly losing my mind, and that perhaps what was happening to me was a result of my chaotic life.
   Yet, the moment I walked into the room and saw Talon on the floor, I knew what it meant.
   In order for me to save him, I had to give myself over to their beasts.
   After all, they were twins, two parts to a whole that can only be one when brought together by one who completed them. It was rare already that twins shared a mate, but to have Lycan blood twins share a mate with two other siblings...
   Well, it was fucking unimaginable.
   As if my words triggered recognition in him, fear struck through his eyes. "Ivy, no... no no... please no."
It was too late, though. There was no changing my mind.
"Leikos... oh dear, Leikos, won't you come out to play?"