And Then There Were Four
Chapter 71

Talon POV

Waking up in the hospital was like waking up from a nightmare that never ended. Confusion filled my mind, and pain tore at my heart.

I was numb. So numb that I didn't have the will to live.

Yet, through it all, she was there.

She broke through the darkness and set my soul on fire.

I didn't know how long I had lived in darkness, but I remembered the moment it had swept through me and that was the night at the cabin. Watching her bleeding laying lifeless in Damian's arms, I couldn't control myself. I had failed her.

Every moment of the time it took us to get her to hospital, my wolf had paced in my mind trying to get out. Trying to get to our mate, and when the moon overhead finally revealed itself, it was like a damn broke. "She is better without us-" Damian's words replayed in my mind over and over again.

Those words haunted my every thought, and not able to contain myself, I gave my wolf control. I let the darkness swallow me whole and consume me, and after that I sought the only comfort I had, my beating heart. It was a blessing and a curse.

Yet, something inside me stirred as my wolf saw her at the cabin with a girl I didn't recognize. It thought the same as I had. She isn't real... Her ghost was haunting us.

A vision of her beauty that never left and taunted our mind with games

Every broken memory burned me, but letting my eyes flutter open I realized it wasn't true. She was here with me now, and the moment she kissed me yesterday, I felt my heart slowly mending.

Trying not to wake her, I brushed the loose strands of hair from her face. The same beautiful face I dreamt of so many times. As if realizing that I was awake, her lashes fluttered, and she peered up at me slowly. "Good morning." She said sleepily, with a small smile across her lips. "I'm sorry. Am I hurting you?"

She was a bit, but there was no way I was going to tell her that. "No, I like having you with me."

Leaning up, she placed her lips against mine. Her tongue pushing for access I willingly gave into as a soft moan escaped me.

"I will never get used to that." I murmured as she pulled away, blushing.

"Good, because you're not allowed to leave me again." There was seriousness and worry behind her words, and I understood just how she felt.

"I won't." I reassured her. "I promise."

"Wakey wakey, hands off snakey." A chipper voice called from the door as James peeked his head in and spotted us.

"Seriously?" Ivy laughed, slowly climbing off the bed, but not making it far as I reached out and grabbed her hand, not ready for her to leave.

Turning, she smiled at me, "I just have to use the bathroom. I will be right back."

She pointed towards the bathroom door in the room, and reluctantly I nodded and let her go. My eyes, however, never left her sight. Even after the door closed, I panicked internally, waiting for it to open again. "Talon-" Hale said, causing me to peer up at him, not realizing he had even walked into the room.

"You look like sh!t." I replied with a smile.

He and James both laughed as Hale shook his head. "Says the man currently in the hospital bed."

"Touche."

There was a sense of belonging in the room I had forgotten about. These were my brothers, my best friends, and yet when Ivy had left before, I had forgotten all about them. None of it making sense. "Okay, now that I'm done with that" Ivy laughed, exiting the bathroom with a smile.

"You can climb back into bed with me." I smirked.

Nodding, she did as I asked and once again rested her head on my ch3st. "Yes, but I do think we need to move this back to the house, eventually. This bed isn't big enough for the both of us."

*About that..." James piped up. "The doctors aren't too keen on letting that happen anytime soon, because of his stability. It seems that the poison in his system has done more damage than they know what to do with, and even though he is getting stronger." "Enough." I replied, cutting him off. "I'm not staying here. I want to go back to the house, and if they want to continue my treatment, they will do so there."

*Talon-" Ivy whispered, pulling my eyes to meet hers. "If they think it's best."

"No, Ivy. I want to go home with you. I won't die here if they think that is what will happen."

There it was. The truth of it all, and at the end of the day, I meant it.

If the poison was killing me, then let it, but let me go home with Ivy and spend what time I had left there.I wouldn't stay in this place and let my mind slowly spiral again.

Hales hand found his way to my head as he smiled, "if that's what you want my brother, then that is what will happen."

"Hale, they will refuse" James whispered, but quickly stopped as his eyes came in contact with the door. Turning my focus, I saw Damian standing there with his hands clasped in front of him.

"Is this what you want, Talon? Do you want to go home?" He asked with an expressionless stare.

"Yes."

There was no changing my mind. I wanted to go home with Ivy and my brothers

"Then it shall be done." He replied quickly, snapping his attention to James, who was about to open his mouth again. "One thing about being Alpha means that they can not refuse a command I give them. If Talon wants treatment at home, then it shall be done." Without another word, I watched him turn and head out the door. This was a side of Damian I had never seen before, and it was different to see him take charge as he was.

"The hell did you do to him, Ivy?" I asked with a smirk.

She gasped with a partially open mouth and looked between the rest of us.

"I didn't do sh!t!" She exclaimed as we broke into laughter

Ivy Pov

Having him back was a breath of fresh air. The moment we fell asleep in each other's arms, I felt peaceful for the first time in a long time. Like nothing could ever harm us.

Damian made good on his word, and after a few rounds with the doctors and a very stern Alpha voice, Talon was moved to the pack house, and recovered in his dark spacious room.

"You know

this room could really use some color." I said to myself as I laid next to him, looking around at everything

"No." His firm reply was met with an arm around my waist as he pulled me closer. "Don't you dare mess with my room, woman."

There was something about the way he called me-woman-that turned me on, and blushing softly I leaned forward kissing him. "Yes, sir," I replied teasingly.

A low purr of satisfaction left him as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck, holding me close. So close that as I drew my fingers across his tattooed skin, I couldn't help but wonder if there was something I could do. "I wish there was something that I could do to make you better."

He pulled back, meeting my eyes with his own, and smiled. "Being here like this right now makes things better for me."

"I know, but I'm serious. I feel like there is more that I could do. Like something I am supposed to do, and laying here with you now isn't fixing what's wrong with you."

Letting a heavy sigh escape him, he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

"I wish it was that easy, Ivy, but I won't lie to you. I can feel myself getting weaker, and I don't even know how this happened to me." He replied.

"No one told you?" There was hesitation in my question. I didn't want to be the one to tell him like this, but then again, if I did, maybe there was something he remembered that could help us figure this out.

"Hale told me parts, but Ivy, no one knows for sure. I'm sure you're hoping that I could tell you anything, but my mind is so clouded

Pain and confusion clouded his eyes as he gazed at me. "It's okay. We will figure it out together." I assured him as I snuggled in close.

"That we will," he replied with a chuckle. "If I know my brothers like I think I do, they will do anything to save me."

"Yes, they will." I smiled, "you're important to them."

Laughter escaped him before he quickly clutched at his chest, coughing. Sitting up, I stared down with concern, "are you okay?" "Yeah. Just thought it was funny, and I got carried away," he replied, clearing his throat.

"I don't know what was so funny." Grabbing his glass of water off the nightstand, I handed it to him, watching as he drank it down. "Because they are saving me for you.." He said as he handed it back.

*Don't say that, Talon. That's not true."

"Yes, it is." He smiled. "But it's okay, because I would do the same thing if it was one of them. Making sure you are happy is what s important to us. That's why we do what we do..even Damian, in his weird as*s ways." Rolling my eyes, I scoffed with a smile. "I don't know about that. Damian and I do nothing but fight, Talon. Sometimes I think he doesn't want anything to do with me."

A weight of confusion constantly flooded my mind when it came to Damian. The entire time I had known him, he was always hot and cold, and when I thought things were going good... they would go bad.

"It's not that, Ivy. But it isn't my place to explain things to you. When the time is right, he will tell you about his past, but it isn't roses. I can promise you that."

Nodding, I didn't argue with what he was saying. It was something I had already expected when it came to Damian. He was a complex creature, and when the time was right, I would be there waiting. "Well, since we are talking about secrets-" I smirked. "Why don't you tell me what you and Hale found out about your ancient Lycan history?"

Talon's eyes shot to mine with a haze I had never seen before, and deep inside was nothing but fear. "Who told you about that?"

"Uh-"1 hesitated, biting my bottom l!p, feeling a little unsure. "It was kind of my accident."

"Ivy, promise me you will never go down that road. Promise me you won't seek that out."

Speechless, my mouth parted as I stared at him. "Talon. I can't-"

"No." He said, shaking his head, "you already have... and with Hale-"

Clenching his fists, his lips tightened into a straight line, and anger grew that was unmistakable. "Talon, please don't be upset. It wasn't his fault. I taunted him, not thinking."

The door quickly opened, and Hale stood in the doorway staring at the both of us. The same look he gave me after he claimed me lingered across his face. Remorse. Regret. Guilt.

"Did you complete it." Talon asked, but the question was directed towards me.

"Partially yes." Hale replied flatly, closing the door behind him.

"No, Hale. It will kill her." Talon replied, turning his gaze to his brother.

I instantly felt out of the loop, unsure of what they were talking about, but there was something in Hales' gaze that let me know I was going to replace out. "She's Solvmane."

"That's not possible." Talon quickly snapped. "Are you losing your mind? They don't exist."

When Hale's gaze finally left mine, he turned to look at Talon who was all but almost ready to jump out of his bed, and go after Hale for even mentioning such a thing.

"Have you ever known me not to check into things a hundred times before stating facts?" Hale had Talon there. He was a stickler for the details, and even before all this shit happened... he was the smart one who was adamant about education.

Talon quickly quieted down and turned his worried gaze to me. "I can kill you if you try."

"What are you two talking about? What can kill me?"

Silence fell over them at my question.

What was Sølvmåne, and what was going to kill me?

"Sølvmane, is the lineage that I believe you hail from Ivy. I knew the moment I met you there was something about you that couldn't possibly be human, and with everything that happened with your father, it didn't fit your situation. Until I looked into your mother." Hale's words seeped in, and I knew what he was trying to say. But it was impossible.

I wasn't a shifter. I was human. Just human.

"That's.. No, there is no way." I replied, shaking my head. "Hale that's crazy." "Is it though?" Hale replied as he walked closer to me. "I had the doctor your mom was seeing, her new... love interest-send me a sample of her blood. It's currently being processed, and hopefully I will have the results in a few weeks."

"What does being this mean?" I asked, trying to understand it all. Nothing that he was saying made sense right now, because ! wasn't sure what this thing meant for me.

Was my life going to change? Was I going to die?

"It means that if you are, you will be one of the most powerful creatures to ever walk this planet, because your kind has been extinct for thousands of years.. Or so we thought. They are purer of blood, but you and your mother's gene has been watered down over hundreds of years or longer through mixing with humans. Typically, you shouldn't show signs, but for some reason, you have."

"So that's a good thing.. Does that mean I can save Talon? Do I get powers or something?"

Talon and Hale both chuckled, shaking their heads. "No, magic is for witches and other creatures of mystery. However, the power in your strong bloodline would be able to cure Talon and help him heal faster. It would give him the one thing he doesn't have right now-time."

Time. It was something I knew for fact that Talon didn't have.

The doctors had made me aware about that before we left the hospital, and no matter the facts they tried to push my way. I refused to believe it. I refused to believe he was dying. "So, let's do it. How do I save him?"

"No." Talon snapped, shaking his head, "absolutely fvcking not. Tell her Hale, since you want to explain all of these crazy theories. Tell her what will happen if she isn't."

Hale sighed at Talon before looking off, thinking to himself. "We don't have time to wait and make sure you are, in fact Sølvmåne which is a problem..."

"Tell her, Hale. stop being around the fvcking bush."

"Enough." I said with a stern tone looking at Talon, "you can't be stressed like this."

"No, he's right Ivy-" Hale sighed, "I'm fvcking this all up."

Moving towards Hale, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled his head towards my ch3st

"You're not. Completing this bond to save Talon is important. I mean, what's the worst that could honestly happen if I'm not Solvmåne or whatever it's called,"

"You'll die, Ivy." Talon replied, causing me to look at him.

Tears filled his eyes, and if I died.. it would kill them all.

The situation was suddenly more clear that it had ever been.. Save Talon and they could all die.

Save them, and not complete the bond though... and Talon would die.