Chapter 31: Upside Down

**Dante POV

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to get air into his lungs. She rejected him. He had heard about it happening to other wolves. When he came of age, his mother explained how it was always a possibility. But after meeting Nora, he never believed it. How could she? Especially after saying she loved him?

Her words were a blade, twisting in his chest. The pain he felt was worse than anything he could have imagined. His wolf, Kano, howled in his mind. He mourned their loss... their losses. First his mother, and now Nora.

Dante felt he would die. For a moment, he wanted to. He watched as Nora's hair started growing. As soon as she had finished uttering those terrible words, her hair sprung from her head, falling past her shoulders, down her back, and finally pooling at the floor. Nora groaned in pain, and even though she had just rejected him, he still wanted to protect her.

"Nora," he whispered. "Why?"

"Just go," she answered, curled up on the floor. "Please."