6

A massive form enveloped my senses, almost drowning me in it scent. Earthy, sweet, tangy musk- almost like soil met citrus and garden flowers with a hint of sweat. My mouth watered instinctively. My whole body was covered head to paw in a coat of silver fur, fur that was not mine. A irrdesent glow shimmering off of the silver fur from the moonlight, whoever this was seemed to be an angel. Or a demon. It was honestly hard to tell between the feeling of arousal and fear mingled together in one. The fur was almost suffocating becoming way too hot to bare, as if hell itself had come upon earth to greet me. The fur moved across my body with ease leaving electricity where ever it touched followed by a sizzling heat that refused to be quenched with any amount of water or cool air. The air became so thick I couldn't breath, I tried to escape it I tried to fight back but nothing changed. Nothing stopped the beast on top of me from claiming what was theirs.

'Brooke!' I was startled awake by Dylan banging on my door waking me instantly. My body shot up on instinct as dylan spoke and entered my room all at once. He was quick to notice how easily I had startled and took note of the fact I was panting in exhaustion and heat. 'Shit,' he mumbled under his breath almost talking to himself.

'Mara!' He yelled for his mate. She stepped into the room quickly only being down the hall feom him when he entered my room. She looked at me and all at once started moving from the bathroom to my room and back out several times bringing supplies with her each time she came in from another place. I was too tired and hot to care what was happening I simply surrendered to the commotion around me.

Mara finally settled next to me on the bed woth all her supplies and started working on cooling me down lots of ice packs and cold water. My temperature fianlly started going down when Mara went to the bathroom and ran the water for a bath. Once she exited the bathroom she looked at Dylan and nodded. Dylan lifted me off of my bed effortlessly despite my size. He carried me to the bath and sat me down inside the tub full of cold water and ice, I was so hot the ice started melting immeadeatly. Dylan and Mara looked at eachother with worry.

'It started faster than I thought it would, we have to find him fast, she got another 48 hours max before she goes mad.' Mara stated matter of factly. Dylan bent down to my level and lifted Mt fur to look at the wound the same way father did last night.

'It's festering.' He said void of any emotion.

The water cooling me seemed to be a temporary fix, I started heating up again, I craved something, anything to quench this sweltering heat. I got up in an Instant no longer comfortable in my own body and bolted out the door trying to reach any sense of comfort or normalcy.

'Brooke!' Dylan and mara said at once together trying to stop me but I didn't listen. I just ran. I bolted down the stairs and out the pack house faster than I've ever ran before like I was running from something trying to eat me. In a sense I was. I was running from the heat, the pain, the dull ache creeping around my neck and spreading.

I ran so fast to the river desperate for the cool water hoping I. Vain that it would do something to calm this raging storm inside me. I wasn't thinking at all I just craved the water so once I reached my normal spot above the water on the cliff I jumped, no thought, no consequences playing out in my head, just the chase of relief. My body hit the water and I felt sweet relief for just a moment while my body swam below the surface. I let the water take me where ever it was going praying to whoever is watching from above that I will make it through this alive.

I didn't dare surface even though my oxygen was running low, I knew the moment my body hit the air it would sizzle like fire once again licking at my soul. So I stayed under ignoring the sensation of being our of air. The burn in my lungs was nothing compared to the burn of my body. I stayed under for too long and my vision started tunneling but I couldn't bring myself to care. If this is how I had to die then atkeast i got relief from the scorching heat inside me. At least I didn't burn to death. I felt atleast this way I had a choice. I was angry at so many things. Angry at my supposed mate for putting me through this, for taking away my choice to be marked or not, for failing to seal the bond. Angry i never properly met the wolf, angry that I hadn't lived very long at all, angry that I had never got the chance to shift into my human form before death came for me. But maybe this was meat to be....atleaat now I might be able to meet mother once again. It was bitter sweet but the thought of seeing mother was the only Solace I found in my current situation. Slowly my body sank further into the river a d I closed my eyes surrendering to death.

I thought death would be scary, terrifying, I thought it would feel wrong, or evil. But instead deat just felt peaceful, it felt like bei g.locex fully for the first tiem my entire life. No obligation, no worry, just being..or I guess the lack of being. Just a little longer, I could tell i had mere minutes if not less of life and just let it take me down further. Everything turned black.

Nothing existed here, yet everything did all at once. Strange. I thought death would be very different. I thought it would matter to me more, but it didn't. I was ready for it to end. Then nothing.