***IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END***
Jane stared at Anouchka in disbelief, finally piecing together what she knew. Anouchka had told her that Levi was protecting her from someone... guess now she knew who that someone was.
"Mate!" Luke possessively growled suddenly losing interest in both Jane and Levi as his eyes registered onto Anouchka who looked both terrified and relieved all at once. Suddenly Levi jumped onto his brother and pinned him down to the ground. Jane got a glimpse at Luke's face and she was in shock at how lost he was to his wolf. Luke's eyes had changed as well as his teeth, even his face shape had changed into that of his wolfs and she could see his bones struggling to retain one form.
"I thought I told you to stay at home?" Levi barked at Anouchka anger and annoyance dripping from his tone, "You knew that Luke was back and you didn't listen to me."
Anouchka stuttered as she whispered, "I-I'm sorry. I needed to see him."
Luke started howling and snapped Jane out of her stupor. She looked down at the two brothers on the ground and innocent, vulnerable Anouchka and she knew she had to get Luke's mate away from this chaotic mess.
Avoiding the struggling brothers she reached Anouchka and gently grabbed her arm as she softly asked, "Erin... are you okay?"
Anouchka started sobbing and Jane found herself suddenly supporting her weight. She wanted to console Anouchka but at the same time, she knew she had to get her out of there.
Suddenly the back door opened and Elle and Mike came running out, taking one look at the chaos in front of them and throwing themselves right into it. Mike trying to help Levi, keep Luke away and Elle slung Anouchka's arm over her shoulder, "Come on Janie let's get her out of here."
Together both Elle and Jane managed to place Anouchka in the back of Mike's car and Anouchka broke down into heart wrenching sobs that made Jane wince. Would that be her one day? She didn't really understand too much about this whole curse, but she'd assume because Luke and Levi were twins that Anouchka would be suffering a similar fate as she was.
She looked over at Elle and frowned, she still hadn't entirely forgiven her yet, but she did help her get Anouchka out of there and Jane didn't have a car. Clearing her throat she awkwardly mumbled, "Thankyou."
Elle shrugged, "Don't worry about it."
Elle raised her eyes to the rear view mirror and looked at Anouchka as she asked, "Where am I going?"
Anouchka shrugged, "I don't really feel like going home."
Jane and Elle shared a frowned as they wracked their brains trying to figure out where to go. It was pretty late and she they both had class tomorrow, but they couldn't just abandon Anouchka when she clearly did not want to be left home alone.
Elle gave Anouchka another look through the rear view mirror before curling her fingers tighter over the steering wheel, "McDonalds it is."
Jane didn't make a habit of eating McDonalds but she couldn't turn down a box of fries right now. And if Anouchka's laugh was anything to go by, she needed a little pick me up to.
It didn't take very long to find a McDonalds restaurant and settle inside a booth all of them divulging in the guilty pleasure. There was meaningless discussion, none of them wanting to be the first one to talk about what just happened. Although both Elle and Jane were itching to know the history between Erin and Luke they were trying their best to be considerate of the fact that she was clearly not up to talking about it just yet.
"You know, Erin's going to teach me self-defence," Jane casually started slurping up more of her thick shake.
Elle giggled, "Why do I have a feeling that's going to come in handy?"
Jane rolled her eyes, "Don't be annoying. You should probably learn too. At least that way Mike won't be as worried about you and give your room to breathe."
Jane was surprised by Anouchka's laugh followed by her confession, "That's the reason why I begged Luke to teach me. He wouldn't leave me alone..."
Anouchka's laughter trailed off and her eyes seemed to be clouded over with memories. Jane and Elle sat there silent hoping that Anouchka would elaborate. Her eyes found Jane's and she gave a sad smile, "We used to spend a lot of time together Luke and I. He'd told me within the first week that I'd met him about the curse and how according to the curse I would suffer one of two fates. The first being that I would die within a year of us meeting, the second that he would lose almost everything that made him human."
Jane thought back to Luke's cold, predatory behaviour and how close he was more than halfway shifted as she and Elle had taken Anouchka to safety. It was obvious that Luke had lost his humanity, she'd heard of it happening to wolves but only rarely. A unique side effect of living without your mate.
"His wolf is in control?" Jane whispered and Anouchka nodded with her head hung low, whilst Elle just sat quietly absorbing all the information she could. Although Mike wasn't directly effected by the curse, there were still a lot of people Elle cared about involved in the curse.
"I told him that I'd rather die," Anouchka admitted drying her eyes, "But he insisted it was the better option. You see, the curse only works when there are twins involved. Two brothers alike in blood and power, both of them virtually indestructible. Their only weakness their mates. One mate will rule as Luna the other will die."
This whole curse situation just keeps getting better and better.
"Has anyone ever been able to overcome it?" Elle asked, worry clear in her voice which was confirmed when Anouchka shook her head, "No. The curse has been occurring for over hundreds of years and not one person has ever been able to overcome it. I've spent a lot of time reading about the curse talking to Luke and Levi's uncles and grandfathers and great-grandfathers. Reading journals and ancient texts but there's all so much and none of it has a way to reverse the curse."
"But what if Jane rejects Levi?" Elle questioned, "Severing the bond- that would work, right?"
Jane glared at Elle but was shocked by Anouchka's words, "No one knows. No one has ever tried it before. Levi is pretty sure it'll work."
"Of course he is..." Jane muttered under her breath and she didn't miss the way Elle tightened her hands around her drink.
"He could be right," Anouchka announced, "There's no evidence to suggest it won't and it this point anything option seems better then death."
Jane couldn't help but laugh. If only Anouchka knew there really were things worse than this curse and death itself, things that directly related to her.
Anouchka frowned, "You may think this is funny now, but just wait till your year is up. I remember when mine was... one moment Luke was completely normal and the next he was, gone. His body was there but his soul wasn't. What is the point in evening having a soulmate if you don't even have a soul?"
What's the point in being saved if Jane would just end up like her?
If Jane would end up just like Clare.
***
After making sure that Anouchka was dropped home safely, Elle had begun the excruciatingly awkward and silent process of driving back to the dorms. Jane still wasn't going to be forgiven her any time soon and it seemed Elle was holding the same ideals.
Trying to ignore the tense atmosphere in the car, she knew that Elle wouldn't be able to sit there in silence for much longer. Sooner or later Elle would crack and rant until Jane's ears bled.
Elle lasted a full five minutes before she started her aggressive guilt trip.
"Well I hope you're happy, Jane." Elle said angrily turning down the darkened streets and Jane rolled her eyes; here we go.
"It has now been officially confirmed that you're refusing the only solution which will allow you to live. And in that case my I say congratulations you're an idiot."
Jane growled at Elle, "You know I'd rather die, then let myself end up like Clare."
"Oh not this again?!" Elle whined, "You can't seriously think you're going to end up like Clare if you'll get rejected do you? You're stronger than she was. She was weak willed and already a little psychotic to begin with. You're psychotic but in a totally different way."
"Gee thanks for the compliment."
"Yeah well, you are psychotic if you don't just sever the bond between you and Levi. And don't give me that stupid, damned if you do, damned if you don't, crap because I know you."
Ignoring Elle, Jane waited patiently those next few seconds as Elle drove into her parking space and reached for the door handle only to find it was locked.
"Elle you need to let me out of this car right now!"
"Not until you agree that you're over reacting."
"About what?!" Jane started yelling, feeling angry and upset that her best friend was being like this. Why couldn't Elle just accept that there was nothing she could do to stop her from dying at her 365 days since she'd met her mate?
"Admit you're nothing like her."
"I'm exactly like her," Jane shot back, "I look like her. I act like her. Hell, I even sound like her!"
"You don't act like her?" Elle argued, "You're not a crazy psycho-maniac going around killing people!"
"Yet!" Jane shouted, "But when I get rejected - like she did - I'll be lost to my wolf. You may not have had a chance to meet my biological mother when she was alive, but let me tell you this. When my father rejected my mother, she was a thousand times worse than Luke was tonight. At least he still has a shred of humanity, a teeny, tiny speak. Clare had nothing."
By now tears were streaming out of her eyes and Elle had finally stopped shouting back, so she continued, "You don't know what it's like to have someone you love and admire go on a killing spree. Do you have any idea what it was like for me, to watch her lure in and kill innocent people like it was some sort of game to her? And then when that wasn't enough to satisfy her, she tried to kill me. Her five year old daughter.
"Her blood runs through my veins, Elle. Every moment I look in a mirror or open my mouth I am reminded of her. What she did, what she became. All because that bond severed within her and she lost herself to her wolf."
Elle's voice had grown soft as she consoled, "You're nothing like her, Janie. You have to believe that."
Jane looked out the window, her voice quiet as she commanded, "Open the door."
Running as quickly as she could, she tried to escape the painful memories she had opened up inside of the car. Every word she had said was true about her real mother. She remembered the sick, twisted woman she became and later on when her aunt and uncle adopted her she learnt why. She was born weak. Her mate bond just as fragile as everything else, if she were to be rejected she would be lost forever. Her human side completely gone.
At least there was a small part of Luke still there. Behind his prowling wolf he was still there. Behind Clare there was nothing but darkness.
Pushing open the door to her dorm, she flicked on the light and quickly wished she hadn't when she saw her roommate very attached to a familiar boy.
"Jane?!" Cassie shrieked suddenly covering herself, "I thought you were staying at your sisters tonight?"
Jane would've slapped a hand over her eyes and ran straight back out into the hall, if she hadn't noticed the boy right beside Cassie. She would recognize him anywhere.
"Oh, right introductions," Cassie sat up clearing her throat.
"Babe, this is my roommate Jane. And Jane this is my new boyfriend, and yes you heard right actual, lasting more than a week, boyfriend."
The familiar hunter had a large smirk over his face as he chuckled, "What a pleasure to meet you, I'm Ronan."
~*~
Authors Note
Hopefully a lot of things were cleared up in this chapter. And hopefully a lot of things were a huge surprise also.
QUESTION: Do you think there is a way to break the curse?
Next update: ???
Okay, so there is no update goal, because I will be going through and editing this entire story as it is all unedited. It will take me about maybe 5-7 days I'm guessing, but during that time I will be uploading a teaser chapter for my followers only.
Jasmine