Darach’s jaw instantly clenched, and I could see the muscle flexing beneath the layer of skin. I gritted my teeth and pressed my lips together― this couldn’t be an easy conversation. Dahlia Elrod had never been the best sister, but Darach always had her best interests at heart before the nosy lot of us disrupted this strange peace they had between them.

Or at least, whatever semblance of peace there was.

Either way, Darach always had a soft spot for his sister― that was the whole reason why we became acquainted in the first place. He had hoped for a better life for Dahlia away from Damon. Alas, he was right.

If their lives hadn’t been intertwined, perhaps Dahlia Elrod would still be alive now.

"She died," Darach said nonchalantly, keeping his face straight. "Everyone dies."

I breathed in deeply through my nose, my tongue darting out to wet my bottom lip. My words were already at the tip of my tongue, ready to spill out, when Darach spoke again.

"I have come to terms with it."

"I’m sorry for your loss," I murmured softly. "I―"

A small smile twitched on Darach’s lip. "You never liked my sister. Granted, she detested you as well."

"But... do you know how she died?" I timidly asked. A part of me was afraid that Darach would say ’no’. If he did, I would have to explain to him who it was that killed Dahlia, and whose mother it was who then wore her pelt like a trophy.

Just the memory alone sent shivers down my spine, my skin crawling as though a hundred bugs had been set loose on me.

"I have been informed, yes," Darach said, inhaling deeply. He still mustered a smile, raising his hand to tousle my hair. "It’s self-defense, Harper. I get it. You don’t have to look as though you’re walking to the scaffold for execution."

"My mother―"

"What your mother did was her own business," Darach said, effectively cutting me off. "You aren’t to blame for her actions, and quite frankly, with how she was a hunter, I can’t say I am surprised by what she did."

"I am sorry," I meekly said, looking down. I wanted nothing more than to drill a hole through the white floors now and bury my face in the earth below. "I was meant to be comforting you and apologizing, and now, it feels more like you’re comforting me instead."

Silence filled the small corner we were in. The bustling of the lab technicians a short distance away sounded more like a distant, disconnected hum rather than something that was happening right in front of us. It felt like we were in our own world― though not in the best of ways.

I dared myself to look up so that I could chance a look at Darach’s expression, but as soon as I did, I met his kind gaze. He adjusted his glasses before sighing.

"I can’t imagine how it would’ve been for you to take a life," Darach said. "Or actually, more accurately, I can."

He sighed and looked at the door where his father was kept a prisoner behind.

"I admit, I was a little devastated after everything settled down and I finally had the time and space to process it all. She wasn’t the best sibling, but for a long time, she was all I had. I never expected anything from my father, but my sister... well... she wasn’t all bad all the time."

A loud exhale left his nostrils, his jaw clenched tightly together before he finally tore his gaze away from the door.

"But after nearly getting killed by my father — again — I understood. Kill or be killed. What’s more, Dahlia was nothing to you in life. She has tried to kill you before, and I have no doubt that what resulted in her death was her own doing."

He braved a small smile.

"It’s not your fault, Harper," he quietly said. "My sister was bound to make enemies. Even if she had survived and returned to Thunderstrike, she wouldn’t have been able to live the same life she did before. At the rate she was going, she would’ve made more enemies until eventually, someone would have enough of her."

I nodded once.

"But she’s still a member of Thunderstrike, and more importantly, she was my family," Darach said. "We will be holding a remembrance for her, akin to a funeral of sorts. But don’t worry, it won’t be until you have left Thunderstrike, so there’s no need for you to participate."

"What if I didn’t mind participating?" I asked.

Darach offered a pained and troubled smile. "I would rather you not."

Understandable.

"Alpha Darach!" someone called out, and we both turned to look in the direction of the noise.

Damon had already gathered with Nicole and Kyle, with Milo standing with them. A few lab technicians surrounded them, with one of them waving frantically in our direction as the one who had called out to us.

Darach and I shared a look, silently agreeing to put the topic behind us. Collecting ourselves, we headed for the bench they were working on.

"Any progress?" Darach asked.

"Plenty," Nicole said. "The preliminary experiments that you and your team have accomplished really helped with this. This poison perfectly matches Kyle’s bloodwork, and I’ve created an antidote from the base that you’ve designed."

She gestured to the clear liquid, then at one that was red― blood.

"We just need to make sure that it indeed completely severs a werewolf’s connection with their wolf before I proceed with its administration on Kyle. We might also have to make adjustments for it to suit you since the loss of your wolves stemmed from different reasons."

Endless vials and tubes were laid out on the table, containing liquids in all sorts of colors. Darach reached forward and picked up a test tube filled with a clear liquid, followed by a new syringe that was still kept in its sterile packaging.

Nicole did the same, but instead, she reached for the vial containing a light blue liquid.

"This is it then," Darach said, resisting the smile that threatened to bloom on his face. While they tried their best not to show, Damon and Kyle looked equally as excited as Darach did. "Time to pay my father a visit."