Talia's POV

There was little life in me, Karl was only too ready too ready to get me out of there, even if he wasn't in such better shape.


'Wait, please." I said to Karl. He looked at me, hoping he didn't hear right. 'I have to talk to Vance." I told him.

'Like right now?" He asked me.

'Yes. I'm leaving immediately after." His heart sank as he put me down. 'Wait for me though."


'Alright. But know that if anything happens and they turn on us, we are helpless." He said.

'It would be quite the opposite." I said with all confidence.


I walked towards Vance. He looked evil, broken, fazed, and damaged.

'Hi Pookie." I said to him.

He looked confused.

'It's such a pleasure to see you again." I said.

He looked confused.

'Talia?" He asked, his voice suddenly lower.

'What do you think?" I asked him.

'Is it really you? You look, different." He said.

'Yeah. Rebirth. I couldn't bring my poisoned body back." I said, sarcastically.

He wore a fallen look.

'Nadia and Landon were behind it all. And maybe you too." I said, walking towards him.

I had already changed back to human form, I was battered too, but not as bad.

'I'm sorry, Talia." His hands dropped and he fell to his knees. He had changed back to human form too. His nose was bleeding and his eyes were weak.

'Sorry doesn't give back all the years I lost. It does not erase all the trauma I faced." I replied to him.

Vance was clutching my hand very hard.

'Would anything I do ever make up for it?" He asked. 'I love you the way you are. Just as long as it's my Talia. Please, please. I'm dying, and I want it to be next to you." I fell to my knees at the mention of that.

Vance hadn't been the best man, but deep down, I didn't want him dead.

The same hands that gripped me fiercely only a little over a week ago was now holding my hands and asking for forgiveness.

'I forgive you." I said to him. 'And what do you mean by you're dying? Isn't that a bit of an expensive joke?" I asked him.

I really hoped he wasnt being truthful about what he said.

'Since it happened, I've been dying slowly. I don't want to treat it. There's nothing to want to live for." He said. The whole pack stood aloof watching both of us with eagle eyes.

'Why would you do that to yourself?" I asked him. My heart was breaking into a million shards.

'I've said so before. There's nothing to live for baby." He took my face in his hands and brought out faces so close to each other that our foreheads touched.

'I don't know what to say." I said to him.

'You don't have to. Just please, tell me how it was for you out there." He said.

His eyes were glistening and wide open.

'I woke up in a forest, sore and wounded. I would've died, but for Kael." I said

'Who is Kael?" He asked, sounding a bit defensive and possessive.

'He was so much to me until minutes ago. Let's just say he's the reason I'm still alive." I answered him.

Unconvinced, but not ready to push further, he let it go and asked me to continue the story.

'He helped me. Everything possible thing you could think of." I said. .

'You don't wat to know hat I'm thinking of." He said with the boyish smile on his face.

In the midst of it all, it still made be butterflies in my stomach swarm.

It made him smile to make me smile. And I let him be happy.

'We would have made a beautiful family. But like Landon always does, he destroyed it. Landon had long been in charge of the pack that always attacked Moonstone. He took over from the one who led the pack and murdered my parents." Vance had always known it was a sensitive subject for me, so he just held me without commenting.

'I'm sorry." He said.

'It's alright. It's all in the past now." I replied.

'Come on. That can't be all. Where's the part where you tell me that you haven't moved on yet. The, part where you give me some hope, make me know that we can still get back together. Make babies, be happy. I'll gladly spend the rest of my life trying to win you back. As soon as you say yes, I'll get treatment so I can be there for you and the little pups I'll pop out of you. Talia, you know what I want to hear. Please just say it." He begged.

I had not seen Vance on such shape in a very long while.

My body was starting to ache. I was wounded and badly needed rest.

'Some things are just not forgivable." I replied to him.

'I know. I know. Which is why I'd gladly spend the rest of my life trying to ask for forgiveness." He replied immediately.

'I can't watch you do that. I'm not good at using people." I said to him.

'I'm the one asking you to. Please, this, is a, dying man's wish." Our faces were so close, I felt his breath in my mouth. I could also taste the alcohol from his breath. The Vance I knew smelt of stuff like mint and lavender, not stale smell of alcohol and unwashed body.

'You are putting me in a very bad spot." I said. 'But my mind is, made up. I can't stay. It no longer feels like home. It's not what I used to call home anymore. And I can't have the thing with a man who's one of Nadia's." She was probably dead, but I still hated her and everything that had to do with her.

'So what's your answer. Say what I want to hear and I'll make sure I make your life so much of a fairytale, you'd be jealous." He promised, somewhat irrationally.

Unfortunately for Vance, I had gone past the point where I could be swayed by stuff like that.

I no longer sought all that, all I wanted was peace, in any form it could come. And peace was Ken.

'You were the man of my dreams, maybe still are." I confessed. 'But I'm a grown woman now. I'm more mature, I've stopped dreaming. Goodbye, Vance." I took my hands off him, even though he didn't reciprocate.

The tears that welled up in his eyes had begun to drop. He was devastated. It hurt me, but I knew it was what I had to do for my mental health.

I wriggled my body out of Vance's and went to meet a tired, crouching Karl.

In silence, and with the full focus of all the rest of the pack, we walk away, to Karl's house.

The walk was painful and silent.

There was too much and too little to say. I could tell he was busy in his head, just as I was in mine.

From time to time, he tightened his grip on my hand subconsciously.

We got there not so long after.

'So, what next?" I asked him.

'I wish I had an answer to that." He answered.

'What does that mean? You can't tell me you didn't think of what would happen after." I was surprised at how carefree and thoughtless he was.

Moonstone definitely would always treasure him fur what he did, but if he could cause such and upstage, they can cause another.

They undermined Landon's plans to overthrow Vance, while Vance appreciated that, I really didn't think Vance would love having Karl around.

Not only was he a reminder of what happened, he was also someone powerful, someone with the capacity to overthrow Vance himself.

'Don't worry. I'm not going to be here." He said. 'I've made arrangements with men I trust, I'm starting life in my brothers cottage. I think it'd help me properly mourn him, and then I can decide what else I want to do." Karl looked like he had given good thought to it, and fir that, I was grateful.

I didn't want to walk away knowing he wasn't going to be safe.

The day was fast breaking.

I dragged my battered body to the bathroom, to wash off all the blood and sweat and dirt.

Drinking enough water for the journey, I planted a kiss on Karl's head and bade Moonstone goodbye.

News reached me far later that Maxine left her man with the child and ran to Karl, they got properly married and had kids of their own.