The bright yellow and purple flowers on the nurse’s scrubs offended me with their cheeriness. This wasn’t a cheerful moment. It wasn’t a cheerful place. The only part of a hospital where someone should be allowed to wear such blinding colors is the maternity ward. Everywhere else is filled with people in their darkest moments. When you’re going through hell, the last thing you want to see is your nurse in something so bright it glows in the daylight.

“No,” Liam said. “We’re good.”

Those ridiculous scrubs moved towards the IV pole. Just as her finger was posed in front of the touch screen I yelled, “No!”

“Leslie?” Liam asked, using the name we gave the hospital staff when we presented ourselves as Stefan’s son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

I tucked a piece of the strawberry blond wig behind my ear. “I think I need some time with him first.” Some time before they stopped all the drips and machines that were keeping Stefan alive and cemented Liam’s and my positions as the new Alphas.

Before running off to fill out paper work or whatever it is nurses do while they’re waiting to end a life, she grabbed a box of tissues from the shelf. “Here you go, sweetie,” she said, handing them to me. “You take all the time you need.” There was no door to shut in this unit, but she slid the curtain closed behind her as she left.

Stefan looked nothing like his former self. The man I knew was strong and proud, radiating so much power even normal humans instinctively knew to stay out of his way. The man on the hospital bed was shriveled up, except for the odd places he was bloated out like a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloon. His dark skin had turned a sickly yellow, the color a cross between a bruise and a stain. The Stratego who kept watch over him had taken care of his hair as best as they could, but still it hung off his head in dull clumps. The scar which ran down the side of his face no longer screamed menace. Instead, it whimpered pain and defeat.

I blinked against the stinging in my eyes.

“The doctors say you’re still in there,” I said to Stefan. “They showed us graphs with wiggly lines and said it was your brain activity. And then they told us you may never wake up, and if you do, you will never be able to function like you once did. You won’t be able to walk or talk or even swallow. You will spend the rest of your life hooked up to these machines.” I took a deep breath. “Someone once told me I wouldn’t be able to do this. They said I wouldn’t be able to stand here and kill you while you’re defenseless, but they were wrong. Of all the things I’ve had to do these last few months, this is the easiest, because I’m not killing you, Stefan. I’m setting you free.” I squeezed Liam’s hand even tighter. “We’re sitting you free.”

I moved closer to the bed. I thought about reaching out and grabbing onto his hand to give him some comfort in these final moments, but I couldn’t do it. Yes, I felt sorry for him, but not so much that I could forget all the pain he caused others.

“You should know this is an official Challenge. Liam declared it to the Stratego, and they allowed it without protest. Of course, that was probably because there aren't many of them left, and with Sarvarna dead, they aren’t willing to die for you.”

The monitor lit up as his heart rate spiked, setting off a few bells and whistles.

“So, they were right. You are still in there. Good. I need to you to hear this,” I said as Liam walked around to fiddle with the monitor, which surprisingly went quiet. I hoped it was because he somehow knew what he was doing, and not because he had unplugged it a few minutes too early.

“I didn’t want this. It’s not like I woke up one day and thought, ‘I’m going to take over the Alpha Pack.’ I know many people, including you, don’t believe that, but it’s true.

“I don’t know where it all went wrong. You’re probably as much a victim of circumstance as I am. The difference is, once we were in the middle of it, you chose power over basic human decency. I know the world is an imperfect place - that peace, love, and harmony are pipe dreams - but I need to believe it can be better than this.” I looked across the bed into Liam’s eyes. “I need to believe we can make it better.” My voice cracked. I took a deep breath, and before I could release it, Liam was there, gathering me into his arms.

“I’m done,” I said into his chest, letting his warmth seep through my clothes and flesh to warm the chill inside. “It’s time. Let’s get this over with.”

Liam’s lips pressed against the corner of my eye, absorbing the liquid gathered there. A rush of heat shot straight to my heart, and then he was moving away from me and towards the bed. He looked huge leaning over Stefan’s withered form. His aura of power blanketed the former Alpha Male, and I could have sworn I saw is body shudder under the weight of it.

“For the record,” he said, his finger hovering above the Call Button, “this is for my family, you selfish bastard.”

I barely had enough time to be shocked before a flock of scrubs descended upon the room.

“Are you ready?” Cheery Scrub Nurse asked.

I nodded, afraid of what would come out should I try to speak. A middle-aged man with a paunchy gut and receding hair line also gave a nod of the head, which was apparently the call to action. Cheery Scrub Nurse started pushing buttons on the IV pole. It took both longer and less time than I expected. We all stood there - the doctor, nurses, Liam, and me - watching the monitor as Stefan’s heart rate slowed. When it finally flatlined, someone turned off the screen, but I couldn’t see who through the tears in my eyes.

***

I wanted nothing more than to escape the sterile sadness of the hospital, but it wasn’t happening. In the thirty-six hours since Sarvarna’s death, a lot of plans were made, including one to reintroduce Scout Donovan to the real world.

“Unless you want to see my butt, you better close your eyes,” I called out the door before traipsing into a hospital room of my very own. Liam was sitting on the corner of the bed, his eyes very much open as he leaned to the side. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get a glimpse of your butt, but you’re ruining all my fun.”

My face burst into flames as I double-checked to make sure I was holding my gown together in the right place.

“What is wrong with you?” I hissed, very much aware that the FBI agents standing outside my door had Shifter hearing as I crawled up onto the bed and immediately threw a sheet over my legs.