A/N: Next chapter! Whoo!

Shadow Kissed Twilight: You called me on it. I said a few days, and well...it was more than a few days...hope you think it was worth the wait though :)

Nearly another week went by, and Jade was about one more bad thought from tearing her hair out and running down the halls, screaming until someone locked her away. And that was just what everyone knew about her. What they didn't know was that she hadn't even slept in her suite for the past two nights. She had stayed in the sanctuary because she could not stand the thought of being enclosed in that tiny space that still smelled like Cole any longer.

She actually had not even slept last night, only stared up through the glass ceiling at the stars.

Whatever bond had existed between her and Cole had shriveled up and died sometime in the past weeks, and Jade finally admitted it to herself last night. It wasn't completely unreasonable. Even real mates who had been together decades would lose the feeling if parted long enough.

In the grey, morning light, Jade felt a tear slide down her cheek, laying on her back in the middle of the room. She just wanted to see his face again, hear the rumbling in his throat—whether from laughter or aggravation.

"Jade?"

She hurried to sit up, dabbling away her tear in a brusque manner. "Hey, Simon. How are you?"

"Um, good. What are you doing here?" he asked her, clearly wondering why she was awake this early in the morning.

Jade mentally cursed herself. While she had been staying in the sanctuary, she was also trying to avoid too many questions about herself. The last thing she needed was for someone to think she had hopped on the crazy train again.

Although, she wasn't entirely sure they would be wrong.

"I couldn't sleep," was all of the explanation that she felt like providing.

Simon nodded before sitting down on the floor next to her. "That's a bit obvious. You look like hell. Worried?"

Jade sighed and told him about losing her connection to Cole. She ended with, "It sucks because we weren't connected very much to begin with, and now everything we've been through is for nothing."

"I don't think so," Simon said softly. "One you see him again, it will be like nothing changed I bet."

"I hope you're right, Simon."

"The phone rings in the middle of the night/My father yells what you gonna do with your life/Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one/But girls they want…"

Jade pulled out her cell phone and stared at the unknown number. She had nearly forgotten about her cell phone besides the sporadic calls to her parents, Tiffany, and Danielle. Her heart began pounding as she pushed a button to answer the call.

"Hello," she said hesitantly.

"Is this Jade?" The voice was barely whispering, and Jade almost didn't catch what it said. It was definitely female, but who would be calling her and whispering like it was a horror movie.

"It is. Who is this?"

"Julia." Jade's eyes widened. She hadn't spoken to Julia since she had been dragged away from Florida.

"Hey, Julia. What's with the dramatics?"

"I don't want my parents to hear me talking on the phone. I'm outside, but wolf ears and all that. I have to tell you something."

Jade's heart rate picked up even faster. This was seriously strange behavior, and Jade did not like any of the implications that could come from it.

"I'm listening."

"Okay, so Cole is here."

Jade's mouth opened, but no words came to mind. The only thought that formed was why in the world would Cole ever voluntarily go back to his former home? That could only ever mean trouble for him. "But that's not all?" she finally managed to say.

"No. Cole came back so that he could go through the Trial. I wasn't supposed to know about it, but Troy told me because his mother told him because his father has to help and told his mother."

Jade's heart stopped, and she had to remind herself to keep breathing. Cole was going to Run? Or had he already? But they hadn't talked about it. And he wasn't sure he'd be able to. And why did he go to his family for it? And why hadn't he called her to tell her? Shouldn't she be there with him? What if he didn't make it?

What. If. He. Didn't. Make. It.

"Jade? Are you still there? I called you because my dad is on the Tribe for our pack, and he's responsible for helping organize the Trials. He came home last night, and though he didn't say anything, his face said enough. Cole started a week ago at the national park, so last night was the end. But you know the rules say that no one is allowed to help except for the female the male is pledged to. And I knew that you would be here, yelling at someone, if you already knew about it. That's why I decided to call you. Cole told the Tribe not to call you. Troy told me that too, but no one knows why."

Jade sat frozen to the shot, phone still at her ear. But her expression must have shown something, because Simon snatched the phone from her and started talking to Julia while Jade was immobile.

When he hung up, he shook Jade's shoulder a bit, but there was no response.

"Jade, don't do this. Cole needs you," Simon said fiercely.

That snapped her back to attention. "Cole needs me," Jade repeated. Nodding and saying that over and over, Jade rose and ran to her suite. After throwing together a pitiful, trip backpack, Jade made her way to the garages. The Watchers had all sorts of cars—whatever a mission may call for. Cole had once brought her down here and taken her for a spin in a red convertible, and now she was going to borrow one in order to get to Florida.

A small, dark SUV caught her eye. She hopped in, cranked it up, and stared at the wheel.

She had no idea where she was even at right now, much less how to get to Florida.

"Shit!" she screamed, beating the wheel. Her tears began in earnest, and she growled at her weakness. Cole was in trouble, and she was stranded. How was she supposed to get to Cole?

There was a knock on her driver-side window, and she jumped.

Simon blinked at her, his fist still on the glass.

Rolling the window down, Jade snapped, "What?"

"You are going to need help."

"No. I just want to leave."

Simon opened her door, dragging her out. When did he get this strong?

But when he tossed her over his shoulder, that was when the anger flared up. "Put me down! What are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't go doing something stupid."

Jade snarled at him and pounded on his back with her tiny fists all the way to Jo's office. Once there, Simon knocked, waited patiently for an acknowledgment, then dumped her on the floor in front of Jo's desk.

"Simon?" the old wolf said.

"Jo, it appears Cole has been through the Trial. Jade was just made aware of this and would like to respectfully ask your permission to go to him."

Jade glared at Simon on the word "respectfully" before settling for scowling at both of the males.

"I'm sure that is exactly what was going through her head," Jo remarked sarcastically. "But Cole has talked to me about trying. I did not think it would be this soon though. Jade, you have my permission to go, but you need someone with you in case Cole has turned violent again. However, I have no available agents to escort you." He paused to scratch his face, considering the situation.

Meanwhile, Jade's desperation grew. "What about Sig or Song?"

"Gone on assignment."

"Michael was with Cole. He will be there."

"There is no guarantee that he will be there, and he is not strong enough to fend off Cole."

Silence filled the room except for Jade's very audible breathing.

"I can go with her." Jade's head whipped around to Simon, surprise in her face.

"Can you handle Cole?" Jo asked with mild curiosity in his voice.

"I believe so. I'm larger and older than he is. I used to be on the Tribe for my pack, and I've been in a few scuffles. Enough to give me experience. And if Michael is there, we will be able to subdue him. And if things are really that bad, we can get out and ask his pack for assistance."

Jo's eyebrows rose at Simon's assessment. "Very well. It's settled. I'll give you my number and Darrell's if you need help." He stood from his chair and led them out.

Thirty minutes later, Simon was in the driver's seat of one of the sketchy, white vans that Jade had rode in over a month ago—a month?—and was plugging in the address for the park where Cole supposedly was. With that, they were on their way. Having Simon with her calmed her nerves…a little. They talked on occasion as the hours trickled past, but they eventually gave up with small talk in favor of listening to the radio. At one point, they had to stop for food and to use the bathroom, but other than that, they drove the majority of the day.

The sun was hanging low in the sky when they arrived at one of the entrances to the park. Jade instantly recognized it as the same one that they had driven through when she had come along for a hunt with the Greek pack all those months ago. She shivered. And she may have imagined it, but her leg gave a throb at the memory of falling down the ravine.

"Here we are. Now what?" Simon murmured.

Jade pulled out her cell phone and called Michael. No answer. She shrugged and said, "I guess we go searching." They got out and decided to walk parallel together with some distance between them so that they would cover more ground but not be far from each other. Jade brought her backpack, which had been equipped with a well-stocked first aid kit thanks to Jo. After an hour, the sun was setting, and they were not making any progress.

Taking several, relaxing breaths, Jade let herself sink into her mind, searching for her wolf. She eagerly responded, sensing Cole's presence. But Jade did not let the wolf take control. Instead, she allowed her hearing and sense of smell sharpen. Immediately, she caught Cole's scent and began to run after it. She vaguely heard Simon calling in the background, but she ignored him.

Closer.

Closer.

Her legs were burning from exertion, blaming her for their lack of preparation. Her breathing became labored as she pushed forward harder.

Closer.

She knew he was near. Only a bit more.

But Jade was not prepared for what was there to greet her.

Cole's massive, wolf form was laying on the ground, collapsed on his side. Blood—dried and fresh—matted his fur. It added a nasty tang to the air, and Jade felt nausea settle in her stomach.

Once she had seen him, she hadn't moved towards him. It was not apparent whether or not he was awake, and if he was in a bad state of mind, the worst thing she could do was startle him. Slowly, she took a step towards his prone body.

"Cole?" she said as softly as she could, trying to coerce a response. The black-clad body did not move. She scooted nearer to him and called again. Jade lost count of the number of times she repeated this motion before she was kneeling down next to Cole's head. There was one particularly bloody gash across the bridge of his nose.

With agonizing, deliberate movements, she touched the top of his head, weaving her fingers through his coarse fur.

"This is bad," she muttered under her breath. With deft movements, she took off her backpack and pulled out the first aid kit. She grimaced at her task. It was hard to distinguish what needed attention immediately and what could wait because it was all blended and layered in his fur. Halfway-healed cuts. Bite marks. And there were probably worse injuries that she could not see on the surface. Jade shook her head. There was no way she could treat him while he was still in wolf form.

"Please, wake up." She poked his neck as forcefully as she dared. "This is not the time to be dramatic, Buddy. First, you left me at headquarters. Second, you did not tell me you were this stupid. And third, you are so messed up that I'm tempted to just let you writhe in pain," she huffed without any real heat, but getting angry was better than despairing. She took her phone out of her jacket pocket and rolled her eyes at her lack of reception bars.

Suddenly, a warm exhale blew across her other hand.

Jade tensed as a bleary, dark eye opened gradually. She withdrew both of her hands, wary of the unfocused pupil that stared right through her.

"Cole, I need you to change back. You are hurt, but I can't help unless you are a human." Her voice sounded strained even to her own ears, but she couldn't help it. "Can you hear me? Blink twice if you can hear me."

The eye continued to stared at her.

She shivered again, then gritted her teeth against it. If she hadn't been afraid he might bite her hand off, she would have hit him for scaring her like this. Stupid male, she thought before recalling the situation she was in.

"Buddy, you better have a good explanation of why you're giving me that obnoxious look because it's your own fault that you are in this situation in the first place. I distinctly remember saying, 'Let's have sex to help form a mate bond.' Then you—being the bizarre male you are—said, 'No, let's wait it out until we have everything figured out.' Now look what you've done. You've gone and…and…" Jade shut her mouth. It appeared like there may have been a flicker of recognition deep in the unblinking eye. Or was she imagining it?

Lowering her voice and reaching her hand back out, she whispered, "Cole, you are making me a bit uncomfortable with all the staring and such. Would you mind either closing your eye or, you know, being normal?"

When her hand did finally connect with his head, his body seemed to relax, and the eye even closed slightly. Giving him a brave smile, Jade said, "There we go. We'll be better in no time, right?"

Jade noticed the crunching footsteps too late before Simon walked into sight, saying, "Jade, I think we need to—"

Cole jumped up, shoving Jade to the side, and roared. Jade had never heard a more intimidating sound as she struggled to regain her feet.

Simon squatted to the ground and began his transformation before Cole came charging at him. Luckily, he managed to complete it in record time, and before Jade's eyes, Simon's champagne blonde wolf was rising up to meet Cole's snapping fangs. In human form, Simon had a slightly heavier build than Cole's lean frame, but it marked a huge difference between the two wolves. And it was quickly obvious that Simon used his weight to his advantage. But his size did not entirely counter Cole's raw aggression. Simon was holding back, for fear of harming the already injured wolf. Cole was out for Simon's throat.

As they clawed and tore at each other, Jade began shaking her head at herself. One of them was going to get hurt beyond help, and it was starting to look like Simon because of his more passive demeanor. It's not like she could jump between the two of them. That was one of the first rules females learned: do not get between feuding males.

Oh, damn, I'm going to do it, aren't I? she thought the half-second before she ran into the middle of them.

But maybe she should have waited that other half of the second because as she stepped in front of Simon, Cole was springing forward. There was no way he could stop his momentum, and she felt claws swiping into her shoulder, throwing her backwards into Simon.

The fighting halted instantly as the scent of her blood reached everyone's nose.

Cole began to transform as she sagged against a transforming Simon, unwilling to look at the damage because she couldn't feel it yet.

Simon was back to human form before Cole, and he helped her sit on the ground, cradling her to help her stay upright. Once Cole was back, he gazed at her with such a stunned expression that she knew he was in his right mind now—or at least, enough so that he knew what was going on.

"Jade," his voice cracked, blood still oozing from the gash across his face.

She tried to smile at him but wasn't sure if it made it to her face. "Hey, Buddy. Good to have you back. Although, it was a bit much for you to go berserk on poor Simon here." She patted the arm that was around her waist, trying to forget that Simon was naked behind her because Cole was definitely naked in front of her.

"I…I…" He swallowed visibly before continuing, "Why do you smell like him?"

Jade's eyebrows drew together. "Smell like who?"

"Him," Cole bit out, gesturing at Simon.

Jade glanced up at Simon's anxious face, seeing realization dawn in them.

Simon spoke up. "I am Jade's friend, Cole. She helped me through a tough time, so I am doing the same for her. Jo appointed me as her guardian so that she could safely come down here to see you. So while we have spent a decent amount of time together, I have no claim over her, and nor do I want one."

Cole nodded his understanding, his wild eyes never leaving Jade's.

Gulping down a breath, Jade risked assessing her wound, but she quickly looked away and shut her eyes tightly when she saw the amount of blood coming from her shoulder. And it was only a preliminary guess, but something felt broken.

Footsteps. She opened her eyes, and Cole's face was at level with hers.

With a flat tone, she said, "You're a dumbass. How am I supposed to take care of you after your Trial when I'm all out-of-commission like this? We are going to have a serious chat about this later." Her vision began to swim.

Cole's face was flooded with guilt. "Jade, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. I'm so sorry." Simon joined in too with his two cents.

They blubbered on for so long that Jade finally snapped, "Guys, enough of the pity party. I'm bleeding over here."

Simon let Cole carry her as they hurriedly exited the forest, each step jarring her and making her wince as her body got over the shock and let the pain flow in.

When Cole laid her in the back of the van and sat next to her to keep her stable, she looked up at him.

"I'm glad your back," she confessed.

His face was still guilt-ridden and sad, and he did not respond to her.

"Hey, Cole."

"Yeah?"

"Why me?" she asked in earnest before her vision went black.

A/N: There is really no end to what I'll put Jade through. But I know she's tough enough to take it.

As always, I love reviews. So drop me one to let me know what you're think about at this very moment (In regards to the story...if you forgot to eat lunch because it was so fantastic, then you don't have to tell me that...well, you may want to...I guess that's still complimentary...I know sometimes I forget to eat lunch when I'm reading...it's really late at night right now...I love ellipses...)!

~Cirya