"I'm sure."<br/><br/>There was no going back. Blue had thought of nothing else for days, twisting the information around in his head over and over and over again, attempting to force himself to come to a different conclusion. Any conclusion. Any one other than<i>the </i>one. But nothing came. Nothing other than the same image of Lofgren's brutal, cruel grin as he inflicted pain and fear among a group of innocent wolves who deserved only to live their lives in peace. Not this. Not Lofgren.<br/><br/>Blue handed over his keys. Lackluster and tired despite spending the last thirteen hours in bed. He'd crawled in long before Eivind had returned home, stayed long after Eivind had left, missing the familiar warmth of his lover. The three climbed into the car, the silence between the thick, overbearing.<br/><br/>"We're here for you, Blue," Stellan said, turning the key in the ignition. His fingers were trembling as began turning the wheel, pulling away from the cozy camper that had become a home to the four of them. "Whatever happens, Sig and I will never leave you. We promise."<br/><br/>"I know," Blue replied softly, staring blankly out the back passenger's side window. After a long pause, he added an even softer, "Thank you."<br/><br/>The drive to Lofgren's territory was mostly quiet. Even when prompted for mild conversation, Blue couldn't find the motivation to deliver words. The trees alongside the highway flew by, clones of themselves. Miles and miles of green and brown until after a while Blue couldn't even differentiate the colors anymore, and everything looked to be nothing more than a swampy blur.<br/><br/>By the time Stellan had pulled into the lot, Blue's face had drained of all color. The ghostly pallor on his cheeks made him look almost as sickly as he had the day Eivind first stumbled upon him in Lofgren's filthy cabin. He exited the car slowly, his body stiff as he came to Stellan, looking at him with watery eyes.<br/><br/>"Take me," he commanded, his voice barely above a whisper.<br/><br/>"Blue--"<br/><br/>"We have to make it look real. Pull my arms behind my back. Hard. Hurt me for real."<br/><br/>Stellan looked to Sig, frowning. "Okay."<br/><br/>Blue turned around, placing his arms behind his back so Stellan could take hold of his wrists. The big wolf twerked Blue's arm uncomfortably, causing the young human to wince. "Good," he wheezed through clenched teeth.<br/><br/>"Ready?" Stellan asked? He wasn't just asking Blue, but Sig, too. They all needed to be prepared. Any misstep and Lofgren might suspect, and it would end badly for all of them.<br/><br/>The human nodded, then looked to Sig, pleading silently.