Episode 4

'Pssst, Adriane? Are you awake?" Mavis said whilst poking my ribs, stirring me awake from my short and uncomfortable nap

"I am now." I said groggily while sitting up, the ground cold and hard underneath me.

"Good." She smiled at me. It was amazing how she still found it in her to actually smile.

"What is it?" I asked her once I noticed her expectant expression.

"I'm bored." she pouted.

I gave her a blank look. "And?"

She shrugged and just repeated her statement that she was bored.

"Gee May" I said as I rubbed my left eye, "I had no idea you were interested in entertainment before execution."

She frowned at me.

'There isn't much to do as a prisoner, so you're gonna have to suck it up and wait till they end our lives." I said. No need for any sorta sugar coating.

'Wow, Adriane, always looking at the positive side of things." Mavis said, sarcasm lacing each word.

Well, there was nothing remotely positive about this situation and I wasn't about to convince myself otherwise, just to be let down.

"And don't call me May, I hate it." I let out a little chuckle at that. At least that could make me smile, the scowl on her face at the nickname she refuses to own. Why she hates it so much though, I still don't know.

I took a breath as I looked at her. "How are you okay with all this?" She didn't seem like someone who was on death row. She looked more like a petulant child on time out.

How can anyone sit so still finding out they're about to be killed. For no purpose at all.

"Okay with this? Is it because I'm not ranting and screaming and bawling my eyes out?" She asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

I was still a bit new to this wolf thing but I'm pretty sure that wolves did feel pain when being killed, and they most definitely did not come back to life after dying. And this was just an unfair thing to happen.

"Believe me, I'm trying not to. What's the use in it anyway. It's not like my tears would change anyone's mind about what has been decided already." She shrugged. "You see, when you grow up in a relatively smaller pack like ours, attacks are expected. Bigger packs always attack smaller packs and absorb them to take their territories and become even stronger. It's just the way it works in our world." She sighed.

'Sometimes pack members are absorbed as well, and sometimes they're, they're disposed of. We've been attacked before, but we were able to fight and run the other pack down. But this is the Blood Moon pack, there's no escaping this."

She's managed to make me understand why she isn't so devastated while making me ten times more devastated at the same time. Wow.

But I did understand her. It was almost like living in a war zone. You're expecting it, everyday, living with some sort of fear at the back of your mind. Just waiting for it.

I was just shocked. I never knew this could happen. Why hadn't I heard of this?

"How come I've never even heard of this Blood Moon pack? Not even in our lessons."

"You have. They're the Aurelius milites pack. Well, they were. But once they gained so much power and strength and started conquering all other packs around, they sort of gained fame for their bloodshed. Along the line, other packs just started calling them the blood Moon pack, and it just stuck I guess." She shrugged.

That name I remember seeing it somewhere before. Yet still, I had never heard stories about this pack, and about their hostile takeovers.

This was all just a bit much.

I sighed.

"So" I started a bit unsure of myself, "there's a chance we could be absorbed into their pack?"

The look Mavis gave me told me her stance on that topic. And it wasn't encouraging.

'Even on a good day I think they'd just end us, and this apparently isn't just an attack and conquer situation. If my uncle was right about this, then we're all, well, you know." She finished hurriedly, fumbling for words.

"I can see you two are awake." Rose said from her cell.

"Rose, good -... good ... What time is it?" I asked, having no idea what the time was.

The dungeon was dark, just a few fluorescent bulbs illuminating the dark hallways giving off a yellowish glow.

"I have no idea." Mavis answered. "Wait, Rose have you been able to mind link anyone because I can't. I've been trying for so long." Mavis asked.

"No, I can't mind link either but a few people woke up some time ago. I guess they're asleep again or something. Some have been tranquilized as well. Mostly the males, they were getting very riled up. I don't know where Joshua is." She was a bit far from us and the place was quite dark, but I could manage to see that she was sad.

And scared, she mostly looked sad but she tried to conceal it with a half-hearted smile.

'What about Alpha, is he awake?" I asked.

"No, he was taken away some hours ago, he looked heavily sedated. Apparently their Alpha is back." Rose sighed.

Jeez, how deep in sleep were we? I didn't hear any of this go on.

"Huh, guess we are dying sooner than I anticipated." I muttered. Rose let out a soft chuckle, which was far from humorous.

Mavis just sat quietly in the corner, taking it all in. I wanted to do something, say something, anything that could help us, but I had nothing.

In the little time I had spent with the Midnight pack I had learned a few things about wolves.

Wolves were highly territorial and relentless at taking down enemies. All Alphas know their place and respect it, so as not to cause unnecessary wars. Well most.

Some are just out to lust for blood and power. And a siege like this usually ends in one of two ways.

Surrender or death.

Apparently, surrender is not an option that is being made available to us so it just leaves one thing.

Hence the defeated look on our faces. The great circle of life.

And I was powerless to do anything.

I didn't have any special powers, I wasn't a skilled fighter, I even had trouble shifting into my own wolf.

A little over a year ago, I didn't even know that this world existed.

Ah.

Blissful ignorance.

What I'd give to go back there.

I actually did though.

Well, I tried, once.

I thought my family might miss me, that once they got over the initial shock, they'd want me back. Or maybe even try to fix me.

But they didn't.

I stood outside watching them from afar. They looked happy and content. No missing signs of me, no police cars outside their house looking for their lost child. Even if they did adopt me, wasn't I still their child?

My heart broke again that day.

My room had been emptied, and there was a 'For Sale' sign on the house.

They were moving on.

Without me.

So I had to try to do the same.

And this is where it landed me.

My train of thought was interrupted by guards roughly shoving people out of their cells. I could hear the protests coming from our wolves as they tried to resist being dragged off, but they inevitably failed to hold their ground.

Some were being led off, somewhere dragged off and some were even being carried, although those ones seemed immobile, like they were unconscious. Which they probably were.

We were soon next.

They harshly led us to some large underground hall where we were all cuffed and chained to each other. Hand to hand.

The air was heavy with sorrow and anguish. There was a lot of screaming and crying in the hall, people realizing that their loved ones that aren't here are probably dead. And that we were going to join soon.

I quickly scanned the hall, it was a large room, about thirty members of the pack were here, with females at one end and males on the other. And from the way the men winced as they were being chained, their cuffs must definitely be made of silver or wolves bane or both.

The crying and chatter in the room suddenly died down when a man entered the room. I recognize the scent and the aura to be Beta Marcus.

'Quiet." he said with a booming voice holding a lot of authority. When the room was completely silent, he spoke again.

"Bring him in." and before we knew it the guards were dragging in a beat up Alpha Derrick.

Everyone gasped at the sight of their once so strong Alpha.

could feel Mavis shake beside me as she shut her eyes not being able to watch.

Beta Marcus chuckled.

"Not so strong now are we?" Beta Marcus smirked.

The sardonic smile on his face was so disturbing. How could he possibly take delight in all of this?

Alpha Derrick growled trying to stand up. Marcus kicked him down on the floor and then kicked him again in the ribs. This caused him to cough up blood as he lay on the floor unable to move. I couldn't peel my eyes away from this gruesome scene.

Marcus just laughed and kicked him again.

And again, and again, and again ...

At this point I had to shut my eyes, I couldn't handle it anymore.

'That's enough." a very powerful resonating voice boomed.

This was odd, his voice boomed far louder than Marcus's did, yet unlike Marcus he didn't raise his voice.

He spoke normally, calmly in fact.

We all turned to see a man walk in, dark faded jeans and a black shirt. His hair was a dark shade of brown and his eyes blazing blue. I don't know how I was able to see his eye colour from so far away, but I did.

He towered over all the other people there. Not just in height, but in presence too. He walked over to Alpha Derrick and Beta Marcus.

"Alpha." Beta Marcus bowed in respect. The Alpha, who by the way had the most powerful aura in this entire room gave a curt nod.

"Ah, Alpha Derrick, nice to see you here." his deep voice teased. Alpha Derrick looked up to him since he was back to his kneeling position on the floor.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Alpha Derrick growled showing teeth. His mouth was all bloody and the veins in his neck were throbbing.

He'd been beat up pretty bad.

"You are in no position to ask questions. But I'll humour you. It's simple, I want you to suffer." the other Alpha growled bending down to look Alpha Derrick in the eye.

"Then kill me and let my family and pack go!" Alpha Derrick said.

'They are innocent, please just kill me." His last statement refused to hold some of the power that his previous statement did.

"No, killing you would be too easy, you would like that wouldn't you?" There was an evil smile on the Alpha's face. "Well now that you have brought that subject up, why don't we bring them out, shall we?" The Alpha gave one look to his guards as he stood up straight and they went inside.

"No please let them go, don't harm them, please." Alpha Derrick almost cried at the thought of his mate and children suffering. I didn't even want to think about it. I couldn't. It's too much. And the kids, they were practically still babies.

"Now that changes everything when you asked so nicely." There was a slight pause as Alpha Derrick looked back up in confusion at the other Alpha to see what exactly his angle was.

Surely it couldn't be that easy.

Then the other Alpha sighed. "But I just wish you had done that a tad earlier." the Alpha said, his sadistic smile returning.

Alpha Derrick's head shot up right when Luna Kelly was dropped on the floor right beside him.

Shocked gasps erupted from all around the room. Her floral dress tattered and bloody, her body lifeless and her neck was bent very badly to the left.

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.

"No!" Alpha Derrick howled and tried to reach for his mate but he was held back. It took about five men to hold him down at this point.

I felt myself being slightly pulled down by my cuff and I vaguely remember that it was because Mavis had fallen to her knees, crying, and our interlocked chains wanted to pull me along.

We knew something like this was coming, but we could never have prepared enough for this kind of shock.

I could hear everything going on, all the screams, the cries, the protests, people attempting to rid themselves of their restraints.

I could hear it all but I was completely out of it.

I was frozen in shock.

But that wasn't the end, soon they dropped Michael and Gracie's dead bodies on top of their mother.

"No, No, NO!!!" Alpha Derrick roared, pulling against his silver restraints, the metal cutting into his flesh, but I'm sure he didn't even notice. My eyes started to fog up. A lady next to us had helped Mavis off the ground and was trying to console her. I moved in to hug her and she nearly squeezed the life out of me.

But I liked it, I needed to feel something, because I became numb from the shock. As I felt her tears wet my shoulder, mine finally spewed out. I felt very sick.

"And don't worry, I made sure to tell the two just exactly what daddy did before having their little necks snapped, it was quite a delight seeing them shed tears at the thought of what a monster their father really is, especially the little boy, he really looked up to you" He paused.

"A shame I couldn't really talk to the last one ... Oh Alpha, did you know that your dear Luna was pregnant? Shame really." the Alpha said, shaking his head, obviously enjoying Alpha Derrick's pained expression.

"Mickey? Gracie? Kelly? Oh God I am so sorry." he said squeezing his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face."It's all my fault." Alpha Derrick whispered the last part. The whole pack was in sheer terror at our Alpha's predicament.

"You Bastard!" Alpha Derrick shot at the other Alpha. His eyes turning a dark shade of crimson, his wolf surfacing but it seemed as if there was something preventing him from turning completely. "You don't deserve to be an Alpha, you're just a bloody coward, just like your father." Alpha Derrick spat bitterly. Fury flashed in the other Alpha's eyes before he spoke.

"I really wanted you to live a little longer to see me kill your entire pack, but I can't stand your sorry face anymore Derrick. This is for Jack." the Alpha said with a growl and with one quick move he was in front of Alpha Derrick and snapped his head.

He had done so with so much force that his head literally came off.

And so much as he didn't even blink an eye when he threw the head away and kicked Alpha Derrick's body that was still in a kneeling position back. The shock of what just happened was so immense that we couldn't even make a sound. The room was dead silent, literally.

He stood there for a while calming himself. Taking in ragged breaths until they were finally steady.

With a menacing smile, he looked at us. 

"Ok, who's next?"