Desmond's eyes widened as he stared down at the girl.

Glowing, icy blue orbs peered up at him.

'Sasha! Pull out right now! PULL OUT!' Desmond bellowed through the mate bond. Immediately, he felt the remaining energy in Sasha falter, telling him that she had, in fact, listened to his desperate plea; but she wasn't fast enough.

Adeline's pale lips pulled up into a feral, wicked grin, then, before he could even think about moving, coarse, grey fur rippled along her arms.

The sound of bones dislocating and breaking filled his ears, causing his eyesight to go red.

It was only seconds before her wolf would fully take over.

Desmond moved faster than the eye could track.

His surroundings were nothing more than a blur as he lunged at the morphing she-wolf, his own wolf rising to the challenge eagerly.

As he landed on the shifted she-wolf, he flung out his hand.

His brute, inhuman strength sent his mate flying back against the wall; her body slammed into the wall, then slumped down, her head hanging loosely from her shoulders.

He had just too much strength, once again. The force that he had thrown her back with... could've easily killed her.

Guilt and shame immediately settled over his chest, heaving his breath from him... but it filled him with a new, dangerous kind of rage.

A rage that had once sent him on a two-year killing spree.

Russet red fur broke free, spreading along his arms, over his chest, down to his legs, up his neck. And as it moved over his body, it brought wildness and murderous rage with it.

He held his shift in place, leashing it with a chain of determination, his body more wolf than man.

A hand the size of a dinnerplate reached down, wrapping thick, steel-tipped fingers around Adeline's furry neck.

Desmond couldn't say any words as he glared down at the feral beast underneath him. Even if his muzzle was capable of pronouncing language, he wouldn't know what to say.

It was like he was looking into his late brother's eyes.

A sharp yelp left Desmond's throat as the she-wolf curled her legs under him, and aimed deadly kicks at his underbelly... trying to slice open the soft flesh there.

Trying to disembowel him.

The underbelly of a wolf was its weakest spot. The soft skin was easy to slice open, and once you cut the layer of flesh open, it wasn't hard to find internal organs... nor was it hard to spill them.

Desmond's wolf completed the shift, causing him to drop down to all fours.

The hand holding Adeline down by her neck, disappeared.

The red wolf dove immediately, aiming jaws made of steel at the she-wolf's throat, but she was smaller than him, and in turn, faster.

She lifted her hips, drawing her hind legs up and extending her claws.

Instead of kicking out at him as he had thought she would, the she-wolf went on the attack, dropping her defensive tactics altogether.

Her paws pushed up against his stomach, causing the sharp claws to pierce his flesh, drawing blood.

Desmond released his hold on her neck and dove off of the bed; his legs propelling him to the other side of the room-- trying to get the she-wolf to follow suit.

He needed better grounds. The bed was too wobbly... and too close to his unconscious mate.

He had to draw Adeline away, and get all of her attention, all of her thoughts, on him.

Wheeling around, the sight before him had his heart stuttering in his chest.

Adeline had turned her back to him, her thin body now facing his mate.

His conscious one.

Sasha was pressed back against the wall, her chest heaving in mighty pants as she stared down the beast in front of her.

Desmond was never an offense attacker; he preferred to play the defense card, waiting for his prey to come to him. He was never a large wolf, relying on speed and intelligence to gain the upper hand. Instead of other males that were built like football players, he was built more like a swimmer. But any creature that thought he was weaker than other males, was a fool. The claws and teeth would come out when it was called for.

His wolf let out a snarl.

A snarl that the man had no problem echoing.

When Adeline crouched low, preparing to spring herself on top of the Oracle, he moved.

If he had moved a second later, probably even less, Adeline would've been on top of his mate. Sasha had no physical strength compared to the power of a Lupis; a wolf could snap her neck as easily as snapping a twig, it would take no effort on the fool's part, to take Sasha's life. She didn't stand a chance against a wolf, let alone a murderous, feral one.

But, once, she did fight against a feral wolf.

Sasha had even killed the she-wolf... with her own magic.

But Sasha was nearly drained of all of her magic. There was none left to use... even to save herself.

Desmond's firm, solid body slammed into the she-wolf's, sending her flying into the opposite wall with a crash.

Before pouncing back onto the momentarily stunned beast, he looked over his shoulder at his mate. 'Get out of here. Now. Go get the warriors and the alpha pair, only they can stop me from killing her.'

Before turning to face Adeline once again, he lifted his upper lip in a growl; telling Sasha that there was no other option, that there would be no way in Hell that he was going to allow her to stay.

Swinging his head back around, he pressed his ears back and widened the distance between his legs, digging his claws into the tile below him.

Tile that would soon be caked in blood... painted in blood...

Decorated with it.

The she-wolf shook her head once before pushing herself off of the wall, her chest releasing a series of deep, rough snarls. Behind her, the wall that Desmond had flung her into, was nearly demolished. The drywall had crumbled, laying in pieces on the floor and in Adeline's grey fur, revealing the skeleton of the room. One more throw into that wall, and that whole side of the room would release, exposing the rest of the mansion to the warring wolves.

Faint, hesitant footsteps sounded, prickling his ears and whiskers.

He had to keep Adeline's attention, her focus on him so that Sasha would be able to flee and get help.

Stalking to the right, keeping his eyes on the unpredictable wolf at all times, he snapped his jaws.

Adeline's raging eyes honed in on him, the icy orbs glowing fiercely. Her upper jowl pulled back, revealing a mouthful of ivory white teeth sharpened for the kill.

The she-wolf seemed to be grinning at him, taunting him.

Challenging him to make the first move.

In life, patience was the key to everything, the key to success and happiness. But for many, greed and pride were their faithful companions; a controlling, demanding, selfish and narcissistic friend.

With every sweep that Desmond took around the she-wolf, it pushed her backward, and it infuriated her. Snarls and growls slipped through her bared teeth, the coarse grey fur on her shoulder blades and rump rising, the black claws on her paws digging into the hard floor.

But she still wasn't making the first move.

Desmond's body stiffened in preparation when the she-wolf's bottom pressed into the two walls. Adeline's large body froze, the animalistic sounds falling flat in her throat.

He had cornered her.

'Just got the alpha pair,' Sasha panted through the mate-bond. 'We're on our way!'

But he had no time to reply to her, because that was when Adeline exploded.

Sasha's heart was trying to beat out of her chest, she was sure of it.

With each turn down a hallway, a leap down a flight of stairs, a hand shoving open a set of doors, she pushed herself harder and harder, faster and faster.

She didn't know if Adeline was following her, or if she was still fighting with her mate. But she still ran, trying to remember the way to the alphas' private suite.

"Please," she gasped out, "Please let him be okay. Please don't let him get hurt."

Flinging open another set of doors, she let out a wicked string of curses. The damned doors revealed another damn hallway!

Several wolves that had been walking down said hallway froze, their nostrils flaring as they scented her.

"Oracle?"

"What is the matter?"

"Are you alright?"

They popped out question after question, but she couldn't answer them.

Bracing her hand against one of the wooden doors, she sucked in a lungful of air, trying to push away the burning sensation in her legs and chest. "Where are the alphas' suite?"

One of the wolves sputtered, his eyes going wide. "But, Oracle. Only the alphas and top wolves are-"

She snarled. "Did I stutter?! Where are the god's damned suites!"

Desmond.

Desmond.

Desmond.

When one of the younger females gave her the directions, she spun around and raced down the hall, ignoring her legs' screams of protest.

As she ran, a set of eery blue eyes appeared in her vision, tracking, following, taunting her.

Sasha nearly sobbed with relief when the endless hallways stopped, feeding into a massive gathering room flooded with sofas, a few game-tables, TVs, and a huge, carpeted staircase.

All of the wolves stopped what they were doing, and turned to her, but she didn't notice them. All she saw was Dillon and Alexandra standing at the top of the massive set of stairs.

Before she could say anything, Dillon let out a growl. "Its Adeline, isn't it."

It wasn't a question.

Sasha nodded, "Yes. Desmond is with her right now, but he needs help. She went feral."

In an instant, Alexandra's body shifted into its wolf skin, her clothes falling into shreds around her. The grey wolf rocked back onto her hind legs, letting the well-defined muscles there send her flying down the staircase and to the Oracle.

The room erupted into panic, wolves shifting into their wild, others fleeing into the hallways, to no doubt check on loved ones, or to cut off exits, and the rest stepping towards their alphas, listening for orders.

Alexandra looked up into her eyes for a moment, a mixture of emotions flashing through the dark depths.

"Go. I will stay here." Sasha said, knowing that it would offer the Luna a small, brief amount of reassurance. But it also reassured Sasha, helping to calm the anxiety and worry that was racing through her brain.

'Just got the alpha pair,' She panted, still struggling to catch her breath. 'We're on our way!'

Quickly shutting down half of the mate bond so that he wouldn't get distracted, she turned towards Dillon.

"Stay here, Sasha." He commanded, but a warning laced the edges, causing a chill to weave through her spine. "My wolves will protect you with their lives. You are safe."

Then, Dillon's body began to phase, his muscles popping and bones cracking. When his large, dark wolf stood beside her, she snapped her fingers, bringing his eyes up to her face.

"You kill or harm my mate, and what Adeline can do will seem like a circus compared to what I will do, we understand?"

Even though Dillon let out a snarl, his teeth flashing at her in the light, she knew that he had heard her.

She just prayed that he had listened.

????

Desmond could only watch as the silver paralyzed the she-wolf, causing her bloodied limbs to stiffen and lock.

Her thin, emaciated form was littered with open, bleeding wounds, and in some places, the bone was visible. But even in her pain, snarls still left her matted and blood-stained throat.

He knew that he shouldn't feel guilty, she had almost attacked his mate, but the gods damned gut-twisting, lung-cleaving, throat-burning emotion was riding him hard.

She was just a girl. What did she ever do to anyone that would cause them to resent her that much? What could anyone do that would warrant them to the demon known as the Curse of Rage?

And with her death-day looming... they were losing precious time.

Finnian was going to lose his mate if they didn't hurry the Hell up!

Turning his head with a grimace, he watched his friend's reaction. But when the Western Beta saw that Desmond had been watching him, he had merely shaken his head once, turned on his heel, and disappeared from the room.

Desmond didn't what to feel other than the pain radiating through him, and the guilt that was pressing down on him. He couldn't imagine how Finnian felt.

Finding your mate was supposed to be the best moment in a wolf's life, but for his friend, it almost seemed like a joke.

Perhaps, the gods were making a joke out of it; pairing a funny, caring, and gentle male with Adeline-- a murderous, depressed, and standoffish she-wolf.

Or perhaps, the pair wasn't in vain after all. Maybe, the Moon did know what she was thinking when she paired them.

"Desmond?" He heard a soft, familiar voice ask from behind him.

He winced when Sasha laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"You look like crap," he heard his mate curse. Adeline wasn't the only one that had been injured; she had gotten a hold of him a good few times, but every time that she had bitten him, he had returned the bite with vengeance.

He had ripped off part of Adeline's right ear.

Lupises could heal fast, in fact, his wounds were already beginning heal, but the wolf ear would never fully grow back.

"Thank you for your brutal honesty, Sasha." He groaned, then flashed her a smile from over his bloody shoulder. She returned the grin, but it looked pained.

"I'll be alright. I just need to sit down for a few moments." Rolling his head, trying to stretch the kinks that had settled in the muscles there, he watched as Dillon scooped up his daughter in his arms, heading towards the basement where she would be chained up and watched by a handful of elite guards.

"We are leaving once we chain my daughter up," Dillon said, casting a look over at the pair. Sasha nodded. "You both better be packed. We are not wasting another hour here."

As Dillon was walking away, his daughter hanging in his thick arms, Sasha let out a low whistle."Damn."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she grinned mischievously up at him. "You just got beaten by a hundred pound, emaciated, weak she-wolf. And here I was, thinking that you were a badass."