I barely glanced over my shoulder to take in the sight of my brother. He was wearing wrinkled pajamas that were three sizes too big and his hair was mussed from sleep, but otherwise he looked unharmed. I kept my eyes on Leo as I spoke to my little brother. "Tommy, I need you to get into the closet under the staircase. Close the door and don't come out until I tell you to, okay?"

"But, Fee—"

"Please, Tommy."

He hesitated for half a minute before I heard his soft footsteps cross the wood floor and the soft click of a door closing.

Leo tilted his head and watched me with an amused expression. "He really is a good kid," he said casually. "He looks up to you, you know—his big sister." He chuckled darkly and stepped around the table slowly. "He said you would come and get him; said your mate was big and tough, and that you would do anything to save him. You know what I told him?" He stood a foot away from me. My body was tense, my fingers itching for one of the weapons under my hoodie. Leo's eyes darkened as his lips quirked into a dangerous smile. "I told him I was counting on it."

That's when his fist came flying toward my face, hitting me squarely in the cheek.

. . .

Gabriel Alexander was not a patient man under normal circumstances. Seth would know—he'd been Gabriel's Beta for years, but he'd been his best friend for even longer. And knowing him for that long meant Seth knew when to shut the fuck up, and right now was one of those times, when Gabriel suddenly took a left turn, slamming Seth into the passenger side door of the SUV. A train of a dozen other SUVs behind them nearly collided with one another trying to make the same right-hand turn. Each SUV that followed theirs was filled with eight or nine werewolves from different packs including Luna Nova. When word spread that Alpha Phoebe left the compound to confront Leo, every single werewolf stepped forward, prepared to fight for the safe return of their queen, which just so happened to also be the ultimate chance to prove themselves to their new king. Gabriel called for the strongest enforcers from each pack—his unsaid intention rang loud and clear to everyone: They were representing their pack so that every pack would have a part of the coming battle—every pack would share in the glory or the defeat. From the murderous glint in Gabriel's eyes, Seth naturally assumed the former.

Raindrops began to splatter against the windshield. Within minutes, it was pouring. Seth glanced at his Alpha before leaning over the middle console and silently switching on the windshield wipers. Gabriel didn't even flinch or acknowledge the unwarranted assistance.

Seth gripped the door handle when the SUV hydroplaned for a single second before thankfully finding traction on the slippery road. Seth cleared his throat, but still didn't say anything.

"Spit it out, Seth."

The Beta jumped at the sudden sound of Gabriel's voice. For the last seven hours, his friend hadn't said a word to him. Seth cleared his throat once more before saying, "It'd just be best if we lived to actually rescue her."

"You think now is an appropriate time to joke, Seth?" Gabriel snapped.

Seth stared out the blurry windshield. "He's not gonna hurt her, Gabe. He wants you."

"He'll hurt her to get to me." Gabriel's shoulder shivered slightly and Seth tried to brush off the overwhelming instinct to suddenly bear his neck. Gabriel's wolf was biting against the mental rope that he chained it down with. Its need to show dominance and be released to find its mate was incredibly strong. If the wolf had belonged to a weaker man, it would have already be unleashed. But Gabriel Alexander was stronger than any man Seth had ever met, including himself. Gabriel was Alpha Rex not because he was the subject of Leo's vendetta, but because he was the only werewolf who could rise to the challenge and actually succeed. The packs hadn't worked together like this in centuries. There were newfound friendships that strengthened pack bonds and united them together against the one who challenged the peace they had created amongst themselves. The rigorous training they had all completed over the past month made them a force to be reckoned with.

Seth sighed and opened his mouth to say something reassuring when his phone suddenly chimed. He glanced down and frowned. "Take a left."

Gabriel actually used his blinker two full seconds before turning sharply. This time, Seth was prepared and gripped the "Oh Shit" handle on the roof of the car, which helped prevent him from slamming into the door for the seventh time during the last hour alone. Gabriel sped down the dirt road until it panned out into a semi-parking lot occupied by a single SUV. Gabriel skidded to a stop next to the abandoned vehicle, barely putting the SUV in park before jumping out. He didn't bother turning off the car or closing his door. He launched his body into the forest, the tell-tale sound of a breaking bone the only indication he was shifting before he disappeared into the density of the trees. SUVs pulled into the parking lot and bodies poured out of them. Almost a hundred enforcers followed their king without hesitation into the forest. Seth brought up the rear, tearing his shirt off as his back bent backward unnaturally. He pushed one last mental message to his mate before erecting a wall in their mate bond to block her as best as he could from the pain he was sure to endure during the battle that was on the horizon.

. . .

Julie paced Alpha Alexander's office, chewing anxiously on her thumbnail. John patiently watched her wear a line into the rug from his perch on the couch.

"You should have gone with them, John," she said for the sixth time.

John gave her the same answer for the sixth time, "I belong right here, Beta."

"I don't need protection, John," Julie snapped.

"Your mate says otherwise."

"He's overreacting, like he always does," she grunted.

John watched her pace for another silent minute. "They'll want to hear from you, Beta."

Julie stopped pacing to look at Alpha Alexander's third in command. "N-No. You . . . You're the werewolf, John. You're his third. What can I say that they'll even listen to?"

John leaned forward to rest his elbows on his bent knees. "They need to see you, Beta. You are our leader until the Alpha or Beta return. You are who they will listen to, who they will trust."

"I-I-I don't know what to say!" Julie started pacing again. "They can't possibly expect me to—"

"You know what to say. Rely on your instinct."

"What instinct?" Julie shrilled.

John stood. "You're panicking."

"No shit I'm panicking, John! My best friend went off on her own, my mate is heading into battle, and I am the most worthless human being on this planet right now because I can't do a damn thing about it!"

"Yes, you can." John stepped forward. "You are Beta of the Luna Nova pack, as well as Beta to the Alpha Rex of North America. You have more power than you realize. You need to harness that power and put to ease the werewolves who are outside right now, looking for someone to turn to for answers."

Julie suddenly understood the pressure Phoebe had been under for the last month and why her friend was prone to overthinking everything. Julie herself only just realized that because of her mate's rank, she was second in command of all packs residing in North America. And without Alpha Alexander or Seth on the compound, she was also head bitch in charge.

Julie gripped the desk as her knees started to shake. "I think I'm gonna throw up."

John grimaced. "Save it for later."

"No, now. It's coming."

"No, it's not." John grabbed her gently by the upper arm and started dragging her out of the office. "Make an appearance now. Puke later."

He all but shoved Julie onto the front porch, where dozens of men and women were gathered, talking amongst themselves. Julie pulled on her mate's dominance, which was something he taught her to do the day he had claimed her, and something she hadn't done since that day. The dominance strengthened her, forced her to stand tall and gaze evenly at the werewolves crowded on the front lawn.

She tapped into the instinct she shared with her mate, letting it control her body as she stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "I'm trying to think of what to say to you to ease your fears, but I find cannot lie to you." She tried to make eye contact with those nearest to her. "Now is the time to ask the questions you undoubtedly have."

"Where are they headed?" someone asked from the back of the crowd.

"Oregon," Julie answered automatically. "In the heart of one of the larger wildernesses on the West Coast, which is where we managed to track the rogue pack."

Or, rather, where Phoebe managed to track them.

"What can we do to help?"

"I need you all to stay alert. We haven't managed to track the wolves who took Tommy Carmichael, the younger brother of our Alpha Regina. We assume they left the area, but we cannot be sure. We don't know what the self-proclaimed Alpha rogue plans to do, but we need you here in case of an attack at the compound or in the surrounding territories. John will assign you to patrol teams and you will scout the surrounding area in shifts. If you are not patrolling, you are training. Those are the instructions Alpha Rex left us with."

"Have they arrived yet?"

Julie glanced at the woman who spoke, her gaze softening when she met eyes with Sasha, one of the females who found her mate when she first arrived for training weeks ago. Julie reached into the bond she shared with her mate. It was dulled and had been for an hour or so now. The last she heard from Seth was one sentence: "Thank you for giving me the best reason to live for the last ten months. I love you, Julie. "

"They're almost there."

Sasha fidgeted with the edge of her shirt. A few other males who stood on the edge of the crowd shifted their weight from foot to foot, agitated and impatient. The need to protect the pack and the desire to join the fight filled the tense air surrounding the pack house.

"Will Alpha Regina be okay?"

Julie opened her mouth to answer, but a searing pain stabbed into her right shoulder, like a large beast was clawing into her back. She cried out and crumbled under the pain. John caught her and the crowd surged forward, voices clamoring.

Julie gasped as the pain subsided. She gripped John's shoulder, attempting to stand on her own two feet. She stared straight ahead with dull eyes. "It's begun."

___

Author's Note:

It's kinda funny. I had a few readers beg for another character's POV, and I'm pretty sure I told them I wouldn't do that with this story. Lol, right?

ANYWAY!

Comment and vote! It would mean a lot to me!!

xo -Willow