"April, I need you to take May and August down to the safe room and stay there!" Dad ordered, trying to stay calm.

"But I can help!" August argued and my mom shook her head.

"You haven't shifted yet, you'll get killed."

A lookout must have pulled the alarm system because a loud blaring began exhorting and the Pack House went into a frenzy. People rushed down the stairs and out of their rooms. The pregnant women and mothers with young pups pushed for the safe room. I spotted our pack Peacemaker ushering the Elders to the secret stairwell while the Enforcers headed outside and into the yard.

I scooped up May and grabbed August's arm, dragging him after the pack Elders. We stumbled down the many flights of stairs until we reached the large concrete room. I stood at the door and let everyone after us pass so they could be in the back.

When every last one piled in, the heavy metal door automatically shut and clicked into place. I sat down in front of it just in case a rogue managed to get down there. I had to protect my pack.

A few young kids began to cry out of fear, their wolves on edge with the amount of anxiety thickening the air. The adults were silent, and those who weren't were only trying to calm their pups down.

I tried not to shake or let fearful thoughts enter my mind, but it was difficult. My mind was screaming at me to go up there and fight alongside my pack, but I knew my parents wouldn't want that. Or Xavier. I had to stay hidden, to keep myself safe, no matter how guilty that made me feel.

🐾🐾🐾

At least an hour had to have passed, and several of the women and elders down here were asleep. I still sat rigid in front of the door, my eyes and ears alert for any sounds. It scared me that I couldn't hear any of what was happening upstairs and in the yard.

August sat next to me, as stiff as I was. His eyes were wide and staring at the metal door, as if expecting it to fly open at any second. May squirmed in my lap and I glanced down to find she had also fallen asleep.

Suddenly, a deep, echoey sound erupted from the other side of the safe room door. I pricked my ears and held perfectly still. With the snap of my fingers, the rest of the hidden pack hushed completely, staring at me with wide unblinking eyes, waiting for my next order.

The sound came again, and I realized it was a series of footsteps on the grated stairwell. They came again and continued until I could tell they were right outside. How did they find us? This stairwell was as secret as we could get it!

I held my breath and felt May tighten her grip around me. She was awake, and an overwhelming fear came over me that she would die today.

The stairwell became silent for a few moments before a heavy weight slammed into the door. It didn't open, but I saw it shake.

A collective intake of breaths swept through the safe room. I leaped to my feet, passing May to August and trying to keep a calm and collected expression on my face. I had to stand strong for my pack.

"April. . ." An Elder whispered from the back.

Without turning my head, I said, "no. I have to do this. You all have families and lives and children to return to. If one of us gets taken down, it's going to be me." The old woman sighed in sadness, but did not protest anymore.

When the door gave away, I was thrown backwards and to the floor. I shrieked as the rogue landed on top of me. Using all of my strength, I heaved him off of me and scrambled up.

The man scanned the room and smirked. "So here's where everyone's hiding like cowards!"

Growls echoed around the room and I spoke up for them. "You're wrong, it's not cowardly; it is protecting the important members of our pack. It is wise."

The rogue snorted, "that's a stupid way to live. Rogues aren't like that." He eyed me closely and his eyes suddenly sparkled. "No way. You're the fox, aren't you?"

I looked at the floor, accidentally giving myself away. He laughed. "Yes! The Alpha will reward me for this!"

He grabbed my arm before I could leap out of the way and started dragging me out the door. I let out an ear-splitting scream. Unfortunately, he ignored me and continued to the stairs.

"April!" May screeched after me. I caught a glimpse of August holding her back with tear-filled eyes before my shoulder was rammed into the stairs.

The rogue was careless as he dragged me upstairs, letting me hit nearly every single step. I groaned and glared at him. "How do you know about me anyway?"

He chuckled. "We have people. And we've been looking for you for a long time."

I was horrified. There were traitors in our pack, giving my most guarded secret away?! I growled and squirmed, fighting his grasp. He laughed and just held on to my wrist tighter. I swear my hand started to turn purple.

Blinding light hit my eyes as we stepped outside, the late afternoon sun burning my retinas. "I got her!" The rogue called proudly. I shrieked as his nails dug into my skin.

A black wolf immediately turned and started to dash over. He didn't make it very far, getting tackled after only a few yards. The opponent pinned him down roughly, and Xavier's blue eyes met mine. It was as if he were saying he was sorry he couldn't save me.

The rest of the fighting wolves stopped. My mom dropped to her knees and cried out for me as a wolf blocked her path. The rest of the rogue pack made its way over to us.

"Congrats!"

"Wonderful job!"

"This is great!"

Many members of the rogues congratulated the dirty man holding my wrist. I growled at them.

"Shut it, fox!" He growled.

"No!" I shouted. With all of my might, I bit down hard on his hand. I even tasted a little bit of blood. Nasty!

The man yelped in pain. He let go of his grip and I started to run.

"You idiot!" One of the rogues shouted. "Get her!"

I glanced behind me and saw three rogues running after me. I ran faster. I wanted to shift but that probably wasn't the best idea.

"April!" I turned my head to the left and saw Xavier had shifted and was struggling out of a rogue's grasp.

I wanted to run to him, help him, but that was basically a death sentence. My eyes trained on the woods, I sprinted like I never had before. The rogues were hard on my heels.

"If you lose her in those woods, you three will be digging your graves!" I assumed that was their rotten Alpha.

Oh no. I thought, and willed my legs to move even faster. They burned as I zigzagged through the woods, my feet crunching on the fallen leaves. I leaped over logs and tried to put as much distance between the rogues and me.

I glanced behind me, seeing how far I'd gotten. That turned out to be a mistake and I smacked hard into something. I yelped as that something ended up being someone and they grabbed onto my wrists. I hadn't even seen the trap.

"Gotcha!" He growled. He pulled out a syringe and I writhed, twisting and thrashing as I tried to escape. "Goodnight!" He chucked and plunged the needle into my neck.

I fell limp and my vision became blurry. I could barely make out the group of rogues that had caught up, surrounding me as I collapsed to the dirt and leaves. Their talking was muffled and I struggled to keep my eyes open. They seemed to be moving in slow motion. I tried to speak, but found my tongue to heavy to make words. A tear slid down my cheek as I let my head hit the ground and I was summoned to darkness.