"You look like a bunch of dogs chasing their own tails!" Zaine shouts, eyes hard as he looks at the pack training hard.

Christ, he could be scary as shit. The usual fun side of him I'm used to is nowhere in sight, replaced by this drill sergeant with high-ass expectations that my pack seems to be having a hard time reaching.

The rest of the Royals aren't as hardcore but they're putting us to the test, that's for sure.

"Alright, stop!" Killian shouts, making all fights cease, the wolves all looking at him. "Let's switch things up a little, I wanna get in on this training. You keep fighting, pretend you're in a real battle, enemies all around, where you have to worry about both fighting your opponent and being snuck up on by another opponent. While you fight two on two, me and my fam will slink around and try to take you off guard and attack."

"Be prepared," Rei adds, "We won't hold back much and we will use our abilities but we'll aim to pin only." She shoots a stern glance at Zaine, who pouts and lowers his spiked bat. "But remember, in a real battle, you don't get second chances. They will be trying to kill you, no holding back. So don't let yourself be pinned down. Give it everything you've got and we'll be sure to win."

"Damn curved," Killian and Zaine say in unison.

Clove raises an eyebrow at them, "What?"

Zaine shrugs and grins. "We would say straight but we're not."

Clove rolls her eyes and moves on, "We won't tell you what we can do but know that if you should watch out for anyone, it's my idiot brother. He's childish but incredibly dangerous."

Killian gives a little wave as my wolves eye him warily. Zaine grins, shifting into Killian's double.

The brown-haired warlock eyes him then scowls. "Change back, I like it when you're a little shorter than me."

"What, because it makes you feel like the man of the relationship?" Zaine replies in Killian's voice.

"No, because it makes it easier for me to hold you," Killian says, putting his hands on his hips like a diva.

Beside him, Rei and Clove both sigh, clearly wishing the two boys could focus.

How often does this kind of thing happen? Dean asks.

Too often, Clove replies.

"Alright, let's do this," Rei says, whacking both warlocks over the head to get them to focus. "Go back to sparring but watch your back."

Around me, wolves continue their fights.

I lunge at Raiden again, quickly aiming a punch when he dodges. Dean, Raiden's partner, tries to pin me down, while Raiden turns his focus to Scott, my partner. I've fought my friends enough to know their moves which isn't ideal but there's not many other wolves that would challenge me in a fight in terms of skill level.

As we fight, I see a plume of flame erupt close to the edge of the many fights. So Rei must be somewhere over there. I see one of my wolves being lifted by an invisible force and thrown into another wolf. Clove's work, I know that. I'm not exactly sure where Killian and Zaine are, which is a problem. Killian's speed and Zaine's skill make them both dangerous opponents.

I spin away just as Raiden lunges at me.

Spin right, Jayden says suddenly as I go to retaliate, his tone urgent.

Without hesitation, I comply, spinning to the right just as someone tries to tackle me. My eyes narrow, seeing it's... another me?

Zaine.

He grins darkly and lunges again, moving impossibly fast, eyes glowing. Ugh, now I'm confused.

Speed is part of Flash's power, I think as I kick my doppelganger off me.

And since Changeling can't copy abilities, he must've used his shape shifting ability on Flash, Jayden says.

Right, I murmur. They've been working on expanding the limitations to their abilities.

Rei's been working on her control over fire. Clove and Killian are working on reducing the amount of energy their abilities take, so they can use them longer. Zaine has been working on his ability to alter the appearance of others and expanding his limits of what he can shift into.

So I'm facing Killian disguised as me. Alrighty then. Well, I guess I should've realized sooner he's still wearing the same clothes so that was a dead giveaway of who he is. Then again, we are sparring, not in a fashion show where I have time to consider his outfit...

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dean and Raiden fighting another copy of me. Jesus Christ, what is this? Asher copying day?

"Not bad," Killian says, his voice still his own, as I manage to land a hit on his chest.

"Why copy me?" I ask, dodging a punch from him and not letting myself get distracted from hearing his voice coming from the mirror image of myself.

Killian grins as we circle each other. "It was Changeling's idea. You're the Alpha, Ceniza. It took a moment for your wolves to register in their minds that we weren't really you and by that time, we had them pinned down with the breath knocked out of 'em."

He lunges at me again and with him enhancing his speed, I can't dodge quickly enough. I grunt as my back hits the snow, which is actually quite hard from all the fighting and footprints packing it down. As Killian goes to punch me, Scott tackles him off, pinning him to the snow beside me. I get up quickly, ready to help my partner against the warlock.

My head shoots up suddenly, one of the wolves on patrol mind-linking me.

Rogues, she says urgently, northeast border. Alpha, they have nearly three times as many as us, we need back up.

"Enough!" I roar, making everyone freeze and turn to me. "Anyone who has enough energy, follow me. We have rogues at the northeast border. Do not fight if you're too tired."

Killian's appearance melts back into his own as he gets up quickly. Zaine appears beside him, having been the other copy of me that Dean and Raiden were fighting.

"Let's go," Rei says as she and Clove appear beside Raiden.

I nod and shift quickly, my clothes disappearing because of the spell on my chain necklace. I take off towards the border, the others following me.

When I spot the patrol, I urge myself to go faster, diving into the battle immediately. I won't stand by and let my pack get hurt.

Instantly, most, if not all, of the rogues turn their focus to attacking me. My eyes widen then narrow as I start taking down rogues. The wolves who came to help try to take the attention of some of the rogues, to take the target off me but it doesn't work. The rogues have their eyes locked on me and they won't be deterred.

Asher, get out of here, Raiden says.

No! I say, slashing my claws across one rogue's snout. I'm not abandoning you to fight alone. And besides, they'll probably follow me.

Why are they all after you? Clove says, her voice angry and strained with the effort and energy she's putting in to fight.

How do I know? I reply, ducking as one rogue lunges at me.

I'm surrounded, rogues all around me, forming a barrier that my pack is trying hard to get through. I clench my teeth, urging myself to fight harder. I won't go down.

I can feel my exhaustion starting to take my strength. Of course the rogues just had to attack after an hour and a half of training. But I can't back down and retreat. Reason one being the protection of my pack is highly important to me and reason two being the rogues are literally all around me.

My breathing is coming out in heavy, labored pants and my body aches and screams for rest.

Just as another rogue lunges towards me, the world spins and everything goes dark as exhaustion takes me.

➵

I groan softly.

My body hurts all over and my head pounds. The scent of the hospital surrounds me. I feel that my body is propped up in a semi-upright position, somewhere between lying down and sitting up, if that makes sense. I can sense everyone here, Raiden, Scott, Dean, Rei, Clove, Killian, Zaine, Chase and Rhea.

"Asher," Rei's voice says worriedly. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel like there's a heavy metal band playing with speakers on full blast in my head," I mutter, opening my eyes slowly. "That or like Changeling's repeatedly bashed me over the head with his bat."

"Aw, I wouldn't do that," Zaine pipes up. "You'd have to really make me angry for me to think of seriously hurting family."

"What happened?" I ask.

"You passed out," Raiden says. "Doc says from exhaustion. And then the rogues got to you until Rei made a ring of fire around your unconscious body and got them to flee. You pick great times to pass out, by the way."

I shrug. "It's a talent."

There's a knock on the door and it opens to let in the doctor and Riley. He's gotten braver, happier, since the dipshits in the pack stopped abusing him and the other omegas behind my back.

"Hey guys," Riley says, smiling. He shoots me a concerned look, "Alright, Alpha?"

I nod. "I'm fine, besides this massive headache."

"Well Alpha," the Doctor says, "The rogues slashed you up fairly badly. Nothing that should last too long, the most I'd say is around half a day, maybe a little longer. Though maybe try to not overwork yourself like that again."

I nod. "Got it. Thanks, Doc."

"Of course," he replies. "You should be able to leave by tonight. Maybe just stay here for a while longer to be sure you're alright."

"It's just the headache right now that's really bothering me," I say.

"Which is why I brought some pain killers." The doctor pulls a small bottle of painkillers out of his pocket, handing them to Rei. "Take two at most every four hours as needed. If you don't mind, I have to go finish a report for another patient."

He gives us a smile before walking out.

Rei hands me a couple pills, along with a glass of water off a tray I didn't notice before. I swallow the pain killers quickly, then let my head drop back against the pillow. I'm so glad I spent the money to make the beds here comfortable.

"Can I ask, why'd you come back, Rei?" Riley asks, tilting his head curiously.

Rei looks at him. "For Asher. A long-distance relationship wasn't something either of us wanted. That and I realized it was more dangerous where we were."

She doesn't elaborate since Riley doesn't know of the Rouge Kingdom.

"We were worried, Ceniza," Dean says softly, eyes slightly red as if his highly emotional self had been crying. "Seeing you collapse like that was scary."

Scott rubs Dean's back gently, placing a soft kiss on his temple. "He's alright now, love."

Dean smiles leaning against Scott.

"Can I talk to Ceniza alone?" Rei asks, looking at everyone else.

"Alright everyone, clear out," Zaine says immediately, clapping his hands together in a 'move, chop-chop' motion. "Give the main couple some privacy."

I roll my eyes as his name for us. Once everyone is out and the door is closed, Rei gives me a nervous look.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Asher, I know nothing I say will stop you from fighting but what if something happens when we fight King?" she says. "I don't want to lose you."

I smile softly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, Rei. I passed out because of exhaustion after an hour and a half of training, then the rogue attack. I'll be fine when we go up against King."

"How can you know that?" Rei replies, "How can you know we'll all make it out alive? Someone always dies. Always."

"Oh I know," I say. "And it's always the character you love most. The death that'll leave you emotionally scarred."

"Not exactly helping," she mumbles.

"None of us will die," I say. "We'll be ready and prepared."

When she looks at me, I can see in her eyes that she's scared. I give her a soft smile, kissing her lightly.

"We'll survive," I whisper. "And live happily ever after, my Queen."

Rei smiles. "Happily ever after."