The door swished open behind me, and I turned, expecting to see either Eric or the Alberrechian male from earlier, but to my utter shock, a stone faced Yanneek entered the room.

My mouth dropped open as he brushed by me, his eyes avoiding mine as he walked to the table which I had once been resting on. I felt as if a lump was in my throat as he took up some of the rope which had been used to keep me tied to the table, fisting them tightly in his hand.

Once again, betrayal was what I felt as I watched him linger around the metal table, not looking directly towards me until I took a step forward. It was then that his head slowly raised, along with his bushy eyebrows. I began to speak, although I was unsure of what I intended to say, but Yanneek gave a quick shake of his head.

Confused, I reluctantly closed my mouth, but looked upwards towards the ceiling when his eyes bounced to it. Immediately I saw a camera right above us. Yanneek gestured subtly with a point of a finger that we move to the corner of the room, where we wouldn't be seen by the camera.

Hesitantly, I walked with him slowly to where he'd directed me to, eyes trailing every now and then to Quinn who still remained by the large screens, standing rigidly. Helda had left the area shortly after I had mouthed to her, and I was unsure of where she'd gone.

"You're apart of Corozal too?" My voice was loud with irritation as I turned back to Yanneek. He immediately shook his head, and using his right hand, lifted and then lowered it. I easily caught on to what he wanted me to do; lower my voice.

"No." Yanneek responded firmly and quietly. He looked over my shoulder, towards the direction of Quinn, and took my arm to pull me closer to him.

His eyes searched my face, speaking rapidly as he explained, "The morning of the day in which you were kidnapped I'd overheard Helda speaking to someone over her cellephone. I couldn't understand what was being said, but once I'd made my presence known, the way she'd reacted to seeing me was very telling; she was up to something. It was the very first time I'd had suspicions of her, but I tried to brush it off. When I saw Quinn and several others carrying your body out of her house, and someone from Corozal helping Helda, I knew I had to step in to try and help you."

The lights emitting from the screens suddenly darkened, and I glanced behind me warily as Yanneek went on, "I managed to persuade Helda to take me with her to here, and told her that I wanted to be a part of her community. She already knew my fears regarding lycans, and I lied and told her I wanted to be someone who fought against their existence. I had to take some fucking weird pledge that I would be loyal to Corozal, and I was searched everywhere on my body. Well," Yanneek's eyes lowered to his boots. "Almost everywhere."

I smiled bitterly. The Corozal people and the Alberrechians too had looked over searching my boots.

"I have my own phone," Yanneek's words were a soft whisper as we both heard the sound of footsteps. "And I've been in contact with Hannes. He and other lycans are on their way. I know where we are, and I've given him the di-"

The door opened and both of our heads turned to look at Helda as she stepped inside the room. I took several steps backwards, making space between Yanneek and myself.

Yanneek's face hardened as he looked at me, and I said nothing as he lifted the ropes in his hand, knowing that Helda was watching us. "You'll be tied again if you make anymore threats, Olivia." He bit out, face tense and jaw set.

I watched as he left the room shortly afterwards, turned my attention to Helda, and then looked towards the thin instrument poking out of her white lab coat. I could also see a bandage on one of her hands, where she'd been shot.

"I've wanted to use something like this on you for a long time." Helda murmured, lifting the object up from her pocket when she saw that I had looked at it. "Ever since you brought that half-breed into Corozal, I wanted you disciplined. You knew the rules we had there, especially regarding lycans and them not being allowed into the community. Your actions were highly disrespectful to the Council."

"We'd taken you in. Given you a home, provided food and clothes. And yet you betrayed us. You were not a true Corozal person. We look out for our own, defend our own and do what we must to help each other." Helda ranted.

I pretended to frown. "The Corozal people certainly did little to help you throughout the years in which you were imprisoned in the Klawmoon's pack, though."

Helda's body stiffened, and her lips pressed tightly together as she inhaled slowly, as if trying to control her anger. I lifted a finger to bite as I hid my smile; I'd successfully struck a nerve.

"Did you come in here to rant to me, or is there something else that you wanted to discuss?" I muttered when she said nothing throughout the minutes that stretched by.

My dry, sarcastic words enraged Helda more, but I quickly decided soon after asking her that I'd refrain from saying more; I realized how she could attempt to use that instrument on me. Again.

My eyes skipped down to her bandaged arm, and when I looked at her face, the smile there was lacking warmth, as I'd expected.

"I will enjoy murdering you like I did Willow."

The amount of rage that pummelled through me at her parting words was something that I barely controlled. I remained standing when she left the room, narrowed eyes fixated on the closed door, body stiff with thick tension and fingers curled, nails pinching my palms hard.

**************

Bloodlust thrummed in my veins. It seeped into my mind, plagued my thoughts and battled with my fear and worry. Each minute that went by seemed to sharpen the pain in my chest that had formed shortly after I'd gotten a call from Jeremiah about Olivia not being found after the pack was attacked.

I had left Mallum immediately, not bothering to pack my belongings, or tell the Alpha what had happened. That shit had been the last thing on my mind as I'd returned to Wildeland. I'd searched desperately through the midst of chaos for Olivia, but it soon became evident that she wasn't in the pack.

Elijah had managed to call for assistance from other packs to battle the Alberrechians and Corozal people, and many hours had passed since then. Most were now dead, but according to Yanneek, Quinn nor the Council had received confirmation of this, but knew that many lives had been lost.

Yanneek had also explained to me throughout the text he sent that he had reason to believe that Helda, the girl who Elijah and myself had allowed to stay in my pack, was involved in Olivia's kidnapping, which didn't help my turbulent emotions, at all.

My fingers gripped the steering wheel, and I could feel my body resisting the urge to shift as my emotions increased ten-folds as I thought of the possibility of my mate being harmed in the place in which she was kept.

My tongue swiped over my fangs that had grown, and I choked out a ragged breath which became a growl when I felt a hand being placed on my shoulder in warning.

"You're denting the steering wheel." Elijah spoke from beside me. I released my tight hold, eyes flickering only briefly to the wheel before turning my attention back on the road, foot pressing hard on the gas as I saw the building in the near distance.

I could hear the sounds of engines around my vehicle. Many of my warriors and several from Nicholas' pack were in jeeps around us, following.

My pack members too felt lust for blood, and like myself, yearned for the death of those who'd taken their Luna and had been a part of the armies that had attacked our pack. Mercy would not be shown.

My need to have Olivia safe propelled as we neared the building, and I struggled to remain patient. Rage abruptly soared through the bond, which had strengthened significantly shortly after we'd mated.

I was able to identify this rage not to be my own, but Olivia's, and I snarled at Elijah when he began to protest about me once again denting the steering wheel of his vehicle.

I apologized shortly after a moment of silence, and he grunted in response. He understood.

The jeep jerked hard to a stop when we reached the building, and I didn't bother to cut the engine before I stepped out, warriors too leaving their vehicles and looking around us.

My hackles raised with anticipation, jaws tingling almost painfully as I saw roughly fifteen Alberrechians come our way, weapons drawn.

Within minutes, slain bodies were piled to the ground and blood coated some lycans' clothing as a result of the severe and fast way many were murdered. Skin and flesh had been ripped from bones, and the humans' screams had sung in the air as they'd succumbed to death.

I wiped my bloody claws against the side of my uniform, eyes traveling around the building as I searched for an entrance. I could hear my warriors following me when I began striding forward, walking up the metal stairs which was along the building, and that the Alberrechians had walked down from. A locked wooden door was at the top, which was kicked down quickly by Elijah.

The room we entered had clearly been recently deserted. Files were strewn across a table, and computers were still on. A low growl of annoyance rose from my throat as I surveyed the room, searching for another door that would lead us deeper into the building, and hopefully, to Olivia.

An acidic taste arose in my mouth as my impatience grew, and I barely registered my warriors moving closer towards me, ready to offer advice or comfort if needed, but then Jeremiah yelled out to us.

"It looks to be some sort of an odd door." Jeremiah told me when I came to his side. My fingers drifted over the strange, small handle, which wouldn't budge, and then the expanse of the metal 'door', which looked more so to be a part of the wall.

"Shit." Lilith hissed, taking it in as well. "We may need some sort of machinery to get this open. Perhaps a-"

My fist throbbed dully with pain when I punched around the area of the handle. The metal indented, and the single door swung open when I struck it once more, the sound of my fist colliding against metal reverberating.

Immediately we all jerked back as gunshots erupted, and amidst the noises, I could hear the commands being given by Corozal leaders to push on.

But, we did as well. And the results were in our favour.

**************

Uniformed men and women were outside of the room I was in, firearms in hand and faces plastered with the tense expression of expectancy and dread. I spotted Quinn and Eric amongst them, but both Helda and Yanneek were inside of the room I was in.

Yanneek did little to hide his agitation at Helda's nearness, as did I, but Helda ignored our behavior and reactions. Instead, her attention was solely on those outside of the room, her panic visible and fingers shaking as she rubbed either at her face or bandaged arm.

I could hear the murmurs of those outside, the volume of their voices growing and lowering. I saw the anxious shifting of feet and hands moving up and down their guns, but then, silence fell as a loud boom erupted.

Heads swivel led towards an area in which I could not see, and I began to walk closer to a glass wall, straining and turning my neck towards where they gazed.

We all watched as the large, double metal doors trembled as it was hit. Helda's heavy breathing filled the room, becoming louder with each thud that rocked the door, but not collapsing it.

Since Helda's attention was mostly on the doors, I took the opportunity to squat slowly, inching my foot forward in my boot, hand sinking in the space that was shown and yank out the dagger Athena had given me.

Keeping my arms behind my back, I exchanged a quick look to Yanneek, who nodded after appraising the dagger in my hands, which remained behind my back.

A particular, loud and jarring thud had my body jerking in surprise, and I turned to watch as Wildeland warriors and those who I assumed to be of Nicholas' pack flood into the area.

Immediately I caught sight of Hannes, who viciously sliced the head of a female Alberrechian clean off her neck when she began to shoot at him and others. I saw blood dripping down his uniform, although it didn't look to be his own.

Hannes' bloodlust was evident, and the primal gleam in his darkened eyes as he smoothly and relentlessly murdered those who attacked sent shudders down my spine.

The building seemed to rock, as if an area had exploded, and I became off balanced. I tumbled to the floor, still holding the dagger. Unfortunately, Helda had caught sight of it, and I jumped to my feet in preparation as she barged towards me, her hand lowering to her holster which held a gun.

But then the door to the room abruptly was kicked open, and my mouth dropped in awe and bafflement as I saw who stood in the doorway, gun aimed and pointed directly towards Helda.

Helda turned slowly, and I took joy in the way her expression blanched, the sharp inhale of her breath and the noises of her boots as she stumbled backwards echoing amongst the roars and gunshots outside.

Helda's voice was hoarse as she stared up at the female lycan whose murky green eyes narrowed when Helda breathed, "Willow?"

Willow's fangs flashed as she snarled, "Hello, you bitch."