~Tiberius~

Running out of the backdoor of the house, glancing back at Elenore's beautiful face once before I changed, I yelled out "I'll see you at 7!" before smiling at her and changing into my wolf. Running alongside Gail, we broke through the treeline, weaving around thick Oak trees and bobbing under branches.

'So we're going to the South Border, right Alpha?' Gail mind linked me.

'Yes, and if we have time we'll visit the West. I want to get home by 7, like I promised Ellie,' I replied, not turning to look at him.

Gail paused, choosing his words carefully.

'She'll make an amazing Luna, Alpha,' he said, honesty shining in his soft words.

'Yes, I know she will.. I love her Gail.' He chuckled lightly, coming out as huffs from his muzzle.

'We all know that, Alpha. The way you two look at each other..it-I can't describe it, sir, but it's clear to everyone the feeling is mutual.'

I smiled knowing everyone could see the love between the two of us. Her perfect smile, her dark eyes, her curved ears..her image is burned into my brain, my adoration for her growing more and more every second.

'I would do anything to protect her, so if anything happens to me, protect her. Promise me, Gail,' I spoke firmly, slowing down to a stop to look at him in his dark green eyes. Nodding, his eyes locked on mine.

'I will, Alpha. I swear.'

~~

Nearing the South Border, Gail and I slowed from our run to a jog, peering out of the treeline into an empty, grassy field representing the Border of the Alpha Territory to look for any danger.

The empty field made the South Border, a large creek shaped the West, a cave system edged the East, and a small mountain chain lined the North. At specific points along the Borders, guards stand and walk around to protect the territory within, fighting and killing anyone who is a threat. When we investigated the field, though, we saw no one.

'Do you see anyone, Gail?' I asked, craning my head to the left, then right, never stepping out of the foliage.

'No, sir. But- Wait, I think I see something over there,' he replied, motioning to a mound in the grass ahead with his nose. Squinting, I tried to make out the figure, seeing it moving slightly.

'I'm going to check it out. Cover me,' I linked, cautiously stepping over twigs out of the trees, lowering myself into the grass so that only my ears were above the light brown weeds.

Silently slinking through the meadow with Gail 10 feet behind, I neared the mound laying on it's side, blood splashing the gray of it's fur and grass around it. Hearing strained and laborious pants, I padded to the Wolf to see who it was, and if they were one of the my guards.

Seeing he was, I also discovered he was a 19 year old fighter who begged me to train him and let him fight for my army years ago.

Nudging him in the shoulder with my nose, he let out a small whimper and rolled his head to mine, staring up at me painfully-but steadily.

'What happened here, Dylan?' I asked him quietly.

'Rouges, they-,' he choked, 'they attacked us. It was an ambush, Sir. We tried to fight but-', he choked again, his bloodied torso shaking. Forcing himself to take another breath, he finished.

'Blade is back,' he growled strongly, before his head flopped back to the ground and his eyelids shut. Sighing, I turned my head to look at Gail who was staring down at the body sorrowfully. He had trained Dylan himself, seeing as how he was a promising pupil.

'We- we need to find the other Guards, Sir. Find...him,' Gail spat, not saying the wolf's name. No one has dared speak of the rouge wolf since the incident years ago. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong.

Nodding, we quietly roamed the field, looking for signs of other guards or ,*vomits in mouth a little*, Blade. After finding 4 more dead guards, we split up and started sniffing around for other wolves. Only picking up the scent of soil, bird poop, and deer leather, which is what the Alpha Guards smell like, another scent suddenly invaded my nostrils, smelling of Maple leaves and...blood.

Growling, I got the attention of Gail who had also noticed the scent. Backing up against each other, we went in the formation of a V so that we could see any threats, our tails together and upper bodies pointing apart.

A low, feral growl came from the woods we were facing, then another behind us and to our sides. Swiveling our heads to see the oncoming wolves, I counted 5 rugged, scruffy males much smaller than I, their coats matted in burs and blood. My men's blood.

Snarling, I prepared myself to lunge.

'Well hello, brother,' Blade said cooingly, cocking his head.

~Blade~

'Ugh, I love killing things but seriously? Blood is so hard to get out of your coat,' I grumbled to my second in command, Derek, who was licking the blood from his front leg.

We had just finished off 5 guards on the South Alpha Border, sending a future message to Tiberius that we're here, I'm here, and ready to fight.

'Sir, Alpha Tiberius and Beta Gail have just been seen investigating the clearing. Should we attack now?' one of my fighters, Shawn, tells me, being trailed by a few others.

'No, let him see his dead guards. Then we'll attack,' I ordered firmly. They bowed their heads, darting off past some trees to keep an eye on him.

Shocked? Nobody in the Wolf Territories dare speak my name, in fear of getting jailed or put to death. Parents raised their children in fear, and kids grew up never hearing my name. Most people never even knew Tiberius had a brother. It isn't important to know what I did right now, just that other wolves thought it was despicable, while I thought it was fair.

Growls shook me from my thoughts. Jogging over to where I saw Shawn run off to, I saw Tiberius and Gail in the V formation, snarling at my wolves. Stepping out of the trees before Tiberius lunged, I got his attention.

'Well hello, Brother,' I sneered, catching him completely off guard. Whirling around, his surprised expression quickly turned into one of neutrality, then rage.

'What do you want, Blade?' he spat, not acknowledging we're blood related.

I chuckled lightly, coming out as huffs. 'You know what I want, Brother. I told you years ago what I would do if you didn't take back the banishment. And guess what?' I came closer to his wolf. 'You didn't. Take. It back.'

I growled, knocking into his wolf. Gail immediately went into action, coming towards me with a feral snarl curling his muzzle. My 5 other wolves, though, attacked, occupying him while I worked on Tiberius.

Tiberius snapped at my leg as I toppled over him, scraping the skin. Quickly, he changed our positions and got up from under me, standing to his full height. Diving towards my face, he opened his mouth to show his dagger canines, much larger than the average wolf's. Luckily, though, mine are the same since I'm his older brother. Rolling out of the way, I stood and bared my teeth, standing as tall as he. Tiberius got our fathers jet black coat and my mother's golden eyes, while I got my mothers gray, black, and brown coat with our fathers dark gray eyes.

Gail had his paws full with my now 3 guards, but was quickly gaining ground. Yes, my men were skinny and scruffy, but they'll fight to hell and back for revenge.

Springing towards his crouched body, we met midway, clawing and snapping at each other, tearing our tufts of fur and spilling blood. Raking my claws down his back, he roared in pain and rage. Falling to the ground, he writhed in misery, groaning from my marks.

'What did you do to me you asshole?!' he screamed at me, blazing holes into my head with his glare. Smirking, I shifted into my human. We've all been around many naked people from shifting, so most of us are pretty comfortable with it.

"Silver, my dear brother. My claws were dipped in it." Everyone knows a silver-inflicted wound is deadly, and my claws raking down his back? There's hardly a chance he'll survive.

Roaring again, he tried to stand but collapsed on his stomach.

"I should kill you right now, Ti. Goddess knows you deserve it," I whispered, extending my claws from my human fingers to run along his neck. "But I won't."

Standing, I glanced at Gail to see him finish off Shawn. That's a shame.

"I will see you again, Brother. And tell your mate I said hello," I said simply, before turning and striding out of the field.

~Gail~

After I finished off the last of the guards, I turned just in time to see Blade walking into the trees before disappearing. Jumping over the bodies of the wolves I killed, I ran to see Tiberius' black wolf straining to breathe, blood coating the grass beneath him.

'Alpha, I have to get you home! Try to get on my back, okay?' I rushed, lowering my body to the ground beside Tiberius so that my legs were under me. Groaning, he pulled himself up, laying crossways on my back.

Standing up, I made sure he wasn't going to fall off before I trotted home, trying not to bounce him any. Oh god, Ellie's going to have a heart attack..

Nearing the Mansion's front doors, Guards standing watch over the house yelled out to open the door. Once they were open, I strode in and layed down, letting Tiberius roll off my body gently. Allowing himself to shift, he rested on his stomach, giving minor relief to his back. Maids and other guards coming in started to yell, bumping into tables and walls as they squeezed in.

Two pairs of footsteps came pounding came down the stairs, growing louder until they stopped altogether. Glancing up, I saw Ellie's pale face and wide blue eyes.

She screamed bloody murder.