I let out a sigh of relief and took off with the rest of the group, pounding across the marbled floor towards freedom.

Devin, Fran, Amias and Matteo were all through the door and standing in the sunshine when a voice from behind me sent me skidding to a stop just inches away from the exit.

"Olive?"

My entire body froze up.

There was no way.

I pivoted on my heel and I collapsed to the floor.

"Daddy?"

I hadn't heard that voice in years but it was one that I could never, would never forget. He waited there, in the same clothes as the last time I saw him was my father.

His hair was overgrown, and his face haggard with age but it was him. All this time I presumed that he was dead, after all it had been years of searching in vain; this couldn't be possible.

But even if Matteo's suspicions about my father being captured by Lysander were correct and he actually had been imprisoned for all these years, it just didn't make sense. From the little I knew about my mother, there wasn't a chance he would be alive right now.

I tilted my head to the side as my father reached his hand out to me, beckoning me into his arms. I felt my lower lip trembling as I stared across the seemingly endless expanse of room between us. With him, all of the bullying, it was manageable. I could have had the most ruthless day of tormenting in the pack but I would come home and run into my dad's arms and everything just seemed to melt away.

When he vanished, the torturing was unbearable. I recalled the countless nights I spent sobbing, begging and pleading for anything or anyone to bring me back the one person who had actually loved me.

And there he was.

Standing before me, waiting for me to run into his arms as if not a day had passed since we had last seen each other.

I couldn't break his gaze in fear that if I did, he'd disappear just as he'd done all those years ago. I took a single step towards him, away from the door.

But before I could take another step, before I could do anything at all really, Matteo was quick to grab my upper arm. It was as if he could sense irrational action before I'd even made up my mind how to react.

I blinked and tore my eyes away, my head jerked painfully back towards Matteo. My eyes rapidly scanned his features, I looked at all of my friends standing expectantly behind him, they were all waiting for me.

I searched for understanding but I found nothing from Matteo, he gently guided me back towards the exit. My legs were locked frozen and I stumbled clumsily backwards, every fiber of my being screamed at me to see this through; I owed it to myself.

Desperately I tried tugging my arm from Matteo's grasp, I craned my body to be able to see my father still. Matteo held fast and pressed his lips against my ear through my hair, "Olive, don't, this has to be a trap. It isn't real."

I didn't care.

"Let me go." My voice was firm and yet distant, even I could hear that. When Matteo didn't immediately release me I turned around and slammed my free palm into his chest manically, like a wild animal being caged.

He stared down at my hand still trying to pry us apart with surprise marred across his features, he shook his head once before glancing over his shoulder to the rest of our group outside the entrance. "What are you waiting for? Get the hell out of here, we will catch up with you." He growled out in frustration and dropped my arm.

There wasn't any sound at first, as if they were uncertain about following Matteo's orders but then I heard the sound of shifting wolves followed by pounding steps.

With my autonomy regained, I returned my focus back to my father. I was no longer hesitant with my approach, I took off across the room and ran straight into his arms. I collided with his body, my face buried into his scrappy shirt as he wrapped his arms around me and held me fast.

He was actually here. I felt his touch, I could hear his heart beating in his chest, my father wasn't dead. He was hugging me, this was actually happening and I could hardly keep up with my own thoughts.

"Dad...I thought you were...I didn't....How is this...." I started, my voice muffled by the tightness of our embrace.

He gently pried us apart, holding me in his arms still but just enough to be able to see me up close. "My, Olive."

My eyes welled up with tears and I choked on my own voice, "I love you so much, I can't believe this I don't know where to begin, there's so much I--I--I--" I couldn't even finish my sentence, it was all too much. I threw my arms around his neck again. I never wanted this to end.

"I'm so sorry."

It was a whisper.

I wasn't even sure if I'd heard him right, I stepped back and stared quizzically back. "What?"

His face suddenly shifted into sheer terror tainted with guilt as he shrunk away from me, "Olive, run. You've got get out of here before she comes!"

I shook my head, my entire body began to shake violently. I didn't understand, why was this happening?

Matteo swore and suddenly his hands were on me again, pulling me away from my father. "We need to go, this was a set up, Olive. Move!"

My dad looked anxious and for a moment he reached back out to me, our hands centimeters apart from connecting once more but I was torn away. "Olive, I'm sorry, I love you. I'm going to fix this."

My father looked behind him at the door nervously, "Lysander is after her, she freed me to stall you guys," He turned back to Matteo and I and practically shoved me into Matteo's arms, "I'll buy you as much time as I can, get her out of here!" He roared and suddenly was shifting before my eyes into a grey wolf just as the doors on the other side of the room burst open and wolves began flooding the room.

"I'm not leaving you!" I fought Matteo's hands, trying desperately to cling to my father but this time Matteo was much less forgiving, he threw me over his shoulder.

I watched as a grimace crossed my father's features and then he took off into the fray of enemies, lunging at the first wolf he approached but in seconds he was overtaken by a swarm of wolves.

I cried out and Matteo took off towards the door but when we turned, Lysander's wolves had us surrounded. They amassed around us, snarling and snapping; some even with blood dripping down their canines.

No doubt my father's.

Matteo set me down and held me behind him, following the circling wolves in attempt to guard our backs.

More wolves appeared and I was able to see my father's wolf lying frozen on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

Fury. It was all I could feel, my entire body felt alight with a painful rage that I couldn't control. My vision blurred in and out, I would see red and then everything would return normal again. My chest was rising and falling rapidly and in an instant I was clutching my head and collapsing onto the floor on my knees just as Lysander entered the room.

Just like that, I'd had my father back and then he was ripped away from me once more.

Lysander loudly tutted, surveying the scene with a coy smile. "Come now, young Alpha, I thought you were smarter than to fall for this."

She paused by the body of my father, her once husband and instead of going around him, she purposely stepped directly over his still body. The hem of her robes dragging across his body and the blood lying on the floor around him.

I felt my stomach heave.

Matteo snarled loudly and stepped forward but the circle of wolves surged forward keeping him confined. "You've killed enough members of your family today, don't you think? Let us go and you will never have to hear from us again."

She laughed and pushed through the ring of wolves, stepping around Matteo and coming straight for me. Lysander placed her hand under my chin and lifted my teary gaze upwards, "We were hardly a family, wouldn't you agree, Olive?"

Her hand tightened painfully on my skin before she released me, tossing me to the side. I fell onto the floor, my hot face pressed against the cold marble and from this position I watched Matteo lunge into action.

He swung his fist and to everyone's surprise hit Lysander square in the face, his eyes were black and I knew he wasn't thinking straight. Matteo's wolf was in recluse more than ever now, I doubted he'd be able to shift if the time came to it.

Lysander rolled her shoulders back and adjusted her neck, it seemed like she wasn't going to retaliate for a split second before she pulled something from her belt and plunged it into Matteo's abdomen.

A shimmering knife protruded from his stomach and a scream slipped past my lips as he fell to a knee and my worst thoughts were confirmed. The mate bond was still not entirely all there and it was sucking the very essence of vitality out of his wolf, all because I still couldn't access my wolf.

She rolled her eyes and crouched down in front of me, "No need for theatrics, dear one. It isn't silver but he would be wise to mind himself before something truly bad happens to him."

Lysander stroked the side of my face, her touch burned my quivering skin. She tucked my hair behind my ear and smiled, "I hope you'll understand, I couldn't have you escaping and leaving me again. I did what I had to do and your father was more than happy to comply to once his life was on the line in return for his cooperation."

"Why are you doing this?" I cried out through the ripping pain seizing my body.

"Now you are asking the right questions, lovely girl." Lysander praised, "It was a werewolf pack that took you away from me, it was wolves that forced me to fend for myself, a newly turned vampire without a clue. Your father left and joined that pack without sparing me so much as a second thought, the werewolf breed took everything from me in seconds.

I spent years wallowing in misery, scrounging and barely surviving until Lysander found me. He rescued me and took me off of the streets and gave me a home here in Freeman's Land. He and I shared a hatred for the wolves and after years of working along side together, he too fell victim to the weres. He saw something in me and passed along the title of Lysander to me and with it the power therein."

She straightened and paced around me, fingers trailing across my shoulders, back and hair. "But I understood something that my predecessor hadn't. He had all of these wolves at his disposal but with no clear purpose. He wanted to end all of the wolves but he enjoyed the collection and the thrill of taking away from the packs much more, his greed blinded him. Me on the other hand, I understood the untapped power I had at my disposal and the only way for me to truly destroy the packs was with the help of wolves.

To eradicate the werewolves, I needed the help of wolves, you see. Now, I've finally amassed a force greater than any other alpha wolf, wolves with power and magic, wolves loyal to me--foolishly on their part because in the end all will meet the same end but nevertheless." She chuckled at her own words as if it was an inside joke to her and her alone.

"My father?" I croaked as I gripped at my chest.

Lysander scoffed and flipped her hair behind her shoulder casually, "A waste of space, Olive. You shouldn't use whatever time you have left on a dead beat like that. I only captured him and brought him here in a fit of pettiness if we are being honest, there was truly nothing remarkable about the man other than his ability to leave behind his wife and destroy his 'precious' family. He served me no purpose other than it was mildly pleasing watching him rot away in a cell all these years."

Matteo groaned suddenly and yanked the knife out of his leg, gripping it tightly in his hand, "Don't listen to her, Olive."

I coughed as I searched for air to fill my lungs but I couldn't find any, I saw confusion cross Lysander's features for a split second. My face flew upwards and I growled at the monster causing her to step backwards, slowly away from me, "Impossible."

I fell forward onto my hands and knees as a sickening crack resounded through the vaulted room, my spine ripped in two and my bones began to shatter and contort.

I shut my eyes in attempt to block out the blinding pain but it only intensified and when I finally opened them again, it was all different.