***Ryker***

The enervating and enfeebling pain consumed me, throaty groans emanating from my voice box. Helpless, an alpha leading a group of warriors straight into a trap. Even through the excruciating affliction, I tried to sort out relentlessly for our mate.

Everything was just okay until we walked right in to a perfect ambush. No one could have imagined that it was all a lure, one that had triumphed over our thinking game. The papers had been neatly arranged, dripping with flesh blood. With his muzzle raised in the air, Tyron led us deeper and deeper into the forest. He was the only one in wolf form, for now.

The further we went the more Monica's blood scent became more hefty and overpowering on our sense of smell. We could also detect the aroma of the malodorous earth. I could hear rustling sounds of small animals scampering under widespread orchids and ferns. They must have felt the presence of predators, unlike several whiffs of a nearby group of deer that we could catch.

We would have enjoyed a good hunt, had we not been occupied with catching the villain and possibly rescuing Monica. It was no surprise that this part of the woods had herbivorous animals grazing within. The light gaps allowed for fruiting plant life on the forest floor, attracting animal activity.

I surprisingly found myself enjoying the melodious warble of birds as they flew from one tree branch to another. Soothing, that is what we needed as we ventured deep, the foliage crunching under our feet as we padded on them. I had never taken time to enjoy the calmness of nature, only went out to hunt, go for a run or do patrols.

The appearance of our very own hunting grounds changed the more the verdurous canopy above us thickened. Little light penetrated through it, with the dark clouds completely blocking the sun, and the canopy shielding the available light. Our enhanced sense of sight came in handy as we followed my trackers scent.

Deeper and deeper we went, my alpha instincts smelling nothing witty as we went further. We reached a part of the forest that had the ground covered by a mat of roots. We had to keep on jumping the shallow roots that grew out of the ground tangling as they extended.

'How heavy is the scent now? ' Jayson voice filtered over the cold breeze that caressed us and made the green leaves sway and swish.

'We have been walking for close to twenty minutes now. ' Another warrior, Curt backed him up, yawning .

'The first training that a warrior undergoes is the art of being patient. Didn't you attend that specific training? ' My men were meant to endure harsh weather conditions, wars and everything that depicted trouble. Having them complaining for only stepping over a few shallow roots had me questioning their skills.

'There's a clearing a few feet from here. I have a strong feeling that all the answers lie there. ' Tyron wolf communicated telepathically, the sudden intrusion making three of my men jump.

As we approached the clearing, my wolf became more alert. He surged forward, my nostrils flaring at the heavy sent that the wind carried from where we were headed.

'Do you feel it? ' Jayson turned to me, scrunching his nose.

'Silence! ' I whisper yelled. We couldn't afford tipping the mastermind off, if there was one. Stealth and agility, those were mandatory for every werewolf that went hunting. We relished in sizing and approaching our prey without being discerned.

We made soft footsteps, and soon a small one storey wooden cabin came into the line of our sight. It stood surrounded by tall grass that swished as the wind blew by. There was no sign of life, except the strong smell that seemed to waft from the insides.

Tyron shifted back to his human form and got a pair of shorts from Curt who had been carrying them. A nod from him made my wolf aid my movements as we kicked the door. Particles of dust and decayed wood flew by as the rest followed me in, crowding the small place.

We were hit by a very putrid scent, my eyes instantly zeroing on a bowl of blood that was placed right on the middle of the empty living room.

'What the fuck! ' Jayson covered his nose, eyes darting around the space. The hairs along the back of my neck rose, my beast taking a defensive stand.

This was completely, utterly not what I had envisioned. We had been duped, this was nothing but a damn trap that no one deciphered right from the beginning. Mimi was right but some how the planner knew we would follow the smell.

'We have to get out of here now! ' The shout was full, deep and prolonged. Before we could even make a stride right through the door, darts flew in, going through our skins. The first one lodged itself on my right shoulder. Excruciating, almost blinding as the searing pain spread all the way to my back.

A second dart hit and embedded itself on my left leg right below the knee, almost contemporaneous with the first one. The effects were lethal, acting promptly as its contents spread in my entire venous system. It was lava like, flowing and leaving every part of my internal organs burning.

'Motherfucking silver! ' I didn't know who let the sound between a cry and a shout out. It wasn't the only one, groans of agony could be heard as we slithered and writhed on the decaying wood in raw pain. My mind drifted to Tamara even through the pain, praying that she wasn't feeling this dizzyingly intense ache.

I channelled my groans to her as a warning, but every attempt proved to be futile as the signals kept on bouncing back. No matter how forceful I tried, nothing worked. I couldn't hear her thoughts either, it was total darkness in there and totally inaccessible.

The burning pained remained sickening and crippling as it went on and on. I wanted to shift, run to Tamara and make sure she was safe but I couldn't tap on my wolf's strength. I could feel him slowly fading into nothingness, his whines filling my barely conscious mind. He became weaker and weaker as more blood circulated in my systems.

Every thing was blurry, my eyes were shutting off contrary to my lips that kept on letting out anguished and inarticulate groans. With silver flowing in our bloodstream, we had been rendered ineffectual in defending ourselves. It enfeebled us, and knocked out our beasts. Every sense was now normal as it could be, unable to pick any distinguishable scents, or sounds.

I had no idea how long we had stayed there thrashing every time a wave of flame hit. Exertion, we were breathless, my upper abdomen hurt from struggling to draw in larger gulps of air to ease off the pain. The despair cries had toned down, but the pain remained constant, prolonged and sickening.

It must have been a few hours, or minutes that I finally heard my mate's screams close by. Even without enhanced hearing, her voice was easily identified. Up to now, no one had come into view and we had no idea who had shot us.

'Let me go! ' Anger began to stir as I imagined someone holding her captive.

Another set of feminine whimpers and sniffling sounds had Jayson attempting to lift his head up.

'Come out, all of you. Come forth and witness the demise of your Luna and the Beta mate. ' Addanc, I should have known from the start that he had something to do with this. The dungeons, blood, papers and the trail, how the hell didn't I see through his evil plan?

The mere thought of my mate being separated from me, had me forcing myself up on my wobbly feet. I tumbled over my men who still lay writhing in barely audible anguished cries. Jayson wasn't far behind as we finally made it out after forcing our aching muscles to flex and move. I fell on the grass, right after getting out, Jayson following soon after, the force of gravity pulling him down.

'Oh my! ' My eyes snapped up to Addanc. Taking in his two balls of nothingness. Blinking twice in an attempt to get a clear vision, I spotted Tamara, her elbow gripped tightly by the wizard's right hand. On the other side, Janette, stood shaking and whimpering. Her mouth was wide open as she looked at her mate whose expression mirrored nothing but raw anger. The grass couldn't let us see clearly up to their feet.

'Let them go. ' The utterance was supposed to sound thunderous but instead it came out as a moan. My throat had become sore and my jaw was dead beat.

'Oh I will. ' He paused, directing his gaze past us and at the warriors that were dragging themselves out.

'Right after every single member of this pack gather here. ' His voice dropped low, his tone becoming more tense.

'That is already taken care of, they'll start trickling in soon. Meanwhile, why don't we have some fun? ' That was in no way appealing to my ears. Fun to him meant suffering for us, I wasn't looking forward to watching my mate suffer. I was the Alpha for a reason, that meant dealing with such kind of venomous happenings.

Tamara eyes had dried streams of tears covering her cheeks. The salty particles, made my insides boil up in rage, other than the throb the silver was causing. Her eyes were droopy, they screamed exertion. She didn't take her stare away from me and I couldn't help but see resolve in them.

'Fucking let them go!' Jayson gritted his teeth, his gaze on his mate unwavering.

'Oh I already said I would. ' Addanc smiled, showing off his brown stained teeth.

'Right after they kiss!' He clapped his hands together in mock enthusiasm before pulling them closer to each other.

'No. ' Tamara, sized him up and down riling him up.

'Either you kiss or one of your mates die. See, I have just the right amount of silver discharged in their blood. Enough to cripple their wolves, but not lethal enough to kill them. I might just add a larger dose if you d...'

They leaned in and let their lips dance together before the creepy man finished his threat. I couldn't explain how I felt as their kiss drowned their whimpers, fresh tears mingling with their saliva.

As they pulled back, my pack members began to trickle in. They moved in calculated and similar steps as if they were being controlled. I could see my mother's blank face as she stood on a line, her head slightly tilted to the right.

As soon as everyone settled, awes could be heard as the crowds finally awakened. It seemed as though they had been under a spell, controlled by Addanc.

'A step from any of you and you won't have enough time to save your Luna. ' He caressed her neck, a shiver of disdain raking through her.

He then moved forward, drawing a dagger from his boots. He surged towards me and in a second had the tip of it pressed on my throat.

'His cerebrum connects you all through the mind link, if he dies today by my hands, I will become the alpha and assume his position. ' He pressed it with added pressure, piercing shallowly on my skin.

'Nooo! ' A series of cracking sound resonated through clearing, gasps and awes following there after. He turned around, dropping his knife and unblocking my view towards my mate. Blue flames enveloped her entire body. Crack after crack could be heard and all we could do was to watch with our mouths open as my little witch's body was replaced by that of an enraged beast.

A white wolf with raging red eyes.