---------- four years later --------

(4 years as in, since Emitt left)

I pull myself out of my bed as the darkness of the night sky outside lightens slightly.

I make my way downstairs before doing a quick sweep over of the desolate house. I leave through the back door forcing myself to shift, ignoring the pain it caused me to do so and took off into the woods.

I could barely see what was in front of me, but over the years I'd learnt to see without really seeing from these morning runs. I dodge each tree and imposing natural land figure as I stretched my limbs, I knew the lands by heart and it wasn't difficult to do so.

All too quickly, the morning sunlight begins to creep alongside the fleeting night sky, the sun making its appearance as the colors of the night and day fight to make various colors that looked dull to me.

Everything looked dull to me.

I trudged my way back to the house when the sun was the last man standing, like it had always been every morning.

It made me wonder. What would happen if the Moon won one of these days? What would happen?

I shift before entering my house and heading to the kitchen, downing a few glasses of water to wash down my prey that was my breakfast.

I look down with a slight frown when I feel Thing rubbing himself against my leg. I hate cats.

I found the thing one night on a hunt, it was starving and its bones were brittle, I stupidly gave it a chunk of the deer I caught and it followed me back home.

Of course I shut it out the house, but after a month of watching it sit outside my back door without moving, I let it in.

Now I had a cat.

An annoying, attention seeking cat.

Julian said he was good for me. That I wouldn't be all alone in this house anymore, I still hated the thing.

That's why I named him Thing

I groan shooing it off, I got the message, he was hungry. I pulled out a can of cat food and emptied it into his bowl, leaving him to devour his meal in peace.

Once back in my room, I mentally sigh as I look around. It wasn't like it was a couple years back, Katerina's magic could only last so long.

The only scent that filled the room now was my own.

Entering my bathroom, I undress glancing at my body before entering the shower. It was covered in scars, some from wars, some from hunts, most self inflicted.

I groan in annoyance when I hear Thing scratching at the carpet outside my bedroom door. Bathing quickly, I wrap a towel around my waist and open the door allowing it to run in, disappearing under the bed.

I dress quickly before I look outside the window, it was nearing winter and the leaves were beginning to drift away, leaving their hosts behind.

Snow coming soon enough.

I make my way back downstairs when I hear a knocking on my door, already knowing who it was. I gave him a key so I didn't get why he insisted on making me open for him.

"Uncle Beckett!" Levi greets before pushing his way past me an entering the house. I close the door behind him and follow him inside as he pokes and protrudes around my house. "Good, it's clean."

He'd picked up his father's duty of checking on me. Levi was one of the only people left who still talked to me, even though I never responded, he knew I appreciated his company.

"Can you drop me to school?" I raise an eyebrow at the request. "Pleaseeeee Uncle." He begs. I never got why the kids called me their uncle, I wasn't blood related but they still insisted on calling me their family.

I nod eventually making him smile widely as he thanks me repeatedly before he picks up Thing.

Levi loves cats. Levi loves everything.

"Are you coming to the pack meeting tonight?" He questions and I nod. "Good, you can't keep skipping pack events." He says making me roll my eyes. "You know I'm right, socializing is good for the soul."

"Mhmm." I hum sarcastically making him frown as he pouts slightly.

"I'm your only friend and I'm nine. That's sad." He says making me smile a bit.

He was right though. A lot of my friendships had crashed and burned over the years and it made me realise just how much he impacted my life. The only people left were the ones who were there before him, Julian and Isabel. But Isabel wasn't even in the pack anymore and Julian was busy with another kid on the way and his alphly duties. So it was really just Levi.

I stand to my feet, grabbing my car keys as an indicator that it was time to go. I head to the old shed in the backyard, getting in the car while Levi opens the wooden doors for me to drive out.

You're taking Levi right? - Julian asks through our link.

I hum making him groan.

It's not hard to formulate words Beckett! I know you can do it. - He groans in annoyance that I knew was formed from stress. Please come to the pack house after, we need to talk.

"What you thinking about?" Levi asks sliding into the passengers seat, I make sure he's buckled in before driving out. "Pandas? Giraffes? Coconuts?"

I let him ramble on about the things I could be thinking about.

It kept him busy.

The boy had changed over the years, he was still very quiet and kept to himself. But around me he was very talkative, I think it's because he knew I wouldn't respond. It allowed him to say all the things he kept pent inside, things he was too afraid to say to others.

Julian thanked me repeatedly for entertaining him, though I think it was the other way around.

"I'll see you after school Uncle Beckett." Levi says before leaning over and kissing me on my cheek. The first time he did it, it scared the crap out of me, I'd forgotten how simple acts of affection felt. Now I welcomed the small flicker of happiness it brought to my seemingly dark world.

As I watch him walk inside the school overflowing with children, I feel Tobias clawing at me from the inside. A heart wrenching howl escaping him as my body seized from the sadness that drowned me. I stopped trying to get rid of the relentless regret over the years, I let it take me. It invaded my space and I welcomed it.

I had a kid somewhere.

A boy or girl, I don't know.

They were about three by now and didn't know I existed.

I couldn't blame him. I couldn't be mad at him. The fact that child wasn't in my life was nobody's fault but my own.

Shaking myself out of my trance, I drive away and head back to the pack.

I didn't know what Julian wanted to tell me but something told me I wouldn't like it.

-----------------

"And so, I would like you to take on the night shift." He says making me grind my teeth together. "I know you like your little night times alone, but packs are getting restlessly annoying ever since we reached the number one pack. It's a different type of world for us now. We're the ones at the top of the food chain and that brings competition and threats."

I knew his words were true and just. They'd been more attacks, rogues and witches alike even some stray wolves found wondering around our boarder. It was getting dangerous and we needed people to protect our lands.

I just didn't want to do it.

"Look Beckett, you and you're little team are like an army. Please." He begs making me roll my eyes, it wasn't a request. I wouldn't leave this room until I complied, he was just being polite by asking nicely. "I'm giving you free reign to do whatever you want." He says making my eyes drag to him.

"Now you listen you blood thirsty prick." Aiden comments making me smile internally. He may hate me but I still saw him as a friend. We were once upon a time. Me, him and the twins had our adventures and though they may all glare at me now, I still remembered those few nights together. "Kill whoever you want. We've warned them before, told them not to come back. But they still are so you can have a little blood party."

"What Aiden means to say.." Julian grinds out while glaring at his husband. "Is that we know you like to....kill. So you can do what you want out there at night, only if you clean up whatever mess you make. We don't need a pack kid stumbling upon a severed head." He finishes as they both wince a bit, no doubt imaging their own children finding a body out their. "So do we have a deal?"

Yes - Tobias growls in my head.

I nod.

---------------------

Once I entered my home, I look around with a bored stare as I let my eyes run over the house.

I don't know why I expected something to be different one of these days. It wouldn't change, nothing ever did.

Thing greets me happily making me frown, I think it was a dog's soul stuck in there. Thing was just too happy to be a cat.

Nevertheless, I picked up the cat and walked with it to my outside patio. The cold air rushes into my pores but I don't retreat, I sit on one of the chair with Thing in my lap.

He curled and twisted to my hand movements, purring and mewling whenever I brushed his spine.

At that's how we remained, until a small legion of warriors appeared at my backyard.

Then I realized it was already night.

I don't bother changing into my gear, I hadn't used it in years. I just lock Thing inside and walk into the woods, the team following me in excitement.

This little legion was known as The Kill Squad. I didn't pick the name.

It came about over time, on missions men would see what I'd do and some feared me, others admired me. Those who admired me would follow me, Julian saw this and assigned them under my watch every time.

At first I hated it, they were like shadows following me around when I just wanted to work and go home. Now I appreciated them. They no longer were tripping over their feet in battles since I couldn't command them, I didn't talk. They just knew now, what to do, how to do it.

People thought it's because we used the link but we didn't. During fights, the only sound between us was the scream of our victims.

Some found us disgusting.

Damon thought we were amazing.

"Last months report shows a spike in witches." Vivian says as she walks alongside me while the men chatter behind us. "They've gotten stronger, posing more of an issue."

Yay...

"Rogues are almost nonexistent in our area." She continues. "But other packs are sending scouts. Do we kill them too?"

Thinking about it, I didn't want to. They were probably just threatened by the strength our pack had encompassed over the years, but on the other had. Julian did say they told them to stop snooping around.

I shrug.

When we approach the boarder, a third of the team spread out left, another to the right and the last of them went forward to be the watch guards.

I could hear their bones cracking as they shifted throughout the forest, getting ready for a fight. I just sat down against an old tree and waited.

And as expected, Thing jumps in my lap. The first time he did this I thought it was an hallucination. Then I realized the cat just hated being left alone, I never knew how it got out the house but it'd always end up sitting with me.

So we sat together and waited.

----------

So far three witches had been found and killed, one scout killed another five set free.

I was getting bored.

I didn't kill anything yet and Thing left me a couple hours back.

I stand to my feet and walk forward. I pass the scout team that I knew were hiding somewhere I couldn't see and kept walking. My legs took me far, no direction in particular.

The further I walked, the more supernatural creatures I sensed around me. I even spotted a few but I left them alone, they didn't touch me and they weren't near the land so I wouldn't hurt them.

I found myself deep in the forest away from my team, my cat, my pack.

I found myself at a hill top I almost forgot existed. So many memories existed in this spot, it stung me to remember them but I couldn't help it.

I missed him.

I still saw him all around me. I heard his laugh, saw his smile and felt his skin against my own. I remembered every little thing about him, every inch of him, I knew by heart. And though it pained me to think about him, I still did.

I don't make a move when I hear a branch break somewhere in the nearby woods. My sense of hearing had elevated since I gave up talking, I heard things I don't think normal werewolves could. I kept my ears lifted as I continued to lookout at the night sky.

To anyone, I looked like easy prey.

I was in human form looking at the stars with my back turned but I was probably at my strongest now.

I fought mostly in human form and nothing was around to distract me.

I could sense them looking at me, studying me, watching me.

Standing to my feet I turn around and stare straight into the direction I knew they were in.

That made them run.

I didn't follow, though I wanted to. It could be a trap to lead me somewhere where more were waiting.

So I just walk back to my team and wait out the night.

Never once did I get my hands dirty and before I knew it, I was sliding back into my bed waiting for dawn to come so I could do it all again.

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