A sharp pain pierced through Sophia's skull when she tried to open her eyes, but as the memories of what happened past through her mind, she knew she couldn't give in to the pain. She moved her arms and noticed that her hands weren't bound nor were her legs. She quickly pulled off the veil from her head and looked around the dingy, cold room. There was nothing here, it was empty.

"Ms. Bloom," a voice called out.

Sophia turned her head and saw Vivian huddled in the corner holding Evelyn. "Girls!" She hurried over to them and checked for injures. "Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked.

"No," Vivian answered.

"What about you, Evelyn?" Sophia asked.

"I'm okay," Evelyn answered, "but your lip is bleeding."

Sophia touched her mouth and saw a stain of red on her fingers, it must have happened when that man hit her. "I'm fine," she reassured.

She got on her feet and went to the door, she turned the knob and pulled but it didn't open. Of course, it'd be locked, she thought. There weren't any windows and nothing inside the room to pick the lock either. This was pointless, the three of them were sitting ducks in this room but what was she supposed to do. She went back and sat with the girls knowing that she'd protect them with her life.

"Are you girls cold?" she asked.

They shook their heads and leaned into her arms. Time passed and occasionally Sophia heard voices outside the door, but no one came to this room. She remembered Lazarus telling her that this problem had been resolved, that there aren't any enemies after them. So, then why did this gang hunt them now? she wondered. Perhaps, this was another enemy.

"Who are these people?" she muttered.

"The Dragon Triad," Evelyn answered.

She looked down at her. "How do you know this?"

"Father tells me who our enemies are," Evelyn said. "I know all of their names and distinct features. Those tattoos that we saw make these people part of the Dragon Triad gang." Sophia gaped down at Evelyn. "You shouldn't worry though," she said. "Our pack is coming."

Sophia couldn't help but smile, she hugged both of the kids close to her. "First, they have to find us," she told them.

"That's easy," said Vivian. "We still have our shoes."

"What do you mean?" Sophia asked.

"Our shoes," she repeated, "uncle Zar planted tracker chips in all of them." She took off her sandal and lifted the sole of her shoe revealing a small black chip beeping with a red light.

"Of course, he did," Sophia remarked remembering how overbearingly controlling Lazarus was all the time. God, she loved that man.

Suddenly, the door rattled and the lock turned startling her. She heard foreign words from the other side before it was pushed open and three men stood at the threshold. One of them scoped out the room and then stopped at the sight of them. He looked back at his two buddies and appeared to crack a joke making them laugh. He probably confirmed that they were still in the room. He shut the door and their voices muffled behind the frame, but Sophia didn't catch the lock clicking into place before he left.

A few heartbeats passed, she felt them in her ears, before she got up to check the door. She turned the knob, the metal cold under her palm, and the door opened. She looked back at the girls who were just as surprised as her.

"Come on," she urged them, "let's get out of here." The kids joined her by the door and she stepped out with them.

Sophia looked back and forth into the dark hallway, one side clearly cut off. The three of them went towards the other end of the hall and saw an opening to another room, when suddenly, her foot caught onto something and she almost toppled over if the girls hadn't caught her.

"What was that?" she astounded in a harsh whisper.

Sophia looked down at her feet when she saw the man who opened her door earlier dead on the floor with his neck slit open. Immediately, she moved back and took Vivian and Evelyn to the other wall, blocking their view from such a horrid sight.

"Don't look," she asked from both of them. They nodded as their paled expression spoke their fears. "You two, stay here. I'm going to check if the room is empty."

Sophia went back to the room and stepped over the dead man, she tried her hardest to ignore the spluttering blood out of his neck and that horrible stench of flesh rotting away. The grubby room looked lived in, bottles everywhere on the old couch and table with chairs circling around it. This room was used a lot so it wasn't safe to linger around here, she knew someone would come here to check up on their buddies.

The further she went, the more bodies she found, she counted twelve in this room alone and it didn't look like it was ending as she saw another hallway. She wondered if Lazarus and the others had arrived, but then why wouldn't they look for the kids and her? These killings were as if an animal was set loose and caused rampage.

Suddenly, something shifted behind her. She thought it was the kids until she sensed something sinister in the dark corner of the room, like someone stalked her from the dark. Cold sweat broke out all over her body and she trembled. She hoped whoever she faced right now wasn't an enemy.

"I know you're there," she said gently.

Sharply, she was shoved against the hard wall, it knocked the very breath from her lungs. Light flashed in her eyes, she had to blink a couple of times just to see again. And when she had, she found herself staring into the deepest blue eyes, that were deadly and fierce but cold and distant like they had never seen a day of sunlight in their life.

"Who are you?" she gasped as his hand circled around her neck, it was covered in something, she couldn't feel his flesh on hers.

"Mmm," his deep voice sank a pit in her stomach, "you're marked by my cousin."

She caught a quick glimpse of his conceited grin. "Wh-what?"

He released her.

Sophia touched her neck where his hand had so easily captured and could've snapped in half from the force. She then saw that his hands were covered in black leather gloves. An unfamiliar, wet sensation brushed her fingers, she brought her hand in front of her widened eyes and saw blood. But it didn't make any sense, she wasn't bleeding. She looked back at this stranger and saw that his gloves were dripping with blood.

"You killed all these men," she stated.

He didn't answer her, but the blood covering him was enough to tell her. This man stood with his broad back to her, the tailored suit clung to his muscular body. Everything about him came from money, lots of it; from his shoes to his gloves even from the cuff links of his sleeves. Yet, his raven black hair was in disarray and blood coated the fallen strands, it dripped on his shirt. The gentleman's attire did nothing to cover the threatening gleam in this man's hollow eyes. He was something entirely different than the people that kidnapped her. This man was trained, superior and hauntingly beautiful but it was like he had every part of calculated. He only moved with measured intent that was unshakable. If she was in danger with the Dragon Triad then being with this man was as if she walked with the devil himself.

However, she didn't understand why this man was here. Had he been captured too? she thought. But it seems impossible for a man like him to get captured. Unless, he wanted to be. And why was he killing everyone?

"Do you-" she hesitated briefly- "do you know the Iron Blood pack?"

He ran a gloved hand through his tousled hair, his fingers combed the fallen strand back but they wilfully fell right back in place. "I do," he said.

"How did you get captured?" she asked then.

"Do I look captured?" He bemused.

"What are you doing here then?" she said. "Why are you killing these people?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Stop talking," he said. "Get the pups. We need to move."

How did you he know about the kids? she thought, but she also didn't waste time following his word. She went to retrieve Vivian and Evelyn who were still waiting in their spot. She hurried them to where the man was waiting.

"Who is that?" Evelyn asked as they walked behind him.

"I don't know," Sophia whispered back.

"He looks familiar," Vivian mumbled.

The hallway was too dark for any of them to truly see his features, the only thing that Sophia knew was that he had blue eyes and black hair. The red lights in the hall masked his skin tone and anything else about him was blurred.

"He said he knows your pack," she told the girls.

"He does," the girls mumbled.

"I can hear you," his deep voice startled them.

They went quiet after that, but just as they navigated through the second hallway, they heard muffled voices on the other end. More guards had showed up and they were coming at them fast. The gang must have found out about the dead men and that Sophia and the kids escaped. Sophia held back with the girls around the edge of the hall, but the man with them didn't wait at all. He continued down the hall straight into the group of fighters.

She peeked around the wall and witnessed that man walk straight towards the gang. He wasn't afraid that they all held guns and had knives on them, which they were happy to use. However, as she stood back and saw this single man go in the direction of danger, she thought of Lazarus and the others.

A thug attacked this stranger with a knife meant for his heart, but the thug was disarmed and then stabbed in the throat with his own knife. He limped onto the ground choking on his own blood and knife. Sophia couldn't take her eyes off this stranger who flung a body over his shoulder like it was a piece of garbage. He moved through the ranks, killing whoever stepped in front of him. She felt as if the thugs moved in slow-motion and the stranger was quick as lightning. He was alert and precise in his moves and never left anyone alive.

In seconds, everyone was dead and laid out on the floor by his boots.

Sophia and the kids waited until he came back to them, which he did. He silently gestured to the way they needed to go and she followed him. All that killing didn't bother this man, it felt like a normal thing to him. How much did a person need to kill that they'd get immune to it? she questioned and almost asked him but she kept her mouth shut. She remembered Lazarus and his past then, it reminded her that it wasn't impossible. Some people were born in dark places and had blood on their hands as a birth-right.

All of them walked for a few more minutes until they reached a door, the man pushed it open and a staircase appeared.

"You'll find your way out here," he told her.

"What about you?" she asked.

He towered over her with his domineering eyes. "Go," his tone commanding.

That tone, she thought, this man might as well be related to Lazarus. She held the girls' hands and helped them up the steep stairs leaving that man alone. But she knew that he wasn't in any danger, he was the predator in this cage.

"Uncle Adrik," mumbled Vivian.

"What, Vivian?" she asked.

"He smelt a bit like uncle Adrik," she said.

Sophia was about to ask more when she heard a loud bang ahead of her. She didn't see anything except she knew that she needed to get out of here. She quickly took the kids to the exit door, but just as they ran across the huge warehouse, the door opened and more thugs appeared with that dragon tattoo. This time that man wasn't even here to help them.

Sophia knew they all saw her with the kids and were coming to capture them again. She ran to the door but it didn't open, it was locked.

"How'd you get out!" A man shouted at them.

She wasn't about to tell them that there was a loose killer in the basement of this warehouse. Sophia put the kids behind her legs but she knew they weren't safe. The thug made a move to grab her. She flinched back and closed her eyes, but the exit door burst open and all she heard were loud guns firing, it was a brutal sound that made her kneel to the floor and hide the kids in her arms.

"Sophia," a voice that she recognized called out for her.

She turned and saw Zeiden. "Oh god, Zeiden!" She knew she was crying because her eyes blurred.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her.

She blinked the tears away and shook her head. He asked more questions but she couldn't hear him over the gunshots. Evelyn and Vivian both hugged Zeiden and he checked them for injuries and asked if they were okay. Sophia hurried to her feet to find Lazarus, but she didn't see him. Ronin and Marcello handled these thugs and were done with it quickly.

"We need to get you three out of here," Ronin said as he came to them hiding his gun on the strap of his belt.

Sophia and the kids all followed them out of the building and she found herself at the docks of the city. There were more warehouses surrounding the area and boats anchored at every port. She was about to ask where Lazarus was, but she didn't need to when she saw with her own eyes where he was.

Transformed in his lethal form, Lazarus's golden wolf was drenched in blood as he fought through dozens of thugs. He was feral and uncontrollable, foam and blood around his mouth, his sharp fangs gleaming brightly as it sliced through flesh. There was nothing weak about him, he was brutal in his attack and his jaw opened far enough to use people's neck as a chew toy and break their bones. He viciously tore through the people using the claws on his huge paws.

Sophia couldn't look without feeling overcome with the need to be sick. She never witnessed violence to this extent, it was enough to destroy all hope and the beauty of this world. But she understood why Lazarus and the others had to fight like this, if they didn't then others would take advantage and hurt them.

Sophia tore her eyes away from Lazarus and saw another wolf beside Isaiah who had his gun planted against the head of a man on his knees. She had never seen Isaiah in this light before either, he was conscious of his actions and approved of them before he shot every bullet in the barrel of his gun. The man on his knees lost his entire face before he flopped in front of the hungry black wolf.

There was something ominous about that black wolf. His sapphire eyes held no emotion like he didn't care whether his teeth sank into someone's jugular and let them bleed to death. If anyone tried to attack him, he didn't even bat an eye, only growled his hatred and pounced on the target. This family- pack was dangerous, more than she ever could have imagined.

Sophia wondered if they should go stop Isaiah and the others. Her and the kids were safe now, there was no need to fight.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" she asked.

Zeiden, Marcello and Ronin shared a look. "We can't even if we tried," responded Ronin.

"He's right, Sophia," said Marcello. "Kidnapping you and the pups was a call to war. Isaiah, Lazarus and Adrik aren't going to stop until every man is dead."

Sophia knew that they weren't far from that goal because from the looks of it, the three of them were the only ones standing in the swarm of lifeless bodies.

"It's over," she whispered desperately. She didn't want Lazarus fighting over this anymore.

"Sophia, don't!" Zeiden protested.

She ignored him and pushed off his grasp on her arm before she ran toward the massacre. "Lazarus!" she called out desperately.

The golden wolf heard her and looked alertly her way, as she ran over the bodies at their feet. She didn't care, she only needed to be in her mate's arms. The wolf shifted instantly at her call and revealed Lazarus. He only took two large steps before his strong arms caught her in his tight embrace.

"Sophia," his tone was a hard rasp, "you're safe... you're safe." She cried out in his arms and took in his dark scent that truly reminded her that she was safe now that she was with him. His arms tightened around her, as his mouth kissed the temple of her head. "I've got you," he growled harshly. "I'll kill anyone that tries to touch you." She gripped onto his shirt and tucked her head into his chest.

"Daddy!" Evelyn yelled.

Sophia looked back at the little girl wave for her father. Isaiah dropped his weapons right then and there once he heard his daughter. He rushed to her and hoisted his daughter in his arms, keeping her tucked in his safe embrace.

Lazarus cupped her head and smoothed her hair back. "Who hurt you?" he grumbled as he saw the blood on her lip and neck.

"He's already dead," she told him. The gruel anger in his gaze didn't vanish, it worsened. "Someone helped us. A man-" but before she could say anything, they were surrounded by dozens of vans.

Lazarus blocked her with his huge body. "I need you to go with Zeiden," he told her.

"I won't leave you," Sophia objected.

"Sophia," his tone was dark and firm, "you're going to go with my brother and that's the end of this discussion." It was like Zeiden already knew his brother's command and was beside Sophia to take her.

She watched as far as she could as she followed Zeiden. The men climbed out of the vans with weapons and anything to use to kill her family. That was when she saw the man who abducted her.

"It was him," Sophia pointed out.

"What?" Zeiden turned and saw the man she stared at.

"He abducted us," she told him.

Marcello, Ronin also saw. "That's not Han," Ronin informed.

"Isaiah," Marcello spoke through the comms in his ear, "that man, he's the one that spoke out in our meeting with Han."

"I recognize him," Isaiah said.

"Why would he attack us?" Ronin asked.

"I don't give a fuck," Lazarus's harsh voice streamed through to all of them, "he's dead."

Lazarus and Adrik's wolf stood side-by side to face all of those thugs. This was going to get ugly and fast. Sophia didn't want to leave them.

"Zeiden, take Sophia and the kids home," Isaiah commanded. "Now."

"You got it," Zeiden said.

Sophia didn't have a say in this matter even though she wanted to stay with Lazarus. She was taken and so were the kids back to the pack's territory.

-Lazarus's POV-

The Petrov's had a code. An eye for an eye. However, Lazarus was about to wreak havoc onto the ones who took his mate from him. He wasn't going to just ask for a fucking eye. He would cut off every limb that touched his mate, any head that thought it was a good-fucking-plan to take his mate and gouge out any eyes that looking in his mate's direction.

Blood. Blood. Blood, his wolf chanted.

The thirst got worse the longer Lazarus thought of the blood stains on Sophia's dress and the cut on her lip. The people that he already killed wasn't enough to calm him. He hungered for more death and the men who stepped out of the vans in front of him were good enough.

Lazarus didn't reach for the gun strapped on his belt. He ached to beat the shit out of these assholes. The anger that festers inside him wasn't going anywhere without letting out a bit of steam.

He gestured for them to come and get started. They did. Bad fucking idea.

Trained under his father's guidance, Lazarus knew when he broke someone's skull or cracked their ribs. He knew how much force was needed when snapping a neck in half. Nothing stopped him was he broke arms and fractured legs so the enemy couldn't run away. He punched and punched until he dislocated the target's jaw and left it hanging loose from his face. Lazarus couldn't feel his knuckles, the skin turned raw and peeled off causing his hands to bleed, the red liquid dripping on the floor at his boots. He didn't care because for his mate, his pack, he would spill his own blood any-fucking-time.

He wasn't the only one. Adrik didn't even care when his wolf broke loose to claw his way through the enemy. He slaughtered anyone that came in front of him. And stupidly, a lot of the thugs did and they lost their pathetic lives.

However, Isaiah had his eyes on one man. The man who orchestrated this whole thing. As Lazarus and the others killed off the gang in a single sweep. The man who tried to hurt the Iron Blood pack cowered in the back trying to get the keys off a dead body to run away.

Isaiah was already behind him. He grabbed the man by his throat and applied just enough pressure that he could only breathe if Isaiah allowed it.

"Where's Han?" Isaiah asked him.

The man sneered. "I won't tell you shit!"

Isaiah tightened his grasp on the meaty neck that had the tattoo. "I won't ask again," he said evenly.

"The boss doesn't know about this," the man laughed hysterically, "I attacked you myself to avenge my brothers."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Isaiah snapped.

"His brother," the man's black eyes looked at Adrik's wolf who was gnawing on a dead corpse, "he killed my family. So, I knew to lure him out I needed to use your pack. Han's a fucking coward but I'm not and I want revenge."

Isaiah's grey eyes darkened. "Fine, go get it," he released the man throwing him on his knees.

The man faced the ferocious black wolf with hungry sapphire eyes. The wolf turned his head off the dead corpse and looked back at the only man surviving. The blood dripping off his fangs and pooled all over his rich, dark fur. He growled with hunger and looked pleased that he found another person to feed off of. The man got to his feet and ran, which was never a good idea. The black wolf let him run, he let the man think he had a chance before he began his chase.

The man didn't even get two feet away from them before Adrik's wolf caught him and sank his fangs in his throat, ripping his head clean off his body.

Lazarus breathed the man's blood and finally felt satisfied.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" That voice belonged to none other than Han himself.

Isaiah was the first to move, he crossed the path and punched Han across his face. Everyone stepped back and shocked that their boss got hit. Han held his cheek that already began bruising and called off his men from attacking Isaiah.

"Do you know what your men have been doing behind your fucking back?" Isaiah snapped.

Han's head lifted and he glared at Isaiah. "I didn't know Won was going to do this," he said calmly.

Isaiah glared at him. "He kidnapped my pack, Han," he gritted out.

"And he received his punishment," Han reasoned.

Lazarus and the others looked back at the severed head with satisfaction.

"However, Alaric killed my men," Han said. "I want him to pay with his life."

Isaiah cursed and Lazarus almost spoke up to stop this madness. Until, he caught the note of a familiar scent, it was chillingly evil. The dead bodies on the ground did nothing to mask the poisonous smell of Alaric Petrov, it slithered off him and struck anything within its range.

"Do you really think you can kill me?" Alaric asked Han.

Han's face twisted into a sneer full of rage. "I know I can," he growled.

Alaric's cold smirk was enough to challenge Han. He walked past the dead bodies, not even sparing them a glance. The only one he looked at with any hint of emotion was Adrik's wolf. He saw the black monster and raised a brow with a certain degree of judgement.

"You're in my way," he said.

The wolf's sapphire eyes flashed with recognition. Lazarus never saw that before, it was only with Rosalie that Adrik's wolf ever paid any heed to. But right now, Adrik's wolf stepped out of the way for Alaric and didn't even growl at him.

Alaric stood before Han. "Kill me," he said with his arms out.

Han didn't even hesitate before he pulled out his gun and shot Alaric's shoulder. "You're the devil's spawn," he cursed.

Alaric looked down at the bullet would that sullied his suit. "Ouch," he feigned pain.

Lazarus understood that this was what made Petrov wolves different from the world. Petrov's didn't know pain, it was beaten out of them a long time ago. Pain was only a pill to pleasure for them and the more they ate the stronger they got. Alaric was an addict.

"Your men died because they're useless," Alaric said. "If you want I can kill you and let you join them on the other side."

"Alaric, that's enough," Isaiah spoke then. "You've caused enough damage."

"I'm just getting started," Alaric mocked.

"Can I punch him?" Ronin asked, but his voice was only heard through the comms in their ears.

The only thing Lazarus didn't understand was why Alaric appeared as if he fought in a brawl. His suit was dishevelled and his hair tousled even though he never had a hair out of place. Something wasn't right, he thought.

"How'd you know we were here, Alaric?" Lazarus asked.

Alaric's alert eyes were always a bit unnerving when they looked at you. "I heard I was being hunted," he sounded amused over the notion.

Suddenly, Alaric was shoved back and Adrik was the one to punch him in the face. Again and again, Adrik hit his brother brutally but Alaric didn't punch back once. He only accepted the attack, like he let his brother pour his anger out on him.

Adrik threw Alaric against the van's door so hard he left a dent in it. Adrik was seething with rage and his eyes was enough to burn the man alive.

Alaric smirked at his brother. "You've gotten stronger," he praised. "Dad would be proud-"

"Don't talk about him!" Adrik snapped.

"You know, you never had the nerve to hit me in the past. What changed?" Alaric asked.

"I'm not scared of you anymore," Adrik affirmed.

Alaric grinned, his teeth bloody. "Are you sure about that?" He got to his feet and looked ready to tear Adrik into pieces.

"How do we stop this?" Lazarus asked his brother.

"I don't know," said Isaiah.

"I suggest a bullet to the head," Han suggested as he lifted his weapon and readied to fire.

Lazarus didn't believe that a bullet would change anything, but it was the only way to stop Alaric. There was no end to the Petrov hatred, it festered and poisoned everyone. That was why Isaiah killed everyone in the first place. Now, it was time to end it again.

He waited for the gun to fire... it never did.

Lazarus turned to see what happened when he saw the only person who was capable to stop anyone with just a motion of her hand.

Zero had arrived.

She stood tall and proud in her black leather trench coat, her raven black hair was tied in a long braid that showed her lethal blue eyes and crimson-red lips. She was fierce and the protector of all wolves. The whole world worshiped her because she was the only one who fought day and night to keep people safe. She was a warrior with honour, her word was law and no one questioned it, not even their goddess.

Elijah Pierce followed behind her. He locked eyes with Lazarus briefly but then focused his attention all on Zero. That's how this man was all the time. He protected Zero and was her shadow. Standing powerfully in a black, his dark blond hair kept neat and his blue eyes shined like glass under the sun.

"Zero," Isaiah spoke.

She walked past them; her target was Alaric. She stepped in front of Adrik and faced Alaric herself.

"Alaric Petrov," her regal voice stopping the man in his tracks, which was a first.

Alaric met her gaze with his hatred. "Zero," he spoke her name, like venom dripped off his tongue.

"Is a fight what you really want?" she asked.

"You're not my target," he seethed.

She raised a brow. "You touched my friends," she said. "I'm thinking I'm your target."

"Don't come between me and my brother, Zero. It'll end badly for you," he said coldly.

Zero smiled, she actually smiled. "You don't want to fight me."

"I'm not scared of you," he smirked.

"I know you're not," she agreed. "I can see you... I can see everything you're hiding." His amusement fell.

Zero turned to Han. "All feud between you and this pack are finished-" Han opened his mouth to protest, but she lifted her hand- "I said it's done. If you attack anyone of this pack that means you attacked me. And I won't just kill you, I'll torture you and then hang you for the world to see what happens when you cross me."

"I won't be intimidated, Zero," Han said.

"And I don't want to fight you," she responded, "because that'd just prove to the people that follow you that you can't keep them safe, and that's not why I'm here. So, stand down and get out of here."

Han listened. He called off his men and promptly left with them.

"Isaiah," Zero said. "You and your pack can head home too. I'm sure you everyone's worried."

Isaiah's grey eyes landed on Alaric warily. "Are you sure?"

"I'm going to take Alaric with me," she informed.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," he gritted out.

Zero smiled. "Why not?" she asked. "I'm a joy to be around." she smirked at Elijah who didn't reciprocate it.

Alaric pulled out a gun from his jacket and brought the barrel right up to the temple of her head. "I will empty this gun in your skull if you don't back off, Zero," he growled.

"Shoot," she prompted. The others flinched and moved to stop Alaric especially Elijah, but she gestured them to stop. "Shoot me. Come on, it's what your father would've wanted." Alaric's eyes gleamed like an animal that had been hungry for days. "Samuel Petrov would turn over in his grave if he found out that his son killed me," Zero jested, "and I know that you'd love to make your daddy proud."

"You don't know anything," he growled.

"I know that your father put you on a path that destroyed you," Zero said. "Yet you had a choice. Killing and suffering was your choice. You don't need to be your father. He's fucking dead. Why can't you make your own damn choices now?"

"What do you want to know?" he said. "That I obeyed Samuel Petrov and killed so many times that I've lost count-" Alaric turned his gaze on his brother- "or do you want to hear how I killed your siblings."

Adrik flinched. "What?"

As far as Lazarus knew, Adrik only had two brothers. What was Alaric talking about?

The gun dropped and Alaric stepped in front of Adrik. "You and Aziel weren't my only siblings. You're probably wondering who they were and where are they?" He continued. "Who took them from their beds and ended their lives before father could. I killed them all before father could turn them into killers like me. I was the only one for a long time. Until our father found out and kept you and Aziel. I couldn't save you."

"Alaric," Adrik's words choked him.

Alaric moved back stepping in front of Zero again. "My own mother asked me to help her kill herself," he said with a grin that was more tortured than amused. "I've spent more time killing my own blood... Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Everyone froze.

"There was never a choice for me," he believed coldly.

"There is always a choice for people like you and I," Zero spoke then. "You ready to be evil because everyone took their anger out on you is not the way, Alaric."

"That anger festered like a disease, Zero," he told her.

She smiled at him, it was kind yet strong. "I know," she said looking at his eyes as if she understood him, "but that pain won't stop if you don't wash the blood off. Let this rage go, otherwise it'll drag you all the way to hell."

"I'm already there," he bemused.

"I don't believe that," she said.

"I don't give a damn what you believe," he remarked.

Zero straightened in front of him, standing powerfully. "Then I'll just have to bring you back," she professed. "I'll get you out of hell if that means I have to go myself, and trust me, I've been there... it couldn't hold me."

Lazarus had never seen Alaric drop his defences before. The man actually stepped back from Zero and shook his head, his gloved hand tightened into a fist contouring the leather, which resembled his own turmoil right now.

"Isaiah, return to your pack," Zero commanded. "The ghost of the Petrov reign ends today."

Isaiah gestured towards his wolves to depart and that left Zero with Alaric to do god knows what.

Just as they turned to leave, Lazarus caught Adrik go towards his big brother. He almost stopped him and told him not to initiate another fight.

"Isaiah," he whispered.

Isaiah looked back and saw the brothers now too. "What is he-"

Adrik lifted his hand and put it on Alaric's shoulder, which definitely surprised all of them, especially Alaric. He was well aware of his brother's condition and how he couldn't handle physical touch.

The pain in Adrik's eyes was like shattered glass but burning with a fire stronger than any storm. "I killed our father, I killed our brother," he said, "but I won't kill you."

Alaric frowned as he looked down at his brother's hand. "How-" his words fell.

"Since I found my mate," he answered like he knew what his brother was thinking. "Alaric... brother, if you need me, I'm here-" Adrik dropped his hand away and fisted it by his side- "I'm here for you. We all are." Adrik turned and looked at Isaiah who gave a curt nod.

They departed after that.

Lazarus and Isaiah got in his truck together, both of them silent for a long time. However, he knew what his brother was thinking about since that's all he could think about too. The ghost of the Petrov's reign ends today, that's what Zero said and for some strange reason those words resonated through all of them. He found himself being released, as if her command alone broke the chains around his body. Everything vanished in that second and the only thing that remained was his mate and his pack.

He stepped on the gas and rushed home because he needed to be with Sophia.

And he wasn't the only one, when they all reached home, he turned the truck onto their territory and he saw Sophia sitting at the steps in front of the house, so was everyone else for that matter.

Lazarus parked and got out. Sophia was already on her feet and in tears before she ran into his arms.

"Oh, thank god, you're safe," she cried out as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He breathed in her soft scent that always calmed him.

She saw his bloody clothes. "You're hurt," she sniffled her nose.

Wiping her tears. "It's not mine," his tone was low.

Eventually, they all went inside the house, it was strange to be in such a quiet home after the hell that just broke loose. But that was their life, he thought. They fought through the bloodiest battles but made sure to return home to their pack, because perhaps in the past no one would have cared about their lives, but that wasn't the case now. This group of cursed Petrov's weren't expendable any longer. They had a home... a pack... a real family... something they always ached for in their tormented cages.