LONG UPDATE! Any errors, let me know. I will correct it. 
Thank you!

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☆I've always been someone who looks '
too deep' into something or someone. ☆

☆That's because I realized from a young
age that there's always more than what
meets the eye. ☆

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Cassandra:

The boy looked visibly relieved with the tattoo off his back. He then took a deep breath and began talking giving us no reason to threaten or taunt him.

"My name is Ashvath Ramachandran. I'm fourteen years old. I was made a rogue by my pack a few months back," his voice wavered like he remembered something very traumatic. He sniffed.  

Anton squatted down before him. "Which pack were you banished from? I don't remember hearing a report of a fourteen-year-old boy made a rogue."

Ashvath shook his head and choked over his words, "I'm not from any of your packs, Alpha." 

"The pack that I'm from is a very ruthless one!" Ashvath stopped to catch his breath and collect his words.

I raised an eyebrow and thought, "Oh, yeah? And I thought this was the empire that was most feared one!" 

Anton's amused eyes met mine. I just looked away knowing that he heard my thoughts.

"Our pack is the most feared one and for good reasons," He spoke in my head and still looked at me amusingly. I just kept my eyes on a bundle of chains in some corner of the prison and kept my expression in check.

"I'm from the Morana Pack..."

{A/N: From a Slavic root meaning "death, plague" [1]. In Slavic mythology, this was the name of the goddess of winter and death. (Ya know, before you make fun of that name! XD)}

Anton looked at him sternly and the others tensed hearing the name. Anton spoke, "The Morana Pack is a historic one now... My father destroyed it almost two decades back!"

He shook his head frantically, "Alpha, no! They're now living underground and in hiding. They've been mating with the existing members to increase their numbers. Something tells me that they are bidding their time to rise again!"

"We destroyed every member in their records! Both his sons were killed!"

"If I know our history correctly, a good number of them along with the Alpha's third and the youngest son, Andrik were sent into hiding. The third son was always hidden from the outside world. The members' records were torn and burned to leave no evidence of them. It was easy to form it back again since they had an Alpha child who could rule and control the wolves... Alpha, they knew that they had no chance against your empire! Now, they're bidding something big. 

"The last attack was to check your strengths, weaknesses, and your way of decision making. The attack on the old Alpha Andrew and Luna Alina was to eliminate the biggest threat on their list! The old Alpha was said to be stronger than you. The luna was his intellect. It seemed almost impossible to overthrow them! Now that they're down and nobody in this empire knows their weaknesses, they have a good chance of bringing you down. They've joined forces with the kicked out Rogues and there's this man..." His eyebrows furrowed.

Aurora then spoke up explaining about the Morana Pack to us, "They were said to be the most ruthless pack in the country. My father, Andrew Arnoux with the support of my Mom's intellect over-threw them in a war almost twenty years back... My mum was pregnant with me. We were told that they were destroyed completely and that they won't trouble the world anymore. But, they're back! We don't know what sick plan they've got up their sleeves." 

Ashvath rubbed his face, "They have to be destroyed again..." He looked at us pleadingly, "Tell me that you are strong enough- Please... They're so bad. So bad!"

Anton's expression morphed into a concerned one, "I can promise you that we won't let them rise again. But, you must tell us why you were made rogue."

He wiped his tears and I had a feeling that it took a lot in him to put up a brave front. "I have a friend... Her name is Cynthia Scurtis. She's a beautiful girl. The Alpha's friends tried to abuse her. When I tried to stop them, they beat me up and threw me to the corner of the room. They were going to rape her in front of my eyes." 

He looked so determined and angry. He let out a growl and said, "I killed two of them. The third one was severely injured. They made me a rogue and ordered to have me hung. But, Cynthia and her father gathered their things, made a plan, and released me secretly. We ran. Cynthia and Mr. Scurtis are still in hiding. I got stuck with a few other rogues and they took me to work for... for- I was never told who we were working for. But, we made the darts... And the shot-guns to shoot them."

We were listening so intently. He breathed deeply and continued his speech, "At some point, I found out that the weapons were to take down the Arnoux Empire. I refused to work for it and tried to change the minds of the wolves around me. But, they wouldn't listen. They complained to this man... He put the tattoo on my back. It was so painful like I was branded with fire! He then had me hang upside-down with silver chains and wolfsbane dripping down my back..." His lip quivered as he remembered the trauma and pain. 

"I hung there for three days... Without food nor water," he sniffled. "I was almost unconscious when they lowered me... They threatened to burn and cut my fingers the next time I tried a stunt like that one. Although I hadn't shifted yet, I had my wolf who healed me quickly. About three days after that incident, you attacked and that girl knocked me out and kidnapped me."

"Any idea who that man was?"

Ashvath shook his head, "He had a cloak and his face was covered. I never heard his name. But, he knows magic. He's ruthless!"

"Where are your parents?" I asked him softly.

He shook his head, "My father was a general and he was whoring around. I was born to a woman that he slept with forcefully. My dad never cared about me. Nobody cared! My mother died giving birth to me. So, consider me an orphan. I think their crap got better treatment than me!" He shuddered in disgust and fear.

He then gave a small smile, "I heard that my mother had already written down the name by which I must be called. If I were a girl, I was supposed to be called Ashvathi. Since I'm a boy, I'm Ashvath. She wrote that Ashvath or Ashvathi is a name for the sun. It also means that I'm as strong as a horse! I inherited her last name, Ramachandran. I can only hope to live as strong and brilliant as she thought I would be!"

I sighed and went to him and stroked his hair. Anton gave me the key and I detached the chains from his hands. " Ashvath, you are a very strong boy. You're so brave! Your mom would've been so proud of you! Take the blood oath and you are a part of our pack. I'll find someone to adopt and take care of you. We'll rescue Cynthia and her father soon." 

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We had Ashvath tended to and Emogen agreed to take him under her wing. She seemed more than happy to take care of him. She made a mouth-watering homey meal for the kids and settled Ashvath in a comfy room in her house. I was surprised that she had such a huge house for herself. She told us that it was her parents' house. They left it behind for her and went backpacking like an old couple who had a lot of money left to roam the world.

We then made our way to the witch's lair- cottage! 

"Tell us who this person is!" Anton demanded Gerta to answer.

Meanwhile, Gerta was using her wand, making all the books and apparatus disappear into a tiny sack placed in the middle of the room. We ducked as thick books flew over our head which would've otherwise knocked us out. 

Once the room looked extremely empty without the books and the apparatus, she spoke up. "That man is a wizard. I know him."

Walter rolled his eyes and spoke with sarcasm, "Yeah and we didn't know that!" 

Gerta glared at Caramel making him flinch and shudder. He put his hands in front of him uneasily as if saying, "I come in peace! Don't make me a guinea pig." Bernard patted his back.

{A/N: I came this far and realized that I didn't know the villain's name and spent an hour searching for one!}

"Azazel Azvameth. He's my nephew... The most cunning wizard that the wizarding world has ever known. All this while, he was only toying with you and your empire! He's probably planning the real deal anytime now."

Anton let out a growl, "What do you think he's planning now?"

She looked at us with some emotion in her eyes. My heart skipped a beat for an unknown reason. "Whatever he may be planning, we'll stay prepared! Gather your troops, Alpha! There's going to be a war. He probably knows that the boy spilled everything. We have less time."

But, I had a nagging question at the back of my mind, "Wait! I don't understand... The last time, we killed an Alpha, Beta, and a Gamma. Now, Ashvath told us that the Morana pack's Alpha will be participating... Who were the ones that we killed?"

She looked at me and smoldered, "Those were leaders of some fallen packs, Luna. He just used them to test the empire and its strength."

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The pack members were bustling around making provisions to hide the children and stock food to last for them. Women and men were preparing themselves and working out to face a full-fledged war. Fighters from other packs were gathered in the head pack. The witch Gerta instructed us that Azazel would target the main pack... He always did.

I stood inside my room and watched the pack from the window. I had a very bad feeling about all of this. Something wet fell on my hand and realized that I was crying. Why was I crying? 

Mathew was talking on the phone in his room. Probably saying his goodbyes to his family... to my family... Am I never going to meet them?

I walked out of my room and stood before Aura's room. I could hear Matt talking, "Talia...Her name is now Cassandra, Mom... You can't meet her now. There's a war going on. Okay. I promise. I'll protect her with my life! It's too dangerous, Dad. We can't take her anywhere out of the pack. Noah, shut it, dude! But..." A pause. "No... It's too risky! Noah, you don't even remember living in a pack. You don't know what it's like! No. I need you guys safe! Please..."

Whatever he was trying to convince them with, he seemed successful. He said his byes and stop talking. I assumed that he cut the call. The door swung open and I took a deep breath. "How are you feeling?" I asked him.

He just nodded and pulled me into an embrace. "Cass, I need you to stay with the kids. I need you safe!"

I furrowed my eyebrows. I had to be there on the battlefield. It seemed very important to me. So, I shook my head, "No, Matt. I gotta be there. It's important."

He sighed and his voice trembled, "Okay."

I stayed quiet. I knew that he's scared to lose me again. I hugged him back tightly. It felt like I was hugging a huge bear. He was so huge and engulfed me whole. I smiled at the thought. Maybe a bear is an over-exaggeration. Matt is a little smaller than an actual bear! I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing at the thought in this grave situation. I must remember that Anton is slightly bigger than Matt. Does that make him a bear- I mean, does that make him as big as a bear? Nope, he's still smaller than a bear. How big is an actual bear?

"Cass?" I heard Anton's voice behind me. I sighed. Something told me that Matt wasn't willing to let me go anytime soon. I just gently patted his back gesturing him to let go. It took a few seconds. He sniffed my hair deeply and reluctantly let me go.

I turned around to find Aurora watching Anton's annoyed expression with a smirk. She then walked into Matt's embrace and they kissed. I looked away from my brother feeling my cheeks grow hot from the displayed PDA. 

Anton pulled me into his arms and picked me off the ground. His hands had my body pressed against him. With me in his arms, he walked away from Aura's room. I sighed and placed my head against his shoulder, threw my arms around his neck, and hung on to his tall frame as he moved. 

He walked into his room and shut the door. "Cass, I need you to stay with the kids."

"No."

"But-"

"No."

He growled, "I need you safe!"

"It's still a no. It's important-"

"No! You're staying with the kids!" He spoke in an Alpha tone.

"You know that the Alpha tone won't work with me. When will you learn, Oh Mighty Alpha?"

He put me on the ground and looked at me sternly, "I won't hesitate to tie you up. You know that."

I sighed and looked at him genuinely feeling bored, "You're forgetting that I can get anyone to free me using my Luna tone."

He growled looking frustrating with my I-Don't-Give-A-Damn attitude. 

It was my turn to show him the this-earth-itself-belongs-to-me attitude. I looked at him sternly and seriously, "I need to be there, An. I promise to stay low. I can even mask my scent. But, it's important for me to be there. No outsider knows that I'm the Luna. You can't make me back down. Remember that we're equals."

He let out a defeated sigh and let it go. But, he looked very worried. He pulled me close and pressed his lips to mine and whispered, "You don't know how lucky I am to have you as my mate. You're so beautiful and amazing. Did you ever know that?"

"Thank you..." I whispered and blushed. Nobody can ever make me feel the way Anton does. 

"There's been a lot happening... Ever since you stepped into my life," he whispered huskily. 

I sighed, "I could say the same... Everything will turn out fine. Don't worry about the outcome."

He nodded trusting my word... for the second time. 

We shared a passionate kiss.

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"No worries, Cass. I'll have them watch and guard the kids from a distance," Imogen told us with a determined expression. She's a strong, badass wolf. I could already feel it through the bond. 

Anton assigned a few warriors to keep an eye on the secret underground hatch of the children and one adult wolf was to stay inside with them. The extremely aged wolves were kept inside too. Imogen was made the head of that team. They were to answer to her. 

It took a lot of convincing to make Natasha stay underground with rest. But, Olive did that job with a passionate kiss and some emotional talking. She hyped her ego by saying stuff that never came to my mind.

Alpha Andrew and Luna Alina's state had hardly improved. They looked the same as the last time I saw them. They were moved too. They were moved underground with loads or oxygen cylinders with other apparatus and a doctor was placed to take care of them. Doctor William Herb wanted to be in the field to tend to the injured and we gave him that.

I readied my swords and knives and threw on my armor. Gaby similarly prepared herself. She chose to fight in her human form saying that she had a way of knocking wolves out by clicking in the right pressure points and nerves. She was very good at it! She was an agile fighter.

I masked my scent using some chemicals that the witch gave me. The same chemical was given to the wolves guarding the children's hatch. Imogen hugged me tightly before rubbing those chemicals onto herself. 

She looked very ready for a war. If I wasn't as brave as I am, I might've pissed my pants and run away from Emogen looking at the dangerous expression that she sported. It was a mixture of a smirk and a carnal lust for blood. What makes her more dangerous is that she is very smart. She knows how to make her moves.

I still gulped, "Um... Take care of the kids, the humans, and the former leaders!"

She cocked an eyebrow, "they'll be sorry that they ever messed with my babies or my pack."

I nodded and smiled at her as genuinely as I could. A small irrational part of my brain kept yelling at me to get away from her. But my rational mind was just glad that she wasn't my enemy... or my predator.

The wolves walked away and took their positions in their hiding places. I sighed and looked at Gaby. Gaby took a deep breath in and released. She looked nervous. I didn't know why but my heart lurched looking at her. I gulped and prayed to hope that nothing should go wrong with Gaby. I decided to keep an eye on her for as long as the war lasts.

We assembled in our positions. My Anton stayed away from me because the witch Gerta insisted that he must not create suspicion. He stood alone at the front backed up with Aura, Matt, Blue, and Caramel.  After much convincing, Caramel aka Walter had Gaby move back and stand beside me. I was somewhat glad that he did so. I needed to keep her in sight.

So far, Gerta was out of the scene. She stayed in hiding. She told us that she has to conserve energy for the right moment. Where and how she hid herself was unknown too!

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We waited for a while. Soon, we saw some wolves walking out of the woods. A man shifted back into his enormous human form. He looked like a monster. So, this was Andrik. I thought.

I realized that his size and strength is unnatural even for an Alpha wolf. It must've been the outcome of some magic. My pack tensed looking at him while our Alpha appeared to be running the various possibilities to bring him down.

He grinned evilly at us. Their wolves were slightly smaller in numbers but they look unnaturally strong. Just when I thought that they were the only army, young teenagers walked in with huge piston guns. I sucked in a breath looking at those. I understood that the weaker ones were given guns. They must've made those darts again. Maybe with magic. But, they weren't many... at least not as many as the load that we captured.

Anton shared my thoughts through the mate bond. He was worried about those guns too. He pleaded silently telling me to hide. But, I stood my ground. I had to be here.

They made their first move. They shot the darts into the air. My heart almost stopped momentarily.

But, the darts dissolved mid-air as if it encountered a barrier that sucked them all in. While my pack-wolves looked confused and disoriented, my eyes widened as I realized something. Gerta was backing us up. My gut told me that none of those darts are going to touch us today. 

I shared a piece of my mind to my pack and pulled them together mentally. I felt my pack suck in a breath deriving the courage from me. Pride radiated from Anton. 

We clashed. We fought. I had to combine my intuition and quickness while fighting the wolf before me. It took a greater effort to kill each wolf. My pack surrounded me to make sure that I fight just one wolf at once. With time, I felt a few pack links snapping painfully bringing tears to my eyes. But, I kept going.

We fought for at least two hours. I was tiring out but still kept going. It was difficult to focus and I ended up getting a gash on my side. At this point, I decided to fight smart rather than hard. I kept plunging my sword on the wolf's neck to finish it quickly. It still felt quite hard. I needed a time out. But, the wolves around me were still able to fight ferociously without a break. I guess that was the difference between a human and a wolf.

I gasped trying to get oxygen to flow to my fatigued muscles and brain. My head felt fuzzy and I felt very thirsty. My pack members quickly realized and shielded me while I made my way to the medical camp. I stumbled and sunk to the ground. My head spun around like there was no tomorrow and my vision blackened. 

Anton shot concern through our bond. I'm safe. Watch your back! I told him. He forcefully relaxed and concentrated on his fight with the opponent Alpha. Water was shoved into my hand and gulped it down quenching my thirst. I poured it on my head trying to expel the dizziness and to gain back my breath.

It took a minute but I was back to normal. I saw Doctor William and some nurses. They were treating some injured wolves. The dead wolves were placed aside and my heart ached for their families.

I breathed deeply letting my body pump in some energy. Doctor William offered some glucose solution to get me going. He bandaged my wounds. It took a while but I stood back up with my bloody weapons.

When I got back, I realized that most wolves were killed. Some fled the field and their Alpha was still fighting against Anton. Anton's beautiful black wolf had deep gashes on his body that were quickly healing. His eyes glowed brighter than ever. The enemy, Andrik's wolf had a very dark brown fur(almost black) with red eyes. Andrik was fighting ferociously. Every time Anton tried to lock his neck within his jaws, he was able to slip out of his grip. He was too huge... Almost the size of a bear.

They both growled loudly and stood at a distance taking a short time-out to plan their next moves. 

"Cass?" Anton called for me. 

"You are my equal and I need your help. Whether you bring him down or I do, it's the same. We're both leaders of our pack," he whispered. 

He showed me his plan and I sent my approval across the bond. His wolf visibly smirked at Andrik's wolf. Andrik just growled at him angrily. I slowly made my way to the front. 

They charged and clashed. Anton tricked him into turning the right way and knocked him down with his back to me. Anton locked his jaws onto his neck and held on with his claws.

I charged. 

My sword plunged onto his back at the spot piercing through his heart. He struggled. In a split of a second, I drew the other sword from its sheath. I felt time slow down. Anton let go and moved away from Andrik. I plunged it down over his skull right through his brain. He stopped moving.

My arms ached and I gasped for oxygen. Adrik head was pinned to the ground by my sword. I had pushed myself too hard. Now, my arms ache and I'm stumbling to stand. I felt exhausted. I wanted to sleep but something told me that it wasn't over yet.

I swayed as Andrik slowly shifted back to his human form and was confirmed dead. 

I felt someone support me and try to pick me up. I shook my head telling them to let me stand. Silence fell upon us. 

"Clear him away quickly!" Gerta materialized out of thin air. I almost jumped in surprise at her voice.

Just then, we heard a cracking noise. We tensed and held our breath. Gerta let out a frustrated noise and flicked her wand. Andrik's body turned to dust and I pulled my swords out of the ground.

She twirled her wand over her head emitting blue light. She flicked her wand and all of us were swept off the ground and pushed back leaving most of the field empty. It seemed pretty cool to me. Why didn't I have magic like her?

She apparated beside me. Her eyes swept the field as if looking for the threat. A tall lean man walked out of the woods. He wore a thick purple cloak over his old-fashioned attire. My intuition screamed danger all along and made me sick to my stomach. I was too tired to fight.

He let out a loud laugh, "So, the old woman still lives! I'm so glad to see you, Gerta. You did hide well enough." He seemed very amused at the fact.

"Why did you plan all of this, Azazel?" Gerta demanded.

"My plan was successful. Now, the wizarding world can rule over every other supernatural world. Vampires are almost extinct. I can overthrow them using these pawns. Just as I intend to overthrow every other world. Don't you see how powerful we are? We can now rule the world!"

"You mean you can now rule the world. The wizarding world is against you and has been searching for you for years. How dare you try to disrupt the balance of the supernatural world! I know how cunning you are."

He let out a frightening laugh, "Oh, Aunty. You know me so well. Join me. I'll let you rule by my side. You know that we are equals in power. You can't bring me down without a toll. You've grown too old!"

He readied himself with his wand and a determined expression. Gerta turned to us. She looked me in the eyes, "You're a great Luna. You are meant for great things. Never forget that."

She turned to Gaby and placed a kiss on her forehead. Gaby looked at her confused.

I looked at her with wide eyes. She gave a small smile, disappeared, and appeared before Azazel. 

I couldn't breathe. 

I knew what was going to happen. 

I couldn't move. I just watched it. 

She flicked her wand summoning a great amount of magic. She caught hold of Azazel. She was ready to take the toll.

A huge blast resounded in our ears throwing us back onto the ground. I still watched it. I couldn't look away. 

I watched as she took her toll. I watched as she turned to dust taking Azazel with her. 

"NO!!!" I heard Gaby scream at the top of her lungs. She yelled and cried loudly. She tried to run towards Gerta's ashes. Walter held her back. She fought. She cried. She screamed and wept. 

A tear slipped from my eye. I didn't move. Images flashed before my eyes as her screams resounded in my ears...

I heard the traumatized screams of a lady. I stood in a dark dungeon-like room. I somehow knew that I was in the dungeon of the Claw Pack.  

She was human. This man lusted after her. I watched with wide eyes as she was raped by the General. I trembled at the sight and sobbed. 

I watched her nurture her growing belly. I watched her give birth to her beloved child. I watched her feed the child and care for her while the entire pack didn't even know of her existence. 

Even the general had lost interest and did not check on her for more than a year. I watched her steal food from the kitchens and feed herself to give her child enough nutrition.  

Soon, they discovered the half-bred child that she gave birth to. Gerta watched the whole situation. The mother was killed by the General in rage.

She apparated to the dungeon and took the child into her arms. General demanded her to hand the child over. He was going to kill her.

Gerta jinxed him and threatened to kill him if ever came close to the child. She grew. Word went out that she was a half-bred. She was shunned and rejected. Gerta was the only reason why she ever got a place in the pack, no matter how small it may be. As she grew, Gerta saw her destined for great things. She had a beautiful wolf too.

She always told her that great things awaited her and that a mate waited for her in the future. But, she did warn her that she may find him at the wrong time. She must resist walking into his arms immediately. 

And she did just that. 

She is Gabriella Da Silva, the Gamma female of the mighty Arnoux Were Empire, the biggest and most feared werewolf empire in the country.

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I stirred awake. I felt sparks shoot up my arm and I knew that it was Anton. I let out a breath and felt a mask hooked to an oxygen machine. An IV needle was attached to my vein.

Anton pressed his lips to my hand, "You had nightmares and I couldn't wake you up. I'm so sorry."

"I'm okay..." I whispered. "Where's Gaby?"

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A/N: (4954 words Whohoo!! New record!)

So, what did you think? Leave your comments! :D

I did say that Gaby had an important role in the story... She is a strong girl who's been through worst! The most beautiful people are the ones who have felt pain :)

Love,
Jahnavi...