Amelia Ravenswood

My lips curled into a soft smile as I watched the sleeping forms of Maxwell and his wolves, all of them completely certain that nothing would attack them in their sleep. The young cubs moved from adult to adult, softly kneading their fur before snuggling in. I shook my head as I thought of the times where Sapphire would do the same to me, after all, we were all we had as children. Her father loved and cherished her like her namesake, but he was rarely ever around due to his position. Lia would be busy with the other pack wolves, and Sapphire refused to entertain those who shunned her.

A twig snapped causing me to turn around, and come face to face with one of Damien's wolves once more. They had been skirting around the edges of the clearing for hours, not resting even though the Sun had long since gone to rest. The wolf sniffed the air, pawing the ground and whining as he picked up my scent, as clear as day, but could not pin point where it came from when if I just moved an inch closer, he would be able to.

He howled to the rest of his group, calling them to follow him as he raced around the edges once more. Only when he left my sight did I turn around to look at Angel and Jared once more, my heart sinking to see us so far a part.

Angel had not spoken a word to me since we arrived at the clearing, but the resentment she bore for me was loud enough. She still blamed me for Xander's capture, her eyes screamed at me whenever she glanced my way... but I could not blame her as she had never needed to bear the burden of being an Alpha.

Many people coveted the Alpha position as they saw it as the ultimate seat of power, which is true, but they rarely ever saw behind the glossy facade of prestige where the world is grey and bleak. We had to make the tough decisions that no one wanted to, and bear the aftereffects of our decisions. My pride still moved around me with an air of respect, but I knew that it would take years fir them to forgive me for the decision I made back at the dungeons during the attack. I forced them to leave those who had become family to them to die in a fiery inferno. They do not realise that not a day goes by that i wish that I could have traded my life for theirs.

A tear rolled down my cheek as I thought of going back to Shadow Mountain without a drop of hope to satisify my pride on their missing members. I hated myself for not being able to stop them from being captured again. Many of them had been kept in cages and dungeons for most of their lives before being thrown out or escaping, and I promised them, when I found them, that they would never have to see the inside of a cell or feel shackles around their wrist ever again... and like many promises in my life... I broke them.

I let out a short laugh as I looked back on all the promises I made. I promised Sapphire when we were children that I would never leave her side, but I ran from Blackwater, leaving her to face the Elders on her own. I promised her once more, in adulthood that i would protect her, and allowed myself to be rendered helpless when the people I promised to fight for her came. I promised my pack that I would also make sure that they would live free, and I cast them away to die or allowed the enemy to capture them.

A howl broke my train of thought, and I looked back at the wolves running through the forest once more. There was no way we could get to Shadow Mountain to alert the others without being caught, and we did not have the time to spare. I looked down at my injuries... Jared had tried his best to pry the arrow head from my shoulder, but did not have much success as it was evident that i would bled out if it was removd. My calf had begun to slowly heal, but would leave me a liability on the journey back to Shadow Mountain.

*"I have seen that look before, many of my men have worn it on the last leg of a battle."*

I turned to see Maxwell staring at me, his head tilted to the side as he took in my expression. Ashamed, I turned away.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

He huffed a laugh before settling down in front of me, his gaze unnerving.

*"You have the look of someone who is ready to give up their life, someone who has nothing left to lose."*

"You barely know me, Maxwell."

*"That is true, but I am a warrior who has seen facets of war you can only dream of. I might not have been on the frontline for a few centuries, but you never forget the look on a soldiers face when he is ready to die."*

I forced myself to look deep into his eyes, the age behind them causing me to shiver.

"I made promises that I have to keep, and what I have planned is the best for everyone--"

*"The best for everyone? Or the best way for you to ease your guilt"*

My lips curled back into a snarl, and he huffed once more.

*"I am not going to stop you from doing what you are about to do, but at least do it for the right reason... you don't own the world anyth--"*

"Your wrong, Maxwell. I ow them everything, the reason that I live is because of them."

He sat in silence as he pondered my words before turning to move back to his wolves.

"Wake Jared and Angel when I get far enough, tell them to run back to Shadow Mountain and not stop for anything."

He nodded and left.

I stared at the forest ahead and rolled my neck. I ignored the burn in my shoulder and calf as my bones shifted under my skin, breaking and re-joining. I grit as I felt the tips of my claws tear through the skin of my fingers, the itch all over my body as fur grew. That was one of the differences between wolves and cats, a wolf's transformation hurts the most during their first and lessens with each shift, but for us, it hurts the same everytime.

I took one last look at the small outlines of Angel and Jared before running through the invisible barrier of the clearing, a roar leaving my mouth as I tried my best to draw the attention of every single wolf in the forest.

*"What are you doing, Amelia?"*

*"I am buying you time, Angel... once it seems safe, leave for Shadow Mountain!"*

She continued to scream at me but I turned of our link as howls sounded from every inch of the forest. My calf screamed in protest as I ran faster towards the stronghold, forcing myself to press on as they started to box me in. An involuntary growl left my lips as a sharp pain started to spread from my side. I looked down to see a gold dart now nestled between my ribs, I shook my head to distract myself from the pain before moving forward.

"Get the Werecat!"

I snapped at the wolves who moved closer and closer to me. There was no way i could let them capture me whilst I was still so close to the clearing. My eyes scoured the forest til an idea formed in my mind.

Tearing my claws into the wolf at my side, I forced my hindlegs to launch my body so that i could sink my claws into the bark of the tree, snarling as a wolf managed to sink his teeth into my injured leg. I ripped my paw from the bark to swipe at his face causing him to crash to the ground.

Without any hesitation, I launched myself to the next tree, growling with each impact to my leg. I managed to move through twelve trees before I felt a mind-numbing pain around my thigh. I looked down to see that a gold grappling hook had sunk its spears into my leg, an unearthly sound emanating from me as another one embedded itself in my back. I roared as I felt them being pulled through my flesh, trying their best to bring me down. I gritted my teeth and dug my claws deeper into the tree back, tears rolling down my cheek as I was ripped to shreds.

Another scream rang through the forest as a third grappling hook sunk into my other leg, the pulling force finally too much for me as my claws were ripped our from the wood. It felt as though time had slowed down as I fell from the tree, the pain from the hooks minimising the pain of the fall. I hissed and roared as a gold net was thrown over me, my whole body felt as though it was on fire as the metal burned my skin.

Whoops and yells were heard as they celebrated their capture, some even tugging harder on the hooks to hear me roar in pain.

"The Alpha will reward us well."

That was the last thing I heard before one of them kicked my head, and the world around me fell into darkness.