✦C A S S I A N ✦

It all happened so fast.

Chase dropped from the call quickly as he went to check on the commotion.

"What did you see Stella?" Archer asked one more time, trying not to raise his voice again, but I can't even imagine the dread he was feeling now that his fears have become reality.

"A w-war... it's starting. The Council is attacking everyone and soon... it will be here too Cassian," Stella says, her chest heaving up and down deeply as her breath is ragged. "I— I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure but I've been seeing it..."

I look up to Ervin and Claude, silently sending them my orders to get everyone ready. They both nodded and hurriedly left the room.

What made the Council change their minds? Why are they being so rash?

The two Alphas were bombarding Stella with questions now, but I stopped them as I saw how visibly shaken she was. As if the events from the Andersons wasn't enough, and now this.

"Stop. Now's not the time, we have to get our packs ready for any attacks. Keep your orbs close, let's try to call in a bit."

Ian and Archer protested, but I closed the orb quickly and faced Stella.

She tried not to, but the tears won over her will.

"Calm down, baby, I'm right here," I assure her as I put my arms around her.

"I should have seen it earlier Cassian, but I've been avoiding it."

"What do you mean?"

Stella looked up to me, her eyes still glowing of the crescent in her irises.

"I've been having visions of the war for a wh-while now. But I've forced myself not to see them because... they're so terrible. I told myself that they're just nightmares, but I know... I know they aren't. They're far too vivid to be nightmares, too real. I forced myself awake every time I saw them..." she cried in my arms and I tried my best to hush her.

I closed my eyes, trying to gather my thoughts and think of the best solution at this moment. How do I minimize the damage our pack may suffer? How do we counterattack, how do I reassure Stella that the happenings are not her fault? That she only has to do what she can?

I already have plans set for Stella's safety, that one thing I'm confident on.

Through all of this, I just need Stella to be safe. Selfish as it may sound, she's my priority, everything else comes second. Even myself.

My heart started to speed up, my thoughts becoming faster and messier. I have to go to the battle, I have to make sure the pack is alright, I need to make sure Stella is safe.

Fear started creeping in over the uncertainty of what we are about to face, an emotion so foreign I almost couldn't tell it for what it was, but I quickly shake myself out of it at the realization. This is no time for an Alpha to feel fear, I have to be braver and stronger than any of my leaders or warriors. They can't have a fearmonger for a leader.

This is what I have been trained and preparing my whole life for. I'm known as one of the best Alpha fighters there are around. I've never hesitated to enter into a fight or a conflict whenever anyone has wronged our pack.

I've never felt scared, so why now?

And that's when we hear it. A loud explosion from afar and as we both looked at the window, I could see the barrier pulsating, trying to hold its ground from the attack.

I pull away from Stella and as she looks up to me, evident terror and dread in her expression, I suddenly realize the answer to my question.

I have something so precious I could lose now, Stella.

"Shh... Stella, you're going to be alright, okay? Ruth and a few warriors are heading here right now. Some evacuation will be happening underground until we can push them off and I need you to go with them, they will keep you safe no matter what," I promise her as I cup her face with both of my hands and wipe her tears.

Ah, how I wish these tears would no longer stream down her beautiful face.

"And you?" she asks shaking, almost in a whisper.

I smile and kissed her momentarily before answering. "I have a pack to keep safe, and don't worry, I won't let them get to you."

"Y-you have to be c-careful okay, I... I don't know what I'll do if-- if--" Stella is interrupted when Ruth flung the door open.

Another explosion.

What followed was one of our howling into the night.

The cry was chilling, almost giving me goosebumps, but it was the sound that let everyone in the pack know that they had to start heading to evacuations.

I glances over the window to see the barrier still holding up.

No words were spoked, Ruth merely nodded, the serious look on her face letting me know that everything is ready.

I look back to Stella and gave her another smile. She held my hands tightly, not wanting to let go, hurting me a little bit more.

"Go, I'll come to you later, I promise," I tell her as I led her to Ruth.

Stella was speechless but she tried to nod. Ruth and another warrior grabbed her and left quickly.

When I was left alone in my office, I allowed myself a moment of weakness. Holding on to the edge of my table, I took a couple of deep breaths as I talked to my wolf, but even that proved difficult to do as people linking me kept interrupting.

'Cassian, the barrier won't hold any longer, we'll stand our ground until you get here,' Ervin linked me.

'I'll be there soon,' I linked back.

I went through my drawers, quickly going through the documents that I've been collecting for years. Documents of proofs against the Council.

I'll make sure that after all this, there will be no more Councils to abuse all.

Rushing, I took them all as I headed to the undergrounds of the pack house. I went through the stock room, pushed an old table off the wall and took the rock off letting the old heavy door open.

Only the Alphas know of this place but we kept a small area away from everything else that we would need in emergency. I stocked all the documents there and closed it again. I tried my best to place everything as it was before but given the urgency of the situation and after hearing a few more blasts that for sure would have destroyed the barrier already, it wasn't perfect.

As I headed back up, I quickly ran outside.

The howl was still going on, almost like singing a song to the moon.

Outside, pack members were running quickly and as they saw me, they came running.

"A-Alpha, what's going on?!" a girl, a few years older than me who I recognize to be Jasmine, with a baby in her arms asked me, frantically. I remembered Hazel who was, herself, carrying a child, but I had to dismiss the thought quickly. Surely, Archer won't let anything happen to her.

"The Council has finally showed their true colours and is attacking the four big packs. I need you and your baby to get to the evacuation points, that's how we can keep you safe," I tell her quickly and loudly for all the others to hear.

I signed to the warrior in charge of the evacuation to go ahead and continue to lead them where they would take shelter.

Afterwards, I ran towards where Ervin and Claude would be, near the entrance and where the barrier would have been at its weakest.

I looked up and thankfully, the barrier was still holding. I smirk, it seems I have underestimated my barrier wielders.

'Cassian, the barrier will-' Claude tried to warn me but as he linked, I could see the barrier's lights glowing at its brightest before it shattered in the air.

I ran faster and just as I arrived at the scene, the stench of innumerable Strays hang in the air as hundreds of them started barraging inside the pack after the barrier has done its job.

The pack warriors were quick to fight them, slashing through a Stray and then another, I did the same.

Three Strays jumped on me at the same time but I only needed one hand to slash through them. I went through them quickly, helping other warriors and taking down as many enemies as I could.

But I had to back up and jump on a tree as I noticed there was something strange with the Strays.

I have faced many of them before, but not like these.

Usually, Strays have similarities with rogues that have gone berserk, they are not supposed to be able to think straight and make calculated moves during battle. What's more, they usually die after you take them out. But these ones are... different.

They have much more strength and I can see the Strays that we have taken down standing up again.

My warriors seem to be baffled as well as the enemies that they thought are dead are standing up once again.

I jumped down, killing a Stray again after it stood up again. I waited and observed, fighting the others. The bastard stood up again and charged at me.

But this time, weaker.

With my claws, I dug in his heart once more. He coughs blood as he collapses and immediately, the colour of his skin turns extremely pale within seconds.

I waited, but he didn't get up anymore. I looked around, my warriors are still fighting through despite the confusion.

"Keep pushing through, they will die when you keep killing them!" I shout.

"Yes, Alpha!" they screamed in unison.

As I was fighting, I linked all the warriors the same information and they responded.

I also tried to link the leaders of each squad in other areas and just as I suspected, they've got our pack surrounded with all these persistent bugs.

But this wouldn't be just it...

If this is the Council's doing, this is too easy.

The more I killed, the more of them appeared and I killed my way outside where the pack barrier was. I jumped on the trees, trying to get a glance on how many more of the Strays there were.

I curse as I saw the number of Strays that are still on their way, but there was an end to it. I linked everyone again of what I saw.

'Save as much strength as you can, the Strays are just for show. The real battle comes after.'

And I was right.