As soon as he'd heard what Nova had done to Mingi, Seonghwa lost all control over himself. His wolf took over, pushing him forward to shove his way through the wolves blocking their path.

No one tried to stop him like he thought they would. He'd expected Jongho or Hongjoong to tell him to wait, to stop and think about things.

But Jongho was close behind him, eyes a furious red.

Once they broke through the people in their way, Seonghwa immediately zeroed in on the pale, purple haired woman advancing toward one of the poles.

He couldn't see who she was about to strike, but he'd recognized Siyeon's voice. And despite the hatred he still held for the alpha, hearing her call out Nova and her insanity had earned her a few points.

Though Seonghwa hadn't given that much thought once he'd learned how Mingi had been treated.

He made sure to push aside the knowledge that his mate had sired an unknown number of pups... Getting upset about that wouldn't help things.

Instead, Seonghwa used that to fuel his rage as he ran straight for the alpha responsible. He didn't falter when she shifted, instead choosing to speed up, lower his head, and barrel into her side.

Nova cried out in surprise and the two of them rolled together several feet.

Seonghwa was the first to recover, scrambling to his feet and snarling at his opponent.

"Mama!" Avayla screamed from somewhere behind him.

The omega's head whipped around, love and concern for his daughter taking over every instinct.

More fighting had erupted in the courtyard. Jongho, Yunho, and Gunner were doing their best to form a wall between the alphas loyal to Nova and everyone else, while Hongjoong and Yeosang were fighting with Rhodey close by, and San and Wooyoung were doing the same with Chan.

Cries from Maria and Kendra started to mix in with the howls of pain and screaming. The alpha holding them stayed in the middle of four others, a look of panic on her face.

She was Seonghwa's next target, but for now he needed to focus on Nova.

Who was shaking her head and growling, although it was so low it almost sounded like a groan.

Nova was weak. Seonghwa sneered at her, ready to rip her throat out.

But unfortunately two wolves came to defend her, towering over the omega and trying to force him to submit.

Seonghwa whimpered, ears falling to press against his head. He took a step back, not sure he could fight both alphas at once.

Nova's eyes flicked to those around her, then she tipped her head back and howled.

Several answered her, giving away that more wolves were coming to them.

The omega whined and retreated further, needing the security of his pack.

But they were quickly being overrun...

There were still too many wolves who followed Nova.

Mama! Gunner called, gaining Seonghwa's attention. He was trying to get around three alphas, snarling and snapping at them to try and force them back.

There was no way Seonghwa was going to get to him, not with the amount of wolves filling the courtyard.

But... he was next to the posts.

Seonghwa darted to the closest pole, which happened to be Siyeon, and moved behind it to bite at all the ropes binding her.

"Thank you." She gasps, standing as still as she can. "Thank you."

The omega growled in acknowledgement, focusing more on not slicing her wrists with his teeth.

Once free, Seonghwa paused with surprise when Siyeon bypassed the rest of the Elite, using her smaller human body to weave through the warring wolves, to go straight for Avayla.

Unfortunately, Seonghwa couldn't follower her because two alphas leapt in his way, already try to force him to submit.

It was never ending. How could there be such an endless amount of alphas? Just how many had Nova brought into the pack?

.

.

.

.

"Hang on." Siyeon breathed, her fingers fumbling with the knots around Avayla's wrists.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Avayla said, not taking her eyes off her girls.

"Avie, your wrists..." Siyeon slowed, her gentle fingers caressing the younger's skin.

"It doesn't matter. Please! Get me out of here before I shift and-"

"Alright, alright." Siyeon continued working until the ropes fell free.

Avayla was running before they even touched the ground. She sensed Siyeon running a different direction, but quickly pulled her focus back to weaving through the wolves around her.

Somewhere to her left, a large group had entered the courtyard, distracting the alphas enough that she was able to make it through without being stopped.

"Give me back my daughters." She snarled once she could see her target clearly.

The alpha's lip curled in a sneer before she took a step back. "You can't do anything. Not while I still have them."

Avayla knew she was right, especially with Kendra... But that wasn't going to stop her from trying. "You're dead."

Fear flashed across the alpha's eyes for just a second before she began laughing. "No, I think you and all your friends are. Nothing will stop Nova now."

Right as she finished, Nova appeared at her side, eyes glued on Avayla. Her upper lip curled back in a snarl, an order to stand down.

Avayla just stood taller, determined to win against the bitch who had ruined everything. She studied every move Nova made, the way her legs trembled, the way her eyes slipped closed longer than what was considered normal.

She was fading fast, so the longer Avayla could distract her or egg her on, the easier she would fall.

.

.

.

.

The couldn't hear what was going on, but he could sure smell it.

Blood, thick and coppery, filled the air.

Yet that wasn't what he was focused on. He still needed to figure out how to get to his mate and children, all while keeping his uncle from doing something reckless.

If he had sensed Seonghwa, that meant the rest of their pack was there too.

They were out there looking for them and caught up in a battle they weren't prepared for or had any part in.

'Theo, please.' Mingi said, tugging on his arm. 'He's here, I know he is.'

The beta exhaled sharply through his nose and turned to Annabelle. She looked terrified and kept wincing...

So Theo pointed to her, then to Mingi, then at the ground before bringing his finger to his lips.

Annabelle frowned and started to shake her head, but Theo just pointed to the ground again before turning on the spot and running toward the battle.

He knew it was foolish, but he couldn't sit around and wait anymore.

Once he was behind one of the homes, he forfeited a few precious seconds to strip and tie his clothes to his ankle using one of his shoe laces. The shoes he'd leave behind, but he wanted his clothes just in case.

Then he shifted and darted forward. It didn't take long to reach the courtyard, but he wasn't expecting the scene he came to.

Several female alphas, most of them in the center of the battle, had formed a tight ring to fend off the other group of wolves attacking them.

From what he could see, Eunkwang and Minhyuk had rallied a group to fight the females and they were appearing at the far side of the courtyard.

And on the other side...

His heart stopped for a second as he took in the familiar wolves he feared he'd never see again.

Mingi had been right.

There was Seonghwa's white coat making his way toward Gunner. And San's soot coloring was right next to Wooyoung's remarkable orange coloring.

And there... Theo saw his parents fighting side by side.

MAMA!! He called out, forgetting they weren't connected through a link anymore. PAPA!!

Then he watched as a small red wolf jumped onto Yunho's back and sank her teeth into his neck. The yelp of pain that came from him seemed to ring in Theo's ears, even if it was just what his imagination conjured up by watching his mother tilt his head back and open his jaws.

Thankfully Jongho was able to dislodge her with ease, ripping her from his mates back and tossing her into another wolf. He checked Yunho over to make sure he wasn't too seriously injured before turning to face off against the next attacker.

Theo wanted nothing more than to run to his parents. He missed them so much it hurt.

But his eyes fell on the center of the battle.

Where his mate was squaring off against Nova's hulking form. And she was still human.

Fear for his alpha drove Theo forward. He darted back and forth, dodging foe after foe. It was probably a blessing in disguise that he couldn't hear what was happening around him. Even though it left him vulnerable, it also allowed him to keep his attention fixed on the path in front of him.

Keep him fixed on getting to Avayla.

When he got to the final ring of alphas, Theo didn't stop running. Instead, he sped up and surprised them all by using his long legs to leap over them.

He kept that momentum going even after he landed, running straight for Nova.

The giant wolf noticed him shortly after he landed, her eyes growing wide in surprise, but she was able to recover quickly, lunging for Avayla.

Theo roared in warning, noticing that Avayla had been looking at him too. She was barely able to dive out of the way in time, rolling across the stone ground several times.

Nova spun in place, her head hanging low to the ground as she faced him.

The beta could feel her dominating growl as he watched the fur stand up on her back. His eyes closed and he turned his head away, trying to fight her order to submit.

But he noticed how weak it was. The normal power of an alpha faltered in the order, making it so he could easily stand against it.

Theo's eyes snapped open and he spread his front paws just a little, bracing against the alpha's power.

By now the fighting around them was starting to die down, at least between whoever was closest to them, because they were all turning to watch.

Nova snapped her jaws a couple of times, red eyes flickering.

Behind her, Avayla rose to her feet, fists clenched at her sides. She must have said something, because Nova stopped in place and turned her head to the side.

Theo took this chance to look at his mate too, noticing her wrists were bleeding. It made him whine with concern, but he had to remind himself to trust her and stay put. So he lifted his eyes a little more to focus on her lips.

'-anymore.' Avayla was saying. 'You are going to loose. You can barely lift your head up. Why would anyone follow someone as weak as you.'

Nova turned to face Avayla more, her breathing growing more rapid.

'You've lost, Nova, and you're only going to sacrifice more innocent lives if you let the fighting continue.'

Suddenly the wolves behind Avayla parted and she was joined by Siyeon and the rest of the Elite. They too had blood running down their arms from rope burns, and Handong was supporting Yoohyeon, but they were together.

'Give up, Nova, an we may yet spare your life.' Minji said.

Nova's shoulders started to shake while her muzzle turned up in a horrid grin.

The circle of alphas started to close in, but the movement was hesitant.

Their loyalty was waning, Theo could see it in their eyes.

He glanced back to his mate and saw that Avayla was looking at him too. Their eyes locked and he felt his heart start to race.

Soon. They would be together again soon.

But for now, they needed to put Nova in her place, and end this fighting once and for all.