"Leggo!" Juniper flailed in Alpha Lucian's grip, scowling as she was placed in the car, sandwiched between Leopold and Lucian. "I hate you!" She snarled, fidgeting in her seat, having realised she wasn't going to be set free anytime soon. "I hate you!"

"You can hate us all you want, brat." Alpha Blythe said, staring intently at her from where he sat across from her. "It doesn't change the fact you're coming with us."

"Why?" She stomped her foot. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Because there are Rogues who are going to invade your country, and the only way we can protect your country is by making you part of the Pack." Leopold said, watching as the girl's head rolled forward onto her chest.

If they'd seen her eyes, they might've understood what was going on.

She was having a vision.

Her first vision.

And when she came out of it, she knew exactly where those Rogues were. The ones intending to invade her country. The ones who had ruined everything.

"You OK now?" Lucian stared down at her, her upper body having landed in his lap.

Her tiny handcuffs fell to her seat in a little puddle, a slight smile on her face as she rose out of her seat.

Blythe sat forward, freezing in the next second as a knife was pressed into his throat. Knives were pressed against all the Alphas' throats, thanks to one of the Gifts Juniper had copied with her own Ability.

"So..." Juniper spoke as the car juddered to a halt, an odd smile forming on her face. "If those Rogues were no longer a problem, you'd return me and my family to Ishgard, and leave us in peace, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, but I don't think there's much a young girl like you can do." Leopold said, his mouth quickly shaping the word that would prevent everyone from being decapitated. "Counter."

Juniper was already gone, though. Walking along the Shadow Roads which Blythe's Gift had given her access to.

She didn't bother to stop by the palace and grab any of her brother's weapons. The flames that sprung out of her hands were weapons of their own. Besides, she could summon any sort of weapon she needed in the blink of an eye.

It was time for her to make her decision.

And she made it without a second thought as she emerged from the Shadow Roads in a small clearing.

No hesitation. Just like she'd been taught.

That was why, fifty minutes later, the Rogues' Camp was in ashes, and a breathless Juniper had a bag full of heads. Just heads. No bodies attached.

She knew she'd have to give some sort of proof to the Alphas that the Rogues were dead. They'd never believe that an eight-year-old girl had singlehandedly brought down a large group of Rogues without evidence. Well, not under any normal circumstances.

She took the Shadow Roads back, her feet on autopilot as they took her towards Blagmoor Castle, which was a surprisingly short distance away via the Shadow Roads.

She emerged from the shadows of the Alphas' dining room, just in time for tea.

Blythe sensed her first, having felt the shadows shift. A knife was at the girl's throat in an instant, a cold hard voice resonating in her ears. "Drop it." Dark blue eyes arrowed on her matching ones, dropping down to the bloody sword she'd picked up at the Rogues' Camp.

"Let my family go." Juniper ordered, shifting her gaze over to the Alpha King and his mate. "I've taken care of the threat."

Finar stood. "Are you hurt?"

"Now, why would you ask such a silly question?" She smiled, rather calmly considering she'd just killed over twenty people in the space of an hour. "Of course they didn't hurt me."

"Then why can I smell blood?"

"Oh." Juniper glanced down at the blood seeping from the large cloth bag she held in her other hand. "Well, I knew I'd have to bring you some proof."

Leopold snatched the bag out of her hands, a horrible feeling building in the pit of his stomach as he carefully pulled the sack open, revealing the severed heads of all the Rogues she'd killed. "Gray." The Alpha King muttered, handing the bloody bag over to the other Alpha. "Take that to the morgue." He ordered, promptly emptying his half-digested dinner into the nearest bin. "Finar, get that kid onto the ward. You should know which one I'm talking about."

A silver cuff was clipped around her ankle, courtesy of Blythe, and them her face was pressed up against the wall, a needle pricking her skin.

"You're supposed to let me and my family go!" Juniper scowled, struggling weakly as whatever Finar had given her started to work. "Liar..." She slurred, her eyes rolling back into her head, her limp body falling back into Blythe's waiting arms.

***

Juniper blinked slowly, staring up at the fuzzy white ceiling that slowly blurred into focus, her hand going to the spot on her leg where the dart had hit her. The dart her brother had shot at her. "Huh...?" She mumbled, struggling to sit up on the narrow white bed.

"Easy, Junebug." Her oldest brother was at her side, gently pushing her back down. "I still need to give you your medication."

Juniper blinked. "No." She shook her head. "Alby, I don't need it."

His hand clamped around her arm, the other pulling out a syringe filled with an all too familiar bluish liquid inside.

"Alby. Please." She sighed, staring up at him pleadingly. "I've been coping fine without my medication."

"It's for your own health, June." He said, slipping the needle under her skin, watching as his little sister slowly sunk back onto her hospital bed. "I'm sorry..."

Black chose that moment to enter the room, staring between the two siblings curiously, watching as Albion disposed of the used needle. "What did you just give her?"

He shrugged. "Her medication."

"What for, exactly?"

"My sister has seen a lot of things over the years... it's made her slightly unhinged..." He said cautiously. "My parents thought it wisest to take her to see the doctor, who prescribed her this." He waved around the small empty glass bottle. "We used to give it to her every day when she was younger, but now we've cut it back to once a week... She seems to be getting a lot better as of late..." Albion folded his arms, leaning back against the wall. "As long as she continues not to have any incidents we keep the dose as low as possible, since there are some rather problematic side-effects."

Black sat down by her bedside, watching as his mate vacantly stared up at the ceiling.

"You'll need to give her the weekly dose from now on." Albion continued. "I've left instructions with that Medical Alpha... Hunter, I believe..."

"You aren't going to stick around?"

"Alpha King Rylan has kindly decided to let me continue to handle affairs in Ishgard." He nodded at the Alpha. "I'm now the General in charge of Ishgard, and thus I have duties to attend to. Please excuse me." He said, striding out of the door, wiping the unseen tears from his eyes as he glanced back at his sister's limp form on the bed.

Black stood, gritting his teeth as he stared at his mate, who at that moment was reminding him of another person he loved. The blank expression haunted him. It was too familiar. Too painful. That was why he picked up all of the little glass bottles Albion had set out, all filled with a clear bluish liquid, and threw them into the bin, smiling grimly as he heard the sound of glass breaking. "Not again." He whispered, carefully cradling his mate's limp figure. "I won't let it end like that." Tears leaked down his face. "Stay with me, Pookie."

-----

ILLENIS HERE

Juniper's parents aren't around any more, for various reasons, in case you're confused, which is why her eldest brother is now in charge of Ishgard.

This chapter was longer than the last, so I hope you enjoyed the extra four hundred odd words. I can never be sure, because my word count on wattpad always ends up smaller than what it is on word per chapter.

Oh well.

So there you have it.

The beginning of Juniper's dark past.

Toodles.

-----