TW: guns/violence

We are currently sitting in the living room. Mom, Dad, Ryland, Jeremiah and Kolton. They are Rylands betas who I plan on getting to know more in the planning for this battle I fear is creeping up on us.

"Alpha." We all looked over at the door getting pulled from our thoughts.

"We have news, the trackers have found a lead..." Ryland didn't even allow the boy to finish before he was standing and walking towards him.

"There were reports of thousands of bones found on the northern coast and...sir I can't explain this in words, you need to go see it at the earliest convenience."

"Get a team together we move in twenty minutes. Now!" He spoke angrily.

He began moving towards the door when I quickly got up and hurried towards him.

"I know what you're going to ask and the answer is no." We were now halfway up the stairs.

"Ryland, I am in the middle of this. I will be there with or without your permission." I spoke calmly.

"That's exactly why you are not going, you are too important in all of this, I can't risk anything happening to you." He snapped.

"You are impossible!" I whisper yelled.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, I'm going." I snapped and pushed past him but before I could get far he grabbed onto my wrist quickly turning me to face him.

His eyes were flickering between their usual dark green color and dark red. He was taking deep breaths trying to look away from me. Instead of continuing to make him angry I stepped closer resting my head on his abdomen he loosened his grip on my wrists allowing me to wrap them around his waist. His breathing evened and he quickly wrapped his arms around me tightly. I could feel the tingles running through every part of my body. In this moment it felt like it was just the two of us on this entire dreadful planet, making it feel perfect.

He slowly pulled away and placed his hand on my cheek.

"I'll let you go, but you are not to leave my side and if anything happens you run, I don't care what you think, you run." He whispered. I nodded and leaned my cheek back against his abdomen missing the warmth.

"We need to leave." He spoke slowly pulling away. I just nodded and he pulled my hand into his before walking down the stairs.

I'm supposed to be strong, so why do I feel so weak around him.

When we got outside there was a group of five men all in black cargo pants and a black shirt. All of them had various weapons on them as well.

We began walking through the woods in the direction the trackers had found. The leaves crunching under our boots as we walked through the cold woods. We passed the pack border guards as they walked around the perimeter, each of them armed with guns.

We kept walking when I felt Ryland tense up next to me.

"What is it?" I whispered.

Immediately Ryland pulled me to the ground covering my body with his. The sounds of bullets flying past our heads was deafening.

"Kolton, get around them!" Ryland ordered not getting off of me.

Kolton quickly shifted into his wolf before running the opposite way of the gunfire.

"It's an ambush. They knew we were coming." He growled.

"You need to get out of here. Now!" He yelled at me rolling off. I ignored him and quickly got to my feet running in the directions of the gunshots. They were concealed well but I just need one of them to make a mistake. I slid behind a tree quickly for cover.

"Fuck Octavia!" Yelled Ryland trying to get closer to me.

I peaked my head around the tree and that's when I saw it. I saw the head of one of the enemies just barely next to a rock close to the jagged rocks in the forest. Without thinking I took off in that direction channeling the demon. I felt my extra strength course through my body. I sped through the trees just narrowly avoiding the bullets coming in my direction. I leaped over the rocks grabbing ahold of the man and tackling him to the ground. He struggled, trying to get ahold of his gun but I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck, cutting the circulation of air. He grabbed at my arms before quickly falling limp on the cold ground.

I quickly leaned back against the rock and grabbed ahold of his gun. I quickly shot the man closest to the one I just knocked out.

I was about to shoot another when I got shoved to the ground. I tried to grab for the gun but he kicked it away pointing his gun at me. His finger was narrowing on the trigger when I saw a dark brown blur jump across my vision tackling the man to the ground. I blinked a few times and recognized Koltons wolf. He was biting at the screaming man's neck until he was dead.

"Thank you." I whispered to him. He nodded his head before charging away.

I was about to take a step when I saw Ryland storming towards me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to his side harshly.

"You do not leave my side for the rest of this." He growled. "You could have been killed."

I decided it would be best to just stay quiet and follow along for now.

"Alpha the rest of the way is clear." Spoke Kolton.

"Kolton I'm assigning you to Octavia. If I am not with her, you are." I was about to protest but Ryland shot me a look.

We continued through the freezing forest. I looked up as the snowfall began. I raised my hands and couldn't help but let a laugh escape my lips causing looks to be shot my way from the whole squad. I felt my cheeks redden in embarrassment and looked down towards the ground at the snow beginning to stick to the leaves around us.

"We're here." Kolton spoke dreadfully.

I felt something strange course through my body.

"Oh my goddess." I spoke in shock raising a hand to my mouth. There was rubble everywhere surrounding thousands of bones and corpses. I walked ahead of everyone, I felt like something was pulling at me. I could feel Ryland walking towards me. I continued following the feeling when I saw a corpse with pitch black eyes moving.

I knelt down next to him. I grabbed onto his hand subconsciously and felt the darkness swarm my vision. I heard shouts but it quickly faded into nothingness.

The environment around me quickly swirled into something new. It was this village, before whatever happened here.

There stood the man a few feet in front of me, holding a metal watering can over a beautiful garden of pink flowers.

"I prepared for you to come." He spoke. Not looking up at me.

"I knew he would come back." This time he dropped the watering can. I jumped in surprise as it clanged against the ground.

"He is death." The man spoke as he began twitching.

The environment around me began swirling into a battle scene. Houses were aflame as villagers were falling to the ground screaming, while clutching at their heads.

Children hid under market tables, crying for their parents. I went towards a child to comfort and protect him but he looked past me, almost through me. I quickly turned and saw him there smiling in my direction. I jumped and lifted my arms in a defensive position.

"They were mutants." He snapped turned his attention towards one of the screaming women and snapped her neck with the flick of his hand. I yelled and charged at him but was immediately frozen in my spot.

"Half shifters, they deserved what they got. They were simply an experiment that was no longer of use." He chuckled.

"You killed all of them." I whispered in shock.

"I didn't kill then, I freed them." He chuckled manically.

"They wanted my power. But they couldn't have it. No one can. Except we share something, me and you." He spoke walking towards me.

"You and I have both been misunderstood all of our lives, used for our gifts. I've been watching you for quite some time and believe we will be stronger together. I have a way to ensure this but would like your assistance."

"This old mutants memory will soon falter and our conversation will end, I will give you one day to consider your options, I encourage you to choose the right one." He snapped too close.

I felt the vision swirl into nothingness. Air rushed through my lungs causing me to cough uncontrollably. I took in my surroundings and saw Ryland leaning over my body. He pulled me into his chest and sighed a breath of relief.

"What the hell was that?" Asked Jeremiah, the gamma kneeling down next to me.

"It was Cade."