1st Person POV

I woke up feeling stiffness in every single part of my body, like I'd just shifted. My hands and feet were still tied to the chair. I groaned as I rotated my neck in an effort to loosen up my stiff muscles.

I didn't know how long it had been since they'd dropped that vial of liquid down my throat but so far, I didn't feel any different.

The door swung open and the creepy nice lady from earlier walked in. She extended a glass of water to me, like my hands weren't tied and I could just take it from her. I opened my mouth and she poured it down my throat.

There was no use of me dying of dehydration.

"How are you feeling dear," she asked.

"Stiff," I replied stiffly.

She nodded sympathetically. She returned to her original position, back against the wall. Her eyes were kind and motherly as she looked at me, and for a second I really wanted to believe she cared.

"Why are you doing this? What could you possible get out of making the supernatural world stronger and faster," I asked.

The pieces still didn't fit in my head. These people used chemicals to make supernatural creatures stronger and faster, or better as they put it. That promise probably lured people to their operation.

If you were younger or weaker you would eventually go insane with bloodlust, as she'd put it. I probably didn't have too much time then but I tried not to dwell on that too much. The big picture still eluded me though.

What was the purpose?

"We're just trying to make the world a better place," she said sincerely.

"By pushing young people towards murder," I trailed sarcastically.

"We're constantly improving our formula to make sure that doesn't happen as often," she explained.

"So you're really just trying to make a stronger race," I asked.

"Yes dear. Yes don't you see," she asked softly.

I was about to reply when a blaring alarm sounded followed by flashing red lights. I was sorely reminded of the pack lands we'd escaped from. If only I'd known that that I would get caught up in a mess so much bigger. The woman before me jumped in shock before running out of the cell.

She left the door open just a crack and I craned my neck to see through it.

People in blazers rushed down the corridors. As a man ran past, I managed to catch his words.

"That weird kid they brought in from the academy managed to escape," he said.

3rd Person POV

Cassius didn't bother trying to mend fences with his father and brother. There would be enough time for that once this whole mess was behind them. It was finally one of his mother's oldest friends, Cassandra, who led them to their rooms for the night.

Cassius woke up the next morning agitated and restless.

He grabbed some breakfast before going down to the indoor training ring. It was smaller than the ones outdoors but fewer people used it. Cassius figured it was best if he avoided people while he was this irritated.

He put up an old punching bag before getting to work.

It was close to lunch when Desmond and Azriel found him. He was still punching away but his energy never seemed to drop. There was so much pent up pressure that he'd been putting away for weeks now. There was so much that still needed to be done, so little he could actually do.

Desmond appeared in his line of sight and held the punching bag still. Cassius shot him a glare. The vampire didn't let go.

"You going to tell us what your family told you last night," he asked.

"My dad's invested in the operation to keep pack members safe from it," Cassius replied.

"Smart move," Desmond commented.

"Are you kidding? He's invested in the operation that's killed innocents, that took Catherine," Cassius argued.

"He was just trying to protect the people he cared about Cass," Azriel said softly.

"No he was being a coward," Cassius refuted.

"Look, I know you wished your dad had fought against them but not everyone can be a hero Cassius. Not everyone can be you, running to save Annabelle and Theo when your own life is in danger. It's hard to expect that from a man who has so many relying on him," Azriel explained.

Azriel came to stand before him and cupped his cheek, tilting his face down so their eyes met.

"What's done is done. I know you're still angry but I need you to put that aside and ask him if he knows anything about the operation that we can use to save Catherine," Azriel said.

Cassius slowly nodded. Azriel was right, he was always right. Azriel smiled before wrapping his arms around him in a comforting hug.

Cassius felt the some of his tension leave his body as he wrapped his arms around Azriel. He buried his face in the crook of Azriel's neck, inhaling the faint scent of lavender the warlock always seemed to wear. Cassius' body seemed to envelop him completely, and it once again blew his mind that such a physically small person held so much power and grace.

Cassius slowly drew back and looked at Desmond, who had an unreadable expression on his face as he looked at them.

It was at times like this that Cassius didn't understand the relationship they had. There was a lot of trust and they obviously cared for each other. But at some moments, he'd felt something more.

Now wasn't the time for him to trying translating those confusing feelings into words.

"I'll talk to my dad and see if he knows anything more. I'll meet you for lunch in the dining commons," Cassius said.

He was just about to leave when the door to the training ring swung open and Raphael walked in. He took the stairs two at a time before reaching them. Of all his brothers, Cassius had to admit that Raphael was the kindest.

They were never very close but they had respect for each other, which was more than what Michel ever showed him.

"Look I know you're still mad," Raphael started.

"I'm not actually. I was just going to find dad," Cassius replied.

"Oh okay but before you do I need to tell you something. It's about the operation," he said seriously.

1st Person POV

I was trying to figure out what time of day it was when Theo walked into the cell. It hadn't taken me long to figure out that he was the one that had chloroformed me. I flinched as he kneeled before me and extended a hand.

His hands went to the binds around my feet and began to untie them.

"What are you doing," I hissed.

"Getting you out of here. What does it look like," he asked angrily.

"You're the one that put me in here in the first place," I retorted.

He moved to the next leg and I couldn't help the groan that escaped me as the blood finally reached my foot.

"Look with all the chaos Alex caused when he escaped earlier, I managed to temporarily disable the security system. You need to get out of here before they start it up again," he explained hurriedly.

"Wait so you're not working with the operation," I asked.

He rolled his eyes at me.

"My sister got sucked into it and I had to follow because I needed to stay close and see what they did. I can't leave her in this place. You need to find a way to end all this," he said.

He finally managed to untie all the ropes. I got up and immediately fell forward thanks to the numbness in my feet. He caught me and righted me easily.

"Wait so your sister was part of all this when we came to save you guys," I asked incredulously.

"No neither of us were injected yet but she was drawn in by it all even then. Our parents saved us, well more like you guys did, but when she got back, she was acting weird. By the time we'd figured it all out she'd gotten people past our security. My parents were too powerful to go under the serum's influence so they were killed. That's when I was injected," he explained.

"How much longer do you have before, you know," I asked softly.

He'd been the quieter one of the two and if I'd have had to point to one of them as traitors, I would have pegged him for one. It was a shame that none of us had figured out anything sooner. This wasn't fair to a kid who still had his whole life ahead of him.

Then again it wasn't fair to me either.

"It's one of the newer batches so I've got a couple weeks. I think you'll last another month at least before you'll even have to start actively resisting," he said grimly.

I could here the raw pain in his voice.

"There's still hope Theo. We can find a cure," I said.

I tried to sound optimistic but it just came across sounding foolish. He was still fighting to stay by his sister for however long he could, but he'd given up fighting for himself. The look in his eyes in that moment would stay with me for a long time to come.

"Just get out of here and try to put an end to all this before someone else gets hurt," he said.

I barely knew the kid standing in front of me but my heart still broke for him. He was just a 16-year-old boy who'd lost his parents and basically lost his sister. Now he had to come to terms with the fact that he was going to lose himself. Despite all of that, he'd chosen to save me.

"I'm sorry Theo," I said.

I wrapped my arms around the boy. He stood stiffly for a second before his arms came around me to. I wished I could take him with me but I knew he wouldn't leave his sister.

I pulled back and gave him one last smile before shifting into a fly.

It was time to put an end to this mess.

3rd Person POV

Cassius followed Raphael silently through the woods. He hadn't elaborated too much, beyond the fact that he needed to tell Cassius something about the operation. Azriel walked beside him, silent.

They'd needed to leave Desmond behind since the sun was out.

Cassius didn't feel particularly inclined to start a conversation. There was serenity to the forest that he'd missed. As a kid he'd run through here all the time.

Feeling his strong paws hit the ground had been the most exhilarating thing in the world, free and peaceful. Now, now he couldn't remember the last time he'd shifted without the sole purpose of having to hurt someone.

"We're here," Raphael announced.

Cassius snapped out of his daydreaming and came to stand at his brother's side. A large, perfectly ordinary house loomed before them, dwarfed by the greenery all around it. Cassius had never seen it before.

He followed his brother into the house cautiously.

It wasn't particularly extraordinary on the inside either. Mustard yellow walls, carpeted floors, a grey couch. A woman stood up from it and smiled as she saw Raphael.

"This must be your brother," she said.

She was looking at Cassius now. Cassius had lived on these pack lands for years and he hadn't seen her once. He couldn't help but want to trust her though as she looked at him with wide brown innocent eyes and a sweet smile.

"I'm his brother. Cassius. Who are you," Cassius asked hesitantly.

"I'm Laura but that's not relevant right now. Follow me," she said.

Cassius hesitated, glancing at his brother. Raphael was already following her down a staircase to the basement. Cassius followed suit Azriel close behind.

The basement hadn't exactly been what he'd expected.

"Holy crap," Cassius breathed.

The space had been converted into a chemistry lab of sorts. It was huge, with different partitions labeled with fancy words Cassius couldn't hope to understand. People bustled about unfazed by the new company.

"Are you, are you making more of those chemicals," Azriel choked out.

"No, we're trying to find a cure," Raphael countered.

There was a moment of silence for Cassius and Azriel to let that sink in. Laura then began to talk. She'd turned from a calm, sophisticated woman to an excited schoolgirl as a certain spark lit up her eyes.

"No one knows about this place but the people in this room. When Raphael heard about the operation, he came to me. We knew we couldn't fight them so we figured we'd help in the next best way," Laura started.

Raphael then continued.

"We got a list of the resources Dad supplied them and tried to replicate the formula they've been using. We've been using that to find a cure. So far we don't have much positive results but that could change," Raphael finished.

"This is amazing," Cassius muttered.

Raphael smiled and Cassius felt a surge of warmth for his brother.

"So what do you know about the chemicals itself? You said you replicated it," Azriel said.

"Do you want me to explain the chemistry or," Laura started.

"Sure anything you know," Azriel said.

Just as Laura was about to reply, Raphael's phone rang. The group watched as he answered in a hushed tone, looking slightly pale as the conversation finally ended.

"Who was that," Cassius asked.

"Dad. Apparently we've got an unwanted visitor," Raphael replied. 

New chapter! There's a lot of switching between POV's so I hope it wasn't confusing. So Catherine's okay for now, and Theo and Alex have made a comeback. What do you think about the new characters, Raphael and Laura? They'll be playing a more pivotal role as the story progresses. 

If you liked this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment down below. Let me know what your favorite part of this chapter was. The next chapter will be up soon. Until then, 

LOVE, 

ASH