My head gently rose and fell with his chest as he took shallow breaths. My hand rested on his bare chest. I looked up at his sleeping face, his lips slightly parted in peaceful bliss. I nuzzled my head on his shoulder and pulled myself closer to him, wrapping one leg over his. Life mates were connected in ways that only they could understand. I felt his soft heartbeat under my ear, but also in my own chest. His breathing, his senses, I could feel them all as if they were my own. He was like an extension of me, an extension of touch, smell, sound, and mind. I could see the colors of his dream swirl in my head, twisting and turning in harmony. We were a single person, split into two entities.

I felt bad that I had to wake him up, but we had to get ready.  “Andrew…” I whispered, rubbing my hand across his chest and shoulders. In his sleep, he wrapped his arm tighter around my waist.

“Maggie…” he sighed.

“Andrew, we have to get up,” I sat up, hugging the blanket to my bare chest. I swung my leg over him and straddled his waist. “Come on now, it’s time to get up,” I kissed him, his lips still as stone against mine. I pulled back just a little so my face hovered over his and watched as his eyes fluttered open. A sleepy smile spread across his lips.

“Well…” he said, wrapping his arms around me. “I could get used to waking up like this.”

I smiled a little at that. “As much as I hate to ruin this moment, we have to get up.” Both of our smiles faded.

“Yeah…” he said. “I know.” We got up in silence and found our clothes. I left Andrew to get dressed and went to my room. Elli’s bed was perfectly made and her belongings packed. If we were to lose today, we would have to run. Staying around here would be risky, so having her things ready to go was smart.

I turned to my bed and picked up the pieces of black fabric that were laying there. There was a note on top.

‘These clothes will be easier to fight in. Please wear them everyone. They will make it easier to move, and they will be easier to shift in. I want us all to have every advantage we can. ~ Connor’

The black fabric was stretchy and clung to my body. But he was right; they were easier to move in than the normal blue jean cut-offs. The shorts came to my mid thigh, and the top was a tight-fitting camisole with no sleeves. I rubbed my hands over my bear arms, feeling a slight chill. Goose bumps rose on my skin, but not from the cold, but from fear. The hour was drawing closer and closer, and there, alone, in that room, the fear sunk in.

I tried my best to put it out of my mind and remain strong. I reached under my bed and grabbed a hold of the folding combat knife that Connor had given everyone. I flipped it open and cut slits in the back of the camisole for my wings to slip through. I stretched my wings in the room, the tips hitting the walls and curling inward. I wrapped them about myself and crouched in my feathery white tent. I breathed deep and clenched my jaw, trembling. I held onto the knife, gripping the hilt until my knuckles flushed white. I flipped it closed and clipped it to my side, hiding it under the tight fabric.

I took one last look at my room, and shut the door behind me.

* * *

Everyone was out in the courtyard, gathering for what might be their final march.  The girls were all dressed like me, and all the guys had the same shorts, but were without a shirt. We were all dressed in the same tight, black fabric, as if we were in our own funeral procession. Andrew stood beside me, dressed in the same black veil, his hand clutched in mine.

“We leave in twenty minutes!” A messenger carried Connors orders around the pack. The Betas of the packs had each been assigned to their own company. They spoke to them in soft tones, going over positions and strategies.

“Hey!” Bailey ran out of the crowd towards us. “Have you guys seen…” Her eyes traveled down to our intertwined hands. “Wait…” She looked at us closer, sensing the bond. When it finally clicked, a wide smile spread across her face. “Finally!” She jumped and wrapped her arms around me. “As much as I’d like to just celebrate this, we have a problem.” She let go of me, her elated face now sober. “Have either of you seen Elli? I can’t find her anywhere, and no one else has seen her either.”

“No, I haven’t. Have you?” I asked Andrew.

“No. I’ll talk to Connor about it; I have to find him anyway.”

“Alright, well you better hurry up. I think he’s up in the library,” Bailey turned away.

“Hey Bailey, wait,” I turned to Andrew and put my hand on his shoulder. “Go find Connor, I’ll catch up.”

“Alright,” He leaned down and kissed me softly. “I’ll see you in a sec, love you.”

“Love you too,” And with that he disappeared inside the house. “Bailey,” I said, turning to her. “Have you been assigned to a company?”

“Yeah, I’m in Blake’s company, why?”

“Tell Blake that Connor has pulled you for a different assignment. I don’t want him to plan on having you there and be one person short when you come with me.”

“Oh. Yeah, alright. I’ll take care of it,” She turned away back to Blake, who was giving orders to his company. I looked over the crowd. I knew many of them, but others were strangers. I spotted Davo, Kyle, Luke, Cece, and Donnie, who smiled at me when he caught my gaze. They were my friends, my newfound family. And, by the end of today, they could all be dead. If I failed to kill James, they would all die. Their blood would be on my hands. The dream came back to me again. The terrible creatures standing over our mangled bodies, but this time, Kyle, Luke, and Donnie, my brothers in arms, were there too. Disfigured and dismembered by the creatures razor claws.

“Hey, Maggs,” I hadn’t noticed Donnie walk up to me. “You ok, kid?” He put his hand under my chin and lifted my face up to look in his piercing blue eyes.

“Yeah, I’m alright Donnie. Just nervous is all,” He snickered and put his hands on my shoulders.

“Aren’t we all? Look, everything’s gonna be ok. We’ll get in there, you’ll kill James, and after that, everything’ll be copasetic.” He leaned back and waved his hand dismissively in the air.

I chuckled humorlessly. “No pressure…”

“Hey guys,” Andrew came up behind us and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Hey man, how ya been?”

Donnie looked at us, flabbergasted. He looked from my face to Andrews hands intertwined on my stomach, to Andrew and back again. “No way…” I could feel Andrew nod his head behind me. “For real?” he asked me.

“Uh huh,” I said grinning.

“Fucking finally, man!” Andrew let go of me and hugged Donnie. Donnie then grabbed me and twirled me around in a circle. “I knew it! I knew you two would bang eventually!”

“Donnie!” I said, my cheeks going red. Andrew slapped the back of his head.

“What? You did,” Said Donnie, shrugging his shoulders.

Andrew just shook his head. “Get back to your company, Donnie.”

“Well fine, if you’re gonna be like that…” Donnie mumbled as he walked back towards his company.

“Maggs, we have trouble,” Andrew said, pulling me away from the crowd. “Connor says that Elli isn’t the only one missing. Apparently, Gunner and some pups have disappeared too.”

“I don’t know about the pups or about Gunner, but Elli would never desert us right before we leave for the battle,” There was a long silence. He looked at me pointedly. “No…You don’t think…”

“It’s possible there was more than one traitor…” he sadly looked me in the eye.

“Elli? She wouldn’t…would she?”

“She does have a past with them. And she is one of ten people who know where the battle will take place. I’m not saying it’s true, I’m just saying it’s possible. And we shouldn’t mention this to anyone. I don’t want to stir a panic. Everyone is on edge as it is.” He grabbed onto my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine. He led me back to the crowd of people. Fear polluted the air, swirling like a foul cloud around the pack. The tension seemed as though it would snap at any moment, and the eyes of the pack were nervous and scared. They clamored on, barking orders and whispering words of apprehension. Their words were like a buzz around the courtyard, blending and filling the space. Connor walked out of the house and the pack immediately went silent. He jumped onto the picnic table and Andrew followed him.

“Everyone,” Said Connor. “I want to thank all of you who have stayed to fight. I know it’s risky, and dangerous, and victory is uncertain…and unlikely. But, we have sat idle for far too long. I have let my brother run amok and let countless die and their lives ripped from under them. But no longer. I will not allow this to continue. I will not lie, there’s a good chance many of us are going to die. But, if I am to die today, I’m taking those bastards down with me,” To the cheering of the crowd, he shook and blurred, shifting into his wolf. His Timber-gray fur bristled on his spine. He raised his nose to the sky, shutting his eyes against the sun. He let out a howl, deep and ringing. Andrew followed him, letting out a howl to harmonize. Slowly, rank by rank, the pack shifted and joined him and I followed. Our chorus rang out among the trees, at least two hundred wolves of different tones and pitches. We belted the tone out to the mountains, singing our sorrows and fears.

Connor lowered his head and jumped off the table, barking for us to follow. He ran into the trees, the pack following after him. I paused and looked at the house on last time. The sun was shining off the walls of windows, sparkling like jewels. It was my home. The only place that I could call that. I turned and ran with the flow of fur into the forest.

* * *

We ran for over an hour, getting deeper and deeper into the forest. Connor took us in the opposite direction of civilization, towards the mountains. Then we slowed to a halt near a large clearing. I listened through Andrews mind as Connor gave orders to the companies’ commanders.

‘Peter and Milo, take the West edge of the field. Jessie and Frank, the East. Blake, you take my right flank, Amy, take the left flank, and Andy and Emma, take center. Wait for my signal.’ The commanders took their orders and led their companies to their positions. ‘Andrew, Maggie, Cece, Cameron, Davo, Paul, you’re with me.’ We filed around Connor, and waited.

The forest was silent. The little creatures had run away, as if they had been warned of the oncoming massacre.  Even the wind seemed to blow slower and colder. The only sound was our breathing and fearful heartbeats. Connors eyes never left the field, waiting and waiting for the long overdue reunion.

A single deep brown wolf broke through the tree line.

Danny.

He sniffed the air, catching our scent. His eyes snapped to our hiding place in the bushes and he seemed to smile, dark and sinister. He sat back on his haunches and raised his nose to the sun. His howl was deep and ominous. It pounded in my ears like war drums. Slowly, more and more wolves emerged from the trees. As his howl grew in volume, the edge of the clearing filled with a sea of ragged fur. There were hundreds of them. We were easily outnumbered three to one. I could feel the dread in the air as the flow of wolves continued. Andrew looked down at me.

‘It’ll be ok,’ he thought. The lie parents tell to their children on their deathbeds did little to comfort me. I didn’t reply, simply looked over the sea of brown and grey death. It hovered like a vulture waiting for an animal to die beneath it. There was no way we could win. There were too many of them. Then it finally dawned on me.

I was going to die.

We were all going to die.

Connors words rang in my head.

‘If I am to die today…

I’m taking those bastards down with me.’