ZEV

Four days. Four fucking days. That is how long it took us to find the damned cabin. We traveled in the direction Larken had told us but the cabin was farther than we had anticipated. It made me want to rip Larken apart all over again. The red haze around my vision had thickened. My tiger was having a hard time distinguishing between friend or foe, that or he simply didn't care who we sunk our teeth and claws into as long as we got to our little mate. The wolves traveling with us seemed to have noticed this as they made efforts to stay out of our way. As Larken had said, the area was heavily patrolled by rogues. It was like they popped up out of nowhere and that only served to further agitate my large feline. They were standing in the way of him and his wolf, so they all had to die.

I can't remember a time when I had lost control so fully like this. It was like my tiger had completely blocked me out and was quite literally going on a rampage. The closer we got to the cabin the more rogues showed up, as to be expected. With every batch that showed up we made sure that none got away and gave away our approach. It was convenient that rogues didn't have a pack link among their groups. It made my job so much easier.

I snarled as the next one of the mutts charged toward me. My tiger roared at the challenge baring his fangs before sinking them into the attacking wolf's neck, crushing the bone there and ending it's life. I honestly can't tell you how many of them I had killed, all I knew for sure was that it was taking forever to get to Kaleb. Darren seemed just as determined as I was. It was like the Alpha in him had been unlocked. He was almost three times as powerful as he was before. Now he cut through the ranks of the rogues with a steel like determination that rivaled my own.

My tiger was out for blood and his thirst for death would only be quenched when every thing that posed a threat to our mate being dead or dying. And I couldn't agree more.

We ran for about fifteen more minutes before we were interrupted by another patrol party. There were thirty this time and only twenty-two of us. They saw this as an advantage and brazenly charged. If only they knew that they were running toward their death. The sounds of their bones shattering and breaking was like music to my tiger's ears. Their shrill whines of pain only served to urge him on even more. Soon, they were all dead and we could move on.

Finally, the cabin came into view. There was one last group. My mate was just beyond them and unfortunately for them that meant the wouldn't be living much longer. They were far enough away from the shack that those inside wouldn't be able to hear the scuffle. We charged one final time, cutting through them as we had all the others. It had become almost mechanical at this point. Their movements were so predictable, you could tell they had only the most basic of training. They were nothing more than a bunch of rogues crudely thrown together to form a pathetic excuse for an army.

I let them finish off the rest, leaving the wolves behind, I closed the rest of the distance with ease. I shifted but my tiger was still fully in control. I was still just just a passenger in my own body. We walked towards door that seemed to be on its last leg. Without a second thought we opened it and peering inside.

| KALEB

It's been four days since I've been in the little shack with Josh. Jared has only come by to check on us about three times over that period, for which I was grateful. Josh and I have grown closer over the past few days. He was still an asshole, but in a good way this time. His sarcasm managed to make me smile sometimes. He'd become the older brother I'd never had, similar to Darren.

Today, however, was different. I could feel it. It made me restless, similar to how I was before the attack at the pack house. I could only hope that this time would be different.

I looked over to Josh's bruised form, he was getting thinner by the day, they hadn't fed us since I got here, it made me wonder when the last time he ate was. He woke up a moment later and looked over at me as he had made a habit of doing, as if to check and see if I was still there. I gave him a small smile, which he returned.

"Morning, runt," he greeted, his voice heavy with sleep. I rolled my eyes as my smile widened a little.

"Good morning, Josh," I replied, stressing his name as if it was an insult before letting out a soft giggle. Josh joined me in my hushed laughter, shaking his head at me, amused.

We stopped laughing immediately as the front door swung open. My heart jumped into my throat as my eyes watered. I think I even stopped breathing. Zev. It was him...but it wasn't. His face was impassive and covered in blood, his gaze vacant. This isn't my Zev. The thought broke my heart but I still wanted nothing more than to run over to him and bury myself in his embrace.

Zev walked into the tiny space, light streaming in behind him. His large frame seemed to make the room smaller. Out of nowhere a random rogue runs out of the hallway towards Zev. That was his first and final mistake. Zev punched the man causing his face to cave in with a sickening crunch, although it looked more like he'd swatted an annoying fly. Finally, his eyes reach mine and he begins making his way toward. My heart seemed to kick back to life as it began racing.

My mate was a foot away from me but was starring at me as if he didn't know me. My heart hammered in my chest but I wasn't able to look away from his empty gaze.

Zev's eyes locked on to Josh who tried to remain as still as possible. He stepped over the rogue's crumpled form, making his way towards the beta. My heart dropped as I realized what he was about to do.

He was going to kill him.

"No! Zev, wait please!" I begged, tugging against my chains "Josh is innocent! He didn't do anything!" I was ignored, Zev stood over Josh's beaten body and I realized that it didn't matter if he was innocent or not, Zev was going to kill him. It made me wonder how many wolves he'd mercilessly killed to get to me.

Stop! I cried through our link but as soon as I tried to reach through it all of Zev's concealed rage came pouring through. I was almost swept away in it. I gasped at the weight of it. Innocent or not Josh was going to die. I couldn't let that happen, not after all he'd done for me. I knew there was only one thing I could do to get Zev's attention now.

The chain that connected me to the wall was long enough for me to reach my thighs and that was all I needed. I let the nail on my pointer finger lengthen into a sharp claw. This is going to hurt. I looked over to see Zev's hand wrapped around Josh's neck. Josh's face was turning purple. Without giving it another thought I sliced open the meaty part of of my thigh.

How do you feel about this chapter? What do you hope will happen next?

As always, thanks for reading and please share your thoughts in the comments.

With love,

-J.T.