With a grunt I kick in his leg making him scream and fall to the ground. My eyebrows furrowed I then look at him as he curses disgusting things at me.

It only takes me a second to swing my leg with enough force to hear his neck crack, and his body to fall on the ground.

Looking up to spot the others, they as well have their own person or multiple they're fighting.

Bahee's pack is fighting sloppily and uncoordinated which is what has been confusing me the most. Most just run around aimlessly and when they find someone from our pack, they go feral.

Turning, I catch the wrist of a girl who tried to swing at me from behind. Her eyes go wide as I look at her with a bored expression.

I press the pressure point in her hand making it unclench, and shake with tenseness. She makes an uncomfortable noise before trying to yank her hand from my grasp.

She seems more reluctant to fight me then the others. This could be an opportunity.

"Why are you here?" I ask.

She grunts before her eyes snap to mine. Bruises cover her face, one eye swollen shut.

I watch her carefully, waiting for a reply. Though when she takes her opposite hand swinging it, I catch it as well sighing.

That was a pathetic attempt.

Her eyes go wide as I step closer. "Tell me or," I tilt my head bending her wrists further back feeling the bone strain against my hold. "I break both of your hands."

She's still silent.

I raise an eyebrow, pressing again just before they snap. When I hear a noise of objection, I let up slightly. "We-" she pauses looking around noticing that everyone is too in to invested in their own fights to listen in. "We were just told to fight anyone who wasn't in our pack."

"That's it?"

She nods. "That's all I know," her voice shakes. She looks around slightly before her eyes land back to me. "So, I'm sorry."

I have no time to react once someone hops on my back, wrapping their arms around my head.

I grunt before losing my hold on her wrists. My head being forced to the right, hearing it strain. The girl takes it upon herself to swoop my legs sending me to the ground.

I pull against the force on my head making me clench my eyes. "Just do it!" The girl yells.

"He's resisting!" the guy on my back then says.

At this point all of this is just sad. They have no idea what they're doing.

Reaching up I paw at the guys arms, finding the spot where Silas told me to push. Once I find it I press down hard making his arms fall limp almost instantly.

I take the opportunity to flip him off my back colliding his body with the girl's. Turning my head slightly to the footsteps running behind me, I turn back around realizing who it is. "I came because I thought you needed help, but-" I smirk slowly standing up from my crouched position.

Willa stepping next to me, we look at the two as they slowly recollect themselves. "You don't think I would've gone down that easy now?"

The guy panics as he can't lift his arms making me raise an eyebrow. What should we do now?

Almost in an instant the girl retaliates by running towards Willa. My face hardens as Willa takes a stutter step back at her switch in demeanor.

Attack me, sure I'll play along. Try to attack someone who I care about, well that's a different story.

Grabbing the girls arm I yank her to me. Quickly I wing my elbow colliding it with the side of her temple.

Her body drops before I go to the guy and take him out as well.

Like flies they drop.

"Sebastian," Willa says seriously as I grab her shoulder leading her away. "You feel off," she struggles against my hard hold as we walk.

She's not leaving my sight until I know she's safe.

"I tend to," I sigh dodging someone before kicking them away. "When I fight, like actually fight, I tend to lose all emotion."

She makes a surprised noise as I spot Greyson jogging towards us.

"Grey and Koda always called it going dark. But I just see it as a strategy to get shit done without feeling bad about it."

I push her towards Grey before crossing my arms. "Take her somewhere, she's starting to get overwhelmed."

"Sebastian!" she yells in protest.

"As for everyone else, Bahee's pack just got told to fight whoever with no objective. That's why they seem so sloppy," looking around I see most of our people fighting them with ease. Though Bahee's pack is still putting up a good fight with their unpredictable moves.

"You went dark," Grey says.

I look back to him shrugging before smirking slightly, "Shit happens."

Grey chuckles slightly before ushering Willa to turn around with a hand on her back, "I got her. Go help the others."

I nod once before jogging off in the opposite direction.

It's not that I don't care for others when I'm in dark mode or whatever you want to address it by. It's just that when I'm in this mindset I don't need to feel remorse for the other side. I can think more rationally, which all is an advantage.

I just tend to scare people when I'm like this.

I guess that can have its advantages and disadvantages.

Blinking, I find myself releasing pants as I stagger my steps back. I see two bodies in front of me, blood dripping down my arms.

Gulping down the lump that forms in my throat. I take the sleeve of my shirt wiping off my face not knowing if that's sweat or blood on my face.

I shake my head, looking around. This should be harder, this shouldn't be such a one sided fight. Every time I look to people fighting our pack is defeating them with ease.

I don't like this. I don't like how simple all of this seems.

The fact that everyone seems obligated to fight as humans is another factor.

It's so easy that we haven't even had to shift.

"Have we lost any people?" I link Greyson as I continue my steps to find more invaders.

"No casualties. A couple injuries, but not drastic enough to where a Luna has to heal."

Shaking my head again I look up finding Koda and Silas fighting together in the distance. Silas dances around them with ease as he numbs their limbs before Koda comes in and finishes the job.

This is all off.

"Does this all seem too simple?"

It's silent for a second and I happen to take care of yet another easy foe. "Yes," I hear suddenly. "That's why we need to be prepared for anything."

I start to nod my head. Prepared for everything he says. I was prepared, or at least I thought I was until my body freezes as a sudden scent drifts into my nose.

My eyes grow wide as my head snaps to the direction it comes from, "No." I say quietly. My voice breaking in the process. "This isn't happening."

I take off in the direction once I pinpoint the location. My body feeling weak as I run to a shed that's used to keep all of our agricultural tools.

I bite my lip, feeling myself being knocked out of dark mode. Everything hitting me like a train, my whole body in pain. The adrenaline pumping in my veins feeling like sandpaper.

Kicking open the door in a rush, my eyes go wide when I see a small body scream a muffled yell with the intrusion. Their arms tied behind them as they sit on the ground, kicking backwards to get away.

Material tied around their head acting like a gag so they can't speak.

"Vera," I say softly walking to her calmly so I don't scare her more then she already is. I crouch before her, letting her see that it's just me. I bite down my growl as I see her face bloodied and bruised, her arms relating the same condition.

Her eyes slowly recognize me in her panicked state. She cries looking at me. Shakily I put a hand on her face in which she leans into. My hand tingles with the bond making me close my eyes momentarily.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," I whisper shaking my head. I look at the dried blood on my hands which she probably cant see according to the darkness in the room. In which I'm thankful for.

I hold a finger to my lips telling her to be quiet before I wipe the tears from her cheeks. She nods as I untie the material from her lips. "Sebastian," she sobs in a whisper tone.

I nod trying to show her my calmness to keep her as calm as possible. Even if on the inside I'm freaking out and ready to kill whoever is responsible for this.

I have a pretty good guess who.

"I don't know what's happening," she glances around the room. "Why am I hear? Why did they take me? Why are you here?"

I cradle her face in my palms before kissing her forehead softly, "I know. I'll answer all your questions, we just need to get you out of here."

She nods, before her watery eyes search my face.

I want to know everything she's asking. But more importantly how they know about her and why they decided to bring her. I haven't seen her physically since the first day we met.

I made sure of that.

For her safety I kept everything over call, over text so she wouldn't be put in the situation.

I wanted her to find out about what I am on my terms. To condition her before I showed her this lifestyle.

But now she's here.

Hurt.

All because of me.

"Sebastian!" She yells suddenly. Turning around just in time I see Bahee smiling before he jams a pitchfork right into my shoulder.

My muscles tense with the pain as it rumbles all the way down to my toes. I feel my back arch as he twists it around. I barely hear Vera screaming in fear over Bahee's laughter.

I want to comfort her, and reassure that everything will be okay. But my body is frozen in pain.

He takes in out, and I collapse to the ground having the foreign object out of my skin. It all happened in a blur, my head foggy from being impaled.

But somehow I found myself drug away from Vera, my arms behind my back clasped in shackles. My head hung forward, I'm sat upright on my knees.

"I applaud you Sebastian," Bahee says before closing the shed door. Lazily I blink up to him feeling my wound start to close. "I've been watching you for a while, and I hope it brings you pride that you're my favorite out of the Brady bunch."

"Rot in hell!" I have enough energy to scream at him.

He clicks his tongue before assessing my blood on the pitch fork.

I look to Vera quickly, seeing that she's curled in the corner using her knee to muffle her sobs. My teeth grit together as my breaths morph into angered growls.

Fuck staying calm. I just need to get her out of here.

"You clearly are under appreciated in your pack. Tossed to the side almost. It's all about Greyson and Willa. Then it comes Koda and Silas. Even after that it's Faye ans Eli. Then in last place is poor, lonely Sebastian. Does that not anger you?"

"Fuck off," I growl.

He smiles before turning to Vera. Once his eyes land on her, I lose it.

I try to stand as a loud growl leaves my lips. Though the shackles only pull me back making me sit back down. "Don't you fucking dare!" I threaten.

My claws grow as my eyes turn yellow feeling anger pulse through me.

"You're going to scare the little human, and besides what's stopping me from ending her life if you shift?" he whines before smirking back to me.

My eyes grow in size as she looks to me. Her eyes wide, her face in pure terror as she sees my glowing eyes.

"Vera," I say. Instantly I try to revert my eyes back to normal. "I promise everything will be okay. I won't hurt you, I won't let anyone hurt you. I swear, I will-"

Bahee laughs which only makes me stop my rambling. "See you almost kept her off of our radar. But alas, I had someone watching you the day you two met. Isn't that just wonderful?"

"Let her go and I'll do anything you want," I nod scooting forward. "Please."

He raises an eyebrow before resting his chin on his fist. "I thought it would take more to make you break, pity."

I deflate, glaring at him. Holding a mate against you is the easiest tactic to get someone to break. That's why he's done it so much.

It's almost too easy.

"Alas, I still want my fun." He sighs. Before I can even process what happened, I hear a loud slap and a cry.

I blink almost frozen as I watch Vera fall to the ground. Bahee now crouched in front of her.

My body tensed to much I feel too stunned to react too stunned to do anything.

I purely watch as he tilts his head at her, glancing back to me. Only sending me a smirk before he reaches forward grabbing a fistful of hair by the top of her head.

Move Sebastian! My wolf suddenly screams before puncturing my nails into my palms to snap me back to reality.

That was all it took before I was on my feet, a growl unleashing. "You're going to regret that! I swear to god, Bahee. Let her go now!" I struggle against the chains trying to move forward.

My hairs stand on edge as I watch desperately, just hoping by some miracle he lets her go. "There he is," he chuckles before standing as well. Though he still has Vera by her hair. He picks her up dangling her by his fist.

She screams clawing at his hand while she tries to kick from his hold. "Let her go!" I scream tugging on the chains hard enough to break my skin and cause my wrists to bleed.

I'm completely hopeless.

I cant protect her.

Bahee shrugs before dropping her. She hits the ground harshly making my eyes water, seeing her almost motionless body.

She's exhausted.

"Vera," I sniffle feeling my voice go hoarse. "Everything will be okay. I'll get you out of here, okay? I fucking, promise."

"Promise? Don't give the poor girl false hope." Quickly he drawls his leg back, kicking her stomach. She wheezes out making me let out a yell.

"Stop!" I plead as he continues to kick her gut. "Bahee please!" I feel hot tears run down my face as he doesn't stop. "I'm begging you!"

Vera's screams slowly turn into rasps as I continuously hear her ribs shatter. With each hit I scream pleads and desperate words of attempt.

I've never felt so useless. I've never felt so broken watching her suffer in front of me and not being able to do anything about it.

She slowly looks up to me between a hit, her eyes starting to glaze over. She's going to pass out because of the pain. But she decides to look at me before her eyes close, her body becoming limp and releasing the tension.

My eyes go wide with panic as I listen carefully. My breath barely releasing with the ache in my chest.

She still has a heart beat.

But it's barely there.

I blink, feeling a tear fall from my eye. Seeming as if Bahee stopped his hits as soon as she passed out.

I drop to my knees letting out a shaky breath. "Please Bahee," I whisper. My eyes never leaving her. "I'll do anything you want, let me heal her. Please I'll do anything."

He looks to me, tilting his head before walking to me.

I blankly look at him as he grabs my jaw, urging my head up to look at him. He then pats my head with his opposite hand. "Oh Sebastian, you're not going to heal her."

He wipes a tear off my face before dropping my head letting it lawl back. "You know who you need to link."

He nods, pouting his lip before going opposite of me and sitting in a chair. Finally I sit back from being on my knees, my body haunches over as I feel completely empty.

This really is the last resort. If I can't mark her and let her heal quickly, then only a Luna can heal.

I drag my eyes away from Vera to the floor before me, though my ears still intent on listening to her frail heart beat.

I have to link Willa, but I was never told what. This is my opportunity.

I won't let Vera die, but I won't let anyone else die on my account either.