They had to wait until night fall. That was when everything was to take place. It was early afternoon when Shiro left, and they had a lot of things to do still. He just hoped that no one tried to ambush him as he walked to the place where he was to challenge Sakdah.

They waited until his scent was merely a whisper of a promise in those woods. The fog liked to cling to his scent for some reason. Maybe it was because it was the first time that Shiro had truly let his scent and aura be known. Geo hadn't even known how strong and demanding it was until he finally released control over it. He had no idea just how much control Shiro truly had over himself until then. It even shocked Jett when he felt it.

He looked at his hand. His pointer finger was stained with the blue ink that Hiroko had. He never thought that he would be one of the people who would walk up to do that. If he was being completely honest, he was hoping that all of this would have simply been solved by Sakdah letting Shiro take his position. They had all hoped that this could get resolved peacefully. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Now that he knew the full truth to who Sakdah was, Geo knew that there was no chance in Hell that it would have happened. Sakdah would have never given him his position. Shiro and Sakdah had one thing in common though: they both knew how to bide their time to wait for the right moment to strike.

He wished he could have seen the look on Sakdah's face when Shiro came into the room. He wished he could have seen his father's face. The man was terrified of Shiro, no matter what he told people otherwise. It was as easy to see as the dark trees of the forest.

Geo looked at Hiroko one last time. She wore a pretty cloak, one that made her look ominous to all the people who didn't know who was behind the hood. Her dark eyes showed a determination that he always saw in Shiro. She nodded at him as they both turned around to look at the people of Mercy Waters.

"Prepare," Geo told them. Like the waves of the sea, they ran to where they needed to go. They had this battle plan figured out as early as the first year of their creation. They would go back to their houses to gather as many things for their own march into the Reverence territory. The Moon, like the Sun, rose in the east. It was then, when the moon was rising, they would start walking up the winding roads to the Reverence Pack house. That was their home.

Some of them had been gone from it for way too long. There were some that had been in this pack the whole five years. Some of those people were even elders, forced to go into hiding due to their views against Sakdah. All of them were proud of Shiro, though. That was why they stayed rather than running away. They always gave them the option to if they truly wanted to. A few did, but most stayed, not wishing to change their lives completely around and risking it all trying to find another pack that would accept them.

The sun set almost too soon. Geo watched it from afar as he helped Hiroko, Jin, and Miki get ready for the march. They would be the ones leading it. When they finally arrived to the pack house, it would be when Shiro had finished the fight. If he stood victorious, then they would see him and be accepted by him back into the pack.

Geo really didn't want to think about the other plan they had as a back-up.

"You ready?" he turned to see Alex leaning against the wall. They were merely in the city, making sure that nothing would block their way.

"What are you doing here?" Geo smiled at him. "Aren't you supposed to be with Jett?"

"And miss out on all the fun?" Alex smirked. "You really think I'd let you do this alone?"

"I'm not alone," Geo rolled his eyes. He was glad that he was there, though. It was always good to have more fighters on your side. And he wasn't entirely sure how the Black Cloaks were going to react to them coming.

"Then you wouldn't mind us coming along?" out of the shadows came someone he wasn't expecting. Detective Jim looked at him, his face grave and serious.

"I'm guessing you already looked in the folder?" Geo asked him.

"You'd be correct," he nodded. "That was one assignment that Munni had asked me to do personally, requesting that I not tell a living soul about it. When he was proclaimed dead merely a week after he was supposed to receive the results, it raised more than just my suspicions."

"That would have been extremely helpful before, Jim," Alex said.

"Not when I didn't have the true results of the autopsy report," he told him. "Since Munni was her father, he was the one who got them rather than I. I've been looking for them ever since."

"We're sorry for keeping it from you," Hiroko said, bowing in respect. Her hood was still up, but everyone recognized her voice. "We couldn't risk a war at the time. Not when he had that poison at his use."

"You have a lot of things to explain, Hiroko," he gave her a stern look, one that a father would give his child.

"When our task is done," she promised. "I assure you."

"What's the plan, exactly?" The detective asked.

"When the sun has officially set," Hiroko started. "We will all walk to the pack house. By the time we reach it, the battle of the Alphas will be over, and we will all be accepted into our homes once again."

"And if it's not over?" he asked. "Sakdah has many tricks up his sleeves."

"We all know that from experience now," Geo told him. "If there's one person that knows him the best, though, it would be Shiro."

That was why he played puppet to his father for so long. He acted like he could be controlled, when he was actually using it as a means to study his father and figure out the best way to attack and take over the reign of the pack. Gaining his trust enough to take on the roles of Luna and even General made it perfect for him to strategize.

"How did you fake his death?" another voice came from the shadows. Luke popped up out of nowhere, looking shocked and confused. "We tested those samples ten times over."

"All will be answered in time," Hiroko told him. The people were starting to gather now. It was getting closer to the time in which they would need to go. "You are free to come with us, if you'd like."

Geo looked at Luke. He looked so lost and confused when he saw all the people in gray cloaks coming out of the alleys and down the streets. Some of them had even started growing their families already. A few young couples came out holding their children to their chests. All of them were in cloaks though. They kept their faces hidden so that no one recognized them in the city.

"We need to get going," Geo said. "You can come with us, but you're going to need to ask your Alphas for permission going into Reverence territory."

Both of them nodded, determination in their eyes. Geo knew why Jim would want to come. He had been close friends with Elder Munni. But he didn't exactly know why Luke wanted to come; why he looked that way when he started to follow them.

They walked down the empty streets of BlackCreek city. Geo never really knew just how big it was until they started walking. The streets stretched out in the silence. People had been told to stay in their homes that night, for fear of what might happen. Geo and the rest of them were there to make sure that nothing would happen, but that didn't mean that the mayor didn't worry.

He led the march with Hiroko right next to him. Him, Jin, and Miki left their hoods down, as they were the active council of the pack. Hiroko, however, kept her hood up so as to hide her identity with the others. How her and Jin were lasting through this while being so close to each other was shocking to Geo. They had been dancing to the song of forbidden love for way too long now.

Alex was somewhere in the silent crowd. He was glad that he could find comfort in his closeness. This was the night that all of their strengths would truly be tested.

And it seemed as though Geo was about to get his first challenge.

"Keep going," he told Hiroko. "Lead them down the same path. I'll distract him."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking a little bit worried.

Geo just stared down the one person blocking their path, with the wall of Black Cloaks behind him.

"I'm sure," he told her. He was the only one that probably could distract him. He was the true one that he wanted.

Hiroko just nodded and motioned for everyone to keep following her. Geo, on the other hand, went away from the crowd. It didn't take long for that familiar scowl that he had seen so much. It was surprising that he would try and stop them in the city, rather than right on the border lines.

"Where are you going?" Alex's voice popped in his head. He already sounded worried.

"Don't worry about it," he told him. "I'll be fine. Just stay with Hiroko."

"Like Hell I'm going to let him go anywhere fucking near you."

"Alex, I mean it," he said. They could easily use Alex as bait for him if they caught him. That was all too common to try and get the mate to come out. If Alex died by their hands, Geo didn't know what he'd do.

As soon as the man looked away from him, in the split second that he watched the others march, Geo booked it. He knew the man would follow him. He knew that he would be looking for revenge, to kill the one that was supposed to be the next victim of the Black Skies Ceremony.

To kill his only son.

"GyuHyoung!" he heard that voice boom through the streets. It reminded him of all the times when his father got really mad. Those were some of the most terrifying nights of his life. But he couldn't be scared now. He couldn't be the same kid that ran to Shiro when something happened. It was time to save himself.

He climbed up a latter to the rooftops. That was always his specialty. That would be the best way to get some distance from all of the people marching. The Black Cloaks were for sure following him. He could see them in the shadows. They moved silently, but they weren't the best fighters that the Reverence Pack had. The best fighters were the ones who weren't even in the pack now.

What a dumb mistake on Sakdah's part.

He dodged one of their attacks, making the Cloak fall off the roof in their attempt to grab him. Then he took another by the arm and swung him off a building as well. These guys were like ants: they always came in bunches because their bites weren't as powerful alone. As long as he was able to keep moving, he could separate them and use surprise on his side to grab them. He didn't want to kill any of them. Some were forced to do it against their will. He would have to if the time came, but right now he was simply keen on hurting them until they couldn't get back up.

It wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do, but they were thinning out. If he had Jin with him it might have been a little easier. Jin was a master at surprise.

This was a night in which they were all going to be tested. One small mistake could break you. Geos just so happened to be when he jumped to a rooftop and stumbled. That second of hesitation was just the thing the Cloaked villains needed to grab him. He tried growling and thrashing and kicking to no avail. As soon as one had him, they all did. Arms grabbed his limbs, forcing him to stay put. Geo had seen them do this before. He had seen a warrior struggle against them. It was next to impossible to get out of their hold.

But nothing was impossible. He had to get out. There were too many people that depended on him right now. If he got captured or killed then there was no telling what would happen.

He didn't want to die. He finally found happiness. He finally found the one person that could make him smile even when he was in the worst of moods. He finally found someone who accepted him for who he was, the good as well as the bad. He didn't want to die now. Not when he had finally started his life.

He looked around to see one of them holding a metal collar. He could smell the silver. It was so strong that it burnt his nostrils. Geo growled and struggled to get away from it. If he got that around his neck, he would never last. Then they would win against him for sure.

A ferocious growl came from the darkness, surprising the Cloaked warriors. Alex jumped into the moonlight, wasting no time in grabbing the one that had the collar and breaking his arms. The scream filled the night as those blue eyes turned as cold as could be. More and more wound up hurt, some even dead. It pained him to think of his own people dying, but they were his enemy. The others that were forced had fled as soon as Alex came.

Geo fought beside him then, both of them working together to get rid of the ones that were on the rooftops. Thankfully they started to thin out.

"Run, Geo!" Alex told him. "I'll hold off the wave of them!"

"Are you sure?" There could be more on their way. It didn't matter if Alex was stronger than him. They could still overwhelm him.

"I got back-up coming!" he said. "Just get back to the rest of them!"

Geo didn't have time to argue with him. He just nodded and started running again, sending out a quick prayer that he would be alright. The moon was bright in the sky, the clouds nowhere to be seen. He hoped that she was on their side tonight. They were going to need all the luck they could get.

The people were still marching. Some of the Black Cloaks had been caught by them. They were put in a cage in the middle of the group to show off the ones who had helped cause this mess. Other than that, though, they were fine. Jin and Miki were doing a great job at fighting off their enemies while Hiroko kept leading them. Geo could easily get back there. All he had to do was jump off the rooftop he was on. Things could still go according to plan.

If it weren't for one thing that he had forgotten about.

Pain shot through him as a punch in the back sent him flying onto the rooftop next to the one he was on. It was to his kidneys. The pain blinded him for a second, leaving him confused as he struggled to get up.

The confusion only lasted a second, though. Because he knew who would hit him that hard, using that much force. It was the same man who had been doing it since he started training, saying that it made for good practice.

"You could have been better than this, GyuHyoung," his father spoke. His tone was menacing and low. "You could have been great. The world would have been in the palm of your hands if you hadn't put your loyalty in the worthless scum that you call a friend."

Anger flashed in his eyes as he heard his father's words. He would not let him get away with talking like that anymore. He wouldn't let him get away with all the blows and kicks that he gave him anymore. He was done being his father's punching bag.

"You're delusional if you think that being the second in a single pack is having the world in the palm of your hands," Geo said, still trying to catch his breath. He stood up straight and glared at his father.

"This is only the start," his father smiled, venom seeping from his lips. "Everything starts out small, GyuHyoung. But if you are patient enough, it will grow and be fruitful for you."

"You've never been one with a lot of patience," Geo said, spitting his own venom back at him. "How can you have power if all you ever do is kill the people you try to control?"

"They're disposables," he told him. They were circling each other at that point. "They're merely pawns. They are nothing when you look at the wider scale of things. You could have worked with us. All it would have taken is you retreating when Nir was getting attacked by those hunters. Then all it would take is some poison going around and the whole forest would have been ours for the taking."

"Shiro found the antidote, Kenji," Geo sneered at him. "A simple poison isn't going to harm anyone now. Not when they have the genetic makeup of it."

Kenji's smile wavered a bit at that. Instead of answering, he tried to attack. Geo knew how he would go about it. He also knew that he would attack first. His dad was predictable. That was how he was able to trick him so easily when it came to certain things.

Geo dodged the attack, quickly using his elbow and driving it into his back as soon as he was hunched over from the miss. Now he was the one on the ground trying to catch his breath.

"You are loyal to someone who's so thirsty for power that he would kill his own son," Geo said. "There is no honor in that! But you don't care about that, do you? You only care about the fact that the Alpha chose you as his second rather than your older brother, who is much better at fighting and leading than you!"

A growl emitted from him, and Geo saw the anger in his father's eyes. He wasn't afraid of it this time. He dodged another attack and punched him in the gut, winding him this time.

"You're just loyal to him because he made you feel important," Geo told him. "Because he made you feel strong without having to do anything. You didn't have to try and improve your skill. You could just walk into the room and people will listen to every word you say. It's pathetic!"

He grabbed the man by the hair and bashed his head against the concrete rooftop, just enough for blood to start pouring out. It wouldn't be enough to kill him. Just enough to scare him. All of the fear, anger, resentment, sadness about his father came out all at once. All the horrible memories of getting abused. Of running to a mother who just blew him off and pretended like it was all normal. Of hiding bruises and having to pretend like he was in a happy family around everyone he met.

If Shiro were anything like Sakdah, he would have egged Geo on. He would have told him that he should take things further and kill his father so that he could get revenge. He would have slithered sickly words of destruction into his ear until he became a monster. But Shiro never did that. Shiro helped him get past it, and protected him from it the best he could. Shiro fought for peace for everybody. He fought for power for the people, not just himself.

That was why he was loyal to him.

Instead, Geo had done something much greater than killing his own father. Geo smiled down at the man as he looked up to him with hatred.

"Hey, Teddy!" he said without even looking in any other direction. "Did you get all that?"

"Every word," the man came out of the shadows with a camera in his hands. "My favorite part is the 'disposables' speech. Although, I'm sure Alpha Nir would love to hear what you had to say about him."