The ground crunched under her feet, twigs snapping and leaves sliding under her soles as Lily kept walking north. The sun was setting on her left so she knew she was heading the right way, if Jacob was to be trusted. The night began to chill her bones, her jumper not doing much to warm her, so she kept walking. Lily hoped she'd see the rogues soon just so she could stop walking.

She wanted Poppy to be safe. No one was going to die because of her.

Lily knew what it was like to lose family - she wasn't going to share that weight with anyone if she could help it.

She ducked under a low hanging branch, leaves snagging in her long red hair, as she reached the peak of a hill. The deep sunlight gleaned off the still-wet leaves from this morning's shower but the beauty of her home still caught Lily's breath. Despite everything that had happened to her, she was grateful this town was home.

If only murderous rogues hadn't ruined her day, then maybe she could smile, but she had to keep moving.

Just as she took a step, Lily spotted something moving in the shadows at the base of the hill. Amongst the trees, she glimpsed wolves prowling in the darkness, avoiding the glistening light of the sun. Lily felt their stares.

I guess Jacob was right. She thought sadly, dreading what was to come. Slowly she made her way down the hill, hoping she didn't fall in front of how many people that were watching. She gripped the trees that seemed stretched out to hold her back, to stop her from handing herself over, but she ducked under their skeletal fingers and stood over their hazardous roots.

When Lily stood at the base of the hill she could glimpse a clearing ahead. People and wolves stood in the dying light of the sun, waiting for her.

Lily shoved her anxiety down. Clenching her fists, she shook her fears enough so she could begin walking. She couldn't help but remember what Jacob had said hours ago, that Yuric couldn't kill her. She was going to be fine. Poppy was going to be fine.

She'd come back home to her aunt and they could all learn together what Lily and her family were.

Lily held onto that wish as she stepped into the clearing, the snarling wolf sentries stepping out as well. Lily paid them no mind as she saw what was before her.

Poppy was on her knees, hands behind her back, and the escapee rogue stood behind her with a knife drawn. She'd been crying but she wasn't bruised from what Lily could see. She was wearing a lovely dress with a jacket. Pity sunk in Lily's stomach as she remembered Poppy had been on a date before she was kidnapped. She hoped it didn't ruin her time with her crush, that she had some semblance of happiness before they took her away.

The escapee narrowed his eyes, looking behind her. "You came alone?"

Lily nodded. "Let Poppy go. I'm here, I'll go with you."

The rogue laughed. "That's not how this works, little river. You come to us, and then the wolf can run along."

Poppy whimpered as the rogue shifted his grip on the knife and Lily gasped, panicking as Poppy paled in fear. "I won't go anywhere if she's harmed. Let her go, I can't outrun you."

The rogue paused, looking Lily up and down: from her scuffed shoes to dirty jeans, old jumper and unbound hair. She appeared harmless. However he knew better, he'd seen her beat up two of his best men over an alpha child, knew the power under those fingers when she'd flung him across a field and into a tree.

Lily might not be able to outrun them but she certainly could give them hell.

"Grab her." He ordered, and Lily tensed when two werewolves grabbed each of her arms, pinning her in place. When he saw Lily was firmly in their grasp, he sliced the rope around Poppy's hands and whispered into his hostage's ear. "Outrun my wolves and you may live."

Hesitantly, Poppy stood on shaking legs, her skinned knees wobbling as she walked to Lily. They locked eyes briefly and Lily couldn't hold her tongue.

"I'm sorry, Poppy." Lily breathed. "I'm so, so sorry."

Poppy didn't say a thing, instead ducked her head and walked back the way Lily had come. The rogue then lifted his head and grinned. "Run her down!"

Poppy looked back in horror as half the wolves sprinted towards her. She bolted, dirt springing up as she darted up the hill and over the rise, just as the sun set and darkness shielded Lily from all sight of her.

When she looked back at the blonde escapee, her anxiety was crawling in her stomach like a spider. "Please don't harm her."

The rogue blinked at her request but waved a beckoning hand. The two rogues holding her arms began to walk forward and Lily was forced to follow. She spun on her heel when a scream echoed in the forest. "Poppy!" She yelled, trying to turn back and help the wolf, but the two others held her firm.

You should know, Lily, that you're stronger than those rogues. Don't go down without a fight. Jacob's voice floated in her head, and Lily dug her heels into the dirt.

"Get off me!" She struggled, twisting her body back and forth but the hands held firm. "You can't do this to me!"

The escapee rogue watched her carefully, waiting for a glimpse of the creature that was in her bones, but her eyes didn't waver from the natural dark, only watering out of frustration. "It's time to take you to Yuric, Lily."

Lily stopped fighting, eyes wide. "How do you know my name is Lily?" She said. How did they know? No one knew besides those at school, and the ransom that held a clue to her name was only delivered to Andrew this morning. The rogue hadn't called her Lily when he invaded the school only a few days ago, so how did he know what her name was?

Unless someone told him.

The rogue only responded with a knowing smile and waved the others forward, out of the clearing and back in the forest. "Where are you taking me?" Lily asked, trying not to trip over the tree roots desperate for her to stop walking.

"Quiet." The werewolf on her left ordered.

"There wasn't anything in the ransom that ordered my silence." Lily muttered under her breath. She stared at the blonde rogue in front of her, the only one she recognised. "Where are we going? Hey!"

The blonde spun on his heel, stomped towards her and grabbed her chin roughly, tilting it up so they were almost eye-to-eye. "We're taking you to Yuric, like he asked. If you don't keep quiet then I'll rip out your tongue, are we clear?"

Lily clenched her jaw, fear now parallel with anger at being handled so roughly. She couldn't have stopped her eyes burning that molten silver even if she wanted to - the bright glow was already over the rogue's face and he quickly dropped his hand, but Lily glimpsed the fear that slipped through the cracks.

"There's the creature all this trouble is for." The rogue mused, stepping back. "Let's keep walking!"

They continued their march, and with each step Lily's eyes dimmed back to brown. She blew a red strand out of her face as she tried to remember where they were going, in case she had the opportunity to run, but when they beheld another clearing Lily knew running was impossible.

There were as many rogues around her as there were tombstones, and the graveyard they were standing in was as large as her school. It was older than the one her family was buried in, it looked like this one hadn't been used over a hundred years old. Creaking gates hung broken against rusted railings and headstones were half-crumbled, names almost unreadable.

In the middle of it all stood an old telephone pole, the metal still shining after all these years, even if the wires had been removed for the new current through town. At the base stood the largest man she'd ever seen.

He could fill a doorway, and was covered in gouges and scars like a cat's scratch post. His eyes were as black as blood and the rising moon illuminated his bald head and the scratches over his face. He had his arms crossed as she was walked into the clearing, and he jumped off the base of the telephone pole. The ground rumbled as he landed, some headstones falling off, as he stood back to his full height, and smiled. There was nothing kind in his smile, like a wolf who'd cornered a rabbit into its den.

"You must be Lily." Yuric's voice grated in her ears like wet gravel.

Lily shifted in the grip on her arms. "And you're Yuric."

Yuric dipped his head and she sensed that's all the movement he could do in his scarred neck, and the closest to a bow of respect she'd ever see. "Thank you Kristofer for bringing her here, is the wolf gone?" He asked, ignoring Lily for the moment.

The blonde escapee nodded. "Being chased back to the pack now. She'll lead them back here, we'll be expecting them soon."

Lily looked between them. "You think you can stop a full pack? You should know that even though you killed alpha Roman two weeks ago, those wolves are strong, and you don't have the numbers to take them down. You'd lose!" She blurted out.

Yuric raised an eyebrow at her before letting out a sharp whistle. The graveyard suddenly swarmed with life as wolves poured out from the treeline, more and more by the second. Her heart sunk like an anchor in her churning stomach as she did the count.

Yuric had the numbers. There were at least a hundred wolves standing amongst the dead.

"How fun it is to prove you wrong." Yuric sneered and waved Kristofer to the metal pole in the centre of the graves. "Tie her up."

"What are you doing?!" Lily said as the two wolves followed Kristofer to the pole, and slammed her against it. She yelled in pain as her arms were pulled back and a zip tie fastened itself around her wrists, her bracelets clanging against the metal. She yanked at the bonds but they only pulled tighter. She wasn't getting out of this.

"They won't come for me!" She yelled. "Why are you doing this? To, what, be an alpha?"

Yuric laughed, a sound like nails on a board, and one that would haunt her for the rest of her life. "I don't want to be alpha, little river." He snarled, eyes flashing feral gold. "I want to be the last Alpha. Power is chaos, it is toxic, and we don't deserve it's hold over us!"

The wolves howled in agreement as the cold steel against Lily made her shiver. Yuric took a step towards her, pointing a gnarled finger at her face. "You took down my wolves, threw them at that little runt of an alpha's feet, them to be carrion under his reign. No more! He doesn't get to decide what we do, and neither do you! We are rogues!"

Yuric stared her down with malice in his gaze. "I've been searching for you for a long time. The invisible supernova reigning over us all - you made a mistake showing yourself when defending the little alpha, you showed yourself to us and now you pay the price. We're rogues, outside of pack law, and yet you shove us under your thumb without the guts to show your face?"

Lily was shaking her head, words lost in her throat. She wasn't the supernova, she was just doing the right thing in helping Alice. With each word the wolves snarled and howled louder, and Lily's fears grew larger. Yuric stood close enough to her that their noses almost brushed, and he yelled louder once more. "You don't get to have power over us! We're free! And you have to die so we remain free!"

Lily's stomach twisted. "No...no that's not true, no you can't, you can't kill me! Please!"

"Maybe not, little river." Yuric mused, tapping the metal pole she was fastened to. "But storms are quite common in this town, and you're strapped to the biggest conductor around. I'd keep control of your creature, whatever you are, or you'll be burned to a crisp."

Lily couldn't do anything as Yuric walked away, Kristofer watching her for a heartbeat longer before following Yuric to the treeline to prepare for the pack's inevitable attack. She yanked at the bonds but she knew it would be no use. "Please!" She screamed after him. "Please don't do this!"

She froze when thunder rumbled in the distance, a storm forming over the mountains north of her. Yuric and his rogues froze too, but all smiled when they looked between Lily and her brewing fate.

"Come, my kin, it is time to prepare for the fight for our freedom." Yuric snarled, and looked to Kristofer. "Make sure she fries before the pack gets here."

Lily watched, helpless, as Yuric lead half the rogues back into the forest, leaving Kristofer to guard her. She knew escaping would be pointless, she couldn't take down fifty rogues.

Jacob was right - rogues couldn't kill her. But lightning surely could, and she couldn't stop the storm that was coming towards them.