Through the quietness of the battlefield, Jeremy's footsteps were soft. He squared his shoulders, his fists clenched as he glared. His presence had my heart splutter, too surprised and confused to understand why he was even here. His body blended with the shadows, but somehow, I recognised him easily.

A man of my dreams, literally, appearing out of nowhere. He spoke no words as he came to a stop amongst the scattered wolves in the rain. He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at me. Something strange happened as he held my eye contact, a strange goosebump feeling that took my breath away with the wind.

Azriel's grip tightened on my jaw, pulling so hard I was sure another centimetre and I would be dead. He growled a warning, and from the corner of my eye, I noticed Asra shift his weight. Did Asra know him? Why was he not interested in him like Azriel was?

Before I could react, Azriel's vampires had Asra pinned. He growled, startled and agitated as nine of them held him to the floor. One wrapped both their skinny legs and arms around his neck, pulling it upright. More held his arms, legs, and body down. It was no surprise that so many were needed, and that Azriel would pull something so sneaky when Asra wasn't looking.

But now they had Asra trapped, and I could picture the smugness on Azriel's face without even looking. He had us both trapped. His plan had worked, and Jeremy's arrival only gave him the perfect chance to execute it.

"Silly alpha," Azriel taunted, before speaking louder. "Your pack step any closer, and you both are dead."

Everyone tensed, looking at Asra with desperation. Asra grunted a 'stop' command, and they all grimaced, especially Rio, who wanted nothing more than to help.

Azriel turned to the stranger in the distance. "And why are you here?"

Jeremy ignored him, glancing his brown eyes over Asra with a frown. When they flickered back to us, he ignored Azriel, only looking at me.

Despite not understanding how I really knew this man, an odd recognition passed over me. That breath-taking feeling sank into my bones. With the weight of my own limbs holding me down, it made me feel light. Perhaps it was just the lack of oxygen by Azriel's mammoth hands, or perhaps it was the feeling of wanting to give up. Either way, I never felt lighter.

But when this man's eyes narrowed, I felt a weird connection between us. One that reminded me of how I would feel around Mya or Piper. A familial pack bond. It was strange, everything was, but I felt it.

This man of my past was somebody important to me, and right now, he was the only one telling me to move. To fucking move and fight back. Determination flooded my veins, adrenaline building like a fire as his eye contact did something to me. My eyes narrowed on his raising smirk, and when he nodded, I felt the fire burn at my chest. My hands felt hot as I dug my nails into Azriel's wrist. Not an ounce of confusion as I gave into the sudden adrenaline.

He was right.

I was ready.

Time to break free.

"Did you follow us here?" Azriel snapped.

Jeremy rolled his eyes, and it only agitated Azriel more when he muttered a no. It was a softly spoken, fully relaxed word considering the downpour of war. The water pelted the earth, his words falling beneath them. Turning my eyes, despite the tightness of Azriel's grip, I looked at Asra.

My mate was frowning, having given up his struggle beneath the fangs. The entire pack was on edge, waiting, watching. Asra was relaxed, but I knew it wasn't of his own free will.

Who would make the next move?

"Now I have everybody's attention. I would like to just highlight how much I have in my hands right now." He chuckled darkly, flexing his fingers against my jaw.

I was just grateful I could breathe. But even with that, my body was on fire with pain. It impressed me how easily I could handle it, how my mind ignored the agonising snap in my bones and ache in my muscles. I could feel the blood pool down my head, sticky and warm on my cold skin before the rain washed it away.

Maybe the broken bones or lack of blood wouldn't kill me, and the cold rain would instead.

"So, brother, what's it going to be?" Azriel smirked. "Your mate or your pack?"

Asra growled, the sound disturbing the ground. Azriel tightened his grip on my jaw and a sharp gasp escaped me as he pulled my head back harder.

"You will never be alpha." Asra grumbled.

Azriel tutted. "Such a pity. We had so much fun together, didn't we, Ailia?"

I grimaced as the hand on my hair loosened and smoothed it down my temple. His blue eyes stared into mine as my own narrowed with anger. I may have a broken leg, ankle, ribs, maybe arm, jaw, head, and it sure felt like my organs were falling out, but my anger surpassed it all.

Jeremy's appearance reminded me of who I was.

I didn't give in.

"Go to hell." I seethed through clenched teeth.

His eyes twitched before narrowing with his usual amused smirk. Azriel always found me amusing, no matter what I was doing. It reminded me oddly of Blake, that man finding charm in my blunt humanness. Darius never found me amusing, and if he did, it was sarcastic or fake in front of the public.

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" Azriel mused.

I bared my teeth at him, and his eyes darkened, narrowing on where his grip tightened. I could feel the bones ache with the pressure, my jaw ready to snap.

"I think being rid of this pest will be a lesser burden, anyway." He snarled before shoving me into the dirt.

Wait, what? Dirt?

I landed weakly with an oomph, closing my eyes as the impact causing my entire body to tingle with pain. Trying to move, I found only one leg was bendable, and thankfully it was the one with the bones inside my skin. However, it was the side with the dislocated arm, so getting up and fighting may be an issue. I could fight one limb down, but one-legged and one-handed was new.

"So weak she cannot even heal herself." Azriel muttered, standing at the foot of me.

Inhaling a shaky breath, the smell of my mate flooded my nose. It burnt at my insides, warming my veins. But it was different, I could tell it. The strong, earthy outdoor smell was tinged with something. It was new, because I had never smelt it before, and it definitely wasn't me.

I knew right away what it was. I recognised that scent and felt my gut twist with anger.

Somebody tampered with him, somebody did something malignant to him.

The plot wove the strings so deep that it was easy to get tangled and misguided, ending right back at the start.

"Why would you want somebody who cannot even fight back?" Azriel seethed.

Asra was quiet, glaring up at his brother from his sharply angled position on the ground. Pack members were growling, physically shaking as they fought to reign in their beasts. I crawled, pulling my limp weight across the soggy mud to get to him.

Azriel laughed obnoxiously. "Pathetic aren't they? Humans never know when to just roll over and submit. Especially this one."

My heart twinged with grief, hearing such similar words from Darius for pleasing him. I had always been stubborn, and I believe that my mother paired us together because she knew he would beat it out of me. Telling her he hit me in the beginning only got me a laugh, after all.

Azriel's footsteps grew closer and just as my fingers brushed the leg of a restraining fang, his foot stamped down on my back. My eyes squeezed shut with the pain, but I didn't let a sound out. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

"They really just need to die, don't they, brother?" Azriel whispered, leaning down closer to us.

I was so close to Asra, too.

"Fuck you." I seethed.

"I already have." He laughed, but I heard the uncertain waver of his voice.

He was trying to get a rise out of Asra, and me, but it didn't work. My mate stayed placid on the floor, the vampires tense as they waited for him to move. But it wasn't Asra; so he wouldn't budge.

Asra wasn't home right now.

"You wish." I grunted. "Arsehole."

Asra's eyes flickered to me for a moment, and through the dampness of the rain, our gazes met. His eyebrow raised with curiosity, nostrils flaring as he stared at me. I felt the weird shift of the bond, the slightest of tugs before it was gone with a blink.

I groaned. "Please, Asra."

"No use, Princess. He doesn't give a shit about you." Azriel taunted.

"You don't know that."

"Oh, I do. I know exactly that." Azriel grinned, trailing his fingers down the back of my neck. "It's obvious you were nothing but a power play."

"No, I know." I whispered.

Removing his foot, he latched onto my shoulder and rolled me over. I flinched as the back of my head smacked into a vampire's foot, a dull ringing vibrating through my skull. Azriel yanked me up by the front of the shirt this time, bringing my face eye level with his.

"He does not want you." He glared. "You are nobody."

"No." I shook my head. "I hold more importance than just nothing."

"You're sure?" He cocked his head. "After everything in your life, you're sure you aren't?"

"I am confident." I grunted. "Something more than nothing."

"Want me to tell you what you are, Princess?" He grinned.

I glanced at Jeremy to the side, my throat feeling dry. I knew this was my moment coming. The burning desperation of needing to be free had me in a chokehold, but my mind ran with thoughts.

"What?" I whispered.

"You are a weak blooded human. Rejected by her own parents, left to rot in a human town where nobody gave a shit that your husband would nearly kill you every week." He began, his voice low. "How he would use you, hurt you, and remind you how much a burden you are. Goddess, even your own mate does not give a shit about you now. He has what he wants. It's a world of power, Princess, and you are at the bottom."

"You're wrong."

"Oh, I am?" He smirked. "Why don't you tell everybody then what you believe you are? I am sure they would agree with me."

"I may not shift into a beast, but there is more to me than you realise." I glared. "For one, I know my heritage is strong."

Azriel's eyes narrowed, his fist tightening on my shirt.

"And second, I may be a human, but I know how to hold my ground. And I never give up."

"That is your downfall, Prince-

Raising my voice, I snapped, "I wasn't finished."

His eyes widened, the darkness simmering to his blue. I had used a little more strength than I imagined, and his wolf had reacted to it. He was a half-breed, after all, with no active alpha blood. Anybody with power could influence him. Little did he remember.

"Who do you think you are talking to?"

"Not my alpha." I taunted. "The thing about me, Azriel, is that although I may have a weaker body, and I am not as strong as everybody else, I can still win."

"And how is that?"

I grinned this time, my face lighting with malicious intent. "People are always underestimating me."

The narrowing of his eyes never got to happen, because within an instant, he was dropping to the floor.

Whilst we had been arguing, I had wound my leg around his ankle. The moment I finished talking, I hitched it high and pulled. Usinghim clutching my shirt to my advantage, I swung my body using our momentum andslid out of my shirt, forcing my arms beneath my feet until they were before me. As fast as I had ever moved one-legged, I wrapped myself around his torso as he hit the ground, pinning him down by the throat. My nails dug into his skin, wrapping right around his windpipe. I may not have weight, and only half my limbs, but I had a mind, and I knew how to fight.

Don't tell me how, because I couldn't walk you through it, but I knew.

"Now, if anybody moves, he will die." I taunted, ignoring my bare skin and protruding bones.

Azriel growled, trying to roll me off, but I tightened my hold on his grip, and the pressure I held over his dick with my one good foot. Every man's weakness was their genitals.

As rain dripped sweat and blood down my jaw, my warning turned the gardens quiet.

Checkmate.

"I will not release your mate." Azriel's voice was hoarse.

"That's okay, because he will free himself." I smirked.

"The moment you do, they will rip you from my body and kill you."

I shrugged. "So be it."

"So be it? After all of this fighting me, to survive and get out of here, you just give in?" His lips parted, astonished.

A softness came over my mind, and I nodded, because he didn't know what I knew. "Yep."

Protector.

"You're stupider than I thought." He muttered, dropping his gaze.

"Yet I have you in my hands." I teased.

His eyes narrowed as I smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, fuck you too." I giggled.

"He cannot break out of so many vampires. Your plan is foiled." He deadpanned, trying to make me feel bad.

Flexing my fingers, I hummed as I cocked my head. "That may be for this Asra, but my Asra is a different story."

"He is not yours anymore. He does not want you."

"Asra is there. It's just the drug or spell on that damn rose. It has taken over his mind." I grinned.

Azriel tensed. His jaw fell slack under my intense stare, and the growls of the pack fell silent as I concentrated on his chest. Tuning into that odd wolf part of myself, I could pick up the sudden rapid beating of his weird heart.

"You know noth-

"Shut up!" I groaned. "I know everything. I am not stupid!"

Jeremy moved from the corner of my eye, and I glanced briefly at him to find him grinning. He cocked his head once before gesturing to Asra with his hand. I inhaled sharply, pushing more weight into Azriel's throat as I called my mate's name.

"Asra, please." I begged.

Dark blue eyes landed on me, full of confusion. My heart ached in my chest, torn at seeing him so lost.

"I know you are there." I whispered, and his glare hardened. "I know what they have done to you. You haven't been the same ever since you woke up. You are still in there, they are just controlling you. They have cast you in a spell, pushed your consciousness to the back of your mind, but you're there. Please, Asra, fight it and recognise what I am saying is true. You are so strong, so brave, and compelling. You can break spells and cut your puppet strings. Don't let them win!"

The clouds rumbled, agitated and annoyed with my words. I had kept them short and sweet, hoping to find him. His eyes held mine so intensely, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure me out. He grunted, closing his eyes as the warmth in my chest built. He was there. I could feel him. I knew he was struggling, but I knew him better. I knew his bloodline; I knew his strength and his weaknesses.

When a small slither of the bond that opened up, I latched onto it. Holding tight, I flooded that small yarn with every hope, emotion, and admiration I had for him whilst I had it. All the memories of us together, of this wondrous world burned in my damn soul. I pushed my entire being through that bond until my eyes flooded with tears.

With a final breath of determination, I felt the strings grow tighter on my soul.

My lips parted for breath as I stared down at him. "Butterscotch, please come back and fight. I can't do this without you."

******************