Flashbang canisters are tossed into the warehouse first, the sudden burst of light and smoke being used as cover as what seems like dozens of assassins begin to flood the building.

"Get back!" Braeden orders over the sound of automatic gunfire. 

Everyone scrambles to hide as bullets fly. Kira and Scott fall to the ground, Chris leads Satomi and her pack to shelter, and Braeden and Derek lay a suppressive fire. I grab Lori and drag her with me to cover. We hide behind a nearby structural pillar. I hold her in front of me tightly as chunks of the pillar's concrete are blown off the corners from various bullets.

"Stay low," I instruct the young wolf. "You have to hide. Go!" 

She doesn't argue and drops to the floor out of my grasp, crawling away from the action. It appears awkward, but a little discomfort was worth it in exchange for her life. Lori was nimble and quiet, she could easily stay hidden until this passed. 

I swiftly peek out from behind my cover, hoping to get an idea of what we were up against. 

The warehouse had quickly divided itself between our two sides. The assassins had yet to cross a valley of cubicles as Braeden, Chris, and Derek, all returned fire, keeping the ex-hunters subdued for the time being. A lot of them had swapped their crossbows for rifles and returned fire. They also had the same body armor and combat helmets from yesterday, but without the shadow of midnight, I could see they weren't entirely covered. I can't gauge much else beyond that, though, and have to return to my hideaway when I'm met with more bullets. 

Frustration starts to set in as I feel trapped, and I do my best to fight it off. 

It was only a matter of time before they had an opportunity to move in and start working their way through us. I had to thin out their herd before then and increase our odds of survival. I begin to scan my immediate surroundings, trying to find somewhere that could be a potentially decent vantage point to snipe from. 

I find an old scissor lift against the far wall of the warehouse. I had no idea if it was even operational, but it was a worthy risk. 

My instincts push for me to look to Chris. I need someone to cover me and I can't change the fact that my brain is hardwired to rely on him in the heat of battle. He's to my left, ducking under a row of desks, occasionally peeking out from behind it to shoot. When he feels me staring, he peers up at me. 

I jut my chin out, pointing at the lift. 

He follows the direction and his eyes fill with comprehension. He returns his stare to mine, and whatever resentment had lingered between us dissipated. Now, all that was there was understanding. Chris has my back, and I have his, because this is what we do. 

Without needing to say anything, I separate myself from the pillar at the same time Chris stands. I sprint toward the lift while he fires at the assassins, taking any and all attention away from me. Satomi and her Betas, who saw our interaction, run out from behind Chris and take the field to aid the distraction. They were no longer willing to hide as people threatened the lives of whatever pack they had left.

They take on the assassins in their direct vicinity, tackling and clawing at them. Distant growls and whimpers mix with gunfire, making me move faster.

I duck under the railing of the lift and climb onto its metal platform before hitting the switch on the control panel. The machine comes to life and I don't hesitate to yank at the lever, making the lift rise to its full height and give me a proper view of the warehouse. I lay flat on the platform when it stops and prop my rifle up on the edge of the slab, peering through the weapon's attached scope. 

I search through the sea of abandoned office furniture and dusty hanging tarps for my first target. The front line of the assassins' defenses had been pushed back by Satomi's Betas, making me scramble. I would have perceived it as something helpful if it hadn't meant that the entire warehouse was now a scattered warzone. 

"Come on, come on," I mumble, trying to satisfy the itch of my trigger finger.

I settle on a stack of desks on the far wall. An assassin claimed it as their own, using the higher ground to send endless gunfire across the building. I take a deep breath as I keep them in my sights. I had only eight darts, which meant only eight targets, which also meant I couldn't miss a single one. 

I send a dart soaring across the air, allowing the projectile to plant itself into the assassin's exposed upper arm. They flinch and stop firing when they feel the prick of the needle. They start to sway from side to side and soon fall off the stack of desks. They land flat on the floor below and don't get back up, the sedatives efficiently running their course. 

"Seven," I whisper to myself as a reminder. 

I scan the warehouse again, looking for another target. 

Three assassins were close by, pushing in on Derek and Braeden. Their combined fire prevented either of them from peeking out from behind their shelter. I make quick work of sending two darts their way, aiming for whatever skin is visible to me. Their triangular formation fails as two of them drop after the needle's impact, too busy firing to notice they were shot. 

However, one of their comrades did notice. 

They duck behind a plastic tarp before I can incapacitate them, too. I can make out their silhouette through it but that means nothing as my dart can't puncture the tarp and them. Bullets soon scatter all around me as they blindly shoot in my direction. I'm forced to back up on the platform and curl into myself to avoid being hit. 

I attempt to come up with an idea of how to get out of this, but that's unnecessary as I witness the assassin is no longer alone behind the plastic. Another shadow comes up behind them and strikes them over the head. Their body lands at the shadow's feet. 

I watch a metallic flash tear through the tarp, Kira's katana slicing it in half with ease. She smiles up at me as I return to my position, and I give her a thankful nod for her aid. She turns and runs off in some random direction to help others. With the better visibility she's given to me, my potential targets have increased tenfold.

I spend three more darts in a matter of seconds.

The first is for an assassin who wears a sling of flashbang canisters and tosses them around the building to blind the wolves further. My second ends up in the forearm of an assassin who shoots too mercilessly at Derek for my taste. They deserved to be shot for that, and the fact that they wore a short-sleeved shirt to a place like this. 

My third dart is in Brett's favor. 

He struggles with an assassin, both of them in a hand-to-hand brawl. I send the dart into the back of the assassin's neck and the fight ends as they slump against Brett, falling unconscious. I don't linger on the Beta for long as I move to analyze the field for more assassins. 

"Two," I murmur my count. 

I pause as I catch sight of Richard, an assassin pinning him to a pillar. They hold their rifle horizontally over his throat, driving the barrel in deep to choke the life out of him. Richard's face is purple and his golden eyes begin to flicker as death draws near. Though, as he spots me from over the assassin's shoulder, a bit of life returns to him. 

He stops trying to shove the assassin away and instead pulls them closer, reaching up behind them to yank their helmet off. The exposed skin allows me to promptly send a dart into the base of the skull. Their movements grow limp, freeing Richard. He gasps heavily to reclaim the air he was robbed of before looking back up at me. 

Behind my rifle, I offer him a thumbs-up. He chuckles in disbelief and mirrors the gesture before we both move along. 

Through my scope, I see the battle press on. 

Braeden and Derek were trying to break through a huddle of assassins. They're hidden behind a pile of discarded furniture, out of their reach, and mine. I'm unable to help them from this far away, my darts no meant for long-range. 

I continue my search, spotting Chris and Satomi, both of them back-to-back. The wolf uses her spike to pick off any assassins that the hunter misses with his rifle. Kira charges past them, slashing her way through enemy territory. It helps me reach the conclusion that they can handle themselves. 

Soon, I spot Scott in the distance. 

My breath hitches as stray bullets pierce his body. He stumbles around, unbothered. All he does care about is helping people rather than paying attention to the possibility that he may bleed out. It's honorable, but idiotic. Especially when he doesn't notice the assassin sneaking up behind him.

"One," I grit out before firing. 

I direct my final dart toward the assassin, aiming for a sliver of skin on their neck. Scott whips around when their body drops behind him, finding the threat already dealt with. His eyes shoot up to meet mine, and a grin works its way onto his face. It appears a little misshapen because of his fangs, but that doesn't make it any less Scott. 

I pull back from my scope and offer a wink in exchange. 

Our heated conversations from before don't matter here. All that does is Scott's safety. 

He breaks our eye contact when someone shouts for help somewhere in the warehouse. Scott takes off to accept their request and I move, too. I had no other darts, so it was time for me to join the fight on the ground. Though, as I reach for the panel to lower the lift, my hand freezes mid-air. 

The entire control panel is fried, with a charred hole in the middle of it. The assassin's blind shooting earlier hadn't hit me, but obviously hit something else. 

"You've got to be kidding me," I say to myself. 

I glance over the edge of the platform and see a drop of about seventeen feet. I find myself grateful for not being fearful of heights as I clutch the lift's railing and slowly lower myself onto its crossed legs. I leave my rifle on the platform, no longer needing it, and focus on climbing down. The metal creaks awkwardly under my weight, the machine not meant to be used as a ladder.

I try to find a balance between speed and sensitivity, but that's all thrown out the window as gunfire sounds from below me. An assassin moves toward the lift, having spotted me. I move along the legs to avoid them but they're getting closer, and their aim isn't terrible enough to spare me. 

Saving me from being filled with lead, Brett charges out of nowhere and tackles the assassin. 

He slams them into the floor repeatedly until they no longer move, and kicks their rifle away for good measure. I climb down the rest of the way and stand beside him on even ground, grateful for the assistance. I expected him to be cocky about saving my life, but he actually seems rather panicked. 

"Where's Lori? Is she okay? I saw her with you when they came in?" he questions me urgently. 

No matter how obnoxious Brett could be, he was still a big brother. His sister held more importance to him than his playboy persona. 

"She got away," I say to ease his mind. "I told her to hide." 

Brett sighs in relief, a moment of peace for him in the heat of battle. It's quickly interrupted by a roar that reverberates through the building, shaking the foundation. I know it's not Scott's, so that means it's one of Satomi's Betas, and they're calling for backup.

"Go help your pack," I say to Brett. 

"You go help yours," he retorts amusedly. 

The two of us take off in different directions. I head for the place I last saw Derek and Braeden, hoping to now aid their efforts, while Brett goes for the source of the call. I draw out my Glock from my holster as I move, keeping it poised properly in front of me on the off chance I ran into trouble. 

When I reach Braeden and Derek, they're in the same place as before. 

The huddle of assassins they were after remained in their makeshift blind of office furniture. Shelves surrounded them outside of them, keeping them boxed in and protected. The only entry point to them was between two pillars, but they easily kept that bottlenecked. My ears ring from their gunfire as I draw near. 

Braeden and Derek were on one side of the opening, and Chris was on the other. I move to crouch beside the Argent when I reach them and he doesn't hesitate to offer me more room. 

"How many?" I ask. 

"I think three, but I'm not sure," he replies with a wince.

I can tell he hates his own answer. Not having proper visibility of our attackers meant they had the upper hand in this situation. Despite the fact that they were the ones stuck in one place, it made it feel as though we were the sitting ducks. 

"Let me see," I insist. 

Chris surveys our immediate area before we swap places. I take a few breaths to gather some courage before peering around the corner of the entry pillar to send a few shots into the stack of miscellaneous desks and chairs. Before I return to my cover, I wait to count each muzzle flash that reveals a hidden assassin. 

"Three," I agree tensely, pressing my back to the pillar. 

It seemed impossible to breach their position. They were against a wall which mean we couldn't take them from behind, and the shelving on their right and left covered their blindsides. We couldn't be on the offensive to take them out, we had to use force. 

"Anything on Stiles or Lydia yet?" Braeden shouts from across the gap, needing to be loud because of the sounds of war around us. 

I bring out my phone briefly before returning it to the pocket of my jeans. 

"Nothing," I yell back. 

Braeden all but growls as he moves to reload her shotgun, our fight long from over. She pulls shells from the ammo strap slung across her chest, a sign that it was only a matter of time before her weapon was a glorified stick. Derek presses her behind him, keeping her against the pillar as he keeps an eye out for any wandering assassins. He can't heal anymore, but he would die before he let anything happen to Braeden.

He feels me watching him and glances my way. He tries to bury the fear in his expression, but it's too late. I've seen it, and all it makes me think about is his name being crossed off the Dead Pool.

I look back to Chris, my voice desperate. 

"If we take them from the side, Braeden and Derek have an open shot," I suggest.

It was a classic pincer maneuver. Two forces surround an opposition, leaving them susceptible to attack when they aren't able to deal with both sides at once. We could shoot at them from the gaps in the shelves, and when they were distracted, Braeden and Derek could move in and take them out together.

"On you," Chris agrees without thinking. 

"You go left, I go right," I command before rising from my crouched position. 

Derek catches my movement and looks at me again. He shakes his head when he pieces together what's about to happen. Behind him, Braeden gives me the opposite reaction. She nods and readies her shotgun, prepared to do whatever necessary.

I sprint in their direction, passing the opening. 

Braeden, Chris, and I all move in sync. Braeden fires toward the assassins to give me cover so I can bridge the gap, while Chris works his way around the corner on his side. When I reach the other pillar, Derek tries to grab me, but I easily dodge him and turn down my corner. Chris and I mirror each other's steps on either end of the perimeter, only stopping when we're directly parallel to the blind within the shelving. 

I only take a millisecond to steady my hands before shooting at the assassins. 

Chris does the same after me, both of us using the gaps in the shelves to our advantage. The assassins within the blind scramble to return the attack, their actions less assured now that they were being exposed. 

When they move out of their shelter, Braeden strikes. 

She goes for killing shots as she advances on the blind. Two assassins take fatal blows to their necks, while a third is merely incapacitated by Derek. He shoots them in the leg before hitting them over the head to knock them out. He and Braeden work together to dismantle the blind, not needing anyone else to take up residency in it.

Chris and I round the shelves, coming to join them in the semi-closed-off area. 

"We have to gather Satomi's pack and make our final stand. There's more of us now, which means they'll try to split us up," Chris says. 

"On it," Braeden agrees. 

She and Derek sprint into the warehouse, doing as Chris has instructed. When they leave, Chris intends to say something to me, but I can't process anything except movement over his shoulder. An assassin creeps through the shelves as we had, their rifle aimed at Chris' back. I lung forward and shove him roughly, causing him to fall to the ground. His absence makes the laser sight from the assassin's rifle go to me, and I watch as they pulls the trigger.

I'm breathless from the impact of the bullet and do anything but stumble into the shelves behind me in an attempt to recuperate. 

"No!" Chris roars. 

He re-grips his own rifle with expert skill before flipping over, moving to face the assassin from the floor. All it takes is one clean shot to the throat for him to kill the assassin in my name, and he's crawling over to me before their body even hits the floor. He drops his rifle, pressing his hands into the area where the bullet had gone, but still when he doesn't feel any blood. 

I let out a string of thick coughs, dealing with the impact on my ribs. 

"I don't like you that much, Argent," I pant out with a playful grin. 

Chris moves to tap my stomach, feeling the stiffness of a thin kevlar vest. I wince as he does so, the piece of gear doing nothing to minimize the actual pain of the gunshot. It would also leave quite a bruise behind, but I tried not to think about that now. 

Chris lets out a relieved laugh, sorrow mixed with relief. 

After all this time, I can't lie and say I haven't missed him or the feelings of comfort he brought me. I could continuously wish that things hadn't changed between us, but they had, and there was nothing we could do about it. Our only choice now was to accept how it was and move on. It was the best thing for him, and me.

Chris checks our surroundings before standing, holding his hand out to me. 

"If you're done with your break, we have a job to do."

My smile only widens as I reach out to accept his offer. He pulls me to my feet and places a tender hand on my shoulder, helping me remain grounded through it all. 

"Let's get to work," I agree, the two of us standing together for the first time, in a long time.

---

The warehouse was filled with unconscious or dead assassins, a clear indicator that their numbers had lessened significantly. It was only a matter of time before they regrouped and came at us with everything they had to end this. We had to get in front of that.

Chris, Braeden, and I had divided the building into thirds, each of us combing through our individual sections to gather everyone we could. We were trying to convene in one area so that we'd be ready for the assassins to make their hail mary play. I kept close to the pillars and dividing walls in the building, not wanting to be spotted. 

"Kira! Kira!" I hear Scott yell from somewhere nearby. 

"Scott!" I call out to him, throwing discretion to the wind. 

I start to head in the direction of his voice, knowing he wouldn't watch his own back as he searched for our kitsune. I try to spot him through the poorly lit environment, but my attention is soon diverted from him when I sense the air around me shifting. It's a telltale sign that someone has fallen into step behind me. 

I act swiftly, turning to face them. 

No assassins greet me, only a wide-eyed Lori. She's stunned as she stares down the barrel of my Glock, the weapon aimed at her head. I instantly lower it, not wanting to bring her more fear than necessary at a time like this. 

"I told you to hide," I reprimand her. 

"I had to run, they got too close. I'm sorry." She hangs her head in shame. 

"No, it's okay," I soothe her guiltily. 

A child in the middle of a warzone had enough problems, she didn't need me piling on.  

I move to reholster my gun, making her look back up at me. 

"You did the right thing, don't be sorry," I say gently. 

"But we need to get you to your brother, okay? It's not safe for you out here," I add. 

Lori nods with a delicate smile. I mirror it for the sake of her comfort and order her to walk ahead of me, that way I can monitor our surroundings. She keeps her steps discreet and her pace quick, understanding the importance of us getting to familiar ground as soon as possible. She occasionally jumps at the sound of gunfire, but I give her credit for being able to contain any vocal surprise. 

It's only when we turn a blind corner does Lori finally make a sound, gasping in terror. 

An assassin stands before us, his assault rifle aimed at her.

My body and mind act as one to reach for Lori, practically tossing her behind me. The man moves to put her back in his sights, so I kick at his armored chest and send him staggering. The sudden attack causes him to lose his footing and drop his rifle. He lunges for the fallen weapon which forces me to charge at his form and prevent him from succeeding. 

I reach to clutch his right arm and pin it under my left, noticing it was his dominant hand with the way he held his weapon. These men were supposed as trained as me, so I had to do everything I could to get the upper hand. I move fast, kicking at the back of his legs to make him land on the floor. 

I stand above him, moving to strike again. 

He cuts my movements short as he lifts his leg, shoving his boot into my stomach. Pain radiates through me and makes me drop his arm as he's stomped on my wound from the Berserker. It didn't matter that Scott had healed the majority of it, it was still fresh.

The man rises from the ground and draws out a serrated hunting blade from a holster on his belt. I reach for my Glock to defend myself, but he catches on to my intentions instantly. He charges in my direction, his blade raised for my head, not giving me the time to gain a weapon against him. I duck out of his way in an attempt to gain space between us, but he doesn't let up on me. He sweeps at my legs, bringing me to the floor. 

I try to get up and analyze his next attack but it's already coming. 

His fist connects with my face, forcing me onto my back. He uses my impaired state to his advantage and grips the collar of my shirt, dragging me toward a wall. I can't process much as he drives my head into it, leaving me dizzy. 

I prepare myself for another hit, but it never comes. 

"Ah!" the man suddenly exclaims, letting me go. 

Lori had snuck up behind him and swiped at his calf with her claws. The man responds by turning and smacking her across the face. He's a giant compared to her, so the force he used causes Lori to fall to the ground, too. Before I can even think to provide her with any aid, the man is marching back over to me, straddling my chest with his hefty weight. 

I can barely breathe and my vision is blurred, but I can make out the image of his arm being raised into the air and the glint of silver within his grasp. I reach up in time to catch his wrist before his blade can pierce my body. Our hands are two opposing forces, both of us trying to get the upper hand. He uses his left fist as a hammer of sorts, hitting the back of his right to force the blade down. 

It's a sloppy move on his part, but in my weakened state, it works for him. Soon, the blade is only an inch away from my neck. 

I struggle under him, from side to side while trying not to let his wrist slip. I know we can't stay in this position for much longer. It's only a matter of time before he'll be able to finally overpower me, or another assassin stumbles upon us. If that happens, I wouldn't be able to defend myself or Lori. But I can't get a proper hold on him, or flip our positions. If I want any leverage, I need him closer to me, and there was only one sure way I could think of to make that happen.

I lean to the side as much as I can with him pinning me down, and then I let go of his wrist.

I grit my teeth to contain the anguished scream that threatens to leave me as the blade falls into the upper side of my shoulder, tearing through my jacket and skin. The assassin's surprise over my actions gives me a proper advantage. With our new proximity, I pull to hold his upper body tight while wrapping my legs around his. I use as much strength from my core as I can, raising my hips to push him until he's toppling over and our positions are switched.

He jerks roughly, trying to get out of my hold. It's useless as I pin him down, and reach to remove the strap of his combat helmet. When he's exposed, I strike him over and over again with solid punches. His moves are desperate as he tries to crawl out from under me, but he soon falls still under my fist, no longer an active threat.

I slide off of him, moving toward Lori. I help her to sit up, scanning her for any serious injuries. 

"You okay?" I ask her worriedly. 

A smile grows on her face, taking me by surprise. 

"Still no," she replies playfully. 

I let out a laugh, ruffling her dirty blonde hair. 

"Yeah, that's fair." 

Her smile immediately disappears as her eyes pass to something behind me. I spin around, finding an assassin coming out of a wall of smoke, his rifle raised in the air. His laser sight rests between Lori's wide-set eyes, and she closes them as she accepts what's about to happen. 

Time exists slowly then.

I can't reach the man in time to disarm him, he's too far away. I can't bring out my own gun and return fire, his automatic weapon able to fire five rounds in the span it would take me to unclasp my holster. The only option left for me is to do what I'm meant to: protect those who cannot protect themselves. 

I take Lori into my arms, curling my body around hers. 

Come back to me, I hear Liam's plea echo through my mind. 

I won't be able to do as he's asked, and I should feel guilty for it, but I can't. I can't feel anything but absolute peace as I squeeze my eyes shut, wait for the end to come, and think of nothing but him.

Though, the end doesn't come as Scott appears and tackles the armed man to the ground. 

His rifle slips from his grasp as Scott drops him. The man scrambles for his weapon, but it's a futile effort. Scott's on him instantly, grabbing the man's vest to yank him into the air and toss him onto a nearby desk. 

That should've been it. Scott disarmed the man and incapacitated him, he should've walked away, but he didn't.

He pounces onto the surface of the desk to hover over the man and starts to relentlessly slash and pound at the man's body with inhuman strength. Lori buries her face into my chest as the man spits out blood from the trauma his body is sustaining, unable to fight against an Alpha werewolf. 

I hold her, but I don't look away.

I witness him continue to maul the man, his face morphing into something truly monstrous with each swipe. The white around his eyes fades to black, and his skin darkens to gray. His animalistic urges are taking over and the snarl he wears is becoming too menacing to actually belong to the McCall boy, but rather a Demon Wolf. Part of me is tempted to scream for him to stop, or to run over and shove him off of the man, but I know I can't.

This was Scott's choice, just as it had been mine last night. 

Derek stood by my side, not interfering as I beat Miles. Only we could choose between clinging to our humanity or giving in to being a monstrosity is one only we can make for ourselves. It didn't matter to me what Scott picked, I would follow him down whatever path he took, and protect him regardless. 

Scott's aggressive actions start to slow as he shoves the man's helmet off. He's able to see that what he's killing is still human, and that brings him back to reality. His features return to normal, and even though there are streaks of blood across his face, Scott McCall hasn't become anything unrecognizable.

The gunfire that's been sounding throughout the building for what seemed like hours comes to a sudden halt, and all that can be heard now is a faint buzzing. Scott reaches into one of the assassin's pockets and pulls out his phone, reading the alert on the screen before turning it to the cowering man below him. 

I don't know exactly what's written, but I can easily assume that yet again, Stiles and Lydia have saved our asses.

~

||| A/N |||

TEEN WOLF MOVIE BEGINS FILMING TODAY LFG!!

(Here's hoping they don't give Liam some random love interest in case I wanna do a book for the movie lol)