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Libby xx

P.S. This chapter contains vulgar language.

After Rebekah had cut the lift lines to stall time, Thalia and Elijah had sprinted out the back of the station to see Raven running through the streets. She was running back the way they came. Back to the cabin... the only place she knew.

The two of them had run for hours. Thalia was desperate to change into her wolf to track her down faster, but Elijah was wise and told her to run on feet, for if they caught her while she was a golden wolf then she would be the next prized gem of Central Park Zoo. Despite the Zoo being closed since Queen Seraphina's rescue, it would reopen if they retrieved the Silver Wolf once again... Elijah was worried about how the publicity would go if they captured a golden wolf instead.

At the moment, they both chased after the red-headed girl who just launched a full grown man into a van which had an indentation around his body. Elijah had checked the scene as Thalia went to capture Raven's scent with her sensitive nose and alert the others. The van was completely caved in on its right side, the man himself had a dislocated shoulder and his forearm completely shattered, not to mention the broken ribs and the severe concussion. Police and ambulance were swarming the scene so The Hunter couldn't get too close without drawing suspicion but he'd gathered what he needed.

The man Raven had attacked was a drug smuggler; his two goons had been arrested and sold him out. The nameless man was being monitored in hospital but there was a problem. Because Raven attacked him, the drug-dealer could take the situation to court and he could be released. Raven's attack could prevent the justice of a drug smuggler and dealer; one evil man.

Thalia was constantly snarling in the back of her throat as she tracked Raven's scent. The dark musky scent of the young pup was getting stronger with each step the Princess took. But with each step, the Princess's heart grew heavy. Torment and fear scratched at Thalia's beating heart. She started to speed up, and Elijah struggled to keep up with the immortal.

"T-Thalia." He panted, and bent over at the waist. He clutched his knees as Thalia halted by him. Her eyes were darting all over the place as panic started to take control of her.

"Elijah..." She paused. Her dark gaze locked with him. Pink lips separated as she went to speak but Elijah beat her to it.

"I'll... catch up... with y-you." Elijah burst and waved her away. Thalia hesitated briefly before her wolf kicked her into motion. She pounced away from her mate and sprinted towards the strengthening scent of Raven. Thalia could start to smell her emotion; terror at its darkest form. The Princess whimpered as she pushed her legs to work.

When she sprinted into the clearing, her memory kicked in. Thalia recognised the clearing with the tiny stream; it was one she visited separately with Elijah, Seraphina and Raven... oh Raven. She thought mercifully as she saw the red head lying on her side in the middle of the clearing. Her grey... almost white eyes... were wide awake and staring straight ahead. Thalia waited for her to blink, the smallest flutter of her eyelids signifying her consciousness. The Princess breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she slowly walked forward.

"Raven?" Princess Thalia asked as she checked the girl for any injuries. Her new clothes were covered in grass and mud stains, her hair was knotted in ringlets, but nothing appeared to be physically fresh. Thalia counted her visible scars before looking directly into the eyes of Raven. The Princess lied down in front of her so Raven would have no choice but to stare back.

But all Raven saw was her reflection in the dark depths. She remembered the black haze that had come across her vision but also how alive she had felt.

Thalia frowned as the red-head looked away from her eyes. "Raven, look at me." She commanded. Ravens lip trembled as she fought mentally to obey the order of her superior. Her Princess. Her Royal Commander; who she couldn't even look in the eye. Raven shook as tears almost caught up to her; after all this time. She hadn't cried in years but when she couldn't even hold a simple glance at who she looked up to when she was little, then how-

How do I know that? Raven thought suddenly.

"Raven, what happened wasn't your fault." Thalia eased, oblivious to the change in mind set with the young girl. "But we need to get you back to the cabin where we can shield you from all this human nonsense."

Shaking herself mentally, Raven nodded. Her large grey eyes were bright with shock and confusion. While she was still reeling over what had happened in that large city, she was now thinking of what just happened. Did I remember something?

Thalia stretched out a hand to the young girl and released a breath she didn't know she was holding when Raven placed her cold, dry hand in her own. The Princess helped Raven stand on her shaking legs and smiled at the pup. The pup looked up at Thalia under light lashes and red rings and she felt her heart freeze. The pain in her eyes was almost unbearable to the Princess but she overlooked her hesitation and led the young pup back towards the cabin.

While holding Raven's hand gingerly, Thalia couldn't help but think. The trip was silent. However her thoughts were loud. Filled with what Elijah had said back at the precinct, Rebekah's worrisome eyes, Thalia couldn't help but think if what her mate suggested was true. She'd seen glimpses of the red-head's scars and there were some in the same location as Rebekah's... but there were others as well. The small lines on either side of her head and the gashes on her arms and legs... Thalia hadn't seen her stomach or back but she could guess that they were butchered as well. Her wounds were starting to heal but the mental ones would remain. They'd stay for years. The Princess trembled slightly when the fact sank in.

She didn't even notice when Raven pulled her to a stop outside the cabin. Thalia shook her mind out of her time-consuming thoughts and led the pup back into the cabin. The Royal could smell the rest of them in there; no doubt Elijah had filled in the others about what happened.

With Raven's hand shaking the entire time that Thalia dragged her up the stairs, the little red-head's mind was in pieces. She couldn't think straight, she couldn't put together a single thought. Her mind was a blitz of confusion and pure unaltered anger from just the shear fact that her wolf has controlled her. The black beast was forming her own conscious. She was dividing.

Raven gulped as the Princess led her through the wooden door and around to the centre of the room. Six eyes stared right into her soul. Raven's ears screamed as she heard Greg's furious typing; the Hunter had not looked up yet.

"We're screwed! Raven's all over the news, the freaking video is on YouTube with over millions of views all bloody ready! Police are sweeping the area and reporters are eating their freaking breadcrumbs; I can't get rid of all the trails but I can try... oh..." Greg stopped his rant as he realised that the pup behind the chaos was in the room. His Hunter leader cleared his throat as he looked towards his Princess. Thalia's face was stone.

"Raven." She ordered. The dark eyes of the Princess were emotionless as they clashed with the panicking grey of the pup. Like thunder rolling and lightning flashing, both of the wolves were harbouring large storms above their heads. Their thoughts constantly struck them down when they knew that they had to be strong. While Princess Thalia of the Wolves was with-holding the rain with all her might, Raven's hold was weakening. One single tear ran down the side of her face as her walls started to give way. Thalia's dark thunder eyes held as she tried to be strong for the young pup.

"Raven." The Princess repeated. "Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up. We'll sort this out."

Raven bleakly nodded and slowly walked into the bathroom. Time slowed as she crossed the room... the eyes of those around her halting her steps with her doubt. What had she done?

"...Go on Raven." Thalia encouraged with a stern look. Her lips were pursed as she held her ground. Unable to stand the stares, the little pup pushed her weight against the door with a heavy heart. The red-head wasn't even sure she still had one in her chest. She felt so hollow.

As soon as the bathroom door was shut, Thalia turned to everyone around her with a finger raised. Her wolves and Elijah's hunters paused for a few moments when they heard the shower go.

"What the fuck happened." Thalia hissed. Everyone stilled as swears started to slip out. A Royal wasn't vulgar without a reason.

"W-Well," Greg hesitated as he pushed up his glasses. "Looking at the CCTV footage, Raven was approached by a dude, who apparently was a drug dealer, and she appeared to have snapped. She was going in for what seemed like the kill when... when she..."

Thalia's gaze had darkened to the degree of night. The young hunter stayed silent as his Warrior Lara placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I do not mean that." The Royal whispered. "I want to know what happened to Raven. That was not the innocent girl we've been around."

"No it wasn't." Elijah gently spoke under his breath. Thalia's jaw clenched as her locks started to shine gold.

"Don't do this now." She snarled. "I know you don't trust Raven, but after what just happened, don't you dare try and insinuate anything. I am in no mood for your bullshit remarks!"

"Thalia shut up and think for a minute will you?!" Elijah blurted out, fed up at his mate's constant defence for the pup. Thalia's mouth dropped as her mate's green gaze burned.

"Thalia, stop thinking as a Princess and start thinking as a witness." Her mate stepped forward, running an agitation hand through his dark locks. "Rebekah said that Raven could have been experimented on in the same places she had surgery. Raven is not an innocent pup anymore, not since she was in that vampire abattoir. Raven was butchered! No one comes out innocent after that! Raven's wolf probably snapped for crying out loud! It has nothing to do with trust, her wolf is starting to realise what just happened to her."

Silence enveloped the cabin. Thalia's gold locks dimmed to their satin brown waves but her eyes were still dark. She stepped forward to meet her mate. Looking him in the eye, their bright orbs didn't waver.

"That was not a wolf that snapped, Hunter." The Princess spoke quietly.

A pregnant pause once again surrounded the cabin cottage with only the sound of Raven's running water in their ears. Nel leaned forward on her chair as she drunk in the words between her two leaders.

"Whatever was injected into her must have been placed in the sensitive spots of a wolf; where Rebekah was injected."

"They must have had that from the redacted pages." Thalia added to Nel's statement.

"I thought you couldn't read them?" Dave spoke with confusion. "

The procedure is illegible but you could still read that there was a procedure. The bastard would have still tried." Elijah added as he looked down onto the folder he'd placed on the table. He looked between Greg and the armful of paper work.

"That was Detective Morgan's research on the Vampires. She deduced that the Head honcho, Buchannan Blood, was behind all of this." The Leader of the Hunters explained. "Add her research to ours and see if we can piece a few things together."

Greg started to spread a few pages across the table and Buchannan's picture was on display for all to see. The wolves snarled as they memorised his face.

"So, Buchannan injected the mystery substance to mystery areas to create a mystery in 'Raven the Mystery'?" Quentin spoke up with a raised eyebrow. "To say this is vague would be a very large understatement."

"We need to narrow it down." Thalia spoke after clearing her throat.

"No shit."

"Zip it Lara. We need to narrow down what the substance was. What does everyone remember smelling in the vampire experimentation house?" The Princess asked to her wolves.

"Besides blood, vampire and silver? Not much. The odd speck of coffee, paper, but the entire place was just reeking of death." Kelly chipped in with her enhanced nose knowledge.

Thalia pressed dirty fingers against her temples as she pushed aside her migraine. The entire investigation over Buchannan Blood, Raven, Rebekah, and Lady Seraphina was making her mind hurt.

Where does Raven come into Buchannan's plan?

She voiced her question to the cabin to be greeted with puzzled faces and large amounts of confusion. They needed to determine the exact plan that Buchannan had. Thalia needed to know where Raven was on the chessboard; a mere pawn at the side of the game, or the bishop that no one saw until it was too late?

"Well maybe-" Dave was cut off when Raven opened the door. She had received a little more colour to her face; her plump cheeks red from the steam. The clean pup re-wore her attire of the large blue shirt and trousers but her bruised bloody feet were bare. Kelly frowned as she still saw the wounds on her feet and hands. She isn't healing.

Raven's gaze wasn't on the couples in the room though as she stood in the bathroom doorway. Her eyes, still a panicking grey, were locked on to the picture on the table.

His eyes... The venomous green that glinted in glee with any trace of pain. They were the last things you saw before your soul died.

His smile... The shot showed his secretive smirk, but unlike the charming aura the picture gave, the lop-sided smile was set as an illusion to hide the monster behind it.

His laugh... Her ears rung as she heard is rumbling laugh; that of a lion who was laughing at his wounded prey. It was all Raven had seen in her entire memory. Him.

The pup buckled weakly against the door as flashbacks occurred in her mind of all the times he'd pay her a visit. How his polished shoes left a crisp clink as he walked towards her slowly with a newly bought machete in his hands. He'd always test out new equipment on her... even his guns to see if they could bring down a wolf.

Raven slid down the door breathless as her shin throbbed as she recalled the shot.

Don't move Reaper, or this bullet will hit somewhere else...

The sound resonated in her ears present day as the memory submerged her in the depths of despair. The others in the room were calling her name but she wasn't in the cabin anymore. Raven was in the dangerous dungeon of her mind with her deceptive beast.

Oh, Reaper! His voice echoed. Look I have this shiny little knife! It'll look great dancing on your tummy! This is going to be fun!

A hand wrapped itself around her waist as Raven trembled. She realised quickly that it was her own, tracing the small bumps that had damaged her soul. Even though the scars were so small, the impact was too large for her to fathom.

No one is going to come for you. I'll make sure of it; no one's escaping again.

Reaper let's try something new... It's my own invention.

She's improving... Up the doses...

Raven screamed, clutching the sides of her head. She felt hands try to shake her, try to pry her apart to see what wrong, but all she could think of was the torture that he put her through. His laugher seemed to echo the hollow evil in her heart; she couldn't be confined to this.

The red-head flailed her arms, feeling those attempting to help her back off. Her grey eyes were wild as she pushed past her acquaintances and towards the forest calling her home. She had no mother to hold her close and tell her it was okay, but she had the forest. As long as she was a wolf, the forest would always be her home. Her beast howled as they broke free from the wooden walls and towards the city of trees.

The Princess clutched her head as she watched the young Raven flee the cabin. Her flailing had pushed a majority of those around her against the walls or tables. While Thalia had only landed a severe bruise against the side of her head, Kelly had been knocked out cold. The bubbly blonde was still as she lay against the tile floor with a slight trickle of blood coming from her temple. Raven had flung her against the table and Kelly had hit the ground. Dave was around her, but the Princess could hear her heart beating.

"K-Kelly will be okay..." She stuttered as she pushed herself off the table ledge. Trying to stand, Thalia's legs wobbled at the impact she had, but Elijah steadied her. Tingles spread through her waist as her mate held her steady. The Royal looked into the eyes of her mate and a moment passed between them. It seemed that days had past before the Princess came to her senses and headed towards the door.

"Thalia, you can't go out there by yourself!" Elijah cried, attempting to follow but Kelly's unconscious body was between them.

The Princess smiled weakly; she was in pain. "Kelly's out, she can't track her down. I can. I'll be back; hide that picture... please, for me."

Thalia ran out of the cabin with her dark hair flowing behind her. Her wobbling feet guided her along Raven's path. Elijah, however, was left without words. His other half had sprinted out of the door with nothing but a polite manner to part them. What shocked Elijah though wasn't 'please'.

That's the first time she's begged for herself. She's always begging for the help of others.

You're changing Thalia.

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Hey everyone! I don't usually use any vulgar terms (like fuck or shit), but more curse words (bastard etc.) I'm sorry if you don't like them, but I feel as though they reflect the situation and the characters. Thalia wouldn't swear unless needed to, and swearing fits Lara's character as the bad-ass warrior wolf who doesn't give a damn if she needs to kick someone's arse to get what she wants.

Hope you liked it, let me know what you think :)