📎A/N. Hello my lovelies, 

First, that warm fuzzy feeling you are experiencing right now is me giving you all virtual hugs.

I was truly touched at just how many of you responded with such kind messages of support. 

I've managed to finish the last six chapters, and as promised I will load them all at once.

Hope you enjoy the final act of Evolution.

Take care,

❤ ℳ

❧ ⚛ ✺ ≋ ≋ ≋ ≋ ≋ ✺ ⚛ ❧

Parker smiled when Daniel's arms reached around and pulled her to him so that her back was tucked against his firm chest. No matter the situation, she felt safe in his steely embrace.

He kissed the top of her head, buried his nose in her hair, and inhaled. "No matter what happens. I need you to know you are the purest part of my soul."

A sharp pain shot through her heart and her throat became sandpaper with each breath. While she didn't want him going anywhere near Elise and her Lycan's, she understood why they had to. She twisted around in his arms to face him. Her expression pained and her heart heavy. "Just make sure you don't take unnecessary risks and come back to me in one piece."

Daniel's eyes flashed green to amber, then back to green. He tightened his grip on her and hauled her hard against him. Bringing his head down, he claimed her lips in a demanding kiss. One that spoke of promise and devotion.

She melted into his arms and returned his kiss measure for measure. The need to be close to him overpowering everything else. No one else existed. Nothing else existed. For a moment she forgot the war raging all around them. The Lycan, Elise and everything she stood for blurred. The only thing that was real was the man who held her safely in his arms. His need to protect, his sense of duty to his people and his drive was what made him who he was. No matter how much she wanted to beg him otherwise, she couldn't. He was who he was, and she loved him for it. She would never make him choose her over his people. It would tear him in two. Instead, even though she was terrified, she would support him and stand by him.

A shiver ran up and down her spine in the wake of the path his hands took. Somehow they had wandered under her shirt and skimmed over the sensitive skin along her back.

He groaned when Simon burst out the door. "Eweeee!! Get a room will you?"

Instead of breaking contact, Daniel rested his forehead against hers. "Once this is over, I am taking you on a vacation where we can have some uninterrupted alone time."

She grinned. "Why Mr. Locke, I do believe you are trying to sweet talk me into getting your wicked way with me."

She caught her breath when she recognized the raw desire in his dilated pupils and intense stare.

His voice lost its usual hard edge and, if possible, became deeper. "Oh, believe me, there will be a lot of wicked and you will be begging me for more before I'm finished with you."

Simon, who was still within earshot, threw his hands over his ears. "I am going to be sick."

He disappeared around the corner before Daniel could take him to task.

Parker pulled away and frowned. "As much as I'd like to continue this conversation and take you up on that offer, we need to get things set up." She glanced at her watch and cringed. The first contingent from the Chicago pack was due in less than half an hour, with the rest arriving not long after that. "I'll go and check on Alice and Dr. E."

Before she could take a step away from him, Daniel reached out and grabbed her by her elbow. "I meant what I said. It's time we do something for us. How about I take you to Tahiti for our honeymoon?"

Her eyes flew open wide. Things had been so hectic, they'd not had a chance to discuss their wedding, let alone an actual honeymoon. "I'm going to keep you to that promise."

Daniel opened his mouth to say something, then stopped abruptly, narrowed his eyes and snapped his head around to face the road in the distance.

She followed the direction of his gaze and squinted at the approaching dark blur in the distance. The religious retreat they had secured was in a remote corner of Pennsylvania. Close enough to get them into Philly within an hour, but far enough away to Elise's army to not detect their presence.

"One of the packs?" she asked.

They were expecting over three hundred Werewolves to descend on them over the next few hours. Once Daniel and Morgan had put the word out that Elise was preparing to attack again and who the traitor was, there was outrage amongst the council. For once, they were unified. Elise's reign of terror needed to end. Each pack sent their best fighters to assist in the attack against her. In addition, once the information trickled to the affiliated packs, they too had volunteers stepping forward to protect their race.

Daniel shook his head. "Chicago is the closest and they are traveling in a convoy."

Parker frowned and strained to make out the vehicle as it moved closer. The only problem with their current plan? They were still none the wiser as to Elise's hideout. Michelle, the bounty hunter spy, was getting close but had yet to supply them with the location.

A movement caught her eye. Adam and Jo raced out of the main lodge and headed towards the nearby tree line. Simon sauntered out and took up a watchful stance to her right. Until they knew who was approaching, Daniel had everyone on high alert.

When the SUV drew near, Daniel's rigid posture relaxed.

Simon snorted. "It's just Murphy and the freaky Amazon."

Parker rolled her eyes. "They made good time. Kaitlyn thought they wouldn't be able to get here until late afternoon."

With both Kaitlyn and Murphy on the FBI task force investigating the killings of the New York State pack, it was going to be a challenge for them to get away without raising suspicion. She raised a brow. Clearly not impossible though.

Adam and Vic wandered back to the main lodge just as the vehicle pulled up. Murphy and Kaitlyn exited, and she had to hide a chuckle. With their dark suits and dark sunglasses, they could have stepped out of the set of Men in Black.

Kaitlyn gave Parker a hug.

"How did you get away so quickly?" asked Parker.

Kaitlyn raised a brow and grinned. "We got an anonymous tip one of the locals may have overheard a conversation about the attack before it happened."

"You don't say? That was convenient."

Murphy grunted, nodded at Daniel, and the men headed towards the lodge where Daniel had set up his base of operations.

Kaitlyn waived her hand dismissively at the men's retreating backs. "Don't mind him, he's just grumpy because they want him to do another profiling seminar at Quantico."

"That's good. Isn't it?"

Kaitlyn chuckled. "Not if you are Murphy it's not."

Parker remembered where she was headed when she was delayed by Daniel. She turned towards the bunkhouse and indicated for Kaitlyn to follow. "Alice and Dr. E. are setting up the mobile infirmary. I was just heading across to see if they needed any more help."

This was a battle they were headed into with eyes open. There would be both fatalities and injuries. Depending on how many Lycan's Elise had created, the number's that would need to be treated by the doctors were expected to be high. In addition to Alice and the Brandenburg's pack doctor, five others had volunteered to accompany their fighters to assist where they could.

Just as they reached the door, Kaitlyn faltered, and her voice grew pensive. "There must be another way. I nearly lost him the last time he went up against those creatures."

Parker reached out and touched Kaitlyn lightly on her arm. Her stress levels were in overdrive with the same worry over Daniel. "I know how you feel. If I could think another way around this, I would. But you must know by now, their need to protect their people comes ahead of their own safety."

"Even if that means losing their lives?"

"Kaitlyn, how different is it to what you do for a living? You track down killers to protect the public. You put your life in danger every day. This is no different." Parker sighed. "We gave our hearts to two very determined and duty-bound Werewolves."

Kaitlyn kicked at a loose stone. "Stupid Immigrants."

When they walked into the bunkhouse, they spotted Alice deep in conversation with Dr. E., the Brandenburg pack's doctor. Alice spotted them and excused herself. She pointed towards a half dozen ten-gallon containers. "We finally finished making up enough batches of the masking formula."

"Have you worked out how long it lasts for?"

"As long as we can tell, twelve hours. But we still have the problem that it doesn't work in close proximity. Daniel agrees with Joshua's assessment that it unless there is a need to get that close without being detected, it won't be an issue."

Kaitlyn glanced around the room. "Where is my Grandfather?"

"He's picking up some additional supplies. He should be back soon," said Parker.

Alice pushed her hands into her white coat pockets. "We've got things sorted to allow the other doctors deal with the wounded once they are brought here. Ernest and I will take charge at the triage unit, nearer the battle."

"Where will that be?" asked Kaitlyn.

Parker rubbed her forehead. "That part still hasn't been worked out yet."

Kaitlyn's eye flew open wide. "You still don't know where she is?"

She shook her head. "No. Michelle is close, and we expect a location very soon."

"Shit! That's cutting it close. Aren't her people supposed to be leaving tonight to attack another pack?"

She was saved from having to answer when Simon rushed through the door. "We've got another arrival. It's the bounty hunter, and she's got someone with her."

Speak of the devil. A sense of apprehension and relief flooded through her. "Thank God! I hope she's got the information we need."

Parker, Alice, and Kaitlyn followed Simon to the main lodge. Michelle and a lanky blond man with a goatee was talking with Daniel, Murphy, and Morgan. She drew her brows together. The stranger didn't look too thrilled at having to speak with the two alphas and FBI profiler who towered over him.

Alice flinched. "What is that awful smell?"

Kaitlyn frowned. "What smell?"

"Wait for it, Freak," said Simon.

"For what, flip-flop hippy Immigrant?"

Sure enough, as they drew closer, a rancid stench wafted up Parker's nostrils. From Kaitlyn's expression, she too couldn't stand the unpleasant smell.

They only caught the tail end of the conversation.

"...I trust him. He helped me find them. Without his help, you'd be fucked," said Michelle.

A measure of indecision washed across Daniel's face before his jaw relaxed. He hadn't expected the bounty hunter to turn up with someone.

Parker's curiosity must have shown when Daniel indicated to the newcomer and said, "Michelle, with the help of Joe, has located Elise."

Joe brought his hand up to his messy blond hair in a half salute. "G'day."

She raised her brows. Australian? Kaitlyn is going to have a field day with an immigrant immigrant.

"Where did you track them to?" asked Daniel.

"The fuckers are just south of Philly in a creepypasta abandoned hospital."

"How did you find them?" Parker asked.

Michelle pointed towards a city garbage truck that took up most of the driveway in front of the building. "We followed the retards in that." Her nose crinkled and she looked like she had just bitten on a lemon. "After we rolled around in it for a while."

Joe crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you expect? We were within a cooee of a bunch of commando's, and I 'ain't going up against one of them in a hurry. They're all built like brick shit houses."

Alice's brows furrowed together. From her expression, she hadn't understood a word the Australian had said.

"We were a little too fucking close to the hospital, and it was swarming with Elise's cockroaches," said Michelle by way of an explanation. "We needed to disguise our scent."

Daniel looked across at the offending vehicle. "How sure are you that you weren't detected?"

Michelle made an unladylike noise from the back of her throat. "They didn't have a clue. Not that they had a fucking brain cell between them in the first place."

"I nicked the truck from one of my punters," said Joe, "well... one of my ex-punters... he works for the sanitation department and had a habit of leaving the keys at the bar. I just happened to still have a set."

"What can you tell us about the building?" asked Daniel.

"It's in an old part of Philly, it's isolated and looks like it's been abandoned for years. Like one of those freaky mental institutions where they fuck you up real good," said Michelle.

Joe pulled his phone from his pocket. "It was dark, but we managed to get a few choice snaps that might help."

Daniel took the phone and scanned through it. "Did you see how many were there?"

Michelle scratched the back of her head and shrugged. "We counted over fifty of the fuckers. But who knows how many more there were inside."

Morgan rubbed his jaw. "I was expecting a little more than that."

Joe shuffled on the spot and cleared this throat. "Michelle told me what you lot think Elise's been up to...turning Were's into Lycan. Mate, that's just fucked up. But if the rumors are true, only half of the converts who drink the coolaide actually come out the other end. I didn't get what Bradley and the others were gabbing about at the time, but it makes sense now."

Alice snapped her head around to face Joe. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I own a boozer in Philly, and until recently I mainly catered to humans and a handful of Werewolves. But when Elise moved into the city, Bradley, the drongo, and his mates signed up. All of a sudden it was like they were blowflies and my regular punters moved out." He shoved his hands into his jean pockets and shrugged. "You can't help but overhear conversations. They kept on skiting about how they were superior, and how the others weren't pure enough to survive." He snorted in disgust. "I didn't think much about it at the time, but it makes more sense now. Bradley was always violent and a total dickhead, but he's a first-rate wanker now."

Daniel glanced across at the garbage truck. "Simon, get that truck out of site and well away downwind." He then turned to Michelle and Joe. "Go shower and change. We'll carry on this conversation inside."

By the time Michelle and Joe returned, no longer reeking of fish, and whatever else they had rolled around in, the Chicago pack had arrived. Daniel left the beta's and enforcers in Adam's capable hands, while Alice returned to the bunkhouse with the newly arrived additional doctor, leaving the rest to head into the lodge to plan their assault on the hospital.

***

It wasn't difficult for Parker and Zeke to bring up satellite and street view images of the hospital. Further digging and they found old photos of the hospital.

Zeke tapped a key and a dark image flickered to life on the large monitor. Parker shuddered, and a chill ran up and down her spine as she studied the turn of the century brick building.

Michelle had been right. The building, in its day, had been a psychiatric hospital. From what she, Jay and Zeke had discovered, it had been unoccupied for the past twenty years. Along with some very old, out of date, plans, they found a number of news articles on some of the horror stories that came out after it had closed down. Those interviewed were convinced that a doctor who studied under Josef Mengele had been in charge for over thirty years. Headlines of medical experimentation dominated the papers at the time.

The two wings that flanked either side of the main structure gave off an aura of danger. Only the foolhardy would venture near the place after dark. The west wing was condemned and looked it. The main building and east wing looked in better repair.

I have to give it to her, Elise's chosen a strategic location.

Not only was the hospital abandoned, but so too were the buildings nearest it. Elise and her army would be able to come and go as they pleased without attracting attention. No wonder we had such a hard time finding her.

"What about the building schematics?" she asked.

Zeke shook his head. "I can only find the floor plans for the west wing." He frowned as his fingers flew across the keyboard. "It looks like the original plans were lost."

Daniel rubbed his jaw. "Print out what you have, and we will need to make do." He turned to Michelle. "Did you get an indication of where in the hospital they were?"

Parker quickly took over the main screen and cast up the images from Joe and Michelle's phones.

Michelle reached over and pointed. "We didn't see any movement in the west wing, but we couldn't get close enough to get inside. Anything we did see, came from the east wing."

The image changed, and a silhouette of six men could just be made out. At least half were armed.

"We counted four on the roof and six more patrolling the front and back," said Joe.

Michelle snorted. "They were too busy fucking around than patrolling. The ones on the roof looked like they were playing a game of cards."

"Even so, we won't have the element of surprise prior to breaching their defenses," said Daniel. He took the printout from Zeke and placed it on the center table.

Morgan, Joe, Murphy and the others crowded around the table to study the east wings plans. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. After thirty minutes of debate, the only thing they could agree on was that it was going to be impossible to breach their defenses without being seen.

After returning from moving the truck, Simon was brought up to speed. He didn't seem to like the odds any more than she did. "Without knowing how many of them are inside, that's a suicide mission," he declared with a frown.

Daniel moved across to the monitor. He crossed his arms over his chest and studied the grainy image. "We are going to have to separate them. Attack on two fronts."

"How the hell are we going to do that?" asked Morgan.

"It's a risk, but we are going to have to wait for the group to leave, then some of us are going to have to follow and find an appropriate time to attack them along the way. The rest of us will take on the rest left behind," said Daniel.

Simon shook his head. "That's not going to work. They'll notice someone following them."

"Not if they can't see you."

"In case you weren't paying attention, the masking formula doesn't make us invisible."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Parker frowned, not sure what was on Daniel's mind. When he glanced towards her, the penny dropped, and her brows shot up. "It might work, but we'd need to determine how to get it in place."

Nearly a dozen confused faces were staring between her and Daniel.

"GPS tracker," she said, "we need to mount one underneath one of their vehicles."

Daniel nodded. "Murphy, I want you to put a team together to follow them. We'll work out how many once they mobilize. When the time is right, you know what you need to do."

Murphy nodded, his expression was grim as he accepted the mission.

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest as he studied the ancient and only plans of the building they could find. "We are going to need something to bring them out into the open."

"What if they are in Lycan form? We'll have no chance," said Simon.

"That's where the sharpshooters will come in. I doubt bullets will stop them, but it might slow them down."

"You're best to place them here, here, and here." Murphy pointed to strategic locations away from the hospital. Close enough to have a line of sight, but far away enough to not be seen. "Ideally you need more, but anywhere else and they'd be exposed. If she knows where they are, she'll send reinforcements, and you'll lose the advantage."

"Pavel, one of my trackers, is perfect for one of those spots," said Giuseppe, the Chicago alpha. "I've also got three more, that while not as good, can do the job."

Murphy raised a brow. "Is Pavel any good?"

The alpha chuckled. "He made the US Olympic team a few years back, but we couldn't risk the exposure, so he didn't go."

"I'll take the second building," said Kaitlyn.

Murphy's shoulders tensed and let out a low growl.

Kaitlyn narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you look at me in that tone of voice. I'm doing this, and that's final." She shrugged. "You lot need all the help you can get. I'm trained, and I'm good."

Joshua slapped Kaitlyn on the back. "That's my girl."

Morgan chuckled. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"We'll need backups," said Daniel addressing the room. "Once all the packs get here, spread the word and find out if there are any more candidates."

Morgan rubbed his jaw as he considered their plan. "The only question is how do we get eyes on the place without showing our hand?"

Parker smiled. The solution was obvious. "Drones."

Jay and Zeke let out a small yelp and cried out "Yes," as they high fived each other.

"Pardon?" said Morgan.

"We've been testing out some drones at Nederland to bolster our security," she said. "While the smaller ones don't travel as fast as Werewolves, they have the aerial range that allows us to see greater distances."

She glanced at her watch. "We are going to need to go shopping."

Jay leaped out of his chair. "Shotgun." He quickly sunk back down when Daniel glared at him.

"We are also going to need to get closer. We are too far away to control it from here." She could see that Daniel was about to protest and held up her hand. "Six or seven miles ought to do it."

"You could crash at my pub," said Joe. "It's about five as the crow flies, longer by road."

All eyes turned to Daniel. He fell silent and stared at the image of the hospital on the screen. She held her breath. The last time they had gone up against Elise, she had nearly lost her life. He would be reluctant to have her that close again. She was about to argue her case when he let out a long sigh. "Fine. It also solves our issue with where Alice and Ernest will be based."

He turned back to the others. "We need to plan this out to the last detail. I don't want to lose anyone because we didn't map this out fully."

***

By the time the remainder of the packs arrived, somewhat of a plan had been formulated. From the moment Daniel had made the decision to split the attack into two, she had moved from nervous to terrified. There were too many unknowns. How large was Elise's army? Would enough be left behind to fight them? How many had she already converted to Lycan?

They were relying on being able to draw them out and remove as many as possible with the snipers. What if they didn't take the bait? Even worse, what if a bullet to the head doesn't work? She shuddered, and a fine bead of perspiration made itself known across her forehead.

Kaitlyn gently bumped against her. "Don't overthink it."

It was enough to bring her out of her self-introspection. "I don't know how you can be so calm about this. We are planning the best way to kill living beings. Don't get me wrong. I want her gone just as much as the rest of you, but this situation just feels so... surreal."

Kaitlyn unclipped her gun from its holster and handed it to her. "Hold that."

She raised an eyebrow, confused at the direction the conversation had suddenly gone. After taking the weapon and balancing it in her hand, she was surprised to discover the metal was cold to the touch. "It's heavier than I thought it would be."

"Just like the decision to go into battle." Kaitlyn sighed and rubbed her neck. "None of us want to do it, but it's the right thing to do."

Parker handed back the gun, her chest heavy at the unknown. My head knows that, but my heart is already mourning for the lost lives.