Wandering through the streets silently, I watch Liam sniff the air, holding onto my laughter.

He looked ridiculous.

"It's stronger, over here." He calls, wandering down an alley.

We keep walking, with nothing but the sound of our footsteps echoing through the alley to be heard.

"There!" Liam gasps, taking off into a sprint. I follow him as he runs down the streets. We turn down corners I've never been down and we sprint across lonely isolated roads. Finally, he stops in front of the woods. Thick trees line up in front of us. I can hear the screaming now. It's a young girls and its familiar. Very familiar. I take Liam's hand and keep running into the woods, following the noises.

He stops me as we creep up on the damsel and the villain. I then recognise her. Pressed against the tree under the arms of a man is Nina Lisbeth Olivarie, the born hunter/turned alpha that I had met in the forests once. Also, the one I had stabbed with a scalpel.

I creep closer, hoping to catch the man by surprise. He has her in a choke hold and she gags, her face turning purple.

I step forward.
"Hey! Why don't you mess with someone you're own size. Then it's a decent fight!" I look back to Liam, who is still hidden by trees. I nod to him, enlarging my eyes to tell him to stay where he is.

The man lets go of Nina and turns around, the moonlight making his facial figures dull and unrecognisable.
He growls, taking out a knife from his pocket and marching forward.

I grit my teeth, clenching my fists and praying to god that this man didn't cause the death of me.
The man stops as Nina falls to the ground, a black vein seizing on her neck and up the side of her face. He growls at her but returns his attention to me.

"Oh god." I grunt, stepping forward.

He lurches forward, swiping at me with the knife. I crouch down, then return up, slamming him in the torso. He staggers back and takes a few seconds, then comes back at me, swinging the knife at my face this time. The blade glides against my cheekbone, slicing through all seven layers of skin. I gasp, pausing. Only to get punched in the nose...and HARD.

I stagger back and the man jumps forward, pushing me onto the ground, his strong hands going around my throat tightly. I hear Liam scuttle forward but motion at him to get Nina. He comes running towards us anyway, shoving the man off me. I jerk to the side, slamming my ribs against a tree. Liam runs to Nina, trying to lift her up. His eyes are glowing a pretty yellow. Oh, my baby beta.

The man leaps over me again, slamming his fist into my jaw. I scream, reaching into my boot and trying to collect the knife.

It takes a second but I get a good grip on it, yanking it out and pushing it into the mans shoulder. He gasps, falling back. I rip the knife out and push myself up, running towards Liam and helping him pick up Nina. We spring through the woods. I ignore the pain everywhere on my body and focus on running.

Through the woods we zoom, Liam heaving heavily and my body screaming with pain. Nina growls, the vein on her neck travelling up her cheek and to her forehead.

"To the vet!" I shout, changing direction and heading to the vet. Nina's eyes glow yellow and her claws sharpen against my neck.

Behind us, the man is nowhere to be seen. We can't waste any time figuring out who he is, we've got to get Nina to Deaten.

We exit the last rows of trees and forest, running up the side of the road. It's only a sparkling light at the moment but I can see the veterinarian centre.

Liam fastens his pace and I struggle to keep up. Together reach the centre and I let go of Nina, slamming my body against the door and storming in.

I pace around, searching the different rooms.
"It's empty!" I call, walking to Nina and Liam.

"Put her on the bench while I figure this out."

Liam places Nina on the bench and I examine the vein going up her neck.
"It's going to her brain? What kind of poison is this?"

Nina begins coughing blood.
I yank her body, pulling her on her side.

Scanning the bottles on the shelve, I search for an antidote.
"I could break the skin and siphon the poison from the vein."

Liam shakes his head.
"Yeah but that could deal a lot of damage."

Suddenly a loud banging comes from the front door. I look to Liam.
"You locked it right?" I ask, he nods. "Whatever you're gonna do- do it quick. That poisons almost at her brain."

I nod, biting my lip.
"I need you to strap her down or something."

He obeys and I search for the correct surgical supplies. I wasn't near sure whether this would work. I hoped it would but worst case scenario- she was a werewolf. She could just regenerate the vein.

I pull out a tray of surgical supplies and look at Nina.
"Nina. I need you to stay strong. This is gonna hurt but you'll be okay."

She shakes her head and I look to Liam.
"Shouldn't we check the door? It could be Alan?"

I shake my head, glancing down the corridor and at the door. The knocking has gotten more aggressive.

"No," I clean the skin above the vein and like the scalpel up with her forehead. "Deaton has his own key. Now shush. One wrong move could disable the blood flow from the main artery to the brain- cutting off the blood flow to the brain. Without the blood flow the brain would function- and she can't regenerate without her brain telling her to."

Liam's mouth is slightly open and I take his hand.
"It's gonna be okay? Okay?" I whisper. He nods, his blue eyes filled with worry. He was only a child. He didn't ask to be brought into the world of full moons, berserkers and light night surgical mush. The poor boy had been thrown into the whole thing and had been forced to act like everything was okay. But it wasn't. How could it be.

I take a deep breath and press down on the vein, tuning out her screams and pushing deeper. One wrong move and-
"WAIT!"
Deaton runs into the room, both hands in the air. Liam steps forward, alarmed by his entry. He must have entered through the back entry because Liam stood in front of the front door.

"It's called Semiartery. It's a poison that temporarily takes away the powers of an alpha, it attacks their brain and immobilises them. I have the cure."

Those words make me from the scalpel, wiping the blood from my hands and walking away. Speechless.

My heart hammered in my chest. I screwed up. I really did. Those words were the ones I never wanted to hear. That if I had caused that girl more pain than ever in her life trying to save her only to understand there was a cure on the shelve.

Most of all, the knocking by the front door was still going, loud and clear. I stood up and walked to the door, opening it.

Behind the door was nothing- not a thing. Nothing but the darkness.

"Hello?" I called, quickly wiping away a tear that rolled down my cheek. Despite the fog of the midnight air, I recognised the figure coming forward.
"I ordered one of my men to keep hammering the door. They made a few dents but I'm sure it will all be okay. Peachy?" Kate smirked.

Kate stood, now being assembled by her two berserkers. Just what I didn't wanna see tonight.

I was scared but I shoved it back down. Be brave! Be brave Jolie.

"What do you want?" I glared, stepping forward with my fists curled in a ball.

"I want Veronica." Kate gleamed, smiling. "I want you to deliver her to me."

I shake my head, my hair falling off my shoulders.
"No. I won't do it." I angrily voice. She chuckles.

"Your stubbornness won't ever get you far, child." She loops her fingers in her jean pocket and smirks.
"But if you want to keep that boy toy of yours alive, you'll do what I say. So bring me Veronica in three days- or your boyfriend will die by the hands of one of my Berserkers and if you behave yourself well, maybe you'll have the pleasure of watching."