At first, I thought that maybe he was trying to make a run for it, but that didn't make sense. If he had been attempting to escape, he certainly wouldn't be heading in the direction the rogues were. I shifted as I ran after him. The forest was thicker here with dark shrubbery and thick moss covers trees. I quickly caught up to him as he stumbled over a fallen tree branch.

'What the hell are you doing?' I questioned not being able to keep the anger out of my voice. He looked down bowing his head in submission.

'Sorry Alpha but they're there,' he replied slightly out of breath.

'Who's there?' I couldn't understand what he was on about.

'The Jacobs girls,' he answered surprising me. As much as I hated to admit it, I was sure they had to be dead by now.

'And what you thought running into a group of rogues all gung ho would what....keep them safe?' He whimpered at the harsh tone in my words and looked away. I didn't feel bad, though. What he had done was a sure way to get both us and them killed.

At the sound of a twig snapping, we both ducked down trying to blend into the scenery around us. One of the rogues came out from behind a bush about twenty feet from where we were crouched. He raised his snout a sniffed the air around him. We were screwed. One benefit of being a rogue was they tended to be more in touch with their animal side, which meant things like their sense of smell was amplified well beyond even some of our best trackers.

His head suddenly snapped in our direction. He knew we were here. Letting out a loud howl probably he alerting his group know of our presence. It was moments like this I was glad that rogues lacked the mind link pack wolves had. Unless they happened to be mates, rogues could not easily communicate with each other. It was why their so called packs never lasted very long.

'Get ready to make a run for it,' I told Brandon, my eyes still trained on the rogue as he slowly approached our hiding place. I knew we wouldn't stand much of a chance once his friends arrived. Brandon wasn't a fighter by any means I couldn't fight off three wolves on my own, alpha or not. Brandon nodded beside me waiting for my signal.

Once the lone rogue got close enough, I leaped out of the bushes tackling him to the ground as I shouted through the link for Brandon to make a run for it. I didn't see whether or not he listened as I struggled to keep the other wolf from snapping at my front legs. My hope was to kill or at least, hamper him in an attempt to give us enough time to get away. The rogue's movements seemed fueled by pure fury. Before I realized what was happening, he had managed to get his hind legs under my belly and bucked me off of him.

If it weren't for a large bush breaking my fall, I might not have been able to get to my feet so quickly, just in time to see three more rogues arrive. They were following behind three very terrified teenagers, Eric and the missing girls from my pack. I couldn't help but take note that one of the young girls was not accounted for.

I didn't have much time to take in their appearance as three of the four wolves closed in on me. Their pelts were shrouded in dirt, leaves, and blood, making it hard to distinguish the difference in their color. They soon had me surrounded, my back to the bush I had just fallen into. I knew I probably wouldn't be making it out of this fight alive. My only thought was to take out as many of them as I could that way the young pups might have a chance to flee.

I turned my attention momentarily to Eric trying to communicate to him to run as soon as the fighting began. The scared look on his face was quickly wiped away replaced by a look of pure determination as he gave me a slight nod. The brief feeling of relief disappeared as I felt a shooting pain in my tail. One of the rogues managed to get his jaws around the end of it. I whipped around snapping at him but missing his leg, my intended target. It didn't take long for the other two to join in on the fight. They snapped and swiped at me from all directions. Every time I managed to dodge one another would land a blow.

Amidst the growling and snarling, I heard the distinct sound of a girl screaming followed by a furious snarl. I didn't know what was happening, but I could only hope the pups had managed to make their escape. I wasn't the only one who noticed the commotion. One of the rogues left the other two presumably to see what the commotion was. I lifted my bloodied right paw and whimpered.

Both wolves took noticed and attacked my right flank simultaneously. They had done exactly what anticipated they would. Though my right leg was bleeding steadily, the wound was superficial. As the first wolf closed in on me, I swung around catching him on the side of his head with my hind legs. With him temporarily stunned it was finally a fair fight. The large wolf snarled at me as he prepared to make his move. I watched as his eyes focused on my throat, undeniably his intended target. Purposely I lifted my head a little higher making my neck more exposed waiting for him to strike. He didn't let me down launching off his back leg, as he went for the kill. Without thinking, I deflected his attack pitching my head in his direction. The impact of my head colliding with his sent a shockwave of pain down my spine causing me to stagger back a bit.

Somehow I managed to stay on my feet, but my vision danced before me. Shaking my head, trying to get my eyes to work properly, I was able to take in my surroundings. The youngest of the Jacobs girls was curled into a ball against the trunk of a tree. Her body was shaking with sobs. Her older sister, who must have shifted at some point, laid at her feet in a protective manner. The young she-wolf had blood coating her snout and clumps of mud and leaves entangled in her fur.

As I looked at her, her eyes met mine. She looked at me sadly before her eyes widened in fear.

'Alpha!' Brandon screamed as a snarl ripped through the air. I didn't even manage to turn about when I was thrown to the ground. It took me a second to realize what was happening. He had thrown himself into me saving me from the rogues attack. From where I lay on the ground, I watched as the rogue I had kicked earlier ripped Brandon's throat wide open. Immediately his body went limp, falling harshly to the ground. Blood stained his neck, chest and most of the ground surrounding him.

Seeing Brandon's lifeless body only furthered the rage within me. I growled fiercely at the wolf before pouncing on him. His teeth tore into my shoulder at the same time my claws ripped into his abdomen. The rogue's jaw tighten then released as he howled out in pain. Not giving him a chance to recover, I swiftly lunged at his throat clamping my teeth around his neck. Slowly, I tightened my grip until I tasted the warm coppery liquid and then finally heard the satisfying crunch on his spine crumbling under the increasing pressure.

Surveying the destruction around me, I was nearly overcome by the sheer amount of blood splattered around me. Six dead bodies lay scattered among the dying grass and foliage. Brandon and Eric were amid the fatalities.