Hey! Another chapter so soon? Yes, indeed!

If you guys really want the water works, play the music while reading. I'm sorry for any emotional pain that you'll feel from here on out.

~ Lissa

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One of the helicopters crashed into the side of the bowling alley. The loud boom! caused my knees to wobble beneath me and my ears to ring. Debris shot up into the air; fire and smoke billowed up. I remained standing, feeling uneasy and concerned. The bowling alley was slowing burning to the ground - ashes were floating around me like snow. When I breathed in a mouthful, I covered my mouth and coughed with my eyes burning. Emma pulled Katie closer to her and started speaking, but my ears were still ringing. I couldn't hear her - I watched her lips, noticing the frantic movement of them and the beads of sweat on her forehead. "Katie. . . out. . . here. . ." The only words that I had managed to read from her mouth.

I nodded in agreement. It was far too dangerous for Katie to be there. She couldn't run. She couldn't defend herself. My eyes skimmed across the bloody, chaotic mess in front of me - it was impossible to find Temp or Ethen among the hundreds of them. There were multiple fires, numerous dead bodies, and heavy weaponry. One of the brothers, located somewhere, was preventing hovering helicopters from firing down; they all went crashing.

Emma nudged my arm. "I'm getting her out of here!"

Finally being able to hear, I looked between her and Katie. "Where? How?" It was dangerous. There were too many fighters, too many soldiers, to escape without being seen.

"She can't stay here," Emma replied, desperately. "I'm just - I'm going to try to get us away from here." She lifted her gun, shakily inhaling. "I survived dicks with teeth and claws - I can survive dicks with guns." Despite the horrible situation, her words caused me to grin. She looked at Brody who was clinging to his sister's side, eyes wide. "Are you coming with us?"

Panicking, he nodded. "Yes!"

Emma looked at me. "And what about you?"

"I can't leave," I told her, cautiously eyeing our surroundings. "Go. Stay safe." She hesitated, before accepting my decision. Grabbing Katie's hand, she started hurriedly walking away with Brody following on their heels. I swallowed when Brody turned his head, looking at me with his sad, warm eyes. I forced a grin, before beckoning him to move along - he was just trying to memorize my face, just in case it was that last time he ever saw me.

Distracted by this silent communication, the next explosion took me by surprise. It rocked the ground, knocking me sideways. The acrid smell of smoke stung my nose and I breathed it in as I collapsed to the grassy ground. Above me, there were spinning helicopters, swirls of smoke, and floating ashes. The sky could've been mistaken for being on fire. A shrill roar filled the air, sending chills shooting down my spine - an Alpha's howl. Drew's? It sounded like a howl of rage, of revenge. Sitting forward, my head was throbbing and my world was spinning.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and grabbed my gun from the ground, which had slipped from my hold. When I turned my head, I spotted a nearby werewolf fighting against two soldiers, backing up towards me. I squeezed my eyes shut, afraid of being crushed, but I wasn't. Instead, an arm slipped around my waist and lifted me to my feet. I gasped in fear and opened my eyes, shocked to see the familiar face of Kolton.

Blood was smeared on his left cheek, his right eye was swollen shut, and his clothes were terribly torn. He looked broken. His eyes, which always showed so much hatred towards me, carried no strife. No anger. No concern. Nothing. His hand moved to my upper arm, gripping it tightly. Was he going to hurt me? I tightened my hold on my gun, secretly pointing it towards his thigh, my finger lingering on the trigger. He released a laugh, one that wasn't filled with humor or anger. "You know, you steal my pack and now, you're stealing my battle."

I frowned. "I'm fighting with you. I'm on your side."

"You're going to get yourself killed," he hissed, shaking his head. "Get out of here." His words were a little surprising to me. I wasn't offended at all, more confused and shocked.

"Since when do you care about my safety?"

"Since I learned that you were Ethen Volkov's mate," he answered, bluntly. "If you died and he ever found out that I could've done something to save you, my ass would be killed." Of course, it was about him in the end and his survival. "Now, get the hell out of here."

"I can't."

"Are you stupid?" he blurted, forcefully shaking my shoulders. "You will die if you stay here, Thea. Leave. Runaway like a coward, just like you did before." I gritted my teeth together, knowing that he was referring to when I had left the cabin with Temp, left behind the pack, abandoned them all. "You're no fighter - you're a coward. You're a liability right now. You're a distraction and you'll get people killed, like your mate."

I stepped out of his reach. "No, I have to do this." He looked at me with a look of disbelief and irritation. What he didn't understand was, was this was one of the ways that I planned on making peace with myself, with my past actions, with everything. I needed to make things right. For some reason, I thought that participating in the war was first step to forgiving myself. I needed to help the people that I had selfishly abandoned. "Don't get yourself killed, Kolton. Assholes have their roles in this world too."

As I jogged off, he smirked.

One of many soldiers raised his weapon at me, peering through his black goggles. Quickly, I dropped to one knee and shot at him, hitting his lower abdomen while his bullet zoomed passed above my head. My breathing was heavy and fast; the adrenaline pumping through me was insane. I returned to my feet and took off, searching for Ethen and Temp. Those two were my main priority. I didn't doubt that Ethen was capable of taking care of himself, but he was the biggest threat, meaning all force was going to be thrown at him. As for Temp, he worked for the government, therefore they knew his weaknesses.

I was tackled from the side and I plummeted to the ground with a grunt. A soldier was on top of me and knocked my gun out of my hand. He must have recognized me from the facility because he appeared angry, so angry that he grabbed a handful of my hair and started bashing my head against the ground. I scratched at his wrists, squirmed underneath him, and tried punching him, but nothing was working. He was too heavy, too strong. He bashed my head back against the ground again, causing a splash of black spots in my vision.

There was a roar and a werewolf came charging over, kicking the soldier off of me. I sat forward, blinking away the spots in my vision. The soldier was screaming in pain as the werewolf ripped off his left arm, followed by other limbs. I snatched my gun from the ground and clambered to my feet. The werewolf turned around, looking at me - just by looking into his eyes, I knew that I knew him. He was familiar. It took a few moments, but it eventually came to me.

Pete.

He took a step towards me and bowed his head. I was a little surprised that he was still looking after me, even after I had abandoned him. I nodded once as a sign of acknowledgment and gratefulness. But, before he could turn away, three bullets shot into his side, sending him falling down with a yelp. A shout escaped my lips and I rushed forward on instinct, catching sight of the soldier who had shot him. Angry, I raised my weapon and pulled the trigger, relieved when the bullet collided with the soldier's forehead.

I dropped to Pete's side, panicking at the serious amount of blood. The bullets were undoubtedly silver. Shit. "Hey, I need to get these bullets out of you, okay? Then, you'll heal a-and you'll be fine - " I stopped talking when I realized that he wasn't moving. I looked at his face, tearing up at the sight of his closed lids, closed mouth, and motionless snout.

"Thea!" a familiar voice shouted, but not in concern - in anger. "Stand up and turn around! Slowly!" My eyebrows knitted together and keeping my hand locked on my gun, I slowly stood up and turned around as instructed. I froze at the sight of Archer, a fellow friend from the facility. His goggles were hanging around his neck and his eyes were narrowed at me. I swallowed at the sight of the barrel of his gun being pointed at me. "Toss me your gun!"

I shook my head. "Don't do this, Archer."

"You're a traitor," he hissed, stepping closer. "I have orders to kill you on sight." He was hesitating, searching for any other plan. "Maybe Amanda will spare you - maybe if you do the right thing and help us now, she'll forgive you."

"No, she won't," I said, quietly. "She will kill me, no matter what." I released a harsh laugh, glancing around at the bloody war. "I helped one of the most dangerous creatures escape our facility. I let him go." Archer pinched his lips together, clearly not happy with my words. I was admitting the truth to him. "And, I don't regret it. We were the monsters there, not them. What we were doing wasn't okay."

"So, you decide to rebel by letting him escape?" he countered, angrily. "You should've just talked to Amanda! There were other ways to show your disapproval, Thea!"

I frowned. "Amanda is the problem."

"Toss me your gun," he repeated, impatiently. "Now."

"No."

"Damn it, Thea!" he shouted, taking another step towards me. "I don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to! It doesn't have to be this way!" I didn't respond; I didn't give him a shake of my head. I simply stared at him, no expression, not moving. I kept a hold on my gun, even tightened my grip, which caused him to wince. The barrel of his gun was shaking slightly and his finger moved to the trigger. It lingered there for several seconds - he couldn't do it.

I took a step backwards. "I'll see you in Hell, Archer." His eyebrows knitted together and he didn't move when I whipped around and took off. To be honest, I wouldn't have been able to kill him either. I had way too many good memories with him; if only he had lived and saw what I did in the werewolves.

I was running, seeing death all around me, but the one death that I didn't expect to happen occurred to my left, a few feet away. The bullets entered his abdomen, sending him dropping to his knees. His shaky fingers went to the bleeding wounds in disbelief, his own weapon slipping from his hands. I gasped and when his eyes met mine, wide and watering, I instantly shot the soldier who had shot him from behind. The soldier collapsed to the ground the same time he did. With a sniffle, I charged to his side, pressing my hands against his wounds in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

Sputtering blood, Noah started trembling.

"NOAH!"

My chest became heavy as Nora came sprinting over, tears rolling down her pink cheeks. Her skin was covered in blood and dirt. During her rush towards us, she used her magic, snapping the necks of the soldiers who were approaching me from behind. When she collapsed at her brother's side, she placed a hand against his cheek, hysterically crying. "I-I'm going to try to heal you, okay? Just d-don't move, big brother." A tear slipped from my eye when she looked at me, for the first time looking broken. "Keep pressure to his wounds."

She closed her eyes and started murmuring words. The tips of her fingers lit up, almost a warm glow, but nothing else happened. No healing. A strangled cry escaped her lips and she started rambling in panic, "Why isn't it working? It should be working! You need to heal! I-I can't lose you!" She tried once again, but nothing happened. Sobbing, she whirled her head around, shouting over her shoulder, "Caine! Caine! Please!"

Noah lifted his arm, grabbing his sister's hand. "Hey n-now, don't cry." She pressed her forehead against his knuckles, pleading under her breath. "This is w-war, little sis. People die."

"Don't you say that!" she screeched, narrowing her green eyes. "You can't die! You're all I have left!"

"Shhhhh," his quiet response came, blood pouring down the sides of his cheeks from his mouth. "I-I'm going to be okay. I'll h-have Mom."

"You don't know that," Nora sobbed, squeezing his hand. "Please, please, please. . . don't leave me." Her voice cracked at the end and I looked down at her brother's bleeding stomach, feeling the tightening of my throat. It was so different seeing Nora like this. When I had first saw her, I thought she was very intimidating, almost unapproachable. Seeing her hunched over her dying brother, bawling, made her seem more human, more sympathetic towards. "Noah, I-I can't be alone. I can't lose you too."

"I'll always be with you," he assured, before coughing up some blood. "Shit." Then, his lips curled into that smirk of his. "Your wedding present is in my bag. Tell y-your fiancé that I said 'you're welcome'." She started pleading some more, even attempted to heal him once again. When his eyelids slipped shut, her cry of pain shook the ground, literally. As I moved my hands from his abdomen, the ground started trembling, sending some soldiers crumbling to their knees, startled.

I looked into her green eyes and I had never seen so much pain, so much hatred, before. With her bloody hands, she rose to her feet, whirling around. She lifted her arms, the ground still shaking, and the wind started picking up. My hair whipped around wildly and I stumbled to my feet, freaked out. All the nearby trees suddenly ripped out of the ground and went flying into the chaos of fights. Trees were literally rolling across the battlefield, actually striking down several soldiers. The wind affected the helicopters, therefore they started spinning, before eventually crashing.

Caine came rushing towards us and when his eyes landed on Noah, his expression dropped. "No. . .no. . . no. . ." He walked over to his body, standing above it. He dragged a hand through his hair, before finally looking at Nora. "Oh, Nora - "

"Don't say anything," she interrupted, harshly. "Just help me kill every last one of them."

Caine nodded once. "Every last one of them."

When a soldier started rushing towards us, she lifted a hand and within seconds, he was on fire. Flames traveled up his legs, eventually consuming his entire body. She had lit him on fire, like a candle. She straightened her shoulders and raised her chin, moving forward. Caine watched her for a moment, before turning his head and looking at me. "You shouldn't be here. It's far too dangerous. I suggest leaving now."

I hesitated. "If only you knew why I have to stay."

"You mean, because you worked for the government?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. My heart skipped a beat at his words. He knew. "Ethen told me. Ryker knows too. If this is your way of making up for your mistakes, it's not smart. There are others ways, Thea." I didn't respond and taking a deep breath, his eyes slid to Noah's body. Then, he lifted a hand, followed by a purplish-hue appearing around Noah, like a shield. "He will remain untouched. He deserves a proper burial."

Caine was choking up as he turned away, heading off to Nora.

I glanced around, tearing up again at the numerous bodies on the ground. When my eyes landed on Kolton, I headed towards him, not seeing anybody else that I recognized. Kolton was in his human form, fighting against a soldier for his gun. With ease, I fired and a bullet collided with the soldier's back, sending him dropping. Kolton grabbed the soldier's gun and looked up, surprise crossing his face. "Look at you, Katniss Everdeen."

"Katniss shot arrows," I retorted, giving him a dumbfounded look. "And she also didn't save assholes."

He smirked at me. "I hope you know that every time you call me an asshole, I'm taking it as a compliment."

"Assholes tend to do that," I responded, stopping at his side. "Why aren't you in your wolf form?"

"I want to shoot," he said, shaking the gun. "I don't have to be close to kill somebody." I watched as he fired at the nearest, not expecting soldier, instantly killing him. "Though, I do miss my little fighting circles - you know, like the one you participated in and somehow survived, stealing my pack away from me." He was never going to let that go. "Your hands are drenched in blood. How? I just saw you ten minutes ago."

I bit my bottom lip. "Nora's brother is dead."

"Oh shit," he swore, his eyebrows shooting upwards. He checked the bullets in his gun, then sighed and looked at the war before us. "Well, I guess that's one down in that tight, little group of yours. Lets see who's next."