Kale's POV-

I woke up to a gasp and felt the palpable panic through our mate-bond. I sat up in bed immediately as Lucy's heavy breathing and panic still continued. She was whining and whimpering as she looked to be in severe pain. I looked at her with wide eyes and felt helpless as she thrashed around as if she was in a terrifying nightmare.

That was the thing, it wasn't a nightmare... Her eyes were swirling wildly like a galaxy, and I knew that she was in another time all together. This was a vision. Something big was happening... something bad.

"The pack with Red Canyon Gulch in their territory," she finally said as she came out of her divine sight.

"The Watson's pack," I answered automatically. "Some neighbors from the east."

Her eyes went grave, and tears spilled from her eyes. "They've been attacked. The North destroyed them. Their land is scorched."

She got out of bed and began getting dressed. I followed suit and got ready as well.

"Are they all dead?" I finally asked in a slow voice as I buttoned my jeans.

"No," she answered as she finished pulling on a big sweatshirt of mine. "Some of them took shelter in a cave at the canyon. We must go help them! Their pack was burned... Everything was burned!"

"We will," I replied as we walked from our room and cradled her to my side. She was still completely panicked and in pain from seeing what had happened.

I began mind-linking people to meet in my office, easily waking most. However, Sam was completely unreachable, and I had a bad feeling. Lucy obviously felt the feeling too when she took off in a sprint to the Beta's door.

"Oh God," Lucy gasped when she got near the door. Tears immediately began falling down her face again, and I knocked on the door frantically. Lucy, however, didn't wait for a reply. She just opened the door and walked into the room.

When I walked into the room behind her, everything stopped. Sam was lying in his bed whimpering, whining, and crying. His cries were heartbreaking. His heart was obviously broken, and I had no idea what was happening.

"Oh Sam," Lucy said as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I am so so sorry!" She cried and cradled him.

"Lucy... It hurts! Why does it hurt?!" He sobbed in her neck.

"Sam..." she whimpered.

"She's dead... isn't she?" Sam asked in a broken voice. "My mate is dead!" He cried.

"I'm so sorry, Sam," she cried, confirming it.

"I've waited so long!" Sam cried. "I'm only a year younger than Kale! I've waited five years to find my mate! After Kale found his, I thought that I'd finally find mine too!" He raged.

Still, Lucy never backed away or got scared, she just hugged him closer to her. "I know, I know, love," she whispered.

"It hurts, Lucy!" He sobbed. "Why does this hurt?! What did I do to deserve this?!"

"Nothing, Sam. You've done nothing wrong. The North did this. They took her from you. They stole your mate from you. This has nothing to do with what you've done," she told him with conviction.

"I want them all dead. I want them gone! They all deserve to rot!" He growled.

"No, no, Sam," Lucy said and made him look at her. "Do not let this make you bitter. I know that it's killing you, Sam... But don't let this take you down. You are so good. You are so loved. I know that nothing can make this better but letting this turn you bitter and angry will make this worse."

"I know..." Sam sobbed. "I just... It hurts!"

Lucy just cradled him in her lap. "I'm here, Sam. Your pack is here, love."

Sam let Lucy cradle him for a little bit longer before he finally sat up. "We're going to her? We're going to help them?" He asked.

"Yes," I answered. "We're going to help them recover and offer them asylum until the end of the war."

"Good," Sam answered. "Do you mind if I go for a run instead of the meeting? I need..."

"Go for a run, Sam. We'll be ready to leave within an hour," Lucy answered him softly.

"Thank you, Luna," he replied and kissed her forehead gently.

I ushered her out of the room with a heavy heart... He lost his mate. My best friend lost his mate. He never even got a chance to be with her... he just lost her. I hate war.

----

"Those who've been specified will come; the rest will stay. We cannot risk a whole lot of us leaving because The North may be waiting for us to vulnerable. They'll be expecting us to help our neighbors. Cory is staying while I lead the rest in our efforts to help our neighbors," I told everyone that had gathered in the meeting room.

"I know the housing issues are still up in the air," Lucy added. "However, we will bring some refugees back with us... So, for now, we will put them in the extra packhouse while other accommodation is built. Thank you all for patience."

"We leave in fifteen minutes," I announced to everyone, dismissing them effectively.

----

We made it to the gulch quickly. It was midday by the time we made it to their lands. You could already smell the death and destruction though.

Lucy pulled on my hair to make me slow down. I came to a halt in the middle of the canyon, making everyone else stop as well. I shifted back to human form and walked behind my mate protectively as her eyes scanned the different rocks and forms. I instructed everyone else to stay put.

Lucy nodded her head in the direction of a big rock, seemingly having no entrance or anything. I took the lead and we both walked to the rock formation in silence. I walked to the back of it, and sure enough, there was a shallow shelter that had been set up.

Everyone from the demolished pack that was in the small shelter was on edge and ready to attack us. I held my hands up, signaling that no harm was meant. I also bowed my head in acknowledgement of their loss.

"Alpha Burke," he finally greeted solemnly after he shifted back to his human form.

"Beta Thompson," I acknowledged with a nod.

"It's Alpha now, I suppose," he said with a sad frown.

"Collin didn't survive? What about any of the other Watson family?" I asked, feeling gutted for the pack. Even their Alpha-in-training was dead.

"Only Nova survived..." he replied as he gestured over to her. She looked so grief stricken for her family.

"And she is your mate," I finished with a small nod towards his mate that was standing next to him now.

"Alpha Burke is an ally," the man spoke to his pack, making them all shift back to their human selves. "News of our demise has already travelled that fast?" he finally questioned.

"No sir," I assured quickly.

"Then how...?"

"I'd like to introduce Lucine," I finally announced and pulled her in front of me. They all stared at her in wonder, looking at her mesmerizing eyes. "My mate..."

"Mate?" Eli Thompson asked, knowing my troubles from the past.

"Yes... and Oracle," I told him. "She is how we found out afterwards."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," she told everyone genuinely. She looked at Nova and suddenly engulfed her in a hug. "I am so sorry that I was not able to see it before it happened," Lucy whispered to her as Nova cried.

"An Oracle?" Eli asked with wide eyes.

"Amongst many other things..." I answered. "We've come to offer our assistance and refuge until the war is over when you can begin rebuilding," I announced as Lucy came back beside me with tears still in her eyes.

"You're willing to let us stay with you and your pack?" Nova asked with a gasp.

"And Cory Rodriguez's pack. His pack is there on asylum as well," I answered with a nod.

"Son of a bitch, The North got the Rodriguez's too?" Eli gasped with a growl. "You don't want to take us over and absorb us into your pack?" Eli asked skeptically.

"I've only ever done that with packs that have no legal Alpha left," I finally answered. "Even though you're the Beta... The only living Alpha member left is Nova. You're her mate; therefore, you're the Alpha now," I explained.

"We are offering you asylum," Lucy said with a nod. "Come to our lands. We'll offer you shelter, food, and anything else you need. We only ask that you follow our pack rules, respect us and our pack, and fight along side us when the time comes."

"When the time comes?" Nova asked incredulously.

"The North," she answered. "We're going to take them down."

"We accept," the new Alpha agreed. "We will assist y'all in any way to take down The North. Their dark tirade is destroying the werewolf world."

"Good," I shook Eli's hand with a nod.

"We will help lay your pack to rest," Lucy told them. "We are so so sorry for your loss," she continued with a sad look.

"You felt it..." Nova commented skeptically. "You felt the attack."

"Only a fraction of it," Lucy said as she shook her head, dismissing the pain that she had to have gone through in the vision.

"You felt them burn through our land," Nova announced as she looked into my mate's haunted eyes. Her eyes shone with respect as she looked at her. "That was the same look that I had as I looked at my burning village. However, you didn't just watch it. You felt it," her tone was a mix of awe and pure sadness.

"I felt it," Lucy answered softly as she looked around the fallen pack. Everyone looked at her with respect and relation. She truly did understand them.