Jason turned the radio on, adjusting the settings slightly until the steady base of the rock song filled the silence. The heater was next, the front screen of the car instantly clouding over before becoming clear and daring a glance over to Miranda, he was kind of glad he had never settled down like his parents had always wanted him too. There was of course people he cared about, the woman beside him one of those few, but as much as he sometimes doubted his decisions the last few weeks made him glad he was childfree. Worrying about May, Caleb and the other kids who had gone missing was stressful enough - well May and Caleb. He didn't know the others for it to deeply affect him as it had the pack. It was no different to feeling sad for a few moments when seeing any news reports on missing people.

"Is it too loud?" He asked Miranda, looking at her again as he drove down the highway. She didn't answer, staring blankly ahead while clutching the ends of her scarf. "Andy?"

"Hm?" She answered, still not paying attention.

"Never mind." Jason let her be.

There had been a time when he could have cleared up whatever trouble Miranda had gotten herself into. Part of him would never stop being there for her, even if she didn't need him anymore only for the first time in a long time she did.

"Mr. Jason, are we there yet?" The small voice in the backseat called out.

"Soon Amy." He promised.

Familiar streets soon appeared and before long, they had arrived at the Wright's home. The children in the back nervously fidgeted in their seats, excited yet fearful of meeting May's grandparents. It helped that Leanna and Harry were there too, plus Eli and Selena had talked about them like old friends, gaining helpful bits of information from Chad to help make the young ones feel a little more secure and content with their temporary new home. As she always did, Selena kept her younger siblings in check and followed them closely as the old woman came out to greet them all. Helen was a force to be reckoned with at the best of times and now with her family in crisis, she took control and welcomed them all inside where freshly baked biscuits and a pot of tea waited.

"It's so kind of you to bring them here Jason." Helen smiled at him, not sure when the one she had once thought would end up as her son in law, had gotten so old. It never occurred to her she might suffer from the same curse called aging. "Keep your eye on my girl, will you? Make sure she eats dinner too. I'll pack you some leftovers I've got in the fridge."

Miranda forced a cup of coffee down, thanking her dad as he handed it over. "Mum, no leftovers."

"Non-sense! You look sick, do you think May really needs to see her mother this way after-"

"Helen, please." Jason interrupted - almost amused at how nothing had changed. There had been a reason why Miranda avoided her parents in the past and he was being reminded of that now. "I'll make sure she is looked after."

"You've always been so good to our Andy, Jason." She patted his cheek with affection before packing up some leftovers anyway.

Miranda didn't have the energy to argue, and watching her mother move around the kitchen, she didn't miss the few times she stopped to wipe her eyes or catch a glimpse of the same stress she was trying so hard to hide. So before they left, Miranda got up and gave her the biggest hug.

"He's going to get her back darling. Nothing in the world will ever stop that man from getting to you or your daughter." Helen assured her.

"I know Mum, but what if-"

"No. I won't let you think like that. Sweetheart, you survived in the wild with this man. You were abducted, and nearly killed. I have never been more thankful to have shifters in our life because there is no one better to take care of my family than one of them." She kissed Miranda's cheek, before tilting her chin up. "Now, it's been horrible for all of us, but I have faith that Caleb and May, have found each other and together, those two will be indestructible. You need to believe that too. They need you to believe in them."

Miranda nodded, hugging her Dad as he replaced her Mum. "She's right love. Those shifters are the tough sort, May is no exception to that because she's not just part of them, she's part of you too. No Wright has ever gone down without a fight."

Forcing a smile, Miranda nodded again and wiped away her tears. "Thanks Dad."

"Just let us know when they're home, we'll keep an eye on this lot." He assured her.

It wasn't soon enough before Jason and Miranda were back on the road, and this time they skipped the turn for home to start the journey to where the pack would gather once the raid was over. How airport security hadn't stopped them as they went through was beyond Miranda as a mixture of fear and anxiety threatened to tear her apart. Luckily Jason kept her up to date on the private charter he had organised through one of his military contacts for the pack to travel over the country border without setting off any alarms. Listening to him talk was a distraction she needed and yet there was more bothering her than just the raid as the rain started to pour down outside. The shifter working at the check in counter was happy to enter false names into the system, making sure they could pass through undetected and so far everything was going their way, yet the real test had yet to happen.

"Thank you for this Jason." Miranda squeezed his hand as they took off, her fear of flying forgotten as she focused only on getting her daughter back. It had been years since she had to fly, often sending Rory in her place for overseas deals. On the few occasions she had no choice other than to get on a plane, Braydon had always been by her side.

"Anytime." And he meant it.

Taylor, Jay and his mate Emily were already waiting by the time they arrived. A familiar face appeared from one of the non-hire cars and Miranda managed to smile as she went to greet Caprice.

"I wish you were here for different reasons." She said warmly, while her mate Brian shook Jason's hand and introduced himself. "Come, our house isn't too far from here."

The convoy of cars went along the dirt track, staying off road for as long as possible until finally getting back out into traffic. The town was small, and they didn't stop until reaching for the former alpha's home. The property was set to one side, with rolling white-capped mountains set behind it in such a way Miranda was breathless at the beauty of it all. Maybe that was also due to the cold and getting inside, the fire was already lit.

Jason was the first to head to bed, soon followed by Jay and Emily while Taylor fussed in the kitchen, making sure everyone had coffee and something to eat. Sitting in front of Miranda, Brian put his phone down between them before leaning back in the chair, looking as exhausted as she felt.

"Go to bed. We'll wake you when they call." She offered. He glanced over to Caprice who nodded and mumbling goodnight, disappeared upstairs. "How many of yours were going tonight?"

Caprice took her mate's' seat, running a hand through her red hair that Miranda was positive she dyed to stop the greys taking over. The old alpha had aged gracefully, not that it was expected she'd go any other way. Her skin was rosy, and smooth - what wrinkles she had seemed more like an afterthought than a permanent change to her complexion.

"The alpha was sending all in the pack who were able to fight." She sighed. "Not what we would have done, but not my place to say otherwise."

"Have we heard from Chad yet?" Taylor asked hopefully. "I swear, Kyle and Morgan better not fuck this up."

Miranda frowned, biting her fingernail nervously. "No. Nothing yet."

"He is a young alpha determined to prove himself. She is determined to prove she would be a better alpha. Ego aside, there is enough of the pack, and other shifters around to keep them focused." Caprice answered wisely.

All around the country shifters were banding together. Packs united as they planned to fight a mutual enemy. Everything was at stake and not just their own lives, but their very existence. Having Chad go with the pack, and Eli too had Miranda and Braydon disagreeing once more, despite having just made up. Chad was her little brother, a best friend, family and hers to protect. He was before she signed the adoption papers that officially made the claim in the eyes of the legal system and now he was miles away, in just as much danger as her husband and daughter. Even Eli had grown on her in the short time he had known her, and thankfully Selena had agreed to stay with her siblings instead of going too.

They'd put all their lives on the line thanks to what information Oliver passed on, and continued feeding them in the last couple of days. He had gotten braver, or more desperate - including codes and passwords, turning off firewalls and having his security allies ready to hand control over to Connor and his team who would do their attacking from behind a computer screen. The fact he was not only willing to help shut this down, but made it seem so urgent they do it now had Miranda feeling sick to the pit of her stomach as her mind went wild with stories over what had changed to make him, a traitor, turn against these monsters.

The trio of women sat in silence, all lost in their own thoughts until Taylor finally fell asleep slumped over the table. Without realising what she as doing, Miranda got a blanket from the back of a sofa and draped it over her shoulders. She tidied up the cups and moved to sit by the fire, focusing on the flames as she tried to think positively.

"Bianca is one of the strongest shifters I have ever come across. She and your husband are not quite like the rest of us. There is something else in them, something wild and wonderful. They will call soon." Caprice finally broke the silence and Miranda didn't know what to say as the other woman sat beside her. "I have seen what she is capable of, heard stories of Braydon and if Bianca trusts him as her second, well. That says enough."

Right on cue the phone rang and Miranda managed to let Caprice make a grab for it first. Slowly each person in the house appeared, warily rubbing eyes and stretching as this would be the sign they were waiting for if everything was going to plan. A few yes's later, Caprice hung up and looked around at the group with the kind of fierce determination set on her face that made Miranda believe they could win this.

"They're all in position, and waiting for Oliver's signal to attack." She told them.

Rushing out to the cars Brian had organised, they started the journey to the base. Everything had been planned, from backup, the initial attack, treatment for those found as well as numerous lookouts to make sure no one escaped their wrath. The cars were loaded with blankets, water and food, as well as additional weapons. The doctors Bianca had sent for were being contacted as everyone felt the same nervous excitement as the pack - the air full of anticipation that could be felt for miles around.

The hunt had begun.

_________________

The guards moved with trained precision. A steady rhythm in time to the thud of their boots echoed along the corridor as they left the parking area, the black uniforms making them look like invaders in the world of white. Truth be told, he hated these visits. Hospitals were never his favourite place to go, and as the sterile environment engulfed the group, his palms actually felt sweaty as the anxiety of being there grew. Being underground didn't help either, and the maze they had entered left him feeling faint, unbalanced.

The feeling didn't improve as the group entered the conference room. In here, the white gave way to something that resembled colour. Charcoal carpet instead of tiles covered the concrete; the walls were painted a dull grey with plastic plants filling the boring, plain corners. The niggle in the pit of his stomach rarely served him wrong, a warning sign of bad things to come yet moving to the chair at the head of the table, just being there was unsettling enough. There was no time for doubts here and it wouldn't be just the werewolves sensing his hesitation, but the vulture like nature of those he put in charge here.

"Good afternoon Sir." Lieutenant Baker greeted, rising as the new arrivals came in. What followed was much the same; forced niceties with people who were mad enough to actually do what he wanted and even worse once left to their own devices. "Shall we begin?"

"Where is Oliver, I expected him to be here?"

The mention of the werewolf earned a few scowls, as those who ran this facility often objected to having the creatures involved in the actual operation of it. He trusted that one though, more than any of the sick bastards that surrounded him now. Not that he'd ever let them know that.

"We had a minor complication with One Fourty Two and One Ninety Nine B. I'm sure he won't be too long if you wanted to get started?" Doctor Wilkes added.

"Minor Complication?"

"Yes Mr Satterley. May was defending-" He started to explain, and at the use of a name, rather a number Baker interrupted.

"Nothing of importance. Now, since our resources for gaining new subjects has been compromised, we've had less stock to trial the new serum on."

"Is that the Winters girl? Tell me what happened." Mr Satterley asked curiously, ignoring Baker.

"Yes sir." Wilkes answered; glad it had worked to get his attention. "Well, Doctor Brown was wanting to test the bond between her and Caleb. She was to be put under strain to see if he was able to detect her distress if they were in close proximity to one another. During previous, tests, he has shown to be reactive to her pain and stress levels while apart. This time they were simply beside each other in different rooms."

"And?" He prompted

"Maggie made a mistake, sorry, Doctor Edwards. You see, One Fourty Two is actually a second cousin of May's father, and the werewolf seemed able to identify her as kin. Remarkable really. Since it was a stress test, another subject, One Nineteen was given a kill order and her relative defended her. Caleb did react to May's struggle and upon being introduced once One Nineteen was removed and went to defend May."

"I heard there were issues with his demon. Has this been resolved?"

"No. Not as of yet. He can change, only seems to do this just for her. No matter what we inject, they just don't work. It's like the demon can come and go, but our tests have proved inconclusive at this stage." He sighed. "As I was saying, this time he did change, and the werewolves fought despite the girl trying to get them to stop. Caleb did listen and changed back, which proves our earlier theories she can control them. We had a remarkable reaction from those in Stage Two when she was put in with them. Perhaps because she was raised so closely to the pack, and the alpha, they confuse her as one of theirs. Despite this, Caleb was still attacked once he became human."

"And his status?" Mr Satterly snapped, clearly not liking where this was going.

"Nothing serious. It looked worse than it was once we were able to get him out of the room. Oliver is returning him to his cell, hence the delay. The problem came from May defending Caleb. She seems to have some kind of training or at least a natural ability to take on a werewolf as a human. We have heard of the Alpha being able to do this, so perhaps she had passed it on to the young. The girl shows as human on all the tests, but has many symptoms of being werewolf too. She is strong, fast, and adaptable. Some guards have reported seeing her eyes change to that of the creature as the full bloods do when experiencing extreme moods."

In the years he had spent watching them, Satterly knew exactly what Wilkes was talking about. He'd never forget the first time he had seen it; he had blamed the sunlight and his own eyes for imagining things. The nurse at the hospital May's father had once been admitted to with her mother after the plane crash hadn't liked his questions about the heroic efforts of the man with amnesia. Just like the people he tracked down after seeing them on security footage visiting Braydon. That had been his first sign these people weren't what they would have you believe they were and when given the opportunity to start really investigating this hidden species, he made sure they were among his first specimens of werewolf collected.

"She kill it?"

"Not quite, but we are having trouble setting the creature's leg. She managed to break the front left, and then held it back while we removed Caleb. It also appears to be unable to change back to human form, but is not being classified as feral just yet."

"Good. As James mentioned getting more of these things in our custody is proving impossible at the moment." He stood up then, wanting this over and done with so he could leave as soon as possible. "Take me to her, the girl crossbreed."

_________________

May began to count. Her wrists rested on the top of her knees, hands spread out in front of her face as she made it to ten, then eleven, then twelve; going over and over each finger as the numbers got higher and higher. The feeling of the bone breaking in those hands, of having her eight fingers and two thumbs wrapped around the thin, velvety soft limb still had them tingling. The shock of the break had vibrated through her whole body - the yelp of surprise and pain had frozen her and May had just stood there, watching the animal limp away from her in a snarling mass of fear, pain and anger. Her only thoughts had been to defend Caleb. He'd just changed, looked completely unbalanced, with a nasty cut still bleeding across his stomach that his body hadn't had time to heal on its own.

The wolf had lunged, knocking him down and May had moved on instinct, using her shoulder to shove the animal off him. As it turned on her she grabbed hold and despite feeling the need to bite, to snap and kick and scratch - her hands did the work her body wasn't able to and that was that. Fifty two, fifty three, fifty four. No, that wasn't just that. If the wolf hadn't backed off, she shuddered at the thought of what she would have done - could have done. Losing count, she folded her hands up in her lap, hiding them with her legs as she pressed herself against the wall in hopes of vanishing within it completely.

'You wouldn't have killed her.' She told herself, sounding so sure May almost believed it. 'It was a warning. If we had bitten her, it would have done the same thing. She was weak, frail.'

Though, why she would have bitten her in the first place was something May didn't understand yet an image of the wolf appeared in her mind and it wasn't the same creature she remembered it being. Rib bones were visible under the matted, patches of hair and as she had first run in, those same legs trembled with the effort of remaining upright. Caleb hadn't even been fighting her, his wolf in much better condition and he seemed to realise that too - never biting, barely nipping, simply avoiding the rage filled attack with ease. It was why he had been able to change back, and how he had heard her begging them to stop. Her guilt at what she done took over, sending her further into the depression she had been fighting all week to avoid.

'I can't keep doing this. I'm not what Caleb thinks I am, what Oliver and Maggie keep telling me to be.' Closing her eyes, she focused only on her breathing. 'I'm so tired. Please, just let me go.'

It would be easy to find a way out. She would just have to talk back to Brown, find the shifter guard who couldn't actually shift and get him to her hit her again. A few nasty comments and some snide remarks about being weak and worthless. Laughing. That always pissed them off. Maybe this time he could beat her out of view of the cameras, where no one would come to stop him and then, maybe, she could be free. Her parents would never have to know she gave up, Caleb either. Bad things happened in this place, and her death would just be counted along with all the others that had died here.

'They're coming. Don't you feel it?' She asked herself, and looking up, the door swung open and her chance to get out of here walked in the room, looking as though he was in the mood she needed him to be in. 'I feel it. He'll kill me today.'

Doctor Brown glanced down at her, before walking in that strange way of his to the nearest chair. Then more came in, men and women that May had not seen before. It surprised her enough to keep her mouth shut, and as the small group all stood around Brown, Maggie came in with a stranger.

"She's had a big day, Sir. I don't know if it's best for you to see her." The doctor explained, frowning as she saw May on the floor.

"Nonsense. I've seen what these creatures can endure." The man snapped. "She looks like her mother doesn't she? Got her fathers eyes though."

Maggie's frown only deepened as the strange man chuckled to himself and some of the others played along too. May ignored them all, watching him instead. He was tall, taller then Brown at least as well as most of the other people in the room and had a round, bearded face that seemed to hide his smile, if he ever did. The man was quite lean, his hair was more grey than the dark brown that still remained at the back and beady dark eyes, set May on edge as they looked at her. There was nothing nice about him, if anything, he gave her more of a bad vibe than Brown did and being in his presence had her wishing to disappear into the wall all over again.

"Have you tried her with the new serum?" He asked.

"No. The first two subjects had quite negative reactions. We didn't want to risk using it on her until we got the balance was just right." Maggie explained.

"Very well. From what I've heard, it will be interesting to see how she takes it." Then his attention turned to May, and slowly she slid up the wall until she was standing, half expecting him to kick her if she stayed down. "Do you know who I am?"

May shook her head.

"I know your father, mother, your whole family in fact. They've never met me of course; it's not quite how I work. I do know your fathers family though, very well. What's his name, ah yes, Mr. Carpe too." May held her breath as he came even closer and from his pocket pulled out a small test tube. "I believe this is his?"

Unable to do much else, May nodded.

"Ironic that he is helping you all these days as back when we first met, he was determined to destroy your father. Never seen a man so hateful of another. Though, it didn't take me too long to work out why." He scratched his beard, before tucking the tube away and beady dark eyes looked her over curiously. "Did your parents tell you of their past?"

May just stared blankly up at him, clueless as to who he was or why he was there now and not liking anything about his presence. If he came closer, she'd have nowhere to go with the wall behind her and feeling the urge to either flight or fight had her eager to run.

"Does she talk or have you done something to shut her up?" The stranger asked Brown.

"Answer him." He growled at her, yet not a word left her mouth. She saw the way his pupils dilated, the slight flush of heat that crept up his neck to his cheeks. "That's an order."

This was her chance. "Fuck. You."

Browns lips pressed tightly together, the redness only increasing as she slowly stood up. She kept her chin tilted defiantly, and glaring at him, the challenge was set. If not now, soon he would make her pay. What she wasn't expecting was the new man to laugh.

"I see you haven't got her trained just yet Philip?" He chuckled. "So, do you know what Jason was planning May, what he wanted to do to your father?"

"Probably nothing as bad as what they all plan to do to you." She snapped.

"I find that highly unlikely, because to do that, they have to know who I am."

"It's only a matter of time. If you know my family so well, you should realise that. I guess you're just as retarded as the other assholes that work here."

The man smiled at her, though it was about as comforting as a hug from a python. "Jason wanted to destroy your father. Find out all his secrets and ruin him. If only knew what exactly your father kept hidden, though since he stopped his investigation after getting a mere glimpse of what his kind are capable of, I doubt he would be very useful. His technology and money on the other hand, well maybe I can work something out with him soon."

"Why are you doing this to us?" Mays voice trembled. "Who the hell are you?"

"I thought you'd never ask. The name is Malcolm Satterly, but that probably means nothing to you. I am the creator of this organisation and soon, I hope to be so much more than that."

"What has that got to do with us?"

"Quite a lot really. You know what we do to your kind, well, the full-bloods anyway. What we want from you is your help in breaking them. Experiments have shown crossbreeds can still have a connection to these creatures and two of our best trainers are werewolf like you. It will be better if you can change into a werewolf, but since you can't, we're working on a serum to fix that flaw in you all. Imagine turning the tables May, you controlling them as they control you. There won't be a runt, or a weak link in the pack anymore." He explained excitedly before he mentioned his plans about his army being able to over throw the government, secret assassins and a bunch of other stuff May didn't listen to because it didn't matter. It might not be her to stop him, but someone would; that tiny bit of hope that the pack would come not fully extinguished. 

"I don't care about what you want or your plans. We are not just, things, for your sick amusement you  psycho!"

"Sir, we really must-" Brown started only to be silenced by one look from Satterly.

"Shut up Brown, I want to talk to the girl." Satterly snapped, clearly enjoying himself. For so long, so much of his life had revolved around the Winters family, the least he could do was tell her how her family had been the cause of the misery here and let that sink in. "I used to be a private investigator May, off the books kind of stuff. Damn good at it too, so good in fact I managed to track down your fathers family when he made his return to civilisation. His uncle wasn't impressed with that and I got a month in hospital for my efforts. After showing off what he was, the dumb bastard left me to die only that backfired on him and, when I got out of there, I made it my mission to find out about what he was. Then the more I learnt about those, creatures, the more I saw their potential."

Looking around the room, May realised he was serious. The ever nervous frown on Maggie's face only confirmed that there was truth to what this man was saying and instinctively May rubbed the her forearm, right where the chip had been implanted. A sense of betrayal left a bitter taste in her mouth, before she thought of Jason's friendship with her mother and how he was a trusted ally of the pack. Had her father's dislike of him been warranted, more than just leftover issues from a love triangle turned square years ago?

"That was kind of underwhelming." May muttered, talking more to herself than anyone else. She refused to let any of them think they had control over her.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, that's the big reveal right? You're the boss. The one they all mention in whispers in the halls, the big threat when we don't behave. You're a glorified stalker, who should be in an institute somewhere getting medical help, though for some of you, I think it's too late for that." She glared at Brown, who instead of glaring back simply smirked. He was already planning her punishment in his head. May knew it. "Can I go now, I actually find staring at my cell walls more interesting than what ever this is."

"I don't think you're fully comprehending the situation here May." If anything she had said offended Satterly, it didn't show now.

"Sir, you're here!" Oliver interrupted, slipping through the small group to shake his boss's hand. "Good to see you!"

"Ah, Oliver! I was starting to wonder where you got to." The pair greeted each other and just like that, May was left in the room alone as they all left.

After a few minutes, May dared to leave her spot. Curiously looking at the door, there had never been any sounds of it locking; no beep of the pin pad become secured or a click of a lock. Hesitantly she decided it was worth the risk, and she pushing down on the handle proved May's instincts right as it easily clicked open. Opening it enough for her to peer out of, the murmur of voices was heading down the corridor and breathing in, no scent was strong enough to have her thinking there was someone outside the door. May looked to the cameras, surprised to find the tiny red light missing and leaving the room she waited for a guard to appear, for an alarm to sound – anything, only nothing happened.

'Five days.' She thought and as May took her first step away from the room, all hell broke lose.