Akela only realised Zion had kicked out the door when a fresh rush of oxygen brought life to the flames and shaded everything in smoke. She wasn't able to see anything, smell anything or sense anything.

"Gotcha... Luna," A voice next to her whispered maliciously before someone grabbed her and dragged her out the door and into the woods by her arms. Out of her side vision she saw Kira dragged similarly by another fighter.

"Hey... You've got the wrong one! This is Luna!" The one holding Kira grinned.

Akela's captor looked at her, then Kira and grinned.

"This one looks helthier... not so skinny," he grinned and ran his hand across Akela's abdomen and down between her legs.

Akela felt her guts churn at his touch. Her stomach heaved acid up into her throat as she squirmed to avoid the intrusion. To her side, Kira didn't care where her captor's hands were in her struggle to get free. She was too weak and skinny to get anywhere but her eyes were on the cabin and the wails of her child.

The two deltas hardly took notice of the women struggling as they moved between the trees.

"Whatever, man. Alpha wants this one... Hope you like silver, Luna," Kira's captor grinned and started dragging her into the forest towards another team of Deltas who were waiting with ropes and lecherous grins.

Akela recalled her many training sessions with Ameer. The Valley Pack Beta was larger than these fighters. She could take them!

Not wasting any more time struggling, Akela brought her heel up and back down, catching her captor's foot, but not hard enough to break anything. The delta tensed in surprise. Taking advantage of his surprise, she spun around, jamming her elbow into his nose before following through the motion with a knee to his ribs. In a second she had him face down in the mud with his arm up and back in a lock. She winced as the crack and following howl told her she had successfully dislocated his shoulder and probably broken his elbow in the same motion.

Setting her knee on his writhing neck she looked towards where the other guy was draggign a fighting Kira away.

"I've got it," Felix announced and ran into the woods.

"Hey. Ryan!" he hollered, and Kira's captor turned with a vicious smirk.

"You have that one, Felix. That should be enough for you... Gay-boy!" Ryan grinned and continued struggling with Kira.

"Kira! Bite!" Akela thought and watched her sister twist her head enough to jam her teeth into Ryan's arm just as Felix's foot impacted with his jaw.

A sickening crunch left Ryan's body slumped on the ground.

"That's my sister you asshole!" Felix spat towards the dead body before he grabbed Kira and hauled her back to where Akela was stood at a safe distance from the flames engulfing the timber cabin.

"Helios!" Kira whimpered.

Around them was total chaos. Sam was fighting off the two wolves to their side, Zion and Abel were still somewhere in the flames with Ezekiel.

"Alpha Preston! You have just killed your heir!" Felix hollered with an arm around Kira who by now was shaking. Akela could feel her little nephew in the cabin still. He was alive and somehow protected from the flames by some kind of barrier while the three men in there were fighting off the North wolves still trying to get to him.

"He's still in there, alive. Alpha Zeke will get him!" Akela reassured, hoping she was right.

"I have to get him!" Kira wept, trying to break from Felix's grip to go into the flames.

"No! Alpha Zeke is a firefighter. He will get him out. Trust me!" Akela said, feeling Ezekiel's focus on the baby more than the fight.

Felix made a desicion to help Sam, running over, shifting mid stride to clamp his jaws around a large black wolf's throat just as he was about to get Sam. Felix held the north wolf tight while Sam launched himself at the second attacker before he could get hold of the rope. There was a harrowing whimper from the two North wolves as their lives ended and Akela hoped she would never see another fight.

With an arm around her shivering, tearful sister she made their way towards the small fire pit, close enough to the cabin, but at a safe distance from the flames and the fighting .

The air was full of dangerous scents. Blood, smoke, adrenaline and death.

In the distance they heard an order to retreat as the North Deltas ran into the woods, away from the fire.

Just as Kira was about to break down, Alpha Ezekiel burst out of the flames with Helios in his arms.

His hair was singed and he was bleeding from burns and injuries on his hands and arms.

Sam looked up at him, nodded and ran without hesitation into the flames to help the two still in there.

Kira sprinted on shaky legs over to Alpha Ezekiel and was clutching her child with tears of relief washing her sooty face while Ezekiel was doing his usual Alpha thing. Kira caused a rush of confidence wash over the Shadow valley pack the moment she tied her allegiance to the Blonde Alpha with the astonishing golden eyes.

Akela was stood there waiting. The moments passed. She waited. She felt hollow. Numb. As if her fate was dependent on the flames a few meters in front of her.

Sam burst out of the smoke just as the doorway collapsed. He looked at Akela first before nodding at Ezekiel.

Ezekiel nodded back before leading Kira to a fallen log where she could sit with her son. He placed a drink in her hand and the bag of baby clothes next to her before he walked over to Akela. She was unable to speak, unable to breathe.

"He'll be safe," Ezekiel whispered, but Akela felt numb.
And guilty for not sitting with her sister.
Guilty for her mind wandering to one of the two men, not both.

Kira hadn't shown a preference. Or if she did she hadn't expressed it. Akela shot her sister a look. Helios had fallen asleep, exhausted from his crying in the burning room.

"He's unharmed. Just frightened," Kira smiled with red rimmed eyes.

Akela nodded, her eyes filling. Her heart was so full up. She had her sister back. She would never be apart from her again. And that was the one ray of sunshine right now because somewhere in those flames, were both their mates, and Akela still didn't know who Kira was made for.

One man had her own heart pounding in fear that she would never see him. Tears threatened at the thought of never talking to him again, never hearing his odd breathy laugh and seeing the unique smile.

Kira stood, with Helios safely clutched in her arms and went over to Akela. Gently she rested her forehead on her sister's.

"You're not taking him from me, Aki. I know you want me to choose, but your heart already made your choice," Kira whispered.

Akela's breath released in a sore sob her eyes were tightly closed. She couldn't look at Kira.

"Trust me. He doesn't even want me, Aki. Zion is yours. Only yours," Kira whispered and Akela opened her eyes to see a soft smile.

"But you'll need someone kind, and patient, and..." she shook her head.

"And let you take Abel? No way!" Kira grinned.

Akela stared at her for a few seconds, speechless.

"I feel it too, Aki. The pull and fear of the two in there. But I hear one man's heartbeat stronger than the other. I feel him thinking of me. Abel is mine, Akela," Kira said.

"They have been in there for so long," Akela shook her head.

Just then, When she thought all hope was out, two men emerged from the burning wood wreckage. One was supported by the other.

Akela's eyes filled with tears.

"Zion!" She breathed.

He lifted his eyes from his injured brother briefly before dragging Abel over to where Sam and Felix could check him over.
Once Abel was safely placed on the ground by the camp fire, Zion lifted his eyes towards Akela again.

His wolf face was serious as he looked between Akela and Abel, unsure if he was needed as a medic or if he could follow the beat of his heart.
Her eyes had still not left him.

"Zion," she said a bit louder, her voice breaking with emotions and he looked at her again.
Ezekiel came over with a bottle of water for Abel, which had Zion looking between his brother, Kira and Akela.
There was an insecure look in his eyes that had her taking the few steps over towards him.
As if his feet moved on their own, he staggered over to meet her halfway.

"You're safe," she whispered and leant her face into his shirt, breathing in the scent of him mixed with smoke and revelling in the way he wrapped his arms tight around her.

"I heard your heart..." Zion said quietly.

"I was so scared of losing you!" She said, her nose moving towards the crook of his neck.

His nose found her neck, sniffing behind her ear. Under her hand, his heart was pounding as he picked up on her emotions, understanding what she was feeling.
His embrace tightened in awe.
He closed his eyes and let his nose sniff along her neck down to the matingspot. Akela twisted her neck to grant him access, unconsciously signalling to the pack that she chose him.

Somewhere behind his back, she sensed her sister's hesitation and Abel's confusion. She looked up to see a serious look on Abel's face before he gave a brief nod. On his next slow exhale, Akela felt the connection with Abel fade to a family bond.

Zion was looking between Abel and Akela with a confused and worried look on his face. Abel gave him a brief nod, they exchanged a quick mindlink and Abel gave a brief dirty grin that had Zion looking momentarily embarassed.

Akela took his hand, returning his attention to herself.

He stared at her seriously. Their hands wove together as Akela drowned in those bronze eyes.

"Are you sure?" He asked eventually. The feeling of doubt and worry was evident.

"I thought you were gone. And I couldn't see my future without you," she admitted.

"And not Abel?" Zion asked.

Akela shook her head.

"You're mine Zion. Abel is made for Kira," she whispered.

His weird doggie smile spread across his face causing a weird mix of elation and fear to rise in her middle.

Behind him the last supporting rafters of the cabin gave in and the structure crashed into the ground, momentarily flaming up before settling into a pile of embers.

"Mine? My mate?" Zion whispered.

Akela nodded.

Not caring about the people around them, Zion burst into tears while his tongue submissively licked along her jaw.

"You're mine?" He whispered softly and clutched her into another tight hug.

"I'm made for you, Zion! I can't ignore it. I love you so much!" She whispered back.

"But?" He asked, sensing her hesitation.

"Kira? I swear if you're hers, she can have you... but I don't want you to be hers. I want you to be mine," Akela replied through a series of sobs.

"My Akela. My beautiful mate. I will never let you doubt that I belong to you," Zion mumbled into her ear.

Akela looked at him, and just as she decided to let go of her doubt, the rest of the barriers between them came crashing down and it felt like an invisible bubble surrounded them. Just them.

Every closed connection opened and Akela's breath caught again as Zion revealed exactly how deep his feelings for her went. She had been on his mind practically every second since she first stumbled into their territory. How he had raged and cried for her when he was told what she had been through. And his utter devotion to making her feel safe again.

She buried her face in his chest and inhaled the scent that would be part of her for the rest of her life.
In her hair she heard a very human sniff as he was trying to hold back everything he was feeling.

"I love you," he whispered softly.

She only clutched him closer, letting him know that he already had her trust.

"I've never been so happy before in my entire life," he laughed quietly and straightened to wipe a few tears.

"Well. If that was not a connection sealed..." Sam commented dryly.

To the side Kira was grinning.

"So beautiful... have they always been this obvious?" she asked.

Abel looked at her with a nod.

"Yeah..." he said quietly.

Kira raised an eyebrow.

"Look! Babe! I didn't know you would be the hot one!" Abel grinned cockily.

Zion smiled at Akela before quickly licking a few stray tears off her cheeks.

"I promise... only happy tears!" He said.

"That sounds like a good promise," Akela replied in a thick voice somehow foreign to herself.

"Damn it. I stink. I'm dirty..... but I've never been so happy!" He grinned.

"You don't stink..." Akela smiled.

"Good," he whispered and rubbed his nose on hers.

Almost without thinking, Akela tilted her face up and let her lips touch his. It wasn't a conventional kiss, but she could practically see the sparks that zapped between them at the brief touch.

"I'm sorry, Zion," she whispered.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," he smiled and licked her top lip in a puppylike manner.

"And if we let those two be alone for a few minutes, you little dude will have a cousin before we know it," Abel chuckled with a smirk at the sleeping Helios before he lifted his face to look at Kira.

"Oh screw it!" Kira muttered and leaned over to kiss him.

Akela looked over to see the absolute confusion spread across Abel's face before he shook his head in absolute awe.

"You're... mine? For real?" he asked in total confusion.

Kira rolled her eyes before giving him a smile.

"I don't think my sister wants to share Zion..." She grinned.

"Nope. Not happening! Mine!" Abel growled and grabbed Kira into a tight hug with Helios between them.