The forest was silent as they all stood at the mouth of the cave, staring into darkness once again. Faint wailing could be heard from inside but none of the wolves knew how to respond.

They had followed Artemis' scent all through the base, through the tunnels and then the forest until they finally reached the cave. The second scent, the one that they had presumed to be Alpha Eaton's was much more prominent now than it had been before. However, the air seemed to be electrified with many more scents but these weren't intensified as the first two.

These weren't as...alive which was very worrying.

The fact that Artemis' scent was still sizzling with life was the only reassurance that the group of wolves had that she was alive, albeit it was very faint which was also worrying.

Either way they were immensely worried and could have probably done with more back up so support them, but it had been hours since everybody had left. They were all probably back at the Lupine Woodland pack so even if they were to call for help, it wouldn't be until much later until their reinforcement arrived.

Plus, Sol doubted that Alpha Brandon would offer to help them, especially since Artemis was the one that needed their help.

Sol vowed to never forget Alpha Brandon and the way he had treated them in their time of need and desperation.

Due to the occasional, faint grunts that they could just about make out from deep within the cave, the wolves all moved back and resulted to whispers in fear of being caught before it had even begun.

"Artemis has to be in there," Sienna, her mother started off, attempting to stay strong as she gestured towards the cave. "We need to go in and save her."

Everyone one nodded. None of them even considered the thought of leaving her behind.

Sol stepped forward, his chin raised in determination. "I'm going to head in," he announced, not leaving any room for argument.

"But Alpha," one of the warriors started, not too thrilled that an Alpha -even one without a pack- would be heading into a cave without the slightest idea of what to expect. To say that fear ran through the warrior's body would be an understatement, though he firmly believed that no man was to be left behind. When he noticed that Sol wouldn't be stepping down or backing away from his decision any time soon, he stepped forward and flanked his side. "I'll go with you."

Sol nodded in respect and stared at the others. It would be stupid for him to go in alone and him potentially getting hurt just because he had made a stupid, rash decision wouldn't help Artemis in any way.

Apollo didn't hesitate to join the group that would go in to rescue his sister. He vowed that as a brother, he would never allow anything to happen to her ever again.

All of the warriors volunteered to go into the cave with the young Alpha but Sol refused them all. Accepting a few more to join him, he instructed the others to stand guard outside of the cave to make sure that they wouldn't be attacked from behind. It was voiced aloud that if they weren't to return within the first fifteen minutes or if it sounded like they needed help then the warriors were to rush into the cave and join them. It also gave them the element of surprise as the corrupt Alpha Eaton would not expect there to be more wolves waiting outside.

Liam and Sienna had also stepped forward, but Apollo had ushered them to the side. They spoke amongst themselves for a few minutes in hushed whispers despite the whole being able to hear with their enhanced supernatural hearing, but out of respect, no one commented on it. When they were done and had returned back to the group, Liam held Sienna in his arms as she cried softly into his chest.

Neither of them said anything else as the small group headed into the cave, Sol and Apollo standing beside each other as they led the six warriors that had volunteered to join them.

The other stood outside, waiting for the signal.

Five minutes past and the wolves were still walking deeper inside the cave. Their enhanced werewolf vision was the only thing that led the way since darkness consumed the inside of the cave. That, and the occasional grunting ensured that they were going the right way.

Just like the tunnel they had found under the human base, this cave also surprised them though none of them had an exceeding amount of time to dwell on the thought.

Sol quirked his eyebrow in confusion and turned to glance at Apollo whom was already looking at him. He could feel that the warriors had tensed up behind him too as they all looked forward at the small light that seemed to be resonating from deeper within the cave.

The haunting grunting and growling were also getting alarmingly louder. The sound bounced off the walls of the hollow cave as it reached their ears.

Sol paused and turned around, facing and every one of the brave warriors. They had all put their life on stake for a girl whom none of them knew very well. They had risked their lives and Sol couldn't ask anything more from them. Staring each and every one of them in the eyes, he offered them a chance to turn back and walk out of the cave, a higher chance of survival.

But none of them turned back and none of them faltered.

They all stood straight and returned his eye contact, holding themselves higher, waiting for his next order.

Apollo noticed this too but didn't comment on it.

Sol nodded his head in respect to all of them, his eyes sweeping over their faces one more time. "I will never forget the sacrifices you have made today." He promised them before turning around, his eyes once again landing on the faint light that flickered, but grew stronger in both size and saturation the closer they walked to it.

Unfortunately, that also meant that they were getting closer to the beast; Alpha Eaton.

After another minute of trekking across the rocky ground of the cave, they came to a stop once their eyes landed on the Alpha in question.

The light came from the multiple candles that hung from the walls of the cave, each of them lit with the fire no doubt from the great, roaring fire that burned in the middle of the clearing.

They must have reached the end of the cave as multiple bodies lay against it, all unconscious; almost lifeless.

All but one.

Alpha Eaton crouched over a male figure on the ground, his mouth feasting on the boy's blood, drinking in his blood, his mouth attached to the pale, dainty wrist. Once he was done drinking the blood, he grunted before lifting the lifeless body of the boy -who couldn't be more than sixteen- by the neck. With a simple flick of his wrist, he threw the boy into the fire.

His charcoal black eyes spiked with sadistic happiness as he watched the body blow up in flames.

Sol's eyes struck with horror as his eyes swept across the ground, searching for Artemis. Momentary relief washed over him as he found her laying on the ground though that didn't last long as he took note of how still her chest was along with the close proximity of her to the deranged Alpha.

It appeared that she was next on the menu.

When the beast was content with feasting on the trickles of blood that had pooled on the floor where the body had previously been, he wiped his hand on his bare arm before his snapped up, his lips curling into a hysterically deranged smile to reveal his sharp, his mouth lined with daggered teeth that were too sharp to be that of an ordinary wolf's. His eyes gleamed in hunger as his eyes ran over the small group of ordinary werewolves that had come to greet him, though his eyes did run up and down appreciatively when they landed on the young Alpha.

He would be a pleasant snack.

Fear stroked Sol's palpitating heart as he willed for Artemis' chest to rise up and down, but she remained unmoving, almost as lifeless as the previous wolf had been before he had been thrown into the fire to burn.

He did not wish the same fate for her.

Alpha Eaton pushed himself back so he was sat on his bottom on the floor, his knees bent. Leaning his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward and squinted at the wolves almost as if he was inspecting them. "I have to give you some credit," his voice grainy, his words strained as he spoke, almost as if he was struggling to get the words out. But the struggle didn't show on his face as he bared his teeth at them menacingly, throwing his head back and chuckling insanely to himself as if he had just heard the funniest joke of all time. "I didn't think you would be able to find me."

Sol growled in anger and stepped forward, but his foot froze in mid-air, preventing him from moving any closer when he saw the Alpha's hand inch closer to Artemis' lifeless body. The young Alpha's body burned with anger as he stepped back but Eaton's hand circled around Artemis' wrist. He gritted his teeth and swallowed his words when he yanked Artemis closer to him, dragging her body against the rough ground, no doubt tearing her back in the process.

Sol held out his arm in front of Apollo whom was struggling to stay put just as much as him. "Don't," he whispered to his fellow wolf and shook his head.

Apollo nodded but the conflict showed in his eyes.

Eaton merely smirked and let go of Artemis' wrist, letting it fall to the ground, bouncing off a rock before it fell just above her head in an awkward angle. Sol just hoped that she wouldn't feel the sharp pain with being manhandled in such a negligent way but more than that, he hoped that she was still alive.

Her scent indicated that she still was but seeing her this up close, unmoving and seemingly unbreathing, his mind played games on him.

"Tell me, how many years did it take to figure out that it was me behind this whole thing?" He gloated, wanting to heart it from the other Alpha's mouth. The satisfaction to hear someone else say it would be too great.

Sol growled but stopped immediately when he threatened him with Artemis once again.

An evil glint shined in his eyes as he stared back at the young Alpha. "You've got quite a temper, haven't you?"

Sol ground his teeth to stop himself for saying something that would put Artemis in further danger. "Let them go." He commanded the man -if you could even still call him a man- his Alpha power seeping into his words.

The wolves behind him, including Apollo all shuddered in fear at Sol's loud, thundering words, the anger in his voice just making this worse but Alpha Eaton didn't even react.

He just licked some more of the blood off of his lips.

"She means something to you, doesn't she?"

Sol didn't value that question with a response.

"She's a beautiful creature," he smiled wickedly as his eyes ran over her body, lingering on the vein that he could see on her wrist. "She's actually one of my favourites."

Apollo growled, his eyes blazing with anger with the way the man was speaking about his sister. "Let my sister go!"

The Alpha merely chuckled. "Sister?" He questioned aloud, his eyes raking over Apollo's face. "Yes, you must be Apollo Haven, twin of Apollo Haven." When no one bothered to confirm his belief, he took that as a yes. "How does it feel to know that your sister, your younger and smaller sister is more powerful than you can ever be?"

Apollo's jaw tightened and tensed as he glared daggers at the man, not because of what he was saying but rather what he had done to his sister and a number of other wolves.

"I chose Artemis for a reason, you know."

"What do you mean?" Sol found himself asking, not too sure if he even wanted to know the answer to his question.

"What?" The Alpha grunted, his body spasming slightly as he laughed. "You thought she was taken at random?"

Sol found himself nodding his head. "You have to give me some more credit than that." He scoffed, licking the blood off of his fingers as if he had just enjoyed a boisterous Sunday roast. "We studied the pups for weeks, planning the attack and the ones that we wanted to take."

And in typical evil villain style, Alpha Eaton bragged about his master plan and how he had managed to succeed at it without even the slightest suspicion, let alone being detected.

"It all started off with wiping out your pack," he grinned menacingly as he bared his teeth at Sol. "A few of the pups were taken though you weren't one of them because them stupid humans couldn't locate you. But that raised too much suspicion so we changed our tactics fairly quickly."

"Her pack was next," Eaton nudged at Artemis' head, gesturing towards her as his fingers trailed over the vein in her neck.

Sol didn't know what to do but he hoped to keep the Alpha talking for as long as possible. Hopefully by then, the wolves outside would venture into the cave and join them as reinforcement. But for now, the longer he kept the man speaking, the higher the chances were of saving Artemis and all of the others whom appeared to be in the same unconscious, lifeless state as her.

"From that pack, she was the only one strong enough to survive. The others all died as soon as the first injection was administered to them."

"What kind of injection?"

"The one that keeps them in their wolf forms."

"But they were only pups!" One of the warriors from behind him roared.

"Exactly why very few survived but the ones that did, were strong. Just what we were looking for."

Another warrior stepped forward, disgust and hatred shining in his eyes followed by sorrow as his eyes raked over the multitude of lifeless bodies that were gathered at the back of the cave. "How could you do that to your own people?"

Eaton scoffed. "Surely you must realise that I don't care about my people."

"Your pack will be facing trial. Most of them will probably be given the death penalty for treason."

The man -if he could still be called that- merely shrugged before he turned to face the female that was lying on the ground a little away from him. It had been a little while since he had, had some blood. She would do quite nicely as a snack right now as he entertained these wolves for a little longer.

Dragging her towards him by the strands of her, he smirked and looked up as a number of wolves growled and bared their teeth, Sol and Apollo being the most resilient from all of them. But he couldn't bring himself to care as he laid her body on the ground in front of him.

She lay at his feet, unconscious and unaware of the fate that he had destined for her.

None of these wolves would be able to stop him. The few seconds that it would take for them to reach him, he would be able to sink his teeth into her neck and then it would be too late for any chance of survival.

They wouldn't risk her life, especially not the young Alpha that was clearly in love with the very essence of her.

"I don't care about my pack." He spat at them as his eyes trailed over the veins that were visible in her neck from where he was looming over her.

This one, A1, or Artemis as these wolves seemed to know her would always be special to him. She was the first wolf that he and the humans were able to capture that actually survived the forced transition into her wolf at the ripe young age of six. She was the one that had put their plan in motion.

Artemis was the beacon of hope and light for all the humans and him as she had put their plan in motion. And to think that she was only a pup when it had all started.

It was such a shame to dishonour her in this way, to kill her with all the other wolves as if she meant nothing, as if she wasn't the greatest success of his evil, twisted plan for world domination, but it had to be done. They were in the final sentences of the story now and all the humans had been wiped out. She clearly meant a lot to the wolves standing in front of them, all of them determined to save her. Leaving her alive, albeit on the verge of death was taking testing the waters to a whole new level.

He didn't want to kill her this way and so soon, but the longer she lived now, the greater the threat of his plan failing at the last hurdle. If he killed her now, all of them would be too grief stricken to attack him, to end up. They would all be too preoccupied with checking her for a pulse and trying to bring her back alive, and that would be a great opportunity for him to either kill them all or make his great escape. Either way, he would succeed.

Alpha Eaton was too powerful now.

The pups they had captured were merely pawns in the war they were planning but as well as that, they were lab rats. Whenever the humans worked on something new, it would be tested on them first to check the effects of it. If they were positive then he would test it on himself, only strengthening himself.

And if they didn't work, well, he didn't plan to add himself to the body count that hung over their head, not that anyone but the wolves in question actually cared about.

"What do you want?" Sol roared, his voice thundering through the walls of the cave. He just hoped that his voice would project far enough for the wolves standing guard outside the cave would be able to hear. "What is the whole point of this? Why do you want to wipe out the werewolf nation?"

Eaton chuckled darkly which just angered Solomon even further. "This isn't a nation. You're just animals that have been given the ability to transform between human and wolf. It's disgusting!"

"How can you find it disgusting when you're a werewolf yourself? And an Alpha at that."

"Don't you dare put me in the same, low class as yourself. I am not a werewolf." He spat that last word in disgust, his mouth turned down into a deep scowl at the insult.

Sol quirked his eyebrows in confusion. Alpha Eaton had gone crazy, absolutely insane.

"Of course, you're a werewolf, just like the rest of us."

"I am not like you!" He stabbed his finger in the air, his anger directed towards Sol. "I have never been like you and will never be like you. I am not a werewolf!"

"Have you taken a look in the mirror?"

Sol was really started to touch a nerve here, but he must have taken too long. The wolves watched in horror as he reached behind him and produced a syringe filled with a yellow liquid they couldn't name.

"This is the last time you will insult me!" He growled at the young Alpha as he held the syringe over the lifeless female lying on the ground at his feet, having temporarily forgotten about her as he defended his honour. "Were wolves are absolute scum. I am not one of you! Phasing between wolf and human is unnatural, it is wrong. Not having control of your own body and thoughts is not normal. It shouldn't be allowed!"

Artemis opened her eyes and blinked, her eyes bleary but her vision started to clear very soon. The voices sounded across the room she was in, though she very quickly realised that it was a cave as he her eyes trailed over the jagged roof of it.

She was being held by someone whom she didn't recognise.

None of the wolves in the room had realised that she had woken up for her heartbeat was still faint, barely there.

She didn't dare move as she looked up at the man that was threatening to end her life. Her being in his arms was the middle between life and death, and she didn't appreciate that.

The tip of the syringe that looked over her neck glinted as the light of the fire hit it.

None of the wolves, including both of the Alpha's had time to react as Artemis reached out and grabbed the needed from Eaton's hand. He hadn't anticipated Artemis waking up so soon, but he had clearly underestimated the amount of concoction he had pumped into her system for she wasn't supposed to wake up for another couple of hours.

Alpha Eaton didn't even have time to spurt out his last words as Artemis jammed the syringe and the liquid inside of it just under his skin.

She watched as his eyes rolled back in his head before his body slumped over hers, entrapping her as the life escaped him.

Hopefully she would wake up and this would all turn out to be just a bad dream.

-

You can read the rest of the book for FREE on Inkitt! Just search 'Solomon [COMPLETE]' or use this link: https://inkitt.app.link/RA__illuminating_

Support me to read chapters from Beating Hearts and Alejandro before they're released to anywhere else! https://www.patreon.com/LaylaKnight

Both links can also be found on my Wattpad profile.

Layla Knight

08.10.18