Jason had essentially dragged me into his office, disallowed Noah from joining, and is now standing against his desk as I stand by the door, his arms crossed over his chest. A small smile formed on my lips as I mimicked his stance.

"Talia, I hope you realize what you have done out there," he grinds out, a slight growl in his words. Oh shit, he's pissed. This is going to be fun, then.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Jason, seeing as how Noah and I simply joined in on the training and a small bit of fire had happened," my smile widens as I take a few cautious steps towards him. "Seeing as how you can't control everything, why not give me a bit of space to get some things sorted? Or, maybe, you should stop getting so pissy about things that involve me? Both options sound pretty good to me, you know."

"You are as frustrating as you were before you met that dragon," he spits out.

"You know it, Love," I say with a wink, my smile widening more. It is fun to piss him off right now, even if I'm trying to hide the fact that I scared even myself out there, and the fact that I have literal scars on my hand from a small incident like that.

He mutters something before grabbing a file from a desk drawer, the vanilla envelope thick with papers. He simply tosses it to me and exits the office, his distaste for me evident in his very being. I stand there, reviling in the knowledge that my mere presence can upset such a pathetic man... was he never taught how to use proper manners when conversing, or even interacting, with someone with the same status as him? Not many know, very few actually, that Noah and I have been sending out invitations to outcast creatures around the world. We plan on creating our pack and welcoming others who have been banished or lost for so long into a home that we call our own on a piece of land protected by my dear friend Tronis, who is an Ent.

An Ent is a type of tree spirit, they usually tend to and protect vast forests and plains, but no human has seen one in over a hundred years. I met Tronis after my banishment, traveling with Noah and an infant Persephone, and he was kind enough to let us spend a few nights in his home: a giant sequoia that had been naturally hollowed out and then claimed by the Ent.

Glancing through the file, pulling out some papers and leaving others, I spy images and medical reports. The reports detail experiments using different serums and torture techniques... as well as different spells magic runes and rituals. The ages on every report were that of a child between the ages of a year and nine, and each one was signed off by the same medical examiner. The signature was illegible, but there was no mistaking it was the same one on each report. The photos on the other hand...

Before I could take a close look at them, Henry came in with a plate of fruit and another of different meats and cheeses.

"Figured you would like a snack, Ms Fire Queen," he says as he places both plates down in front of me, the random nickname caused a light chuckle from us both.

"You didn't need to bring me a snack, Hen," I tell him, popping a strawberry in my mouth. Sweet, tart, and juicy. I eat a few more as he leaves, a smile on his face. Henry's always been a nice guy, and he can be very serious when he needs to be, which mostly happens when someone threatens Sage.

While slowly eating the fruits, cheese, and meats that Henry gave me, I took a close look at the photos. Most of them are highly blurry or not very good quality whatsoever, but one of them shows a clear image of a gathering of possibly hundreds of people, all wearing black cloaks that have the symbol of Cyrial on the back and front of each cloak. A diamond shaped above a "Y" with two lines going through the center. This is a file of what has been happening at the cult of Cyrial... The Children of Death. Original name, I know.

Quickly and carefully, I shove the photos and reports back into the file folder and close it up tight, ice slowly forming on the desk's surface. How did Jason get this? Could he be working with the cult? Fuck... if that bastard is working with that fucked up cult, I will end his miserable fucking life.

Letting out a long breath, I stand and head to the door while holding the file, clutching it close to my chest as I barrel through the door. On the other side is an empty hallway, and I choose to go left, nearly running down the halls and searching for Alua and Noah. I need them both to help me find others, like my dear friends from my past, to help in the training, in the searching, and in the ending of this awful cult that has stolen more than just my children... but the children of many, many other families. Tronis and many others, like the couple that had helped me heal and who had truly raised me before I met Jason and his pack. I don't want to trust hunters, let alone that one man who used so many of us, but they would agree that torturing children is wrong and that they should be stopped no matter the cost.

Turning a corner, I'm met with Autumn and Delta, they speak in low tones while Tobias and Alua are on the other end of the hall. I catch a small snippet of their conversation before they stop talking abruptly and hurry through a doorway, into what I assume is a bedroom. They were talking about what had occurred earlier, outside while we were all training... who cares, anyway? A bit of fire, all be it blue and the hottest type of fire one could create other than white, and a burnt hand isn't the type of thing that I would worry about them discussing. When the couple down the hall notices that I'm coming their way, they make space for me to pass and continue their conversation about what they will eat for dinner tonight. Pretty simple choice: chicken marinara with ravioli. Homemade from scratch.

I make it to the main entrance and see Noah being pestered by Julia, his back to a wall and her hands resting on his chest. Dropping the file on the ground, I storm up to them and yank her back by the hair, nearly ripping it clean from her scalp.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing, you fucking tramp?!" I scream in her face, my grip on her hair not letting go as I feel my palms heat up.

"Fuck! Are you crazy?!" She yells out, trying to get my hand to let go of her brown hair, the smell of burnt hair now emanating from where I'm gripping.

Throwing her to the ground, via her hair, I start brutally kicking her in the side, both causing her harm and getting some anger out. I know it's not good to hurt others, but the look of discomfort and genuine fear on Noah's face when she was so close to his, as though she was trying to kiss him. No fucking way. She first got me removed from a family that loved me, got me banished with my unborn daughter, tried to harass me for months afterward with letters and cruel gifts, and now she tried to take my husband while she had that no-good Alpha wrapped around her wicked little finger. Fuck that. Fuck her.

I hear Noah telling me to stop, he tries to pull me off her, but I won't budge. I am seriously about to kill this woman for trying to seduce a man that is not hers to have.

Once my leg is tired from kicking, I give her a small break to take a break, then pin her down and start pounding her face in, most definitely breaking her nose again and maybe a few other bones and bits of her face. More and more heat forms in my palms as I punch her, over and over again, before it gives way to icy fury. As cold as that torturous night, as cold as her soul and heart, as cold as the icicles I call to form in my palms whenever I need to do hand-to-hand combat. I allow one to form in my right palm, the immense cold soaking into the scar that covers half of my hand, and plunge it into her shoulder, causing her to scream out in pure pain. Deep red blood swells up and spills down her shoulder, a pool of it quickly forming under her, and I hear a deep growl coming from my left, which is where I came from. Glancing over, I spy Jason and Henry standing there, and the room begins to chill.

I stand up, pick up the file with blood-soaked hands, and grip Noah's arm while pulling him out through the bunker entrance. Alua knows how to find me, she always has been able to, so I just need to find others to help end the cult. I can't trust Jason and a majority of his messed up pack, most of them being too loyal to him to even blink an eye when he hits or yells at someone for simply saying something wrong. If I were to have done that stunt while an actual part of his pack, I would've been publicly whipped for it and then locked in a cell for a long while. I have seen him do similar, and worse, things to others for fewer infractions, so I wouldn't put it past him to do it to me and my family. This is why I need to find my friends, all of them strewn across the world and most of them hidden from humans.

Tronis, the Ent that had helped us all those years ago, will be a vital piece of my plan. He can grow and age, as well as control, all plants. Being a tree spirit has its pros and cons since he has to protect a soul tree that is essentially like a child to him. Alan Joseph, a light user and fellow white wolf, has powerfully healing magic that will help us if we were to be seriously injured during any major fights. I met him when I met Noah, the two of them as thick as thieves and like brothers. Then there is the woman that I had once called my sister: Faye Darkrose. She's a powerful witch but uses her potions and spells mostly to help her father keep his hunting guild in line. It was her family, her father and mother, that had raised me until I was thirteen, which was when I met Jason and his pack. I owe them for everything they had done for me as a child, but only Faye will get my invitation to assist since her mother is long dead and her father is a frail old man who isn't worth anything more than a handshake.

If we find others to help while on the way to their homes, I will gladly recruit every person who wishes to assist us, no matter how strong they are. I could make a few calls when we get home and start packing, just to see if some other people would be willing to meet us at specific locations while on our search.

I relay several ideas to Noah, who chuckles and agrees with me on adding Alan to our team. If they get into a brawl immediately, I will ground them both to corners and not let them socialize again until they promise to behave like grown men should. Tronis could maybe help tie them up with vines, or I could find some chains...

We get into a random car that sits in the lot, it being a 1969 Dodge Charger, the coloring being a gunmetal silver and Noah has a ridiculously happy smile on his face as he hotwires it and pulls it into gear. Then we're off down the road, him laughing like a manic at how well the car drives, and me praying to the Gods that he doesn't kill us.

Several miles down the road, maybe roughly fifty or so, Noah pulls us into a small diner parking lot and parks the car. After parking and turning the engine off, he looks at me, sadness and anger mixing in his heterochromatic eyes.

"I know what she was trying to do, and I know that was what broke the camel's back, Tal, but you nearly killed a person," He sighs and runs a hand down his face, then closes his eyes and leans his head back against the headrest of his seat.

"I'm aware of what I nearly did, Noah..." I trail off, wringing my hands together and looking down at my lap. "At that moment, I wanted to watch the light drain from her eyes and feel her life slip away between my fingers."

He gives me a small smile, "You have always been the only woman that I love, and will always be."

"How about we go into that diner and get something other than snacks to eat?" I offer up and he nods in agreement, both of us exiting the car and walking to the door of the diner.

A cute little family diner, like a mom-and-pop type. Walking inside, the scent of freshly made pancakes and bacon greets my nose and makes my mouth water. A kind hostess seated us at a corner booth in the back, her eyes lingered longer than they should have on Noah, but she gave us menus and took our drink orders: a black coffee and a glass of raspberry lemonade. Every time there is lemonade on the menu, I have to order it.

After a bit of deliberating, we place our orders and talk about the plans moving forward. We will send out invitations to those who are counted as outcasts, much like us, and we will use our current home as a base for the meantime. The people we will for sure invite are Tronis, Faye, and Alan, and while we wait for them to come with other outcast types, we will find a way to infiltrate the Children of Death and save the children they have taken,

We will save my daughter and son, as well as Rose and all other children that they have taken from us.