***Darius POV***

We have been watching periodically for two years. What little we witnessed, it was too much. Every time, we only observed the small seven year old green eyed angel. We were not allowed to take action, we were not allowed to intervene.

While we were unable to gather any solid physical evidence, the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming. We kept files and updated data with every stake out. I kept in constant contact with Persephone.

I refrained from physically accompanying my men during most trips. My anger and disgust made me worthless. I couldn't think about what might be happening to Aubrey. Being in the same vicinity, breathing the same air she may have expelled, too much. I knew my behavior was becoming erratic.

The newest update was not helping my resolve.

Ethan, my Gamma, came in to brief me on the results of his latest surveillance:

"Alpha" he greeted me.

"Take a seat Ethan." I demanded.

"If you don't mind, I would like to stand." He mumbled.

"Suit yourself!" I agreed.

"What happened?" I questioned Ethan.

"I can't say for sure. It would be more speculation than fact." He admitted.

"Then speculate and give me the facts you do have." I commanded.

"Aubrey was sleeping. She was in the room she shares with her older sister. The door was closed but, unlocked. I saw the man from your vision, watching from outside the door. He had cracked it open silently enough that even I didn't catch it. He had a predatory glint in his eye. He walked over to Aubrey and picked her up. Cradling her body against his chest in a bridal hold, he carried her out of the room and closed the door." Ethan spoke with such fear.

"What happened?" I roared.

"I don't know. I went around the house but, all the windows were blocked by black material. I had no idea what part of the house they were in. I went back to her bedroom, waiting for her to return. It seemed so long, she was gone.
After, forever, the man returned. He carried Aubrey, who may or may not have been sleeping, back to her bed, in the dark. He laid her back down and slipped out of the room without pause." Ethan said.

He was on the verge of puking at this point. I saw his stomach knotting and flinching. He knows something and he was keeping it from me.

"Ethan?" I announced in question.

"Yes Alpha?" He replied.

"Look at me, in my eyes, and do not say a word until I am finished." I spoke menacingly. Hoping to get the rest of the story.

Ethan snapped his head up and locked eyes with me. He gulped so hard that his Adam's Apple was prominently caressing his throat.

"You will fucking tell me what you know. You will not hide it from me. You will not protect me. I want to know what the fuck is making your stomach coil. Spit-it-out-NOW." I roared with absolute authority.

Ethan, lowered his head. I could smell the salty tears licking his skin. He placed his head in his hands. He rubbed roughly over his face with his calloused hands. He then grabbed at his hair in distraught frustration.

"HER SCENT!" He screamed.

My body locked. My hands shook. My spine was ram rod straight as my head snapped into position. My eyes started burning iridescent as Ultor pressed for control.

"What about her scent?" I asked thru gritted teeth.

"She smelled like fear. Her scent was mixed with tears and a faint hint of male sweat and pheromones." Ethan wretched out.

And that, my dears, is how I landed outside my third floor office. With glass shards glistening against Ultors fur.

I ran. I ran and continued to run. I howled into the night air. I hit every obstacle in my path without bothering to dodge. Trees split and fell with thundering power on to the forest floor.

Ultor pushed harder than I had ever seen him. He ran with the strength of the beast he was. He whined while I watched from the back of his mind. His whimpers sent waves of anguish rippling thru my mind.

We ran until we were exhausted physically. Mentally we couldn't be more depleted. How are we to continue doing nothing? When will she be safe? Why can't we save her?

I knew I couldn't ask the Council of Judgement. I was given orders and I was to strictly follow them. But, that didn't stop the sickening feeling from assaulting me at every stop along the path. Aubrey had become my obsession.

After that sleepless night, I found my life harder to lead than before. My heart cried out for knowledge of Aubrey. Whatever hold this child had on the world, it had latched on to me with a vengeance.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I'm not sure how far my boundaries stretched. I wasn't sure how much more I could do without intervening with the hands of fate. All I knew is, it was time to do something. As an angel of judgement, I had the power to do much. As a protector of Aubrey, my hands were  essentially tied.

Rules may not have been meant to be broken, but we all know they can be manipulated. So, I chose to do just that! Maybe a small amount of "encouragement" would be all it took to set the ball in motion. I was ready to free Aubrey from her personal hell.

Secretly, I planned. I used Jackson as my measure of conscience. He eagerly obliged. We thought out routes to take and he adamantly shunned me when he felt I was walking a tight line between encouraging and interfering. He spent countless hours trying to persuade me to go to the Council. I slowly started contemplating it myself.

Once we came to a small agreement, I chose to do just that. I decided the time was far past now to discuss my options with my creators. I needed to have peace when I knew I was bringing calamity.

After our last meeting, Jackson volunteered to take on my Alpha duties while I embraced my title as "The Punisher". I needed to catch up on the lives I had slid to the back of my to-do-list. In reality, I was going to dull out harsher punishments to quicken the timeline until the meeting with the Council.

I spent the next few weeks purging the human realm of some of the most sadistic and corrupt demons I had ever encountered. Their actions put Hitler to shame. Their punishments paled in comparison to their crimes. There is only so much you can do to the blackened hearts of deaths henchman.

Murderers, rapists, human poachers, molesters and more were sentenced to my harsh punishments. I got so exhausted by their numbers, I began to sloppily dispose of their bodies. Their ultimate judgement brought upon them by the media. I left trails of their crimes to the carcasses. Exposed them to those who were oblivious of their nature.

Others, I tortured slowly. I found sick pleasure in dragging out their fear. I strung them up like the vile creatures they were. I laid blow upon blow to their sensitive flesh. I expelled their organs from their body and fed the monsters of the sea their corrupt forms.

Some I had mercy upon, quickly extinguishing their pleas for help. I refused to tear them apart with my canines. I refused to let their toxic blood touch my angel lips. While I was a murderer, it was only to those who did not deserve to live. Not once did I feel remorse. I felt satisfied for the victims they would never again have.

My unleashed wrath spanned all seven continents. Not one city, town or incorporation was left unscathed. Clergyman, priests, teachers, businessman, politicians; they all felt the fever of my torment. I reigned down the hell I felt in my soul.

When I felt a millimeter of relief, I finally took my leave of the human realm. I returned to my home. I washed the sins of my actions away with the scalding water of my shower head. I laid my body down upon my bed and let sleep over take me.

>>>>>>>>>>>

Time was so different in the werewolf realm. The three weeks I was in the human world seemed so long, while at home only mere days had passed. I was mentally and emotionally drained. However, my executioner's trip had succeeded in distracting me from the Council meeting.

A few more days and I would go to the Heavens to discuss my options for rescuing Aubrey. I doubt they will be pleased but, I'm hoping they will do something, anything to ease my growing torment. Maybe they know more than they are letting on. Maybe she isn't as troubled as our missions have lead us to believe, at least that's what I keep hoping for.

In the mean time, doing nothing gets tiring. So, training it is.

I met my pack on the training grounds. A huge field lay to the right of our pack house where all pack members could exercise their physical, mental and even spiritual forms. I'm definitely more into the physical elements.

Warming up with a 12 mile jog, I got my muscles relaxed and burning. I was fast in either form. But, my wolf form was where I felt most comfortable. The beast that laid within the confides of my spirit ached restlessly for a release.

I sparred with my warriors. To be frank, they were not much of a challenge, but the need to be vicious in attacking was always satisfied with my job as a punisher. Therefore, training was only to keep myself occupied and in shape.

My warriors are a deadly force. They could snap thru any pack on the planet on command. The actual need for me to ever get in a physical altercation did not exist. But, any worthy leader would never sit on the sidelines and simply command.

Jackson was my fiercest opponent. Centuries of existence had perfected his fighting styles. He had the agility, speed and strength to give me a hell of a spar. Early on we decided to keep those battles more private. It is unnecessary for others to watch such an exuberant display of dominance.

Instead, all my top ranks would spend time teaching my pack to be bigger, better and faster. The results were perfection. Even the lowest of my ranks made me proud. I couldn't ask for more in this life.

Kick ass combat in wolf form was my favorite. As I shifted I felt the power of my beast come forward. The pain of shifting had long been replaced by absolute pleasure. My canines elongated, my claws protracted and my fur overtook my human skin in mere seconds. If you blinked, you were at risk of never knowing a human form once existed.

My lead warriors had extremely powerful wolves. They fought with a power unmatched by many. They gave me the challenge I desired. Each time I would emerge thoroughly worked and sweating. I appreciated their trust in me. I have always been one to hold my composure so they were never in any real danger of me losing control. But, as the Werewolf King and their Alpha they had every right to be weary.

After a very intense day of training we all went for a run. Afterwards we shifted back to our human forms and went back to the pack house for an evening of video games, pool and lounging. I wasn't always strict with my pack. They earned their leisure and knew when to act serious when necessary.