"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
~Albert Einstein

Spencer

Arriving at our hideout, the place was just as I remembered: cozy, remote, and in desperate need of repair.

"This is... this is..." Finn trailed off, trying to find words.

Rey finished for him. "Dilapidated. Spencer, when you said you had a hideout, I thought it'd be better than this."

"We're on the run, guys. I'll make some calls tomorrow and get repairmen out here ASAP. For now, let's get our stuff inside. I promise the inside isn't as bad as the outside," I said, picking up the key I'd hidden in a loose rock.

Leading everyone inside, I realized nothing had changed from the last time I was here. Thick dust covered the foyer rug; the wooden floorboards creaked wherever you stepped, and the wall had a hole in it.

Rey peered around Finn to look at me. "This is better?"

"The rug just needs a good vacuuming," Elsa said, sliding her shoe across the dust and revealing the beginnings of a rich, blue color. "Floorboards need to be replaced. That hole needs to be drywalled. For a place subjected to the elements for so long, it could be in worse shape."

"Let's go explore," Killian suggested. He set down his bags before veering off into the dining room, Emma and Ellie following him. Finn and Rey sought the kitchen. Meanwhile, I took Elsa's hand, guiding her up the stairs to the master bedroom, the place that had taken my breath away when I'd seen it.

"Whoa," Elsa breathed upon entering the room. She stared at the stone fireplace that ran from floor to ceiling; the glass chandelier dangling above us; the king-sized master bed opposite the fireplace, cushy duvet and all; the sweeping views of the mountains outside courtesy of the floor-to-ceiling windows. "This is- are all the rooms this amazing?"

"They're all pretty great, but this one's the best," I said, scanning the room. "Everything works, even the heating, but with some of the windows busted out, that's probably not the smartest thing. All the rooms have a fireplace, and the water is running. We might not want to drink it quite yet, but we can get on that tomorrow. I know it's not what we're used to but-"

Elsa brought her lips to mine, effectively shutting me up. My hands gripped her waist, pulling her body as close to mine as physically possible. It still amazed me that we'd pulled it off, almost like we were in a dream. But right here, right now, it reminded me this was very much real.

"What do you say we unpack our things and start getting this place fixed up? I'll see if there's anything we can find to board up the busted windows," Elsa offered.

"We've been driving all day. You sure you're up to it?"

"Yeah! Besides, I'm kind of wired. If you want to sleep, then do it. You're still recovering from your injuries." Elsa's fingers traced lightly over my wounds. "Do you need anything for the pain?"

"No, I'm good. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because we just left the only life we've ever known and are living in a shit house with nothing but our wits about us."

"I've got you. I've got some of my pack; you've got some of yours. We'll figure it out. We'll be okay. Now get some sleep. I'm going to explore."

"I love you," I said, kissing her on the head.

"I love you too." Giving me one final smile, Elsa left the master suite, and for the next few minutes, I listened to her padding in and out of rooms, checking them out while I got ready for bed.

Once showered and clean, I turned to the bed and crawled underneath the sheets, my injuries flaring up with pain at the contact of the cold fabric. Groaning, I sank into a deep sleep.

Elsa

The moment I found a room away from the others, I sank into a chair and closed my eyes, desperately trying to reach Anna. But it was as if she suddenly wanted nothing to do with me because she wasn't responding. That or something happened to her. Regardless, I couldn't talk with her, and it frayed my already shot nerves.

I'd technically lied to Spencer, telling him I was okay. In a way, I was. I was away from a family and situation that tried to control every little thing I did. I was finally free.

But that freedom came with a cost.

Gone was the security of my future. Gone were most of my family. I'd just committed treason, so I if I stepped foot back into Estes, my pack and the Starks would have orders to kill me. If I was lucky, the orders would only be to seriously injure me so they could bring me back home. But even if the latter case were true, I'd be imprisoned with little food and water, and no access to the outside world.

"Elsa?" Finn's voice came from the doorway. I looked up at him and smiled.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I came to see if you needed anything. Am I interrupting?"

"No, you're fine. What's on your mind?"

"I mean, there's a lot, but it's probably the same on yours."

I smiled humorlessly. "You mean, what have I gotten you into?"

"We've gotten ourselves into this mess. You're not alone in this."

"You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me. Spencer and I are going to take care of you guys. You're our top priority."

Finn nearly collapsed in the chair next to me. I noticed the large bags under his eyes. "I like Spencer, don't get me wrong. He's a great guy, and he makes you happy, but I'm not here for him. I here for you. You're my Alpha now, and you're always going to be."

I stared at my packmate, my heart leaping in response to his loyalty. Finn had been my closest companion next to Anna and Josilyn, even more so than the latter once he found out about my relationship with Spencer. He stayed by my side when things went to hell and followed me blindly into the unknown. It made me think. "Finn, every Alpha needs a Beta, right?"

"Theoretically, yeah."

"Would you like to be my Beta?" I offered.

"A-are you serious?" He stammered, his face lighting up. "I would be honored!"

"Well then, Finn Bridges, you are now instated as my Beta."

He saluted me. "What's my first duty?"

"It's extremely important. Are you ready?" I asked seriously.

"I'm ready. Give it to me."

"I need you to get some sleep. We've all had a long past few days, and we're about to have long weeks ahead of us," I said. "Can you do that for me?"

"I can," he replied. "What about you?"

"I'm going to bed too. I'm exhausted. We get up when we get up tomorrow. Spencer and I will make a few phone calls to start getting repairs done, but other than that, we won't do much unless you want to."

"Take care of yourself, Elsa. Good night." Finn briefly placed his hand on my shoulder, a comforting gesture, before exiting the room. I left soon after him, heading to the room Spencer and I shared. I found my boyfriend passed out in the bed, snoring quietly. I smiled at the sight of him, happy he was happy. I'd never seen him this relaxed, not even when he was asleep the night we shared in his hotel room.

One day, we would figure out how to see our families without invoking their wrath. But for now, all we had was each other.

Dom

I was out for a walk near the neutral territory to clear my mind when I caught a whiff of a familiar scent. It belonged to a Laroche, one I had the highest respect for.

Not to mention one I liked.

A lot.

Despite knowing the dangers of consorting with anyone from their pack, I couldn't ignore it. I wanted to see if they were alone, and if they were, I wanted to ensure their wellbeing.

Silently treading through the snow, I hid behind a boulder to gain a bearing on the situation. Anna sat next to the lake. I'd been right about who the perfume belonged to, but I also smelled something else. It was an emotion... Fear? Sadness?

As if sensing my presence, Anna stood up. Taking a fighting stance, she shouted, "Who's there?"

"Easy, Supergirl. It's me," I said, stepping out and holding my hands up as a sign of peace. She visibly relaxed. I walked up to her, taking in her appearance. She wore black everything. She even had a black backpack. Every part of her outward appearance seemed relatively normal.

Except her eyes.

They were horribly bloodshot. Tear streaks stained her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"These monsters killed Frank in front of us. I've never seen anything like it. The man, Markus, he just... shoved his hand through Frank's heart and suspended him in the air like that," Anna said out, eyes staring at me blankly. It took me a second to realize she was in shock. "These people... are they why our packs can't mingle with each other? Are they what you couldn't tell me about?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Ours arrived too. They killed Miles. Sword through the spine and heart. Directly in front of all of us."

"Why are they doing this?"

"I don't know. Best guess I have is they have some sort of feud, but we're their guard dogs. Why they don't want us mingling together other than that, I don't know. It's the reason the rest of our packs can't know. We can't let them know that we don't know why they're controlling us. That'd incite anger, which would incite rebellion. It'd cause civil wars within our packs. We have to worry about the war between our packs as it is."

"They must think we're a threat for some reason."

"Until we figure out why they think that, we need to keep anything and everything we know about them on the lowdown."

"I'm aware of that." Anna grimaced. "Sorry. That was harsh. I'm stressed, and I'm taking it out on you."

"It's okay." Scanning her apparel, I asked, "Why are you dressed like you're running away?"

"Because I'm debating about doing it?"

"Do you know where Elsa is?"

"No."

"Do you have a way of contacting her?"

"Our twin connection."

"Do you have an escape route? Escape vehicle? Contingency plans?"

"No..."

"Anna, I'm sure you could take care of yourself, but I think this is a bad idea. You're all by yourself with no plan, no backup plans, and you don't know where Elsa is."

"I can't sit around and do nothing!"

"You're not doing nothing if you're gathering intel beforehand! Look, I miss Spencer too, but I know that right now, the best thing is for me to stay here. If you want to find them, you're going to need more help than you have."

"You offering?"

"I wouldn't be telling you all of this if I wasn't planning on it. So when do we start?"

Anna's expression hardened. "We just did."