The cabin was quiet; except for the ragged breathing from Hayden and the occasional popping of vegetables as they were bitten into. The family had gathered around the table in silence as they ate. Her mother had chopped the veggies into a salad. No meat was present in the meal yet not one of them complained; knowing the toll of making any meal with her daughter only ten feet away. 

Emon was the worst of them; tension having a death grip on his muscles. With every sound Hayden made, he'd flinch. She whimpered softly, barely audible and he clenched his fist. Her mother silently held out her hand to him and he grabbed it. 

Viola relaxed slightly and her eyes softened as she looked at him. "Emon..." She reached for his other hand, uncurling his fingers from the bent fork. She gently set it on the table and kiss their clasp hands. 

"I... I'm sorry, love." He whispered, dropping his head to hide the fact he was crying. "I'm sorry."

Lea couldn't stomach the sight and shoved away from the table. It was her turn to storm out of the cabin and she ran. She ran until her lungs screamed and her legs gave out, letting her whole body drop. The cool grass cooling her hot skin and she huffed, trying to calm her racing heart. Hiccups racked her body every so often. Once she'd calmed and the cold air ignited goosebumps, she glanced up to realize where she was. The same spot she'd met Kyren.

'Kyren.' Lea sat up and stared into the woods beyond the border. She didn't understand his absence; he'd been so dedicated, pacing the border when she was late and growing impatient when hiding from pack members. The hairs on he neck rose and she shivered, a presence in the trees making itself known. 

Her eyes scanned the dark as she stood. "Kyren." She called softly, swallowing as the prickling continued. Her stomach tightened as her heart raced, filling her ears. The presence didn't fade. Her legs shook as she stepped back. 

Something was wrong. 

A pair of amber eyes, a few shades darker than Kyren's, appeared in the tree ahead of her. Rogue. Her breath hitched and she bolted as fast as she could, forcing open the mind-link to as many as she could, 'Rogue! Northwest!'. A thudding behind her as the rogue chased after her; the sound sending adrenaline through her legs. 'Idiot! Running from a wolf!' 

'Shift, Lea!' Her father's voice pierced her panic. 

'I can't! He's right behind me!' She shook her head, sending another pulse through her legs. She felt the agitation of her wolf, ready to come forward. Wolves appeared in the distance. 'There's more! Dad!' A whimper slipped through. A large beige wolf charged her from the front, growling with a snarl. She pushed forward, squeezing her eyes closed and when the wolf was a few feet in front of her, she dropped to the ground. The wolf soared over her and slammed into the rogue with a sickening crack. 

Lea jumped up, stumbling a few steps before running to her cabin. The pack had devolved into chaos; wolves breaking down cabin  doors and forcing members outside where more wolves waiting to pounce, screams echoing from all sides. As she came to the cabin, jumping over the porch railing Finn came around the other side panting frantically. 

"Where's dad?" He yelled, following her inside. Hayden still laid on the bed, panting, but the cabin was otherwise empty. 

"We need to get her out of here." She was already wrapping a blanket around her sister. He came around the other side of the bed. 

"Lea!"

"You know where he is! We have to get everyone out of here. Move!" The door slammed open and a kid burst in. 

Finn ran over, pulling him into his arms for a quick hug. He held the young boys face, forcing their eyes to meet. "Stay with Lea. Where's Kimmy and your mom?" The boy mumbled, bursting into tears. Finn sighed and shoved him toward Lea, as he moved to the door. 

"Finn!" Her voice caught in her throat as they looked at each other, he nodded and slipped outside. "Shit." She wrapped a blanket around the boy. She quickly cleared the table and flipped it over, shoving it against the door. "Get the lights." She said, pulling on the bookshelf. The boy listened, blowing out the candles around the room. 

"They'll see us in the window." His voice shook as he clutched the blanket. Lea growled, pulling  on the shelf again. It had moved a few inches. 

"Help me!" She gritted, yanking the shelf. 'Who built this dam thing?' He moved to the other side and pushed his weight against it. They struggled for a minute but soon the shelf sat firmly against the window, blocking the view and the moonlight. Milo hunched over with her hands on his knees, panting. 

Lea wasted no time, pulling the blankets from the beds and tossing them over as well. She shoved them beside the table to block the door. Another idea popped into her head and she grabbed Hayden's arm, pulling it around her neck and whispering an apology. She lifted her groaning sister from the bed and carried her into the kitchen, "The blankets." A shuffling sound told her he'd listened without question. She struggled as she lifted her sister into the wooden tub, Milo coming up beside her with the blankets, and she shoved them around Hayden, hoping the blankets would make it more comfortable. 

"Okay, climb in." His eyes widened but he didn't move. "She's warm but you won't get sick." She grabbed one more blanket and covered the small kitchen window that they used to pass clean water to the tub. Glancing over at the tub, she saw Milo curled up with Hayden and allowed herself a sigh of relief. She gently turned over the small prep table that sat under the window, turning it to block her from sight if they happened to get past the fortified door.

 Lea crouched behind it and focused to claws to grow. When they had sharpened, she met Milo's gaze before he dropped it to his hands with his brows furrowed. He let out a shaky breath before his eyes landed on something reflective. Viola's butcher knife. Milo snatched it from the counter and held it close. Normally, Lea wouldn't have let a child his age wield a knife, but she couldn't help the comfort it brought her. 

They sat in the dark with baited breath; waiting. Someone would come; who was the important factor and that kept her heart in the race. If she wasn't ready... She shook the thought out of her head and tried to listen. The terrifying screams in the distance had stopped, replaced with yelling and growling. 

'Lea?' Finn whispered, despite them being the only ones in the link. This didn't stop her from being startled.

'Finn. Did you find them?' 

'Yeah... Kinda. I didn't know where to take them... The shelters are overrun.'  The shelters had been created for other disasters, not an invasion, but if locked down they should have been sufficient for a while. 'We're below the cabin. I-i didn't know what to do. Why would they look down here?' He laughed nervously. 'It's.. uh.. not very nice down here.'

'I don't think it's meant to be.' Lea suppressed a laugh; now wasn't a time for laughing. 'Who's with you?'

'A bunch of kids- and Jules.' Jules was a cute little red-head that Finn had a crush on but refused to admit out loud. She'd help out with the little ones as often as she could and was probably with a few when the call went out. 

'Did you mom or dad?' 

Finn didn't respond for a long while. 'No...' Simultaneously, they froze. 'Did you hear that?'

Lea had heard it. A noise outside the cabin. 'Can you see them? Can they see you?'

'No.' 

She gave a silent sigh and looked over at Milo, waving her hand to get his attention. She held a finger to her lips and he tensed, nodded quickly. The noise grew louder and she flexed her claws. A thud on the porch as something came to the door. Lea held her breath as a quick sniffing echoed the cabin. The sound stopped and then loud thuds lead away from the cabin, signaling the wolf had left. If they had been a pack wolf, they would have tried the door or called out, via link or voice. Lea's shoulders relaxed as she took a deep breath. 

"L-lea." Milo's soft, worried voice drew her attention to the tub. Hayden was hunched backward uncomfortably, her blonde brows furrowed tightly, and her mouth parted in heavy pants. Her arm twitched causing Milo to shrink away. Lea's eyes widened as big as they could. They weren't out of the woods yet. 

'Hayden's getting worse.' She whispered as she hesitantly moved toward the tub. Finn cursed through the link. She grabbed a towel from the counter and dragged it across Hayden's forehead that blazed an inferno. Letting out her own soft curse, she gestured for Milo to fan them with his hands. The water hadn't been refreshed so a dry towel was the best she could do. 'She's burning up, Finn.' 

'What can you do?' As she sat agonizing over her options, a sound ripped her heart out.

Hayden screamed.