I am choked by fear and disbelief before a guttural shriek leaves my mouth.
“MOM!! DAD!!!" I scream, and as soon as Korra hears that, she comes to a stop and drops me onto the ground, her body trembling with fear and anger as she glances back in the direction our parents have been killed... "Kaida... you have to run okay... someone needs to lead the attack now that Mom and Dad..." Her voice trembles, tears streaming down her face as she holds onto mine, her grey eyes meeting mine. "N-no... don't leave me, please... I won't survive without you..." I breathe out, sobbing as I hold onto my sister, desperate for her not to leave. "You will, you are stronger. Much much stronger than you know. the blood of Alphas runs through you, that and much more..." She tells me before she hugs me tightly, crying quietly just as she steps back and away from me. "Run! Until you're off the territory don't stop until you are somewhere safe." She orders me and for some reason, I can feel the authority in her voice, the same one my father would have. And that's when I realise, she has immediately become the Alpha... I then watch as she shifts into her powerful grey wolf, her form menacing and much larger than me even in my human form. She stares at me sadly before a ferocious growl rips through her teeth and she runs back into the battle, tearing everything and everyone apart. I then turn to run off, but before I do, I catch a glimpse of something. As if summoned by some dark force, a figure steps into view—a man, tall and terrifying, his eyes cold as he surveys the carnage with a satisfaction that makes my blood run cold as he stands next to the corpses of my parents, of Jace... He’s not like the others; his presence commands them, as if he’s orchestrating this slaughter with chilling precision.... I catch his gaze, and for a heartbeat, he looks at me. A cruel smile curves his lips, a smile that promises he knows exactly who I am. And then he turns away, disappearing into the chaos, my feet carrying me faster than I can even keep up. The sounds fade, leaving only the quiet horror of what remains. Bodies lie strewn across the forest, familiar faces lost forever, their lives extinguished in an instant. My parents, my friends... everyone I loved, gone. I’m alone. Alone with the scent of blood and death clinging to the air, the image of that man’s face burned into my mind. The face of the monster who took everything from me... And it's one I will never forget. * * * * * * 6 years later… What a sickening memory that was. My life was hell after that, after losing my entire Pack, my entire family, everyone I had ever known... I was completely alone, not knowing what happened to my sister and the rest of the people that remained behind to fight... Until I went back there after a few years to see what was left of my Pack... It had been completely abandoned, the entire Packhouse, as if it was cursed ground and the ghosts of the dead still lingered on it. Since the attack, I had been on my own, moving from place to place, living in the woods, in the city, everywhere really. I could never stop moving... only because I knew it wasn't safe... for some reason, they were always after me... That leads me to the present. I can't stop. I won't stop. My legs burn as I push harder, tearing through the forest. Each breath rakes in my throat like claws but I welcome the pain. Pain keeps me awake. Alert. Moving. The moon is out, full and heavy above the trees, watching me like she always does. My only friend. I started to hate her at some point, until I knew it was pointless. As much as I tried to blame her for what happened to me, for how my life fell apart, I knew it wasn't her doing... The only thing that matters to me is staying ahead. I've been running for as long as I can remember, running from the past, my enemies, from myself... But tonight? Tonight something is horribly wrong. The air feels thicker and I have no idea why. My instincts prick at me, louder than the pulse in my ears, louder than the snap of twigs under my boots. I slow, crouching low, fingers brushing the earth carefully through my fingerless black gloves. I immediately frown to myself once I notice the difference in the soil. Once I realise what I've done I face forward immediately, my ears honing in on a sound in the distance... they're coming for me... Wolves. But not just any wolves... their scents are strong, sharp, too fresh to ignore. "Fuck." I curse as I stand to myself, sighing to myself before I take off into the woods at full speed. I've crossed into enemy territory. I try to rack my brain of the Packs in this area, the territories that belong to no Packs and would bring me any trouble if stepped foot on them. Stupid. So incredibly reckless. I should've been paying more attention, I should've known better. But after weeks of pushing myself through every scrap of wilderness I could find, it's easy to lose track. There's no time to backtrack now, no time to think about what comes next, I've got to move, fast... But unfortunately, I'm not fast enough. The sound of growls finally breaks the silence and my heart stutters as I continue to run forward. They've found me already. I can hear them crashing through the underbrush, closing in from all around me... "Shit..." I curse one again. I slip behind the nearest tree, pressing my back against the rough bark as I take a moment to catch my breath. I've spent so much of my life running that it's become something I've used to. Not staying in one place for too long, moving from place to place... this was meant to be just another day... I press my head against the tree and focus once again on the sounds echoing in the forest. If they see me, it's over. I'm strong, but I'm not stupid enough to think I can take on a whole Pack. Not when I'm half-dead from running, with nothing to fall back on but adrenaline and bad luck. I take a deep breath before pushing myself off the tree powerfully, sending me back into the forest in an attempt to get off this territory before it's too late... But unfortunately, it already is too late. As I step into a space in the forest where a few trees have been cleared out, I notice one Wolf step out from behind the trees, being in full view. It makes me freeze as I stare face to face with it... It is massive, light grey underneath the moonlight, with eyes hazel and glowing. I don't need to guess who sent it... I've heard stories of the wolves that guard the lands in these parts. I know their reputation.Cruel. Unforgiving.
But I'm not dead yet... Not by a long shot. More of them pile out of the Wolves, each of them surrounding me and making me look at all of them, scanning each of them... I'm ready to spring into action, when something makes me freeze. A presence. Heavy. Watching. My skin prickles with awareness, and a low growl rolls from somewhere deeper in the trees, deeper than the ones currently surrounding me. Another one... Bigger. Stronger... The Alpha...K A I D APain is the first thing I feel.It pulls me back to consciousness slowly, like I’m being dragged through water. My head throbs. My side burns. Everything aches.I open my eyes.Stone ceiling. Faint torchlight flickering off damp walls. The scent of blood and silver in the air, metallic and sharp.I’m in a cell.The bars in front of me are thick—solid steel, probably reinforced with silver, judging by the way my skin prickles just sitting near them. My arms are bound behind my back with chains that dig into my wrists. My legs are heavy. I don’t know if it’s from exhaustion or something else.“Korra?”My voice is hoarse, cracked. I turn my head, and relief punches the breath from my lungs.She’s there. In the cell next to mine. Sprawled out on the cold stone floor, motionless.“Korra,” I croak, louder this time.She groans, shifting slightly. Her face is pale, her breathing ragged, but she’s alive.“Hey—come on. Wake up.”She winces as she slowly pushes herself up, eyes blinki
K A I D AThe night passes slowly, but sleep never comes.By the time the first rays of dawn creep over the mountains, I’m already up, fully dressed and pacing the edge of the courtyard. The stronghold hums around me—quiet footsteps, muffled commands, blades sliding into sheaths. A storm beneath the surface, building.I find Octavius outside the main war hall, already flanked by a few scouts and dressed for battle. His eyes land on me and, for a moment, the storm stills.“You slept?” he asks.“Not even a little.”“Good. Then you’re just as sharp as I am.”He smirks, but there’s something tight in his voice. I step closer, lowering mine. “You okay?”He nods, but I know him too well. He’s wound tighter than a bowstring. We all are.The others begin to gather shortly after—Korra, Valerie, Jace, Anita, Reno, Lennox. All of them armed, armored, and alert.Korra’s dressed in full black, her tattoos faintly visible under the faint shimmer of her vest. Her expression is steel. Lennox hovers j
K A I D AThe day before war feels like a lie.Too quiet. Too still.There’s a weight in the air, heavy and waiting, like the moment before a storm breaks. Everyone feels it. You can see it in the way people move through the halls—faster, sharper. Eyes that won’t meet for too long. Conversations cut short.They’re all thinking the same thing: this could be the end.And none of us are saying it out loud.I stand on the upper balcony of the war chamber, overlooking the training courtyard where warriors move in formation. It’s like watching a heartbeat—synchronized, steady, ready to surge.Below me, Korra walks between rows, arms crossed, correcting stances, issuing commands. Her voice is calm, but I can hear the intensity beneath it.She’s grown into her role faster than any Alpha I’ve ever seen.I press my hand to the stone railing, grounding myself.It still doesn’t feel real.A few months ago, I was a lone wolf, barely surviving. Now I’m here—mated, leading, fighting a war I never as
K A I D ABy the time we make it back to the stronghold, the adrenaline has begun to wear off—but the urgency hasn’t.The memory of the creature in the forest—the hulking, rune-covered beast—still lingers in my mind. It wasn’t a soldier. It wasn’t even human. It was something else. A message.Lucien knows we’re close. And he’s no longer just using Lycans to fight his war.Inside the war chamber, the others gather fast. Jace is already there, speaking with Kita in hushed tones. Valerie and Anita stand over a wide map spread across the central stone table. Korra and I enter together, still covered in dust and sweat from the scouting mission.Octavius meets my eyes immediately. “What happened?”I glance toward Korra, then step forward. “Lucien’s fortress isn’t a camp—it’s a damn city. Guard towers, cells, machines, creatures I’ve never seen before.”“And patrols?” Anita asks.“Too many to count. But that’s not even the worst of it.” I lean on the edge of the table. “He’s got something el
K A I D AThere’s a shift in the air the next morning.It’s subtle—just a change in the wind, a pressure against the skin that doesn’t quite belong. But I feel it the second I wake up.Something’s coming.I sit up in bed, blink against the gray light filtering through the stone shutters. My room in the Admosian stronghold is spartan—stone walls, thick furs on the bed, a table covered in maps and weapons. Nothing personal. Nothing soft.It fits.I rise and start moving, pulling on my gear piece by piece—black armor fitted to my form, reinforced with woven silver in the joints, lightweight but strong. Battle gear.By the time I tie my hair back, there’s a knock at the door.It’s Korra.Her eyes meet mine, and I know she feels it too.“Something’s shifted,” she says.“Yeah. I feel it.”We head to the war hall together. The corridors are filled with warriors. Tension hangs like a storm cloud above us all—silent, brewing. They feel it too.Inside the hall, Octavius is already standing with
K A I D AYou’d think preparing for war would feel like chaos.But this?This is silence.The kind that vibrates in your bones before the storm hits.The kind of silence that makes your breath feel too loud, your thoughts too sharp.I stand at the top of the eastern wall, looking out over the valley. The air up here is crisp, sharp with the bite of winter. Below, the Admosian warriors move like clockwork—unloading crates, sharpening blades, reinforcing the perimeter of the fortress.The sky is a washed-out gray. No birds. No sound.It’s like the world knows something’s coming. And it’s holding its breath.Behind me, the doors to the fortress creak open, and footsteps echo across the stone.Korra’s voice cuts through the quiet. “They’re here.”My heart skips once. Then it steadies. Of course they’re here.The first of the allied packs.I follow her down the stairwell, through the arching halls until we reach the courtyard—where the outer gates are wide open, and the first group enters