I am choked by fear and disbelief before a guttural shriek leaves my mouth.
“MOM!! DAD!!!" I scream and 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...He emerges from the shadows, his steps slow, measured. Like a predator that's already decided I'm his prey. He is pitch black, his fur shining under the moonlight, his blue eyes, gleaming like a cold fire, lock onto mine, and for the first time in a long time, I feel something cold slide down my spine. But I don't flinch. Instead, I meet his gaze, my breath steady despite the fire raging in my chest.He says nothing at first. Just watching, sizing me up. That's when he decides to shift right in front of me, revealing a man standing tall, with cream-white skin as compared to my tanned, caramel one... His hair is dark, as dark as it was in his Wolf form and his features are sharp and defined, He is naked, baring his large, muscular body before me, and I try my best not to look at his manhood, my eyebrows rising for a moment before I look away, trying to ignore ... large it is...I eventually look back at him, finding him putting on a bare of trousers, his skin glistening as he tilts his
I wake up to darkness, my head pounding like someone’s taken a hammer to it. For a moment, I don’t move, don’t breathe. I keep my eyes closed and feel out my surroundings the way I always do when I wake up in a new place. I’m cold. My hands are stiff, my body sore. The stone beneath me feels rough and unwelcoming. My senses come online slowly, piecing together the details like a puzzle, but it’s a twisted version of the place I grew up—a place that would never feel like home. The scent of blood and sweat fills my nose. My blood. My shoulder aches where the wolf’s claws tore into it, but it’s not bleeding anymore. My wounds aren’t healing completely either, which means I must’ve only been out for three or four hours. Someone kept me alive, kept me chained here, and for what? I open my eyes, and the world swims into focus. Stone walls. Thick iron bars. A cage. No. I push myself up onto my knees, ignoring the pain, and look around. It’s a small cell, barely big enough to stand in. The
I have absolutely no concept of time in this damn cell. It could be midday or late afternoon for all I know and the tiny window close to the ceiling isn't helping to provide enough light to help me decipher what time of the day it is.I've probably been here almost 18 hours, almost a full day. Just great. My mind travels back to the day before and how I even got myself into this mess.I had just left my previous settlement, being on the move for a few days around this new region. Usually, I had studied the maps of different packs, territories and areas around me so I knew where almost everything was. "No man's land" is typically where I would find myself. These are areas not owned by any packs but instead were heavily populated by humans. I could live amongst them, hiding as one of them and usually I would be successful.I would live in small spaces, one-bedroomed houses, homeless shelters, did whatever work, how dangerous, and even stole money just to get around, just to keep myself m
The three lug-heads continue to carry me through a narrow dark hallway, filled with cells just like the one I was in. Except all the rest of them are empty... I'm guessing they don't really keep prisoners for long..."Where are you taking me?!" I scream at them as I continue to fight them but I'm afraid to say I've been weakened by the silver, so I am unfortunately not at my full strength.They carry me towards a staircase, ignoring all my commotion. Finally, we reach the top of the steps and the blonde man opens the door right at the top of the staircase. Light floods into the tunnel, momentarily blinding me and making me squint my eyes at the sensitivity.I then feel them finally let me go, my feet hitting solid ground, wrenching my arm from their grip and ignoring the soreness that ripples through my shoulders from being dragged.Finally, I adjust to the lighting and see that we are in the forest and it appears to be the afternoon, just like I had predicted."Don't try anything stu
As soon as the men are gone, it's just me and him in the room, a heaviness filling my chest as he watches me. He doesn't say anything to me at all, instead, he continues to watch me, analyze me, every detail of me. A frown suddenly appears on my face as I try to decipher what could be going in through that sick head of his, and when I've finally had enough of the silence, I decide to speak up. "What the hell do you want with me?" I demand, breaking the silence. I've had enough of this—enough of their glares, their questions, their assumption that I owe them anything. "Speak, damn it." He raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Be silent." The command is cold, like ice water down my spine, but I hold my ground. I then watch him as he slowly walks around his desk and approaches me. "You're a rogue, clearly..." he continues, as if I'm not even worth the effort of conversation. "But there's something about your scent... something different from all the rest..." he tells me and that's w
Octavius and I stare at each other for a moment, silence stretching between us, thick as a winter fog. I feel his grip tightening on my forearms, his fingers digging into my skin just enough to remind me who's in control here, just as I gasp and squint my eyes at him. I refuse to break eye contact, my breathing slightly heavy and my gaze defiant as I look up at him, daring him to try me. I won't give him an inch, not now, not ever.After a moment, his gaze drifts down, his expression shifting slightly as he studies my hands. He lifts them up just enough for the light to hit, and I can see the faint frown that tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Looks like it hurts..." he murmurs, his tone low as he examines the burns on my skin, his thumbs brushing close to the angry, raw marks. Something almost like concern flashes across his face...That's when I jerk my hands back, yanking them out of his grip, and take a step away from him, anger flaring hot in my chest. "Don't touch me." I snarl,
As we walk forward, I feel the eyes of the Raven Moon pack members on me, their gazes filled with curiosity, suspicion, and that barely concealed disdain I'm getting all too familiar with. I keep my head high, my face impassive, refusing to let them see any weakness. Let them stare. Let them judge. I won't give them the satisfaction of knowing how much I hate every second of this...The hallway twists and turns as I follow Miyuki's brisk pace. The packhouse is deceptively large, more like a maze than a home. Warm lighting and the faint scent of pine and earth fill the air, but none of it feels warm or inviting. This place is more fortress than home."Don't think this changes anything," Miyuki says sharply, glancing back at me with a sneer. "Just because we haven't killed you yet doesn't mean your fate isn't decided.""Currently shivering in me timbers," I answer dryly, rolling my eyes. I put as much sarcasm as I can muster into the words, and I catch a flash of annoyance on her face.
As soon as Miss Anne leaves the room, I feel the silence close in around me. The fire crackles quietly in the corner, casting flickering shadows on the walls, but the warmth does nothing to ease the tension simmering under my skin. I glance at the door, my mind racing.This is my chance.I don't care how many guards they have outside or what twisted reasoning that Alpha thinks justifies keeping me here. I'm not about to sit around waiting for them to decide my fate. My fingers itch with impatience, just as I look at them. The pain has gone completely, making me raise my eyebrows in surprise, having no idea that it would heal me completely. I sigh to myself, being glad that I don’t have to worry about the pain anymore and press forward, tiptoeing toward the door as silently as I can manage.Opening the door with my elbow since I have no where to clean this paste off my hands, I peer in the hallway. It is beyond is empty, the soft murmur of voices filtering through from somewhere in the
K A I D AThe silence stretches between us, heavy but not uncomfortable, one where both of us are simply processing everything we’ve shared with each other. Korra hasn't sat down. She's still standing, probably still hearing the words I said—about Admosian, about Lucien, about bloodlines and wars we didn't ask to inherit. I shift my weight from one foot to the other, exhaling deeply as an unsettled frown rests on my face.The adrenaline is starting to wear off, and now I feel tired—not just in my body but deep down, in that place people call soul, though I don't think mine has ever had a chance to breathe."I have to head back now, I’m sure Octavius is worried about me…" I say quietly. Korra turns her head to look at me. No surprise in her face, just a flash of something softer as she exhales. Something close to disappointment, but not quite."Already?" she asks and perhaps she isn’t used to the fact that I won’t be living with her anymore. The two of us grew up close, with a fierce b
K A I D A“What?” I ask, voice low but sharp, like the word cuts on its way out. My heartbeat stutters, then kicks into overdrive. I blink hard. Once. Twice. Like that’ll clear the static building in my head. Like maybe I misheard her. Like maybe she didn’t just say what I think she said.Korra stays calm. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t back down. Her face is serious, grounded. No hesitation in her voice. “I know it sounds crazy… but believe me, it’s true.”I’m watching her carefully now. Reading the tension in her shoulders, the stillness in her stance. She’s not spitballing. She’s not guessing. She’s thought about this—probably over and over again, turning it around in her head until it made enough sense to say out loud.“We’ve been researching,” she continues. “Trying to figure out which of the bloodlines I came from. We came from.”That part catches in my chest.We.“We dug through what we could find—old records, pack stories, bloodline traits. Physical markers. Based on our features,
K A I D AKorra and I are sitting on the edge of the bed in the room they set up for her. She smells clean now—like herself. No more scent of blood, rusted iron, sweat. No more stink of captivity clinging to her skin like a curse. Her hair’s still damp, slicked back and tucked behind her ears. Her face is clearer too. Hollowed out, yeah, but clear. Her eyes... they’re finally awake.I’m still not used to this. Seeing her here. Alive.I glance over at her and my heart lurches in my chest, heavy and full and weirdly tight. She’s here. She’s really here.She nudges her elbow into mine, that little sister-sister thing we used to do when we were younger, before the world split open and swallowed us whole.“Tell me what happened to you now,” she says softly.I inhale, slow and deep, but it does nothing to ease the knot in my stomach. I feel like I’ve been waiting years for someone to ask me that. I also feel like I don’t want to say any of it out loud.But she deserves to know.“Well... It’
Korra sits on the edge of the bed, freshly showered, hair damp, skin free of the dirt and grime from that hellhole.She looks better.Not just physically, but in the way she carries herself now. Her shoulders are no longer hunched, her body no longer weighed down by chains—literal or otherwise.But there’s still something in her eyes.A ghost.Something Lucien left behind.I lean against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest. “Feeling better?”She lets out a slow breath, rolling her shoulders as if testing her body for weakness. “Yeah… a little like myself now.”That’s good.I don’t say it, though. I just nod.Silence stretches between us for a moment, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s the kind of silence that comes with understanding, with years of missing time trying to fill itself in all at once.Korra studies me, her eyes scanning my face like she’s trying to memorize it. Like she still can’t believe I’m standing here.“I can’t believe you’re alive,” she murmurs, shaking he
K A I D AThe drive back to Xarano territory is long and heavy with silence.Though Octavius was opposed to the idea, I managed to convince him to let me head back to the Xarano Pack with my sister. They needed to see that she is alive; they needed to know that both Xarano sisters have returned and are standing strong.I sit beside at the backseat of the car, Jace being the one to drive us while Valerie sits in the front seat. I haven't been able to let go of my sister's hand. Perhaps out of fear that if I somehow do, I will lose her again. But I'll be damned if that ever happens again. Her posture is tense, her gaze locked onto the rolling landscape ahead of us. She hasn’t spoken much since we left the ruins, and I don’t blame her.She’s processing. All of it. Being free. Being alive-- truly alive --and out of captivity, and seeing us all again, and finally coming.I glance at her, my chest tightening. Does she even remember this place as home? I stare down at her tattoos, admiring t
K A I D AKorra’s growl is cold and deadly, silencing the entire forest and everything in it. Everyone is on edge… Jace, Valerie, the others… but no one moves. No one dares to.Because we all feel it.The rage rolling off of her, thick and dangerous, her silver eyes glowing with barely restrained fury.She looks ready to kill him. Fear floods its way into my body. I knew my sister had always been dangerous. What more after all these years in captivity, what more that she is now a Lycan. Who knows the horrors she has been subjected to? Who knows what she’s seen? I no longer know what she is capable of doing, and so no matter what happens, I need to try and keep her calm.“Korra,” I say, carefully, taking a few steps towards her to try and enter her line of vision. “Please calm down…”She doesn’t look at me.She only stares at Octavius, her breathing slow for now but the longer she stares at him, the more it elevates. Her hands are clenched at her sides, shaking slightly as her body vi
K A I D A Kaida walks slowly, her arm wrapped firmly around Korra’s waist, supporting her sister’s weakened frame. So she seems physically strong, Kaida can pick up the faint scent of Wolfsbane off her, it was all over the cell as well and Kaida is certain Lucien had flooded the air with it to keep her abilities suppressed."Are you okay...?" Kaida asks worriedly, being sure to keep her sister steady and maintain her balance."I'm okay... I just need fresh air..." She answers, her voice hoarse as she lets out slow breaths.Korra is strong... stronger than her. Kaida has always known that, but right now, her body trembles with every step, her muscles struggling to carry her after years in captivity. Her once-powerful stance is reduced to unsteady footing, her breathing laboured.Still, she is here. She is alive.That’s all that matters.Kaida tightens her grip, feeling Korra lean into her slightly as they make their way toward the others. Her sister is unbroken, but she is not unscath
K A I D A I don’t stop running. My breath is sharp, my pulse erratic, my mind locked onto a single thought: She’s here. The scent is pulling me forward, leading me deeper into the ruins, past the crumbling stone and the echoes of battle still raging behind me. I know Octavius and the others are fighting, I know we haven’t won yet—but none of that matters right now. Because I can feel it. My sister. Somewhere in this hell, Korra is alive. A snarl rips through the air. Two wolves leap at me from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust. I react on instinct. The first one lunges for my throat, but I’m faster. I drop low, twisting under him before grabbing his hind leg mid-air and swinging him into the ruins. His body crashes through the stone, debris collapsing over him. The second wolf is already coming for me. Teeth bared. Claws slashing. I meet him head-on, our bodies colliding in a brutal clash of muscle and rage. He’s strong. But I’m stronger. He slashes at my
The air hums with raw energy.Kaida stands in the ruins, glowing silver, her power pulsing like wildfire through the battlefield. Every wolf, every fighter, every enemy watches her with wide, stunned eyes.Including Lucien.For the first time, he looks intrigued.Not afraid. Not angry. Just… interested.His icy blue eyes gleam as he studies her, as if calculating something. He tilts his head slightly, the faintest smirk playing at his lips. “Well… isn’t this unexpected?”Kaida clenches her fists, her breath steady, her body still vibrating with pure, unchecked power. “Come find out just how unexpected it is.”Lucien lets out a quiet chuckle. “Tempting.”Then, without warning—“Lilith.”The name is barely spoken, a command wrapped in amusement.Kaida barely has time to react before a blur of green comes at her from the side, fast and lethal.Lilith.The force of the impact sends them both crashing into the rubble, the ground splitting beneath them. Snarls and claws rip through the air