Bottled Rage.

The next morning, after her father and brother had left to carry out their duties, Helena was left to herself in their quiet home.

She spent most of her morning exploring the home that had become a stranger after how long she had been away from it. Everything remained the same yet it all seemed so different to the woman who had defied time and death.

The scratches and dents on the floorboards from her brother's younger days, when he could not control his wolf, were present and the smell of lavender that had filled the air after her mother's passing washed over her in a nostalgic, calming wave.

She walked down the hallway that led to the bedrooms and stopped in front of a plain door with a name carved on it.

'Cassandra'. It read and she carefully traced the indent with trembling fingers.

A memory of the shattered door lying among the rubble of her home flashed in front of her eyes and she took a deep shuddering breath to calm herself.

"You're not there anymore," she whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the fear and horror that clung to her mind, away. "You're safe now and you're going to stop it from happening," she declared with clenched fists and peeled her eyes open.

With a quick turn of the doorknob, Helena stepped into the room and was greeted with the large portrait of an amber-eyed woman staring back at her.

"Hi, mom," she greeted the smiling picture as she gently shut the door behind her and walked towards it.

The altar her father had constructed for their mother was a simple one that contained the things his dead mate had held dear and vases filled with fresh flowers, changed by the man before he had left for the day.

Helena took a kneel on the large cushion placed in front of the altar and stared at the woman who had willingly given her life so that she could live.

Rigel had been determined in his quest to make her family suffer, in the last moments, and had forced all three of them to watch as the room was torn apart and trashed.

Helena had watched her father cry for the first time in her life and the memory of the devastated and dead look that had been in his eyes, made her heart clench.

"I'll kill him," she promised the picture as tears gathered in her eyes, "I'll make sure he pays and never hurts anyone again," she sobbed and bowed her head, too emotional to look at the understanding eyes of the object that seemed so alive.

"I'm sorry," she apologized as she lifted her head again, "for killing you and everyone else because I..." She choked on a sob as she slapped a hand over her mouth and looked away.

"I can't do this," Helena gasped with a small shake of her head as she rose from her kneel and hurried out of the room, the door closing behind her with a soft click.

Helena's breathing came out in short pants as the hallway grew smaller and darker, causing her to race out of the house on quick but clumsy legs.

The biting chill of the air went ignored as she stepped out and made her way down the road and further away from the house and portrait.

Their home was located in a small clearing and isolated from the rest of the pack so it took a while for her to get into town and join the hustle and bustle of the world her ancestor had created.

The streets were busy with people going about their daily activities, heads turning when they noticed their teary-eyed Alpha's daughter.

Helena ignored the stares, something her past self would have felt self-conscious about as she expertly wove through the crowd.

Buildings in their pack, like most others, were spread out and built wide apart, for the privacy of their owners.

A werewolf's sense could go past brick and cement so spacing them out and adding soundproof material, added an extra layer of privacy that many were thankful for.

The street she was walking down was a commercial one with various shops and stands linings it. It buzzed with activity as children stopped to purchase things on their way to school and adults haggled over the prize of fruits and vegetables with feverish excitement.

"Helena!" Someone called out from the crowd and she struggled to pinpoint the location of the person without heightened senses.

A hand grabbing a hold of her elbow, startled her and she turned to stare at the cheerfully smiling face of her 'attacker'.

Helena laughed, wetly as tears gathered in her eyes and she threw her arms around the shorter woman's chubby form.

"Well then," the flour-covered woman said with a jovial laugh, "hello to you too, dear."

"I missed you so much," Helena whispered as she inhaled the scent of baking ingredients that always clung to the older woman.

"But you saw me yesterday," the confused woman reminded as she pulled away and her eyes roved over Helena's form in concern. "Let's go inside where it's less crowded," she offered, notifying Helena of the curious stares they were receiving.

She followed the bubbly woman into the small and homey bakery, relaxing as the noise from outside dramatically reduced when the door shut behind her.

There were a few patrons scattered around who turned to stare at the disabled child of their Alpha but Helena paid them no mind, instead focusing on the woman leading her towards the office.

"Sorry about the mess, dear," she apologized, sheepishly as they walked into the always crowded and messy office, and Helena smiled, fondly.

"It's fine, Felicia," she responded as she pushed a drawer back in place with her foot. "At least it's still standing," she added, distractedly.

Felicia had been the one to step in and care for Helena and Charon when the hurt of losing his mate had crippled her father, in the beginning.

It had been a tragic situation that she, like her brother and father, had been tortured by Rigel before her death.

Helena released a shuddering breath as she watched the woman walk over to her cluttered desk and plucked a steaming package from it.

"How is Alpha Tristan, dear?" The older woman asked as she handed the package over to her, her sharp amber eyes roaming over Helena's figure in barely concealed disapproval.

Helena smiled at the action as she gingerly collected the warm package, "he's alive and well, for which I am grateful." She muttered under her breath and stilled when she noticed the way the shorter woman was staring at her.

"Something about you seems different but I can't put my finger on it," Felicia remarked with a curious expression as she tapped her cheek, rhythmically.

Helena stared at her with worry, wondering what she had done to make the woman suspicious. She tried to explain herself or crack a weak joke like past Helena would have done in an awkward situation but was interrupted by the brunette.

"Your scent," she exclaimed, triumphantly while pointing at her.

"My scent," Helena repeated with growing confusion.

"It has a... what's the word I'm looking for?" She tapped her chin in thought then clicked her fingers when it came to her. "Smoky. It has a smoky edge to it now." She explained with a triumphant smile.

Helena stilled as her hands unconsciously tightened around the package, the warmth of whatever was in the box, was the only thing keeping her grounded in reality.

"Are you sure?" She rasped, trying and failing to appear unaffected.

"I am," she replied with a worried pinch of her face. "Are you alright, dear? You seem off today and..."

"I'm fine," she assured too quickly, causing the woman to frown. "I had a nightmare last night that I can't seem to shake off," she revealed, careful not to give too many details and make the almost truth sound like a lie to the she-wolf.

"Oh, you poor thing," Felicia sympathised with her hand placed on her chest and the other one placed on Helena's cheek.

Helena struggled not to burst into tears when she felt the comforting touch that she had been deprived of for so long.

"I'll be fine," she assured the older woman as she placed a kiss on her soft cheek and pulled away with a smile. "I'm sure you have work to do so I'll see myself out."

"Take care of yourself, Helena," Felicia said with a final pat on her cheek and waved goodbye as Helena walked out of the office and made her way towards the exit.

It was now early in the afternoon and Helena was seated on a swing in the children's park, her box of goodies open in her lap.

Her mouth worked to chew the vanilla cream doughnut that had been included in the package while her eyes stared blankly ahead.

The purple-eyed woman thought about all the things she should be doing at that moment and wasn't doing but she couldn't bring herself to get up and leave the peacefulness surrounding her.

It had been so long since she sat down and relaxed as Rigel had kept her busy and working from the moment she had agreed to support his cause with her powers, and she wanted to enjoy doing nothing for as long as possible.

Helena did not know where to begin or what to do. Her knowledge of what was to come and her magic were the only weapons she had to fight Rigel, the latter, useless to her because it was still in its infant stage.

Not only will she have to kill Rigel, but she would also have to go after his pack who were obsessively loyal to him in her past life, and do whatever she can to stop any rebellion that springs up, without destroying them.

Helena knew that no matter what they had put her through, in her last life, she would never wipe them out as Rigel had carelessly done to dozens of packs.

There were good, honest people who did not believe in his mission and innocent children that she would not want to see suffer, but peacefully disbanding his pack was easier said than done.

Helena needed manpower and a lot of it too, to carry out her plan and that was where the problem lay. She did not have any.

Helena was so distracted by her thoughts that she did not notice the group creeping up behind her until her half-eaten pastry was smashed into her face by a hand on her wrist.

Loud obnoxious laughter rang out as Helena struggled to remain upright and keep the cream filling out of her eyes.

"Goddess, you're pathetic," snickered one of her attackers, a familiar-sounding voice that she had not heard in forever.

"And you're a twenty-five-year-old man with the maturity of a ten-year-old pup," she sassed as she used the warm napkins Felicia had placed in the box to wipe what she could from her face.

Henry, her most passionate bully since they turned twelve and Helena had not gotten her wolf form, was standing in front of her with his two goons flanking him.

"You know, that's a really good look on you?" He said with a thoughtful expression as he eyed her seated form.

"Annoyance?" She sneered as she wrapped her crushed doughnut in the used napkin to be disposed of later.

"Something white and sticky smeared all over you," he said with a leer, his friends chuckling with nasty grins.

He leaned lower so that their face was uncomfortably close and grabbed the chain of the swing to stop her from pulling away. "I'll be more than happy to help you achieve your new look, Helena, free of charge," he finished with a charming wink that made him look like a decent and attractive man, instead of the filth he was.

She smiled and leaned closer to him, her lips a hair's breadth away from his own as she whispered, "I'd sooner crawl into Charon's bed before I ever consider you."

He snapped out of his daze and straightened up with an affronted look on his face.

Helena smiled up at him, cheekily.

She could not remember this encounter happening in her last life so she must not have gone out today but she was glad she did this time. Past Helena would have been annoyed but cautious in this situation so it was refreshing to get to do something so bold and out of character.

"You smug b*tch," he said with a laugh as he stared down at her in a way that made her grow uncomfortable.

Helena was suddenly aware of how deserted the area was but she knew better than to show her fear to a predator.

"Well, this has been an unpleasant meeting, to say the least, but I have to go." She shut the box, carefully and rose to her feet but Henry did not get out of her way.

Helena tried to move back, her calves pushing against the seat of the swing but was stopped by one of the three men, who she had not noticed moving, blocking her path.

"What's it like being so underdeveloped and weak?" Henry asked with a taunting smirk as he moved one step forward, crowding her in.

"Move," Helena commanded with a glare, her purple eyes seeming to glow.

Henry hesitated as he eyed her, warily, his survival instincts screaming at him to run but he ignored it. "I don't take orders from you."

"But you do from my father, Warrior Henry," she spat his title with disgust. "Or have you forgotten your station and responsibility as a protector of the Moon Cliff pack?"

His eyes narrowed at the accusation in her voice and before Helena could make a move to escape, his hand whipped across her face, almost knocking her to the ground.

Helena stared blankly at the grass, her head frozen in the position it had been forcibly placed in. There was something familiar about the action and she racked her brain for what it could be.

"I protect the werewolves of Moon Cliff," he hissed through gritted teeth. "I don't know what the hell you are, but you are not a werewolf." He declared, moving closer to her frozen form.

A red handprint bloomed on her cheek as she recalled all the times Rigel had done the same thing to her, simply because he could, and Helena saw red.

"Are you listening to me?" Henry growled, growing angry at her lack of response. "It doesn't matter that your dad's the Alpha," he began, digging his fingers into her hair and tugging her by it, "because you will never be anything but a stupid, weak..." He flinched when she finally turned to look at him and let go of her hair as he stumbled away.

Glowing purple eyes were fixed on him in an unblinking stare, a touch of madness swimming in the eery pools of light.

"Stop that," he commanded in a shaky voice when Helena straightened up and took two steps back. "I said stop it!" He screamed with growing panic, his face the picture of terror.

"What is it?" Asked the man standing behind the swing, his nose scrunching up at the smell of Henry's fear-coated scent.

"An underdeveloped," she whispered as she let go of the box that hovered gently to the side and remained there, alarming the other men, "weak," she continued as she slowly stalked towards the retreating man "stupid mistake that never should have been born."

A force grabbed Henry and pulled him close enough for their noses to touch.

"That's what I am, right?" Came the emotionless question that made Henry tremble as he was forced to stare into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, realising that things were no longer in his control. He choked on air when an invisible force suddenly wrapped around his throat, restricting his airways.

Helena smiled, her body emitting a purple aura that chilled the three men to the bone.

"You will be.