The rain poured through our dilapidated castle, even as we huddled together to ward off the cold. I couldn't say much for myself as I stood outside, listening to the thunder roll.

My first transformation had me overcoming the fear of my dreams with a fear more palpable and in front of me.

"I killed a human," I said as I stared into the distance.

"It was your first time," Damian said, like he meant to comfort me.

I heaved a deep breath as I could see eyes staring at me.

My little ragtag group of werewolves accepted me more. They believed I was more of a wolf than a human after what they saw when Damian brought me home.

We barely escaped whatever those human had for us, trudging under the rain back to our hideout to escape.

"What's happening?" I asked as howls sounded, with people stepping out. The rain faded with growls sounding behind me and in front of me.

"Elsa," Damian called as he moved towards me, dragging me behind the line.

The people came out with a male leading them. "This is where you hide and have your fun?" He said as he looked at all of standing in front of the castle.

"What is the matter with you and where we hide to do our things?" Dennis asked. He was the makeshift leader of our group, being a beta.

"You will achieve less if you continue here, hidden in your little fortification. Very soon the human will come and I hope you can keep them away with your little......" the man looked at our group with a sneer on his face as he spoke. "Little rascals."

Dennis stepped forward, facing this newcomer even when I knew he was afraid. "We have survived in this place far longer, almost as long as any surviving wolf pack, and we will continue as it is."

The newcomer laughed, turning to his members behind him. "Do you hear what he said?" They laughed at Dennis as they came closer, gathering closer to him in a semicircle.

He moved back, closer to us, when he noticed the noose forming around him. "Who are you?" Dennis asked when he saw he was closer to us.

"You can call me Caspian," the lad said as he filed his nails, turning to us with a look of confidence. "An important vassal from alpha Hector."

"We've had no run-ins with alpha Hector. What would his vassal want with us?" Dennis asked as more men joined his side.

"Let's just say you guys are having business very close to his territory and are without an alpha." Caspian clicked his tongue. "It doesn't seem you guy will survive long in the coming winter with the activities I saw last night."

"Is that the reason you came to us with torches, even in the rain? To act like humans and scare us into submission?" Dennis asked with growing confidence as all of us gathered behind him.

"We have survived countless winters, and this one is one less winter for us to survive," Damian said as he joined Dennis in the front.

Caspian chuckled. "You have a load of balls to say that to my face, but I will offer you another chance from the magnanimous alpha Hector. Join us and you do not have to fear attacks from the humans."

I could hear murmurs from our side. It was an excellent offer from him without running around and a sense of protection from a recognized alpha."

"Don't tell me you are thinking of joining this alpha after all we've been through?" Damian asked as he noticed the uprising stretching its neck from our group.

"I only gave a choice to everyone here," Caspian said with a grin on his face."

"And we do not need your option," I said as I stood out with them.

Caspian laughed as he looked at me. "Do you also allow women to speak for you? Must be a lot of hell you guys pass her for a woman to speak."

Damian stood in front of me with a protective look in his eyes. "That is the reason we will never join your pack. Tell your alpha we refuse to be a member of his pack."

I raised my head to stare at the lad in front of me. He was the first person I met after my last hideout got raided by humans in a bid to get rid of us.

"Till another time," Caspian said as he turned around with his men. "Hopefully, the humans to get to you before us."

His words stuck out to me with a hidden meaning to me, like a threat.

"There will never be a next time," Dennis shouted at his retreating back.

"We will see about that," Caspian answered before they faded into the darkness of the forest.

"I haven't thanked you for saving me from being mauled to death by those humans," I said as I lowered my head, fiddling with my fingers."

He chuckled, combing his hands through his hair. "It's not like I could leave you with those monsters."

"To them we are the monsters," I said as I looked out towards the village we barely escaped as it shone like stars in the distance.

"We are only trying to survive," Damian answered, puffing.

I sighed as I looked at him. "Does our survival mean we have to lower the survival of others?"

"You should try to get some rest. You should try to rest for a while instead of thinking which one of us would survive," he advised as he pushed me with himself towards the castle.

"Does it always hurt like this?" I asked as I felt for my body. I was sore from the top of my head to the sole of my feet.

"It was your first time. It always hurts that way," he answered, stopping in front of my room. "You will get used to it with time. You would barely feel it when you transform," he continued, morphing his hand into a wolf's arm.

"Show off," I said as I threw him a smile.

He chuckled, dropping his hand on the wall. I stopped, feeling my heart beat faster at how close he was to me. "If I wanted to show off; it wouldn't be just my hand," he said with fangs growing from the side of his lips.

I felt like I wanted to kiss him. "Maybe I need that rest right now," I said as I pushed the curtain away from him, stepping into my room.

"Goodnight, Elsa," he said with his footsteps echoing away from my room.

"What's happening to me?" I asked myself as I fell to the bed. I sighed as I rolled to my side. "Let's hope all of this is just a dream."

Days passed by quickly, with everyone trying to adjust to our continuous raid to stock on our food supplies.

"How is the new werewolf managing her powers?" Damian asked as he entered my room.

I sighed as I walked closer to him. "How many times do I have to tell you about entering my room without announcing your presence? Ever heard of a knock on the door or the side?"

He turned away, tapping his feet on the ground. "I'm sorry. I was just excited to see you this morning after everything. It happened so fast, from the raid at the human place to how those rival groups tracked us to our place."

I smiled, patting him on the shoulder before I walked away from him. "It just feels different now," I said.

"You will need training; if you want to get into shape with your abilities," he said as he raised his head to look at me.

"I have trained with almost everyone in this place," I whined, feeling my body sore from trying to transform and actually transforming.

He chuckled as he handed me my jacket, seeing I was looking for something. "It doesn't look very hard now. Does it?"

"Asides the need for me having to carry extra clothes when I know I will transform. There is nothing much about it," I said, feeling blood rush up my cheeks when I remembered he might have seen me naked after my first transformation.

"Extra clothes are a must for us, or rather transforming with your clothes next to you," he said with a nervous smile. "How about partial transformation?"

"We can train now in the training room if you want to see how good I've gotten," I said, smiling widely as I was eager to show him how good I had gotten.

He smiled as he stretched his hand, helping me put on the jacket behind me. "We'll see about that."

I smiled, feeling my body tingle as his hands grazed my skin. I turned to him. "Let's go right now."

His face turned serious as he walked behind me, heading for the training room with me. I could feel the seriousness in the air as he took off his shirt, exposing a toned body to me.

"Ready?" He asked as he drew his claws, waiting for me.

"I was born ready," I replied as I drew my claws, feeling my hair stand as I charged at him. He came closer to me as our claws clashed, dragging me towards him.

I could feel something in my mind as I stared at him. He had something associated with him, like a scent that I wanted to have to myself.

"What is it?" He asked, staring me in the eyes.

I swallowed hard as I suddenly realized the ruddy boy was suddenly more handsome than I remembered. "I do not know. Is there a problem?"

He shook his head as his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat. "I don't think there is a problem, except the chance I had to take off your head while you were staring at me."

I smiled as I pulled off him. It wasn't what I had felt, but I shook my head to clear it, ready to charge at him once more, when I heard a commotion coming from outside.

We stopped our fight, dressing up quickly to know what was happening. The front of the castle was crowded with people staring at something. I moved to the front of the crowd, seeing a naked boy sitting on the ground.

"We need help," the boy said as he lowered his head to the ground, encrusted with soot.

"What happened?" Dennis asked as he broke out of the crowd.

"Our settlement was raided by humans and we have nowhere to go," he answered. I could tell from the scent of his blood of his heritage. He was a beta and probably the lowest ranking of his group.

Dennis turned, searching the eyes of his co-leaders to know what they said.

I took my jacket from Damian's hand. "There is no time for us to stand and decide what we are going to do," I said as I walked to the boy, picking him from the ground. "Take me to where they are."

"You aren't the leader of our pack....." someone said, but Dennis raised his arm, stopping the boy from speaking.

"I need twenty men to help them out," he called out, stepping out with me.

I nodded my head as we followed the boy, rushing into the distance. It took us a day of constant running before we got to the place his people had gathered, but it looked like there was another presence with them.

"You again," I said as I stared at Caspian.

"Of all people to call for help. It is the very one who has nothing to offer you," Caspian said as he noticed us approaching.

"At least they called us for help. They trust us more instead of running toward your alpha."

"I think this will be easier for me," he said with a smile as he called his men toward us. "Without your makeshift leader. Your group would readily agree to join our pack."

I looked around, seeing how my people noticed Caspian's intent.

Dennis screamed, charging into the nearest man in front of him, killing him with an instant decapitation. "What are you standing for? Didn't you hear what he said?"

The head dropped to the ground with a sudden realization of what we had hanging over us.

"Kill them all!" Caspian growled, drawing out his claws.

Caspian's men charged at us, ready to swallow us with their higher number advantage when something happened.

The people we came to help charged from behind, taking out some number of his men before Caspian realized what was happening.

The fight was brutal, with over fifty of Caspian men falling with none on our side, but there was damage from the people we came to help with twenty more of them eating the dust.

"You will regret this," Caspian said as he retreated with his men. He had taken his luck with us a bit too far, not counting on the people he wanted to add to his ranks to turn against him.

We stood, watching as they counted their losses. The boy who had called for our help came with a coat over his shoulders. "Thank you for coming to help us."

"We can talk of gratitude later," Dennis said as he stared at them, mourning over their new losses. "We have to get of here before he returns with backup."

I nodded at his words. Caspian didn't look like he was joking when he said he would return and this want the right way we could face him.

Dennis looked at me as he rounded our group to him. "Let's better hope this sacrifice is worth it."

"We are no different from alpha Hector and his group if we cannot help another without what they have to give to us," I spat back at him.

"Then let's hope there are no repercussions for our help here," he added before he turned away from me. "Let's move out before Caspian makes do his threat."

Our retreat was hasty, as we had lost most of our fighters with them.

"I can't believe this," I muttered as we trekked to the pack.

"Do we go back and ambush them?" Someone asked, almost like he was mirroring the thought of the rest of the men present as they murmured their assent.

I turned to him with glowing eyes. "We barely survived their attack and you want us to go there? To do what? Die when we could call for reinforcements."

He lowered his head as all of them stopped behind me. "Going back to the alpha is the same thing."

I sighed as I realized his words were true. Alpha Hector never took defeat lightly, and punished those who failed accordingly. "We will take whatever punishment he gives to us." They murmured at my answers but none of them disobeyed, following behind me until we got to the castle.

I walked into the throne room. My knees, knocking together as I stood in front of him - alpha Hector.

"What are the reports from your journey?" He asked from his throne.

I swallowed hard, finding the words hard to leave my lips. "There were some complications along the way." I lowered my head as I realized he was looking straight at me.

"Complications?"

"Yes, alpha. I lost some men to an ambush, and a chance to replenish my force as those men joined the enemy's forces," I said, swallowing hard when I raised my head, watching as his hand gripped the armrest of his throne.

"Hold him down," Alpha Hector ordered.

Men grabbed me, holding me to my knees as the alpha stood from his seat. "I can set right my actions," I said, joining he would change his mind towards what he was about to do to me.

"Even if you set it right. My reputation is down the drain for losing to people who do not know firsthand what war is," he said as he walked towards me. "For this. You will have to pay for it."

I swallowed hard as my knees wobbled, seeing the alpha strut towards me. He stopped next to me, holding something that looked like a silver rod.

"I saw a lot of potential in you when I made you a part of my inner circle, but it seems you have some lapses in your judgment," he said as he paced behind me.

Cold sweat broke from my body as I expected the damage. "Give me another chance, alpha. I promise I will make it right," I said.

"No, boy. First, I make it right with you before I set my eyes on those who have no fear of me." His words ended with the weight of something striking my back, sending pain through my body.

My screams echoed in the hall as the sound of metal striking flesh followed it. I didn't know when I passed out from his beating, carried away from his presence, and thrown into my room.

"They will pay for this," I said before I fell into a dark sleep.

Days passed before I heard anything from the alpha until a knock sounded at my door.

"Caspian," the voice called out.

I rushed to the door, hoping it was from the alpha and another chance to right my wrongs.

"The alpha wants you in his chambers," the messenger said as I stood outside my door.

"Chambers?" I asked the messenger to confirm if he wasn't passing a wrong message. I wanted a call from the alpha, but the location wasn't something I expected. "Are you sure he meant his chambers?"

He stared at me with disgust. "Maybe another round of beating would set your head in the right direction."

I swallowed hard as I rushed inside, grabbing a shirt to cover my open body. The pain still echoed through my body as slivers of silver stuck to my skin with my body desperately trying to push them out.

The guards opened the door as soon as they saw me walking towards them, giving me no chance to arrange my thoughts.

I trembled as I walked inside, falling to my feet as I noticed he sat at the edge of the fireplace where the light from the fire never reached him. "You called for me, alpha."

"You say you wanted to right your wrongs. Your very life hinges on the premises of your word."

Cold sweat broke on my forehead as I realized what it meant. It was the only opportunity I had to prove myself to him before he chose to end my life if I failed him.

"You say you know where their camp is?" He asked.

"Yes, my lord," I answered, trembling because it was the first time I got to be in the alpha's chambers.

He grunted with the chair squeaking. His footsteps drew closer to me. I quaked in my boots as I watched him draw closer to me. "You will take me to their camp and we will right your wrongs."

I raised my head to look at him. "There is no need for my lord to bother about a group no bigger than two hundred people."

"No bigger than two hundred people, yet they made a mockery of me and some of my best fighters!"

I dropped my head to the ground, afraid that I might put myself into trouble if I said anything more.

"I think it is time I let them know that I still exist. Let them know that I have been here all along," he said as he grabbed my head, pulling me to stand and face him.

My blood crawled as I could smell the blood-lust emanating from his body. "Would you want me to prepare the men for battle?" I asked, inhaling deeply to stop my knees from knocking together.

"Decimation or I toy with them for a bit?" He asked as he turned away from me. "I have let you boys handle all the dirty work for a while, and look at what you all brought to me. Shame and defeat from unimportant groups."

"I'm sorry, my lord," I said, whimpering as I lowered my head to the ground.

He chuckled as he walked closer to me once more. "This isn't the time for apologies, boy. It is time we let them know who is in charge."

I nodded my head as all my body trembled. "Yes, alpha." I was afraid of him, but he would wipe out that group. I was willing to be anything he wished me to be.

"You say there are no more than two hundred men? I guess I will have to even the playing field for them," he replied. "There's nothing nicer to see than your enemies grasping at the straw you placed for them to clutch at."

"Nothing, alpha," I said, repeating his word for fear lurking deep from inside my heart.

"It's been a while since I had a little blood on my hands," he said as he stood next to me with a grin on his face.