*Born of Blood*

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    Duncan could see the effects even if he could not feel them, the doctor wobbled at her desk, shaking her head slightly before resuming her work and in her sleep Malia tensed before falling into a deeper slumber with a soft smile across her features, and then of course there was Mathius. His eyes no longer held that comforting shadow so full of love and passion, now it was as though it had been riddled with the empty void of hunger. The fledgling reached out hesitantly, settling his hand atop the King's forearm gently, "Mat? Are you alright?" his left hand moved forth to gently cusp at the man's cheek, now crouching down before him with a tilted head.


    Lukas felt his heart skip slightly at that, "London. The rural fields just beneath the shadow of the city," his eyes flickered to Katherine, a silent signal to keep all the exciting bits quiet for now, "but I found Katherine from another Pack and took her in. There are plenty of mutts that don't bother to give humans the respect they deserve, I'm looking to change that." He didn't want to let on too much too early. In fact he wasn't even sure if he'd let it known his mixed blood. That would be sure to spook at least a few of them away...and he wanted to avoid finding their corpses from trying to descend the mountain in a fit of panic later. It made people reckless and stupid, and he would not be responsible for their demises.

    Balto snorted and shook his head, settling back onto his haunches and melding back with a series of shuddering cracks and rustled fur. The Omega was wearing loose clothing and as he reached over to turn the water onto steaming warm, he let his free hand scratch fondly beneath the Beta's chin, "Don't give me the kicked puppy treatment, I'll make this as painless as possible." He teased with a snort, "Just lay down so the water gets onto your belly, ya big baby."


    Tai ground his teeth together, the man was Korean with a long braid of black hair down the length of his back and resting at his waist, one of his eyes was gauged out to leave a rather gruesome hole, and a scar crossed his lips with in a tight pink line over his tanned flesh. Despite the biting chill he wore only a sleeveless green shirt and a pair of long khakis. He listened intently to the instructions of his Alpha and tried to drown the bristle that passed over his form, "Sir, if we've a chance to end the King why not take it then and there? Leaving him alive only risks more of our numbers and gives his people more time to respond."

    Mathius paused before giving an answer, needing to regain his self control within his mind and taking in a deep breath before releasing it slowly out through his nostrils. "I'm alright... at least I will be after going and raiding the kitchens." he muttered softly, his voice coming out hoarse and drained. It was surprising to him how he did not flip on a dime and snap at the fledgling, but then again this was Duncan, he had never truly been able to get angry with him, even when his body screamed for him to be in a sour mood from exhaustion. As Mat went to stand up, he wobbled, immediately sitting back down and looking to his lover with a dazed glaze in his eyes. "Okay... been a while since I've done that... i just saw the world spin" he breathed out, a light chuckle to his tone at his own expense.

    Mina gently pulled at the chains to the wall, standing up now instead of cowering in the corner like she had been just moments before Mathius' change, a bemused expression to her features as she now thought she was being used as bait to lure in the traitor, even if she did think herself to be one in the first place, her reasoning for agreeing to this. But there was this feeling in her limbs she could not shake, a feeling that was telling her not all was right and that someone... was watching... was listening in her head. "Go, you need to go." spoke a voice within her mind, one she knew well, but did not feel fear at. No, this one was warm, soothing, had always been but she had not heard in a very long time, the voice of a man that had saved her long ago, a voice of a man that had freed her from her creator in the first place. Not of Valquise, not of Ion, but of Dami.


    Elias looked intrigued by that, looking from Lukas to Kat then "You belonged to another pack before this? What exactly happened there?" he asked curiously before clearing his throat and shaking his head "Apologies, don't feel as though you have to answer that. I've always been a curious one and that just... surprises me."

    "It's no problem. What I was to them was nothing nice." Kat muttered with a light shrug of her shoulders even as she felt anxiety welling up within her at her memories of the time spent with the pack. "They used me as nothing more than a slave and bait to lure in vampires. I was luckier than the other humans there and those that came before me, at least I wasn't used... well, in a way that some would think I would have been by them. I count that as a blessing." she muttered, giving Lukas' hand a squeeze for her own assurance. "I'm here now with Luka, Balto, and Isaac now, that's what matters to me."

    Elias gave a nod of understanding her her words, catching on tot he meaning and breathing out a soft sigh of relief, looking up at the alpha then "So you had it decent in London then? That's good, here most of the packs stick to Indian reservations and camp grounds, running businesses in rural areas while the strigoi stick to urban cities and the like."

    Isaac huffed out a breath as he looked the Omega over, grumbling under his breath before doing as he was told, laying down on his belly in the warm water and flattening his ears against his head in subtle disliking to having to be bathed as a wolf. "I am not a baby... this is just embarrassing..." he grumbled, nipping at the other mans hand gently before lifting his head and laying it over the edge of the tub with a quiet whine.


    Trix spoke up then, a growl in her tone as she turned on Tai, snarling under her breath "Who are you to question why he doesn't want him dead? If he gives an order then you follow it prick." she snapped, Baxter getting between them before they could break into a fight if it would happen, he putting a hand on Trix and pushing her back gently.

    "Enough" Valise muttered with a huff leaving his lips, looking to Tai with a shake of his head. "I have my own reasons for not wanting him dead, not yet at least. I need him to know why I chose him, why I am doing this to him. And none of you could truly be able to kill him, he'd snap you like a twig before you got the chance." he muttered with a growl. "And because I told you not to you will not take his life. If it's blood you want, then take it from one of the others of his coven. You are to be a distraction while we go for the pack, I intend to break them, weaken them, before we take their lives in this end game."

    Duncan softened his gaze slightly as he swept his gaze about the room, "Why don't you lay down for a bit?" he suggested with a weak smile, "I'll get you some blood and some food and then we can move you up to our room or your office and just...see how you feel then." He pressed a quick kiss to the King's forehead and smiled slightly, "Just let me take care of you this once, eh? Then we can get back to the whole reclaiming London thing." His gaze flickered to Malia murmuring quietly in her sleep with the smile still apparent over her features. He wondered if making the coven forget about this whole debacle would fix the feral episode from Mina, especially if it had been an onset from her former master. The flicker of doubt sparked into a tiny ember within Duncan's chest, but he decided to not follow it for now offering a hand to his lover to help him to wherever he wished to go.


    Lukas glanced back towards Katherine sympathetically and smiled weakly, remembering well the circumstances they had met. He still bore the scars from that episode, both mental and physical, and he still had nightmares of the tasers tearing apart his flesh and mind until he could picture nothing else but light. Waking up with Kat beside him had always shaken him free from those horrid memories, "We're getting there." He assured her quietly, "London was a mess," he looked to Elias then, "if...if the Lycan are better off here...perhaps we'll stay." Mathius wouldn't be happy, and this new place would take some adjusting to...but it was a beautiful place to call home if he ever reached that point.

    Balto rolled his eyes as he smeared shampoo over the black fur, "Don't worry I won't tell anyone," he mused with a smile creeping along his features. His fingers worked gently through the knots and scooped splatters of water onto the more tangled areas of fur, "I doubt anyone would believe me if I did anyway," his shampoo covered hands moved carefully around the whole of the Beta's backs and sides and came up to scratch behind Isaac's ears, "my actual goal here is to get that leg of yours thumping away. You're like a pup when you do that."


    "Oh come on Tai," rose a voice from the back, Barb looking over to her companion with a crooked grin, "it'll be just like the old days. Tearing apart some bloodsuckers here or there, chasing around their livestock for a bit. Humans always do scream louder than the immortals."

    Tai cowered slightlly from the Alpha's onset aggression, averting his eyes stubbornly to the floor with a grimace over his features before nodding twice, "Yes sir, I understand." They always were the distractions. The hybrid was a danger to them all, but they hadn't killed him before when there'd been a sword through his chest and bled him almost until he was dry, so how would they be able to kill him with just the Pack here? Tai kept his doubts to himself and with a respectful hunch of the shoulders to emit submission, Tai backed away and returned to the others.

    "We'll get 'em all, Valise, then you can take the bigun." Barb reassured with the crooked smile of hers, raggedy dark locks with bits of dried blood splattering here or there around her scalp.

    Mathius couldn't argue with him, even if he found it degrading to lay down in one of the beds of the little makeshift clinic. Releasing a soft exhale he gave a nod of acceptance to his lover, leaning up and giving his cheek a kiss "I don't know what i'd do without you. Probably fall apart, but who knows" he mused with a chuckle under his breath, taking hold of the fledglings hand gently in his own and getting to his feet, slowly maneuvering over to the adjacent bed and plopping down with a exhausted breath leaving him. "Just a little food and blood and I'll feel much better no doubt. And then I do have my nurse to look forward to keeping at my side." he muttered, looking gently over to Malia with a sigh of relief, the relaxed nature of the familiar all he had wanted to see out of this.


    "Dami..." Mina whispered to herself, slowly rising to her feet as she furrowed her brows. Why was she hearing his voice and why was he urging her to go? Go where?

    "Use that gift Mina, use it. Open the gates, let them in."

    "Let who in?"

    "Our friends. Your friends. Leave the room and open them."

    Mina didn't understand, but the images flashing through her mind of the gates that lead up to the lodges and the doors of their own of the coven, he wanted her to open them. But why? And how? Without hesitation she yanked at the chains in the walls, they falling to the floor with a quiet clank along with the plaster that they had ripped out, her body moving as if in a trance as she did nothing but listen to the voice in her head, a sense of urgency within her.


    "It is up to you my friend, but we'll follow you anywhere. Most of us came from different places anyways, I know that one of our elders, much older than I, is from Romania, another from the Netherlands, they've seen much and experienced almost everything. And I know for a fact that some of the others wouldn't mind a change in scenery if the opportunity arose. Either way, we're with you. We're your pack." Elias assured with a nod of his head, chuckling under his breath as a thought came to mind, he shaking his head of it. "London is always a mess, everywhere is a mess." he muttered out admittedly before waving it off "I'm gonna go check up on some of the others, unless you have anymore questions for me?"

    Kat gave Lukas' hand a gentle squeeze before letting go, stepping away from the two men and instead walking over towards the three pups playing in a circle before the fireplace, their mother and another woman watching them with mirth filled gazes. "Can I play with you?" the familiar murmured out with a sweet smile, settling down on the floor beside them and crossing her legs as she was offered a stuffed doll by the little girl.

    "Will you play tea with me? The boys don't like it" she whined slightly, her name Elizabeth but as Kat had heard earlier, her mother called her Eli.

    "Why yes I will." Kat murmured, leaning forward and taking the doll in one hand and a tea cup in the other as they girl began to coo and do what children did when playing tea party and such, the boys content to smash toy cars together and wrestle.

    "Of course you will" Isaac grumbled under his breath "You're going to go straight to Lukas with this so that he can tease me back and then I won't get to ever hear the end of it." the Beta grumbled under his breath, only pricking his ears up at the gentle circular motions of the omega rubbing soap into his fur, eyes closing slightly as his leg did indeed start to thump against the tub, tail wagging slightly at the soothing motions and the sparks of warmth it sent through him, whines leaving his lips. "Not a word" he growled out between them.


    "I have utmost faith in the lot of you. You keep yourselves alive and we'll be feasting and celebrating in victory when we get back home." Valise muttered before looking after Tai "And Tai, I understand the hesitance, the questions, but remember that we do everything for a reason." he muttered bitterly. A ringing in his pocket picked up then, a grumble leaving his lips before he slipped out the phone and listened to the voice on the other end, nodding his head and muttering affirmatives. When the phone slipped back into his pocket he whistled out to the pack as a whole "Time to get to work! That was the signal, let's go!" he ordered out, hopping off the porch as one by one members of his pack shifted and released yips and howls of excited battle cries.

    Duncan could not resist teasing his fingers through Mathius' hair before he departed to retrieve the food and blood for his King, steps quick and efficient as he swept into the kitchen and slipped some toast, jam, cheese, crackers, and assorted meats onto the tray he'd procured alongside a trio of blood bags. The weight on his chest had been lifted for the timebeing, and departed back towards the medical ward with a slight bounce in his step. Propping open the door with his heel the fledgling squeezed in and settled down beside Mat with a pointed look, "Take what you want but don't expect me to go and nab you the desserts from the fridges," Duncan couldn't keep the smile off his face, "I'm not willing to put my neck on the line when the cook gets that bleach red look on his face."


    Lukas waved the man's concerns away, "No, no, you do what you have to. I'll clean up the rest of this," the Alpha smiled and nodded in thanks, "again, thank you for doing this. It helps. All of us, to see someone settle in so easily. Let me know if you or any of the others needs anything." His gaze drifted fondly to the pups and Katherine down on the ground, his chest aching as he remembered himself and Mathius playing together in the tucked away corners of their mansion. He scrubbed and dried and set away the plates and forks and knives and glasses that had been used and promptly disposed of by the other wolves, humming quietly to himself as he worked away at the menial task. It didn't last. Moments like this never lasted. His chest sprung tightly as his hybrid ears stretched beyond the hold of the night, and as the Alpha deposited his rags on the counter and moved quickly to the porch he could only feel his pulse spring into a racing beat, instincts on edge and body tensed as he listened in dread to the howls creeping closer, "Katherine." Lukas' tone was tense and unwavering as he looked back inside and fixed the familiar with a harsh look, "Take the pups and their mother into the basement, along with anyone else who cannot fight for themselves." No. He would NOT lose anyone else. Never again.

    Balto snorted in disbelief, but the smile did not leave the Omega's face as he watched the Beta preen under his touch, "You'll have to make it worth my while." The Omega mused as he gathered some water in his palms to clean Isaac off steadily, ensuring the rake out the last of the tangles in the soft black pelt before him. His breathing stayed even as his hands moved along the wolf's body, keeping his mind from thinking of other things. Less pleasant demons that tended to lurk in the corners of his brain.


    Tai and Barb took the signal with varying excitement, the former being hesitant as he crept into his mottled brown and white pelt while the latter charged forth with her scraggly tawny fur pumping above the snow. Their paws pounded against the ground as they were joined by a series of others, six or so trailing them through the mountain paths towards the larger of the lodges. The moment was nigh and they'd the element of surprise on their side. With luck, they would be able to cause havoc without much difficulty at all, then slip away once the King and his hybrid were dead.

    "Awe, how sad. I had hoped you'd be my savior and get a nice little sweet..." Mathius pouted teasingly as he reached out, taking one of the blood bags in hand and sipping at it through the clasp that acted like a straw in a sense, slowly the color returning to his features as well as his energy, he alternating between the blood and the food, munching at the cheese and crackers with a groan of relief. "Much better..." he breathed out, winking up to Duncan "Thank you mi amore... using my abilities takes all the energy out of me that it feels as though I cannot move for ages." he breathed out admittedly, looking over to Malia "Hopefully though with this we can go back to a relative peace within our walls and give them what they deserve... all the happiness and love in the world." he breathed out, slowly relaxing back into the cot as he downed the first bag and started up on the second. Halfway through he heard it, that soft echo, at first only thinking that perhaps Lukas was enjoying his newfound leadership, but then it was followed by more, aggressive in tone and booming through the halls so clearly it had him tensing up. "Shit."

    Mina was struggling within herself, slowly feeling control slipping from her fingers as fear gripped her, fear of what would happen as she opened the door to her room and started down the halls, it too early for anyone to be roaming about yet, leaving her to go unnoticed except for by the guard, she quickly dispatching him to the floor, he out cold in a matter of moments. That voice was urging her forward, slowly it changing in tone and reverberation in her mind, giving her more fear and less control of herself. Once she finally reached the door, the gate to the lodge, she was watching herself through her eyes, another taking control as she screamed inside her mind, images flashing before her mind, images that made no sense as they showed her attacking Malia, eyes ruby red and all coupled with the malicious chuckling of her master as it changed from Dami's voice to Ion's, he having played with her mind and leading her to throw the double doors wide open for the pack, body moving of its own accord out those same doors and towards the forest. He wanted her out of harms way, he wanted her away from the ensuing bloodshed as she could see the thoughts of his own mind within her own, showing her the pack and what was to come.


    "We'll be fine, but I will if someone voices it. I doubt you'll be getting any complaints though." Elias assured with a slight grin, starting towards three others of the pack, picking and teasing at the older men and women sitting around the table, some either looking to him or at Lukas with admiration and thankful expressions, curious at seeing him doing such a menial task but all the more gaining respect from it.

    Kat was sweet as she played with the girl, musing to the taste of the tea as she pretended to sip from the cup and offering the same to the doll in her lap, laughing lightly to the girl as she chided her for doing it wrong in some parts, that her pinky had to be held up like at real tea parties. But then Lukas spoke, and she recognized that tone before any other, her heart seizing up as she wanted to do nothing more than argue but could not, would not as she looked to the children and their mother "Alright darlings, we're going to play a game, hmm? Would you like that?" she murmured, getting slowly to her feet as the mother picked up her daughter and Kat offered out her hands to the boys "We're going to see who can be the quietest downstairs, alright? Now, lets get blankets and hurry now. If you get down there in ten seconds i'll have a treat for you." she cooed, feeling the urgency as she grabbed up the blankets from the couch and lead the way to the door that lead down to the basement, letting them go on down ahead of her as she turned towards Lukas with pleading eyes and a slight whine leaving her lips "Luka". The others had taken notice, following Elias lead and walking out to the porch to await Lukas' orders, already beginning to hear the steady approach of the howls and the thumping of paws against snow, battle cries they were.

    Isaac was steadily growing used to the soothing motions of his friends fingers through his fur, releasing a relished whine that soon faded at the tension building up in the air. "Shit" the Beta growled out as he began to hear the howls, turning his snout to nose the omega and lick at his cheek "Looks like we couldn't hope for silence and freedom for long." he muttered bitterly, swiftly hopping out of the tub and shaking the water clinging to his fur out all over the room, snarling under his breath at the increase in volume of the threatening war cries of wolves.


    Valise held back his own group, tail lashing back and forth as he waited, waited, and then finally gave a snap of his jaws once he could see that Tai and his group had made it towards the lodge, already beginning to see the pack exit their own from where he could see them high up on their ledge. "Move out" he snarled, a group of eight or more with him and the others, Trix and Baxter giving yips and howls of battle, both of their lengthy brown fur flashing through the snow as their paws pounded in their descent towards the smaller lodge holding the newly formed pack. Undoubtedly they'd be met with a fight, but hopefully not as large of a one with the coven being picked off in their fit of unawares. The alpha released a booming howl unto the air, a warning to Lukas, to let him know exactly who was in town and making it clear they were not here to play games.

    Duncan's gaze snapped sharply to the chorus of aggressive and unfamiliar howls breaking through the air, straightening up from where he had settled at Mathius' side to hurry towards the door. The dark scraggly shapes charging down the side of the hills were unfamiliar...but what was most startling at all was the gates. They weren't closed. Which meant- "Battle stations!" The fledgling flew to the door, "Everyone get a weapon! Silver! Hurry before-!" There was no before however, as the front doors crashed open and a dark tawny mound of fur overtook Duncan's vision. Something hard slammed into his chest and his head snapped back against the hard wood of the banisters. The female bound after him, and Duncan was on his feet darting away down the hall with the lycan hot on his heels.

    Barb had gone after the King's toy, and the others were ransacking those without weapons, but Tai was no fool. This advantage would not last long and so he would prepare for the battle to go south swiftly. His paws broke the hinges of the front doors and let the cold air blasting in, his fur bristling as he cast his harsh gaze around. The scent of blood was thick in the air, and the mottled brown and white male turned to the medbay with a low snarl. Green eyes narrowed on the King, indecision flickering in his eyes for but a moment, before he dared to press the doors fully open and cast his gaze over the doctor standing protectively before the now panicking Familiar, "Good evening, sire, I hate to interrupt, but I'm afraid your reign is officially over," Tai ground out, stalking forth and straightening himself up to full height, daring to raise his tail in dominance as he bared his teeth and snarled loudly through the panicked screams and shrieks and howls echoing through the night.


    "If you cannot fight or do not wish to, take shelter with the pups in the basement. I will not see them killed." Lukas commanded firmly, watching the Pack come closer and closer through the snow, "Make teams of two this instant, and do not abandon your partner for anything. If your partner falls join another, and work to gain the advantage. No one touches the Alpha. That bastard is mine." Lukas kept his hand up, holding his new pack back for a moment that felt like an eternity, before he swung his arm down, his body cracking and snapping sharply as fur tore through flesh and muscle stretched and shuddered, "NOW!" He roared into the night, bunching up his haunches and launching forwards to charge towards the oncoming Valise. There would be other fights of course, but the Alpha? Lukas would tear him apart.

    Balto felt the familiar twinge of uselessness, looking at his already aching and twisted leg, "You go ahead, I'll protect the pups and wounded in the basement. I'll see you when this is all done." The Omega fought for a smile, the scraggly grey wolf that took his place showing his teeth with a slight wag of his tail before limping off towards the stairs and nosing Katherine and the pups and their mother, alongside an elder or two, down into the lodge's darkness, "Go on, I'll protect the door." He assured, settling near the top of the stairs and watching the chaos on the porch come closer and closer.

    Mathius was no fool, and as the howls resounded through the night air and unto the halls of the lodge, he knew they had not been prepared, they had not stayed on their toes and taken every precaution for this. The sound of crashing and splintering wood filled his ears and had him wobbling to his feet, finishing off the third blood bag and throwing it aside as his gaze grew scarlet, snarling under his breath as the wolf before him stopped him from going after his lover. But if he left, that would leave the doctor alone with Malia and utterly defenseless against this fully grown lycan. Standing his ground he bared his fangs at him and felt his muscles bunch up and flex beneath his shirt, taking a challenging step forward "And are you here to take it? Or are you just going to be another cowering pup at my feet?" he snapped.


    As Lukas spoke more and more of the pack were stepping up, bodys snapping into action at his order and charging forth with roars and snarls of aggression at the unfamiliar pack. They did not need to be told much to know that this was the enemy and that their alpha had a grudge with them, and that was all they needed to put themselves into the fight so freely, especially against an enemy that wanted them so obviously dead. Elias was just behind them, his dark black/grey fur crashing with brown as he tackled Baxter to the ground, snarls and snapping jaws ensuing.

    Valise looked amused as he slowed his ascent unto the lodge and looked to Lukas with amusement, his charging body bunched with pure adrenaline and rage sending a ripple through his own form as he bunched up his fur to appear larger than normal, snarling as he darted forth to crash with the other alpha. "Looks as though the halfbreed lives. Good to know, now I get to be the one to kill you." he snarled as he went snapping at his ears. His pack had the order, they knew who to go for.

    Isaac nosed the omega with a bitter whine before dipping his head in understanding and taking off out the door to join the fight, howling to the air as another joined him and they darted off into the flurry of snapping jaws and bitter snarls. Kat was resistant at first to the gentle nudge of the omega, letting the others go down first before she looked to Balto "Come down with us... i don't want you up here alone." she breathed out desperately, reaching out and laying a hand to his fur in comfort, if for no one but herself as she could already hear the whines and pitiful whimpers of the pups downstairs, the sound of the fighting already breaking through the tense silence.

    Tai roared in rage, snapping his jaws aggressively as he slowly advanced in a taunting circle about the King, "On the contrary, I can't kill you yet, not until we've taken care of your brother next door." His tail flicked back and forth as green eyes slid over to settle on the doctor and the familiar, "Be a shame if something were to happen to her," he drawled, looking over the medic with nothing but a scalpel to protect herself, "innocent and thoughtful, only trying to help others. It doesn't matter who you are, or wat you do...in the end, we can kill the lot of you with one. Single. Bite."


    Lukas reared his head back, jaws clicking just beneath his threat as his massive paw swung outwards to try and claw at Valise's side. His heart was racing in his chest as the Wolf took the reigns, unable to truly win this battle without the primal instincts of his bloodthirsty self. Kat e. Kat was protected. So long as they were kept out of the lodge they all had a chance. His jaws lashed out to clamp down hard onto Valise's hind with a snarl. He would not lose another family today.

    Balto looked between the carnage outside, and then to the whining of the pups below and Katherine's pleading face, "Ill...I'll stay at the top of the stairs." He agreed with a low growl, nosing her gently towards the gloom of the basement, "My scent will be covered and I will have the jump on them if they open the door. Everything will be fine. You help the ups keep quiet. Lukas will come for you when this is all over."

    "So you're a whipped dog then? Your alpha keeping you on a tight leash and not even giving you the satisfaction of being able to take the king down yourself? Maybe he feels threatened by you, afraid that your taking down the king would mean he has a competitor. Ever think about that? What a whipped little pup you are, why don't you run along home now to nurse, quite past your bedtime, no?" Mathius challenged, circling out to stand in front of the doctor and Malia as the lycan snarled and turned his gaze onto them. "A single bite may kill us, but do remember that silver is everywhere when dealing with a coven." he snapped back, baring his teeth once more as he took a challenging step forward, the thought of his brother next door under the same kind of attack driving adrenaline in his heart with fear and concern for not only his own people, but that of his siblings new found pack.


    Valise roared at the painful bite to his hind, snapping his jaws towards the other alphas maw to clam down and get a good hold of him as his ears went flat against his head and muscles bunched up with tension and pure power. "Where's that female of yours halfbreed? Hiding her away from me so we can't have any fun?" he snarled, attempting to coax a retort out of him and pull him off guard for but a moment, a moment being all he needed "It's going to be fun to leave you alive once more as we kill everything you love, including that cowardly strigoi brother of yours."

    Trix struggled at first as she went to move around the bunch, her orders clear from the private talk with Valise just before the signal, she being given the task of getting inside and dealing with the weaker links while they were distracted. Slipping through the cracks of the raging packs, she nosed her way in through the back door, head dipped low as she sniffed out for those surely left within.

    Kat furrowed her brows with hesitation at Balto before giving a nod of acceptance, ducking down and laying a quick kiss to the top of the Omega's head "Stay safe Balto" she murmured before ducking down and back to join the others below, taking hold of the rifle she had grabbed with her on her way down and joining the pups to softly sooth their fear.

    Tai bared his fangs and snarled in reply. Silver indeed, he could smell it in the air as thickly as the blood scattered throughout the lodge. Never let it be said that the fallen King were unprepared for what had come to pass. The green eyes adapted a sort of content look, staring into the folds of reality for a long, thoughtful moment. It was almost as though he were second guessing himself, but in the end, the wolf shook his pelt off and looked to the King without a flicker of doubt, "I've my orders." He snarled out, haunches bunching up beneath him as he leapt towards Mathius and snapped his jaws towards his forearm.


    Lukas heard those words...and froze. His jaws opened just a fraction and his eyes flickered towards the lodge for a lingering heartbeat. There was someone in there. There were several someones in there. Balto was larger, he had been a loner, he would be able to handle it? He had to. He knew what was at stake. He knew the lay of the lodge. He knew how to survive...but did he know how to survive against the might of Valise's own people? Did he want to rise that? And Kat...what would happen to her if his Omega fell? Gods, he never should have taken her here...he should have hidden her away somewhere far away...somewhere she wouldn't be bothered by this mess ever again. Pure feral terror and rage forced his pupils into nothing more than tiny dots amidst a sea of yellow, and the Alpha roared in rage, trying to reclaim his lost advantage from his brief distraction.

    Balto hunched near the door, hearing the steps of the intruder draw closer and closer and closer still. They would have the high ground by but an inch or so, but he was larger. He would use that to his advantage. He would block the way. He would block the way so long as he could stand and fight. His heart raced in adrenaline, but he desperately hoped that whoever was on the other side of the door would believe it to be fear. The pups, the elders, the mother, and Kat. He had to win. He had to win for them.

    Mathius snarled as the wolf lunged forward, his words speaking volumes of the pack loyalty and how if given an order, they would follow it to the end. He would kill him, and he knew that, And Mat intended to use it to his advantage. Ducking down to avoid the snapping of jaws, the monarch lashed out to aim a punch to the lycans chest and send him back away from the doctor and familiar. "You have your orders, yes, what a good boy you are. Expecting a treat when you go back home? Assuming you are going to make it back home." he growled out, searching about the room for anything that could be used as a weapon, silver preferably.


    Valise chuckled under his breath with obvious amusement at the distress of the other alpha, the roar emitting a wolfish chuckle from his jaws as he stepped back away from him "Come now Lukas, I couldn't have possibly angered you that much" he snarled out, ducking down and up to aim his jaws snapping towards the hybrids throat, teeth clacking together with wolfish laughter. Games like these, he had always been good at them, and centuries of watching packs come and go and seeing how the covens fought, he knew exactly how to get into ones head, to bring a man to his knees and bring him to his lowest point with just words if he wished, but even better with action.

    Trix could smell it, could smell the fear, and as she quirked her head to the side and pricked up her ears, she could hear the gentle whines of pupas, however faint through the walls she could. Snickering under her breath, she slowly eased through the hall and towards the source of the sound. "Little pup, little pup, why don't you let me in?" she cooed, snarling under her breath as she stopped just before the door to the basement, knowing full well that she would either be met with the weakest links or with a few of their strongest protecting them.

    Tai helped sharply, twisting in the air to land with a thud atop one of the cots, "I expect to serve my people, just as you tried to do...once...before you failed!" Not risking the chance to allow the King to retrieve a weapon as he charged forth once more, faking right and lunging left to snap his jaws into the strigoi's side.


    Lukas howled in rage, whirling so that the teeth latched onto his shoulder. Good. He would give him something to bite on. Something to keep him still...and then? The Alpha lunged down to fix his fangs over the ears of the intruder and rip back. Ears bled profusely, and with the impaired hearing everyone had a better chance, but he had to check the lodge. He had to...

    Balto waited and listened, and when the voice crooned brokenly through the door the Omega took his chance. It caused no small amount of pain for him to lunge forwards and crash through the door with a roar, aiming to slam the female back into the kitchen with a rocketing howl. His lame leg twanged with pain, the force of the initial leap up the stairs. Balto lingered by the door, baring his teeth and barking challengingly at the intruder before him, trembling with rage.

    Mathius snarled as his jaws just barely snapped a fraction away from his ribs, he rolling out of the way and lunging up towards the doctors work station, taking hold of one of the scalpels, made of silver thankfully, and lunged forward to stab it into the lycans ribs with a raging light in his eyes. His pupils were barely pinpricks against the scarlet irises, adrenaline kicking in and shoving aside the exhaustion of his previous actions. He needed to kill this one, he needed him dead in order to get out of this room and save his lover, save his coven. Already he could smell the blood of lycan and strigoi alike blooming in the air, the scent rancid and sending a shudder through his form. "You have a duty to your pack just as I have one to my coven. The only thing is, only one of us can come out of this." he snarled.


    Valise roared at the pain ripping through his skull as his ear was torn, leaking blood down across his muzzle and over his eyes, blinding him even as he snapped his jaws over and over to get a hold of something, anything of the other alpha to keep him from making his escape towards the lodge. He was hitting a nerve, or at least that was the impression he got with how fierce the hybrid had turned in a matter of seconds after his words. He knew what they were after, he knew what Valise spoke of, and it made it all the more amusing for the alpha.

    Elias was stumbling about now, barely able to stay on his feet as Baxter had been tougher, younger, and much more larger than himself in a fight, the elder limp on the ground and staring up at the other lycan with wide eyes, snarling still leaving his maw in challenge even when in such a position. He would fight tooth and nail to protect those inside the lodge, especially... well that didn't matter as Baxter went to drive his fangs into the elders neck. Except the blow never came. Snapping his eyes open Elias saw Isaac, tackling the other to the ground and ripping through fur as they wrestled for dominance.

    Trix had not expected that, her body tumbling into the kitchen and against the fridge, nearly nocking it over with the force that the omega had hit her with. Snarling she lunged forward after a few moments of regaining her composure, snapping her jaws at the other lycan and aiming for his obvious lame leg, teeth bared and fur puffed up to double her size. She had an order to met out, and no way was she letting a degrading Omega get the best of her.

    Tai yelped as the scalpel broke skin, flinching away from the violent burning that ensued and shaking free from the deadly embrace to once more circle the King as he bristled. It was time to switch tactics. Pulling his lips back in a wicked grin the lycan crooned out a taunting tone, "I wonder what Barb is doing to that little love bird of yours," he started teasingly, flicking his tail back and forth and back again, "he's quick, but she's quicker. She was gaining before they'd even gone down the halls." If the King could get angry, maybe there would be an opening. Maybe he would be able to clear the room and keep the fight going until Valise could make his way over. Unless he didn't plan on coming over. Unless they were not only distractions...but sacrifices.


    Lukas howled in pain as teeth clamped down over his tail, the flesh he had sundered from his foe soaking the snow red. He'd landed his blow and now he simply had to wait for Valise to wear himself out...but did he have enough time? Did Kat have enough time? Or Balto? His heart pounded in his chest at the calls of the Pack he had just saved. Everything had gone to hell within a day, and now he would pay the price for his compliance with the brief peace they had been granted. He should have never let his guard down.

    Balto reared up, snapping his jaws with a roar to ward the female off. His chest was heaving with breath and his lame leg draped over the stairs behind him with some difficulty. It hurt. Gods, everything hurt...but he couldn't leave. He had to protect the pups and the elders and Katherine, she'd done the same for them, watched over them and ensured that they were save and cared for. He couldn't lose now.

    The mention of Duncan set Mat on edge, a feral hiss leaving his lips as he bared his fangs at the lycan, taking a challenging step forward with the scalpel still in hand. "Do not think him such a weak link mutt, he could take her if she forced him, and you'll find that she's dead before the night is through, you all will be." he snarled, his anger and aggression getting the best of him and riling him up further as he lunged forward to drive the scalpel into him once more. These were the martyrs, the sacrifices. Mat could see that there were so few of them, though they could do much damage to the coven, they were outnumbers the moment that one of his own could get to the weapons, all laced with silver, all meaning their end if they were not quick enough.


    "I'm going to enjoy this halfbreed, you don't even know how much I am, all the fun I'm going to have with that little b*tch of yours, and just because you went and pissed me off. All your fault halfbreed, you have no one to blame but yourself." Valise growled out as he let go of Lukas tail and began to circle around him, snarling and snapping his jaws as he tried desperately to blink the red liquid out of his eye and give him a better sight unto his foe. Already he could hear some of the howls of victory in a fight from his own, laced with the howls of Lukas' own pack victories against his. Once one fell, another rose up, and slowly he knew they were slipping past the fighting and towards the lodge, each having their own goal. This was nothing more than a distraction. "I do hope that your brother doesn't find himself bitten, wouldn't that be a shame? To lose the only real family you have left, the only one that has ever cared." he crooned.

    Trix didn't budge as she moved forward, roaring back at him just as fiercely as she lunged forth to snap her jaws into the back of his neck and throw him aside. She could hear the sounds of the pups below, sobbing away as they could hear her and the omega fighting, all a fright to little ones, and none the more bothersome to her.

    Kat was waiting, looking up the stairs and then back to the pups and those that could not fight. "Stay here, if you don't hear anything, lock the door and grab anything you can to use as a weapon." she ordered out, her tone firm and earning her a few nods of understanding while others stared in shock and fear. Without a moments hesitation, Kat started up the creaking stairs, hearing the roars and snarls of the two fighting wolfs and the eery sounds of approaching paw steps as well, as if more were starting into the lodge. In her hands she firmly held onto a pipe that had been left on the floor in the basement, thankfully to them, and as she heard Trix roar and lung towards Balto, she swung out at her from just behind him.

    Tai's chest went cold, the silver bulging down to tear into the flesh between his shoulders. The lycan didn't dare to hesitate, tearing through the King's legs and leaping to tackle the doctor behind him to the ground. She died shrieking in agony as her body slumped to the ground and Malia cried out in terror as she tumbled from her bed and desperately held hot, snapping jaws away from her face with trembling hands. The Familiar was still weak, and as Tai's fangs snapped closer and closer to her face she could only scream for her lover that had sworn to protect her. Her mind was not completely with her, still drowning slightly beneath the waves of weakness and injury that had beset her.


    There were some of Valise's roadkill at the coven as well? For a moment he remembered those that had taken him in, and those that had given him a family even if only for a short time. His heart choked in his throat as he recalled them falling one by one by one after Dietrich's besiegement. He was that protector now, and as shapes and shadows shifted in the corner of his vision, the Alpha knew what he had to do. Lukas whirled sharply, kicking up snow in his wake and bucking out with his hind legs to try and land one last blow against Valise as he tore towards the lodge, howling a challenge to the intruders that dared to near his home.

    Balto thrashed and snarled in the female's grip, but he hadn't any strength to break free. His heart lurched as he was suddenly airborn. The stairs that he fell against were harsh and painful and shook the world black and white and red all over. The Omega shrieked in agony as he tumbled head over paws again and again and again. the scraggly gray wolf was half way down the stairs before he heard the abrupt snap. The agony in his legs were gone, but he was still howling. It had sounded like a tree branch being crushed underfoot, and as the Omega faded from consciousness down at the foot of the stairs, his hazel eyes twisting out of focus, his only thought was of the legs he could not longer feel splayed out behind him.

    Mat went stumbling forward as the lycan darted through his legs, he taking a few long moments to regain himself before whirling around and rushing forward to get him off of Malia. Seeing his fallen doctor and having heard her screams of terror wrenched through his heart, but not nearly as much as hearing Malia cry out for Mina like she did. With a snarl ripping through the monarch's lips he wrenched his hands into fists about the lycans fur and went to throw him across the room and into the wall, if not aiming to send him into the doctors desk, seeing the silver tools atop it and hoping that they would at least lodge a few into him. "Stay behind me" he growled out to Malia, holding out a hand to help her up back to her feet.


    Valise yelped as the hind legs of the hybrid made contact with his jaw, sending him skittering back with pain shooting up through his mouth and to his skull with the thudding of aches. Shaking his head, he watched Lukas, his urgency to get to the lodge bringing a sense of satisfaction to himself as he took a few moment to start to circle around, watching as a few of his own started into the lodge while a couple others bunched up their fur and muscles to keep out the other alpha.

    Kat found herself smacked away like nothing more than a rag doll, her gaze snapping to the side in time to catch Balto going down the stairs before the female was atop her and snapping her jaws in warning at her face, the woman seizing up in terror as she could hear others coming up behind her, snickering with cackling laughter like a hyena. Then she heard it, even up here she could hear it, that snap, the crack of a limb breaking completely, and her heart seized with fear for Balto. Without a moment of hesitation or concern for herself, she lashed out and slammed the door shut to keep them out and away from the injured lycan and those beneath, leaning her back against the door as she struggled for air. "Don't. Don't touch a one of them" she hissed out, glancing to the side for the pipe that she had dropped in her struggle. Trix snapped her jaws at her in warning when she noticed her looking around and took a threatening step forward "Not here for them, but give us trouble and we can be."

    Tai shrieked in agony, feeling one of the tools snap as it bent against his body. It was inside him now. Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods...where was Valise? Where were the others? They'd left him. They'd left him and Barb and the others...they were going to die in here. Widened eyes flickered to the window in horrified realization, heart racing in his chest as the young Lycan realized the hall he stood in now may be the very last thing he see. What had he done... "We've all gotta go," he snarled then, staggering as he tried to work himself forwards, hobbling on sundered legs, "why not go out fighting?" he snapped his jaws as Malia stood unsteadily and took shelter behind the King.


    Lukas couldn't get there in time. There was too much happening. Too many bastards trying to slow him down. Bodies turned red before him, but he would not get there first. They were already inside...with Kat and the pups and those he had sworn to keep safe. Terror and rage gripped his heart...and as helplessness washed over him his mind found itself tearing apart. To protect those out in the snow fighting for a home they were so desperate to keep, or fight those that had already invaded their home. He would regret this choice for every day that passed. With shaking resolve, Lukas turned from the lodge and charged back into the fray, tearing apart any of Valise's thugs that came into his sight.

    Kat struggled for words as she stared up at the female lycan with horrified eyes, shaking her head without words and realization filling her. They were here for her? But why? It made no... it made all the sense actually, perfect sense. What better way to get at an alpha than to take his female? It was a game that her old pack had played as well, taking the female of a foe pack and either doing what they will to her and returning her home, or killing her all together. With shuddering breaths she gave a nod to Trix, the lycan snapping her jaws forward at her in warning.

    "Make a wrong move and you'll be in a world of pain" she snarled, her compatriots behind her snarling in warning as Kat got to her feet, one of the males shifting back and taking hold of her without warning and hauling her over his shoulder, they heading straight for the backdoor in a hurry and starting into the freezing snow. He was fast, and built, meaning that when she struggled in his grip it would only tighten, and crushingly so. Once half way up the hill that lead up to the path of their cabin, Trix released a howl, a signal to those below that their goal was met and they needed to go.

    Valise chuckled under his breath at the display, snapping out a few barks of orders to his pack mates before darting off towards the lodge of the coven, searching for any remnants of his pack while the others fought their way out of the struggle with Lukas and his own pack. The alpha wasn't completely heartless, but he was no fool, and as he heard the sounds of shots ringing out in the air, he knew that there was no saving those that had gone in without a risk to his own life. Giving a growl under his breath and one last howl to those inside, he darted off to join the others in their ascent back to the cabin and through the trail in the forest.


    "Looks like I made a fair point earlier then, he put you lot out to slaughter." Mat snarled in return to the lycan, taking a challenging step forward. "Coming snapping those jaws at me and I'll rip your heart out like I did the last that tried it." he growled in warning, keeping an arm out behind him to act as a protectant from the lycan for Malia. It wasn't much, but at least it would give him a chance if Tai went lunging for her. "Best get out of here then mutt, while you still can." he muttered as he heard the sounds of gunfire ringing through the halls now, a sign that his people had made it to the weapons and were slowly taking the advantage.