This was never what I expected of life even a year ago. When I married Nixon, I was innocent still, still kind, and hopeful even in dark times. When I fell pregnant, that is when I began to notice his change even more rapidly, how he took care of me more than before, showing love and admiration, protecting me, and making sure no one could ever touch me. Reading his last words ever written in his journal of demons, he ended the last chapter of his journal with love, care for his wife and child, and acceptance of the life he had lived and how it compared nothing to the life he had spent with me by his side. Leala begins to stir in my arms, waking up from her nap as I rock her back and forth in the rocking chair, my eyelids growing heavy as my mind races back and forth with the plan Nixon had set forth. Elijah is well informed of it and probably already has started making arrangements to set it in motion as I sit here like a sitting duck, unaware of what is happened in the walls Elijah fills his presence with. Even if Elijah sets the plan in motion and gets these witches to work with us, Elijah will still ask for a small army, an army as big as the warriors at my disposal from Crimson Lock. Everyone in this pack believes I will take a position and stand up for this pack, to make changes, but they will not see it coming when I inform my pack of the changes which may occur, how I will call on my warriors to take a stand and do something they may be completely opposed to.

As the doorbell rings, I pick myself up, headed down the stairs as Leala begins to cry, her soft cries filling the air as I ask myself what my daughter would think of what I am to do. Would she feel proud of her mother? What would kids say about her in school, not only if I go through with Elijah's plan, but about her father too? Will children at school recognize her last name and comment about her father, about the crime he committed without knowing the entire story? Opening the door, Peggy stands in the doorway. "Sorry I am a few minutes late, I forgot my purse when I stepped out the front door."

"No, you're good, she just woke up anyway," I reply, handing my daughter over to the sitter as she smiles at my daughter with a wide grin, greeting Leala with soft tickles as a toothless smile appears on my daughter's face. "I will probably be back in a few hours, I have a meeting with Delta Asher." Delta, the leader of the warriors of this pack. "So sorry about this being last minute."

Peggy follows me into the house as I grab my jacket, pulling it on as I grab my purse and slip my feet into my flats. "I hate to bring this up, Alpha Maxwell, but I will be leaving soon for college, starting in the summer semester." Sighing, I pinch the bridge of my nose, already stressed with who will look after my daughter when I am busy. "I do know someone, she is very good with children. I can give her your number if you would like?"

"I would really appreciate it."

Headed out the door, I thank Peggy once more for coming over. The moment my car rolls up to the private drive of the pack house and Delta Asher is already waiting for me outside, hands clasped behind his back as he stares at my car as I park it, hopping out as he walks forward to greet me. "Alpha Maxwell, been a few days."

"Glad to see you are eager to get this meeting underway," I reply, shaking the Delta's hand as I can feel the prying eyes of pack members. They all know a separate meeting with the Delta means plans are underway, plans which may mean blood. Rumors will soon spread, but I know my pack respects me, they know I am an Alpha who has proved herself. "My office should be set up, I called in ahead of time."

Heading into the pack house, we pass through the pack members who smile at me, a small wave from my hand only makes their smiles widen as I can feel the pride in the room. With the office door closing behind us, Delta Asher takes a seat across from my desk, his gray eyes following me as I take a seat as well, pulling out from my purse the small copy from Nixon's journal, the pages with the plans he detailed. "I am sure you have been caught up on Elijah and what he wishes to do."

"People in this pack are aware of Elijah, of what he represents to this kingdom, and that his plans for what happens next mean a big transformation for not just this pack, but every pack. You lead this pack to become a rogue pack, but you did so with dignity and pride as the members of this pack stood beside you, and now, you are wishing to call on them to support you."

Passing over the copied pages, Asher takes them into his hands, his eyes scanning over every detail as his lips purse together. "Burn it down?"

"Laraxis will be the last Alpha King, the power will return to the Alphas once it is all over with, Zion will have nothing left of the life he once knew, and Crimson Lock will remain on top."

"The witches, if they are to help, you will still need more power than that to get to the palace and you know that you lead the strongest and most well-tested warriors in the kingdom, rogue or not."

"What do you say if it is to happen? If all of this goes through?"

"Where does Elijah stand in the process?" Asher asks, placing the copy back on my desk as he stares right into my eyes.

"He is waiting to hear if I am with him or not."

Silence falls in the room, Asher taking in a deep breath as he runs a hand through his hair, looking off to the bookshelf over my shoulder. "You are the Alpha, the warriors fight for you. You send them off to war they will follow you, I am simply their leader who will charge into battle with them."

"They will fight until they do not believe in the cause."

"So make them," Asher responds, "You have asked me my thoughts on this because you are not a foolish Alpha." Raising an eyebrow, I motion for Asher to explain his comment. "Many Alphas which are so cocky they forget who they are to lead, they believe the warriors will fight for them no matter what, that they do not need to believe in the cause to fight for it. You are wise for an Alpha who has barely held the title for a year, Alpha Maxwell. You know that the cause you will ask these men and women to fight for is controversial and will also cause the pack to be split on what should happen. Asking me for my thoughts shows that you are also aware that me going to fight in battle will persuade the warriors on the fence to join the cause."

Taking the book from the edge of the desk, I run my fingers over the edge of the pages, examining the numbers listed on the top corner as they count up. "I read a passage Nixon wrote about how he would intimidate the pack on a controversial issue." Looking to Asher, I know he lived through the days where no one wanted to speak of Nixon. "I do not believe fear is the best motivation. I wish to join Elijah, but I need to hear your honest opinion. Your opinion on if the warriors would fight for me, if I am leading them into a bloodbath, and if you think I am being rational here?"

"Will they fight with you?" Asher pauses, thinking it through. "More than half would join you, still angry with the world for how Zion had treated you, Nixon, and the public. Nixon once spoke of a kingdom with no king, where Alphas would run the kingdom and make the laws, not one person more powerful in the rules than the other. The pack supported and still supports that dream. Are you leading them into a bloodbath? Ask Elijah how many men are willing to join him and if the witches join, then ask yourself if you are willing to see blood be shed. I know you will not be on the front lines for you are human, but ask yourself how many men you are willing to sacrifice and if this pack will still stand beside you."

So far it sounds like he agrees. "And am I thinking rationally?"

Getting to his feet, Asher looks around my office, taking in the interior once more. "Ask yourself what will happen to your daughter if you win this, if you lose this, and if you lose yourself in all of this. Once you have an answer, then you call Elijah and inform him if you are to join him."

Asher leaves, the silence of the room fueling my nerves as I try and figure out what I will do. Not about whether I will say yes to Elijah or not, but about my daughter. I had stayed up all last night, not sleeping at all as I was crouched over on my bed, the black book upon as I read over not just Nixon's last note, but his recollections of Zion, of the day Zion attacked me. In that entry, Nixon had talked about all the wrongdoings they had committed against one another, but nothing ever so person that it made Nixon want to take away all Zion held dear to him. Nixon never planned on killing Sybil, for he spoke in the book that taking away a loved one from Zion would do nothings. When Zion lost his first girlfriend due to a car crash, he had met Lillian, moving on almost instantly as he fell for his mate, only for when she died, he did not mourn her too much, rather looking for his queen as Sybil came along and he did not want any interruptions. Nixon mentioned the massacre Zion once committed upon a small group of mermaids, scaling them as he collected their beautiful scales for potions and weapons, dumping the remains of their bodies into a river. The main reason for my restless night came when I flipped through the book and found the first mention of Lillian present. Even though she had him begin the book, he had never mentioned her until their wedding day. He talked about their wedding night, how they danced, laughed, smiled, cried, screamed, and slept in separate beds as Nixon got a second room in the hotel to be away from her. Lillian was drunk after the wedding, one little slip of using Zion's name when she told Nixon how happy she was. Lillian never truly loved Nixon, running off with him because the palace had bored her, and Nixon was just another toy of entertainment before she grew bored of him. She made him into a fearful Alpha, digging her own grave to do so as he murdered her. When Nixon wrote of our wedding night, it was different, he talked about my smile, my eyes, the laughter we enjoyed, and how he could not wait to spend eternity with me.

Rising to my feet, I too leave the office, headed out the pack house as I unlock my car. A few pack members look my way, one of the men calling out to me as I notice Oliver rushing over towards me. He grew distant from me when Nixon came into my life, the two of us hardly speaking as our worlds began to pull apart. "Alpha Maxwell-

"Lily," I correct, knowing that Oliver does not need to be formal when speaking to me.

"Lily," Oliver begins, nervous as he just stares at me, as if some stranger to him. "Rumors spread fast in Crimson Lock, especially with everything that has happened in the past. Elijah has been coming around. Are we to declare war on a kingdom which could easily outnumber our strength of warriors?"

Looking over his shoulder, I see a small crowd of pack members slowing down, trying to catch our conversation. "No, Crimson Lock will not be going to war alone against the kingdom if it comes to that. Besides, it is rather the palace than the kingdom, Oliver."

"You are a young alpha, Lily, only my age and too many responsibilities thrust upon you all at once."

"I am thinking through everything, Oliver," I reply with my voice stern, looking away from the stray pack members walking by. "I will do what I see best for this pack and the kingdom."

"And what about the name you hold, the last name your daughter will carry when this is all said and done?"

I give no response as I hop into my car, leaving Oliver outside as he crosses his arms. I wonder if I can think of a response to give, an honest one or one persuaded. Rolling down the window, Oliver perks up seeing I have decided to respond. "She will always have a name to be proud of, I swear it."

<><>

The pack stands silent before me, their eyes watching me with eagerness as I enter the room, my Beta following behind me, the crowd radiating off feelings of worry and excitement. I know of the rumors spiraling around this pack, rumors of an approaching war both causing the pack to find a split growing between them. Some may be hopeful for a war, to prove our pack as one of strength, to seek revenge for all the hate Zion shed upon this pack. I know Nixon would have sent the pack to war already, not daring to hold one of these meetings as he would find them a waste of time. Standing before the food of the stairway, I take in a deep breath, holding my head high as everyone looks to me. "Members of Crimson Lock, I am sure you know why I am here calling this meeting," I begin, hands clasped behind my back as I run through the speech I had been preparing all last night since I spoke with Oliver. "Elijah has spoken with me and I have spoken with our Beta and Gamma on this matter for a long time now, making sure nothing should be done with haste." I want to throw the speech out of the window and get right down to the point. "I have called this meeting because I do not wish to make a decision without knowing that the pack I lead and serve is willing to grant me their service."

I meet Oliver's gaze in the crowd, my heart racing in my chest as I remind myself to stay confident. "I will present the issue to you all straight forward, Elijah has presented me with a decision which must be made. A detailed plan is in the works and I was asked if I could provide my assistance as well as this pack's assistance. I will not make a decision this large for the pack without knowing a large percentage of you are on board with this plan. Most of you invited tonight are warriors for this pack, training warriors, elders who greatly influence the decisions made, and those who are a prime ago to fight for this pack," I inform, gaze locked with Oliver's as he offers me a slight nod to keep going. "I will explain this plan simply, for I do not wish to pile up too much information for you this evening. This plan is simple, it is time for the kingdom where a King rules with little input from the packs, for a King to make the decisions for everyone and to ignore the rogues, to only grant the larger packs a small say in the Senate, for it all to end. Zion came to this pack to kill me once, he has come to before determined to make us suffer because we are a pack which presents the kingdom with a new way of thinking. Elijah wishes to work with us and a coven of witches-

"Witches?" A woman shouts from the edge of the crowd. "Witches have not worked beside werewolves since Zion's ancestors cursed them."

"Zion's ancestors cursed a specific coven of witches who have been suffering for generations due to one mistake. Witches were once a powerful sidekick of the werewolf empire, for their would ride on the backs of your wolves into battle. Witches were castaway from ties with the werewolf empire because one witch made a mistake. These witches promise the end of the time to a kingdom which dictates how we packs function, how large we can be, how we function, and declaring Crimson Lock a rogue pack was a step towards a next era of packs."

I can tell the pack members still look at me wishing to hear the plan. Perhaps they think we will go to war against other packs right now, they see not a war against the King, but a war against every pack. "We will join these witches and rogues which Elijah has rounded up, and we will attack the palace."

"How does Elijah expect the rogues to join the fight? Sybil was Queen of the Rogues-

"And Sybil is dead, these rogues did not think fast to proclaim a new voice for their side. Sybil was called Queen of Rogues by those belonging to packs because they saw she was once a rogue. The rogues never saw her as a queen, we all know that the rogues were granted a large sum of money in return for their service. Rogues saw her as a chance for their voices to be heard more than before. Elijah has asked these rogues for their aid and they have agreed." Elijah called me this morning to inform me that the rogues had joined the cause to bring an end to the government system of the werewolf empire. "The hopeful outcome is to bring an end to a kingdom and begin a democracy rather than a monarchy."

Taking in a shaky deep breath, I know the question which I must ask. "Do I have this pack's support?"

Two men leave the room, unwilling to offer me any support as the first set of rejections takes a painful hit to my spirit. Another few trickle out of the room, thoughts racing through my mind as I replay my speech over and over again in my head. I wait for the next people to leave the room, only one mother leaving as the crowd looks around to one another, seeing if anyone else is about to leave.

"I am going to speak on behalf of the warriors of Crimson Lock that will we charge into battle for you," Asher speaks up from beside me, the warriors of the pack taking up a good more than eighty percent of the crowd. "You have one hundred and seventeen warriors willing to join this battle, plus another fifty in training to be there as we march up the stairs of the palace." I look to the warriors, offering them a nod as I can imagine how proud Nixon would be. Nixon would be proud to watch me lead this pack, for the warriors to support me, and to watch his wife, a human and young, to make a decision following Nixon's dream for the kingdom. "Does anyone else, not a warrior, wish to join the force from Crimson Lock? To fight as wolves for a purpose which will change the world our children are raised?" A few dozen hands are raised, people speaking up to offer their service and lives. For the first time since Nixon died...I feel as if I have accomplished something an Alpha should. Asher turns to me, head held high as I can see how he looks at me with respect. "Inform Elijah that he has the warriors of Crimson Lock to aid this war, but we will only take orders from you, Alpha Maxwell."

Within the next twenty minutes warriors and pack members have placed their names down on a list to fight, Asher informing the men that they will be waking up early tomorrow to train. I sit on the couch in the main hallway, head leaning back as I let out a deep sign, closing my eyes as the stress of what I just did washes away. I was nervous there would be shouting and half the crowd leaving, but only two questions came forward and barely anyone left the room. I had once watched Nixon hold a meeting, how people stared and sat quietly as they dared to not speak up, I could sense how tense the room was. Nixon came from a line of powerful Alphas, only continuing that line as I was afraid I would weaken that bloodline. But as I stood there today, I noticed that the pack still respects me, that they hold loyalty for me, and that I will not become a weak Alpha. Hell, I even signed off on Crimson Lock becoming the first rogue pack, a strong pack with many allies still even after Nixon killed Sybil. And now, months later, the pack will follow me once again into another massive decision.

"I never pictured you as part of a pack, much less an Alpha," Oliver greets as he takes a seat next to me unwilling to look me in the eyes as he gazes ahead. "I remember you as the innocent piano girl with dreams of college and a nerdy career." I know he is not trying to insult me. "I never saw you as an Alpha because I only saw you as a human who never could understand the inner workings of a pack. When you met Nixon, I was scared, Lily, very scared because I knew that Nixon would submerge you to this life without warning." Oliver briefly looks to meet my gaze, leaning back in the couch as he shakes his head. "But I know that things change in life and that events can occur quickly. I do not mean to insult you here, but I underestimated you."

"And Nixon brought out the strong side in me?" I ask, continuing his thoughts.

"No, Nixon was not the sole force in bringing out the strong woman that you are today, for he was just half the force. You learned how to accept the pack life and the importance of it, to not be scared away like a child, and I have seen you become a strong woman, mother, and Alpha because you chose to not just sit by and watch things happen, you took initiative." He is right, I took initiative, only to get people killed and hurt. "I am proud of this pack, in its willingness to try and change the kingdom. I have to ask though, in the end of all of this, Lily, what is your end game?"

"What do you mean?"

"To reform a kingdom, there will be people who reject the idea of it, who need to be controlled if they try and fight the new system. Have you thought of these things?" I have and so has Elijah. Nodding, I cross my legs, thinking of my daughter. "What happens if we lose?"

"Do you doubt things?" I question, knowing he has ever right to be doubtful. "I have thought through all of these things."

"Nixon went to the palace knowing he may not return. You are a human, you are not expected to join the fight since humans cannot fight the supernatural, but do you think you can join the physical fight for one second and live? Nixon went knowing he may die, do you believe you may face the same fate as your husband?"

"I know what Nixon thought may happen, Oliver, I knew that night that he may not return home after all."

"Then why didn't you stop him? If you wanted him to stay, to go not to his awaiting death, then why didn't you stop him?" Oliver asks, his tone snappy as I recall all the words Nixon wrote in his journal.

"He did not think he would die, he wanted to return home. Everything which has happened...." I pause, the words stuck at the tip of my tongue as I try and figure out what to say. "Nixon had a vision for this pack and kingdom. Zion was determined to take away my own life, to make this pack an outcast with enemies, and to have revenge. Nixon is gone, Oliver, I fucking helped pick out his tombstone. Alpha Nixon Maxwell is gone and I am the new Alpha, I am doing what I see is right for the pack and other packs as well."

Oliver takes himself away from the couch, not looking back as I let out a sigh, getting to my feet as I decide to head on home. With the car awaiting me outside, I drive off, knowing that my daughter will be awake when I get home and I will need to spend some time today finding a new sitter since Peggy will be headed out soon fir college. My mind races with thoughts of what could happen as I pull up onto the private drive, wondering what will happen when I call Elijah this evening and inform him of Crimson Lock joining into the battle. Parking my car in front of the house, a sudden call drags me away from getting out of the car. Checking caller ID, I know exactly who it is. Do I want to really talk to him right now? "What can I do for you, Elijah?" I ask, picking up the call as I turn off my car and head to the front door.

"Do you have any news for me?"

"Crimson Lock will be joining the cause," I reply, waiting for Elijah to tell me the next plan.

"Pack your bags, I will send a car for you in four hours. We are headed to speak to the witches."

"Four hours?! I have a child, Elijah, a child I cannot just leave suddenly." Just as I unlock the front door to see Peggy standing with her bag packed and my daughter in her other hand, Elijah tells me exactly what I did not want to hear.

"What we are doing here is building a better world for your daughter to be raised in, for her to become the next Alpha of Crimson Lock where her values and plans for the pack are not respect by some monarch."

Peggy watches me as I hang up the moment I tell Elijah I will see him soon. "I am so sorry, do you maybe have time to watch her? I will pay you twice as much."

Rather than say yes or no right away,  Peggy hands me a piece of paper with a number on it. "This is Quinn's number, I would recommend trying her since I cannot drop my life, Alpha, I am sorry, but my parents expect me to go away with them this weekend to see family."

Telling Peggy goodbye, with my daughter in my hands, I call the number, knowing full well that in four hours I will be leaving to head overseas to be gone for however long it takes.