Chaos unfolds around me, commands shouted around me, pack members running about as they pick up items of importance and pack them, children cry and family members hug those who they can. I seem to stand in the eye of the hurricane, as if in some background of the scene around me, the room seeming to swallow me whole as not a single person brushes past me. Loved ones hug one another yet I stand still in time, my body frozen as I watch the faces of those around me seem to crumble. Orders sound in the distance, muffled in my ears as I simply focus on the thudding of my heart in my chest. 

Another order sounds through the chaos around me, a few of the eyes starting to glance my way as I slowly become one with the chaos which has consumed the world around me. Peering over my shoulder, I spot Cedric in the doorway of the pack house, looking at me confused. Motioning for me to follow him, I move from my position, passing through those who once moved with such desperation. The more steps I take, the more my heart sinks into my soul, my nerves piling high as I try and calm myself down. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I was trying to help." 

"Alphas do not usually help with the departing of warriors from their families," Cedric explains, leading me out of the pack house belonging to Alpha Finch. "Much less one of another alpha. Are you okay?" 

My eyes stare ahead, glancing to the men who stand before the pack house, cloaked in colors of the forest as they hold modern bows and arrows. Just days ago they were taught witchcraft and able to produce a form of it to shield themselves from the silver bullets which await them today. Only five days ago had I met with the council on the subject of Alpha Penelope and what was to be done with her if she dared move her army one mile into any direction of our territories. Now here we are, our men ready to attack and end this. I hope it ends today with minimal causality. 

But I know Penelope. I have seen the twisted and deranged face of such an alpha when she is in battle. I know Penelope will call for bloodshed, not caring if almost all of her men die. Penelope will fight until the very end. 

Taking in a deep breath, I turn to my Beta, nodding my head. "I am fine, just nervous." 

"You are not expected to fight-"

"I know. I have been told such a thing too many times." I look out to the men, their bows in hand, terror in their eyes. These men know what they are facing today. They understand if their shields give out and a bullet lands in their body, they will suffer a poisoning to their body beyond any pain of a wolf landing its canines into their body. "When do we leave?" 

"We just wait Alpha Yusuf and Finch." 

With almost perfect timing, I watch the two alphas step out from the pack house beside one another, dressed ready for battle, and eyes looking up to the night sky. Taking in a shaky breath, I walk with Cedric past the row of warriors ready for the battle, a ten mile stretch of land between us and where we plan to make the first attack. I know River, Finley, Emmit, and Mathis are preparing the same way twenty miles west, with the second troop to begin the firing as our troops will begin with movement. 

Cedric and I walk to the front of the troops, Brie placed at the very front as she awaits us. Placing myself beside Brie, I watch as Finch and Yusuf come to the front as well with their own third and second in command. Clasping my hands behind my back, I steady myself, rocking back and forth on my toes as I scan the crowd of nearly-ninety men before me. As all the leaders for this battle are standing up front with me, I clear my throat. 

"I know you are scared," I call out, raising my voice to meet the ears of the men standing before me. "I know you are scared of the men we go to fight today, the pain of war, the fear of losing your friends or your life. It takes a brave individual to stand where you are today, to make it this far. I stand before you today to applaud that bravery and I will stand before you at the end of this battle to not just applaud your bravery, but your strength, courage, diligence, and conviction of purpose. We go to meet death on this battlefield today and on this battlefield, you will conquer the enemy or die - there is no simpler way to put the truth. I will fight beside today, to conquer the enemy or die amongst you all as well. We know for what we are fighting for and we know it is worth a damn to lay down our lives for." 

Applause breaks out across the rows of soldiers before me, though their faces showing a mix of fear, they also show pride and excitement. They are warriors after all, they understood they job they were to be trained for and they were proud to work for it. Stepping back into the line of alphas, betas, and gammas behind me, I glance to each one, nodding as we look to the forest. It is time to begin to battle. 

<><><>

The faces of those surrounding me are grim, perhaps fragments of the future to come. Their eyes reflect the darkness of the forest surrounding us, skin pale, and fingers gripping the rods of their bows tight as I can hear many of them repeating the spell over and over, as assurance that they can reproduce it within the blink of an eye. Taking in a long breath, I turn my head to Cedric, watching my own Beta displaying some of his own tendencies of nervousness, anxious to get this battle done with as his eyes scan the forest floor as we have come to our first stopping point. We now wait for Alpha Finley's word, to hear the first whistle of an arrow as it pierces the air and perhaps finds a home in the neck of a solider of Alpha Penelope. 

Looking out to what lies beyond the forest flood, I try and make view of Penelope's own pack. Lights in the distance can be seen, yet I am unsure if they are of her troops or of houses. I ordered my army to not make a massacre of the families who seek shelter in their homes and do not fight back, for our battle is with Penelope and those who will do what they must to deal out wrath to us. "Finley has informed us most of her troops are gathered around the pack house, just a few miles from where his men are stationed." 

"And so we face the troop of men Penelope has been pushing further from her boarders and into others," I mutter, confirming that the men are where we knew they would be stationed. "What of the men spread throughout this battle?" 

"They would be stretched thin," Yusuf comments, joining in our hushed conversation. "She does not have enough men to havehhh just roaming between the pack house and the men she has ordered into Finch's territory and my own." 

I shake my head. "Penelope can always expect something. We should be prepared no matter what for an attack from behind, even if we have found no sign of her men from that area." 

"I agree," Finch states, walking over, keeping his footsteps steady. "Remember the attack on Evercrest Ridge? We have a second fleet come in."

"We did plan for such an event," Yusuf reminds, calling back our memories to the meeting we held only days ago. "We have enough men to circle around in the case, to take the two troops we have. If Penelope attacks from behind, we form two lines and lead her men through the middle as we part the sea. They would then be surrounded before they even knew it." 

I nod, thanking Yusuf for his recollection as I glance over to Brie. My gamma stands in the center of the troops, almost unrecognizable as she keeps her head low and face covered like all the rest here to help hide ourselves. Brie whispers to the men, reminding them of their training and to keep themselves steady before the fight as we wait for the word to attack. As I raise my eyes to the heavens, the thick cover of leaves blocks my view, only a stray beam of moonlight escaping through the puzzle as I try and focus on the task at hand. The moment I am about to speak with Yusuf, a howl sounds in the distance, echoing through the dead of night as my eyes widen and chills run down my spine. 

My head snaps to Yusuf and Cedric, watching as the two of them order our men to begin their movement forward. The men we have gathered for this mission begin their movements, keeping their voices low, knees bent, and heads down as Cedric takes hold of my arm to hold me back from the first line of movement. 

In the distance I can hear the faint howls which seem to come from no distinct direction, calling out into the night as I cannot gather who it could be coming from. I have no idea what is happening no idea right now on the other side except the idea that River, Emmitt, Mathis, and Finley have their men firing at Penelope's own while we move forward. "We have to move as well, Leala, to stay with the troops," Cedric reminds me, the two of us staying with the mass of the group as my mind wanders to those golden eyes. 

The dust in my pocket feels heavy in this moment, reminding me of what could happen and what I can do. Yet if something could happen, I would have no way of knowing. But this is war and things like this happen. I am with who I am while this battle is being fought and I cannot just abandon my men for River in the possibility he is harmed. 

I shake all those thoughts from my head, moving forward with Cedric as we stay with our men, moving slowly through the forest floor as I know any second now Finley could call upon us to be the side to begin the fire. Yet we do not see the enemy yet. If they call on us to attack and for them to move forward, we would have no one to attack - defeating the purpose and giving away to Penelope our formation without even the second phase in motion. We have thought of the threats, the events which could play out within the blink of an eye, and I know what every alpha has thought of these attack plans. 

Brie raises her fist, our men coming to a stop as I look around the surrounding area. As Brie's hand lowers to her side, we begin once more, making our way forward as we still wait for word from the others. Birds fly through the thick of the forest, scared off by our presence as I keep my center of gravity low, taking in a deep breath to calm down as I feel the dagger at my side, in the pocket next to the dust in the capsule. As my fingers begin to shake, a soft hand takes hold of mine, steading my nerves as I glance to Cedric. As he reminds me of the training I have completed, both with my own father and him as well, I can hear voices in the distance - faint yet unsettling as I look forward. 

Just as I watch Brie come to a stop and raise her fist within a moments notice, I meet Yusuf's gaze the moment he turns to me. "Finley says to fire when we can." 

Glancing to Brie, I give her the go, trading over the orders of the troops. "Get into position," she informs the men, walking along the front row as our men get into formation. The first two rows stack up upon one another, whispering their spell as a humming seems to fill the air, one which vibrates the necklace around my neck and the rings on my fingers. The following rows of archers stack up behind the first, saying their spells of protection as the vibration continues in a oscillating frequency, the witchcraft present present and strong as I look out to the men preparing for battle. Cedric pulls me along, leading me to where Finch has placed himself, inspecting the rows to make sure we can have a good clearing through the trees. 

From gaps in the forest, I can make sense of a camp of Penelope's men gathered at the break of the forest. They are alert, glancing out to the forest as they hear our voices. They are ready for us, suspicious that something is out there. 

"Fire." 

A hellfire of arrows. I watch as the arrows are released, making their path through the forest - some hitting trees, others grass, and the majority breeching the tree line as they head straight for the camp which sits just at the bottom of the hill we have perched ourselves upon. 

"Fire!" Brie shouts again, taking shelter behind a thick oak tree as Cedric instructs me to do the same as we watch Penelope's men gather their own weapons in return. Cries of agony can be heard from the distance, letting us know our rain of arrows have met flesh on the other side. Yet the sound of gunfire causes my skin to go pale. 

Crouching down, I take cover in fear of bullets flying through the trees. I whisper my own spell of protection, recalling the words as Cedric does the same. A wave of energy seems to pass over me, sending goosebumps down my arms as I protect myself from the bullets I can. Glancing over to my own troops, I watch the silver bullets as they try and breach the barriers my men have put up. While many of the bullets fall to the feet of my men and others miss and hit trees, there are those which break the weaker of the barriers not formed correctly. 

One man cries out in pain, clutching his arm as he falls to the ground below, screaming as I watch the twisted death. His fingers begin to blacken, unable to move as they curl upward, his body gasping for air. Cedric tries to pull me away from the view, yet my eyes are focused on the wicked death, the sick and twisted reality of it as I watch his face both pale and blacked as his veins turn dark. My jaw clenches as I watch blood trickle from his eyes and nose, his body convulse while his comrades try and ignore the terrible death occurring at their feet. Just as his body stops twitching, I watch those eyes glaze over, my stomach twisting as I try and look away from those glassy eyes. 

"Leala, look away," Cedric snaps, pulling on my shoulder. "This is no time for such a distraction." 

Nodding, I look back up to the field, noticing our men have taken a few steps forward, continuing our rapid fire. The battlefield seems to swallow those who perish, our men filling in the gaps of those who fall. "These men will want to retreat to protect their pack house," I comment, glancing to Cedric. "Just how long until they look to how many more they can lose. They know we have two armies out here - one to attack the men at Penelope's pack house and us here."

"Retreat means turning their backs."

"Giving us an advantage to fire at them without any shielding." Cedric nods, glancing to Yusuf. 

"When do we send word to the others to continue the phase?" 

"Do you feel like we can move forward again?" 

"A limited distance before we surrender the shelter of the forest," Finch adds." 

"Inform the others we will move forward. When the platoon we are fighting realizes we are moving forward while our ally is firing on their pack house troops, they will be faced with the decision to run and aid their pack house or continue this battle here," Cedric informs, the others agreeing as we make our decision. "We will continue to make some fire as we move forward. Do not just put away our weapons!" 

The plan is set. As we move forward and the first two rows of men continue their fire, I look to the men we leave behind in the forest. Eight men left contorted in crippling positions as blood trickles from their nose and eyes, their eyes glassy as they are left in the dirt. Taking in a deep breath, I move forward, reminding myself to keep my barrier up as I repeat the phrase again. 

Panis sets in with Penelope's men, their voices heard as I pick up their words of argument. Some wish to aid those at the pack house while others want to continue the fight here. Yet while we still have tree cover and the high ground, we will have an advantage. As a small group of several men continue to load their guns and fire, others seem to panic and pack up what they can as they argue with their superiors. Brie orders our men to fire, aiming at those with guns, yet their cover leads Brie to direct the fire at those who try and pack up camp. I watch their bodies slump forward as if ragdolls, their comrades only panicking further as the final word is made. 

They pack up camp and begin to flee, making their way back to the pack house as Cedric smiles. This is what we had hoped for. 

"Let it rain," Brie shouts, our men emerging from the tree line as every single man we have lets an arrow fly through the sky. I watch as the metallic tips of the arrows catch the moonlight, whistling in the air as the mark their place. Bodies tumble like flowers, some bodies stuck mid-shift as the deranged image causes me to look away. Those who make it out from the rain of arrows head back to their pack house, leaving their fellow pack members behind as they lie dead or injured. 

Brie glances over to me, awaiting my word. "Go forth to the suffering and see to it that they no longer suffer. We head for Penelope's pack house to aid Alpha Mathis, Emmitt, River, and Finley now." 

My men shift into their wolves, letting out howls of victory from this battle. Standing at the foot of the forest, I watch my men ride out for the pack house, following my orders to those left alive on the field from our rain of hellfire, making it quick. Alpha Finch and Yusuf are with the men as they go out, their own betas and gammas behind them as I watch the line of wolves disappear. 

"Everything okay?" 

"Fine," I reply, glancing to Brie as I kick the shell of a silver bullet at my feet to the side. As my Gamma shifts into her dark grey wolf, she bows her head, offering a ride upon her back to the battle. Nodding, I lightly grip the fur on her shoulder as I slide my leg over, holding onto the scruff of her neck as Brie kicks off her back legs and follows after the rest our men, Cedric in tow. 

<><><>  

It was the night I first laid eyes on River, the night in which the Steward's daughter and so many other members of Crimson Lock were murdered, and a snowball effect occurred. Penelope's pack house was the capsule of those events and now, that building is nothing but a fraction of the battlefield as I lie behind my troops. Taking my place beside River, I try and block the image of the bodies which lie behind me up the hill from the battle before I got here. 

Finley comes to my side, informing me of their battle before my troops arrived for this next fight to commence. Our armies have met now on the battlefield, Penelope's men running forwards as they try and tear their claws and canines into those of my own men. Taking in a sharp breath, I look away as a member of Crimson Lock has his neck split in half. "Penelope has resided within her own home," Finley informs, watching as I wipe off blood from my forearm from the journey over here. The ride over here saw a few bumps in the road, for a small ambush occurred as Brie, Cedric, and I had to fend for ourselves against five others. 

Sliding the blade of my dagger against my shirt, I clean off the blade, tucking it back away as I inspect my arm, making sure it was not a deep wound but just a graze as expected. I watch as Alpha Emmitt fights beside his men, filled with a rage I have never witnessed before as he seeks revenge for the death of his own family and pack. Brie and Cedric fight on the frontline as well, sifted into their wolves as our armies collide like waves, trying to push one another further back. Glancing to the row of fifteen men we have pulled back from the attack, I glance to see if they are still armed. 

"Ready your weapons," I announce, calling out to them as they understand what I am ordering them to do. "Aim past our first wave of men. Ready. Fire!" 

The arrows fly through the sky and past our men, landing in the bodies of Penelope's men as they let out howls. "Ready. Aim. Fire." The second wave of arrows is released and I find myself satisfied as Alpha Mathis and Finch lead our men further into Penelope's boarders until I cannot make out our two armies. 

"Alpha Penelope has lost a great deal of men," Yusuf comments, coming up beside me. "She cannot withstand this battle much longer with this pace. If our men continue with this level of strength and motivation, she would be wise to surrender." 

"It is Penelope we are talking of," River argues. "She knows what awaits her if she surrenders. She murdered Alpha Emmitt's family and pack members when they could not fend for themselves. She knows Emmitt will call for her death." 

"Emmitt does not determine her sentence," I declare. 

"Emmitt will request it of you." I know Finley is right, for Emmitt will come to me with almost an ultimatum of sorts, seeking justice. "He seeks justice as her death."

I nod, understanding what Emmitt will wish for. "No matter what, if Penelope surrenders, her punishment will not just be a slap on the wrist. Those from her pack will no longer have her to follow." 

"So then they will be the same as Evercrest Ridge - a pack without an Alpha." 

A pack without an Alpha indeed, I think to myself, and I know an alpha without a pack. Penelope's pack has been the only opposing pack on this continent to my fight for the crown. Penelope's pack also means that - if enough - the survivors, when combined with those of Evercrest Ridge, would be a sizeable amount to offer quite the reputation on this continent if given the right plot of land and right leader. Perhaps this could work out well for River. River could, after all of this is said and done, have a seat on the Council, hold political power, and have a spot in my kingdom when the crown is won. Yet Keva must be dealt with first. 

"For now we focus on the surrender of this pack. We must be careful Emmitt does not go haywire and repeat the events of his own pack." 

With that, Finley takes off to the battle, followed by River as his golden eyes trace mine as he runs out to the battlefield. Alpha Yusuf hovers by my side for a second longer as I know he waits to speak with me in private. "Penelope will not surrender, Leala. I know her better than anyone here. Yes, she has been wise in the past, but she is proud too. She would rather die by her own hands than that of her enemy." 

Turning to the one alpha who has stood by my side since the beginning of this mess, I take in a deep breath, my nerves running off the walls as I try and figure out my words. "She will listen to you, Yusuf. You two have been friends for years." 

"Penelope has her dignity, pride, arrogance, and faults which will cause this battle to claim more lives than it should."

"So we get her men to surrender," I state, watching Yusuf nod. "And then we go to Penelope..." I trail off, wishing to correct what I have said. "Penelope will not listen to anyone we send in there, especially me. When we speak with Penelope, will you speak with her. Will you try and convince her to surrender?" 

"I will." 

<><><>

Blood drips from my eyebrow, pain shooting from my forehead as I cry out, pulling the dagger out from the flesh of the wolf's skull as I pivot, looking around the field of bodies which lay before me. Yusuf stands just a foot away from me, grabbing onto my elbow as he helps me regain my footing, pulling me from my knees as I find just how weak my legs have become. My head spins, exhausted from my wrestle with the black wolf I just shoved my dagger through its skull. Stepping over the black wolf's body, I follow Yusuf further through the field, following the cries and sounds of bodies clashing. 

Wolves wrestle one another, growling as they attack. Those in human form use what weapons they brought with them or could find. Those with broken bones stay in the form they last shifted into, unable to shift back until they place their bone back. Some unlucky ones are stuck mid-shift, needing to be put out of their misery as they cry out in pain, blood pooling around them as my stomach twists in knots. 

A familiar howl fills the air, grabbing my attention within half a second as I look to see his dark brown wolf being pinned to the ground by another almost his size. The claws of the white wolf pinning him down dig into his shoulders, gripping into his flesh as I instantly begin to charge over. Yusuf barely catches my arm, telling me to not interfere, yet I shove him away, warning him to not interfere as I jump over another body. 

I dodge the body of a wolf which leaps towards me, my knees scrapping the ground as I take out my weapon, straightening my arm in the action as I watch the blade slice across the joint of the white wolf's shoulder. It howls out in pain, loosening its grip on River's body as it turns its head to me. Being fast, I switch which hand I hold the blade in, jamming the blade into the wolf's ribcage, twisting as I insert the blade. In that time, River's wolf moves his neck forward, biting down on the white wolf's neck. I can hear the crunch of the white wolf's neck, how it sounds when River snaps its neck. 

The white wolf falls limp and I take back my blade, taking in deep breaths as I look back over to Yusuf, finding him fighting off a warrior or Penelope's nearly dead. Looking back to River's dark wolf, it offers me a bow of its head, only to glance to the battlefield which surrounds us as we assess just how much damage is done and how much there is to go. 

Penelope is still no where to be found, yet her personal mansion lies just a hundred feet away, past stone gates, and a few bodies tossed around the front lawn as I am sure she is hiding out in her home. "We need to circle the rest of her remaining men. We need them to surrender. Penelope will never give the order," I inform River, watching as his wolf nods, those glowing golden eyes fixated on me as his wolf trots with a limp around to Finch and another set of wolves fighting off a set of warriors. 

Our remaining men come together to form two lines on either side of the battlefield, narrowing down on the surviving men left to fight. The thirty warriors of Penelope still fighting soon realize what has happened, watching as the sides of our lines begin to close in and form a circle. Before they take another leap or attack, they lower their arms or shift back into human form. I watch as the warriors get to their knees around their dead pack members or the men they helped to kill, their faces white and filled with sorrow or hate. Biting my cheek, I glance over to Yusuf, spotting Emmitt from the corner of my eyes as he has his focus trained on Penelope's mansion. 

"Bring out the bitch," Emmitt snarls, pointing to Penelope's mansion as his pack members cheer his words. 

"Yusuf, if you could please talk with Penelope and bring her outside to surrender peacefully. Remind her no one else has to die." I watch Yusuf nod, following the instructions from our conversation earlier as I can feel the anger Emmitt radiates. He wants to snap back for he wants Penelope dragged out from the house and not persuaded. "Remind her these men were once allies, not enemies."

<><><>

<><><>

It was May when she had met him, a human of all creatures, the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. Falling head over heels for the human, the auburn beauty had known from the moment she laid eyes on him who he was to her - that they were mates. He had come to accept her world quite easily to her surprise, even the role in the pack she would come to rule. The auburn beauty once said nothing could take away her mates eternal beauty - not even has death was knocking on his door. 

Yet as Penelope sat there at her vanity, looking across the room to the bed where he lay with his blue eyes open, she found the words to had spoken time and time ago to be false - for when death had come knocking on her husband and mate's door, death had not just taken his soul, but his eternal beauty as well. The tears Penelope had cried for her mate had dried on her face, leaving nothing but a bitterness to settle in her heart as she glanced to the blood which had begun to stain the satin sheets of the bed they had once shared. 

As Penelope stared back to the vanity, the woman who stared back at her was someone she had come to hate in these past few moments of time. The woman who she once found strong and confident - a true leader who could control a room and at one point in time, a palace with the snap of her fingers - that woman was long gone. Screaming out, her fist collided with the glass mirror, shattering it as the glass fell onto the wooden table and to the floor. 

Her pack was not left for ruling anymore. Her pack was no longer a home for her. Penelope knew the consequences of her actions, dating farther back from cutting ties with Leala Maxwell, father than pledging her allegiance to Leala Maxwell, father back than fighting beside Sybil and Zion against Lily Maxwell, but perhaps to when she encountered Sybil Black. Penelope wandered when she had begun to lose her touch. Yet it did not take losing her touch to know when a visitor was present. 

"How kind of Leala to send an old friend to me, to try and persuade me out of my haven," Penelope greeted her oldest friend, turning around in her chair as she looked to the ill face of Alpha Yusuf, whose eyes were unable to take themselves from the state of Penelope's husband. "Tell me why I should walk into the arms of the alpha whose men massacred my mate." Penelope's voice became faint, cracking as she turned back around to her broken vanity. "I have lost, Yusuf." 

"You abandoned your allies, Penelope. Did you not see the logic in such a decision? You left me without a warning either." 

Yusuf had tried to understand the innerworkings of the woman who had come to him the moment Leala Maxwell appeared on the map. The same woman who approached him with an alliance had abandoned that alliance without giving him a reason why.  

"We made those plans and saw how she changed. Did you not see how the Maxwell transformed before our eyes," Penelope reasoned, crying out as she noticed how Yusuf came to stand behind her. "Leala will never make a rightful queen. I was foolish to notice it so long in. I was foolish to wait so long to leave and not build allies." 

Yusuf shook his head, thinking to the future which lay ahead of Leala. "This was never just about Leala," he began, coming up in front of the weeping auburn beauty he had known for years. Crouching down, Yusuf placed his hands in Penelope's. "Leala will need help throughout her years as ruling queen and while I am fighting for her, the real individual I am fighting for are her children - for they are the mold I can control." 

"Fighting over a womb," Penelope scoffed, shaking her eyes as tears filled her eyes, looking to the broken body of her husband which was brought by her beta to lay in her room. "Nothing more traditional than a man fighting over a woman's womb." 

"It is the only way to ensure a true ruler on the throne."

"It will take you years."

"It is the right thing for this kingdom. Besides, based on who Leala seems to take the most interest in, River will balance Leala out while she sits on the throne."

Laughter flooded the room, a laughter which haunted Yusuf as he knew Penelope had become broken hours ago when her husband had perished and her power fleeting. "Leave me to my misery, Yusuf," Penelope whispered, rising to her feet as she walked to the side of her bed, taking from under the body of her husband a thin dagger. "Leave me to be with my husband than to think of the misery which will await your kingdom."

"Why does River not pose a suitable companion for Leala's reign?" 

"I promise you, there is more to come," the auburn beauty muttered, taking a seat beside her husband's body as she brushed the stray blond hairs from his face, tears rolling down her cheeks. "The blood running through his veins is powerful. More powerful than yours and my own." 

Yusuf looked away, Penelope flinching as she slide the blade of the dagger deep across her wrists, the burning sensation painful as Penelope hissed. Yusuf watched as Penelope lay her body beside that of her husband, her blood running across the satin sheets. "You know nothing of River's true identity."

"Tell me, Penelope. Please tell me. The fate of this future kingdom I fight for depends on it." 

Yusuf watched as the lips of Penelope parted slightly open, how she looked into the eternal eyes of the man she had loved over all the years she had lived on the world. Glancing up, with her final breath, Penelope answered Yusuf before returning into an eternity with her mate. 

"He is the son of Zion and Sybil."