In the middle of the forest stood a building concealed from the human eye. There went the werewolves for their important meetings, when a new Alpha took over the leadership of his pack or in cases like that one: to celebrate a new union and remind everyone how significant alliances are.

The building had one main corridor and a dozen smaller around it, creating a web of rooms and offices. The ballroom was at the north point of the building. At that moment, most of the guests were there. Laurel and her people were as close as possible to make sure they weren't distinguished. They had already located some of Charles' men, and they were sure some of them had infiltrated into the building.

''Are you sure Charles will show up?''

''He must. Chloe, how is everything on the west side?'' Laurel asked through their mind link.

''All quiet, I'm ready to attack at any moment.''

Thomas, Lena, Zach, and Chloe were all werewolves that met Laurel at some point in her life. They didn't belong to any pack, and when they all came together, they knew they had to help Laurel with her duty. Each of them, for different reasons, had to abandon their families and live on their own. They had thought they were alone in the world, but soon they met their new family. They became a team and searched across the world for people that hurt others or monsters that had to be taken down.

One of them was Charles, a powerful, greedy man that almost killed them all. Laurel, though, proved to be stronger than she thought. It was at that particular time of her life that she decided she wanted a new beginning away from all the blood and darkness that surrounded her.

She had just lost her mother, her last living relative, and only then had she also realized that she had lost herself, too. These people quickly earned a place in her heart and became her family, and they were the sole reason she chose life over death. They were all loyal to each other, and they would stick together till death parted them.

Laurel regretted now not killing Charles when she had the chance. Instead, she had let her consciousness take over. After a brutal fight that drained all her energy that she couldn't use magic for weeks and left Chloe nearly paralyzed and Thomas with burns that couldn't heal, they destroyed his army, hundreds of vampires and rogue werewolves, all Charles' followers. Charles was left crippled, with no one around him, without money and an army and no supporters alive. Or so they thought because now they realized that maybe they were wrong.

''They are moving,'' Zach informed them.

''Proceed,'' Laurel gave the order. ''Take care.''

In a matter of minutes, the enemy silently disarmed and took down the werewolf guards. Zach and Chloe started retaliating, and the werewolves that were outside entered the fight. Thomas and Laurel were fighting side by side when she sensed Charles.

''He is here. He's inside.''

''Then let's go,'' he told her.

''No, Thomas. I can handle it. You stay here and help others.''

All around her, she saw bodies fighting and falling to the ground. Thomas was fighting against two werewolves and a vampire while more were coming to him. Her smart Zach was barely escaping a vampire's hit, and the girls were nowhere to be seen. Were they outnumbered? Definitely. But she had trust in her team and their abilities. And more importantly, she had faith in herself.

She started walking towards the entrance. She was only meters away, but she had to clear her way through the vampires that attacked her. She was using her sword, the one that her father gave her when she was strong enough to hold it, and with the other hand, she was using her magic: sending people flying through the air or snapping their heads.

She got inside. She knew the blueprints of the building by heart. She headed straight to the ballroom. Lena was supposed to be outside, holding the enemy and ready to enter through the windows if she needed help.

Four vampires came to her from a narrow hall and attacked her at the same time. She pierced the first one's heart with her magic sword and managed to slice the chest of the second. Moving fast around, she barely had time to escape the third's bite, but the fourth one hit her hard and threw her to the ground taking her breath out. Before one of them could get closer, she got to her feet with a move, kicked the one who hit her, and decapitated him with her sword. With fast movements, she used her claws to finish off the third one and threw her magic knife, sending it flying straight into the fourth's chest.

She managed to arrive in front of the door of the ballroom, a trail of bodies behind her. She could sense around 40 people in there, including Charles and James. The moment she felt him, she felt something piercing her heart but also tiny spirals of fire traveling through her.

She shook her head as if getting rid of the thought. With her sword in her right hand, with her clothes and face showered in blood, she flipped her left hand and opened the door with her powers.

Opposite the door, not far from the center of the room, stood Charles holding tightly to a young girl, his claws right above her heart.

''Long time, no see,'' he greeted her.

She scanned the room fast. Around Charles, there were 4 of his men, werewolves, and vampires armed. James was at her right side with a fresh nasty bleeding scar at his right cheek, a gun aimed at his head. She counted five more enemies around the room; all seemed difficult to be defeated. Some werewolves were on the ground, bleeding.

''Let the girl go, Charles.''

''Ah!'' he exclaimed, pretending to be sad. ''We haven't seen each other for so long and not even a 'hello'. I think we deserve more, dear Laurel.''

''Let these people go. They aren't at fault. It's me that you want. Well, here I am, all yours. You have my attention.''

She tried to sound calm and confident, and she thought it was working, for Charles let his grip loose a little at the innocent girl.

''You always seem to know what I want to hear. But you are not completely right. I'm here to show you that this change in lifestyle doesn't suit you. You are so more than a boring normal student.''

''Normal is underestimated. Though if you want to teach me something, let's do it outside. It's too crowded here, don't you think?'' she said, taking two steps towards him.

''Dear Laurel, let yourself be free. Show to your dear mate and everyone here your true nature.''

''I have no mate,'' she answered.

Charles chuckled. He released the girl and threw her to the ground, her mate hurrying to hug her.

''Is that so?'' Charles asked smiling viciously. He got near James. ''Then you won't mind if I do this,'' he said to Laurel, and taking a gun, he shot James to the chest.

''No!'' Laurel screamed most agonizingly and painfully. She felt her head dizzy and cloudy. She felt her legs betraying her, but she stood straight nevertheless. For seconds she couldn't breathe, and she felt as if Charles had shot her instead. She put her hand above her heart, expecting to see blood.

Thousands of questions kept running to her head. What's happening? Why do I feel what he feels? We aren't linked anymore, are we? She panicked, and then she saw James' hands. They were wrapped in bandages in the same way she had treated hers for a wound she couldn't remember causing.

''For such an intelligent person, you acted stupid and without thinking.'' Charles neared her.

All Laurel could see was James' body left to the ground, his man trying to stop the bleeding.

''Haven't you realized it, Laurel? There is no escape for a hunter. You can't break your bond with him. It's your destiny to destroy him and rejecting him, only, brought more pain to you. Come with me, Laurel, I can make everything easier,'' he said and extended his hand to her. ''Come with me, Laurel, and your mate might have a chance to live.''

Laurel put her sword to its scabbard and extended her hand towards Charles.