The sun was disappearing from the temple and he swept his gaze over the crowd of women talking in the courtyard below. They were catching up with her, revealing a bond they had all formed while he had been gone, and he leaned against a pillar tied with the balcony on the temple. Leon came up beside him and shot him a brief look. The man had not spoken to him since they had returned from their long run but he knew the time to answer questions had come.

"She developed a pact with all of them."

Leon smirked and said "She had to do something since her companion had been sent off to find her aid."

"This could be a problem."

"Jealousy between your sisters and these women?"

"I'm not sure."

Leon rubbed his chin and looked back at the man. When he had first set eyes on him the day before he had felt the change in him. The darkness had grown emencely within but some new strength was keeping it in check. He hadn't known what it was but now he did. Kara and him had become closer and from the interactions between the two earlier today, he could tell they were now bonded.

Unfortunately it came too late to prevent the loss of one of his best guards but even he knew there would be a time when one male would challenge Joseph for her. She had been turning heads once she became a teenager and these men had been left with open access to her for months while Joseph had been gone.

"Do you know what happened to her?"

"No."

Leon looked down at his granddaughter and asked "She hasn't told you?"

"Didn't ask. She isn't ready to talk about it yet."

He turned his green eyes on the man again and found Joseph studying the women below intently. He was watching for any danger to her and was ready to strike. Leon chuckled at the slight difference in the man and caught his shoulder.

"Those women would never harm her. They respect her too much and many see her as their own daughter. Leave them be and join your brothers on the patrol before everyone turns in."

Black eyes settled on him one last time and he left Leon at the railing. He walked down the hall and found Zeke waiting with Griffon and the others by his chambers. They each had a look of future torment on their faces and he shot them a warning look. He wanted to wait until everyone else was asleep so their upcoming brawl wasn't noticed. At least one male walked away bleeding and banged up.

They swept the place in silence and when the moonlight provided the only light source, they stopped at the base of the steps to the temple. Griffon started chuckling and he knew it was time for their ridicule.

"Mate?"

He stood silent and looked at Zeke. The man had received the personal reprimand from her but wasn't letting on how he was taking it. One of their brothers, Ace, shook his head and started laughing.

"Little Joseph finally won the girl over."

His eyes flashed and he sent him a warning look. He would take the teasing and picking but they would leave her out of it. He hadn't closed any of this off to her in case she was reaching for him and he didn't need her growing tension towards them.

"I think she needs to be reminded that I am the alpha of this pack, not her."

His eyes shot back to Zeke and he said "And you need to keep your hands off her."

The chuckling increased among the others and he held Zeke's gaze. The need to establish authority was going to be too much to ignore and after all the years of resentment he had towards them, this was the perfect time to prove once and for all where he stood. They called him the runt and picked on him based on the small time period of interaction when he was pup. They knew nothing of what he had become over the years and it was high time they learned. Zeke let out one growl and the fight broke out.

His jaws snapped at his brother's coated throat and they clashed against each other. A blow to Zeke's jaw left him on his side with a strain of blood coming from near his nose. The chuckling stilled as he stood over the alpha and didn't even appear winded. Zeke stood up and stared back at him.

We've underestimated you long enough

Anyone else?

The others shook their heads with grins and the two released their wolf forms. Zeke took a deep breath and wiped the blood from his face.

"Ruthless."

His black eyes darkened and he said "Don't forget it."

The others burst out in laughter and he shook his head as he walked up the stairs. He entered his chambers without a sound and searched for her. She was curled up in his bed already but he knew she wasn't asleep just yet. She was on the edge of drifting into the ocean of sleep and he walked over to her. Peeling his shirt off and kicking off his shoes, he climbed into bed beside her and ran his hand through her blonde hair.

"They didn't stand a chance."

He closed his eyes at her voice and said "Zeke learned."

She smirked against his shoulder and fell silent once more. He knew she had been waiting for him, in fear the nightmares weren't gone, and he watched her finally sleep. He could only imagine the incident with Lucian was going to plague her subconscious for a while and he felt helpless to aid her. Wrapping an arm around her, he held her to him and rested his chin on her head. All he could give her tonight was comfort and a sense of security as she faced whatever was thrown at her in her sleep.

"Kara!"

Her head whipped behind her and she felt the blow before she could see the attacker. Her paw swiped at his face and sent him rolling on the ground in pain. She stood up in her human form and found blood coming from her side. Picking up the knife beside her, she ended the fool's life and walked back towards the fight. Her side ached and she felt the blood falling down over her hand as she moved along.

She reached the main battle field and found numerous of her people wounded and down. Her eyes swept the injuried until she found someone standing above her grandfather. Leon wasn't moving and was still in his wolf form. She shifted in movement and her paws carried her quickly to his guard. Zeke stepped aside and she found the old man barely attentive.

Her hands rested on his side where an ugly wound poured out blood and she tried to find his mind. He was drifting too quickly from her reach and she pressed down on the wound. Her own side ached with the actions but she had to save Leon. He closed his eyes and she felt his body shift beneath her. He caught her hands and she felt the tear slip from her eye.

"Take care of them."

She nodded once and ran her hand through his hair as his eyes grew still and she felt his lungs stop. She heard the last heart beat and she closed her eyes. Lowering her head, she took in a deep breath and felt the anguish free her inner strength. Fire erupted in a circle around them and her eyes held the flames as she stood on all four black legs. Zeke stood back as she approached the middle of the battles.

Fire surrounded every one of her kind, shielding them, and the soldiers stared at her as she approached. She had lost enough. First her father and mother and now her grandfather. Her strength had reached the end and was ready to break into a million pieces.

'Kara'

She ignored the reaching voice as she surrendered to every ounce of power burning through her and held her ground. The soldiers lowered their weapons when her fangs revealed themselves and the leader waved for withdraw. She leapt onto him and pinned him by the throat. If they ran it was fine, but she was sending them home with a message. No more would there be any chance of finding a truce between the government and her people.

"Please."

The man's hands clung to her crushing leg and she stared down at him. She could feel and taste his fear and welcomed it. He needed to feel as helpless as she had. He had to know what it felt like to have everything and everyone taken from you when you were just a child. One hand landed on the ground and she watched him as he began to lessen in his struggle.

"Kara!"

The voice broke through all the fire protecting her and she stepped back off the man. She stepped a few feet back and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes stared at the ghost coming to her and she left her form as she ran to him. Michael wrapped his arms around her and looked back at her mate. He was winded and dripping with blood but had reached out to him just in time.

"Now."

Joseph nodded and he disposed of the leader in front of everyone. His eyes burned with the kill back to the soldiers watching in horror and he left his wolf form. Michael watched him approach with his focus on his daughter and she looked up at him. His black eyes were dim with exhaustion and she reached for a thin stream of blood on his face when the shot went off.

"Joseph!"

Her eyes flew open in horror and she found herself sitting up in a cold sweat. Closing her eyes, she forced deep breaths into her lungs and felt her body shivering without mercy. Her head was clouded with the images and she ran her fingers through her hair to try and assure herself it was just a dream. Two arms wrapped around her and swallowed her in warmth. She turned to him and he held her as her skin slowly began to warm and the shivering settled.

"What was it?"

"A fight."

He rubbed his chin on her head and closed his eyes. Keeping her in his hold hadn't been enough to push the nightmares away this time. She had been sleeping comfortably once they had been reunited and had an entire night of sleep the first night they were home. The underlying remnants of Lucian's death had held onto her stronger than he expected.

"What was it about?"

"Soldiers sent to kill us."

She didn't go into anymore detail and he knew it was because she was still trying to figure out what the dream meant. At least this time it wasn't of someone's past. If it was a possible dream of the future he would have a chance to prevent it from happening when he knew everything.

"I need to speak with Leon."

He looked down at her and she said "We aren't ready for any of these nightmares I'm having."

Her eyes looked up at him with determination and weariness. She needed to stay right here and rest. He could take her thoughts to Leon so she could rest but he knew it was an endless battle. Taking a deep breath, he slowly loosened his hold on her and she burrowed her face into his throat. She listened to his heart beat and let it calm the still rapid one inside her.

A soothing hand ran along her spine, ensuring her it was just a dream and that she was safe at the moment. It helped anchor her and she knew if it weren't for him, she would be an emotional wreck. All the patience he has had with her over the years had built her trust in him and left her so dependant on him it still frightened her at times. It was hard to not reach for his mind when she needed reassurance and he had never backed down from it, especially after her kidnapping. The loneliness and coldness she had been put through until he had come for her were worse than any of the injections and cuts they handed her.

When their drugs had locked her abilites inside her where she couldn't reach them, she had felt utterly alone for the first time in her life and it had left her weary of silence unless she wished it. He hadn't asked what they had done to her but she imagined he was picking up on it. She couldn't bare to be absolutely alone. Yes she would keep thoughts to herself, out of his reach, but that was only when she was where she could still feel him.

No nightmares had plagued her after the kidnapping and she knew it was because of the sense of being safe was back. Before he had found her, she had been trapped in them, reliving things she didn't know or things she had tried to black out over the years. Those nightmares had dug claws deep into her and were fighting her in her plight to be free of them.

"Are you okay?"

She looked back up at him and nodded once. He knew she was lying but he never pushed her into telling him the truth. His lips brushed her brow and she closed her eyes as she listened to his heart beat again. She could feel the sun rising and knew she had to leave him but she couldn't just yet. Looking up at him, she met his gaze and felt the presence coming close to his quarters. His head snapped to the entrance and she felt him leave her without a word.

He left the bedroom and found Zeke standing in front of him with Angel. The woman didn't look pleased and he took a deep breath. Never had he been afraid of his brothers but this sister left him unnerved. She fixed her black eyes on him and he saw the uneasy look on Zeke's face.

"What do you want?"

Her eyes flashed and she said "You two have gone too far. Do you know how long it took to get that cut shut last night?"

A little bit of pride settled in and he said "I warned him."

"Like hell! You could have taken it a little easy on him. We know you're stronger than us. We saw it when you first came back into our lives."

His jaw tightened and he sent her a warning look to keep herself in check. He didn't need the distress and anger picking away at Kara at the moment. She wasn't ready to fight the emotions off.

"Keep your cool."

Angel sent him a look to match Zeke's and he felt both of them ready to reprimand him. His guard was up and he felt the easy pulse within ready for the upcoming fight.

"Enough all three of you."

His eyes shot to her green eyes as she emerged and she stood next to him. Her head was pounding with the rising strength in all three and she sent an accusing look up to Joseph. He knew better than to push his weight around with them. His eyes didn't leave hers and he saw the diguised pain looking up at him. He looked back at the two and saw them watching them.

"We can dicuss this later. Right now isn't a good time."

Angel took her gaze from her brother and looked at Kara. The woman seemed perfectly fine but she had learned from time spent together the little signs of agony the woman went through. She had always been surprised to see how intune the woman was with their species and sympathized with her. Angel took a deep breath and looked up at Zeke.

"He's right."

The man looked surprised when she had been insistent to come chew him out in the first place. He looked down at Angel and then back at Joseph. The man had one hand rested on her back and seemed to be protecting her from something he couldn't pick up on.

"You can talk this out but please do so as adults and not let your emotions get the best of you."

She looked up at Joseph and he nodded once. He knew she had to leave in case they couldn't keep control and she knew which one that would be. She had every faith he would be able to do so but she doubted Zeke had that ingrained strength in him. Angel was more likely to keep most of her emotions in check but still it ate at her. His lips brushed her head and she looked back at his siblings.

"Just don't kill each other."

They let her pass and looked back at Joseph. Zeke thought she would stand by his side but had left him alone to handle the two of them. He felt a little smug in the situation. With the fireball at his side, Joseph wouldn't be able to get out of the incoming lecture.

"Is she all right?"

Joseph fixed his gaze on the level headed sibling and said "Give her time."

"This can wait so you can see to her."

He shook his head and said "I know exactly what she is doing. Now, get it over with."

Angel seemed a little distressed at the space between them but the confidence between them about their relationship. She couldn't be away from Zeke if she was hurting or upset for a minute until it passed. Joseph and Kara were connected so differently it sometimes made her envious of it but she always knew what she shared with Zeke was special too.

She took a deep breath and said "You should not have taken out your built up aggression on him like that."

"You know how the fights are between us. One person always walks away injured."

"There isn't a scratch on you."

He shrugged and said "Zeke didn't get a chance to strike."

She looked back at her mate and he shook his head. The moves he had experienced of their youngest brother had been too quick to detect and it had been settled before he knew what had happened.

"I told you he made his point."

"I don't like any of you thinking it takes a brawl to settle matters."

Joseph looked away and growled "We aren't like you females."

She sent him an annoyed look and said "You could take a few lessons from us."

"If you ever have a dispute and it involves your mate, I'll be the first to witness your reactions."

Her eyes shot up to Zeke and she said "You didn't tell me this was about Kara."

He scratched his head and said "If I had you would have only added onto the injury he gave me last night and it was more like we were teasing him."

Angel shook her head and looked back at Joseph. His focus was elsewhere and she saw him slowly come back to their situation. He had been talking with someone and she bet it was Kara but she wasn't sure.

"What is it?"

"I need to go."

He slipped past them and made his way down the hall. He had heard her start talking with Leon and had to hear what she needed to say to him. Quickly he slid down the hall into Leon's quarters and found Emily standing beside her father. She seemed uneasy and he looked at Kara. Her eyes sought him out and he took his post by the wall, ready to act if need be. His siblings filed in, representing the security of their home, and he watched her take a calming breath.

"Kara, what is it?"

She focused her eyes on Leon and said "We need to prepare for a war."

He stared back at her a little surprised to hear that from her and asked "What makes you think there's a war coming?"

"Just believe me. We aren't ready for any kind of attack."

He took a deep breath and asked "What do you think we should do then?"

"Start patrols outside of the temple. Keep scouts outside at all times of the day."

"And the commitments we have?"

"Keep them. We will need all the allies we can get."