Anastasia

Arriving at the border is like running headfirst into another dimension.

The scene depicts complete chaos and destruction. My sensitive nose is picking up so much, the metallic tang of blood filling the air until it overwhelms every other scent. It's thick on my tongue, blood splatter and dead wolves can be seen in all directions.

I have to take a moment to ground myself next to Gisele before I lose myself to a familiar frenzy. My wolf wants to take over. She wants to be set free, to add to the carnage. But I knowI need to stay along the treeline and wait for Giselle to arrive. She gave me strict instructions to wait for her.

We had trained together all our lives, well enough for us to know each other's moves, as well as our own. My devotion to me friends and all the practice Gisele and

I have had as partners has allowed us to build and develop a special bond. As the daughters of rogues, we had worked our asses off in training to ensure we would never give the pack any reason to believe we were weak.

My Omega is bloodthirsty and is fighting to join the battle. My mind is drawn to the chaos of the battle, but is quickly brought back to reality when I hear Gisele's voice next to me. "Stick close to me," Gisele instructs, and suddenly she isn't the same Gisele I'd grown up with, nor was she my best friend who had protected me and laughed with me.

This is the future Luna, standing tall and ready to shred through the enemies who would dare attack her pack.

Tm ready when you are, Gisele,' I think while nodding in her direction and following her as she lunges into the fray.

Both of us shift just before landing the first killing blow on an unsuspecting rogue.

The first kill is always the easiest: a surprise attack on an outlier who isn't sure where he needs to be. It's quick and efficient. The next kill will not be as easy.

The rogues are now aware of our presence, despite their target being our Alpha.

I can smell him nearby; he's taking on the bulk of the attack while the rest of the rogues fight to keep any of us from getting to him in time. It's an old tactic, the oldest in the book.

They want to isolate him, and weaken the rest of us. But we are determined to not let that happen. We are all prepared to die for our Alpha.

I stay close behind Gisele. Gisele, we need to get to Jacob and the Alpha. I can smell the Alpha's blood.:

I can sense her mind reaching out to me.

I know, Ana. Let's make a run for them.

Guard my flank, andI will deal with the rogues ahead ofus.

I give a low growl in agreement and guard her flanks from any ambush while she barrages forward through the wall of rogues like they're made of paper.

She always said I was strong, but she was frighteningly good at mowing down opponents like they were nothing.

The next wolf in her line of vision watched in shock how we managed to take out the rogues in our path. He tries to run, but is too slow. Gisele has her jaw locked around a rogue's hind quarters and I leap over her, sinking my fangs into his throat, snapping his neck. He's dead before his carcass hits the ground and we're already gone.

Gisele and I move as if we were a single unit. We instinctively know what to do.

Gisele had risen to the task immaculately, and has proved that she is battle worthy.

And me? Well, I just really loved the pain that came with a good fight.

During the attack, the rogues have become more organized. We watch as the rogues move to a new battle formation. We catch

Jacob's scent on a rogue as he speeds by, and both our heads snap up.

Go,' she motions with her head, her snout dripping blood. Mine must look the same.

I dip my head in acknowledgement and sprint off to find Jacob while she tears through another rogue's throat.

I keep my massive body close to the ground, lashing out and incapacitating unsuspecting rogues as they race around me, not paying that much attention to an

Omega as they move past me.

It's easy to break a leg here and there, and especially satisfying to watch their bodies crumple to the blood-soaked ground in agony, not knowing what has happened. It feels good to let my wolf's bloodlust take control.

It feels so good to give my wolf full control and sit back while she gets rid of the rage constantly burning through my veins.

I finally spot Jacob on the border, his dad just a few hundred feet away and battling hard.

I have to be careful here; the rogues would have concentrated their best fighters on the center of the ambush, where the Alpha and his son, the heir apparent, would be fighting.

I couldn't be as rash here as I wanted to be. My wolf does not care about being cautious, she wants to taste more blood, so

I let her loose.

I let out a low howl to get Jacob's attention,

Move up, I'm coming in.

Jacob growls in warning No, Ana stay there.

Ignoring Jacob, I leap into the air, soaring high over the rogues surrounding him and landing beside him with ease. I can feel my blood purmping through my wolfs body, my heart galloping in my chest and feeding the excitement sizzling inside me.

Jacob snaps his bloodstained maw at me in disapproval. Of course, he wouldn't want a weak Omega at his side. It would distract him if he has to protect me and defend himself while trying to get closer to his dad.

But I'm not a weak little Omega. My body is thrumming with thirst, and I dive forward at the last minute to intercept a rogue that lunges for his throat, their teeth slicing through my hide and cracking a few ribs as we hit the ground.

Jacob whines in concern 'Ana, but Ive already kicked the rogue of, tossing caution to the wind and pinning him to the ground before he can roll back to his feet.

Tm fine, Jacob. I can defend myself andI would rather die than let the get to you.

He'd been after Jacob. I will do whatever it takes to protect Jacob and my Alpha.

So, the rogue would have to deal with me first.

It only talkes a single snap to sever the artery in his throat and he goes limp within minutes. But I'm already at Jacob's side again, adrenaline coursing through me.

This is what I want. The pain in my side lancing with the slightest movement, protesting with every shallow breath.

I can feel something again. I can feel my heart thumping loudly, feel the way my lungs expand to drag in a chest full of

Oxygen to prepare for the next attack.

I can feel the damp earth drying in clumps in the divots of my paws, feel the icy sea breeze dancing through my fur and, Moon

Goddess, I want to laugh hysterically.

I feel ALIVE!

'Ana, we need to get to my father:' Witha brand-new sense of destruction tingling in my gums, I turn to help Jacob create a path to his father. Rogue after rogue descends, each of them falling limp after just a few minutes of a struggle, and I made damn sure I was the one who sustained every wound they dealt.

I can't allow any of them to hurt Jacob.

Besides, it feels good to take the extra blows meant for Jacob. The more I get hurt, the better I feel because this is something

I'm good at. This is something only I can do. Pain fuels me and my ability to heal quickly is useful in cases like these.

I'm the lowest ranked wolf, the most hated

Omega, and yet I'm the one forcing my way through the crawling mess of rogues alongside Jacob.

Not Medeia. Not any of her friends or the pack members who sneer and spit at me when I'm alone.

Me. The unwanted Omega.

I spit another glob of blood on the floor and charge forward, meeting another rogue head on before he can even set eyes on Jacob. This one is so much bigger that I almost confuse him with their Alpha.

I hear Jacob growl in warning, but I don't care. Im going to prove that I deserve to be here just as much as any other wolf.

I'm going to prove that I'm not a waste of a wolf.

And the pain is just an added bonus.