Tai hadn't registered what had happened. She could taste blood, the bitter taste burned her mouth. She could feel that her fingers were drenched in it, covering every inch of her skin, marking her with the horror she had just inflicted.

She was responsible for another death.

"Go!" Ace yelled. "Faster!" He was pushing her forward. Her feet moved, stepping effortlessly over fallen logs and dips in the ground. Ace was behind her, frantically looking around, praying they weren't being followed.

Ahead was Brandon and Raiden, setting the path through the woods. Both were in shock, but both were desperate to put as much distance between them and Rogue as possible.

"Where are we going?" Ace shouted. "We need to hide somewhere-"

"I know! I have a plan!" Brandon called. "Just trust me!"

Ace just stared at Brandon's back as they ran. Brandon had jumped into action as soon as Ace did when Tai lost control. They weren't fast enough to stop her from attacking Stacey, but they both pulled her off and dragged her away as soon as they could, while Rogue was in shock, dealing with the sudden loss of his mate.

Tao was wild, ferocious, snapping and growling at them. It took the both of them and Raiden to force her out of the kitchen and out of the pack house. They knew they didn't have long to calm her down. They needed to go as soon as possible. They all knew that Rogue would kill Tai for what she had done.

"Raiden!" Brandon panicked, looking back at the pack house as they pinned Tai to the ground. "What do we do?"

"I don't know!" Raiden gasped. "She usually goes off on her own when she loses control! I can't do anything to help!"

"Tai!" Ace yelled and he used all of his strength to pin her to the ground. "Tai, it's me! You need to calm down! We're in danger if we stay here-" But Ace was still weak, recovering from his coma. Tai knocked Ace off of her, pushing him to the ground. He landed with a thud and gasped, his shoulder crunching painfully.

At the sound of Ace's exclamation of pain Tai's wolf faltered and it was all Brandon and Raiden needed to pin her back down.

"I think she dislocated my shoulder," Ace winced and stood up, holding his wounded shoulder.

"You need to do something!" Brandon said.

"Before my touch snapped her out of it!" Ace said. "I don't know what else I can do..." He trailed off, an idea coming to mind.

"What?" Raiden called. "What is it?"

Ace shook his head firmly. "No. I can't. I can't do it."

"So what?" Brandon yelled. "We're running out of options here!"

"No. She would hate me. I know it!"

"Would you rather we all be dead?" Brandon asked.

"What can be so bad?" Raiden asked. "I'd rather we all live, to be honest. Tai would too!"

"I could mark her," Ace murmured. "It's such an intense feeling I'm positive that it would overpower the anger she's feeling and allow her to take control again."

"Then do it!" Raiden cried. "We can't control her for much longer!"

"Marking your mate is meant to be intimate. Consensual," Brandon said lowly to Raiden. "It connects you together in a way a regular human couldn't even comprehend. It's the deepest and strongest connection that a werewolf can have with another person. It affects the way you think, your touch, everything."

"I wanted more time," Ace whispered, but he looked and Tai and sighed, shaking his head. "Raiden is right. Living is more important and we won't if we stay here. Keep her still." Ace approached Tai, his expression grave. He bared his teeth, letting his sharp canines extend. He wanted this over quickly. If he didn't get to share this properly with Tai then he wasn't going to let himself enjoy it. He couldn't do that to her.

He moved quickly. What he wanted to be romantic and intimate was rushed and panicked. He bit the spot on Tai's wolf, where the mark should lay, with such speed that the single act alone made Tai's wolf howl, but then she stopped.

Her wolf went limp, relaxing as Ace marked her, forming the most pivotal connection of their relationship. Upon Ace pulling away, Tai slowly started to shift back into her human form, her eyes dazed and confused.

"Oh, thank God!" Ace cried and pulled his shift off, grunting in pain because of his shoulder. He covered Tai's knocked body with his shirt and then grabbed her, pulling her up from the ground.

She gasped and looked at his hands that were touching her arm, feeling the sparks that were now at an intensity she had never experienced. "What..."

"Tai, I'm really sorry but I need you to do one thing before you ask any questions." Ace turned Tai around and nudged her in the direction of the forest. "Run!"

*

Frantic, panting and panicked, Ace, Tai, Brandon and Raiden made it to the cave where Lily had brought Brooklyn when she reunited with Harry. Ace, frowned, staring curiously at Brandon who had led them here. "How do you know about this place? We thought it was off of Rogue's radar?"

"It is," Brandon said.

"If you know about it why doesn't he?"

"Because I don't tell him everything I know," Brandon said sharply. "I know what he's like. I know every place in this town that Rogue won't look. I've had safe areas planned for a while."

Ace, still not trusting of Brandon, guided Tai into the safety of the cave and sat her down, cupping her cheeks. "Tai," he said gently.

Tai placed her hands over Ace's, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of his touch. "Ace," she whispered.

"How do you feel-"

Tai cut Ace off by pressing her lips to his. She needed him. She needed his touch. There was a pull deep inside of her that wanted him and only him. She couldn't think clearly. She just had to-

"We can't." Ace turned his head before he got lost in their kiss, a kiss that he so desperately craved. "Tai, I'm sorry, but we can't. You only kissed me because I marked you. Your hormones, emotions and senses are going to be all over the place at the moment. I want you to want me when your mind is scrambled by the mark."

Tai paused, cocking her head to the side. "What the hell is a mark?"

Ace sheepishly raised his hand and brushed his fingers across Tai's collarbone where the fresh mark sat. The small motion sent shockwaves of pleasure through Tai. "It's what werewolves do when they find their mate. It strengthens our connection. I wanted to wait, I so desperately wanted you to want this, but you were out of control, Tai, and we didn't know how to stop you."

"You bit me?" Tai asked.

Ace lowered his head. "It was the only way to snap you out of the frenzy you were in."

"Frenzy... Oh my God." Tai looked up at Ace with wide eyes and then looked down at herself, only just realising that she was covered in blood. "What did I do? Oh God, I killed her. I killed her-"

"Tai, try to stay calm-"

"I'm not calm!" Tai yelled. "Fuck, I'm dangerous! You need to stay the hell away from me. All of you!"

"I'm not doing that."

"I hate it! I have no control over myself! I promised that I would never lose control like that again... I swore to myself that I wouldn't be responsible for more deaths- fuck! I killed his mate... Ace, I'm so sorry-"

Ace pulled Tai into his arms, ignoring the blood smeared across her skin, and held her tight. "It wasn't you," he whispered. "You did not do that. It was out of your control."

"And that's my fault! Don't try to make me feel better about this. I'm a killer. You shouldn't sugarcoat it."

"I'm not," Ace said firmly. "You have grown up in the human world. It's no surprise that you struggle to control your wolf, you've not grown up around werewolves. Everything is still new to you."

Tai pulled away and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. "This is one huge mess."

Ace sighed and pursed his lips. "Yeah, you're right about that actually."

"We can't stay here forever," Brandon called and entered the cave with Raiden who approached Tai to comfort her, but she batted him away.

"Don't touch me," she muttered and looked at herself in disgust. She couldn't see past the blood.

"You're right," Ace said. "Brandon, I need to know who's side you're on."

"I'm here with you, aren't I?"

"That means nothing," Ace said. "You're one of the reasons that Rogue has the control he does over this town. All of this is partly your fault. You've sided with Rogue over and over again. You've gone against your own family. What's to say that you won't go against your mate?"

"I wouldn't," Brandon said firmly and looked at Raiden who shuffled awkwardly on his feet, still unsure how to act around Brandon. "I know I sided with Rogue. I know it was wrong, but I didn't see any way out of it. He was always going to beat you guys, I was trying to stay on his good side to help protect Brooke... Look that doesn't matter, it's in the past. What matters is now. And I'm with you. I promise. Rogue would have realised that I left with you three. He's noticed for a while that things have been different between us. I'm not going back to him. Hell, he would probably kill me if I did."

At the mention of Brandon dying, Raiden looked at him, a pained expression flashing across his features. He took a small step towards Brandon and then looked at Ace. "I think I trust him."

"You think?" Tai piped up. "That's not good enough."

"Give me a chance, Tai. Just one. We all do things that we regret-"

"Don't you dare compare my situation to yours-" Tai had stood up but Ace blocked her path to Brandon, placing his hands on her arms gently.

"Tai," he whispered and she couldn't help but respond to his touch. She inhaled shakily, Ace's mark and the events of the day was sending her into overdrive. "We haven't got much of a choice. We have to give him a chance."

Tai didn't look convinced.

"Do you trust Raiden?"

"Of course."

"Raiden. Do you trust Brandon? Yes or no?"

Raiden stared at Brandon for a few moments, their gazes locked onto each other longingly. "Yes. Yes, I trust him."

"So we don't trust Brandon, we trust Raiden," Ace said to Tai. "Can you do that?"

Tai sighed and gritted her teeth, sent a cold look at Brandon and then glanced up at Ace. "Fine. What's the plan?"

*

Greyson shut off his mind link and let out a long breath, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He reached out to Indianna who was sitting on the floor beside him, rubbing her stomach, and pulled her up from the ground, kissing her head softly. "They're safe," he murmured and turned to address the rest of the room. "I got through to Ace. He, Raiden and Tai are safe. They're with Brandon."

Harry reacted immediately, his eyes narrowing as he instinctively moved in front of Brooklyn who was sitting on the floor. Her eyes were closed and cheeks stained with dry tears. "Brandon?" He snapped. "What are they doing with him?" Brooklyn opened her eyes slowly, reached out for Harry's hand and then reclosed her eyes, wishing sleep would take her so she wouldn't have to hear about Rogue or Brandon or anything to do with them ever again.

"They're deciding to trust him," Greyson said slowly.

"Trust him? He's working for Rogue!" Kal called. "He's just going to turn them over-"

"Ace is the Beta of his pack. He knows what he is doing. We have to trust him."

"Where are they?" Indianna asked.

"They're with one of Rogue's men who we turned, a man called Gus. Ace contacted him and he is keeping them hidden from Rogue. They're going to figure out a way to get into the tunnels that run beneath us without Rogue or his men catching them. One of the entrances to the tunnels is a few kilometres to the west, near where the lake is. Ace said he will contact when they are safely in the tunnels, but they are going to complete an errand for me first."

The pack house they were in and the land around them had been in Greyson's family for generations. The knowledge that there were hundreds of secret tunnels and passageways beneath the pack house that lead to various locations across the town was passed down from Alpha to Alpha, to use in case of emergencies.

Indianna's psychotic brother wanting to kill them definitely classed as an emergency.

"Since when has there been tunnels?" Kal asked. "That's so cool. I didn't think we were cool enough for that."

"The whole point is that they're a secret, idiot," Greyson said and rolled his eyes. "If everyone knew about them then rogues or rival packs could use them to easily infiltrate the pack house. We don't really have a choice but to use them now."

"You mentioned an errand?" Indianna said. "What errand?"

"Yes, Ace is going to bring us two more of Rogue's men when they come back through the tunnels."

"Why?"

"So we can break Rogue's compulsion," Greyson said. "Our plan is screwed, we thought we had weeks and now we don't know how long we have before Rogue comes for us, however, that doesn't mean we give up. We need to work on turning as many of Rogue's men as we can in the short amount of time we have remaining. If we can manage to get some more men on our side then we could possibly stand a chance if it came to a fight, which it most definitely will. We're going to liaise with the men that are already on our side and they are going to kidnap Rogue's men, and one by one we will brand them and send them back before Rogue has the chance to notice they are missing. If we act quickly we could potentially set free a lot of his men. It's our only chance."

"So, you're saying there's a chance we could defeat him?" Oscar called.

"We have to try."

*

"Good luck, Jansen. Keep us updated."

An hour later it was all systems go. Greyson and Harry had ripped up the floor in the gym to reveal the entrance to the tunnels that led underneath the house. Oscar, Alec, Kirstie and Mac, had headed into the tunnels, to meet Ace, Tai, Raiden and Brandon who were returning with two of Rogue's men, and Gareth, one of the men that had been freed by Greyson's brand. Oscar, Alec, Kirstie and Mac were going back into the town with Gareth, to rendezvous with another one of the men that Greyson had released from Rogue's control, and between the six of them they were going to locate and grab as many of Rogue's men as they could and bring them back to the pack house so they could free them from Rogue's compulsion, and then return them back to the town before Rogue noticed anyone was missing.

Indianna had called Jansen, their friend and Alpha who's pack had also been taken over by Rogue, and explained the events that had transpired. She also explained how branding Rogue's men, forcing them into joining your pack, released them from Rogue's control, and Jansen was going to try his best to take down and free the men that surrounded his pack and kept them under Rogue's control. If he could regain control of his pack and town, they would be able to aid Greyson and Indianna when Rogue finally came for them.

They had also been in touch with their other pack members who had been ordered to stay clear of the pack house during the Christmas dinner. They were going to try and make their to the pack house through the secret tunnels without being caught by Rogue's men, and with the help of Jansen's pack and more of Rogue's men they managed to turn, then they truly were in with a chance. They had hope and that's all they needed to keep going.

"I have an idea." Indianna was surprised to see Alec approach her, glancing cautiously over at Greyson who immediately stopped what he was doing and joined the two of them, standing next to Indianna protectively. Indianna rolled her eyes at Greyson and smiled at Alec.

"Please tell us," she said. "We need all the help we can get."

"Rogue destroyed my pack," Alec said. "He... killed so many people." Alec gritted his teeth, his eyes darkening as he remembered when Rogue attacked his pack. "He broke us down until there was nothing left. A few people survived, but they retreated into the woods and I assume they have been in hiding ever since. If I can get out of this town I can try to find them and if I do then I can bring them here to help. To fight."

"So, you just want us to help you leave this town?" Greyson asked. "How convenient."

"I'm not a deserter," Alec snapped, his anger flaring. He was also an Alpha, and even though Greyson was more powerful, the disrespect angered Alec. "My pack was destroyed by Rogue and I'm trying to help stop him from doing the same to yours."

*Grey, give him a chance. Stop being so rude.* Indianna said to Greyson in her mind and then looked at Alec. "Do you know where your remaining pack members would be?"

"I don't know for sure, but I'm confident I could find them. The only issue would be getting out of the town unnoticed."

"I think it's worth a shot," Indianna nodded. "I trust you, Alec. I know it doesn't seem Greyson does, but you wouldn't be here if there wasn't a small part of him that trusted you. He wouldn't let you anywhere near our pack members if he didn't."

Greyson sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes. "You couldn't go by yourself."

"Why?" Indianna questioned, giving Greyson a look.

"If you want me to agree to this then you are going to agree to not going alone," Greyson said sternly. "We can talk to one of the men that we've turned to our side. I'm sure they can get you out of town unnoticed and they can accompany you to find your pack. That way I will still have a way of keeping an eye on you."

"What is it going to take for you to trust me properly?" Alec asked.

"That's an issue to be resolved when we're not going to be killed in a matter of days by my psychotic brother in law," Greyson snapped. "Do you want to help or not, Alec?"

Alec nodded. "You're right. I want to help. Thank you."

"I'll mind link one of the men and we'll see what we can do," Greyson said. "And you're going to take Alice with you."

"My sister is not going anywhere!" Kal yelled, overhearing Greyson. He looked over at Alice who was lying on the floor with her legs propped up against the wall. Boredom had overcome her very quickly. She rolled over and looked at Kal.

"Where am I going?" She asked curiously. "Because I thought if we went anywhere then we died and I don't really want that, man."

"Kal, shut it," Greyson ordered. "Alice is human. She needs to get out of this town. We can't protect her if Rogue attacks. We can't protect anyone who isn't a werewolf. Anyone that can't defend themselves against Rogue needs to go as soon as possible, we just need to figure out a safe escape route for them."

"I'm not leaving," Kimberly said stubbornly and looked to her side where Kal was. "I'm not leaving you."

"Yes you are, Kim," Indianna told her. "Greyson is right. You, Alice and Brooke all need to leave here. You're only going to be in danger if this comes to a fight."

"What about you? You're pregnant!" Kimberly argued. "You can't make us leave if you're not!"

"I'm the Luna of this pack. It's my duty to be here-"

*It's your duty to look after yourself and our children, sugar.* Greyson's voice entered her mind and Indianna glanced at him, shaking her head.

*I'm not leaving you.*

Greyson looked away from Indianna and gestured to Brooklyn, Kimberly and Alice. "You all need to go upstairs, silently, and pack a small bag of supplies. You will leave with Indianna and Alec once we have figured out how to get you out of this town