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He barely stopped long enough to open the door, half barrelling through it instead. Clement was too stressed and too tired for this to go on much longer. He walked straight through the house to the cells where he knew Noah would be, ignoring the creak of the floorboard as he finally reached where he needed to be.

“Alpha?” Fen appeared in silence by Clement’s side as he and Lenara made it through the final door. Lenara’s eyes widened as she took in the scene to her left, Noah and Neve locked up like animals in cages. Clement had no desire nor time to address anything disconcerting at that moment, he had enough of his own to deal with.

“I need the lies to stop,” Clement said loudly as he once again held Noah’s gaze with ease. Lenara winced a little and he realised he still had hold of her arm, clearly a little too tightly. He released her, apology hopefully evident on his face as he left her to walk closer to the cage. Noah didn’t back away or drop his eyes like a Beta would have, he simply glared back. Neve moved closer as the pair stared but Clement did not miss the slight elbow to Noah’s side as she approached the bars, her eyes scattering over the floor as she did so. Noah looked at her briefly, when his eyes returned to Clement’s they flickered like a butterfly before falling too on the ground at Clement’s feet.

“That. That there! I saw her subtle reminder. My first question is why on earth do you need to be reminded to do something that shouldn’t be a choice?” Clement asked, feeling the stillness that crept over the pair as they realised he had seen something he shouldn’t.

“I’m not a Beta that’s why,” Noah answered earning a very hard glare from his sister.

“Shut up!” Neve growled. Noah looked over at her and he dropped his gaze as if she was the one in charge. This confused Clement even more as Neve was the one that was clearly an Omega, at the highest a weak Beta yet Noah acted as though she was the Alpha in that cell.

“Then tell me what you are?” Clement pushed, his eyes glowing, his power seeping out but this time on purpose. Noah avoided his gaze but Clement knew that was all show now. There was something different about this pair and he was determined to find out what that was. And what it had to do with his daughter.

“He is an Alpha,” Neve offered but Clement doubted her words. He approached the bars of their cage, pushing his wolf to the forefront so his power ebbed and flowed out of him like a river. The current knocked Neve from her feet, her inner wolf clearly submitting, Lenara and Fen struggling a little as their Alpha filled the room around them. Noah remained standing, his irises glowing as if in competition with Clement. Like a true Alpha.

“That doesn’t explain how Lenara was allowed to lie. She read you as a Beta. She read Alaya as an Omega. She lied to me, to her Alpha. That can’t be undone. She cannot be pack if she cannot be trusted!” Clement bellowed, his wolf filling everywhere all at once. Noah stayed standing as the others around them fell to their feet.

“My daughter will wake up with her best friend banished. I should kill her for her transgressions but Alaya would never forgive me. But once the other packs realise what Lenara has done to me, she may as well be dead. They won’t accept her, liars are sentenced to death. Trust is a packs foundation!”

Clement roared out the last statement, his wolf fully at the forefront. He had at some point shifted to be standing over Lenara, his wolf demanding recompense. The only thing stopping him was not turning, he doubted his wolf form could think rationally. He would tear Lenara’s throat out as she lay crumpled on the floor, defenceless.

“Enough!” Noah demanded from his cell. His eyes glowed as Clement turned, his wolf feeling the power emanating from Noah. Noah was at the bars now, glaring at Clement with unbridled fury. There was a strange sensation in the air, almost felt like tar, like the air itself was suddenly heavy and sticky.

“Leave her alone! Fen, open this cell!” Noah instructed and Clement let out a loud chuckle. Clement raised an eyebrow before responding fully, his limbs felt oddly restricted as he stood straight.

“He will not obey your commands. Do you have no knowledge of how a pack works?” he replied, his voice full of laughter.

“Oh I know plenty,” Noah continued, his gaze moving to Fen before he spoke again.

“I said, open. This. Cell,” Noah spoke calmly but there was a heaviness to his words. It surprised Clement, the power in the air that wasn’t his. It was stifling, the room suddenly feeling small, his wolf pacing the confines of their human skin like he hadn’t ever done before. Clement knew this wolf was powerful but this felt like something else entirely. He turned when there was a movement to his right, shock warping his features when Clement saw Fen rise from the floor where he had been crouched. Fen looked dazed as he did so, his movements clunky.

“Noah! Stop this. You can’t force another wolf, can’t break his pack bonds like this. Stop!” Neve yelled and Noah’s eyes broke from Fen’s, the glow ebbing from his eyes as he did so.

“We need to get out of here. Any other ideas feel free. Otherwise, I will do whatever is needed to reach my mate,” he yelled, turning his gaze back towards Fen. Out of nowhere, Lenara lept from the ground where she was laid, grappling for the cage door, undoing the lock frantically. The cell door clattered open, Clement frozen in shock or confusion as he realised what she had done.

“Run,” she screamed, panic in her voice and all over her face as she twisted to stand in the others way, enabling Noah and Neve the chance to escape, or give them a head start at least. The pair needed no other invitation, both bolting out the door and ripping through the house in seconds.

“What have you done?” Clement bellowed, pushing her out of the way with such force that her entire body ricocheted off the cage bars, crumbling to the ground as he made his way after Noah and Neve.

Clement made chase, the call to phase stronger than ever as his wolf inside smelt the prey in front. He pushed it back down, much to his wolf’s annoyance, but phasing now would leave his wolf in control. And the two escapees in front were a threat to the pack, mate to his daughter or not. And that threat would have to be eliminated.

Instead, he concentrated on the plan that was rapidly forming in his head. Once these two were caught, they would have to be escorted straight back to where they came from. He was eager to meet the Alpha that had the pair under his command. And to find out what he had to say for himself.

Clement didn’t push to go faster, knowing exactly where the pair were headed. He knew deep down they were of no risk to Alaya, especially the state she was in and the faster he ran the more he felt his control slip. And his original plan had been to get Noah to her bedside so this new development would atleast end where he needed it to. Realistically Noah should leave her behind and run but Clement knew he wouldn’t. Or couldn’t. Alaya couldn’t follow him nor aid him comatose. Part of him was glad Noah couldn’t leave, Lenara’s statement from earlier niggling in the dark corners of his mind like whispers.

Upon arriving at the clinic, Clement strolled darkly through the hospital’s doors. He barely acknowledged anything around him as he made his way straight through to where he knew they would both be gathered. Clement stopped briefly just before her doorway, realising that he didn’t know exactly what he would be met with in there. Alaya was sensitive in her condition, his Alpha presence causing her to deteriorate. He couldn’t risk that. And he doubted the pair that awaited him would be like, ok sure, we will leave without Alaya and never return. He turned away and headed straight for Jeremiah’s office, needing another plan of attack if he was to get Noah and Neve away from his daughter without hurting her in the process.

“Jeremiah,” he shouted as he pushed open the door forcefully so it clattered off the wall in was hinged to. Jeremiah was sat behind his desk, the clipboard he was flicking through clattering to the table in tune with the door.

“What on earth-” he began to say before his Alpha silenced him purely with the look in his eyes.

“There were intruders last night, they came for Alaya. Now they are in her room and I can’t get them out in case it hurts her. Tell me what am I meant to do!” Clement shouted as he paced the small room. Jeremiah looked at him in confusion, not exactly sure what answer he wanted him to come up with.

“Just get Fen to remove him or another Beta. Your Alpha presence definitely affects her in this state and she has only just calmed from her seizure earlier. You must try to remain calm. Oh what am I saying, I’ll just remove them,” he replied standing and walking right past Clement.

Clement stopped his pacing and stared at his friend and then at the empty space he left behind. He walked behind him, not attempting to catch up as they both singularly made their way to Alaya’s hospital room. He made sure to calm his breathing as he did so and locked his wolf into the confines of their mind, something he hadn’t felt the need to do for many a century. But he couldn’t risk his wolf feeling threatened, that wouldn’t end well.

As he turned the corner into her room he froze at the doorway. Neve was a few feet in front of Jeremiah, standing guard as Noah was hunched over Alaya’s bedside, her hand firmly in his.

“Please. Just wait,” she begged as Clement took another step inside. Jeremiah was warily watching the pair unsure what exactly was going on. The room felt odd, a deathly silence seemed to have sucked the air out.

“Why should I?” Clement demanded, his eyes falling back to Alaya and Noah.

“Because he is helping her,” she explained, voice quiet and full of emotion.

Clement stared at her for a moment before walking around her slowly. As he moved towards Noah, Neve moved towards him and he raised his hand up to stop her. He took in the sight in front of him, realising that Noah wasn’t simply holding Alaya’s hand but his eyes were tightly shut as if sleeping himself. There was an unnatural stillness about him and the hairs on the back of Clement’s neck bristled as if danger was nearby. And he wasn’t completely unsure there wasn’t.

The silence spread out among the five that were gathered in the hospital room as Noah stayed gripped onto Alaya’s hand. Until suddenly it was all shattered.