FOUR YEARS AGO…

I sighed with frustration. "What am I supposed to be looking at?" I was completely clueless as to why Anna and I were bent over staring into the oven.

"I need you to see if it's done," she said as if I should've known.

I scoffed. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

"What makes you think I know how to tell when it's done?" And, by 'it' we mean the large turkey in the oven. It's Thanksgiving. One of the holidays I haven't ever really had a reason to celebrate. Not to mention the fact that I'm usually busy. Your supernatural responsibilities don't just go away because it's the holidays.

"I don't know!" she stood, clearly stressed. "Because you've done this before?"

"Done what?" I stood.

"You know. You've had a lot more thanksgivings."

"The last thanksgiving I had was in 1911. We cooked our turkeys a little differently back then."

She sighed. She was putting way too much stress on herself. I didn't think thanksgiving was a big deal. She did. It was something her family looked forward to every year. But this was her first one alone, without them. With her and Sam's wedding set for January, she wanted to prove she could do it on her own. Problem: she doesn't know how to cook.

"Okay," I thought aloud. "Didn't it have directions on the package?" She nodded. "Where is it?"

"In the trash."

"Anna," I sighed.

"How was I supposed to know I'd need it?"

"Because you can't cook anything."

She scowled, but knew I was right. "Then what do we do?"

"Ever heard of the internet?" I walked to the kitchen's doorway and leaned around it to see the living room. "Does anyone know how to cook a turkey?" Half the room laughed and the other groaned. "I'm serious."

"Trust me," Will said as he got off the couch, "we know." He walked past me and into the kitchen. I followed. "What I don't know is why we left dinner to the two of you." He pointed at me, "You haven't cooked in a hundred years-" then he pointed at Anna "-and you never knew how."

"Thanks, but you're not helping."

"Do you know what to do, or not?" Anna was done with this whole thing.

He sighed and thought. "Okay," he rubbed his hands together, like the action would make something happen. "Did the nipple pop?"

"Will!" I gasped.

He smiled and held up his hands in defense. "No. Not that kind of nipple. I mean the plastic thing they put in the turkey." He looked at Anna. "When it pops, it's done."

"That's it?" she asked skeptically, thinking it can't be that easy.

"Yep," he laughed. "Cooking's not that hard."

She tossed her arms in surrender and walked around the island, to the counter next to the fridge. "Then it's all yours." Will started to protest when Anna turned on the blender. I swear it's the loudest one I've ever heard. And she knew that. You could tell by the look of defiance on her face as she stared at Will.

He tried talking over it and, of course, she had to respond. The whole thing turned into a yelling match. She abandoned the blender, leaving it on, to engage with him. I sighed and walked out of the kitchen. I went to the living room and plopped down in the recliner.

My eyes shifted to the television. Jamie and Drake were locked in some kind of battle on the screen. The banter that ensued when they played these games was fun to watch. They've tried many times to get me to play and I keep turning them down.

I felt my chair move and I looked up to find Sam standing over me. He nodded toward the kitchen. "Everything okay in there?" He knew the answer as well as I did.

"Just a little sibling rivalry."

"Yeah, I have no idea what that's like," he scoffed. The large recliner made me seem incredibly small. I slid over and Sam sat half on the arm rest and half in the chair. This seemed to be the usual place to find us. "Is everyone here?"

"Just missing Sophie, Logan, and Tobias." I looked at him. "Why?"

His eyes were on the game. He sighed and looked down at me. "Just wondering," he shrugged. I looked back at Drake and Jamie, their fingers moving quickly across their game controllers. I stared at their hands, seeing Drake's moving faster. Jamie said no supernatural stuff while they played, since it put her at an unfair disadvantage. Drake never listened.

I blinked and something cut in my vision. I shook my head and then looked at them again. My vision kept cutting in to two bodies on the carpet. Blood was all over them. I could even smell it for a second. I blinked again, this time hearing a panicked scream, flesh tearing.

I abruptly stood, breathing heavily. I felt a hand on my arm and instinctively pulled my shoulder away from it. My eyes shifted and looked at Sam. He was standing with me. "Kit-"

"I'm okay," I quickly said. "I'm going to…uh, see if the others are here, yet." I left in a hurry. I knew he wouldn't follow, he never does. But I didn't want him to say anything. I went to the front door and outside. I walked to the edge of the porch and took in a deep breath.

I sat on the porch step and sighed, dropping my head on my knees. That didn't make any sense. Sophia's the Banshee, not me. If that's even what that was. I didn't want it to be. But, when there's another Banshee around me I don't get those. That only happens if a new person is turned. That's how it's always been.

"You okay?"

I jumped at the sound, whipping my head up. I blinked a few times, my mind registering who I was seeing. It was Logan. He wore the same brown leather jacket he's had since I've known him, his back pack slung over his shoulder. The man hasn't changed a bit in the last three years. That's why his sudden concern for my well being is slightly unsettling.

I didn't say anything, just ran a hand through my hair as I looked away. I wasn't in the mood. For him, I mean. We've never gotten along. Sam had pity on him which is the only reason why he's in our pack. That whole 'Omegas don't survive on their own' thing. Sam had me there. But I still don't like him.

He sighed and then his bag dropped to the floor in front of me. Then his butt sat next to mine. I looked at him like he was crazy, my mind racing to figure out why he didn't leave. He usually just gets Sam when he finds me 'acting weird, again'. Since I'm 'not his problem'.

He stared off somewhere in the distance. "What is it this time, Williams?" He looked at me. His voice was condescending, but his eyes were intrigued. They wanted to know. I didn't say anything, still wondering why he's talking to me. He shrugged, then leaned in like he was about to tell me a secret. "They say it's easier to confide in someone if you hate them."

I scoffed. "I don't hate you."

He sat back. "Tell me that again when you mean it."

I eyed him. "You went and saw him again. Didn't you?" Logan's silence said everything. "Why do you keep doing this to yourself?"

"Because I have a son who doesn't know I exist." He looked at me with the same cold eyes he bore when I first met him. I sighed and looked at the ground. I'm not sure how to reply to that one. We've talked about this a couple a times before. But it wasn't until a year ago that I knew the full story.

When he was sixteen, he slept with one of his high school teachers. When she found out she was pregnant she retired and ignored him, acted like he didn't exist. And she only did it because she was married and already had a child. Her husband thought it was his, as he should. He didn't know his wife cheated. Still doesn't.

They moved to Beacon hills before the child was born, away from Logan. He tried to forget about it, told himself the child was better off without him. Seeing nothing better to do with his life, Logan joined the military. I don't know much about what happened after that. I think his kid is twelve or thirteen, by now.

I looked at him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I need your help." He looked at me. "He's gotten himself into trouble. Since you know the most about this stuff, I figure you're the best to help."

"Okay…? What's he done?"

"I don't know, I've been trying to figure it out."

I scoffed. "Then how do you know there's a problem?"

"Because I saw him change, shift."

"Well, you are a werewolf-"

"I wasn't before he was born." His eyes met mine. My mouth hung open and my mind raced. But it kept coming up empty. "I checked; his mother, and her line, are normal." By that he means human. Because that's what I would've said, that it might have come from the mom. "But the sister is something."

"She's supernatural?"

He nodded. "That probably came from her dad."

"Okay." I sighed. "What are their names? I'll look into it."

"The sister is Tara," he said and then stopped abruptly. I looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "Your boyfriend's coming," he said in a hurry. "The boy's named after me." He stood, grabbed his bag and went in the house. I stood, wanting to call after him, but clearly he didn't want anyone knowing about this. How am I supposed to find him if I don't have a last name?

The door shut and I looked down the walkway. Tobias approached me with a smile. "You made it," I sighed, glad to see him. And, he's my fiancé, not my boyfriend. His arm wrapped around my lower back and he kissed me.

"I didn't know there was any doubt," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on." I grabbed his hand and led him inside. As we walked in, the smoke alarm went off. I had a feeling that was the next step. Blair ran past with a fire extinguisher, yelling for everyone to get out of her way. She was our resident eighth grader; Daniel's little sister.

I just kind of hung back with Tobias. Waited for the smoke to clear (literally), before we walked in to see what had happened. Will walked out grumbling curses, the end of his shirt singed. Sam was with Anna trying to calm her down. I looked to Daniel. He was standing in the corner shaking his head. "What happened?"

He grinned when he looked at me. "Everything." He then went to Blair and took the fire extinguisher from her. It would appear it did its job. Maybe a little too well. There was foam everywhere. Everywhere. Jon finally arrived, just as confused by the chaos.

I looked at him and shrugged. He nodded, seeming to understand. But that's how Jon is. He understands a lot more than he says. Probably from years of no one understanding him. He's what everyone (but me) 'affectionately' calls a Mutt. His mother was half cougar, half wolf and his father was a Kitsune. It's quite the combination.

"Okay." Tobias raised his voice to get everyone's attention. "Why don't we just go out? Chinese. On me. We'll make it a new tradition." I know he said that last part for Anna's sake. The other's quickly agreed. Everyone grabbed their coats and filed out to their cars. I glanced around.

"Has anyone heard from Sophia?" I asked. I got a few head shakes as people walked by. Mary and Drake stopped by me.

She looked like the thought had just come to her, too, that Sophia wasn't here. "I don't know. I haven't heard from her all day."

"She wasn't at school when we were there earlier," Drake added.

"Why were you at school?" I asked. "We're on brake."

"It's a long story," he sighed.

Will came over, looking at his phone. "Yeah, I texted her yesterday and she never replied."

"She's probably at home, fussing over which college to go to." Drake rolled his eyes and then he and Mary walked out the front door. Will shrugged and followed them. Sam had already walked out or else I'd tell him. No one's heard from her in twenty four hours. No one's seen her in probably just as long.

"I'm sure she's fine." Tobias came up beside me, laying my coat over my shoulders. I slid my arms into the holes. "Probably just what Drake said. We can go to her house, if you want…?"

For some reason I shook my head. "No." I thought about it and reasoned in my head that she was fine. "She's done this kind of thing before," I brushed it off. "I'm sure it's nothing." Tobias then led me to his car and we all went to the only Chinese restaurant that was open on thanksgiving.

It was one of the more fun times we've had. But we weren't all there. A member of our pack was missing, and I couldn't let it go. She stayed at the forefront of my mind. I even excused myself to the bathroom, locked myself in a stall, and then tried to call her.

I listened to the others through the wall. They were carrying on and laughing. I still hadn't told Sam. And then I heard someone's phone ringing. I pulled my phone away from my ear. It was ringing on my end, but this was an actual phone ringing.

I listened hard, and through processes on elimination, I realized that it was Tobias. I couldn't remember his ring tone being that, but I'm sure he just changed it. Drake seems to do it daily. Tobias didn't answer the phone, just silenced it and then went back to his conversation.

I rejoined them and tried to act like I wasn't worried. Once the meal had finished, we all went home. Tobias and I were too tried to do anything when we got home, so we went straight to bed. But I didn't sleep for long. My Banshee half took over my dreams…

I saw a few different people, each one with red eyes. They were all Alphas. I saw Tobias standing amongst them. His were red, too, as they are. And I saw my friends, my pack, being massacred. Each on ripped nearly limb from limb. They tried to fight back, and some of them almost had the upper hand. But they all lost.

Will and Jamie, being humans, were killed quickly. But the others weren't so lucky. Daniel and Blair lay next to each other, each torn and soaked in each other's blood. Daniel fought hard, being an Alpha himself. But the werewolf he was fighting was stronger than all the werelion power he had.

Jon fought the hardest. It took three of them to bring him to his knees. And all I could do was watch. Just watch as my pack was murdered. They didn't even see it coming. Who are these people? Where did they come from? I sat up quickly, gasping for air.

I tried to calm down, convince myself it was a dream. Tears ran down my cheeks. And my gut said it was real. It was going to happen. A phone buzzed and I jumped. I stood when I saw Tobias wasn't in bed with me. The phone buzzed again. I followed the sound to his nightstand.

I carefully opened it, glancing over my shoulder. Why did I do that? Was someone watching me? I'm not in any danger. Right? I pulled the drawer open, the phone buzzing again. And I saw the phone. Sophia's phone. The screen lit up. There was an incoming call.

Sophia's picture was on the screen with her name. Like, she was the one calling. But it's her phone. I reached for it, my hands shaking. The tears were still coming and my heart ached. I knew what this was; deep down, I knew. And it terrified me. I picked up her phone and it buzzed in my hand. I accepted the call and then brought it up to my ear. I sniffled. "Hello?" All I heard was breathing on the other end. I heard the static of electricity. And then I heard crying. Sobbing.

"Why are you doing this?" a girl cried. My hand flew to my mouth. I knew who it was. No one answered her. "You know they'll…they'll come for me, they'll come for me." More tears ran down my face. It was Sophia. Someone had her and they were torturing her.

I heard a male voice laugh. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. "Like, they'll come for Anna and Sam? Like, they'll come for Danny and Blair?" he was taunting her. "Like they'll come for Logan and Will and all the others?" She whimpered, terrified by him. And now I was, too. Because I know that voice like it's my own.

"What makes you think…" Tobias said, "they can even come for you at all? When my pack is done with yours, there won't be anyone left to remember you." He growled and then I heard it: he slashed her throat. I heard his claws enter her throat and I heard them leave. I heard the blood splatter the wall and I heard her lifeless body sink, the chains that held her pulling tight.

I dropped the phone and I screamed the loudest Banshee scream I have ever heard. The windows shattered, and the picture frames fell, and the walls cracked and crumbled. I sat up, still screaming as I tossed the covers and jumped out of bed. I stopped, light headed.

I leaned into the bed to catch me from falling. Blood dripped from my nose and onto the bed. A floor board creaked and my eyes went to the door. Tobias stood in the doorway. I was still crying, but they were tears of blood, not water. "What…" my voice was raw and hoarse. "What did you do?"

"What I came here to do." He stepped into the room and turned on the light. His shirt was ripped and soaked in blood. His hands dripped with it, his claws out. "I'm just sorry you had to find out this way." He shrugged. "But we all have our secrets. We're just waiting for the right time to tell them. Right, Beckett?"

He laughed manically, grinning like a boy on Christmas morning. But that only lasted for a minute. He looked at me very seriously. "You can either join me, and we can live together like we planned, or you can join them. And die, like they did. Or, are. I don't know. Still waiting on confirmation on one or two of them."

I walked to the end of the bed, the frame now beside me. I closed my eyes as more blood tears ran out of them. My knees gave way and they hit the floor, my body sinking with them. He killed them all. The man I love…killed my entire pack. He killed my family. And he used me to do it.

I opened my eyes and saw everything in black and white. Things around the room began to rise as I channeled a power I haven't used in a long time. I bowed my head and flexed my hands. Arcs of electricity bounced between my fingers. "Do you know what you've done?" my voice echoed, sounding metallic. "Do you know the beast you've unleashed?"

"No. But I had an idea."

He knew I'd react this way. How long had he been planning this? I looked up at him just as his knee hit me in the jaw. I flew back and crashed into the mirror, it breaking with me. I stood, pulling out the few pieces of glass I had in me. Pain was an afterthought; something for the weak. And that is something that this form is not.

I looked at him. He swung his fist at me. I caught it, sinking my claws into his flesh causing his body to fill with electricity. He growled and lashed out. He grabbed my throat and hurled me across the room and into the hall. I slammed into the small book case we had at the top of the stairs. It broke under my weight.

I outstretched my hand and the electricity flowed into the books and lifted them off the ground. Tobias came at me as I sent the books hurling at him. He ducked behind the wall, only being hit by a few of them. I stood, the room fading in and out. My mind was filled with flashes, glimpses of my friends being killed. And in reality, Tobias was walking toward me. There was so much blood. Their screams…

I put my hands over my ears trying to block out the sound. I wanted this nightmare to be over. What was going on? Was this really happening? I felt a hand on my shoulder and then sprang to life, the carnage leaving my sight. I thrust my arms into his stomach as I screamed.

The force caused him the fly back and hit the wall before falling down the stairs. I walked to the top of the stairs and watched as he hit the bottom. Another flash of blood, a distant scream. My body didn't know which creature it wanted to be. And my mind didn't know how to tell it. I was running on pure instinct.

Tobias rolled over onto his back and wiped the blood from his face. He smiled, like he was enjoying this. He began to stand as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He heaved for a breath from the same adrenaline that was running threw my veins.

"Oh, would you look at that," he said staring at his phone. He then held it up. Like, I could see the screen from here. "That's it, babe. You're free." He put his phone back in his pocket as my hands formed fists at my side. "There's no one left to hold us back." He walked to the last step. "We can finally be together."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. To scream or run. I didn't want to believe him. But it was true. I had seen it. They're all dead. I relaxed my hands and my shoulders dropped. I looked at the ground as my vision returned to normal and I retracted my claws. I'm all that's left.

I walked down the steps numbly. I wasn't even sure why I was doing it. But I didn't know what else to do. When I reached the bottom, Tobias came up to me. His hands cupped my face as his thumbs wiped the blood trails off my cheeks. I had stopped crying. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't make myself. It's like I ran out of tears.

"See?" he searched my face for a reaction. "It's not that bad when you think about it. We're both free." My eyes flicked to his. His pack killed mine. How is he free? A glimmer of hope came to his eyes. "You're not the only victim in this. I am so sorry it had to be this way. But it was the only way."

"And you did your part perfectly," an eerie voice filed my ears. We both looked to my left. In the living room stood a man I had never seen before. He wore red tinted glasses and held a walking stick. I looked at Tobias questioningly. He met my eyes but didn't say anything. "You're not even going to introduce me?"

Tobias sighed. "This is Deucalion. My father."

"I am also you're new Alpha," he said.

I looked at Deucalion. "I am no one's Beta."

"No. But you are an Omega, now. You're the last of your kind. And the last of your pack."

"My kind?" I asked. That didn't make sense. I looked at Tobias. "I am my own kind." I backed up, out of Tobias' grip.

"And you're out numbered."

"Kit," Tobias looked at me. He held his hand out to me, expecting me to take it. I looked down at it. "Come with me. We are free, now. We can be together, just like we planned." His eyes were desperate, pleading with me to say yes. To take his hand. I reached my hand up and put it in his. He looked relieved, but I felt wrong. This wasn't the same as before. I've held his hand a million times. This time, it felt like I was touching a stranger. But I needed to feel something.

The front door cracked and flew off it's hinges, crashing to the floor. When the dust cleared a growl took it's place. Sam stepped into the house, fully shifted, eyes glowing red. His clothes were ripped, revealing gashes. I looked at him and I felt something in me. Almost like…not all of me had died. Like a piece of me was still there.

I let go of Tobias' hand. Sam stepped closer but stopped when Deucalion's eyes glowed the same color. Tobias looked between them frantically and then looked at me. Whatever his plan was, it was failing. He held his hand up again. "Take my hand, Kit."

I looked down at it. I looked at Deucalion. You could see the evil inside of him. Then I looked at Sam. He looked like he was ready. Ready to fight them, even if it meant none of us made it out of here alive. His eyes locked onto mine, realizing I was staring at him. He nodded.

I looked at Tobias. "No." I stepped back, a little closer to Sam. Tobias backed away, closer to Deucalion. "I will not go with you. Not now, not ever."

"You're making a big mistake," Deucalion said.

Tobias looked like a kicked puppy. "Kit-"

"No! I have heard enough from you," I said. "Both of you! The mistake was on you. To think you could come in here, kill everyone, and still have me…? What kind of monster are you?" Tobias' pain was now replaced with anger. Deucalion stepped forward.

"Do you realize who I am?" He walked closer. "I am the Alpha of Alphas. The apex of apex predators. I am death, destroyer of worlds!"

"And, do you know who I am?" I walked closer to him as he stopped. I stopped within a few inches of him, my eyes glowing yellow. "I am the shape shifter of every supernatural creature; guardian, to those who have none. I am Beta, Alpha, and Omega." I blinked and my yellow eyes were overtaken by red; the one color I've never worn. "I am the Nemeton's Kirin."

I took a fighting stance. "And if you can be it…" My eyes glowed an even brighter red as a new rush of power coursed through me. "…so can I."

(Chapter dedicated to: PowerHero432)