"My son!" Bellacruxia yelped excitedly. "You've located my son!" She allowed herself to jump once before she pranced up to the scrawny wolf who had returned a few hours ago. "Where is he?!" She looked past the wolf, but found no boy cringing on the floor. Looking back slowly to the wolf, all previous ecstasy gone, she growled, "Where is my little Strafe, Ston?"

Ston whimpered and tucked his tail between his legs; by her tone alone, he knew the ultimate inevitable. "He's...He's back where I found him...in that strange world...I'm sorry, my Lady, I got frightened as soon as I saw Toc killed..."

"Toc is dead?" Bellacruxia swung her muzzle to nearly meet his, and Ston cringed. "Who killed him?!"

"I don't know, my Lady," came the response. "It was a woman, one who was with Strafe. There was a man, also. I think they're the ones who found and took Strafe...," he offered, in an attempt to assuage his Queen.

Bellacruxia snarled, a sound that was so strong her lithe body quivered. "And not once did it occur to you that you should at least avenge your comrade's death?! Killing his murderer and regaining Strafe would have been expected!" Her claws clicked against the stones as she scratched at the ground in frustration. "The Pack, Ston, has no need of cowards like you."

Ston's eyes stretched wide; had she been screaming, he would've felt less afraid.

Bellacruxia lifted her sleek head and howled, the beautiful call ringing against the black marble walls of their massive dining hall. Haunting and melodious, the howl kept up until a panther bounded through the thick double doors of the hall's entrance.

"My Lady!" she panted., stopping next to a quivering Ston. "Are you in need of assistance?"

Bellacruxia sniffed. "Of course I don't need help, you fool!" she snapped, her pride scratched. "What I need you to do is...," she looked at Ston coldly, "...get rid of this coward. Now, Creena."

Creena whipped her head to Ston with remorseful eyes; had her Queen purposefully chosen her to kill Ston, who was her friend? "My Lady..."

"Do you question me, Creena?" Bellacruxia asked frostily, her tone biting like ice. "Do you wish to disobey me?"

"No!" Creena answered frantically. "I only mean--"

"If you don't kill him," Bellacruxia growled, "then I will, taking you next."

Creena froze. Ston looked at her and whispered solemnly, "Do it, Creena. Better just me than both of us." Creena's eyes swam with distress. "Please," he whispered. "Do this so that you may live another day. For me, I have no way out; you have a chance. Kill me; it's for the best."

Bellacruxia's tail swished impatiently like a feather duster on the cool floor.

"Oh, my friend," Creena crooned sadly. "I shall make this as swift as possible, so that you may not feel a thing."

Ston raised his neck, exposing his throat to her; Creena put her jaws around it, and just before her teeth clamped together, she whispered, "Dear friend."

Larxene paced about the room, in deep thought. Shortly after returning, she had demanded that Strafe explain all he knew. "Axel," she said to her lover, who was leaning against the wall by her bed, "this kid... He's..."

"What, Larxene?" he asked gently. "He's a boy who has predators out for him? A boy who does not wish to go back to his parents because of the title they pressure on him? A boy who never asked for all this?" He eyed Larxene, and noticed her shoulders sag. "I certainly hope you weren't thinking of getting rid of him no that you know everything about him."

At that Larxene whipped around and glared mutinously at him; her cerulean eyes blazed with electricity. To his credit, Axel did not flinch. "Do you take me for a coward, Axel?!" Before Axel could open his mouth, Larxene went on. "Do you think that, just because I found these things out about him, I'd abandon him just like that so that I may protect MYSELF?!"

Axel stalked toward her until he was inches from her face. "I never said that," he growled. "All I wanted to know was what you were going to do now that you know who he is!"

Larxene seethed quietly as Axel whipped around and stalked out the door. As soon as he was gone, Larxene felt her knees buckle and give way. She crouched against the wall, adjusting her position to hug her knees; she did not cry, but she certainly wanted to. What had caused her to yell at him? Axel? Her love? She could not recall anytime in their courtship where they had yelled at each other like this. Larxene bit her lip and hugged herself tighter, burying her head in her arms.

"Lark-sheen?"

Wonderful. The whole cause of this mess. Nevertheless, Larxene knew she would not take it out on Strafe; it was not the boy's fault at all that she and Axel had quarreled. Strafe, in fact, had not even known it had happened because of the knowledge he had told them. "What do you want, kid?" she croaked, surprised at her voice.

"Are you okay?" Strafe slowly walked up to Larxene and put his small hand to her cheek.

Larxene nearly stiffened at his action. "Of course I am," she answered in a wavering voice.

Strafe shook his head. "But I heard you yelling," he said quietly. "And I saw Daddy come out the room kinda mad and sad at the same time..." Strafe put his free hand on Larxene's arm and waited for a response.

Larxene sighed audibly. "It was just an argument. I have to talk to him later and apologize." She shivered slightly for some unknown reason.

"You should talk to him now if it wasn't really bad," Strafe reasoned. "That way you can feel better. And you and Daddy can play and wrestle on the bed again!"

Larxene couldn't hold back a blush and a chuckle.

Axel sighed raggedly as he browsed vagrantly through the bookshelves in the Library. His mind, of course, was not on what kind of book he wanted to read; rather, it was on Larxene. He had been unfair to her; he knew Larxene was under a lot of stress, and would be snappy here and there. Yet he also knew that Larxene had been unfair to him; he just didn't want to be the one to say so to her. That was Larxene's job.

"Axel...," a voice said, soft and unsure, behind him. Axel turned and saw Larxene looking at him from around a bookshelf. "May I talk to you?"

"Of course...," Axel responded, his arm sliding off the spine of a book to rest at his side. He went up to her, taking her hands and entwining her fingers in his own. "Although I don't think think there's much to say..."

Larxene knew what he meant, but went on anyways. "I'm sorry for snapping at you; I was unfair and irrational. I had no right to take things out on you.

Forgive me, my love."

Axel planted a tender kiss on her forehead. "Darling," he crooned sweetly, "it was I who stimulated your frustration. I should've kept my faith in you like a true lover, and not have questioned you by doubting your commitment to this child, whatever it may be feelings-wise."

Larxene looked up at him. "It was both our faults, Axel. But please, forgive me."

Axel held her against him. "There's nothing to forgive, my love. These things are inevitable; it happens."

Larxene looked up at him with blue eyes, lovingly placing her lips on his own.

Creena yowled for the second time in a row, mourning for her comrade. Yet she stopped, knowing Ston would not like her suffering for him like this; she knew she had a choice to suffer nobly for him, and that she will do.

"Stop that moaning," Bellacruxia growled, her crimson hackles rising.

Creena stood her ground as Bellacruxia paced around her and Ston's body, the dead wolf already losing warmth. "Was that so hard?" Bellacruxia asked, her voice venomous with feigned innocence.

"Do you realize," Creena began coldly, "that by having me kill Ston first, you failed to retrieve the information of the world that your son is in?"

Bellacruxia did not even disrupt her pace. She only smiled condescendingly. "Unbeknownst to Ston and Toc, foolish kit, I had Stok follow them. He knows the world my son is in. My loyal Beta will tell me."

Creena froze and stared ahead. Something had nested inside her and was quickly sprouting; a seed that would nurture into hate for her Queen.

A/N: Yay, it's up! This chapter turned out to be more about the Pack, so I hope that's alright...