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Wolf's POV:

The Plan

I'll say one thing about being taken to my impending execution: it's a relief to shift into full wolf form. That hybrid form, while necessary for my disguise, was really painful.

Then again, now, everything is painful.

I pad along beside Jacin, my fur sticking up in random spikes from when I had to lick all the white paint out of my fur (I'll never get that nasty taste out of my mouth). The iron collar around my neck rubs painfully against the skin, and Jacin's grip on my chain is firm and tense. It's all to keep up appearances. Can't have the queen know I've been hiding out in her glorified zoo.

"I warn you, that girl you like is also here." Jacin murmurs to me.

I shoot him a surprised and frustrated glare. Scarlet was here? In Luna? When did she get here? Why was she here? Especially after that vampire bit her! What's to stop it from happening again? What if I can't save her this time? What if-

"Just try not to lose your cool." Jacin continued, interrupting my stressing. "Levana hasn't touched her, or any of the others yet as far as I know. She'll probably wait until after you and Cinder are dead to deal with them."

I snort. Yeah, that's a comfort.

Jacin, finally catching my mood, narrows his eyes at me. "Be glad I'm warning you about this before we enter the Throne Room so you're actually prepared and don't get caught staring at her when you see her. If Levana figures out you like her, she'll kill her right in front of you. Plus, you need to focus if this plan of yours is going to work."
I roll my eyes. Tell me something I don't know.

We finally reach the doors to the Throne Room. An involuntary growl rumbles in my chest at the sight of the massive doors.

The doors that could very well lead to my death.

They open, too smooth and silent for their size, and we're beholding the Throne Room. It's an awful lot more crowded than the last time I was in here. Guards seem to fill every piece of empty space, completely surrounding a small, tight-knit group of people. Despite Jacin's heads-up, the breath still catches in my chest at the sight of a familiar head of vibrant read hair. Scarlet. She really is here.

And there's my mother.

And Kai.

And Cinder.

And… Ran.

I haven't seen my little brother since he accidentally sent me to Earth. He's… smaller, than I thought he'd be after all this time. Certainly smaller than the average werewolf. Far less muscular too. Maybe he's not eating enough? And what's with that outfit? It looks like some sort of royal robe, if that robe was made out of a wolf-skin sack. His nails are sharp and curved, and his fangs are just a bit too long for his human form. Has he shifted them? Why? We used to make fun of wolves that did that! It's just a pretentious intimidation tactic.

What happened to him?

As Jacin leads me forward, I have trouble taking my eyes off of Ran, desperately trying to reconcile this man with the little brother I remember. Of the boy who always got me to skip out on chores to play kicks with the other kids, who liked to ride around on our dad's shoulders just to feel taller and would grab my leg and hold on if we didn't do what he wanted. This man doesn't seem anything like the playful boy I once knew. This man seemed angry. This man seemed spiteful. This man seemed… hateful.

The closer I get to the throne, and to him, the more heated his gaze seems to grow, his eyes narrowing and his lips peeling back to reveal his strangely sharp teeth. Why? Does he blame me for leaving? Does he think I abandoned him? He has to know it was an accident, right?

"Ze'ev Kesley." A smooth, cold voice drifts into my ears.

Right, Throne Room, Levana, execution.

"Thank you for joining us today." The queen murmurs from behind her veil, "We have a very special even that we'd like you to take part in. Did Sir Clay fill you in already?"

I growl in answer.

Levana tuts mockingly. "Now, now Ze'ev, don't be rude. Why don't you shift back to human form so we can talk like civilised people?"

I don't move a muscle.

"Do we have to go through this again? Ze'ev, you know what will happen if you don't comply. Why don't you just make it easier for all of us?" Levana sighs, leaning forward ever so slightly.

That's all the cue I need.

With a roar, I pounce forward, jaws flashing for the queen's exposed neck as the broken link connecting my collar to the chain snaps. Levana turns her head away, just in time for me to miss her neck, my fangs sinking deep into her shoulder blade instead. A heavy weight slams into my side, knocking me over. I whirl around, teeth bared and ready to attack this newcomer.

I find myself facing a smaller wolf, with spikey brown fur and dark eyes, growling at me fiercely.

I let my lips cover my teeth in surprise. Did-did my own brother just attack me?

"Come on, this isn't the cinema! Get moving already!" Jacin's harsh voice cuts through the haze of my shock. Right, the plan. He gets everyone out, while I fight everyone that might get in the way.

Tearing my gaze away from Ran, I pounce towards the nearest guard, sinking my teeth into the thick flesh of their neck, ripping and tearing chunks of meat. I don't wait for the victim to die. No time to wait. Still a lot more guards to fight.

I charge forward, slashing my claws at the eyes of one guard and sinking my teeth into the throat of another. I've got to work quickly. I don't have to kill them, just stop them. Whatever it takes.

The prisoners are moving quickly, Jacin shooting any guards that I don't get to, furiously yelling at them all to hurry up already.

I pounce on another guard, slashing at his chest.

They're at the door.

Then a new scent joins the heavy mix of blood, werewolf and human. A scent sweetened by chemicals. It reminds me a bit of the medicine humans take.

Pale figures dressed in red and black jackets with gold embroidered runes pour into the Throne Room, the guards scrambling to get out of their way. Thaumaturges.

The group freezes in place, standing with unnatural rigidity as the thaumaturges make their way towards them. I watch, mind racing desperately to find a solution, any solution as they draw ever nearer. One of them, a man with eyes so dark they seem black, reaches the group first.

He grabs Scarlet's arm and opens his mouth, teeth shining black with poison.

I make a decision.

Charging forward, I pump my legs as hard as I can, tearing forward.

I leap forward, extending a foreleg…

Just in time for the vampire to sink his teeth into it.

A/N: Please review!