Reyna's heart raced in her ears. She tried to get a read on her surroundings, but there was a smattering of blood and dirt in her eyes, making it impossible to tell where she was. She tried to blink it away as all of her senses were overwhelmed. A heavy weight pinned her to the ground.

There was jeering and cheers from all directions. Reyna closed her eyes and tried to calm her heart. She felt a lump in her throat, and fear ran through her core. She tried to swallow it back but wasn't able to. Her body was exhausted from how much she had been running. It wasn't like she had enough strength to fight out of her current predicament.

"This is our strength," the weight that held Reyna down proclaimed. Reyna tried to look up at the werewolf. It was almost three times her size even if she was transformed. "I do not like what I have to do, but this is for our pack. One can never be above us. We will never sacrifice our strength or our unity."

A scream escaped Reyna as three claws buried into the top of her ribcage. She choked on her next yell as the claws slowly slid down her side, cutting through skin and bone like it was melting butter. Warm liquid ran down her side, quickly drenching the grass.

"Whelp, stand and die on your feet," the voice proclaimed. The weight moved off of Reyna, and she rolled to her side, trying to stop the blood that felt like it was flowing like a waterfall. Reyna pressed a bloody hand out and slowly made it to her knees. She planted her hand in the ground and tried to stand.

Reyna collapsed a mere second later, and she whimpered in pain. Her body retracted in on itself, and she put as much pressure on her side as she could. A sharp claw pressed against her jugular, threatening to cut deeply and spill the last of her precious blood.

"Do not shame your clan," the voice hissed. "Die on your feet."

Reyna pressed her elbow into the grass again. She slowly got to her hands and knees. Then, she collapsed once again. Reyna's hand slipped from her side, and she heard a howl in the distance. The claw slowly slid into her throat.

A gasp escaped Reyna as her eyes snapped open. She swung at nothing and then realized that she was laying in her bed. Reyna collapsed back against the bed. One hand moved to her heart, which felt like it was racing out of her chest. Her gaze focused on the ceiling as she tried to get the nightmare out of her mind.

"Shit," Reyna whispered. She could feel the pain of old thrumming along with the pain from her current wounds. Her hand moved to the healing scar on her face. That damned wound. An angry sigh left Reyna as she gently touched the aching skin.

From there, her hand moved to her side. The bandage there was fresh, and she slowly tried to stretch. Pain shot through her side, and a curse left her. Reyna slowly rolled out of bed and made it to her feet. She tried to calm down, but her hands started to shake. It was just from pain. Nothing else.

Moonlight spilled into her apartment, and she looked out the window. Her gaze focused on the sky and the moon that was peeking out. Reyna closed her eyes and tried to relax. After a few moments, Reyna opened her eyes and walked towards the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water and took some of her pain medicine.

Staying in her house wasn't going to help her any. She needed to go for a walk to try and clear her head. Reyna grabbed two jackets and pulled them on. She slipped a hat onto her head before grabbing gloves. If there was one thing that she hated about winter, it was the fact that she needed to bundle up before she dared step outside.

"Fuck," Reyna grumbled to herself as more pain ran through her body. She stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her. Reyna pocketed her keys and made her way towards the stairs. As she made it outside, her gaze moved around to see if anyone was watching her.

Old habits die hard. Reyna realized that as there was no one on the streets. She had finally found a place to settle. It was almost perfect. That bothered her. Reyna found herself falling into a routine. She didn't dread waking up every day for "work".

Reyna swallowed as painfully old memories threatened to come back. She shook her head. Those memories could stay in her nightmares. No reason to ruin her mood while she was awake. And, she would never go back to her past.

Reyna had a job now. She actually earned what she was owed. No one was taking money from her or using her for their dirty work. Or anything else. Reyna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She allowed herself to soak in the moonlight.

After a few moments, Reyna opened her eyes. She walked down the street, not really having a destination in mind. While this city had its fair share of gangs and violence, it was nothing compared to what she had faced before.

Reyna's walk was aimless, just exploring the city and seeing how it worked. There seemed to be a lot to the nightlife, between bars and back alley deals. No one bothered her, though. She stayed out of any business where she wasn't welcome. The best part about her walk was finding a street full of restaurants that seemed to only be open at night.

Reyna got takeout from a few places, and she had a couple of bags that she would last her about a meal or two. Or maybe just that night. Depends on how she felt when she got home. As Reyna left the street of wonderful food behind, she made her way down another street.

"I told you once before, and I won't do it again!" a voice yelled. Their voice echoed throughout the night. It also caused Reyna to freeze in place. Her gaze moved across the street to the two figures that were face to face. Both of them were the last people that she wanted to see.

Reyna looked around for a place to hide, and she ended up ducking behind a car. It took her a moment to peek out and study the two. Ma Gasket stood across from Lycaon, and Lycaon had his finger raised to her. Ma Gasket almost looked ready to bite said finger off.

"Don't you ever raise your voice to me," Ma Gasket threatened, as she raised her voice enough to cause it to echo off of the streets. Without Lycaon being transformed, Ma Gasket towered over him. She had a scowl on her face, and both fists were clenched.

"Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?" Lycaon snapped at her. He stood on his tip toes, which was probably more pathetic than he realized.

"You're the one who is trying to tell my boys what to do," Ma Gasket snapped back. She shoved Lycaon back. "Why don't you and your dogs worry about your little gang?"

"You and your inbreds keep stepping into my territory," Lycaon countered. He crossed his arms. "Keep those boys out of my territory, or my gang will tear you apart."

"Do you own the whole fucking city?" Ma Gasket questioned. "You act like you own everything, but the truth is that you don't. Your little gang owns that burnt out meth house and nothing else."

"I do own the whole fucking city!" Lycaon yelled. He slammed his fist into a window, cracking it. "That's why the police won't touch me! That is why everyone bows at my feet."

Reyna was going to get out of here. She moved to the other end of the car, but before she could step out, something skidded across the street in front of her. Reyna stared at the car mirror that had been thrown near her. She risked glancing up and saw that Ma Gasket had just decided to tear that mirror of a car and throw it randomly.

"You tell your little gang to stay away from my bar. Stay away from my house. Stay away from my block, or I will bend you over worse than you do to your little toys," Ma Gasket threatened. Lycaon sneered at her.

"Then tell your boys to stay the fuck away from me," Lycaon spat. "Or, I will take care of them myself."

Ma Gasket growled, and she slammed her fist into the roof of the car. Reyna tensed as the car's roof collapsed in, shattering the windows and setting off the alarm. Reyna watched Ma Gasket turn. The Cyclops stormed away.

Lycaon growled and started to transform. As his limbs started to stretch, he suddenly stopped. Lycaon turned and stormed the opposite way. As both disappeared, Reyna slowly stood and watched the two walk opposite ways.

Reyna had walked onto the end of their conversation, but that was a good thing. She didn't need there to be the whole time to understand the opportunity in front of her. Ma Gasket and Lycaon hated each other. They couldn't stand each others' guts.

The two were threatening each other, and both of them were crazy enough to follow through. It was just a matter of how Reyna went about her plan. Going after Lycaon or Ma Gasket directly would only take care of one half of the problem. They also wouldn't care if anything happened to the other.

Reyna could try to take out both of them, but that was too risky. There was no guarantee that she could take out either of them without getting hurt herself. And, she wasn't keen on trying to fight any of Lycaon's gang or Ma Gasket's boys. But.

Reyna unzipped one of her jackets and stuffed her food inside. After making sure that it was secured, she took off after Ma Gasket. No one would really care if something happened to a Cyclops, and she wouldn't have a gang keeping an eye out for her like Lycaon would.

Reyna wasn't planning on doing anything tonight. Just observing where Ma Gasket lived. Reyna still had Lycaon's nail, and while she wasn't exactly sure what she was going to do, she had time to figure it out. First, find out where Ma Gasket lived. Two, go back home and eat all of the food she had. Three, make sure Ma Gasket and Lycaon never threaten Chiron or his bar again.