One year ago today I posted the first chapter of this story. It has been an amazing ride and I want to thank all of you for sticking with me for so long. I'm not saying good bye yet, the story still has about eight chapters left. I just wanted to let you know that I'm enormously grateful for all the encouragement you have given me. Ratts, thanks for putting up with all my nonsense and pushing me to not cut corners or give up. Just Another Reviewer aka: Blue Anchor, I look forward to your reviews, you always bring a smile to my face with your humor.

You'll notice that the chapter begins before the attack to Billy's house takes place. The attack happened in the first hours of the night. This chapter begins at twilight and jumps to where the previous one left off. I wanted to give you a glance into what's happening to Jacob.

Chapter 35

Victor's flame red hair shone under the fading autumn sun as he sat outside one of the warehouses in the industrial park they had carefully selected for their plans. He was the leader of the west coast pack. During the first shapeshifter war Victor's son had been in charge of their two most valuable prisoners, Jacob and his mother. He was all he had left, having lost his wife, daughter and parents to the virus. As he ran to meet his son he could see the column of smoke billowing up. He felt triumphant as he savored William Black's defeat. He was taken aback by the painful surprise that instead of Jacob's body in the burning pile, he caught sight of a few locks of his son's red hair between the burnt remains.

The moment his eyes landed on the little that remained of his son's body he swore to take revenge on William Black. He wept like he had never wept before as he sat beside the pile of burnt bodies. He had been told when his son was born that his red hair was a sign of good luck, but at that moment he asked himself at what point his son's luck had run out. Every time the memory of that fatidic day plagued him his determination to destroy everything Billy held dear grew by leaps and bounds.

"Sir he is waking up." A young wolf came out of the building to inform his alpha about his guest's condition.

"About time he woke up. I was beginning to wonder if you gave him too much of that shit and he was in a coma or something." They had carried Jacob to that location after drugging him with enough VHK to take down a horse. It was by sheer luck that they discovered the sleep-inducing root that was mentioned in several articles during the era of men as a safe alternative to anesthesia. Their determination was put into evidence by the fact that they wasted such a precious resource bringing down the alpha wolf. It showed two things, one, that they were not willing to fail their mission and two, that Jacob Black scared them shitless.

Jacob woke up from what he thought had been a terrible nightmare. In it they stood in the woods waiting for Xavier, they got restless as the hours passed and he was still a no show. He arrived at last and that's when Jake's worse fear became a reality. He saw how Sam had turned against him and betrayed their friendship. His life changed in an instant as he was held by two of Sam's guards and he felt a sharp pain on his neck as a needle made its way to his jugular vein. In less than a minute his surroundings became a surreal picture where everything moved in slow motion. Before he blacked out he saw how Peter, Collin and Xavier were slaughtered. Harry turned to look at him with fear and hate in his eyes. It had been so realistic, but he wasn't new to the world of nightmares and this one, while painfully lifelike, was not the worst he'd had.

The master tried to open his eyes but his eyelids were just too heavy. He needed to wake up, mainly to stop the horrible dream that floated inside his head. All he wanted was to burrow his face on his submissive's neck and inhale his calming aroma. When he was with his puppy everything was right with the world, it was the best place to be. As he regained consciousness he noticed he was not on his bed, his lover was nowhere to be seen and he couldn't move. He trashed against the restraints that were cutting the circulation to his hands and feet, becoming panicky with every passing second. He was sitting with his wrists and ankles immobilized by thick chains. He did fail to acknowledge the cold metal around his neck; maybe he noticed it and was in deep denial, the result was still the same.

He shook uncontrollably as his body was still fighting the drug that remained in his system. The room was cold, the horrible fluorescent lights sucking the life out of everything. At last his sight was clear enough that he could take inventory of the other people in the room. Slowly he realized that what he experienced had not been a nightmare; it was an impossible and terrifying reality. His anger rose to immeasurable levels as he caught sight of Sam, all he wanted to do was smack the smirk right off his face. The son of a bitch had betrayed his trust, the man he considered a brother had sold him to his enemy.

Jacob tried to summon his wolf but was stopped by a voice he didn't recognize. "I suggest you don't even try. We collared you like the beast you are. If you phase you'll be killed instantly. I really do not give a crap if you die now or later but you'll go by my hands. Anyway if you don't cooperate that little submissive bitch you own will suffer even more than he is already." At the mere mention of his sub Jacob's head shot up as he eyed the enemies before him.

"Don't you dare hurt him! I swear that if anything happens to him I'll escape hell itself to avenge him." Jacob fought against his fury, his wolf howling in pain. He couldn't think about Seth being hurt by any of those men, if he did he would certainly phase and the cold piece of metal around his neck would send him to the afterlife.

"Awwww isn't that cute? So fitting that you would set your eyes in a whore that has seen more dicks than weekends." Sam moved until he stood right next to Jacob and whispered in his ear. "I have to say that of all the whores I've fucked he has been the best." He was lying of course, they didn't have Seth but Jacob did not know that. The master tried to pay no attention to what he just heard but the pain was too intense. Like a grating sheet of sandpaper scraping his heart until it was raw. His sweet puppy was going through an ordeal worse than his initiation. What the bastards of the west pack ignored was that if their intention was to break him they failed, the idea of rescuing his slave gave him strength to not give up. His lover was strong and resilient. Now it was Jacob's turn to be strong for him, he obeyed the voice that was whispering to his spirit and encouraging him to not lose hope.

Jacob decided to treat Sam like the piece of shit he was and ignore him. His attention went to the red-haired man across from him. He reminded him of a ghost from his past. He knew it couldn't be him since he saw that bastard's body burn, but wondered who was this person who held such an eerie resemblance. "And who the fuck are you?" He asked this person who inspired in him a sense of dread.

"Oh my, where are my manners? I forgot we have never met." He approached Jacob politely extending his hand even though Jacob couldn't shake it nor had the desire to do so. "The name is Victor Lefevre. I probably remind you of someone. You met my son, Jackson."

It dawned on Jacob who this person was. The alpha of the west coast pack. Sam had joined forces with them, but why? Jake turned to look at the traitor that stood beside him. "Sam, why are you doing this?"

"Jacob Jacob Jacob, stupid gullible brother, money and power of course. With you and your father gone I'll just march into the house and pretend to be the mourning son and brother. After a prudent amount of time I'll move on to live off your land. I know that what we have the most of is land but yours is the most fertile and your cattle in undeniably the best. Embry got me the combination of the two safes. With yours and your father's seal nobody would question me as legitimate heir to the Black's fortune." Jacob's fury was reaching dangerous levels. It was clear now, too late of course, Sam's bitch had been another piece of this puzzle.

"So Judas, you sold your family for dirt, animals and money." What Jacob felt went beyond anger. What bubbled inside him was a combination of indignation of Sam's treachery, concern for the well-being of the people he loved and a sadistic desire to rip Sam to shreds.

"You two were never my family. I was always second best to you, the perfect son. The most courageous, strong and powerful son a man could wish for. I was nothing but a pity case, an orphan your father felt sorry for."

"You're wrong; dad loved you." Stated Jacob calmly.

"I'm glad you spoke in past tense because in an hour your father's house will be attacked. For years we had people there, observing you. Studying your routines and gaining your trust. In an hour your father will be killed by one of his own. How sweet is that? The all-powerful Aleph will be brought down by his own carelessness." Pain shook Jacob's spirits as he heard Sam's malevolent plan. Still he couldn't lose hope. Billy was well aware of the presence of spies in his house that much he knew. He pondered as to the reasons for the attack and could only come up with the theory that the main point of the attack had been to bring down their numbers and destroy morale. He prayed silently for protection for his father and his pup. He didn't matter; he had done enough damage to owe karma years of payback.

"You cowards! Since you have no chance of winning a war against my father you played dirty. My father found me the first time and he will find me again. He will have the pleasure of breaking your neck and burning your body like he did with that son of a bitch you call Jackson!" All pretenses of civility went out the window when Victor slapped Jacob several times. Sam saw this as an opportunity to do what he dreamt of doing for the longest time. His fist connected with Jacob's gut pushing the air out of his lungs and cracking a couple of ribs. He rounded Jacob's chair and surprised the master by lifting his leg to groin stomp him. The master was making a monumental effort not to cry or scream but the instant the heavy steel toe boot made contact with his genitals the pain shot from his balls traveling through his chest and exiting his body as a blood curdling scream.

The wolves in the room just laughed as Sam and Victor punished the alpha, some of them stepping in to land a few blows here and there. Jacob could barely see, his eyes too swollen from the numerous strikes. The master groaned in pain as his body swayed in the opposite direction of every blow. If he hadn't been strapped to the chair he would've fallen a while ago. "I'm getting bored of hitting him. Now to the next course." Sam's malevolent tone filled the master with concern and worry. Jake always knew that Sam had a sadistic streak. When Sam returned from wherever he had gone the object in his hand made the wolves exchange looks. The silver pliers in his hand brought with it a promise of pain and suffering.

"Ok Jakey, now the fun starts. You probably saw what I did to my whore, his wails of pain as I severed his fingers were music to my ears. Your screams will be so much more rewarding. Don't worry, I'll start slow; I don't want you to bleed to death before we get to have fun with you." Sam held one of Jacob's fingers and using the pliers grasped the fingernail and slowly pried it off the nail bed. Jacob made a valiant effort to resist, to not give them the satisfaction of his screams, but eventually, after the third fingernail, just like Sam expected Jacob howls of pain were deafening and deeply satisfying, yet the master's torture was only beginning.

Back in the house Edward's words resonated in Seth's ears but he refused to acknowledge them. His body still did, making his legs give under him, if it wasn't for Embry's strong hold he would've plummeted to the floor. It was incredible to think how in only a few minutes and with three terrifying words a life could change. The slave's life had taken a turn for the best, unfortunately as everything else in his life it went up in a cloud of smoke. His hopes and dreams came crashing down, burying him and rendering him unable to escape this cruel fate. What made it unbearable was that this time he dragged the man he loved to the place of torment. The slave couldn't speak, his brain had lost the ability to form a coherent sentence and all he could do was weep with his head on his friend's shoulder.

Billy's face was transformed to that of a person being tortured in the worst way possible. He was reliving the darkest hour of his existence and prayed that the fatidic conclusion of the first time wouldn't repeat itself. The bastards of the West took his only son, his spirit demanded blood, but more than anything he needed hope. "Are you sure of this? This can't be, not Jake, no no no not my son!" Billy's words weren't those of a ruler, they were the words of a father desperate because his biggest fear became a reality. His spirit was crushed, despair filling his heart with its bitter poison. He paced the room with hurried steps, threading his fingers in his hair before pulling at the roots in anger.

The Aleph stopped, turning to Edward and Embry walked hastily in their direction. His impressive form overwhelming the submissive who sank to the floor pulling Seth with him. "You" He said pointing to Embry who shook with fear. "Tell me everything you know and don't fucking lie to me because so help me God I'll rip the tongue out of your mouth."

"Billy please let him talk, I trust him and he wouldn't lie to you." Edward bent forward and gently grabbed Embry's arm to help him stand up. Seth remained on the floor shocked beyond anything he ever experienced and unable to move voluntarily.

"Sir, the day before yesterday Sam dismissed two of the five servants. I heard him tell them that if they showed their faces around the property in the next week that he would kill them. The three remaining servants and two guards left that night. Yesterday before dawn he said that he had a very nice surprise for Jacob. That he was sick and tired of always living under the shadow of the great Aleph and his son. He said he would be back in a few days to clean house and make sure none of your loyal minions remained on the property. That with you and your son dead he will come to own all your properties since he will be the only heir. Also that was the agreement with the council." To room was quiet, not even the sound of the wind disturbing the eerie silence. Each wolf could hear each beat of his heart, the air coming in and out of his lungs but more than anything the soft voice of the submissive roared like a fire out of control.

"Wait, I thought you said this was the West's doing and now you say it's the council. Which one is it?" Just like every other wolf in the room Billy was full of questions that would remain unanswered for the time being. After all, the information was coming from a submissive and no master ever shared secrets with his slave.

"I don't know sir; I'm just repeating what he said. My guess is that he made deals with both." Embry's explanation was as good as any.

"Continue." Ordered Billy.

"Yesterday before he left, he told me he had never killed a slave of thirst and hunger but there was a first time for everything. Then he left the room leaving me chained to the wall. That's all I know sir, I'm sorry." It didn't escape any of the wolves in the room how Edward held Embry the whole time he was talking. When Embry was done he turned around and rested his head on the cook's shoulder needing comfort from the man that came to be as important to him as the air he breathed. Nobody questioned the obvious display of affection; this was a discussion for some other time.

"They left more than twenty four hours ago, arghhhhhh this can't be happening! They can be anywhere by now, that's if my son is still…" Billy couldn't continue, the excruciating pain too great. He was devastated and beside himself, he didn't want to be pessimistic but his son had too many factors against him.

The sorrow that irradiated from Billy's words brought Seth out of his stupor. He jumped to his feet, shaking in anger and frustration. His fists clenched and his eyes glistening. "Don't say that! My master is alive, I know it. Stop whining and do something for goodness sake, he needs help." The guard closest to Seth motioned to slap him for his insolence; he dared to yell at the Aleph. He raised his hand but it never reached the slave's skin. Edward moved to stand between the submissive and the guard. The alpha wolf that was visible behind his eyes made the soldier back off immediately. The power and compassion displayed in his actions leaving more than one speechless.

"Seth we can make a million plans but if we can't get to him what's the point? It rained last night and you know what that means, any scent was washed away. We don't know which way to go." Carlisle explained calmly to the slave the reasons for not going after his master right that moment. Billy was retreating to his office to pull himself together and clear his mind. Carlisle was right, the possibility of them finding his son was slim to none but he needed to have hope.

"I can find him." Stated the slave confidently. All eyes turned to look at the insolent dog who was not only insolent but delusional. This made Billy stop in his tracks and turn to look at him.

"Have you lost your mind? None of us could follow his trail, much less a slave who is one step above a slug." Spat acidly Alec, for once not focused on what he wanted to do to Seth but on the false hope he was giving all of them.

"I know I can find him, please give me a chance." Begged Seth with tears pooling on the corners of his eyes.

"This is so stupid; get that dog out of here so we can come up with some kind of plan." Stated one of the servants.

Distracted with Seth's antics nobody had noticed the family that quietly stepped into the house. They shared the same look of disbelief and angst with all those present. "Billy, I think he can find Jake." Paul's firm voice filled the room making all eyes look at him and his family. Emily had Sophia in her arms clutching her to her chest never wanting to let go.

"Paul I'm glad to see you're ok. Was your house attacked?" Asked Billy moving closer to the family in an uncharacteristic awkward manner. He was trying to keep it together for the sake of his leadership and trying to set a good example, but everybody could see that was one battle he was losing.

"Yes we were, two wolves jumped through the large window in the living room. I told Emily to hide with Sophia. Since she is as stubborn as she is beautiful she secured Sophia in the place we designated for that purpose in the case of something like this ever happened but instead of staying with her she came back. It is true what they say, never mess with a mama wolf, she'll rip you to shreds." He chuckled, tightening his hold on Emily's hand. "They never knew what hit them and between the two of us we disposed of the bastards."

"I'm glad you're safe, but they have Jake." Stated Billy sadly.

"I heard when we got here. I also heard that the slave believes he can find him. He may be on to something. Remember last Christmas when Sophia got lost? We spent hours looking for her without any luck. He found her, even with all the wind and the snow."

"Seth is a tracker." Embry's timid tone was not missed by anyone, he was being daring. The way he saw it, he was able to escape death once again; maybe there was a reason for it. Even Edward pulled back to look at Embry with surprise and admiration for his mate.

"How can he be a tracker? He is just a slave. I cannot believe we're wasting time listening to this bullshit." Eric was frustrated with the whole situation. Not only his two best friends had been killed in the attack, now people were giving common dogs talents they certainly didn't have.

"It's not bullshit and I can prove it." Stated Embry calmly.

"What are you going to do, hide a bone and ask him to find it? I'm done listening to this."

With a determination he didn't know he possessed Embry marched to the loudmouth wolf and roughly removed the hand he was clutching his middle with. He probably had a few broken ribs but refused to let Carlisle take a look, stating that some of his brothers needed the help a lot more than he did. Placing his small warm hand over the deep purple bruise that had formed, he concentrated and in a few seconds Eric began to feel relief from the pain. After a minute Embry moved back and sought refuge in Edward's arms.

"How does it feel now?" Asked Edward, his chest swelled with pride. Eric moved carefully at first, but as he realized the sharp pain he felt every time he took a breath was all but gone he moved around to test it. Eric couldn't help but stare wide eyed at the small wolf curled into Edward's side.

"It hurts a lot less, what… but how… Are you a witch?" Both Embry and Edward snickered at the stupidity of Eric's last question.

"Are we back in the middle ages?" Scoffed Edward. Eric tried to come up with a snappy comeback but couldn't come up with anything even slightly intelligent and chose to remain silent.

"Embry is a healer, he can help ease your pain, also heal smaller wounds. Seth is a tracker. If we spent more time learning about submissives instead of fu…" He stopped when he remembered that Emily and Sophia were in the room. They both heard a lot worse from Paul, but Edward could never be so rude to a female. "Fulfilling our duty to them we would know these things."

"Ok ok, you made your point, no need to make this a campaign in favor of the submissives. These two might be useful for something after all. What do you think Billy? Can we risk following the slave to God knows where?" Everybody waited for an answer with bated breath.

The Aleph stood before Seth who kept his eyes on the floor not comfortable with looking up at the face of his father in law. Much like his son had done many times he placed a finger under the slave's chin and made him look at him. "If there is one person in this world I trust is him. I feel in my heart he is the only one who can lead us to my son." Seth had never been a proud person; actually he was quite the opposite. The truth of the matter was that the Aleph was placing all his trust in his ability and this was quite an honor.

Billy took a step back and turned to look at the other wolves in the lounge. "Eric, go around a get a count of how many wolves are well enough to fight and willing to help me get Jake back. We don't have much time, they have a full day advantage and with every minute we waste Jake is in more danger. Paul, Quil and Edward come to my office." The Aleph turned to face the submissives. "Seth and Embry I need your input too and we have to talk about something, come with me."

The two slaves held hands as nerves racked their bodies; they wondered what they could contribute. Aside from guiding them and helping the wounded there wasn't much they could do. They were going to war and the submissives had zero experience in this, neither one of them had ever fought since that would've cost them their lives. Seth was still slightly shocked by the terrifying news they received. He couldn't help be pessimistic about the whole situation. He wanted to have faith that everything would work out, but that had never been the case with him and he doubted that would change.

"Billy with all due respect, are you sure you want to put all your wolves at risk? You saw what happened here today, they seem to have a lot of resources. We need to be realistic, it has been over a day, we may be risking our lives for nothing. If you decide to go ahead I'll follow you to the end, Jake is my friend and my alpha but I just want to bring a dose of reality to this. We're all very emotional at the moment and that may be clouding our judgment. This might just be a trap and once we get there it will be too late to change course. Billy, we can't lose you too, our whole way of life will be at risk. You're the glue that holds us together." Paul was known for being an aggressive and fearless wolf. His plea didn't come out of cowardice. He was a husband and a father, he didn't care if he died in battle, what did terrify him was the idea of his wife and daughter being at risk.

"Son, I know where you're coming from, but as a father, tell me, what would you do if that was your child out there?" For the first time since the whole ordeal started Billy became visibly choked up and had to fight back tears. Edward left Embry's side for the first time since he rescued him and walked to Billy's slumped over form to place a hand on his shoulder. The Aleph reached up and placed his own hand on top of Edward's.

Paul did not have to think to answer the aleph's question. "I would do everything in my power to get my child back."

"Now that we have that straightened out we need to come up with a plan. We already know we'll follow Seth to where they're keeping Jake. After that, what?" Quil was anxious to leave; he needed to help his friends. He was well aware not only of how volatile the whole situation was but also of the pain Seth was going through, even if the small wolf was too afraid to let anything show.

After taking a deep breath, Billy went on leader mode again after his moment of weakness. "Eric is taking inventory to see who we can count on. Don't worry we're not alone, I've spent months creating alliances with several packs. Actually one was just here yesterday and they swore their support. I'll contact them to come to our aid. I'll close my thoughts to everyone since I can't trust anyone anymore. I'll only talk to the alpha of each pack to help them reach us. It would help immensely if we knew where we're going but since that's not the case we'll manage."

"Also there is one important matter. Seth and Embry, you'll be rewarded for your help. I don't know how aware you are of the change in the law regarding the granting of freedom to a slave. It's a change the council came up with not so long ago. In the past a submissive could be given his freedom for performing a heroic act. They changed it so that a slave could only be given his freedom if this heroic act is in favor of his master. The bastards know all too well that no slave would ever move a finger in favor of his master." The eyes of every dominant in the room were on the two small wolves that stood close to the wall, their eyes downcast and Seth's shoulders shaking slightly as tears flowed down his face in quiet dignity. The dominants thought that the submissives would be jumping for joy and celebrating. But they did neither, they had learned long ago not to expect good things to happen to them; invariably things never went their way.

Embry's reaction was especially disconcerting; he didn't even smile, becoming more forlorn than he was already. It was far from what you'd expect for the news he received. He belonged to Sam; that meant that saving Jacob's life wouldn't change his status. He would still help, he'd do anything for Seth. He just wished that destiny didn't insist on laughing in his face all the time. "Embry, because of Sam's treason he lost all his properties and that includes you. As of now I'm transferring ownership to Jacob, that way you'll be able to lawfully gain your freedom." The Aleph winked an eye at the despondent submissive whose face lit up before he shared his celebration with Edward, the pair melting in an embrace while their lips met in a chaste and loving kiss.

Seth mind hadn't even registered Billy's words; it was a thousand miles away. His heart heavy as he prayed to every being he could think of to protect his master. He was brought back to the here and now by a pair of strong arms very much like his master's surrounding him. His heart skipped a beat as his head shot up only to be crushed again when instead of his master's loving gaze he faced the warm and kind eyes of the Aleph. "Son, if somebody understands how you feel that's me. But we cannot lose hope, we'll find him." Quil and Edward exchanged looks while Paul looked at the scene before him with incredulity. He felt like everyone was in on a joke and he was left out. He knew about the feelings the alpha had for his slave, but completely ignored the extent of the whole situation. If Billy, Edward and even Quil had been brought into the mix things were far more serious than he could even grasp. His eyes widened comically when the small slave placed his lithe arms around Billy's waist and cried quietly against his chest.

Billy placed his hands on each side of the slave's face as he spoke warmly to him. "None of that Seth, you'll guide us to him. When we have him safe back here with us and you're free there will be no more fear. You two will be able to love each other openly. Your wedding day will be a day of great celebration in this house." Paul's jaw dropped at the Aleph's mention of the word wedding. "Paul, I know what you're thinking, if he is free there is no law that will prevent them from getting married. All I ask is for you to be discreet. Swear right now that this secret will not leave your lips until due time in which Seth's life won't be in danger if this becomes known." Paul nodded in affirmation of the pledge he was making.

"Edward, coordinate with Eric and Paul how we'll divide the people that's willing and able to fight. Some will have to stay behind to guard the house and protect those that remain here. Also they need to bury the bodies of the brothers we lost."

"By now the west must know that their assassination attempt failed. Jake might be running out of time but if I know these people they're counting on me finding my way to him. Even with the odds against us they will think I'll get there and will keep him alive to lure me out. That's exactly what we'll give them, me in exchange for my son; they want the Aleph and that's what they'll have." At Billy's last statement a round of objections and complaints was heard all around the room. The beasts inside them rumbling in displeasure for the possibility of losing their alpha. Their main concern was that nobody could guarantee that once they had Billy they wouldn't kill Jacob as well; in fact, everyone knew that was the likeliest scenario. The Aleph knew this better than anyone, but he was following his heart and would do anything in his power to help his son. The mounting tension was obvious in the eyes of every person present. Billy's tone had been one of sheer determination and courage. The cold seriousness in his eyes sent chills down the spine of everyone present and rendered any opposition null and void.

"I'll phase to talk to the packs, we leave in an hour" Announced Billy with confidence. He phased and contacted all the packs he had created alliances with. The moment they feared came faster that they could've anticipated. It was time to choose sides and either fight or get out of the way.