Dr. Julien sighed as he finished loading the backs into his car. It had been a week since Zane had been caught in a snare and he had thankfully recovered, physically at least. His mental health was yet to be seen too. He had reported the snare to the police, claiming that his son and his friends had gone out star gazing and Zane was injured by the trap. The police thoroughly investigated the area and found many more traps.

What scared the pack the most, however, was that one trap was found right next to the entrance to the den.

The doctor wasn't a religious man, but he thanked God that no one else was hurt and no one was dead. Sadly, the police's investigation turned up nothing and no one had been charged with setting the traps. That was the way they were packing up now. They weren't moving away, but Dr. Julien thought it would be best to get Zane away from here and recover mentally as soon as he was discharged from the hospital.

They were going to visit Zane's grandfather up in the mountains.

If things went well, they would be back in a few days. As they were getting ready to leave, Zane's friends came up to see them off for the trip. Cole gave his friend a big hug and wished him luck. Harumi didn't say much other than a goodbye and good luck.

"My Mom baked these for the trip." Jay smiled as he handed Zane a Tupperware container full of brownies.

"Send us a postcard when you get there buddy," Kai said as they shared a hug. The brunette made a mental note to give Zane the number of the therapist his parents had gotten him after his leg was caught in that bear trap. The therapist didn't know all the details, like him being a werewolf, but she had been a great help in getting Kai back to who he was; even if the scars might never fade.

No one but Kai's family, Cole, and now Zane knew he was seeing a therapist.

Zane might not want to talk about what happened to him that night, but it never hurts to have the option. Lloyd gave the pale teen a kind smile and a hug, wishing him the best of luck on his travels. Morro was much like Harumi and kept his interaction short and sweet, but that was fine. Everyone knew he cared in his way.

"Don't worry about us here, just focus on getting better," Nya reassured her friend with an affectionate shoulder punch.

"We'll miss you." Pixal smiled as she and Zane hugged.

"I will miss you all as well, and I promise to be back soon." He told them before giving Pixal one last kiss and getting into the car. He waved goodbye to his friends as his father drove away. Pixal looked on sadly as the car disappeared in the distance, hoping this trip would be what Zane needed to recover...


Ray whistled a little tune to himself as he entered their apartment and kicked off his shoes. It had been a long day at work and he was eager to spend a relaxing night with his wife and children. He could hear Kai and Nya talking in their room. Maya was leaning over a hot stove, cooking dinner. She sensed his arrival and smiled at him over her shoulder. Ray approached her and hugged

"Hey, something smells good." He smiled as he kissed his wife and sniffed the food, but his smile quickly turned into a frown. "A little too good, What the hell's going on in here?" He demanded. Good food from his wife usually means bad news.

"My Mamá and Jack are coming over for dinner." Maya smiled, and there was the bad news.

"There goes my appetite." Ray groaned and sulked. While he, Jack, and Luana had managed to mend bridges since they last attended a family dinner, they still made little jabs at Ray, which he fully admits that he deserve. That being said, however, it got grating after a while. Not to mention the fact that every time they visited, Jack and Luana would always make out on his couch, in plain view of everyone.

"Hey!" Maya cried in frustration at his attitude.

"You know the two of them are always all over each other; you know people that age shouldn't have public displays of affection." Ray ranted, trying not to gag. "People that age shouldn't have private displays of affection."

"They're in love what's wrong with showing it?" Maya glared but Ray wisely chose not to answer and went to get ready for dinner. A couple of hours later, Luana and Jack arrived and greeted everyone warmly, even Ray. That immediately set Ray on high alert. They were rarely lovely to him, so they had to be planning something. Ray decided not to say anything, however, and Maya announced that dinner was ready.

They all took their seats and Maya served a juicy smoked brisket dinner.

Everyone's mouths started watering as Maya started handing out their servings. Her cooking skills had improved since the last time she had hosted a dinner. It helped that she had received some cooking classes from Edna in the weeks leading up to this. Her meals wouldn't impress a celebrity chef, but Maya hoped they would be enough for her family. Judging by the way they were tearing into that meat, it seemed she had succeeded.

After they ate dinner, Kai and Nya were tasked with washing the dishes.

The adults were all sat on the couch, talking and letting their food digest.

"That necklace is gorgeous," Maya commented as Luana showed off a stunning sapphire necklace.

"That was a present from Jack and he bought it for me just for being me." She giggled like a giddy schoolgirl.

"The stones may sparkle but not as much as Luana does." Jack smiled as he kissed her on the cheek. "Maya, that brisket was delicious and I know brisket; thanks to my brother's will I'm now the second largest meat distributor in Ninjago and I'm my own best customer." He laughed lightly, patting his round stomach.

"I thought you were retired?" Kai spoke up from the kitchen.

"I am, but I'm not going to turn down a chance to get the life Luana and I dream of." Jack smiled before fixing his gaze on Ray. "I also don't want to be called a gold digger for the rest of my life."

"Still knawing away at that bone are we?" Ray chuckled awkwardly, taking a big gulp of his wine glass when Jack kept staring. Eventually, the older man looked away and shrugged, smirking at Ray's discomfort.

"I love meat, but not as much as I love Luana." He smiled as he started kissing Luana's neck and before long they were making out so hard that even Maya looked uncomfortable and the kids were making an effort not to look over. Ray grimaced at the older pair as they sucked each other's faces off. Now he was going to have to go picture his parents having sex just to get that horrible image out of his head.

After what seemed like forever they finally stopped.

They shared a small secret smile before Luana picked up her glass and lightly tapped a spoon against it.

"We have a little announcement to make." She smiled and took hold of Jack's hand. "We're getting married!" She announced proudly and everyone congratulated them.

"When's the wedding?" Nya asked, already planning what she was going to wear.

"It's two weeks from today and we want you all to be there."

"Well of course we're all gonna be there," Kai promised.

"Yeah, I can't think of any reason why we wouldn't." Ray chuckled weirdly, but two weeks should be enough time for him to come up with something. Everyone either didn't notice his odd behavior or didn't care.

"So Mamá, give me all the details," Maya begged.

"Well, it's all very casual with all of you and your siblings and their children attending, and we're having it in Sint Maarten at the Sonesta Ocean Point Resort." She explained and everyone got more excited. Everyone that is but Ray. As soon as he heard where the wedding was, his eyes widened in shock and he loudly cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Look, I'm not trying to ruin your fun, but traveling to Sint Maarten to watch you guys get married sounds a little expensive."

"Yeah, but Luana won't be happy if you're not all there," Jack replied.

"Sure she will, I mean we're really not that close as a family." Ray shrugged, ignoring Maya's and Luana's glare.

"Well, I wish I had known that before I spent all this money to treat everyone to an all-expenses-paid trip to the tropical paradise of Sint Maarten!" Jack boasted as he held up the tickets, shocking everyone but Luana. There was a tense moment of silence before Ray suddenly shot out of his seat and wrapped his arms around the old man.

"Welcome to the family!" He joyfully exclaimed and Jack laughed as he handed Maya the tickets for safe keeping and Luana rolled her eyes...


Pixal sighed heavily as she stared at her phone on the table, hoping that it would buzz. Zand and his father should have arrived at Avalo's by now but no one had heard from him. She hoped he was settling in alright and was doing well. Suddenly her phone buzzed with an alert. Thinking it was her boyfriend, Pixal snatched the device and opened it. But her excitement vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

It wasn't Zane messaging her, but Kai and Nya using the group chat to announce their grandma's engagement.

The announcement was met with smiling emojis and congratulations from everyone. All except Zane. When they heard where the wedding was Kai and Nya's boyfriends tried to be their plus ones. After they were told it was strictly family only they dropped the subject. Cole asked if Kai could bring back a souvenir, to which Kai agreed. Harumi, Lloyd, and Morro wished them well and told them to pass along their congratulations to their grandma.

Jay said that he told Edna and she had told him to ask Nya if she could bring back some pretty sea shells.

Pixal couldn't find herself engaging in the conversation. She wanted Zane to text something, but, as usual, there was nothing.

"Are you alright Pixal?" Borg asked as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere, startling her.

"Yes father, I'm just worried about Zane." She admitted as he handed her a fresh mug of hot chocolate.

"Poor boy, it's horrible what happened to him out there." He sighed sadly, believing the cover story Dr. Julien had told people. "At least he's on the mend now and no one else was injured."

"I suppose."

"That reminds me, while I know you don't believe in those monsters anymore, I don't want you going into those woods anymore."

"But father, the police searched the area and cleared all the traps!"

"They may have missed one; this is not up for debate!" Borg scowled. "This is for your good young lady, I'm only trying to protect you." He explained before wheeling himself out. Pixal sighed in frustration but decided not to take his warning seriously. He couldn't monitor her all day, every day, and what he didn't know couldn't hurt him. Her phone buzzed again and Pixal checked it.

Sadly, it was just an alert for the low battery.

Sensing that Zane wasn't going to respond, Pixal exhaled tiredly put her phone on charge, and retired for the night. Whatever Zane was doing, she just hoped he felt safe...


"Doesn't my Mamá seem happy? I mean really happy?" Maya smiled as she finished cleaning up after Luana and Jack had left. The kids had offered to help, but Maya dismissed them and they headed for their rooms. She could hear them texting loudly on their phones. Ray hummed, not listening as he looked over the leaflet for the hotel. This place deserved its five stars.

It was a palace.

It had several pools, a gym, complimentary breakfast, access to the beach, a casino, restaurant, breakfast buffet, outdoor dining area, a rooftop, and poolside bar, evening entertainment, banquet rooms, a spa, an adults-only terrace, security, a gift shop, a butler services, and laundry service. He almost felt guilty for Luana and Jack spending all this money.

The rooms themselves could have been their hotels.

They were perfect. They had blackout curtains, air conditioning, housekeeping, a private balcony, a flat-screen TV, a walk-in shower, room service, VIP room facilities, private bathrooms, marble floors, a wake-up service, a minibar a refrigerator, and complimentary toiletries. He also noted the different rooms they offered. There were some with an ocean view or a pool view, non-smoking rooms, and suites.

"It's so great that she found love and romance at this time in her life, I mean, it's inspirational." Maya suddenly said, interrupting Ray's little reading session. "Hey! We should do something romantic!" She suggested with a big smile.

"I agree; give me 10 minutes to use the bathroom and I'll meet you upstairs." Ray grinned as he got up.

"Wow, you're going to the bathroom first? I feel like I'm in a romance novel." Maya scowled at her husband. "Come on, I want you to think of something romantic for us to do together."

"How about we renew our wedding vows?" He suggested after thinking about it. Maya hummed in thought.

"Yeah, we get this small banquet room at the Huntington Inn and do a lunch or a brunch and we have all of our friends over and we get dressed up then we take lots of pictures; wouldn't that be great?" She asked excitedly.

"Meh." Ray shrugged.

"Please tell me you're saying that because you want the big banquet room?" She glared.

"Come on baby, why would I want to spend all my money on something I already own?" He asked and she had a murderous look. "I'm just kidding you my love, but I'm serious about the money." He laughed lightly. While they were good financially, they weren't rolling in money like Luana and Jack. He wanted to spoil her, but only on a budget.

"Yeah, yeah, I get your point; I mean who needs all those other people." She replied after thinking about it.

"Exactly, it's just about us." Ray smiled, but it fell when he saw how disappointed she was. "Tell you what, since we're in Sint Maarten this weekend we could just stroll down to the beach, just the two of us, holding hands at twilight, and pledge our undying love to each other?" He offered and she smiled as they started making out on the couch...


A few days after they announced their engagement, Luana and Jack held their hen and stag dos. Ray wasn't sure what the girls were doing that night, but he had been invited to the bachelor party. When he met up with the others, he realized that he was the youngest one there. He had wanted Kai to come with him. But the moment Maya heard there would be drinking and smoking involved, she refused to let him or Nya go.

As the night went on, Ray started to feel more like a carer to these old men.

Not that it wasn't all bad. They had done things like whisky, wine, and craft beer tasting, some clay pigeon shooting, and bet on a couple of horse races. Soon they arrived at a nice hotel where they were greeted by a stripper and enjoyed a game of poker. As they enjoyed their games, however, Ray once again found himself as a carer/servant for all of Jack's friends. Ray was starting to think that was the only reason Jack invited him along.

But, not wanting to talk he was out of a trip to paradise, Ray kept his mouth shut and put up with it.

"Anybody wants another cigar?" He asked, waving a large box full of cigars around. "I thought you said you can't smoke?" He asked when one of the guys tried to grab one.

"No, I can't eat steak." The man glared, snatching a cigar.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it'd be a lot easier if you all have little notes pinned onto you," Ray commented, wondering if this was how underpaid carer workers felt. As he walked around, Jack's close friend, and best man, Randy suddenly grabbed his sleeve to catch his attention.

"So, not that playing cards and bragging about the size of our funeral plots isn't sheer joy, but isn't it time this bachelor party got cooking?" He asked with a huge grin. "When's the stripper getting here?!" He exclaimed, surprising Ray. She had already been and after Ray did a scan around the room, he thought she had left already.

"Randy, she got here an hour ago; she finished already."

"What?! Damn this fucking medication I'm on! My short-term memory's in the toilet!" He cried in frustration, before flashing another grin at Ray. "Did I enjoy it?"

"Oh, yeah, actually you were drooling a lot," Ray admitted, a little creeped out.

"Wait, the other medication I'm on causes that." He pouted and Ray was about to say something when a door to one of the bedrooms opened behind him. Ray looked over his shoulder and was frozen when he saw Jack strolling out of the bedroom with his arm around the stripper's waist.

"Thanks, sweetie and God bless you for giving me a senior citizens discount." Jack purred as he gave her a big kiss on the cheek. "Hey guess what fellas, I'm not a virgin anymore!" He announced to the room and they all, besides Ray, cheered. Jack then paid the stripper and she left. Once she was gone, Ray walked over to Jack and quickly pulled him off to the side so no one could hear them.

"Hey, Jack, what're you doing in there?"

"I know you're about to become my son-in-law Ray but don't you think you little old for that talk?" Jack laughed, but Ray didn't find it funny.

"You're getting married; I mean, even Randy knows that and he can't remember his last name."

"I ain't married yet Ray and when I am I'm a one-woman guy, promise, but tonight I'm a wild man." Jack chuckled, rolling his hips as if that proved his point. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go home, I'm exhausted." He whined, clutching his stomach, and bid everyone good night. Ray could only watch in shock as his future father-in-law left. He couldn't let Luana marry this guy.

He had to tell her about this, but if he did there went his family's dream trip to the Caribbean.

Ray sighed heavily, knowing that he didn't have a choice...


"Don't mind if I do." Ray smiled widely as the kind stewardess poured him a new glass of wine. Guess he did have a choice. He chose to let his family have the time of their lives in a tropical paradise. Yes, he didn't agree with what Jack did, but at the end of the day, it wasn't any of his business. That was between Jack and Luana. They were both adults who could easily work out their problems.

As he and Maya were enjoying their drinks, Ray looked over at their kids.

Nya was reading a book and Kai was staring at the back of the seat in front of him, drooling slightly. Once again they had to give Kai a little something to help him relax. Ray didn't like the idea of drugging his son. But he also didn't like the idea of Kai wolfing out and attacking someone. Hopefully, the drugs wore off by the time they landed. Ray didn't want to have to explain why he was flying with a drugged teenager.

Suddenly Ray felt something hit his shoulder.

"Ow, what was that for?" He whined, rubbing his sore shoulder, as he and Maya glared at each other. She didn't say anything and pointed across from them. Ray looked and saw Luana and Jack sitting beside each other. They were giggling and he was feeding her bits of the airplane food.

"Look how sweet he's being with her; sometimes I wish you were more like Jack." Maya pouted as she went back to her magazine. She missed the days when Ray would treat her like that. She knew he loved her and their life, but sometimes a woman needs a little romance in her life.

"Maybe Jack isn't that sweet of a guy that you think he is." He spat under his breath. He wasn't as quiet as he thought, however, because Maya heard him and turned back to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just forget it." He replied, refusing to look at her.

"You know what I think? You're just jealous because Jack makes you look bad." She chuckled and Ray saw red.

"Is that what you think?" He snapped and she nodded with a grin. "If you think I should be more like Jack then maybe I should go find that stewardess and I give it to her right on top of the beverage cart because that's what you knew step daddy to be did; he did it with a stripper at his bachelor party." Ray snarled but was quiet enough not to alert anyone else on the plane.

At first, Maya thought he was joking.

But when she saw the serious and angry look in his eyes she knew he was telling the truth.

"That's horrible! My Mamá's gonna marry that man!" Maya exclaimed, but then she realized something. "Wait a minute, why did you wait until just now to tell me this?"

"Because I wanted to go to Sint Maarten." He admitted, knowing he couldn't lie to his wife.

"What's more important; my Madre's happiness or a free trip to the Caribbean?" She glared in disappointment, but he didn't flinch.

"Maya, my love, I know what answer you're hoping for but we know which one's gonna come out of my mouth." He shrugged, but Maya wasn't having that. She gave him a look he feared and knew all too well. With a sigh, Ray got up and approached Jack after Luana left for the restroom. "Listen, I've got the most unbelievable wedding present for you."

"You didn't have to do that Ray." Jack smiled, wondering what the younger man wanted to give him right now on the plane.

"But I want to." He smirked lightly and took a long gulp of his drink again. "All right, here it is, My wedding present to you is an honest and loving relationship with Luana."

"But I already have an honest and loving relationship with Luana." Jack frowned in confusion. Ray just laughed and shook his head at his future father-in-law.

"Do you really? Because I think the little thing that you did at your bachelor party with that stripper is eating away at you as we speak."

"No, I'm fine, I gloved up." Jack dismissed and Ray almost gagged at the mental image.

"No Jack, you feel guilty okay?" Ray insisted. "You feel really guilty, so just tell Luana what you did, and afterward you're gonna feel fantastic, Believe me, I know because after I told Maya I felt terrific."

"You told Maya!?" Jack asked in disbelief. He glanced over at her and gulped at the very hateful glare she was sending his way. "Why would you do that to me? Haven't you hurt me enough?" He glared, still sore after Ray accused him of being a gold digger.

"Well, you know, she kept going on and on about how romantic you are, and frankly I couldn't compete with you on your level so I had to tear you down to mine." He confessed with a little smirk.

"Why would I upset Luana like that? She doesn't need to know; I'm old school and I thought you were too."

"Yeah, well, apparently we must have gone to different old schools because at my old school, you don't cheat on your lady."

"That's a high and mighty attitude coming from a man who just last night at his face between two big melons." Jack scowled and Ray blushed.

"First of all I was looking for my keys and I didn't have sex with anyone." He retorted but took a deep breath to cool his anger. "Look, just tell her what happened all because if you don't I'm telling you, you're not gonna be able to live with yourself." He glared and got up to return to his seat. As he got up, Nya suddenly approached him. While she couldn't hear what was being said, she could feel the tension.

"Everything alright Dad?"

"Yeah, sure, just keep an eye on your brother." Ray smiled, noticing how Kai was slumped over his seat.

"If you say so." Nay frowned suspiciously as she went to check on Kai and Ray saw Luana returning to her seat.

"Luana, listen, Jack's got something really important to tell you," Ray said and gestured to the old man. Jack was lying back in his seat, pretending to be asleep, but Ray wasn't letting him get off that easily. "Jack, go ahead and tell Luana." He insisted as he lightly shook Jack's shoulder. Instead of waking up, Jack suddenly slumped to the side and rested against Luana's shoulder.

"Jack? Jack?!" Luana cried as she shook Jack, but he didn't stir. With horror, she realized he wasn't breathing and she couldn't feel a pulse. Jack had died. Frantically, Luana looked to Ray for help, but he was standing still in shock. Ray was right in the end. The poor bastard couldn't live with the guilt...


After the plane had landed in Sint Marteen they were able to obtain a legal pronouncement of death from an attending doctor. It was very awkward and uncomfortable to fly with the body of a dead man. Especially since there wasn't much the crew could do except throw a blanket over him. Kai was thankful he was too out of it to remember what happened. After the body was examined it was determined that Jack had simply died of natural causes.

To be fair he was an old man.

Knowing that it wasn't a heart attack or anything like that helped ease some of Ray's guilt. Yet he still felt he was a little bit responsible. That was why he and Maya offered to arrange the funeral. Luana was too distraught to do it and it turned out that Jack didn't have any close family. They had found that out when Jack's will was revealed and it turned out that he left almost everything he owned to Luana.

They selected clothing for Jack to wear, the casket, and the grave marker.

They identified a location for the service. They choose a florist and the desired flower arrangements. They picked photos to be displayed and the songs to be played. They purchased and compiled photos for a memorial register and memorial cards. They arranged transportation to and from the service for guests and transportation for the casket. They choose an officiant to lead the service.

They choose who the pallbearers would be.

They set a time and date for the service and submitted the obituary to selected newspapers. Unfortunately, it wasn't a big service. Most of Luana's children and grandchildren couldn't make it, and only a handful of Jack's friends could attend.

"I just can't believe he's gone." Luana sobbed as Maya comforted her. "You know the last thing I said to him was?"

"You don't look so good?" Kai asked, only to get elbowed hard in the gut by his sister.

"No, I said that as soon as we got to the hotel I was going to trim his nose hair." She sniffed sadly.

"I'm sure Jack knew how much you loved him," Maya reassured her.

"I know, but you can never say it enough Maya, and now he's gone I can never say it again." Luana sobbed on her daughter's shoulder.

"Is there anyone else who would like to say something about Jack?" The priest asked and Ray suddenly raised his hand, shocking everyone.

"I would." He said and approached the podium. "Jack and I didn't get off on the right foot when we first met, but I like to think we managed to mend that bridge before he died; he taught me a few things before he died," Ray explained, and he wasn't lying. Jack had taught him that you're never too old to have sex with a stripper, but he obviously couldn't say that.

"Ray?" Maya whispered in a warning, low enough that only the werewolves could hear it. Luana gave Maya a confused look but didn't know what to say.

"He taught me that you're never too old to fall in love or too young; Jack said he was appreciative of his life, he loved his friends, traveling, and meat, but he didn't love those things a tenth as much as he loved Luana and he wasn't afraid to express it."

"Awww." Some people cooed quietly and Luana smiled warmly.

"This isn't easy for me because it's not my style but I... uh... I-I wanted to say in front of all you people, to my wife Maya, that I love you more than you'll ever know and I want you to know that I know that I'm lucky to be able to love you." He smiled and she blushed with tears in her eyes. "That's it, so I want to invite everybody back to my house to enjoy some corned beef and some brisket because Jack would have wanted it that way."

"Thank you, everyone, and directions to Ray and Maya's are available in the back." The priest said before finishing the service and everyone got up to leave.

"Now that was a romantic gesture." Maya smiled as she hugged her husband and they shared a kiss.

"Does that mean we don't have to do this silly renewing the vows thing?"

"Sweetie, I know the answer you're hoping for but I think we both know which ones coming out of my mouth." She smirked and they chuckled lightly. After leaving the service, everyone headed for the Smith household where the wake was being hosted. The guests were sharing sandwiches, cakes, tea, and coffee whilst sharing memories about Jack and catching up with one another.

Finger foods like sausage rolls and devilled eggs were also being served along with the big, tasty slab of brisket Ray had promised.

As everyone was eating and giving Luana their condolences, Ray was going around making sure everyone was doing fine. Funny, it was kind of like Jack's bachelor party again with Ray running around serving Jack's friend. Speaking of Jack's bachelor party, Ray saw Randy sulking by the door so he went to see if he was alright.

"This is the worst bachelor party ever." Randy glared.

"Randy, this isn't Jack's bachelor party, it's his memorial," Ray said after a moment of shock. Randy nodded seemingly in understanding before flashing the younger man a big smile.

"When does the stripper get here?"

"She was here already." Ray sighed in irritation, deciding to just play along with Randy's absent mind rather than argue. Randy didn't seem too happy that he apparently missed the stripper.

"Damn it! Did I enjoy it?"

"Yeah, you had a great time, in fact, you had sex with her," Ray whispered and Randy laughed.

"Ha! I still got it, buddy." He smirked and pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket. "Are we gonna play cards or not? And where the hell is Jack? That guy would be late there was his own funeral." He ranted and Ray sighed and went into the kitchen to pour himself a large, strong drink...


The first thing Skylor registered was the sharp ringing in her ears. The last thing she remembered was transforming to lead the man away from her pack and then nothing. She soon realized that she had been shot. Yet she couldn't feel pain. She must be in shock. Her hands were cold and trembling. She tried to move, to sit up, but her whole body was more or less numb.

Her head was pounding like there was a drum inside her skull.

She tried opening her eyes but her vision was badly blurred. Eventually, the blurriness faded and she could see her pack looking down at her, each looking either scared, concerned, or angry. She could see their mouths moving but she couldn't hear a word. It seemed the humans were gone and she was relieved that the pack was safe. Skylor tried opening her mouth to speak, but as soon as she did her taste buds were assaulted by the bitter taste of blood and dirt.

It invaded her mouth and down her throat, causing her to hack up in a harsh coughing fit.

After it died down and Skylor caught her breath, the ringing in her ears finally died down.

"We should have attacked when we had the chance!" Gravis snarled through gritted teeth.

"Skylor is our concern now!" Shade argued.

"Protecting the pack is our concern!" Acronix snapped back.

"We need to go after the humans and we need to go now!" Krux yelled and almost the whole pack howled in agreement.

"NO!" Kataru suddenly cried out. "There's another way, her way."

"And what is that?" Tox glared at the cub.

"The human way," Garmaddon said for Kataru, who nodded. "We must take her somewhere where she can get help." He ordered and most of the pack agreed. Karlof, Jacob, and Garmadon suddenly bent down to pick her up. As soon as they moved her, however, the pain from the gunshot wound suddenly erupted throughout her body. She opened her mouth to scream, but she didn't know if she did as the world went black...


NEXT CHAPTER: The pack is thrown into chaos at the return of an unfriendly face...