Chapter 1
Banished
Jasper Valley

Both packs were gathered around the Ceremonial Rock as they watched Kate and Garth circle around one another, taking in each other's scents. They stopped circling and leaned in towards each other to nibble the other's ear. The soon-to-be mates pulled away from each other, then closed their eyes as they leaned in to rub noses. But when they were mere inches from touching, Kate opened her eyes and quickly backed away from Garth, making many wolves in the crowd gasp in surprise. Garth wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion, then raised his paw in front to find Kate, but she wasn't there. He opened them to see her sitting by the edge of the Ceremonial Rock with a nervous expression on her face.

"Kate? What are you doing?" He asked, confused.

"I… can't." Kate said, then Tony spoke up.

"What?! Why can't she marry Garth, Winston?!" He demanded, then Winston stood up.

"Quiet!" He said, as he held his paw up, then he approached his daughter.

"K-Kate, w-why can't you marry Garth?" He asked in a whisper, then she sighed.

"I, uhh… fell in love with an Omega." Kate answered, fearing the consequences. Winston looked at his daughter in shock, while Eve fainted, then Tony chuckled as he climbed on top of the rock.

"An Alpha falling in love with an Omega. That's against Pack Law." He said.

"Dad!" Garth spoke up, getting his father's attention and he turned to look at him.

"I fell in love with an Omega too." Garth said, proudly, as he made his way across the rock towards Lilly, who gasped happily. Tony gasped in surprise and growled at Winston.

"What did you do to my son, Winston?!" He demanded, but Winston was at a loss for words.

"An Alpha and an Omega. An Omega and an Alpha." He muttered, then turned to his mate, Eve, who was just waking up.

"Eve, help me out!" He said, then she gasped and fainted again and Tony growled.

"This isn't our custom! This isn't our way!" He said, then turned towards his pack.

"Take the valley!" He ordered, then the Easterns began attacking the Westerns. Barks and growls echoed across the valley as wolves fought each other around the rock.

"I just love weddings!" Shakey cried, as he used his tail to wipe the tears from his eyes. Kate watched in horror as the packs fought around her, then Tony approached her.

"Everything I did… was for the packs. I didn't go through all of it just for a she-wolf like you to mess it up!" He growled, then raised his paw to strike her. Kate shut her eyes, waiting for the blow, but it never came. She suddenly heard Tony yelp in pain and she opened her eyes to see her mother standing on top of him, snarling in his face.

"You stay away from my daughter, or I'll make you hurt in places you didn't even know you had before I rip off your face and make you eat it!" Eve growled. Tony threw Eve off of him and was about to pounce until Winston shoved him aside and took his place beside his mate.

Kate didn't stick around to see what happened next, she knew that she would be punished for breaking Pack Law with death as the likely consequence. She didn't want to leave Jasper, her home, but she loved Humphrey more and knew that she couldn't stay any longer. Without a moment's hesitation, Kate bolted to the side of the valley and climbed up the slope just before the ground began to shake and a stampede tore through the valley. Kate looked back and lowered her head in sadness.

"I'm sorry, Dad." She muttered to herself. She began walking in a southerly direction as she thought about what to do. Kate suddenly heard a train whistle nearby and looked in the direction it came from to see a plume of smoke rising into the air.

"Humphrey!" She exclaimed, then took off towards the tracks as fast as her legs would carry her. She got there just in time to see the train pass by, then she started running after it. Unfortunately, the train was rapidly pulling away from her and she was becoming exhausted from sprinting continuously for so long.

"Come on, Kate. You're an Alpha! You must keep going!" She told herself, then picked up her pace and gradually started catching up with the train. She came up beside the end car and prepared to jump, but the ground suddenly ended and she enlarged her eyes in shock when she saw the huge cliff. Kate sprinted faster in an attempt to catch up with the train before it rattled across the bridge spanning a huge river.

The ground ended and Kate jumped with her jaws wide open to catch the sidebars of the train car. Time seemed to slow down as Kate launched herself towards the train car, then her jaws latched onto the sidebar. Kate was hanging hundreds of feet above the surface of the river as the train sped across the bridge. She only had to hang on until the train reached the other side, then she could continue running on foot to catch up to an open train car.

Her ears suddenly perked up when she heard a creak from the bar. Kate's eyes widened in shock as they watched the bar start prying itself off from the side of the car. Her weight was too much for the old piece of metal to handle. The bar snapped off and Kate fell from the bridge and towards the river. In a few short seconds, her body hit the water and the impact knocked her unconscious. Right before she had closed her eyes, she had seen the blurry form of a wolf jump from the train and land in the water.

"Irresponsible! Selfish! What were you thinking, falling in love with an Omega?!" Tony growled, as he paced in front of Garth inside the Eastern Alpha Den.

"If you weren't my son, I would have you executed right at this moment!" Tony continued.

"You were supposed to unite the packs… not separate them further. Because of you, there's no way to unite the packs. Winston's daughter is missing and even if she was still here, I doubt you'll follow your responsibility and marry her." Tony said, but Garth didn't say anything.

"Well?! Don't you have anything to say for yourself?!" Tony growled.

"I regret nothing. I love Lilly." Garth said, then Tony smacked him in the face with his paw and he fell to the ground.

"That bitch will be dead by morning, and as soon as Kate is found, you will marry her, even if I have to drag you to the Rock myself!" Tony shouted, as Garth stood back up.

"Don't… call her… a bitch!" Garth growled, then lunged and clawed his father's face. Tony yelped in pain and held his face with his paw, while he watched Garth approach the den exit. When Garth reached the entrance, he stopped and looked back towards his father.

"One more thing… you're not my father. He died with Mom." He said, then disappeared into the darkness of the night.

"Get in there!" An Alpha growled, before Lilly was tossed into the prison den. She landed hard on the ground and yelped in pain when she hit the back wall. Her snow-white fur was now a light brown from all the dirt and mud in her fur. Lilly curled herself up into a ball inside a small hole in the wall and began sobbing, letting her tears fall and soak into the dirt below her head.

A couple hours later, Lilly heard pawsteps approaching the den and the guards stepped aside to let the newcomer through. Lilly opened her blood-shot eyes and saw Winston approach the hole she was curled up in.

"Lilly…" He started, but couldn't formulate the right words.

"I-I just wanted to…" He said, then sighed.

"You're going to be executed in the morning. I truly wish I could stop it, but Tony is stubborn and threatens war if this isn't done." Winston said, firmly. Lilly turned around so her back was facing him and he could hear her muffled cries from inside the hole.

"I…" He said, his voice beginning to break.

"Just…" Lilly mumbled, but Winston didn't hear her.

"What was that?" Winston asked.

"I said, leave!" Lilly shouted, then broke down sobbing. Winston took a step back in shock, then sighed and left the den. Lilly continued crying to herself until she heard the guards speak.

"Hey, you're not allowed to be here. Tony's orders." One of them said. Both guards suddenly yelped as they were tossed aside like ragdolls into the den wall.

"Newsflash: I no longer care what Tony has to say." Garth said, then Lilly gasped in delight at the sound of his voice. Garth crouched down towards the hole and smiled at Lilly.

"Well?" He asked, then Lilly looked at him with a confused expression.

"Well, what?" She asked.

"I'm breaking you out. Are you coming, or do you want to stay here?" Garth asked, then Lilly squeezed herself out of the hole and sniffed.

"There's nothing left for me here." She muttered, then looked towards Garth and smiled.

"I'm coming with you, Garth. We'll run away and find a new home. A home where we don't have to worry about warring packs, or Laws. A place where we can be together in happiness." She said, then Garth smiled.

"Alright, follow me and stay close." Garth replied, then he approached the den's exit and peeked outside. There was no one around, aside from the two unconscious guards, which Garth quickly dragged inside and tied up using vines, so they wouldn't get help when they woke up. Lilly followed Garth closely as he led her towards the northern border of the packs. They soon came to the border and Garth motioned for Lilly to hide in the bushes, while he went to check to see if the coast was clear. Garth heard voices nearby and ducked down behind a boulder, as two Alphas walked by.

"I'm telling you, I don't think she sees me." The first one told his partner.

"You should try doing something heroic, nothing too dangerous, because you don't want her to think you're stupid." The other Alpha replied.

"Yeah, like what?" The first Alpha asked.

"I don't know. I'm sure you'll figure it out." The other said. They disappeared in the distance and Garth waited a few more minutes to make sure they were gone, then went back to where Lilly was hiding. She came out of her hiding spot and the two of them ran across the border and kept running until they were a few miles away. Lilly stopped to catch her breath and laid down, while Garth sat down beside her.

"Did we make it?" Lilly asked.

"I think so. I don't sense anyone following us." Garth answered, then Lilly let out a deep breath.

"Good, then we can take a little break, right?" She asked, then Garth chuckled.

"Of course." He said, then laid down beside her.

"Where do you think my sister is?" Lilly asked, after a few moments of silence, then Garth sighed.

"I don't know. If I had to guess she ran off before the stampede." He said.

"I'm probably never going to see her again, am I?" Lilly muttered, then Garth thought to himself.

"I'm going to tell you something… something my mom told me shortly before she died… it doesn't exactly relate to your situation, but… it still applies." Garth said, then nuzzled Lilly's cheek and she smiled.

"She said, and I quote, 'Death is not the end. Don't be saddened from losing someone you love. For, in time, you'll see them again on the other side,' I didn't quite understand what she meant at the time, because I was so young, but now I do. Even though you are separated from your sister, I'm sure you'll see each other again another day." Garth explained.

"I hope you're right, Garth." Lilly replied, as she nuzzled him.

"What do you mean you don't know where they are?!" Tony growled, as he paced back and forth by the creek. The usual meeting place between the two packs, where Winston and Tony would always discuss inter-pack matters.

"Garth knocked out the guards you placed by Lilly's den and escaped with her. They're probably miles away by now. We'll never find them." Winston said, then Tony growled in frustration.

"Fine! Since your pack did so well in finding Kate when she went missing, my pack will search for Garth until he is found. Once he is, we'll figure out a way to unite the packs." He said.

"And what of Lilly? My daughter?" Winston asked.

"That bitch? I'll make sure she's dead myself!" Tony growled, then a golden-tan blur suddenly pinned him to the ground. Eve was growling and snarling in his face as she choked him.

"You touch one strand of fur on her and I'll make sure your body parts are spread across all of Jasper!" She growled, then Winston rushed towards her and pulled her off of Tony.

"Eve, enough!" He shouted, as Tony got back on his paws.

"If only you used that ferocity to keep Kate in line and marry my son." He said, then Eve snarled.

"That's it! Let me at him! I'll tear him apart!" She growled, as she tried to wriggle free of Winston's grasp, but he held her still. Winston looked towards Tony.

"If you value your life, I suggest you leave. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow." He said.

"If you value the lives in your pack, I suggest you find your daughter before I find my son." Tony replied, then headed into the darkness of the trees. Eve calmed down and Winston let go of her.

"What are we going to do? Even if we find her, I doubt she'll be willing to marry Garth." She asked.

"Yeah, and I don't think Garth will go for it either." Winston said.

"If Tony is anything like his brother, we both know he'll force him." Eve replied, then Winston nodded.

"As much as I hate to say it, war is seemingly inevitable." He muttered.

Garth and Lilly were skirting around clearings and following rivers to avoid being detected by the search parties looking for them in the forest. Lilly was trying to keep up with Garth, but she was falling behind as her stamina gave out.

"Garth! Please! Slow down! I… I can't run… much further!" She panted, trying to catch her breath, before collapsing in the grass. Garth slowed down and waited for her to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry, Garth… I guess this is why Alphas and Omegas generally don't work together. You should go on without me. Don't worry about me, I'm not important." She said, then Garth turned around and laid down beside her.

"Hey. Don't think that. I would've never asked you to run away with me if I didn't think you were important enough to bring along." He told her, then she frowned and he winced slightly.

"Yeah, that sounded better in my head…" He muttered, then grabbed Lilly's paw with his own.

"My point is this: You want to come with me… or not?" He asked, then Lilly nodded and Garth stood up.

"Wait… what are you–?" Lilly tried to ask, but before she knew it, Garth had grabbed her scruff in his jaws and hoisted her into the air, where she landed on his back.

"Since you're tired and we can't stop, I'll carry you. Deal?" He asked, then Lilly chuckled.

"My sweet, strong Alpha… deal." She said, then licked his cheek.

"Let's check down here! Maybe they're travelling by the river!" A voice suddenly shouted near them and Lilly's blood chilled.

"Shit, we need to get out of here." Garth said, then started running along the riverbed while Lilly wrapped her legs around him to hang on. After a short while, Garth slowed down and Lilly climbed off him. They were at the base of a cliff beside the river they were following.

"Okay, I think we're safe now." He said.

"Good." Lilly replied, then smacked him across his muzzle and he cried out.

"What was that for?!" He exclaimed as he held his paw to the side of his muzzle, then she pointed her paw at him.

"That was for swearing back there." She said firmly, while Garth stared at her in disbelief. He pulled his paw away and gasped as he looked at it.

"Oh, my god! It's bleeding!" He muttered, as he pressed his paw to his muzzle, then Lilly gasped.

"It's okay, Lilly. It's not serious!" He quickly said, then realised Lilly was staring silently behind him. He turned around and spotted a black and white she-wolf standing behind them, watching them intently.

"Find anything down there?!" A male voice shouted from above them, presumably from the top of the cliff. The she-wolf stared at them intently, then looked up towards the top of the cliff.

"There's nothing here! Let's try more towards the east! Maybe they've tried to slip past the Easterns!" She shouted back, then disappeared into the trees. Lilly and Garth remained silent for several minutes until Garth finally let out a sigh of relief.

"What just happened? Why didn't she report us?" Lilly asked.

"I have no idea, but we should keep moving." Garth replied, then Lilly nodded and they continued heading north.

"Find her! We don't stop searching until she is found." Winston ordered the Alphas. The search parties weren't having any luck in finding Lilly or Garth, but they weren't giving up until they were found. Eve approached her mate with a solemn look on her face.

"Do you think we'll find her before Tony does?" She asked.

"All we can do is hope. Any luck on figuring out where Kate might've gone?" He asked, but Eve shook her head.

"Humphrey hasn't been seen since before the stampede. I think she ran off in search of him, but I don't think she'll ever return." She said, then Winston sighed.

"I just hope we'll find Lilly before Tony does. No telling what he'll do if he gets to her first." Eve added.

"I'll send a search party to Sawtooth, in case they go back there. I'm also going to send Skye to the South, while I go visit my brother in the North. Maybe we can get some allies on our side before this war breaks out." Winston said.

"You're sending Skye to the South? You know they won't help us, not after my mother's death." Eve asked.

"It's worth a shot." Winston replied, then Hutch suddenly came running up to him.

"Sir! Eastern wolves are on the march. They're heading straight here." He said, then Eve gasped.

"I should've known that Tony wouldn't keep his word, not after this." He muttered, then turned towards Hutch.

"Gather as many Alphas as you can." He ordered, then Hutch was about to leave, but Winston stopped him.

"Wait… I need you to find Skye and send her to the South, she'll know what to do, while you go to the North and speak with my brother." He added.

"Sir?" Hutch asked, confused.

"Just do it." Winston said, then Hutch ran off to carry out his orders. Winston turned towards his mate and was about to speak.

"Before you say anything, I am not going with the pregnant she-wolves and pups. I want to tear apart those Easterns." She growled.

"Eve… you're the only healer we have." Winston reminded her, then she sighed in reluctance.

"Fine, you win this argument." She said, before running off to gather up all the pups. Winston climbed down the slope from the Alpha Den and found many of the pack's Alphas waiting at the bottom.

"Come dawn, not all of you may come back alive. Tony has declared war on us and is marching here as we speak. At all costs, we must protect our future generations. Our allies in the north may send reinforcements, but for now… we're on our own. Tonight, we fight for our families." Winston said, then took his place at the head of the pack and led them towards the east.