Boss, Ghoulies have attacked again.

Jughead felt his spine stiffen as Sweet Pea's voice filtered through his mind. He spun his empty shot glass as he thought about his Beta's words. Again. And, Jughead didn't doubt that this attack would have been far more gruesome than their previous ones – what with the Serpent Pack having gotten Betty away from them.

My thoughts too, Jughead.

This time, it was Quin who spoke up and he glanced over at his brother, finding him sitting in a booth with Kevin and Betty. His face was a mask of carefully placed calm but Jughead could feel the undercurrent of tension rippling through his pack. He nodded to Toni, who was behind the bar, and headed to the booth, Sweet Pea following suit. Sliding in next to Betty, he tilted her face towards him with a finger crooked under her chin and kissed her gently, not giving a single fuck about who was watching. Pulling back, he looked at Sweet Pea and Toni who, respectively, had leaned over the booth to wait for instructions.

"Penny and Malachi have kidnapped another wolf," he said, voice low as his hand automatically went to Betty's to prevent damage on her part. Betty stiffened and he squeezed her fingers gently, rubbing his thumb across the back of her palm.

"What?" Betty hissed. Kevin looked at her, then Jughead.

"Penny and Malachi? The wolves who capture lone wolves?" Kevin asked, eyes flickering between Betty and Jughead. Betty bit her lip, looking away from her best friend and suddenly Jughead understood that she hadn't told him she had been kidnapped that night. "Betty. Please. Please tell me that's not how the Serpents ended up finding you. With those two god-awful people."

Betty's eyes were pained as she looked at her best friend.

"Shit," Kevin hissed, hand coming up to rub at his temple. Quin kissed his jaw before looking at Jughead.

"What do you need from us, boss?" Quin asked, voice steady as he looked at his leader. Sweet Pea and Quin had been his two main men he always counted on in a crisis for the sheer fact that they knew how to stay level-headed and calm. They could take one look at a situation, calculate the casualties, and plan accordingly.

"We need to find who the wolf is and get them away as soon as possible. Penny and Malachi do not have the right to do what they're doing," Jughead said, voice cold.

Because she was Betty Cooper and because she insisted on sending him to an early grave, his mate spoke up. "I'm going with you guys."

Sweet Pea, Quin, Jughead, and Fangs all went to shut her down, but Toni spoke up before any of them could.

"As you have the right to do," the petite Serpent replied, rolling her eyes at the looks of frustration from the pack. "What? Betty is the biggest victim out of this whole shitshow. She deserves to be there any time the Ghoulies rear their ugly heads." She paused, looking at Betty for a moment, before speaking once more. "That being said Betty, keep your ass protected. You die – I'll personally bring you back from the dead to kill you all over again in such a painful way you won't know what hit you."

Betty swallowed. "Has she always been this scary?"

"It's great," Kevin complimented, look of awe painting his features as he nodded at Toni. She saluted him with a smirk before looking back at Jughead.

"We good here, boss?" Toni asked.

Sighing, Jughead nodded. "Yeah, we're good."

XXX

The pack, the pack that had accepted Betty without question as not only a member but Jughead's mate, crept towards the warehouses once more. Jughead felt himself become more on edge with each passing moment. This is where his mate had been held hostage; where she was going to be forced to train with Penny and Malachi to be the wolf they needed. Shaking his head in disgust, he squeezed his mate's hand, smiling softly when the pressure was returned towards his own hand.

Betty was in-between Jughead and Sweet Pea, with Quin by Jughead and Fangs by Pea. Toni was bringing up the back and, despite his protests, Kevin was at the Wyrm with a couple of men Jughead trusted enough who were not in his inner circle. It had been at Betty's request. She didn't want anything to happen to her best friend and by the look of relief in Quin's eyes, Jughead knew his brother was thankful for the request.

Entering the warehouse, Jughead looked around immediately. Penny's sharp laughter filled the room at once and Jughead shifted closer towards Betty, eyes hard and narrowed.

"Funny, Jonesy, to bring your mate here," Penny said, walking from a corner in the building.

"We're here for the wolf you captured," Quin said, voice smooth as always in a situation like this. Penny nodded, eyes falling on Betty.

"I figured blondie would be here for her friend," she shrugged a shoulder and Jughead felt Betty inhale sharply as two men pushed a brunette woman forward.

"Ronnie," she whispered, eyes trailing her. "Are you okay?"

Veronica Lodge nodded. "Yeah, Betty. What the hell is going on?"

Betty shook her head before looking at Penny. "Let her go, bitch. She has no part in this."

"Doesn't she, though? I mean, isn't it her father who hired the kill on your family? If I were you, I'd be grateful as shit that she's no longer in my life," Penny replied.

Ronnie gasped. "W-what? What is she talking about, Betty?"

Penny put her face close to the woman's ear, pulling on the chains around her wrists as she did so. "Didn't you know, princess? Your daddy dearest had your best friend's family killed."

Ronnie shook her head, trying to get away from Penny but Malachi came up just then and held her still by a fierce grip on her chin.

"Let her go," Sweet Pea demanded, voice low and dangerous.

"Now," Jughead hissed.

Penny nodded. "Okay. On one condition. Give us Betty."

Her smirk was as malicious as her tone and all the wolves, but Betty were growling. Jughead and Sweet Pea stood directly in front of her, positioning themselves for a fight and Quin was looking for a way to get Ronnie free.

"Not a chance in hell," Sweet Pea growled.

"Over my dead body," Jughead snapped at the same time.

"Wait!" Betty yelled, voice carrying through the building. Everyone fell silent as Jughead turned to look at her.

No, Betty, no.

Jughead, can you hear me?

This caused Jughead to pause as he could, in fact, hear his mate's voice in his head.

Yes. Betty, did…did you…

Accept my role as your mate and submit? Yes. You're mine as I am yours'. Trust me on this plan, please Juggie.

He knew his men couldn't hear her; that mates didn't have to share their thoughts with the pack. He linked for Sweet Pea to stand down and, he did so a moment later with a quiet grumble.

Betty dies boss, and you may as well run.

Noted.

He knew Pea loved her like the best friend the taller had secretly wanted.

Sister.

The reply was harsh in his mind and Jughead winced. He hoped to God Betty had a plan.

Betty turned to Penny, looking her square in the eye as she did so. "How'd you find out about Hiram, Penny? I didn't tell you the night you kidnapped me from the woods."

She nodded to Quin subtly as she was speaking, and he moved forward as Toni slipped out from behind the group and crept towards Penny.

"It's funny, don't you think, all the people Hiram Lodge knows?" Penny whispered.

"Oh god," Ronnie muttered, squirming in the hold Malachi had on her.

Betty nodded. "And Penelope Blossom? You working with her, too?"

Penny cackled. "That redhead bitch is a pain in my ass. No, she doesn't get to work with me. She works beneath me. I answer to Lodge and Lodge alone."

"He knows you kidnapped his daughter?" Betty asked, tilting her head towards Ronnie.

"It's a mutual understanding. I take her to get you for him and then give her back to him," she said simply.

"Yeah, that's not going to work for me," Betty said. Jughead watched as his mate looked at him, nodded once, and shifted. She ran towards Malachi, snapping at him. Catching him in surprise, the man released Ronnie who clambered onto Betty's back as the Serpents shifted, too. It was over before it began. Penny, once more, was left unconscious on the floor and the Serpents were running out, only, this time in their wolf form. Jughead heard Ronnie's quiet cries but didn't focus on them as they ran; his goal was to get to the packhouse.

Once there and after everyone shifted, he looked at Betty.

"Why the fuck did you tell me not to kill Penny?" Jughead asked, looking at her. "She's hurt so many people; hurt you, baby."

Betty nodded, looking at Ronnie for a moment before looking back at him.

"She's working for my best friend's father. We need to know why," she said quietly, looking at him pleadingly. Jughead sighed, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Okay," he whispered, before turning towards Ronnie. "You can stay here. You're a friend of Betty's. But red is not welcome."

"Archie?" Ronnie asked in confusion.

"Yeah, him," Sweet Pea snapped. "We don't buy the fact that neither one of you knew what was going on or that Hiram is a hunter. So, princess, red isn't welcome."

Ronnie looked like she was about to argue but under the look Toni gave her, her confidence faltered, and she nodded.

"Okay," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Betty."

Betty looked at her. "I really, really want to believe you knew nothing Ronnie. That you didn't get close to me for an ulterior motive. But, I just don't know what to believe right now. Like Jughead and Pea said, your dad hired the kill for my family. You're here under protection but that's all I can give you right now."

Jughead cupped her neck as he turned them away, leading them up the stairs.

Get Lodge princess set up. She isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

On it.

Sweet Pea's voice reverberated in his mind as he helped Betty up the stairs, knowing the night had taken a toll on his mate. He'd deal with what they were facing tomorrow. For now, he just wanted to make sure his mate got a good night of sleep. And, her thoughts seemed to be the same as she headed straight to his bedroom, slipped out of her clothes and into one of his flannels before crawling into his bed. Curling his body around her, he placed a kiss against the shell of her ear.

"Get some sleep, baby," he murmured.

"Promise you'll be here when I wake up?" Betty asked, voice small. He nodded.

"I promise," he whispered, pressing kisses to the crown of her head in an attempt to relax her. She drifted off moments later and, after watching her for a bit longer, he followed suit.

Author's note: Enjoy! Xx