Chapter 7: Chapter 7

**Cassie’s POV**

We arrived at the exact location of the explosion. We watched wounded warriors fighting for their lives. We discovered silver bullet shards, which could explain why there are so many injured packmates here.

"Rescue everyone and secure the perimeter," said Kaiden to the second patrol. This is becoming more difficult than we anticipated.

When I scent the air, I detect blood, metal, and the feeling of a certain rogue pack's bloodlust. I issue a warning to everyone and protect the perimeter. We cannot relax our guard, especially now, when everyone is terrified.

The adversaries are astute, and I have the audacity to claim that someone directs them. Rogue is largely motivated by rage and a desire to kill, consume the flesh, and sniff blood. They are not as intelligent as everyone believes. So it was simple for us to track them down and stop them from assaulting us.

Few people, though, can tame them and deploy them as a personal army. Especially those who are familiar with dark magic and witchcraft. Some witches are friends who teach us how to safeguard our pack from another magic user who brings disease and misery to every region.

I heard a loud snarl as a rogue werewolf charged at me, but I managed to duck and target his neck. I'm still in wolf shape, so I'm ten times stronger. Rogue appeared from every nook and cranny of the woodland. They are in human shape, and their blades are made of silver, but the handle is made of wood, so they are unaffected by it. I am correct; they are being controlled by someone. This is concerning, especially given how lethal they have become.

"Exterminate them all!" Mike, the pack warrior who leads the group, yelled.

We are all fighting for our life. Because I am more skilled than others, I am certain that I can defend everyone. I kick the tall man with red eyes with my feed and bite his legs off from behind. The battle became increasingly bloody. The ostensibly joyous celebration that we anticipate has devolved into something deadly and terrible. We managed to kill fifty of them in total, and several three-pack warriors did not survive. But then I heard an odd noise coming from behind the large tree. I changed into my human shape and put on my shirt and shorts.

And I'm terrified to watch Mr. Tucker splattering his blood. He's whimpering and clutching his chest for dear life. He can't make it now because of the harm to his body.

“Someone! Come on in!" I grumbled. I noticed our current alpha and my mate, Kaiden, running toward me.

When they saw the poor old man, they were frozen.

"My friend," the alpha said quietly as he kneeled beside his dying beta.

"Do not cry for me, Bastard... You're not like that,” Tucker attempts to speak.

Shaking his head, the alpha. "You're going to live. I'll send the most experienced pack doctor here! Never give up!" The alpha was adamant.

Mr. Tucker, on the other hand, smiled as though he accepted his fate.

"You are aware that it is no longer possible. My time is up, and I need to get somewhere; my wife is waiting for me," he explained.

To hide my tears, I covered my eyes with my hand. I'm sobbing quietly, but it's breaking me within. I don't want him to leave. He took on the role of a father figure for us.

“Dad,” Matthew walks silently on the body of his father. "You can't leave me now, Dad. My mother abandoned me; you cannot abandon me now," he begged his father's life.

"I can't stay here as much as I want to. My only regret is that I didn't stay by your side to see you grow into this powerful, brilliant, and brave young beta. Assist the future alpha, Matthew,” he advised his son. Then, Mr. Tucker kisses his son on the cheek before closing his eyes and departing from this earth for the remainder of his life.

This war's cry is what we heard. I despise wars; no one has to win this one. War only produces death and misery. This is something I will remember for the rest of my life. We clean up the bodies and finish our work. We shall have a memorial service for those who did not survive the conflict. I understand that this is only the beginning. In the future, there will be numerous issues.

We chose to call an end to the event because it was the proper thing to do. We cannot and should not celebrate this, and we are ashamed to do so. I'm confident that our goddess will recognize our predicament. She'll understand why we called it a day so quickly.

We are currently in the pack territory house. Our beloved beta's body is currently here, along with the bodies of the other three-pack soldiers, and we shall mourn for them for nearly three days.

Matthew is being consoled by Kaiden. Kaiden is Matthew's best friend, and he is aware of the anguish he is through right now. It is difficult to accept the loss of someone so precious to us. I quickly comforted Matthew when Kaiden mentioned he needed to do something.

"I don't know how difficult it is for you to lose both of the people you care about the most; I'm sure it's not easy, and if I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same way: it's heavy and difficult, and we can't accept this fact so easily. I also lost my mother. I understand how you feel, yet I manage to get up and face reality because I know our goddess has a bigger plan for us."

He manages to smile merely to demonstrate his might. "I will keep my promise to my father; he will be proud of me, and they will be proud of me."

I smiled and patted his head. "They are proud of you, no matter what happens."

I must excuse myself and return home. I still need to change out of my bloody clothes and recover. I know it is still difficult for me to say my final farewell to a man who has previously supported me, the one who has taught me not to give up because there is a higher plan for me.

If I think that this is the last time I'll see him, I should hold him even tighter. He was like a father figure to me. And I will miss him for the rest of my life. They were all hushed when I entered our home. I noticed that they have minor injuries from the previous fight.

"You fight again," my father observed, disapprovingly.

"I have to, Dad, or else there will be more casualties in that fight. You know me, I can't just stand there and do nothing."

"I know you're like your mother, Cassie. You're being careless once more, and what if something bad happens to you?" he inquired once again.

"I am not a child father, and despite my gender, I am more capable of protecting myself and others..,” I insisted.

I closed my eyes and abandoned them.

"I am tired, exhausted, and unsure. Can I take a nap? I can't believe I'll be awake for a second."

My father sighs, knowing that I can't stay here this fatigued because I won't be able to manage it. He gave a nod.

"All right, Cassie, get some rest, but we'll talk about it first thing tomorrow."

I returned the nod and went upstairs. I went straight to my closet and grabbed a clean towel. I went to the bathroom and poured water and soap into the bathtub. I take off my clothing and immerse myself in the water. I sighed and relaxed, attempting to summarize the events of the day.

The ostensibly joyful and tragic moment becomes a nightmare. True, death is unavoidable, but knowing how our adversary became more dangerous added a layer of intricacy to our situation. I know Kaiden will be put under a lot of pressure because there will be a test for him so soon. I believe the greatest solution is to locate the true mastermind here.

Rogue is similar to a virus in that it can multiply over time without being aware that it can dominate one's region. That is both shocking and terrifying.  And the only way to reduce the impact of this new crisis is to identify its true source of it. This is an endless loop. If we don't intervene, the rogue will continue to become more dangerous.  That bath made me feel a lot better. I thought I'd be able to sleep more peacefully after that, but it's still bothering me.

It's been a year since my last pack warrior duty. My father requested that I discontinue scouting, thus I was out of service. I know they're simply being cautious about me, but I wish they could have more faith in my talents.

MORNING arrived, and I'm still shaken by what happened. I'm hoping that was all a dream, but I have to face reality. After finishing my customary regimen, I go downstairs. I have to make breakfast for us or my boys would go hungry. I rush to the kitchen to prepare a hearty lunch for them. I'm sure they're still irritated by my hasty decision and haste. I mean, I understand how they grew overprotective of me when mom died years ago, and I am the family's youngest and only daughter.

I'm scrambling some eggs when they come down and appear to be in a bad mood.

"I'll be really sad if you stay mad at me, give me the cold shoulder, and maybe I should leave this house," I told them. My father is taken aback by what I've said.

"You're kidding, right? Cassie?”

"No, I am not. You are aware that I do not deserve to be treated in this manner. Last night, I followed my intuition. I know that the life-or-death crisis happened a year ago, and I almost died at the time, but it will never happen again. I vow I learned from my mistakes and am stronger now. If you please. Allow me to remain weak and dependent; how can I improve? How am I going to protect myself?" I inquired.

They appear to be being chastised. This chilly therapy will not be tolerated by me. I've been through a lot, and I'm over dealing with all of the crap in my life. I will express my feelings right now.

DAYS have gone, and this will be Mr. Tucker's final interment. He will be buried with the heroes, in recognition of his significant contributions to our pack. Kaiden is with me, and we're simply waiting for the ceremony to begin. Matthew was heartbroken... He is exhausted and sleep-deprived, but I understand his predicament. I was the same way when my mother died. But I believe he is stronger and will get stronger because he promises it to me. He pledges it to his parents.

"Are you all right now? Your father and brother?" he inquired.

I'm usually telling my friend about my current circumstances. I don't have many friends. Some of them did not drop weight for an unknown reason, which is fine with me. And now that I've met my partner, I'm hoping to have someone to lend my ears to and someone to listen to me.

"This is much better than the first day." I know they are only concerned about me. "But most of the time I get upset because they don't trust me," I explained.

He let out a sigh. "I understand how you feel, but I also agree with them. Because of what happened before, you can't get rid of that feeling in them, or their overprotective behavior. You were almost slain by a formidable rogue the last time you scouted our hunting grounds. They were probably traumatized by what happened, and I'm sure they're only concerned about your well-being."

"OK, I get that point..." I give up, realizing my error. But it wouldn't stop me from helping if I could and had to.

The final goodbye has begun, and the entire field is filled with sobs and cries. I understand the anguish of losing someone. And what I'm afraid of right now is that my life may be jeopardized because this renegade issue has become increasingly unpredictable and scary.

I noticed Kaiden deliberating and evaluating the situation. I sometimes want to slap myself in the face so hard that I lose my memory. Because I always forget that my friend is going through a difficult moment, and I find a way to bother him with my diatribe. But I swear I will always be on his side.