The weather has been so murky for the past few days. Raining on and off, sometimes even with the sun still shining, just barging in not giving a fuck. That's Texas weather for you, I can't say I've missed it.

My pack and I have been here for almost a week training alongside Derek's to get used to one another's fighting styles and faces. D's most trusted warriors have been keeping an eye on things to make sure we don't undergo an attack while we train and so far everything has been going smooth. For the most part our packs are getting along and although my pack doesn't relish in the idea of fighting a battle that isn't ours, they trust my judgment as their Alpha. It's only been a short time that I've been running things and yet they all have every bit of faith in me that they had in my father before me, their Alpha of over ten years.

"You think they're ready?" Derek asks, his tone serious, a far cry from his usual playful mood.

I nod my head but don't take my eyes off of the training wolves, "No worries D. The Dark Wood Tribe won't know what hit 'em."

Derek grunts a reply and then orders the wolves to run through the drills again.

I can tell this is very important to him. As his first real test as Alpha of The North Wood Tribe he can't fuck this up and so far he feels he's made a mess of things. No matter how much I try and tell him that the casualties so far are not on his head he doesn't listen. Who could have known that the same night he was honored in as Alpha, the Dark Wood Tribe, their enemy for years, would attack? They had the element of surprise on their side, finding North Wood unprepared and in a celebratory mood rather than a fighting one. That night six men, including Derek's Beta, died and two women were nearly kidnapped before the attackers were caught, interrogated, and killed.

Derek declared war the second everything settled down and led an attack of his own at sunrise. And so the guerilla warfare continued between the two packs until Derek called me for backup, wanting to finish things once and for all.

It's no secret that my pack is the largest in Louisiana and we have some of the fiercest fighters in the country. Having been years since we last had to defend ourselves against anything more than mosquitoes my main fighters were at the ready. By tomorrow's end we'll be able to settle in for a while before heading home, Derek and his pack will have some peace, and the Dark Wood Tribe will be no more.

The sky today is a sad gray, like a dirty cement sidewalk covered in even murkier looking clouds. Derek and I have spent all day hanging out, talking about old times when we used to get into trouble as kids. Not much has changed, we're still those rowdy boys at the back of the classroom, we're just older now.

"Do you remember the day when Melanie Danvers came to class with toilet paper stuffed into her bra-" I start to say but can't get it out for laughing at the memory.

Derek picks up where I left off with a laugh, "Oh God! And then she was a bitch to Michelle with the glasses and made her cry so you snatched the tissue out of Melanie's bra and handed it to her!"

Our bellowing at the looks on both Melanie and Michelle's faces is loud enough to shake the entire room. I'm laughing so hard my eyes are closed and the second I go to compose myself, I see their reactions in my mind and start laughing again.

"Man that was a crazy day! I got into so much trouble with Mrs. Fakus for that!" I finally get out through my laughter.

Derek shakes his head, a smile still on his face, "Dude you were the worst to Melanie!"

I shake my head. "I was only a douche to her because she picked on everyone else. And she was a huge phony! I mean we were ten for Christ's sake everyone knew those weren't her tits! Oh! I know you haven't forgotten-" I'm cut off mid-sentence by a blood curdling scream and the sounds of snarling and howls.

Derek and I look at one another and immediately hop up, heading to the door when it bursts open and Connor, Derek's brother flies through it.

"D! I-It's the Dark Wood Tribe! They're attacking us!" Connor stutters out. I can see he's scared to death and shaking like a leaf on a tree in a wind storm.

"Balls! The fucking fiends! We had a cease engagement agreement until tomorrow!" Derek shouts, already stripping out of his clothes to shift.

I follow suit and start to take off my clothing, if we're doing this now then I want to be prepared.

"Karter, I need you to be my Beta and watch my back, I'm counting on you," Derek says, stopping after taking off his shirt.

I stop what I'm doing an nod before attempting to resume but Connor speaks up, stopping me.

"What do you want me to do D?"

Derek and I look at each other then back to Connor. He's only fifteen and so he doesn't have his wolf yet. Had the attack happened a smidge later, Connor could've had his ceremony and could fight by our sides but as of right now he's completely and totally human which means he'll only be in the way.

"I want you to go home Connor, you don't have your wolf yet and you could get hurt. Just go to the fallout shelter with the women," Derek replies, barely sparing his brother a glance.

"What the fuck bro? I can help you guys! I want to fight! This is my home too Derek!"

I can see D's patience is running thin and that's a testament to the pressure of the situation, normally he's like Gandhi when it comes to tolerance, so I step in, "Connor, what if, God forbid, something happens to Derek, the pack is going to need a new Alpha. You need to stay safe, just go to the shelter."

He opens his mouth to protest but Derek interrupts him, "Shut the fuck up about it Connor, the decision is final! I command you to go back to the fallout shelter! NOW!"

I can fully see the disappointment, sadness, and betrayal in Connor's eyes. Entirely against his will, he turns away and runs to the pack house and ultimately to the fallout shelter.

The fight has been going on for hours now. It's like every ten members of the rival pack D and I take out, fifteen more pop up in their place. I start to realize why the Dark Wood pack has been such a pain in the ass for so long. Their numbers seem endless and they're very untrustworthy and cunning.

Derek and I walk through the field by the pack house in search of any rivals, just waiting for one of the bastards to try something. We don't have to wait long when an ambush comes out of the woodwork. At least seven wolves, some in wolf form, the rest in the fused state between man and wolf, lunge out at us both.

I give one wolf a sharp kick to the stomach, sinking my foot in so deep I can feel his surrounding fur tickle my shin. I make quick work of two other wolves attacking me, snapping their necks easily. As I finish with one the first wolf jumps onto my back and bites my shoulder, causing me to scream out.

The instant Derek hears my scream he takes his eyes off of his opponent, the Alpha of the Dark Wood Tribe, and in that same moment he opens a window of opportunity to which his adversary takes full advantage of. As I hit the ground and absorb the impact, D looks over to me, and the Alpha he's fighting reaches forward with his claws extended and rips Derek's heart right out of his chest. It all happened so quickly I have to blink to be sure it's real. D seems to be having a hard time believing it too when he looks from me down to his chest and over to the wolf holding his heart in his hand before dropping to his knees.

"NO!" I scream and with all of my strength I throw the wolf on my back off. He flies into the air and lands on his head, sufficiently breaking his neck.

I run over to the wolf that just murdered my best friend and claw at him. I end up scratching his throat but not deep enough to hit any arteries or veins. Before I can attack again the Alpha strikes at me, clawing a huge gash in my bare chest. I recover quickly and do a roundhouse out of the way of his next attack and straight into a flash kick to knock him off balance before landing and digging my claws into his chest just the same way he did Derek.

Instead of ripping his heart out quickly, I pull slowly, feeling every vessel snap from it's rightful place, savoring the experience of taking his life. I look into his eyes and see the exact same emotion I saw in Derek's, fear. I bathe in the ambiance of it, I can smell it, almost taste it, and I enjoy it. "For taking away my brother and the only true friend I've ever known, this is what he deserves," I resign, and finally finish the deed.

By the time the others find us I've been holding Derek's cold body for what feels like hours. The rain is freezing and I'm covered in blood but I can't seem to move. His face as he realized he was dead keeps haunting me. Although every time I look at him now he looks at peace, I can't help but see that face.

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This is something new I'm working on. I love Werewolf stories and finally decided to take the time out to try and write one. If you enjoy please comment, vote, add to your library and fan! Thanks!

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.