Electrum

"Okay," Topaz's voice came through the earpieces, "Cobalt's almost arrived at the studio, and Halifax is on a direct course Susan's house. Both have two subordinates and I would recommend intercepting them before they reach inhabited areas."

After much griping, Ebony had got his way after all. Well, it hadn't been his complaints that got him onto the mission, it had bee Topaz. She absolutely hated fighting, and Mathis and I both agreed it would be best to have her as the surveillance team. Besides, she cooperated much better with Lee than Ebony ever did. Come to think of it, Topaz was probably less likely to start screaming and smashing things if something went wrong.

In front of me, Lucian stiffened at the mention of the ballet studio. I didn't know what had happened with this Isabella girl, but I did not doubt the area held some memories he would rather not have.

The four of us – Mathis, Takis, Lucian, and I, were already in wolf form. We were already heading deep into Aliath territory. Mathis and Lucian lead the way, as they had better knowledge of the area than Takis and I did. All of us knew that this would be the end, the final fight. The confrontation the other day had only been the beginning of the end.

"They've made their move. Ebony and I are going wolf. Good luck to all of you and please, don't die." For all any of us knew, that could be the last words we ever heard from Alexandra.

Camden's voice crackled into our ears. "I see them now, and I'll see you again when this is all over." He and Yvette were the team dispatched to combat Halifax and his subordinates. They would be outnumbered three to two.

Takis seemed to droop slightly. "Cam…"

"Both fights have commenced," Topaz explained. "Lee, what's going on?"

There was typing in the background. "Sorry Topaz…all we can do is keep waiting 'till they call in and report."

Mathis stopped moving. I sniffed the air. Between the numerous scents of blood that dominated, I could clearly sense something approaching. Snarling, I bared my teeth, fur standing up on end. The other three did the same, and we all fell into formation. The fight was on, and we weren't going to back down.

Five wolves burst out from the thickets. We were ready. Takis and Lucian split into opposite directions, breaking the ring of wolves that surrounded us. A grey wolf with black undertones in its fur tackled me. I lashed around and snapped at the thick fur protecting his throat, and felt the sharp sting has claws dug into my shoulders.

Twisting, I used all the force I could muster and threw the larger wolf off me. He flipped onto his back, both of us flipping onto our feet. We circled each other, fangs flashing as we moved from light to shadow and back.

"Give it up, girlie, you don't stand a chance."

"Why are you doing this?" I snarled. He snapped at my muzzle in response.

Lucian yelped, and I saw as a large red-brown wolf dug its teeth into his shoulder. "Roxanne!" he gasped, trying to shake clear, coppery scent of blood seeping onto his fur.

"Down, pup!" The female – Roxanne, was forced to let go as Takis came to the younger boy's aid. Lucian dropped, taking her head with him as Takis ripped a chunk viciously from the back of her neck. Roxanne howled in agony, releasing Lucian's shoulder and trying to stagger forwards, trying to shake the clawing, biting, mass on her back.

With a muffled snap, the female wolf fell and lay still. Her chest heaved and her eyes grew wild, but she could not get to her feet. I looked on, sickened slightly by the display. It was kill or be killed. But how many more would have to die in the name of peace?

"Don't let yer guard down!"

I managed to avoid a swipe that would have nearly taken my eye out. There was a sting, and warm liquid trickled down from my temple. Ducking back, I felt his claws rake across my muzzle. "Don't yer start thinkin' the rest of us'll go down easy as Roxy o'er there," the wolf spat maliciously. "She made 'er rank the same way she makes 'er money."

"Believe me, I earned my rank," I shot back. Wasn't going to let him think I would be any easy prey.

"As did I, girlie, as did I."

This wasn't the time or place for idle chitchat. I had to end this fight, and I had to end it fast. "I don't suppose…" I said, allowing a familiar numb sensation to wash over me, "that you've ever heard of Amber?"

I didn't want to do this, but I welcomed the coldness, the detachment. Despite having sworn to leave life as Amber behind and swearing that I would never become her again, there were things I needed to do. I had to protect them, my newfound family. There was nothing I wouldn't do to help them, even if it meant going back on my word. Doing anything to achieve an end was not something I was too fond of, especially in the way Rias' pack had used it. But when it came to this, there was nothing I wasn't willing to sacrifice, even, for a few moments, my humanity. I would rather be the one hurt, even dead, than see another of my friends in Ifan's position.

I shot forward, slamming into the grey wolf. His eyes widened as he sensed the shift in power, unable to move as I had him pinned, teeth poised at his exposed throat.

"Forfeit," I ordered.

"Kill me," he said.

Takis batted a smaller wolf away as though it were a tennis ball. I recognised him as the grey and brown wolf that had delivered the message to Rias when I was caught in that trap. Small it might have been, but I'd seen how quickly he could move. He had a similar build to Ifan, if you asked me.

"Argh, stupid little…" Takis was getting frustrated, swatting at the more agile creature. It was quite unlike him to talk during a fight, unless he was really annoyed about something. Camden was much more vocal.

I leaned down, ready to bite the throat of this nameless wolf. "Susan!" Who was that? I was Amber. "Susan!" Somehow the name sounded nostalgic. "Susan!" I flinched as I felt someone nip at my ear. Not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to get me to my senses.

"Lucian? What is it?" I saw the chocolate brown female he had been facing off against a few minutes ago lying belly-up, a large cavity open in her chest.

"Leave Paul to me; Mathis needs you," he grunted.

I scowled. "But I was just about to –"

"I've got a bone to pick with this one," Lucian responded. "Can't have him dying before I kill him."

Slowly I backed away, closing my jaws from where they had been poised to strike. Lucian wore a wolfish smirk. "Trust me Paul, by the time I'm done with you you'll be wishing Susan had finished you off."He turned to me. "Go help Mathis!"

Turning, I picked up on two scents – Mathis and Rias. They were close, but I couldn't tell how the fight was from here, although I estimated the fight was around 200 meters away. Rias would have wanted to draw away, so that it would be difficult for Mathis to call for backup. No, he would make it difficult for Mathis to receive backup, for the howl of a wolf could be heard from miles away.

I followed the scent, wind ruffling my fur as I ran. In my ear I heard Topaz's voice, telling me something, but I couldn't hear her. Was Mathis alright? Until now I had complete faith in his abilities, and I still did. I trusted him, but I didn't trust Rias. And that was the problem.

I hit the clearing, assessing the situation before me. Mathis was clearly the more wounded of the two, although he was standing his ground against his former Alpha. I padded forward, pacing around the monstrous wolf. Blood dripped into my eyes from my fight with Paul, but I shook my head to clear it. Mathis came around the other side, a slight limp in his step.

He looked at me. I looked at him. Then we attacked. Rias bellowed, rearing up and twisting. I sunk my teeth and claws in, attacking at anything I could reach at. From where I was I could easily see the marks Mathis had left on him. My limbs were burning, and I felt blow after blow from Rias rain down on me. But I didn't let go. I wouldn't.

Finally, with a long howl, the leader of the Aliath fell. Struggling, he managed to get to his feet, before his weight became too much for him to support and he collapsed to the ground. "Mathis…" he snarled, "you traitor! Mathis!" His eyes were wild and rolling in his head and his body convulsed madly.

"Leave him," Mathis said quietly. "He has no chance of survival."

Indeed, Rias had lost far too much blood. He wasn't going to make it. I fell in step next to Mathis. "The others," I said.

He nodded in response as we headed to where the majority of the fighting had occurred. According to Paul's body, or rather, the pieces of Paul's body that had been scattered on the path here, he had tried to come to his Alpha's aid. Lucian had ripped him to shreds, with pure brutality that had been bubbling under the teenager's surface from the moment he went into battle.

"Lucian…" Mathis sighed.

"I'm glad none of the younger ones had to see this." I said quietly. Takis would be fine, he'd seen much worse.

Lucian and Takis were already in human form. Takis was lying on his back, gasping, while Lucian sat with his back against a tree. Looking around, I couldn't see the corpses of Roxanne or any other of the deceased. Then I noticed the smell of overturned earth, and glanced to a pile of leaves. They'd buried the bodies.

"Ambulance is on its way," Takis said. "Topaz called them and said we'd been attacked by wolves. If only I had my baby I would take us to the hospital myself."

"Again with the car?" I noted wryly, nosing into the bushes to uncover my shirt and sweatpants. Not really cutting edge fashion, but who wanted to leave their designer labels lying around in the middle of the forest? They were ripped and slightly bloodstained as well, which would at least make our stories seem more convincing to medical personnel.

Tossing the satchel behind a tree, I quickly changed back to human form. I didn't bother going a few meters away into the thicket, as I usually did, because at this point I really didn't care who saw me. "None of you look!" I jibed.

"Keh, as if I would make that mistake again." Takis said. There had been one unfortunate occasion, a few months back, where he'd followed my scent on Ruairi's orders without realizing what I was doing. Of course, being Takis, he would never let me forget it.

"One more word about that accident and I'll key your beloved car," I mock-threatened. Takis was a bit like a brother to me, and this sort of bather was normal for us.

He gave an exaggerated gasp. "You wouldn't!"

Lucian cut through. "Mathis, stop looking."

"I wasn't looking! I'm facing the other way!" Mathis insisted.

"Tsk tsk, since when did the Electrum Alpha become a Peeping Tom?" Takis chided. I could almost hear his eyebrows wiggling.

"Susan, what's his number plate?" Mathis asked, jingling a ring of keys.

"No! Not my precious! I'm sorry O Great Alpha! I didn't mean it! Just don't hurt my beloved! My one and only! My precious baby!"

"It's a car, Takis. Get over it," Lucian deadpanned.

Throwing on my shirt, I marched out from behind the tree. "Alright, what's going on?" I wasn't being a hundred percent serious, but I still would have really liked an answer to my question.

Lucian looked over at me and smirked. "Just pulling your leg, Susan," he shrugged. Well, it wasn't a full-on grin, which would have been creepy coming from him. But it was something to see him making jokes.

Sirens wailed, growing closer with every second. "The ambulances are here!" Takis declared. "Everyone, look injured!"

"That should be difficult…" I said sarcastically.

I heard a voice coming through the transmitter, not Topaz, but Lee. "Take the receivers out. Topaz has gone to the hospital with the others, so she'll see you there."

"Where are you right now, Lee?" Mathis asked.

"Topaz sent me home to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Are you guys okay? Mathis? Is everyone okay?" So that was what the strange background noises had been about.

"Yes Lee, we're all fine," Mathis said, trying to ease the worry in the kid's voice. "Just watch your Mutant Ninja Teenage Turtles and we'll see you soon."

"It's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!"

Mathis pulled the transmitter out and rubbed his ear. I hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him since before the fight began. He was badly injured, but nothing looked like it would leave permanent damage. Somehow, no matter how far he had been beaten down, he still looked like a strong leader. A leader, who somehow looked at me as an equal. It was at times like these that I admired him, but felt maybe the slightest bit of insecurity about how much I deserved my position in the pack.

Then again, even if I didn't feel like I deserved it, all I could do was become someone who did. Determination washed through me. This was very different to my contributions to the Erate pack. Back there I would come and go at Ruairi's request, picking up his mess. And everyone there could take care of themselves, with the exception of Xochil who was under the constant watchful eye of all the pack members. But here we had Lee and Topaz and Ebony and Yvette. They were all children still, as much as some of them liked to pretend otherwise.

"Hello? Are you alright?" A flashlight beam shone directly into my face. I squinted back, seeing the familiar uniform. Beyond a few bushes I could see the blue and red flashing on top a white vehicle.

Takis groaned loudly. "Help!" he called weakly.

Lucian put a hand to his forehead in exasperation. Trust Takis to milk it for whatever it was worth. He probably earned his right to lay around moaning though, I'd seen the remarkable contributions he'd made during the fight.

Mathis looked up at the man. "We were hiking and didn't realize how territorial the wolves were," he lied calmly.

A group of emergency service workers strapped Takis to a stretcher, loading both him and Lucian into separate ambulances. "This is the third case of wolf attacks today…" I heard one mutter. Turning to me, he asked, "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, I…" Taking a step, I gasped. The wound I had received when caught in the trap had reopened and was weeping blood. "…apparently can't."

Mathis and I were ushered carefully into the final ambulance. He shook his head when offered a stretcher, and I was half-carried by one of the paramedics. We were both given emergency treatment, the woman introducing herself as Loretta. Neither of us lay down, both electing to sit in the back of the vehicle. Feeling slightly numb from the painkillers, I wondered if I'd have to call my family. This was something I didn't want them worrying about. My family would probably freak, although Jan would probably wouldn't pressure me once I made it clear I wasn't going to share.

"Susan…"

I opened my eyes. "Hm?"

Mathis reached over and lightly touched my hand. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Surviving." That was the thing about Mathis. He could express so much in a few simple words. It wasn't that he didn't talk much, it was just that he made every word coming out of his mouth meaningful.

Loretta the paramedic and her somewhat sullen co-worker wheeled us into the Emergency Room via wheelchair. We were separated, and I had my wounds cleaned by a nurse. It took a long time for her to make sure all the dirt and grime was cleared away. The worst of the damage was on my back and stomach, with several deep claw marks along my collarbone. I winced as I felt the needle move in and out of my flesh, sewing together the torn skin. Fortunately though, the scratch on my face did not require stitches, and the nurse assured me that it wouldn't leave too bad of a scar, if any. Although she couldn't make promises for the other injuries.

I was provided with a pair of crutches once my ankle was firmly secured, in a similar way in which Isra had treated me in the tent. I was also told that I had to return them once I could walk on my own. As if I would steal it, it wasn't like my home above the ballet studio had enough room to keep a random pair of unused crutches lying around.

"Susan!" I heard a feminine voice call my name. Recognising it, I was suddenly encased in a giant hug. My crutches clattered to the floor. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

"C-Charmaine…" Behind her I saw Topaz sitting in the waiting room, tapping her feet anxiously against the floor. I smiled at her, although breathing was a slight struggle. "Um…I can't breathe," I wheezed.

"Oh, sorry!" she jumped back, handing me my crutches. "I was so worried and I wanted to help when I heard you were going to confront Rias, but Isra and Ruairi said I couldn't go and when Topaz gave me the call and said you were in hospital I got here straightaway but oh my God is everyone alright because you're my best friend and I love you to pieces and by the way this is all over the news about the three wolf attacks in one day and I can't believe no one was killed but Ebony and Camden are still with the doctors right now except Cam's in surgery a-and they aren't really sure if h-he's going to m-make it –" her run-on ramblings were cut short as tears filled her eyes and started to run down her cheeks. "I-I just wish I could have been there to help!"

I reached over and placed an hand on her shoulder – the only place on my body that didn't seem to hurt too badly. "Charms, you have helped. So, so much. You gave everything you had into defending the pack, and even now you're here to support us. There is nothing more you can possibly give us." I remembered how broken, how battered she had looked after the first fight, barely alive. How could she think that was not enough?

A rolling sound across the hospital floor caused both of us to turn. "Takis…?" I asked, seeing the young man in the wheelchair.

"Yep, it's me alright," he said, offering a weak smile.

"You're in a wheelchair!" my best friend exclaimed, stating the obvious.

Takis stared at Charmaine flatly. "Hello Charmaine. And yes, I am." It was almost as though he was unhappy with her being here. Now that I thought about it, Takis always seemed to behave a little coldly around Charms.

But there was little time to contemplate this, as a nurse approached me. "Are you Susan Viljoen?"

I nodded in response. "Are my friends okay?"

"Both Camden Loker and Ebony Miles are out of surgery. The former should be awake, you may talk to him now if you wish."

"And Eb…?" I asked worriedly.

"His condition is critical, but stable, and we'll need to keep him here for a few days while he recovers. Currently he is resting, but if all goes well he should be up and about in a couple of days." That was the thing about doctors and nurses, they had to tell you the truth. They wouldn't tell you everything would be alright, if they didn't know for certain if it would be. And there was nothing we could be a hundred percent sure on.

"Hear that, Charms?" I asked, turning to face my friend once more. "Huh? Charms?" It seemed she had vanished from my side, darting down the hall as fast as her injuries would allow. Takis and I followed after, the other werewolf turning down my offer to help him manoeuvrer the wheelchair. For someone who had only been using it for a matter of hours, he was pretty good at it, easily keeping up with my pace. Takis' expression was stony, lacking any traces of his trademark grin. As we rounded the corner, I saw that we weren't the first to hear the news. Yvette and Topaz had already beat us there. It was such a relief to see them alive. We had all made it through, although not without sacrifices.

"Cam!" I heard Charms cry, rushing up and kissing him full on the lips.

The two younger girls stared in surprise. I gave a small smile. When someone you love was on the brink of death, it made people realize all the things they never had the chance to say or do. Live as though each day was your last. Cam had always been adverse to change - change in personality, change in possessions, changes in relationships. He did things the way he always had, and kept things they way they were. It was good to see that he had finally made an exception for Charmaine.

The door swung shut, indicating Takis' departure. Probably a good idea to leave now and give them some privacy, at least before they got a bit too enthusiastic. Come on, I mouthed to Yvette and Topaz, quietly ushering them out the door. Although I doubt Cam and Charms would have even heard us had we been screaming across the room. They were just off in their own little world.

"Camden is sure slow on the uptake," Alexandra remarked quietly as we reached the open corridor.

I shrugged. "Well, there always was something going on between him and Charms, it was just a matter of time." Yvette and Topaz had run off, lingering in the waiting room for news about Ebony. It seemed that the bratty little kid had sustained the worst injuries out of all of us.

"I wasn't talking about Charmaine."

"Then…" My eyes widened as I remembered the cool manner of speaking, the abrupt departure, the pained expression of worry. "Not Takis?" Now that I thought about it, it made an eerie amount of sense. "He told you that?"

"Didn't have to." Alex shrugged.

"Since when…?"

"A while. Three years, I'd estimate."

I frowned. "Alex, you didn't know them three years ago."

"Didn't have to either. Anyway, I'm out of here. Exams are coming up and I don't have the liberty of waiting around in a hospital."

I sighed. I had not spent as much time around Ruairi's pack as most of the other members, electing to venture wherever I willed on my own. Even though I still kept close connections and built friendships with the other wolves in the Erate, there was still a sense of distance between us.

Although I knew vaguely of what they were up to, the little snippets of gossip and minor details always seemed to pass by my ears unheard. Charms had been the one to keep me up to date on all those things, but it was the tiny incidents, the ones that were brushed aside as nothing, that had been the little clues.

Probably because I hadn't been there to see the day-to-day life and workings of the pack. It had been a strange sort of feeling of belonging, but at the same time not belonging. Of course, I was greeted, welcomed, whenever I had arrived there, treated like an old friend they hadn't seen in a while.

But at times it was as though I was merely a resource at their disposal. That had been the cost of our alliance. I had been committed to them, but being with the Electrum was not the same.

I looked again towards the waiting room. Through the glass I could see Takis, slouched over with his head in his hand. Topaz had sat down next to him, resting a hand on his arm. She may have been young, but she had always had an uncanny ability to pick up on things. Like how a parent or sibling always seemed to know when someone was upset. Jan did that to me all the time. There was so much I kept secret from him, so much he knew he didn't know. Even though I knew he found it frustrating, Jan had respected the fact that there were things I couldn't tell him.

Although now I thought about it, why was it that I was a wolf and no one else within my biological family? There was no doubt in my mind that my parents were my parents, so there was no need to go on a Jerry Springer-esque search for my relatives. So what could it be? A rare genetic mutation? A bizarre cycle of reincarnation? Exposure to a radioactive wolf? Thinking about it wasn't getting me any closer. It was making me dizzy.

This is what happens when you overanalyse things, I reminded myself.

Everyone I had spoken to here, had simply exchanged a few words and gone on their own way. Feeling something pull the back of my hair, I jumped and whirled around in surprise."There are better ways to get someone's attention, you know!"

"I'm sure there are," Mathis laughed at my reaction.

I rolled my eyes. Silly, impulsive, idiot. But I guessed that made me the sillier one for being so attached to him. And guess what? I didn't care. Everything I did was always carefully thought out, I hadn't wanted to rely on backup when I was flying solo all those years. I never told anyone where I was going, or where I was planning to go. Didn't want to mess up, or to be rescued.

Everything I did was because I couldn't afford to make any mistakes. It was still embarrassing how Mathis had rescued me like that, but his personality was refreshing, and surprising. He could be mature and serious, when the situation called for it. But there was an upbeat charm, a sort of charisma, that had remained untainted no matter how hurt he was by his former pack. I guess that was something that drew me to him.

"Then why pick that, then?" I demanded jokingly, patting down the now messy part of my hair.

"No reason not to."

And so the battle of wits commenced. "You and your roundabout dialogue…"

"Hah, you love it."

"Keep dreaming."

Mathis looked as though he were about to reply, but he was interrupted by a loud beeping sound. "What the…?" he muttered, rummaging around in his pockets.

Seconds later, I felt my own pocket buzz. Couldn't exactly have it set to ring when it was hidden in the middle of the wilderness. That wouldn't be too good, especially if someone found it. Pulling my phone out, I realized there was a new message. Pressing a few buttons, I went to my inbox.

Right at that moment, my phone decided to die. Of course.

Stupid thing. I know I charged it the other day! It was getting a bit old though, so the battery life barely even lasted a day. I was saving up to buy a better one, but progress had been slow, even with the cheap rent above the ballet studio. Assuming Mathis had received the same message, I watched his reaction. "Who is it?"

"Lucian, I think." he muttered, snapping it shut. "Number was private, but he more or less texts how he talks." Figures someone as reclusive as him would hide even his caller ID. It hadn't seemed to be anything of too much importance though. My mind was still a bit scattered from the fight, but I was beginning to pull my thoughts back together. Things like this tended to leave people a little dazed. I wondered how the younger ones would be taking it. Ebony had by far sustained the worst physical injury, but just to think about the mental trauma imposed on a mere thirteen year old was gut wrenching.

Even though Ebony had been nothing but an annoying little brat, I couldn't help but take a liking to him. There was a nice kid under the rude and crass outer shell. No one was ever who they were in our world.

There was always a rift, I had noticed, between our world and theirs. There were wolves, there were people, then there were wolf-people who belonged to both, and at the same time, neither. The only people who could possibly be expected to understand a werewolf on their level was another werewolf. They were the break in this double life, and it was a relief to know you weren't the only one facing the challenges of living it. The lives would intertwine, would complicate, to a degree that nothing could be understood without the full picture. A full picture of which most could only catch fragments of.

Such was the nature of the truth. In the end, what we considered the full picture, were simply fragments of an even bigger one, beyond our comprehension. No matter how someone tried to reach, there was always something further on, just out of their grasp. It was fallible too, twisted and distorted and buried until deciphering it was next to impossible.

"Um, I'm sorry ma'am, but visiting hours are now over." One of the nurses addressed me timidly. She was young, so young that it felt especially strange to be called ma'am.

"Oh, sorry, we were just leaving." Mathis assured her, casually throwing an arm around my shoulders. The nurse scuttled off, wheeling a trolley ahead of her. Everyone was packing up, including the doctors who were heading home while the next shift took their place.

Just another day. For all of us.