A loud knocking jerked Sapphire from sleep the next morning causing her to groan low. She could feel a searing pain spread thinly through her head as she stretched her limb on the bed, trying as much as possible to blur out the loud racket that had woken her up from the deep slumber she had so dearly needed.

Sapphire buried her face in the pillow, grumbling out incoherent words, she was disgruntled at the fact that someone had even dared to trouble her by this time of the day even after she had warned the wolves not to wake her up, she had even gone further and had instructed everyone else not to trespass down the halls her room was located.

The loud knock continued, growing louder and more urgent as time passed and with a groan, Sapphire yanked the bedsheet over, ignoring the burning pain that passed through her muscles and down to her core, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

Her feet wobbled and shook as soon as they touched the floor, the stinging effect of the heat traveling through her body, but she ignored this and pulled the sweater that lay draped upon the back of a chair, quickly shrugging it on before stretching her sore limbs.

The night before, she had slept curled in a desperate means to ease the roaring pain that had crept through her lower abdomen. There were no words to describe how she felt, she felt sick but she knew that wasn't the case, she hadn't been sick for years, hadn't even caught a cold in the coldest of winters but here she was with a burn in her body, growing hotter and hotter as the days passed.

The loud knock continued and Sapphire hissed as she stomped towards the door, her lips pressed in a thin line and anger rising through the pores of her skin.

She yanked the door open and came face to face with a clearly disgruntled and nervous pack member, but she wasn't paying attention to his ragged breath or how he was struggling to draw air into his needy throat, rather she was focused on the way the cold air swept across her body.

It felt refreshing and had somehow managed to ease the burn she felt inside.

Her eyes snapped back to the male who was still struggling to catch his breath and her eyebrows popped up. "What do you want?"

On normal days, the male would flinch at how firm her tone was, but today, he was more afraid of the situation going on downstairs than the rage of his Alpha.

"The council...." he drew in sharp intakes of air before continuing. "The council authorities are downstairs with a warrant for your arrest."

Her eyes shot up. "What?!" She was shocked, the council authorities had to come to her pack to arrest her? She didn't understand why? She hadn't committed any crime that would warrant them barging into her park unannounced.

"Beta Ryan and Gamma Axel are trying to hold them back, but they refused to leave unless you come—."

As if brushed by the hottest iron dipped into molten lava, she felt the shock disappear and rage fill her body, shaking her to the core as she ignored the still speaking male and marched downstairs.

She ran through a flight of stairs and stopped when she noticed the scene unfolding before her. Two men dressed in the royal robe were trying to force their way upstairs but Ryan and Axel had stood their ground, blocking their path, their teeth's were bared and snarls were erupting from their chest, they knew they didn't have any power against the royal council, their ranks overshadowed theirs, but they were trying their best to fulfill their duty to their pack, a vow they had taken to protect their Alpha at any cost.

"Step back pup, we are only here to do our jobs," A male from the group said earning a growl from Ryan.

"And I'm also doing my job, which is protecting the Alpha. You already asked to get her and we've sent a wolf to get her, so it would do you well to wait till she gets here so we can clear up this misunderstanding." He bared his teeth at the male.

The male huffed. "A male such as yourself having to hide under the shadows and take commands from a female. How pitiful."  The commander hadn't failed to notice how Ryan's body turned rigid at the insult directed at him, but he ignored it, suddenly noticing the change of air around them.

His head snapped behind them to the female who stood motionless, eying the scene before her. His eyes squinted as he tried to get a better look at the female who has got everyone's attention across town. The Alpha everyone seemed to fear, he couldn't see what was so special and scary about her, she looked the same to him, but as he saw her began to move, her shoulders raised in confidence and head snapped up in authority, he sensed it.

It was faint, almost like it was being suppressed, but it was still there. The darkness everyone talked about, the cloud of evil that hovered over her. He took a step back, trying to get himself away from the power, it was too raw, even for a royal wolf such as himself, but as she draw near to where he stood, he knew there was no going back.

"I see you finally decided to join us," The male said trying to ignore the severity and harshness of the power oozing out of her. He hadn't gone through all those years in training to grovel at the feet of a woman.

The look of familiarity flickered through Sapphire's eyes as she eyed the familiar male before her. He was just the same as he was years ago, except for the slight stubble on his jaw. He hadn't changed one bit. His blonde hair was still as golden as ever, slicked to the side in his signature style, the one he was always so proud of and often boasted about it being his charm in enticing girls.

"Why are you here Haider?" Sapphire finally said, arms folded across her chest.

"Is that the way to welcome an old friend," Haider smirked, knowing fully well how irritated she was with him, but he wanted to push her buttons, doing so had always been fun in the past and he just couldn't resist.

"Welcome? You are in my house dressed as one of the council's authority, how do you expect me to welcome you?" Sapphire snapped, teeth clamped together.

The male flicked a finger under his jaw, "You are right. I'm not here for pleasantries, but to do my job," he eyed her for a few more seconds, before reaching out into his robe and pulling a scroll that had the royal seal on it.

He turned the scroll so that it was facing her before saying out loud, "What you see here is a warrant for your arrest. I have strict orders to not leave this place unless you come with me to face the council's judgment."

Sapphire snapped her eyes shut, racking through her brain to find a reason as to why the council would want her arrested. She hadn't done anything to warrant that, hell, she hadn't even done anything against the council's rules, but she knew better than to struggle. The scroll had the royal seal and no wolf could go against that, not even the strongest.

Amid all the thinking, Sapphire didn't notice when Ryan had walked up to her, she didn't notice his swift movements until he had grabbed Haider by the collar, pulling him against him.

"She is not going anywhere with you." He breathed into the male's face, but the male did nothing to free himself from Ryan's hold, instead, he looked almost amused at the turn-out of the whole situation.

"You haven't changed one bit you know, Ryan. Still the same as ever, always having to run behind Sapphire and trying to act all brave and protect her, but where were you when she left with me that one night."

Haider knew he had pressed and he had hit the right button, Ryan was sure to react and that was what he wanted. He wanted to rattle him up and see what the male was capable of. If Ryan hit him, then he could easily pin him down for attacking council authorities.

Ryan's fist left the males collars and they were up in the air within seconds, but before he could throw a blow in, Sapphire roared. "Stop it, Ryan and you,"

Her eyes snapped to Haider who still had a smirk grazing his lips, "I know what you are trying to do, but it's not going to work." She breathed in slowly, walking up to where both males stood.

"I'll go with you," she finally said earning a growl of disapproval from Ryan.

"You aren't going anywhere, Saph. You know Haider, he is not to be trusted and for all, we know he could be making this whole council crap up just to take you with him." Ryan rambled, trying to get through to his friend. He hoped with everything in him that she trusted him when he said that the male before them was not to be trusted, he had betrayed them before and Ryan would be damned if he allowed him to do it again.

"Ryan," Sapphire sighed, her silver eyes, looking almost defeated. "He has the royal seal with him, no one can forge that, you know it."

Ryan grumbled and grunted, marching over to her and taking her hands in his, "Sapphire, I've known you my whole life, you couldn't have done anything that would warrant the council's intervention. He is just trying to fool you."

The male, Haider finally sighed, not finding any more fun in the scene unfolding before him, "Honestly, I appreciate the nice words you have to say about me, Ryan, but she is right. I'm not here to fool anyone, I'm here for official council business, it's not supposed to take this much time, but you guys are just filled with so much drama as always."

"And I hate to be the one to break this bubble, but you have to come with me. We are running behind and I'm only this nice and patient because we are old acquaintances but you need to come now or I'm afraid I'll have to take extreme measures."

He was serious and Sapphire knew it, Haider had never been one to toy with words. She had opened her mouth to speak when she felt the other male with Haider come up behind her and before she had any chance to react, she felt cold metal against her skin, clasping around her wrist.

"What do you think you are doing?!" She turned around, growling and snarling at the other male who had dared to place a cuff around her wrist. The disrespect and guts of the male to even dare that irked her wolf and she could feel her shuffle within her, slamming hard at their barrier. She was hungry for blood, and Sapphire was afraid that if she didn't retain control then there would be a blood bath. She didn't want that.

Haider and the other male with him passed information across one another, ignoring the raging Alpha before them, Haider didn't want things to turn out this way, but at the same time, he knew that the male wasn't wrong in cuffing her.

"I'm sorry but these are the rules. The cuffs are necessary to restrain you and to ensure that you won't try anything funny the way there."

Ryan fisted his palms, trying hard to fight the urge to punch the ugly smirk off the arrogant male's face. He has dared to cuff his Alpha, his friend. The guts of the man.

"Haider, let her go!" Ryan roared as his claws came out, drawing blood out of his palms, but he ignored this, concentrating on the male before him.

"Aww," The male cooed teasingly, "The little dog is trying to imitate the wolf. How cute, but try again, this time make the roar louder, and maybe I'll listen to you."

Ryan could fall rage pass through his body and shake him to his core, "How dare you?!" He growled in between clenched teeth, taking quick strides towards the male.

Tired of the constant back and forth between the males, Sapphire growled and this shook all the wolves on the ground, their steps faltered as they took stuttered and shook, trying to stabilize their feet. "I already said I'll come with you so stop with  the damn drama, and uncuff me so we can see what it is this damn council wants from me!"

"Rules are rules, Sapphire. The cuffs remain on since you have a reputation for breaking rules, most especially since you are a criminal."

Haider said before turning to the other councilmen, "Take her to the Van," he said as two more councilmen marched in and proceeded to get behind her, tugging at her arm painfully and pulling her towards the door.

Sapphire struggled against their gold, her canines quickly elongating and tearing into her lip and eyes slowly changing to a stormy color with clouds over hen which signaled that her wolf was struggling to come out. She hated being retained especially not by wolves she could easily trample on. She has been ready to go on a blood bath when she noticed her sister standing at the edge of the stairs. Her mere appearance was enough to snap her back into reality.

This time, she didn't fight, didn't struggle, instead she let them drag her away, her eyes remaining locked in on her sister's as she saw what she assumed was worry washed through her orbs. She had said she would protect her, and protecting her also entails keeping her away from the monster she knew she was.

As the males pulled her away, Sapphire could see Ryan struggling to get to her, growling and snapping at the male who held him bound but all his efforts proved fruitless as the councilman's hold on him didn't loosen in the slightest. He was helpless.

So with head bowed in defeat, Ryan stood, eyes snapped to the ground as he watched them drag his friend away, and an unsettling pit growing in his stomach.

He had failed her.

———-

Long time no see. Hehe. It's a new year and I want to take this opportunity to wish all my wonderful readers a Happy New Year. I hope you and yours are doing fine and the year has been going well for you all.

Here is a new chapter to help celebrate the new year. Since the year has begun, I would like to say that I'll be releasing a chapter every week from now on. On Wednesdays. Cool right?

So see you all next week.

Love you...