When fate and worlds collide

05 | Defiant

"What do we have here?" the familiar voice that boomed over the noise made me smile as a young man stepped onto the crates, looking down at the group "a large group of Demon fodder!" he said sarcastically, but the group didn't know this man like I did, or his over dramatic sarcasm, causing a few to step back out of fear. The young mans eyes rested on me, his smile widening "And look what the Feral dragged in" he jumped down and sauntered over too me. I rolled my eyes at his dramatic appearance

"Are you in charge then?" Jax queried. I raised my eyebrow at the young soldier

"Me? Oh no my dear sir. Names Xavier, first General in this here Haven!" he swept his arm wide to indicate the Tower that loomed above us "We all serve, in return for the Tower, and the protection provided" he was always so over-dramatic

"When will we meet the person in charge? We have travelled a long way, and we have children that were transported here" Glen added, stepping forward. I saw Xavier look Glen up and down, raising an eyebrow at me before giving Glen a devilish smile

"All in good time, my friend" he walked back over to the crates and stepped up. I could feel Jax staring at me, his eyes practically burning a hole in my head. I wouldn't put it past him to have figured it all out my now

"I want to see my child!"

"Please, where are the children?"

"Where's my baby?" the group around me cried out in protest, the one thing that had motivated most of them to fight and keep going was being able to see their children, safe and alive at the Tower. I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of our Alpha, but after searching with my powers I realised he was no where nearby. I tilted my head back, letting out a sigh. I hated what came next.

"Aiyanna?" the General held his hand out for me to take. After glaring at him a moment longer I stepped forward, murmurs rippling around me as I stood beside the General. I hated this part. This was the moment I had been dreading, but there was no turning back. I looked out over the group, their faces a mixture of relief, hope and anticipation

"My name is Aiyanna. As you have guessed I am an Aura. This" I indicated the large building beside us "is the Tower. The safe haven you have searched for, it has been built over time by people like you, dedicated to creating somewhere we can live and thrive. We have been standing, without breach, for almost two years now" murmurs rippled through the group, nowhere had stood for longer than a few months so two years was almost like witnessing a miracle.

Jax glanced around, his face a mixture of worry and awe, but his eyes held so much relief I felt that in my chest. Glen pushed to the front, brows pulled together in a frown, I knew what he was going to ask before he even opened his mouth

"Why haven't we seen your face?" a couple of people looked from Glen to me, the same question in their eyes. I saw Jax whip his head in Glen's direction "I have kept quiet the entire time, in fear that if I spoke sooner, you would abandon us" he added angrily. My lip twitched and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes

"Not exactly the best thanks for saving you and your group, not to mention your children" Xavier said loudly, shifting the gun that hung on his shoulder; Glen eyed the weapon carefully "be thankful she even cared enough to bring you back here at all herself. Our rules are clear; we do not risk our lives for those of strangers outside the Tower, we are to give directions and that's it" the shocked look on Glen's face was satisfying. Xavier glanced at me briefly "lucky for you Aiyanna isn't one to follow the rules even if she doesn't have the best reputation with people" I turned my attention back to the group

"We provide food, shelter, medical aid and training to all that seek it. Here, we are not just surviving. We're thriving. Each year we grow stronger, bigger and more resilient than before" I looked around at the frightened yet hopeful faces "but we have only been able to achieve that through working together, as a team. As a family" Xavier leaned in, his voice low

"Great speech"

"I shouldn't be the one giving it"

"A little sour at taking the lead for once?" he grinned at me

"Shut it Xavier"

"You were gone longer than planned, your son was adamant about going and searching for you" I glanced at the General "Don't worry, I talked him out of it, but you know how he gets when you are gone for too long" I felt a sting of guilt in my chest. Even at the age of thirteen, my son was more determined and protective than I was.

"Where is Liam? He should be here to deal with this group not me, I haven't had a chance to assess them yet" Xavier pointed upwards

"He's been in meetings all day, no one has seen him. However, I have heard he's been cursing your name all day. Something about not following orders again" Xavier gave me a smile that didn't reach his eyes this time. I knew I was in for a world of hurt for going on another scouting trip. If Liam had his way, he would chain me up so I could never leave his side. I turned my attention back to the group, about to open my mouth to continued when an alarm blared out of the Tower above, practically shaking the air around us.

The entire area burst into activity, orders being shouted left right and centre. I looked at Xavier, frowning "Ferals have never attacked this late, they run the risk of being attacked by the nightmares" something didn't feel right

"While you were gone, we had two separate attacks around the same time at different parts of the wall. But they were just larger than a scouting party, too small to fend off even one Nightmare" he paused "it was as if they were testing our boundaries. They've never done before" my lips were tight as I stared at the General a moment longer

"We need to get these people inside and down to quarantine" I turned to the group, I stuck my fingers in the side of my mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle before raising my voice to be heard above the alarm "Alright listen up! You have two choices" most faces that stared back were covered in fear, this group would take longer than normal to train properly

'first: you can follow Krysten" I indicated to a petite woman that had just exited the Tower "she will lead you down to the quarantine area. This is a precaution and is for the safety of this Tower. Everyone who now resides here has gone through the same thing, your children will be waiting for you there. Or two: you can follow Brian" a man to my right stepped forward "and he will arm you with a weapon and you can man the wall like the others and defend the Tower"

I jumped down, not waiting for a reply from any of them. If they did not decide, they would be herded down to Quarantine regardless. I didn't have time to babysit or coddle anyone here, we all had a job to do and if our actual leader was not going to be here to do the job, I would. Xavier grabbed my arm as I saw Glen trying to make his way towards me, I quickly pulled it free, ignoring the slightly hurt look that passed his face. I had been hiding my powers from Xavier and Liam since we stepped back into range. I knew they would freak out if they felt how dangerously close I had been to losing control.

"Aiya, I heard what happened with the portal, the woman is currently under guard in quarantine. But are you going to be ok with this attack?" I looked around at the soldiers getting ready. Some of the men from the new group had already made their way towards the wall "at least let me pass some energy to you" he added, reaching for my hand.

I stepped back, if he gave me energy now he would see what I had endured the past two days, at how close to destroying myself and the entire area I was in. In turn it would also notify Liam, if he didn't know already, and I would be restricted from defending the Tower.

"I will not risk your concentration on me Xavier, there are enough Auras to help take the load" Xavier pulled his lips tight and gave me a look, I knew what he wanted to say; there were no Aura even close to the level of power I possessed "besides, I need to monitor the reason they have changed tactics, this is not normal Feral behaviour, a behaviour that changed after I rescued those two men and their group" I glanced at Glen, I didn't have much time before he was upon me "It's too much of a coincidence" I murmured. I could see Glen getting closer "now I'm wondering if my initial thought of leaving them to die was a better decision" I added. Xavier glanced at Glen, who was struggling to get past a few soldiers

"To be honest, when I saw him I was surprised he was still alive" he raised an eyebrow at me "from what you have told me, and small snippets I have seen, he doesn't deserve to be"

"As much as I would have loved to watch him become Feral food..." my voice trailed off

"Yeah, I get it. Can't imagine what's going to happen when he finds out" I regarded Xavier for a moment

"Regardless of what I want, he still has the right to know. And decide for himself" I turned and walked way. Glen shouted at me and I paused, half turning back to him

"Why do I have the feeling I know you, even since you rescued us there's something familiar about you" I stared at him, chest heaving and palms beginning to sweat as horrible memories tried to surface. I clenched and unclenched my fists as I tried to decide what I should do

"I'd hope so....we were married for six years" confusion then surprised raced across his face as I gently pulled my mask down, revealing my whole face to him. A name I hadn't heard for a long time drifted over to me and I felt my lip twitch. I glanced up at Xavier but he wasn't looking at me, his face was unreadable as he glared at Glen.

"wha...how....why? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I turned and strode away, ignoring his sudden angry protest at my retreating figure. I didn't have time for him, or his past, I needed to defend this Tower. I raced over and grabbed a few extra ammo clips for my handgun, strapped a dagger to my thigh and grabbed a couple of the special homemade hand grenades that were laced with wolfsbane. They didn't do much damage, however it did stop the creatures wounds from closing, which helped bring them down quicker.

I heard shuffling behind me and when I turned I was not surprised to see Jax standing there with a few other men; Glen was not among them

"We want to fight" I smiled as I tucked the ammo away into the pockets on my belt

"I hope these men can aim better than what I saw in that alley" I teased. Jax raised an eyebrow, smiling

"We are fast learners" I was about to answer when screeches sounded just outside the wall, another warning bell vibrating the air around us. I shouted orders, a soldier coming to help with Jax and his group as I raced over to the far wall and up the stairs.

The sight that met my eyes stole my breath; what the hell was happening?

Dozens of Ferals galloped towards the wall through the broken down street, the crumbling buildings raining debris onto the ground below and they scrambled over each other, their mouths open and dripping with drool as their teeth gnashed the air, hungry for flesh and blood. There were a lot more then a slightly bigger scouting party.

The light on the horizon was fading fast, and soon this whole area would be bathed in darkness, allowing the nightmares to emerge. And those creatures did not care what their prey were, they consumed anything in their path.

I felt Xavier stand beside me, his posture ridged when he saw the sight before us

"I dont understand. Why now?" something told me it was connected to saving those two men; did I reveal who I was? Did they somehow manage to figure out how strong my powers were? I had heard stories of Ferals hunting down Auras with strong powers, but I could never figure out why.

"Whatever the reason we need to kill as many as we can before nightfall, the last thing we need to be doing is fighting the Ferals and nightmares" I stated, pulling out my gun and firing.

~*~

Doc cleaned up the new gash I had on my arm, I could feel the Feral poison trying to work its way through my body, but my powers were eating it faster than it could be spread. Mainly due to the fact I had let me guard slip and Xavier had seen how weakened I was. Before I could stop him he had transferred some of his powers to me. I scanned the wounded, only two deaths and five wounded was definitely a victory but I knew I was in for a scolding from Liam for my idiotic actions. Not to mention what Rohnan would say. I sighed

"This will take a bit longer to heal, it was a higher level of poison that entered your system so while your powers are fighting that off, I'm afraid this will heal at a human rate" I glanced at Doc, his eyebrows drawn together as he stitched me up

"Thanks Doc" I murmured. I saw his eyes dart to my face

"It is I who should be thanking you, Aiyanna. What you did today saved five people" I scoffed

"Liam won't see it that way"

"If he did even half of what you do for these people, you wouldn't have to go throwing yourself between us and the demons" Doc said angrily. Doc had been with us since the beginning and I saw him as a very close friend. I would venture to say that he was a father figure to me.

"It still won't stop him from making an example out of me" Doc huffed

"The only example you need to give is one you have already given" he replied sourly.

We sat in silence while Doc finished his work. When he was done I rolled my shoulder, testing the limits I could move while the stitches were in. Doc gave me a look

"Don't go ruining my perfectly good work. It's not every day I get to patch you up my dear" I smiled

"One less patient to worry about Doc" I gave him a quick peck on the head and slipped from the bed "I'll be careful" I added as I walked away. I heard him chuckle behind me

"Yeah, and I'm a monkey's uncle" I smiled again as I left the infirmary. I was making my way towards my living quarters, I had briefly seen Rohnan after the fight and promised to go straight there once Doc had seen to my wound. I was halfway there when Brayden, a stocky man with a square face and jaw, thick eyebrows, thick beard and broad shoulders, stopped me.

"He wants to see you Aiyanna" he grumbled out. I folded my arms over my chest, not moving

"I'm going to see my son first" he didn't move

"He insisted you see him first; the matter is urgent" I rolled my eyes

"It's urgent even when he's taking a s**t Braydon" I went to walk past when the stocky man placed a hand on my shoulder. My stomach did flips as my body tensed "I really dont want to hurt you, not after today" I said coldly

"And I really don't want to get my ass handed to me either Aiyanna, but I have my orders. If I don't follow them, I get the punishment" my eyes flicked up to his, he might look big and scary but Brayden was a teddy bear. He would rather be helping in the kitchen or the day-care then shouldering the gun he had. I sighed

"Fine, but you need to go and tell Rohnan why I am late" I brushed past the large man and made my way to the top floor. With how spent my powers were, and the new feral toxin in my system, meant I had to make my way on foot instead of transporting myself to the top; too bad for Liam, just meant he had to wait longer.

As I neared the door to the 'war room' as he liked to call it, I could hear shouts from inside. Oh yeah, he was pissed. I stood there for a moment and ran through my options; I could return to my room and spend the rest of the day with Rohnan curled up on the couch, reading a book. Or I could endure the lectures and beratement I was about to receive. With my disobedience at leaving the tower again on a scouting trip, against his orders to remain inside I knew walking away would make it ten times worse.

I knocked on the wood, steadying my breathing as I heard footsteps walk over. As it opened Liam's angry voice spilled out, the look on the mans face in front of me suggested this had been going on for a while. I watched as his eyes widened slightly and his lips tightened; I was in for more than just a lecture.

He moved to the side and I cautiously stepped in. I scanned the room and noticed all the council members and generals were here, including Xavier, still bloody and dirty from the latest attack.

The chatter in the room quietened as all their eyes rested on me. Liam was halfway through a rant when he half turned to see what the interference was. When his dark eyes landed on me his body went ridged and his words died away.

Oh how he looked perfect standing there, sharp jaw, broad shoulders, piercing eyes. His body was perfectly toned that even his ass looked great. Even with the scowl that sat on his face he looked so good. I guess there are some perks of being the alpha.

No one moved, you could slice the air with how thick the tension was. I had placed my feet into a defensive stance, my whole body ridged as I waited for someone to speak. Liam opened his mouth, his deep voice held a tone I had not heard for a while

"How nice for you to finally join us Aiyanna" he growled. I resisted the urge to shiver

"I was tempted to make you wait a little longer, but I thought these guys have had enough of listening to your tantrums," I said sarcastically. The look that passed Xavier's face was terror. In a movement almost too fast for even me to see Liam was standing in front of me, my head whipped to the side and ears ringing, the sting of the slap following more slowly

"Do not speak to me like that after the little stunt you pulled" he hissed in my face. Tears from the slap stung my eyes but I didn't back away, memories from my former life tried to resurface, my old habits of retreat attempting to gain control. I gritted my teeth and shoved those feelings back into the box they had crept from and turned my burning eyes back to our Alpha, resisting the urge to return the gesture.

I knew if I attacked him back, it would cause division amongst the others.

"If you had been where you were needed instead of cowering up here, I would not have needed to" the look that passed his face was one of pure rage, but he knew I was right

"Everyone get out" he barked. With no hesitation, everyone except Xavier scrambled to get through the door. Panic at what would happen to Xavier if he didn't leave swept over me for a brief moment, that emotional switch inside twitching slightly "Are you deaf Xavier?" Liam turned his attention to the General, his Beta "I said get out"

"You're not in control Liam, why don't you leave this for another day?" Liam and Xavier had been friends before the fall, if it wasn't for that connection Xavier would already be dead.

"Don't question me" he growled "get. out" Xavier hesitated again for a moment, I could see him struggling against the command but in the end he obeyed, just like the rest. As he passed us his eyes were full of concern. I turned away and stared at Liam; I didn't need anyones pity.

Once the door clicked shut behind us Liam gripped me by the throat and pulled my face close to his, I grunted as I grabbed his arm

"Why is it that you are the only one that does not do as they are told?"

"Just because I bowed and gave you the Alpha title, does not mean I have to follow what you say" I wheezed out. A low growl sounded from Liam's chest

"You are mine Aiya, you became mine when I gave you my strength, you were mine when you gave me your body. You are mine and you are to obey" Finding my strength I lifted my legs off the ground and struck Liam in the chest, kicking outwards. The movement caught him off guard, causing him to release my throat and stumble backwards. As I fell, I lost my footing and tumbled to the floor before quickly scrambling to my feet.

I just managed to lift my arms and block his attack as he came at me, my eyes barely adjusting as my instincts kicked in. I parried his attacks, I knew I couldn't hurt him while I was already weakened, so running was my only option.

I scrambled across the table, scattering papers everywhere as Liam tried to grab hold again. I raced for the door to the balcony, knowing if I could get outside I would be fine. Two steps from the door Liam's body slammed into me, sending me flying across the room and into the opposite wall, cracking it.

The breath was knocked from my lungs as I crumbled to the floor in a heap, gasping for air. The beast inside Liam was winning, I knew what it was going to do and while my powers were fighting off the poison and recovering from the countless survivor rescues, I was defenceless.

His footsteps thudded over and he flipped me onto my back, his hand closing around my throat again as his lips crushed against mine, his body pressed against me and I could feel how aroused he had become from the violence.

Unwillingly my body responded to his, fingers gripping his sides and nails digging into his skin through his shirt, a small grunt leaving his lips at the pleasure-pain. My mind fought to gain control but the bond was stronger, forcing my fingers to find skin as Liam continued to grind against me, lust taking full control.

I had one more chance to stop what was about to happen, I just didn't know if I would survive it. Liam released my throat and sat up, his fingers fumbling with his pants button as his eyes glowed yellow; this was my chance. I bucked my hips upwards, causing him to lose his balance and fall sideways. I scrambled into a crouch, watching as Liam angrily scrambled onto all fours, teeth bared, canines elongated and eyes glowing brightly.

It was now or never.

As he lunged at me I did the same, ducking between his hands I wrapped my arms around his neck and legs around his torso. I felt my mouth warp as I let go of the barrier in my mind, freeing the beast for a moment as I sunk my teeth into Liams neck. My world burst into colours as all my senses were heightened, Liams sweet warm blood flowing down my throat.

It was even more intoxicating than the last time I remember, hints of hazel and chocolate mixed with cinnamon, the flavours always making me question why his blood tasted so good.

He gave a howl of surprise, jerking backwards as we fell together. A growl rumbled in my chest, the beast wanting more. Liam thrashed about, trying to free himself from my grip but my strength had surpassed his as I sank my teeth deeper into his neck.

Slowly he stopped struggling until I felt his human presence in my mind again, but now my own beast did not want to let go. It didn't want to go back into the dark box I kept it sealed in, or give up the intoxicating taste of blood.

Rohnan's face flashed in front of my eyes and all at once I released Liam, rolling away as I gasped for air, my jaw aching and throat burning; that was close. But at least Liam had stopped, it had been too close to him shifting and causing havoc in the Tower.

We lay there on the floor, the only sound was the wind whistling through the open window. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through my chest and I let out a weak cry, the feeling spreading down my arms and legs, paralysing me as the power from Liams blood spread through my already weakened body.

My vision blurred, sounds around me going dull as I started to lose consciousness. I heard Liam grunt as he sat up, hand on his head. He blinked a few times before his eyes focused on what he was seeing, realization dawning on his face at what just happened. He scrambled over to me, his once rough hands now gentle as he picked me up

"Aiya, why the hell did you do that"

"Rohnan" I managed to wheeze out. His Aura was the only one that matched mine enough to save me. I barely felt as Liam lifted me from the floor, the darkness swallowing me whole.