Awakening (2 book series)
Awakening – Following Fate Chapter 115

"We need you to put it aside and help. You're part of the pack here and you three can be more use if you go rally your friends and family to Colton's side. Look at me.... You know who I am. I was here until only a few weeks ago, so don't give me your bullshit and act like you were the only ones. I lived here; I know what went down. I'm telling you to s**k it up and stop acting like sulky babies." Carmen walks around to the front of all three and stands with her hands on her hips, jutting out her jaw while swishing her hair back with a flick of her head. "We've suffered too. We've been fighting and hiding, and we've had our own losses. You chose to stay here so don't put that crap on us. Cut the bullshit attitude and show some respect to your saviors."

There's silence for a moment as they stare her down and then break contact and all three look away. Clearly recognizing her and knowing what she says is truth, but that high strung wolf gene is hard to dampen. I can feel their fire dying a little and look around me to double check there aren't more to contend with. It seems these three were patrolling near the manor, probably scouting for supplies or maybe sightings of Juan and have no one else with them.

I notice the camera is focused on us and no longer moving around, so someone is watching this scene unfold and I second guess whether these boys are with Juan or not. Whoever is controlling it is interested in what's going on here and I wonder if they have audio too. I have an urge to wave and throw them the bird.

"Look. You say Juan is the enemy, then help. He's in there, right? Watching. Holed up like a coward and letting his people suffer. So get up and do something about it. We're here for the same purpose." I aim for a level tone, a hint of warmth in my words and pace around to get eye contact as best I can while ignoring the spying technology. I notice how Radar watches my every move and that the guards follow me closely with a severe stench of mistrust for what were once their brothers. It makes my heart bleed to feel the distance between blood like this and scowl at the manor with a quick glance, at the man who did this to them. A once superior pack and yet we lay crumbled in ruins this way.

"Get up and die by the hands of vampires? None of us are healthy enough to do very much. Isn't that obvious by how quickly you took us down. We are living like wild wolves nowadays, hunting and foraging to survive. Juan uses the frequency to keep us weak." He shifts enough to nod at one of the speakers up high and I turn and lock eyes on what he's motioning towards. Confusion at his words invading my thoughts.

"What?" I quiz and glance back and forth trying to understand. "What do you mean?"

"You don't feel it? I guess you haven't been here long enough yet. The frequency, it has another pitch in the notes and exposure over time dampens our strength and ability. He's making sure we can never take him down and are too feeble to even escape this place." Taemin rolls enough to stare at that same speaker and in unison Carmen, Sierra, Radar, and I all turn and stare at the black box hung up about forty feet in the air and scrutinize it for a moment. A sudden tense quiet as we all take a moment to digest this. "So your saying the villagers are all weak right now, and that .... up there.....will weaken the rest of us before long?" I blanche and scrub my fingers through my hair at my temples, suddenly worried and instantly afraid. My heart lurches into my mouth and Radar and I gawp at one another as a problem suddenly hits us.

"Nailed it. We have no strength, and our speed is almost nonexistent. Look at us...we can't even heal properly, we're all sick. Juan really knows how to hurt his own kind." Aiden loses all fight and seems to cave into a disheveled heap under Radar, a long sigh as he gives into the fatigue overtaking him.

"Oh my god." Carmen verbalizes my gut reaction. A moment of panic sets in and I glance around at my comrades, meeting equally shocked expressions as all our minds go to the same place. Colton, we have a problem.

I link him in desperation as visions of vampires taking down our strongest flood my mind and am suffocated by the sudden nausea and fear that we just walked ourselves into a trap set by Juan. He can't regain power over his people, but he surely won't mind seeing them all die.

He's pumping out a tone to disable wolves, yet if we turn it off then the frequency to counteract the vampire's weapon will also be useless. It's a no win either way and now as the noises drift towards us on the wind of a full throttle war being raged in the valley, start to wonder which side is actually winning.