Chapter 19

((EDITED 5/22/2016))

((Dedicated to Jazma43 for making me a book trailer without me even asking! I'm including it in this chapter so you all won't miss it, even though it goes best with the very beginning of the story. Check it out!

Sorry for any errors!))

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I shifted back into my Wolf as soon as Gabriel was out of sight. She was itching to turn around and run back to our Mate, but I held her firm. It was easy enough for her to forget the consequences and go with her instincts, she was an animal. As the human side of our consciousness I had to look into the future and worry about what would happen to us.

I contacted my family and Alpha Brett as soon as I was safely inside our pack borders. My parents' shock was tangible as we mind-linked, but I detected a palpable sense of relief there as well. No doubt they were surprised that Gabriel, the "Alpha of the enemy pack", had let me go at all. Before I had gotten to know him I wouldn't have blamed my parents for thinking that way. Now, I found that it irked me. There was so much more to Gabriel than met the eye.

Then again, he had done some cruel and heartless things in the past. I knew there was still a rough and darker side to him that he didn't expose to me, his Mate. It was something I would have to accept if I were ever to be his. The thought of belonging to Gabriel and only Gabriel sent a shudder up and down my spine; not an altogether unpleasant feeling.

I caught a whiff of familiar scents after I broke the mind-link with my family off. It was the border patrol of my pack, fast approaching. I stopped where I was and waited patiently for them to arrive. As the three wolves broke through the undergrowth and circled me, I could see the surprise evident in their eyes.

Skylar! That was Jack, the Beta, his brown and white Wolf towering over my own as he sniffed me cautiously. His confusion translated over the mind-link as he questioned me for an explanation.

It's a long story, I replied, somewhat vaguely, lowering my silver head out of respect for his authority. I do have some information on the vampires I'd like to tell Alpha Brett.

On the run I had been planning what to tell him, making sure Alpha Brett would not think I was leaving anything out so that he would not pry. I had to avoid the Command at all costs; I couldn't possibly fight it, and I would hate myself if I broke my promise and revealed Gabriel's secrets.

He cocked his head, considering, and surprisingly didn't push it. How long will you be back?

I'm not sure.

That seemed to perturb him even more. His eyes flicked to my neck, where he clearly realized that I had no Mating mark. The mark would translate from human form over to our Wolves. Now Jack knew that Gabriel and I hadn't completed the process.

He jerked his head to indicate I join them. Saying a quick hello to the other wolves, I noticed how they looked at me with caution and wariness. I hoped this wasn't a common theme among the other pack members. Leaping after them, we set a steady pace that led us back to the pack village as the sun sank in the sky. The necklace of protection still hung around my neck, much tighter now that my neck was thick and furry, almost too tight. I glanced around as the darkness fell, praying it would be enough and that we'd make it home safely.

---

Thankfully, nothing leapt out of the darkness to attack us as we finally arrived at the pack village. Home. Perhaps I was just being paranoid. Even so, my Wolf's fur was bristled and on alert as we exited the copse of trees and made our way to Alpha Brett's house. Just out of sight of the others, we quickly shifted back into human form before approaching the three figures that stood there.

My mom immediately leapt at me, enveloping me in a tight hug that smelled of oranges and vanilla. I nestled my nose into her shoulder, inhaling the comforting scent. It had been too long since I'd been around her. As my father joined her in the hug, I realized just how much I'd missed everyone.

Yet, even as I reunited with my pack members, I felt the hollow ache in my chest as I missed him. I just couldn't help it.

Alpha Brett approached me after I reassured my parents that everything was okay and shared another tear-filled (on my mother's part; she cried over everything) hug.

Like the border patrol wolves earlier, his eyes were hooded. Cautious. I noticed that the Alpha's face looked tight and drawn as if he'd been through a lot of stress while I was away. Or perhaps I had just failed to notice the lines of stress before. I felt a pang as I realized a lot of Alpha Brett's stress in previous years was due to my Mate and the Black Mountains Pack, and the problems he dealt with now could also be traced back to Gabriel. After all, it was he that the vampires were after.

"Welcome back, Skylar," the Alpha said, although his voice was a bit tense. I dipped my head and respectfully greeted him.

"I know you're tired, but would you mind telling me why you're back so soon? You're always welcome here as long as you are a member of this pack, but with recent...circumstances, it may not be in the pack's best interest for you to keep running back and forth."

I felt my cheeks redden slightly at the implied admonishment. "I'm sorry, Alpha. It's just...with the deaths in the Black Mountains Pack and the vampires on the loose, Gabriel and I had a minor disagreement. There's a lot of...turmoil in their pack right now. And I wanted to be back here and help protect my pack while those bloodsucking creatures are around." It wasn't really a complete lie, and hopefully he bought it.

Alpha Brett studied me for a moment, realizing how vague my answer was. To my great surprise, he didn't pry.

"Very well. But you'll have to make a choice soon, one way or another. You can't keep your feet in both packs."

I nodded, realizing how similar his words were to Gabriel's. "Yes, Alpha."

"We are having a meeting tomorrow evening. I expect more details then. Many members of our pack will be there to discuss the vampire situation. I need you there so we can get your input on the creatures, as you've had the most contact with them."

I nodded yet again. It would definitely be a tricky situation, as Alpha Brett would want as much information on the vampires as possible. I would not reveal Gabriel's secret, but I still needed to provide my pack with some intel on the vampires, to help keep them safe. Plus, Raziel had said he would bring something to help our packs, more blessed items (or so I assumed). How exactly was I going to explain all of that?

With a few more words, Alpha Brett dismissed all of us. My parents stood close to me, for once not drilling me with questions, as we headed towards our house. Perhaps they could sense my exhaustion and inner turbulence. My father had always been excellent at reading me. I was pretty sure he could tell that I was having an internal struggle about something. Either way, I was extremely grateful that they weren't asking me for all of the details right now. However, I did notice their eyes boring into the side of my neck, assuring that I was not Marked. Soon enough I would have some serious explaining to do.

---

The next morning I was woken up bright and early by an excited, chipper, and unnecessarily loud voice.

"Skylar! Oh my gosh I've missed you so much....why didn't you tell me you were here last night? You could have come and woken me up!" Seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had woken me up from a deep sleep, Maria continued to prattle on.

I sighed in mild exasperation, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. "I missed you too, Maria," I replied dryly, "Although it's bit early, don't you think?"

I felt her weight on my bed and I was suddenly engulfed in a tight hug. "It's past ten, you dork, not that early."

I blinked, not realizing what time it actually was.

"Oh," was my intelligent response. I focused on my best friend's face, taking in her excited eyes and disheveled dark hair. She grinned cheekily, radiating warmth and true happiness at seeing me. At least she wasn't treating me with the same wariness as everyone else.

"So, why are you back so soon? You going to tell me everything that's going on?" She asked as I stood up out of bed, stretching.

I winced as everything came rushing back to me: Gabriel's secrets, the vampires, leaving my Mate standing alone in a clearing. I suddenly looked down at the ground, biting my lip.

"Oh...sorry Skylar. I didn't mean..." Maria frantically tried to backtrack but I shook my head, cutting her off.

"It's fine. I just...." I looked up at her, locking gazes. This was my best friend. I had to be honest with her. "Honestly, I can't tell you everything. It's complicated."

Her eyebrows drew together. "History?"

"I can't elaborate, but basically, it caused a sort of...rift in between us. Plus there's all the vampires causing havoc. I returned home to...clear my head. Think things over." Maria nodded in response, understanding dawning on her features. I was grateful when she didn't ask for specifics.

"So, you're deciding what to do about....Gabriel," she said quietly. I gave a half-smile; Maria had always known exactly what I was getting at. She was an excellent people-reader, which made her an amazing source of support when I was down. And the way she spoke about Gabriel didn't make it seem like she hated him the same way everyone else in my pack did. For that, I was grateful, even if she was faking it.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Well I have just the thing to cheer you up!" She smiled brightly.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh great, please not another night of clubbing. That didn't go very well."

Maria bit her lip, looking a bit guilty, and I felt bad for saying it, but she brightened before I could apologize. "Well...no. I was thinking we could go shopping this time!"

I almost grimaced at the thought of returning to that city again, but then stopped myself as I realized I was being cowardly. I had gone to the city hundreds of times while attending high school and nothing had happened. I couldn't let one bad experience scare me away from it forever. It was daylight, and I had the necklace.

Her eyes dimmed slightly. "But if you don't want to...I mean, I know last time we were there..."

"No, it's fine. I'd love to go," I quickly cut her off, not wanting to hurt her when she had that hopeful expression in her eyes. After all, she was my best friend. I wanted to spend time with her. Besides, we would be going in the middle of the day and I had protection. The vampires couldn't touch us.

---

The shopping itself actually was fairly therapeutic, I had to admit. Maria and I went by ourselves (surprisingly, I hadn't seen Will anywhere as of yet) to a quaint part of town with plenty of little boutiques. I had snagged a pretty big wad of money from the jar in my closet. My parents had made me work every summer between high school years and I'd even worked some after graduation to earn extra cash. My parents were really well-off but made me earn my spending money; but I had always been a frugal person, so the money was just sitting there. I had never known exactly what to do with it. What to do with myself. Most werewolves stayed with their packs or their Mates their whole lives, spending their time helping out with pack duties or patrolling the borders. Many of them worked part-time in nearby human settlements to earn the money necessary to get by in life.

Some werewolves, however, left their packs to integrate themselves in the human world. A lot of them went to college or traveled. Most wolves frowned upon such integration but a tiny part of me had always wondered what it would be like to go to college. Now that I had an Alpha as a Mate, however, I didn't think such things would ever be possible.

So, Maria had insisted that I bring a lot of the cash from my jar, and for once I didn't feel guilty about spending my hard-earned money. I hadn't bought new clothes in "far too long", as she so gracefully put it. Because of her insistence, I now carried a couple of shopping bags packed with new shirts and dresses.

We currently sat outside of a small café, sipping on caffeinated beverages and waiting to order lunch. It all felt so...normal, when everything in my recent life had been anything but.

"You okay, Sky?" Maria asked, affectionately shortening my name.

I nodded, aimlessly chewing on my straw. After keeping so much bottled up for so long, I really did want to talk. It was just difficult to pick which subjects I could discuss.

"Yeah...I don't know. It's just hard. My Wolf wants him, Maria, so bad. But because of his...um, history...there could be consequences if I Mate with him."

She was curious, I could tell. Her dark eyes were inquisitive. "How bad are the consequences?"

"Very bad. And there's about a fifty-fifty chance of them happening."

"Hmmm." Her eyes narrowed. I knew it was difficult for her to give me advice when she had no clue what was going on. "Well....that still means they're just as likely to NOT happen, right? Meaning you could potentially be perfectly fine and happy?"

"Yeah."

"But if you don't go for him at all, you have a zero chance of being happy. At least for a long time."

I lowered my head, nodding. "Exactly. But the potential consequences of Mating with him are even worse than the pain of just rejecting him outright." It was true, I thought. Rejecting him would be excruciating, but it would be a lot of pain all at once. If his Mark faded, it would be drawn-out torture, which in my opinion was a lot worse. I could go insane like his father.

Maria seemed shocked that anything could be worse than rejection. I could see the question hovering on her lips.

"But still, Sky. He's your Mate. I mean...I haven't even found my Mate yet." Her brown eyes looked briefly saddened, and I suddenly felt incredibly selfish. Here I was, lamenting me and my Mate's problems, when Maria hadn't even been given a chance by Fate yet. She was still very young and had plenty of time, but that didn't change the facts.

"You're right, I'm sorry, Maria. Let's talk about something else. I don't want to burden you with my problems," I quickly said. "How have you been?"

She frowned but didn't get a chance to reply before our waiter appeared.

"Sorry for the wait ladies, how can I help you?" He grinned flirtatiously, glancing from one of us to the other. I briefly studied him, noting his angular features and blindingly white teeth, before I quickly looked down and ordered. He had nothing on my Mate, I thought, sensing my Wolf's agreement. A blushing Maria, however, giggled a bit and stammered as she ordered her food. She had always been somewhat nervous around the opposite sex. I hid my grin as the waiter collected our menus and left with another flirtatious smile.

"See what I mean, Skylar?" She asked, staring at me knowingly.

"What?"

"That guy was pretty dang cute. But you barely spared him a glance. I know you and Gabriel have problems but you're still really hung up on him whether you know it or not."

Now it was my turn to feel embarrassed. I stared down at the table and didn't reply. Maria was right, and she'd definitely given me some things to think about today.

---

Several hours later, we all stood crowded in Alpha Brett's living room, waiting for the meeting to begin. I stood next to Maria and Will, the latter of whom had arrived late and given me a quick hello. His behavior was curt and strange, but I didn't have time to dwell on it now. I was worrying about what I would say to everyone. Half a dozen of the pack's best fighters were in the room, along with Alpha Brett and his family (including Anne), Beta Jack, his wife, and Maria, my parents, me, and Will, who was one of the pack's best trackers. This was a more exclusive meeting as to avoid worrying the remaining two-thirds of the pack, who Alpha Brett was trying to keep mostly in the dark about the whole 'vampire' thing until we figured out the details.

We formed a semi-circle around Alpha Brett, Jack, and my father. The living room was spacious enough to accommodate all of us but I still felt claustrophobic, for some reason. When Alpha Brett called order everyone immediately settled down. I felt my nervousness spike.

"Thanks for coming, everyone. As you all know we're trying to keep this mostly under wraps. Everyone else knows about the vampires but they don't know the finer details, just not to go out alone at night. We can't afford causing a panic right now, especially when we already have enemies like the Black Mountains Pack to worry about."

I tried not to wince as I heard the murmurs of agreement. The Black Mountains Pack was harsh, but they weren't the root of all evil; that spot was reserved for Cain.

"We need a better plan. Skylar recently told me that, during her stay with the Black Mountains Pack, one of their pack members was killed by the vampires, and it wasn't the first death there. While we have yet to be attacked, we've got to stay on our guard."

From there, Alpha Brett began to outline different border patrol plans, pulling out a hand-drawn map of the landmarks around our valley. The warriors and trackers, including Will, went forward to examine the sketch. It reminded me a lot of what Gabriel had done after Riley's death. Alpha Brett's plan was to double patrols, especially around the area of our territory nearest to the Black Mountains Pack, because the vampires were likely clustered there. After dark, no wolves were allowed out alone for precautionary purposes.

At one point I suggested to my father that Alpha Brett forbid ANYONE from going outside after dark. When my father brought it to the Alpha's attention, though, the idea was dismissed to my dismay. Alpha Brett insisted that in groups we were more than capable of handling vampires. Also, forbidding us from going out after dark would cause unnecessary panic, he said. We had no reason to resort to such extreme measures, leaving our borders open to the vampires and Black Mountains Pack after dark, unless there was an attack.

"Unless there's something else you should be telling us, Skylar?" The Alpha asked, after he gave me his reasoning. He must have seen my incredulous expression.

"Umm...well..." I stammered, not liking how all of the attention was suddenly fixated on me.

"You have been around them the most. Tell us everything you know." His tone was calm, but I sensed that he would have no issue Commanding me if I refused to obey.

I sighed. "I don't know very much. I heard they're in a large group, about fifty or sixty of them. Their leader is named Cain. He's one of the oldest vampires around. He is insanely strong and fast. He killed one of the Black Mountains Pack members in an instant before anyone could stop him." There. That should be enough to warn them of the threat, without causing more questions or revealing any information about Angels or Gabriel's history.

I left out the way he had left Riley's heart in a box, taunting me. That might lead Alpha Brett to ask why I was being taunted, and the next logical step would be Gabriel.

I couldn't have my pack blaming Gabriel for all of this. It wasn't really his fault, he couldn't control his heritage, and I knew it would infuriate Alpha Brett to no end and only cause a deeper rift between our packs. I had to protect my Mate, and distancing the two rival packs at this point would not be advantageous. It was probably what the vampires wanted.

"How do you know all of this?" Alpha Brett demanded. I tilted my chin up, preparing myself for a half-truth.

"I overheard a lot of things when I was kidnapped. And the Black Mountains Pack did reconnaissance...I overheard some of it." I hoped my expression was convincing. After all, it wasn't a complete lie.

Alpha Brett was sitting in a chair leaning over the map, and he tapped his pen on the table, eyes narrowing in contemplation. "Do you think they would deliberately hide anything from you?"

"No," I replied firmly. I was sure of the fact that Gabriel wouldn't have put me in more danger by deliberately not telling me something.

"I don't think there's any way for you to know if they left you out of the loop," he replied coolly. I didn't like his tone, but I attempted to understand his viewpoint and remember that to him, the Black Mountains Pack was the worst enemy.

"In fact, maybe they're taking advantage of the fact that you came running back here. Maybe they provided you with false information." The room had grown absolutely silent.

I knew that wasn't true, but I couldn't explain HOW I knew it wasn't true, so I instead replied, "Gabriel wouldn't do that."

Alpha Brett snorted and I bristled, not liking his dismissal of my Mate's honor. "You're a bit blind to his faults, Skylar."

"I'm not. I just know he wouldn't lie to me about this." I couldn't believe I was arguing with an Alpha; perhaps spending so much time with Gabriel had changed me, made me braver.

"I think he'd lie to you to protect his own ass. And to hurt our pack, leave us vulnerable."

My Wolf growled and I tried not to let the sound escape. "Gabriel isn't the problem here! The vampires are the problem!"

"I know what the problem is," Alpha Brett seemed agitated now, and he narrowed his eyes at me. "You would be wise to stop arguing with me."

"You would be wise to stop blaming the wrong person!" I snapped back before I could help myself. I saw my parents' eyes widen with horror and my blatant disrespect. I instantly wished I could take back my words.

Alpha Brett snarled. "See what I mean? You're already turning into his little pet. I can't even be sure of your loyalty anymore. You never really clarified why you left. How am I supposed to trust you?"

I stared daggers at him, feeling my skin prickle, infuriated at the implication of disloyalty. I said nothing, but my look expressed it all.

"We've heard enough from you, Skylar. Get out. Now. We will have a talk later, just you and I." There was no room for argument; I heard the Command in his tone. Seething, I turned to leave, sensing my parents about to follow me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my father turn to Alpha Brett, opening his mouth furiously.

"Silence. Both of you are staying here," he demanded of my parents, using the Command in his tone again. I growled, low in my throat, before roughly shoving through group of people in the living room on my way out. I ignored their stares burning into the side of my face. I was nearly overwhelmed with frustration; the Black Mountains Pack may have been the problem before, and once upon a time I would have agreed with Alpha Brett, but they clearly weren't the problem now! He was a horrible Alpha if he couldn't see that!

I strode out into the fresh air. It was late evening, and darkness was fast approaching. I clutched my necklace, glad of its warmth. I didn't feel like the vampires were anywhere nearby, but it was still good to have protection. Outside of Alpha Brett's house I paced back and forth, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. I had never been a short-tempered person but insulting my Mate was apparently a fast way to get me riled up. I inhaled the fresh air, letting the scent of home soothe me.

I just couldn't help but feel Alpha Brett was dealing with the wrong problem first. I knew the Black Mountains Pack posed no threat to us until the vampires were gone. Cain was much more frightening than Gabriel at the moment, Mate or not.

Lost in thought for several minutes, I almost didn't notice the set of footsteps approaching me.

"Skylar!" I recognized Will's voice as he strode up beside me, breathless. I noticed I had walked nearly a block away from Alpha Brett's house with my fevered pacing.

"Hey, Will," I muttered, embarrassed at the scene he had witnessed. "How did you get out?"

"I snuck out as soon as I could. Your parents couldn't leave and Maria's father was watching her. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine." I sighed, letting my shoulders droop. "I just...I feel like he's dealing with the wrong problem when he's trying to blame the Black Mountains Pack for everything."

There was understanding in Will's blue eyes, but also a slight bit of aloofness I wasn't used to. It was like he was intentionally distancing himself from me, but I wasn't sure why.

"I know. But look at it from his point of view. I know you see it differently now, Skylar, but for years we've been basically at war with the Black Mountains Pack. You know how big of a toll stress has taken on Alpha Brett over the years? It isn't easy for him to just....move on."

"I'm not asking him to move on. I'm just asking for him to be a good Alpha."

Will's gaze flashed with surprise, then hardened slightly. "You're saying our Alpha isn't competent?"

"He just isn't acting like he should right now."

"Easy enough for you to say."

I glanced at him, surprised at the bitterness in his tone. "What do you mean?" I demanded, feeling my agitation rise again.

Will shook his head, raising his hands in surrender. "Look, Skylar, I don't know. It's just that Alpha Brett may not treat you the same way he did before. You aren't..."

"I'm not what? A member of this pack?" My anger surged again. I hadn't been Marked by Gabriel yet, and I sure as hell didn't feel at home yet among the Black Mountains Pack wolves, so technically speaking this was still my pack.

"Well you probably won't be for long." The sheer amount of bitterness in his tone was bewildering.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Will. You make it sound so easy, like I'm just going to go from one pack to the other in a heartbeat."

"It probably will be easy. I saw the way you looked at him." Will seemed angry now, his bright eyes darkening with emotion.

"Well, it won't be easy. And of course I look at Gabriel like that. I can't help it, he's my Mate."

Will winced as I said the word, 'Mate'. This only served to irritate me further. "What, Will? Are you going to give me that look like everybody else does? Condemn me for having Gabriel as a Mate?"

"He's a tyrant, Skylar. You deserve so much better."

My Wolf snarled furiously and I clenched my hands into fists, glaring at Will. I had no idea what had gotten into him. I had never seen him behave like this. "That just shows how little you know," I spit out. Nobody would insult my Mate and get away with it. My Wolf wouldn't allow it.

"I think I know enough about him. He's already changing you."

I glared at him. I'd had enough of this. "You know what, Will? I'm not going to deal with this, deal with people telling me I'm changing or becoming disloyal to the pack. It's really none of your business."

"I'm your friend, Skylar. I don't want that asshole ruining you."

"DON'T TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT!" I, or, more appropriately my Wolf, snarled at him. I was sure my eyes had darkened as my Wolf fought for control. She was already hurt and agitated, and everything tonight had brought her crawling to the surface.

Will took a step back, looking hurt and horrified at the way I was speaking to him. I didn't care, though. I had enough going on and I didn't need my pack members turning on me. Without another word, I turned away from Will and strode off into the gathering darkness, trying to fight the Shift from happening. I needed to go home, back to my parents' house. That was the only place I'd feel comforted right now.

What had gotten into me? I couldn't help but feel that being so far away from my Mate while the Mating bond was still developing was only making everything worse. What was I supposed to do?

---

---

~~~~~~~~Maria's POV~~~~~~~~

The meeting only lasted about thirty minutes after Skylar left. I felt like the altercation had made the mood in the room uncomfortably tense, at least for some of us, so I was grateful when Alpha Brett called it a night after a few more instructions.

Sighing and rubbing my hand against my forehead, I made my way outside. I felt bad for Skylar, I truly did. She would never be disloyal to this pack or any pack, and I couldn't help but feel like she had a point. From what she'd told me, the vampires were to be taken very seriously. Then again, Alpha Brett had been dealing with the Black Mountains Pack's viciousness and Gabriel's heartless attitude for years. He couldn't be expected to just assume their innocence because she said so. I doubt he'd be able to shift his focus from Gabriel being the 'bad guy' unless he saw the vampires for himself. I hoped he wouldn't have to.

My mother and father had stayed behind, along with Skylar's parents, to discuss more with Alpha Brett. They were the highest ranking in the pack so it was their responsibility. I hoped my parents wouldn't turn on Skylar, too.

I caught a whiff of a familiar scent on the breeze and I narrowed my eyes through the impending darkness, spotting Will's figure. He was pacing back and forth, shoulders hunched. As usual, I felt my body warm slightly upon seeing him. I couldn't help the spark of feeling I retained for him, even though he was not my Mate. I sighed; I really needed to get over the petty childhood crush, but I knew I just couldn't until I found my significant other.

"Will!" I called out, quickly approaching him. He turned to face me and I immediately sensed that something was wrong. His face was drawn and tense and his eyes hollow.

"What's going on?" I asked, concerned. He turned away from me, hiding his face.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," he said gruffly.

"Does it have anything to do with Skylar?" I asked, remembering the way he'd followed her out. I felt a small pang of jealousy, knowing he still felt very strongly for her. I couldn't blame the girl though. She had no idea.

Will huffed and didn't reply, which gave me my answer.

"What happened?" I asked, repeating the question after a moment when he didn't answer.

"Maria, I said I don't want to talk about it!" He snapped. I blinked, taking a step back, feeling hurt at his rude reply.

"Well you don't have to take it out on me," I replied defensively. "I was just trying to help!"

"Well, that's what I was trying to do too. But apparently I suck at it, because Skylar screamed at me and stormed off," he muttered.

"What did you say?"

He was silent for a long moment, resuming his pacing. "...I argued with her about Gabriel. Told her he wasn't good enough for her, and said that he's an asshole."

"Will!" I gasped, shocked, not believing he'd say that about her Mate.

"Well it's true!" He snarled, spinning to face me, eyes boring into mine. "He'll never be good enough for Skylar!"

"That's just your opinion. Fate obviously thought they were meant to be-"

"Seriously, Maria, do you have to rub it in my face?" He demanded, blue eyes snapping. Underneath his anger I could see the deep pools of hurt. He and Skylar had never fought, and he wasn't sure how to handle his emotion.

"Will, look. I know you like her, but she isn't your Mate." I tried to be kind about it, but the words came out more abrasive than I'd hoped. Will's expression quickly morphed into one of horror.

"You mean...you...." He stuttered. Belatedly, I realized I'd never confronted him about his feelings for Skylar before. There had never been any need to. However, since she had left he'd been quiet and withdrawn, just not himself. I'd been wanting to approach him for a while.

"I've known for years, Will. Ever since you two kissed."

He kicked the ground roughly, frustration evident in the line of his strong jaw. "Does she know?" I shook my head in response and he continued, "She never liked me then."

I sighed. "Will, she wanted to wait for her Mate. After you two kissed, she realized she wanted to wait for that one special person."

He gritted his teeth. "He's not very special if you ask me."

"Don't be jealous. The least you can do is be supportive of her-"

"JEALOUS? Wow Maria, you really know how to make me feel better about things. Thanks for your support," he spit out.

"Support?" I bristled at his condescending tone. "Will, I've always supported you! You're my best guy friend! Don't take this out on me!"

"You have no clue what it's like, being obsessed with someone, knowing they'll never feel that way about you."

I looked down at the ground, the words spilling out before I could help myself. "Actually, I do," I whispered, so quietly that he barely caught it.

He glanced at me sharply, startled. "What?" His eyes bored into mine as I looked up, and I felt captivated by their depths. I felt my heart rate speed up, but I couldn't take the words back.

"I do know what that's like." In the background, I heard the light padding of feet and Anne's scent washed over my nose as she approached us. I registered her voice as she called my name but I ignored it, focusing on Will.

"But...who...?" He asked, clearly lost, and that hurt most of all. He really had no idea. He really didn't think of me that way. It had always been Skylar, and it always would be until he found his Mate. I felt a stab of rejection and I looked down again, biting my lip.

"You never noticed. You're just like Skylar in that regard." I heard his sharp intake of breath, felt his incredulous piercing orbs fixated on my face.

"Maria..." he started, clearly unsure what to say.  Anne had reached us now and looked back and forth between us, clearly having heard the last part of her conversation.

"Don't worry about it," I said, feeling the sadness well up. His dubious expression and lack of response confirmed everything. I knew then that I needed to walk away before I said something else I regretted or embarrassed myself more. Without another glance at either Will or Anne I quickly strode away in the direction of the woods, trying to fight down the rising sadness. Why the Hell had I even said that? Our friendship was probably ruined now that he knew! Things would always be awkward between us! I thought I heard them call after me but I ignored them.

Furiously wiping at my eyes, I strode into the thick trees. You shouldn't have done that, my Wolf chided, ever the motherly one. I could sense her concern through our link, her lingering affection for Will even though he wasn't our intended Mate.

I know, I whispered back, but that was all I said as I continued through the fringes of the forest, dodging through the thick undergrowth. There was a place I often went to think and I found it shortly, settling myself on the long, thick log. I let the sounds of the forest press in around me. For some reason, it seemed a lot quieter than usual. How strange.

Then the words of the meeting we'd just had came back to me, and the warnings not to go out after dark. Darkness had just fallen and I glanced up, biting my lip contemplatively. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I thought. My embarrassing confession to Will had eliminated my common sense.

I needed to go back. This was just asking for trouble. Before I could move though, there was a rustling in the distance that quickly grew louder, and I heard Anne's voice calling my name yet again. She burst through the brush, blonde tresses in disarray.

"I knew you'd be here! Why did you ignore me?" She demanded, placing her hands on her hips. Even through her haughty, arrogant stare, I could see the concern in her hazel eyes. Anne was rough around the edges but once I had gotten her respect and loyalty, she had always been my steadfast friend. When I was younger and had been bullied for being chubbier than the other kids, she had pummeled them for me. When I needed help with makeup, she was always on standby. She may not have the same compassion or patience Skylar had, but Anne was a good friend, in her own way.

She didn't like Skylar though, which had tested the limits to our friendship on multiple occasions. I had tried endless times to get her to be nice to Skylar but Anne had never been more than civil, if that. I'd always wondered if it was mere jealousy, or if Anne didn't respect Skylar because the latter let her compassion and insecurity make her into a pushover on multiple occasions, although she'd developed more of a backbone in recent years. Either way, I'd always wished they could just get along, but I'd never gotten my wish.

"Maria!" She screeched, staring me down.

"Sorry," I whispered, placing my head on my hands. Immediately the slender blonde looked contrite.

"So...you going to explain why you just confessed your heart out to dear William?" She came and sat down gracefully beside me.

"I don't know, he just...set me off. He was being really mean to Skylar, and when she left it upset him, and he took it out on me. I just....slipped."

Anne sighed, leaning back a bit. "It's getting ridiculous, anyways. Maybe it's about time the cat's out of the bag. Does Skylar know he likes her?"

I snorted. "Of course not. I swear, that girl is just oblivious to male attention of any shape or form."

"It's not like she's gotten that much before or she'll get anymore anyways, not now that she has that Alpha as a Mate." Anne spoke of Gabriel with disgust, but to my surprise there was another undertone to her voice. Was it...jealousy?

"Don't be rude, Anne," I admonished. I was too tired to deal with her petty feelings.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," she grumbled grouchily. "It's just...I never would have picked her as an Alpha's Mate. She's cute and all, I guess, but still." There it was again, the hint of jealousy.

"Anyways, let's not worry about her. Are you going to be okay?" She asked me, and this time I noted true sincerity in her voice. I stood up, brushing myself off. Darkness had fallen several minutes ago, and I trusted Skylar's judgment. We should not take our chances and stay out here.

"Yeah, but it's going to be awkward now. Regardless, it's dark, so let's head back. Sorry for bringing you out here. I..."

I was cut off by the sound of a loud twig breaking. I spun around, immediately crouching into defensive mode as Anne did the same, startled by the loud noise.

There was a blur of movement, a whisper of sound, and then all of a sudden I felt something harsh and cold wrap around me several times, binding my arms to my side. The sensation was immediately followed by a sharp burst of pain that could only be described as excruciating, intolerable. I opened my mouth to scream but something was shoved in my mouth, roughly cutting off the sound. I fell to my knees in agony, my eyes blurring with tears as I dimly registered what bound me: silver chains.

All of this happened in mere seconds. As soon as Anne registered what was going on, I saw her prepare to launch herself at the attacker, but before she could he was behind her, wrapping her throat and torso tightly with silver chains identical to what bound me and clamping a hand over her mouth to prevent sound from escaping. I had never seen anyone, other than Alpha Brett, move anywhere close to as fast as the attacker did.

My Wolf was howling in agony at the back of my mind but I couldn't reach her; the silver distanced me from her and prevented me from any sort of mental communication to let my pack know we were in danger. I was drained and weak from the kiss of silver but the agony went on and on as I felt my flesh searing and burning. I remained hunched on the ground, staring at Anne in desperation, too weak to move but just wanting something to stop the pain. Judging by the contorted look on Anne's face she was feeling the same way, but her body was held up from collapsing by the creature that stood behind her.

This was my fault. I'd blindly run out here after humiliating myself. I hadn't been paying attention to how dark it had gotten, and I had ignored Skylar's warning because I was too absorbed in my own thoughts. Stupid. Reckless.

Amidst my pain, my tear-filled eyes slowly flicked to his face and I took in his appearance in a matter of agonizing seconds.

He was very tall, very broad, very muscular, and likely a vampire judging by his unnatural pallor although I could not catch his scent. His hair was a light brown color and slicked back, his eyes an unnatural electric green-blue that stood out in the darkness. He looked to be in his late thirties but if he was a vampire there was no telling how many years he'd actually lived. He had a rather rugged bone structure with a wide jaw and stubble along his chin.

But I was not thrown off by his appearance, what perturbed me was his intimidating gaze. His eyes were glimmering with malevolence, and everything about his stance indicated that he was a predator. I could not ignore the aura of danger that emanated from him. If it weren't for the burning pain up and down my body, I would have paid more heed to the tremor of fear that ran along by spine. I just knew this man was somebody powerful. My Wolf felt it too, and recoiled into the back of my consciousness as far away from him as she could get. Snarling in pain, I bared my teeth at him, before realizing the gesture wasn't as intimidating because I was gagged.

An amused smirk graced his features. "Why, hello to you too, Dog," he said coolly, keeping his voice low. He glanced at Anne, who he was holding upright. "Unfortunately, my dear Maria, I'd hoped to catch you alone. But since she's here...."

Tears were streaming out of Anne's eyes as she attempted to struggle, but the vampire was far too strong, which made me even more nervous. She had Alpha blood and couldn't fight him off. I struggled against my burning restraints, groaning in pain, the sound muffled. I could feel my skin searing from the sheer amount of contact with silver. I was beginning to grow dizzy, unsure of how much more I could take before I passed out.

The vampire scanned Anne's face with disgust making his lip curl. "The Alpha's daughter, am I right?"

Anne growled against her gag, face contorted in pain.

"I didn't plan on finding you, but I suppose you could work to my advantage. However, since I know you won't come as quietly as I hope...." With one swift jerk, the vampire roughly twisted Anne's neck. There was a loud crack and the blonde collapsed on the ground, unmoving, neck broken and contorted at an odd angle. I gasped in horror, numbness creeping in as I stared at my friend.

"Oh relax, Maria, she's not dead. A broken neck won't kill a werewolf, you think I don't know that?" The vampire grinned cheekily, displaying a set of even white teeth. I had expected to see his canines exposed, but apparently he was containing himself. "She's just collateral damage," he continued, picking up Anne's motionless body and heaving her over his shoulder. Then, he approached me, his intimidating form towering over my prone position.

His electric eyes darkened. "As are you," he snarled, and the last thing I saw was his fist flying towards my face.

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I was unaware of what was happening; I felt a burning, an itching sensation, heard voices going in and out, registered my body being rested on something soft. I felt as if the silver was gone but I couldn't be sure. My Wolf was softly whining in the back of my mind. I couldn't help but feel like I should stay awake, away from the brink of sleep. I fought against the unconsciousness as I registered a presence near me.

Something warm gripped me and I felt strength flowing into my body, easing the pain, erasing the dizziness. Healing me. Seizing ahold of this source of energy, I welcomed it, allowing it to flow into my veins. With this form of comfort, I felt the sleep rush towards me, and this time it just felt right to fall into it.

So I slept.

I couldn't be sure how time was passing, but I nestled myself in the comforting blackness for some hours. Slowly, strength continued to trickle into me, although I still felt weak. I did not dream; instead, I was somewhere between true sleep and wakefulness. How much damage had the silver caused? The reminder of the vampire made me jolt and my eyes slid open.

I winced as light flooded in, but I quickly realized it was just moonlight, streaming through the window nearest my bed. I glanced around in confusion. My entire body was stiff and sore, and even the smallest movements hurt. As I absorbed my surroundings I realized where I was: the infirmary.

So they'd found me in time. They'd saved me...or, more accurately, Skylar's father had saved me. I glanced at the foot of the bed to see him resting there, eyes closed as he lightly slept. His face was pale and drawn and I couldn't help the feeling of guilt that assaulted me. It seemed as if he had truly drained himself helping me.

I half-closed my eyes again, my body still incredibly weak. It was a wonder I hadn't died, with all of that silver touching me. The vampire easily could have killed me, and Anne, too. So why hadn't he? With these troubling thoughts in my head, I began to doze off.

A quiet thump caused me to jump to wakefulness, or perhaps it was my Wolf, who was whining in agitation. My eyes sprung open and the first thing I saw was a dark figure, hovering over me. It was a vampire, with its fangs exposed, long dark hair hanging in its face. Its eyes burned with fury and disgust. I opened my mouth to scream but it quickly placed a hand over my face, stifling most of the noise. I began to thrash, glancing around desperately for a weapon, but my search halted when I saw what was happening to Skylar's father.

The tall vampire from earlier had one hand wrapped around Alexander's head and cupped over his mouth, but Skylar's father was making no moves to escape. I realized why when I saw the silver wrapped around his neck. I mentally began to scream for help, although hopefully there were wolves near enough to the infirmary to have heard my scream, despite the fact that the vampire had muffled it.

The vampire's other hand was gripping a syringe, to my horror drawing blood from Alexander, and in a quick movement the vampire had removed the syringe before replacing it with another, inserting something into Alexander's system. Alexander sagged in the vampire's arms, beginning to convulse and thrash due to whatever had been injected. All of this occurred in a matter of seconds and, sure enough, I heard approaching footsteps from outside the infirmary.

In the blink of an eye the two vampires were gone, escaping out of the open window. As soon as the hand was removed from my mouth I began to yell, the sound scraping against my sore throat. My body ached and I cursed my own weakness for not being able to fight the second vampire off and help Alexander. Alexander was so drained from healing me that he hadn't even been able to fight or warn the others. I felt another wave of guilt.

Within seconds Alpha Brett, my mother and father, and two others burst into the room and darted over to us. Alpha Brett took one look at Alexander before going over to him while my father rushed over to my bedside.

"Maria! Are you okay? What happened?" His eyes held thinly veiled panic, and he looked exhausted. Knowing my father, he'd stayed by me until Alexander had ordered him out.

"Vampires..." I croaked, and Alpha Brett quickly ordered the two other wolves to follow the scent. Inwardly, I knew they wouldn't find the vampires; they left no scent at all, especially the one from the forest. I shivered thinking of his uncannily bright blue-green eyes, oozing malevolence.

I ignored whatever was said next and allowed my gaze to fall upon Skylar's father, Alexander. He was lying on the ground, eyes closed, completely motionless. His skin had achieved an unnatural pallor and he'd finally stopped thrashing.

It didn't look like he was breathing.

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A/N:

A really long chapter, I know. It starts off the next plot arc so hopefully you all like it. Please leave a vote and comment.

I know there's no Gabriel in this chapter but he will make an appearance soon, so don't worry.

MULTIMEDIA:

Another picture of Maria >>>>>>

A book trailer that a kind fan made for me! I know it goes better with the beginning of the story but I didn't want any of you guys to miss it. I'll move it back to the beginning eventually.