---Paige's POV---

Both Nick and I were shocked when Luke called us through the link. "Get back to the packhouse, NOW!" We screeched to a halt when the command blocked our joints, preventing us from going further. Wow, that was a new feeling for me. But strangely, the command didn't affect me as much as Nick.

Where I was just blocked to run further, Nick was actually lying on the ground from the cheer force of the command before he regained his self-control and stood up. We looked at each other with a question in our eyes.

"Was it just me, or did he sound really desperate?" I asked Nick. He shook his head while he turned around and we ran to the packhouse, saying "I've never heard him like this before..." Nick trailed off, leaving us both to our thoughts.

Soon after, we arrived at the packhouse, where we both quickly changed. Well, Nick changed and I walked inside in the brownish clothing I was wearing, due to my wolf furs color. I took deep breaths while I walked in, trying to figure out why Luke and Isabella looked like they saw a ghost.

"What the hell is she doing here?" someone half-yelled and I glared at Jacob. Instead of shouting back at him, like my pride demanded, I took a deep breath before I turned to Luke. "You called me?" I asked with a slightly confused tone.

Luke nodded, desperation clear in his eyes while Isabella seems to be...empty. She just looked fragile, like she wasn't there at the moment. I heard Jacob's hard exhale before I felt a new presence in my head, one I didn't want to feel right now.

"GET.OUT." I growled at him borderline animalistic and was rewarded with his shocked face while he took a small step back, shaking his head in disbelief.

Luke sighed deeply before he asked, "Can he stay? I don't want to lose any more of my family..." he broke in his sentence, sounding like a man who just lost everything and I stared at him. Where was the laughing, strong and confident Alpha that I had left a few hours ago?

I nodded sharply before I asked, "What's wrong Luke? I know that you wouldn't ask-" he interrupted me with a growl, not towards me but towards Jacob, who was still staring at me. He flinched slightly and backed away.

Huh, what was that all about?

"The hunters kidnapped Alexis while we were out in the yard sparring." Luke said, glaring at Jacob behind me. I was still blocking Jacob out of my mind, so they were probably discussing something over the mind-link. But that wasn't important right now.

Standing glued to the ground, my mouth opened in shock for a moment. Why did they do that? Luke saw the confusion on my face and was about to explain before I interrupted him with a hand gesture. "Not to be rude Alpha, but if they would stab me, just because I have a connection with your son..." I slightly trailed off while I looked at Jacob. He looked at me without glancing away, which surprised me. I rose my brow while I continued, "then the explanation can wait for another time."

The jerk's mouth dropped to the floor. Yes, I am talking about Jacob, that cheating, good-for-nothing....

Luke interrupted my raging monologue by nodding his head and saying "I need your help Paige. We followed the scent that took Alex," his face looked torn while he spoke her name and Isabella let out a small whimper.

"But it disappeared a few blocks from here, so we know that they transported her by car." Luke stated and I nodded, noticing that I began pacing to try and calm myself. "And you can't follow her now?" My question sounded more like a statement and Luke shook his head with desperation clear in his eyes.

I could feel Jacob's eyes on me, following my every move, along with that nagging feeling when he was close. It needed him to be closer to me, it was pulling me towards him. I nodded my own head while I kept pacing back and forth.

"Where would they take her?" I asked with a firm voice. Luke couldn't answer, he was trying to calm Isabella down; she had started to cry when the situation really started to sink in. Reluctantly, I turned to Jacob while I raised my brow.

"I-I assume that they would bring her to their mansion, about 2 hours running from here?" Jacob stuttered while he blushed slightly. I could feel his thoughts when his defenses briefly fell. "Why would she want to talk to me? Especially after-" his voice slipped away again when his defense came back up.

Swallowing the curiosity that started to well up, I just asked the next question, "And you can't attack them, because they would harm her?" My pacing quickened, getting angrier with the minute. If they would harm a pure soul....

Jacob's voice sliced through my thoughts, but it didn't calm me down. On the contrary; it put me on edge.

"Because Alexis is the Alpha's daughter, they will try to use her to force us away from here. If we would attack them to free her, they'll kill her without second thought." His whole posture was shaking while he growled hard. And I was thanking all the gods I could think about for that, because a growl of my own slipped over my lips.

"They'll WHAT?!" I shouted out, completely outraged. If Jacob thought he had seen me angry before, I didn't know what he was thinking now. He cringed while he stepped back, looking at me like I was a god or something.

I stopped my pacing immediately, thinking about the pro's and con's before I brought my hands up and pulled my necklace out of my shirt. Jacob's eyes were filled with curiosity, surprise and a sliver of lust when his eyes dropped a few inches.

Walking to the door, I noticed that Nick was standing next to it, looking at me intently. His face just screamed disbelief, pain and concern when he took a step forward. I interrupted him when he opened his mouth "Hold this for me until I'm back?" I asked while I held out my hand.

He looked at the necklace that I placed in his hands with a mixture of confusion and curiosity before he looked back up at me. "That's the only thing left of my mom. Lose it and you'd better hope that I don't find you boy." I said with a smirk, only half teasing. Nick smiled before he pulled me in a hug and quickly let go when Jacob growled.

"Be careful with that." I pointed while I walked at the door. Luke's voice caused me to turn back. "How are you going to find her Paige? We haven't got a trail..." I sighed while I glanced at Jacob, who was standing a few steps away from me. I focused back on Luke and frowned in concentration.

"A soul always leaves a trace behind." I said to him and his wife. "I can see her 'trail' so to speak. All I have to do is trust on my senses." I reassuringly said to both of them through the mind-link before I spoke out loud. "Trust me."

When he nodded at me, allowing me to leave, I turned around and crashed in Jacob's rock-solid chest. He stared at me with disbelief while he prevented me from going outside. Time was running out, if the hunters were vile enough to go after a child, who knew what they'd do to her , so I simply used my strength and shoved him out of the way before I jumped out of the house.

The fastest way was in my cheetah-form, but I could only take several sprints with that, so I decided that I would sprint at the trail now and change in cougar or wolf later. I only hoped that I could make it in time.

---Jacob's POV---

I was still trying to comprehend everything that happened when Paige walked inside, wearing some tight brown clothing. My eyes literally glued on her figure when she stopped a few steps from Dad and I realized something then.

"What the hell is she doing here?" I heard myself ask but in a completely wrong tone. I was still fighting my wolf, just to stop me from jumping her, so instead of asking nicely I just blurted it out.

Paige glared at me while she took a deep breath before she looked back at Luke. "You called me?" she asked calmly. Called her? Father hasn't spoken to anyone. But that would mean that he contacted her through the mind-link... She's part of the pack?!

I focused on her, trying to get a link and was surprised when I touched her mind. It was a calming sensation, her thoughts and identity luring me in. But some parts of her mind where blocked off from me. Strange... I reached for those parts, hoping to unlock them so that I could learn more about Paige.

"GET.OUT." her voice growled through my mind, harshly pulling my out of my stray thoughts. Shit, I really messed up this time; I was trying to pry in her thoughts while she didn't allow me. That was breaking one of the pack-laws. I shook my head in disbelief while I stepped back.

Father sighed loudly before he asked Paige "Can he stay? I don't want to lose any more of my family..." he broke down while mom shivered. I was shooting glances between him and Paige. Why did he need to ask permission? Was there something I didn't know? It's not that she's a werewolf, she's just a human.

I was thinking about this while Paige was saying, "What's wrong Luke? I know that you wouldn't ask-" when father interrupted with a growl, probably because I just thought about Paige being human.

"Do you really want to start this again NOW? While your own SISTER is in danger!" he growled through the link and I flinched, stepping away while I lowered my head. He was right, I should focus on other things but then again, I wanted to amend things with my mate.

"The hunters kidnapped Alexis while we were out in the yard sparring." Father explained to Paige while he kept his eyes on me, speaking through the link "We'll talk later."

Paige froze on the spot, confusion spread all over her face. Father went to explain but she cut him off with a gesture "Not to be rude Alpha, but if they would stab me, just because I have a connection with your son..."

I felt my stomach contract, while I thought back at that. God, I wish I had been there to stop those hunters. Paige looked at me for a moment several emotions swirling over her face before she pulled her eyebrows up in surprise, turning back to Luke.

"Then the explanation can wait for another time." She said and I stared at her in shock. What was she doing? We couldn't go after them; they'd just kill Alex in front of us. I kept thinking about it, not really paying attention to the conversation when I saw mom break down.

Father hushed while he tried to comfort her and Paige turned to stare at me. What did she want? "She asked where Alex could be. Where are you with your thoughts Jacob?" Nick said softly while he came in behind Paige. He looked at the Alphas with sympathy in his eyes before he leant against the wall.

Paige was still waiting for an answer and raised her brow, so I quickly stuttered "I-I assume that they would bring her to their mansion, about 2 hours running from here?" my mind was almost on stand-by modus, literally shocked my little mate. I could barely answer her questions.

I could faintly hear her ask why we couldn't get Alex, but she made it sound like a statement, so I explained anyway. "Because Alexis is the Alpha's daughter, they will try to use her to force us away from here. If we would attack them to free her, they'll kill her without second thought."

Growling at the thought, I clenched my fists together. But if I thought I was mad.... I was stunned when she snapped, looking at the ground with pure hate in her eyes. I cringed lightly while I glanced at Nick and the others, but they were as shell-shocked as I was.

Wow, I really did get a good mate. Who cares if she's human, I mean look at her; if she would look at me like that, hell, even being the son of an Alpha I would surrender. Even father would surrender when she looked like that.

I wasn't paying attention to anything that they were saying but I noticed that she pulled a necklace up. It was a small, golden tree, which held a small emerald with its roots. I looked at her with a small pang of concern in my heart because she seemed reluctant to let go of it.

My gaze dropped for a second or two but it was enough to drive me crazy. She moved to her brother and gave him the necklace, speaking to one another in soft murmurs. I stepped a little closer, standing in the doorway now and heard her say "That's the only thing left of my mom. Lose it and you'd better hope that I don't find you boy."

I laughed internally; man she was good. I really needed to figure her out, so I could make it up to her. Suddenly Nick pulled my mate in his arms for a hug and my wolf growled loudly. I felt slightly embarrassed but being an Alpha, we were 'slightly' overprotective over our mates.

"That didn't stop you from bullying her before..." My wolf snarled lowly, making me flinch and hunch my shoulders in reflex.

She walked towards me and stopped when father spoke up, saying, "How are you going to find her Paige? We haven't got a trail..." Paige turned around, frowning a little, what made her look cute. "Trust Me," she simply said before she crashed into me.

My wolf was fighting for control while I stared at her in disbelief; did she really just say that SHE was going after those hunters to get Alexis back? What was she going to do? Flirt them to death? My wolf was desperately trying to convince me to pin our mate down until she came to her senses.

Next thing I know, I was tumbling to the ground while I heard the sound of quickly retreating footsteps. I looked up shocked while I stared at Nick and my parents. I knew Nick didn't touch me, Paige did; the moment before I flew to the ground I could feel a slight tingle on my arms.

"What the fu-" I started but Nick smirked "Language!" I growled at him while standing up, not in the mood for jokes. Fuming, I turned to dad, ready to explode but his look quickly calmed me down.

"We will explain, AFTER she comes back with our daughter." He said, a sliver of hope in his voice.

---Kale's POV---

I walked up the stairs slowly, letting the footsteps echo through the hallway. Letting go of the wooden banisters in my hand, I walked towards the furthest room in my mansion. I was in a haze, feeling victorious since the moment Damon called me with a simple "We got her."

Grinning wickedly, I noticed that the feint heartbeat at the end of the hallway was going up quickly. This was what I desperately needed: power. I pushed the door open, revealing an empty chamber with a holding pen on the end. Inside it was the jewel of the pack: little Alexis.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in." I said while I walked in. The kid let out a small whimper while she pushed her back in the corner. I could smell her fear already and smirked. This was going to be amusing.

"You know, when I asked my men to kidnap you, I didn't think that your parents were so careless about you. It took them about, what, ten minutes to get you out of there?" I said while I watched Alexis's face pale. Her eyes widened in fear, and I loved it.

"Tell me, pet." I sneered while I stood against the iron bars that separated the rooms, "Did your mommy or daddy ever told you stories about me? About my family?" I slightly moved my head to the side, curious about her answer. She bit on her lip but didn't reply. Fine, if she wanted to play that way...

Alexis screamed when the dagger lodged itself in the wall right next to her ear, still swaying from the force I used to throw it. "Alright sweetie, let's try that again shall we?" I purred while I opened my coat and pulled out another dagger.

I started to play with it, letting her focus on the metal that was twirling in my hands while I spoke, "If I ask you a question, you answer it straight away." The blade stopped moving in my hands, "One slip up, my pet, and the next dagger will be aimed at you." I looked at her terrified face. "You understand, pet?"

Alexis was trembling with fear but she quickly nodded, her eyes never losing sight of the silver dagger that was twirling in my hands. I laughed loudly, who knew that those dogs could learn so quickly. She was going to hang on for a while, I could tell.

"As I asked before, did your parents ever spoke of us?" I whispered while I stepped towards the door of the pen. Alexis quickly shook her head while she hugged her little knees.

I smirked while I opened the door and walked over to her, pulling the dagger out of the wall, showing it to her in the process, just to remind her of what I could do. "Well pet, we were once like you. We were werewolves, but we were sick of hiding." I said while I walked around in her cage.

"My great-great-great-grandfather was an Alpha back then and he decided to pursue the humans who lived in his village, so that we wouldn't need to hide anymore. We were strong, they were weak, simple as that." I murmured while I picked up the chair and flipped it around.

Sitting down on it, the chairs back turned on the kid; I folded my arms over the back and stared at her, amused by the small tear that rolled down her cheek. "But of course, some of us were having seconds thoughts. Your own ancestors were against the idea and stopped my ancestors from doing what they wanted to do."

Playing with the daggers again, I pretended to throw one at her and received a satisfying screech while she ducked, shivering over her body. My lips curled in a cruel smile before I continued.

"Your ancestors called several others to help them; Soul shifters searched for corrupted souls, wolves would capture us but the witches..." I hissed while I stood up and pressed a knife against her throat.

"Your ancestors asked other unnatural creatures to take away our wolves, they made us what we are." My face was inches away from that kid before I smiled and walked away.

"So don't you worry my pet, you will see your parents again...if you can survive in here that is." I grinned before I slammed the door shut behind me.

---Paige's POV---

The wolf pack I found several weeks ago was running with me; they caught my scent while I ran as a cougar and they followed me, helping me in the process. Wolf language was tricky, because all of the subtle movements, but I could understand most of it by now.

One of the younger wolves came running back, his tail lowered in respect for me.

Interesting smell. Wolf-girl and non-wolf-metal scent. He said, nudging my muzzle with a submissive whimper before he looked back at the place.

I grinned at him before I looked at the Alpha-pair, lowering my head at them.

"Thank you, brothers and sisters from the pack" I said to them before I ran off. They howled behind me and I felt warmth creep inside me: they were howling their pre-hunt howl, a ritual for good-luck.

I quickly came to a halt when I saw the mansion and noticed the iron-barred gate; that was my ticket in. Nobody was there so I shifted in my cat form and squeezed in between the bars. A few steps in, footsteps came closer, along with some paws.

A man with a dog came by and the dog started barking loudly. A window opened above us and Damon pocked his head out. "What the hell is wrong with that mutt?" he shouted, looking down at the guard.

The dog gave his answer when he pulled free and ran towards me. I hissed and ran towards the bushes around the mansion, while I heard Damon shouting at the guard, loudly cursing him and his dog.

But it did help me, in a way; I was close to a small window with some iron bars in front of it, and it was left open to clear the air in the basement. I ran for it just when the dog poked it's head in the bushes and landed on my paws in the basement.

My whiskers shivered while I tried to pick up Alexis scent. I knew that her soul was here somewhere, but I needed a trail of her scent so I didn't have to search the whole damned house. Who lived in a mansion anyway?

I crawled at the door, all of my senses on high alert. Quickly changing, I became human for mere seconds so I could open the door. I stalked out of the door in my cat form, because it was one of my most silent forms. And I wasn't here to shout out "Hey, last Soulshifter walking around in your mansion, come and get me!"

Someone came rushing down the stairs and I dropped myself on the floor next to it, feeling grateful for the shadow. Kale ran by, probably to check on that intruder alarm I've set off in the basement by falling against the window.

The scent hit me quickly; Kale was covered in Alexis' scent, along with her fear and, more painfully, her blood. I bolted up the stairs, my anger getting the better of me. If they found out about me, hell, I would get as much as those assholes before they got me.

I followed the trail with a heavy heart, spotting some droplets of blood on the way before I was at a door where soft whimpering and crying could be heard from. It was locked.

Damn it! Think Paige, think! The door is locked and Kale probably has the key. If I go find him, I'll find several other hunters with him. Which of my other forms where useful in this situation?

If I want to crash the door out, then the horse would do. But I need to be quiet and stealthy. Come on, Paige! My bird forms were useless, all of my bigger forms too, that only left me with cat and –

That's it! A viper could slither under the door! I quickly changed into a viper and pushed myself under the door. It was a strange feeling, because all of my ribs where flexing to get under that small gap. It was ticklish in a strange way.

I could hear Alexis whimper while I entered the room, still crawling out from under the door. She started to cry big, silent tears, probably thinking that this was another part of Kale's plan. I quickly changed back into my cat form and slipped between the bars while Alexis slowly stopped crying.

Stopping a few steps away from her, I changed back into my human form, causing Alexis to gasp for breath while she stared at me. Then she tumbled over the floor, running to get towards me.

I pulled her in my arms, whispering in her ear to calm her down. She was shivering like a leaf, what the hell did they do to her? Alex hid her face in the crook of my neck and cried while she was holding onto my neck like her life depended on it. In a way, she was right.

"Alexis, I need you to listen to me." I whispered while I slightly pulled her back, forcing her to look at me. She looked up with puffy red eyes, a gash ran over her cheek and her other cheek was bruised. The anger was building inside of me but I pushed it aside.

"I'm going to get you out of here, but I need you to trust me, ok Alex?" I asked while I walked from side to side, opposite the two doors that kept us in; the metal bars and the wooden door. I could get the first one out silently but the other one...

"Okay." Alexis whispered in a hoarse voice, clinging onto me. I walked to the first door and partially shifted my hand, so that I could use my cougar claws to claw the pins out that held the first door up. The second one was next but I would blow my cover...

I sighed while I held on Alexis, making sure that I embraced her firmly before I walked back to the wall and looked at the door that stood between us and escaping. "I'm going to run and break that door Alex," I started to explain while I kept my eyes on her. "As soon as the door breaks down, we will have to be quick to avoid the hunters."

She let out a small whimper and I patted on her back while I spoke with a soothing voice. "Hush, everything's going to be okay Alexis. You're going to see your parents again." I tried to assure her while I thought about several escape plans.

If we were lucky, the hunters wouldn't hear us break the door down and we could quietly make an exit. If not, they will come running towards us as soon as we are 'free' and I would have to improvise on the moment. Getting as far away as possible from this door was the best option.

"You're ready?" I asked, taking deep breaths to prepare myself. As soon as Alexis nodded, I grabbed hold of her, holding one of my hands firmly on her head to protect it and I flung myself at the door with all my strength. I barreled through it, skidding to a halt in the hallway while I held my breath, all my senses back on high alert.

My heart kicked up a gear when I heard several footsteps coming from the lowest level while someone yelled, "Go check on that noise! Shoot any trespassers!" I quickly bolted towards the stairs and jumped on the lower level before I ran to the furthest room in the hall and jumped in it. I found myself at the bottom of another pair of stairs.

While I made my way up, I could clearly hear the voices from above us, yelling at each other before another pair of footprints joined them. "What happened here?" a cold, harsh voice said. My thoughts immediately went red from anger; Kale was back upstairs.

"We don't know Kale, we heard a sound coming from over here and found that the door to Alexis room is broken down, along with the barred one." A younger voice said in a shaky tone.

"The kid?" Kale growled, followed by the shuffling sounds of someone stepping back. I opened the door at the top of the stairs slowly; making sure that nobody is in there. I found myself in an office. The bookcases on the sides, the leather furniture, everything in that room shouted out 'Expensive!" There was a balcony with a view of the forest behind the desk. Brilliant!

The soft mumble that replied Kale seemed to infuriate him. I heard several gasps followed by a sickening splash and a dull thud of a body hitting the floor. Did he just...murder someone? Kale was barking orders at everyone upstairs, mostly about finding us alive and that they needed to clean up the mess.

The voices were disappearing to the rooms on that floor and we could hear doors open and close above us. We had to stay quiet so I slowly made my way across the office. I wasn't even halfway when Kale started shouting again.

"Then go down to the other floors! She can't be far away; all the exits are sealed shut." Someone replied him and the footsteps came to our level. My heart started racing when Kale's voice became louder.

"I swear, if I get my hands on the kid and the intruder-" he stopped for a moment and I heard him take a deep breath before he continued, "I will make them beg for a swift, clean death." I clenched Alexis to my chest when she let out a soft whine.

It was followed by the most awful thing at the moment; pure and complete silence. We looked at each other and I could see that Alexis started to get pale. And then...

"Get them!" Kale shouted, bloodlust clearly in his voice. Hiding was impossible now; I couldn't run back out of the office and in another room because they knew we were there. So I did the only thing I could do.

I ran towards the only way out and jumped out the window, the sound of shattering glass ringing in my ears while Alexis cried out in fear. Almost in slow motion, I could see several glass-shards falling down with us, the lights in the office where switched on and several hunters poured in the room.

But more importantly: the ground came rapidly closer. My survival instincts kicked in and I spun around in the air, moving myself around the center of my body twice before I landed on the ground like a cat would do; on all fours.

Well, I was forced to land on three because I needed one arm to brace Alexis from impact. I landed on the ground with a hard thud while I hunched through my joints to spread the impact. It was too much for a few fingers on my left hand as I could feel several sinews snap under the force of impact.

The bones in my wrist protested sharply, as I could actually feel them crack under the pressure before I managed to tuck into a roll to lose the last of the momentum.

I groaned while I skidded to a halt. Several muscles in my body where screaming out in pain, and each one of those screams pleaded me to stop what I was doing and curl up in a small ball. I ignored those pleads when the hunters stared at me from the balcony I jumped off; I had heard the dry click of a gun being loaded.

Alexis shouted out in fear when a bullet came over us with a sharp whizzing sound that deafened my ears. I shook my head while I ran towards the walls that enclosed the mansion. I could hear Damon and Kale shouting behind me but I focused on getting out instead of getting killed.

I ran up the wall in full speed and grasped the edge with my fingertips of my right-hand. "Hang on Alex." I grinded to my teeth and loosened my hold on her while I pulled myself up with both hands. The tree on the other side provided me an easy way down; I jumped on a branch and swung down from another one, landing on the ball of my feet.

Even though we were out, we weren't safe yet; they were still coming after us, but I knew that they wouldn't follow us all the way in pack territory. I ran the first half hour away from the mansion and stopped in a clearing, trying to gain my bearings.

In the meantime Alexis was walking around, still shivering but I needed her to stretch her legs. I wasn't a doctor or anything, but I noticed that she was slightly in shock, so I hoped that she could walk it off. A snap in the forest behind us had us on high alert, making me push Alexis behind me while I glared at the dark edge, waiting for something to come out.

---Jacob's POV---

I couldn't stop pacing, waiting for Paige to come back. My wolf was growling at me continuously, telling me to run after our mate, bring her back and growl at her until she submits.

I shook my head before I returned to the kitchen and then back to the living room again. Every time that I came in the living room, I glanced at my father and then at the door, hoping that I could will Paige to open it and come in.

Nick kept his eyes on me, reading every little twitch and move that my body made for the one reason that we all feared.

If Paige failed and the hunters captured her as well, I would be the first to know. I had tried to run after her but father stopped me with a command. I was forced to come back home and stay there until I knew more.

Feeling slightly nauseous, my mind started to play out different scenarios. They shot Paige on sight. They would try to capture and interrogate her if they wanted her alive. I shivered and paced faster as I could imagine their methods of interrogation.

The sudden touch of a hand on my shoulder made me jump in the air while I turned around. Nick was standing next to me with a calm expression on his face.

"Paige will be fine Jacob. She had already been through a scuffle with hunters before and she got out of it alive." He patted me on the shoulder before he let his hand slide of. "Have a little faith Jacob." Nick mumbled before he walked towards the window and stared at the forest.

I painfully swallowed and made my way to the kitchen to get a drink. My throat was sore and dry and my nerves were killing me. Come on Jacob, breath! Deep breaths, in and out, in and out.

"Still no news?" I asked dad while I drank several glasses of water, wishing I could drink something a lot stronger. Father's reply dampened the mood a bit but I already knew what he would say.

"No. Nothing yet." I sighed while I walked back to the living room. Just when I crossed the threshold, an odd sensation flooded through me and I grasped the door for support.

"Jacob!"

"Jacob! You okay?"

I looked up at my parents and Nick and then glanced through the room where Jack's father was looking at me. My hands were shaking but I nodded. "It was only fear. They are still fine, I guess."

The words hadn't left my mouth yet before another sensation ran through my body; Pain. Three fingers on my left hand twitched when I felt a sharp pain shoot through them and I gasped when several small explosions of pain spread over my back and legs. I grinded my teeth while I saw red.

Whatever happened to my mate, I would have the blood of every hunter that touched her or Alexis. I growled loudly when someone grasped my hand but father responded with a growl of his own.

"What happened?" he asked, almost demanded. I showed him my teeth, beyond furious. My mate was in danger, and it was his entire fault.

"Paige is wounded. You have sent her there! You-" I took a step forward but Jack's father pushed me to the wall. Being our Beta, he had to protect the Alpha-pair, even from me.

I struggled out of his hold and continued my pacing while the growls rolled out of my throat. I couldn't get out to go save her because of my father's order, but it was killing me to stay here.

"Come on Paige, where are you?"

---Paige's POV---

I was in wolf form, slowly running back to the pack with Alexis on my back. Hobbling was a better word, since I couldn't put all my weight down on my left paw. My eye landed on the Alpha-pair that ran in front of me, the betas close behind me.

We were so relieved when my wolf pack walked out of the forest. They had decided to wait for me, hoping that I would get Alexis back so they could guide me out of their territory.

Especially Alex seemed mesmerized with them; even though she was holding onto me, she couldn't keep her eyes of the wild wolves that were running with us. I grinned internally while I made a plan to introduce her to the wolves one day, when we weren't running in fear of our lives.

They came to a halt on the edge of their territory, pacing at the border while whining. The Alpha-pair wanted to come with me but that would leave their territory vulnerable for other wolves. So we parted ways after they had placed their heads on my shoulder and I had answered that gesture.

"Are you ready to see your mom and dad again, Alexis?" I asked her while I moved in a steady pace; we were almost at the pack house and I knew that the hunters wouldn't try anything tonight.

"Yeah, and I missed Jacob too." She muttered close to my ear while she leaned heavily on my back. The whole experience had exhausted her, and I wasn't far behind; My muscles were tense, my paws stung from slowly healing and the distance that I had walked today.

Finally we were at the edge of the forest, behind the pack house and I lied down to allow Alexis to get off. She stayed close to me and wouldn't let go. After a few steps out of the forest, she dropped herself on the floor, leaning against my paws.

I sighed; I couldn't move another step either. So I sat down and let out a short howl. The others would hear it and know what it meant.

The sound of a door smacking against wood made me look up; Jacob, the Alphas, Nick and Jack's father were standing outside. I sighed out of relief while I placed my head on the ground. Finally home.

I was engulfed into a tight hug from both Nick and Luke at the same time while Isabella was holding onto her daughter for dear life. Jacob was standing behind her, but he still had a worried expression.

He was looking at the forest, frowning before he muttered, "Where is she?" I slightly pulled myself out of the embrace and looked at him. Oh, right, he meant me. He didn't know a thing about my abilities.

"Jacob!" Alexis whined and he looked down, his jaw tense. Alexis stretched her arms at him, making his expression a little softer before he sat down and pulled her on his lap. He cradled her, slightly shaking her from side to side while he stared at Luke.

"Where. Is. SHE?" he growled through his teeth, every single muscle tensing in his body. Luke opened his mouth to explain everything, but Jacob started shaking rather badly. I glanced at him and I felt a small sting of pain and worry in my heart; he was still holding Alex.

I reacted before I knew what I was doing; I crawled closer towards Jacob while his jaw was tensing and his growls were getting stronger. He kept glaring at Luke while Alexis was pulled out of his arms by Isabella.

He snapped his head up at her but before he could react, I pushed myself against his side, lying down next to him. Jacob's expression was priceless; his mouth fell open with a small popping sound, his eyes opened wide while he stared at me in wolf form.

Obviously he felt the same tingles that ran through my body, from where my fur brushed against his skin. I was too tired when he moved his hand towards me so I allowed him to brush his hand over my fur.

His touch send a shiver over my spine all the way to my tail and I couldn't help myself but push back against his hand while a continuous growl came out of my throat, sounding like a purr.

Jacob's hand moved from my head to my jaw, tilting my head up so he could look me in the eye. "Paige?" he asked hesitantly while he was staring in my eyes. I showed him my wolfy grin while I let my eyes turn from the golden wolf-color to my normal green ones, giving him a wink in the process.

I chuckled loudly at his shocked and horrified expression while he stared at me. Deciding to tease him a bit, I made mental contact with him and said, "Missed me much?" Being tired of my wolf form, I stood up and changed back in my human, causing Jacob to growl and jump in front of me.

He was glaring at his family members, especially the male ones, so I tapped him on his shoulder and said, "I have clothes on you know." Jacob turned around to look at me and we all chuckled over his dumbfounded expression.

Next thing I know, I was pulled into Jacob's chest, spreading those maddening tingles where we made contact as he held me in a tight hug, deeply inhaling my scent before he glared at his father.

"Will somebody tell me what the fuck is going on?" Jacob growled while everybody sat down around us. I sighed; this was going to be one hell of a night.