(a/n: italics are wolves' voices/ emphasis)

*~MESSED UP~*

I ran with everything I had.

I ran as if the hounds of the devil were upon me. Well, the hounds of the devil were, in a manner of speaking, upon me.

Being chased by a 6 foot muscle-man clad in nothing but a pair of sweatpants, in the middle of the day, did have interesting prospects. I panted and huffed as I leapt over the rugged boulders that guarded the property and ran.

The breeze blew across the grassland, causing each blade to dance in delight as the sunlight shimmered over their surfaces, from behind the cloudy sky.

Sunday afternoon, for the rest of the town, would mean a family movie or an afternoon nap. But being who we were, we celebrated this auspicious time with rigorous training sessions, catered to challenge us physically enough to keep us from giving into our canine bloodlusts.

"You will never catch me!" I yelled, running deeper and deeper into the looming forest beyond the property.

"Anatolia Wes Tremellius, stop this instant!" a man's voice trying to Gamma Command echoes throughout the field. I wonder if that's intentional because he is no stranger to the fact that it doesn't really work on me. The Commands are very special to us; it is how the Lycans, our leaders, make sure they can manage every member of the pack.

When we are Commanded, our wolves themselves were forced to obey implicitly, whether we had wanted to or not. Disobedience meant death; it was that simple. My indifference to the Command, was due to my superiority in hierarchy. After all I was a Beta's daughter.

I smirked, still sprinting into the woods, with his precious package in my hand- a gift he had picked out for his wife's birthday.

"OK! I won't return it! Happy?" he yelled out, his gruff voice coming out as a desperate plea. Taking pity on the man, I slowed down near a clearing, having accomplished my ultimate goal.

Throwing the package in his direction, I collapsed onto the soft grass.

"Really Fronius?...A Gamma Command... I used to have so much respect for you.."

He growled and caught it right before it hit the ground, cursing loudly before joining me on the ground.

Having caught my breath I stood up to breathe in the refreshing air, as the sweet smell of wet mud and blooming flowers hit me like a well-aimed, satisfying punch. My senses were still as alert as ever, eager to notice even the slightest twitch of a twig.

I shut my eyes, savouring the warmth of the sun through the foliage hitting my skin, as the full grown wolf struggled to catch his breath at my feet.

"So much for being a trained guard, you can barely run in a straight line, Fronius," I said, stretching my calves. I'm pretty sure I will be really sore later if I ignore it now. When wolves who tore up the ground like we did usually do that, they end up having to visit the infirmary.

I stared at my old friend as he ruffled his golden brown hair, beginning to sit up. This habit of his is what I suspect left him with a bowl's underside where the frontal portion of his hair should be.

Getting up with his hand on his knee, my half-naked companion clutched the plastic-wrapped package close to his chest; the reason for his mindless chase. His back muscles bunched up and rippled with his every movement; I guiltily eyed them as they flexed deliciously. He may be my brother-in-law but I am a woman with functioning eyes, made of flesh and blood, sue me for appreciating raw beauty.

"What the hell, Tremellius... I almost strained my hamstring chasing you! Have you lost your mind?" he burst out, his thick Scottish accent that he usually disguised with posh talk, spilled out in his rage.

"Oh stop it! You were barely even trying today, fretting about a silly present. How many times do I have to tell you, she is a bookworm, she will love the Kindle! Its barely two mon-"

"That gives you absolutely no right to pinch it from under my nose," he exclaimed, interrupting my perfectly justifiable argument.

"Your father is going to boil with anger when we go back, just you see," he snarled, as he turned away furiously.

He was right in that regard, I had to admit. It was easier to grapple a rabid werewolf than to face my father when he was in a fit of rage. And stunts like what I just pulled, right in the middle of training, are among the top catalysts that can induce it.

"Ah, who cares about that, somehow we got away from there, I'm glad."

He looked at me sharply. "What in the world is that supposed to mean?"

I laid back down on the soft grass with my hand behind my head.

"I meant, look at this beautiful day, can't we enjoy it for a second?" he opened his mouth to-most probably yell at me, but I interrupted him quickly.

"I am only here for a couple of weeks, before I will have to go, and we will never get this chance to have a, you know, private conversation," I looked up at him innocently. He let out his breath and and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose exasperated by my antics.

"Anatolia, this is not a joking matter, Dad will not be pleased. I am already in the hit list for bringing Sia home late last night, if he-"

"Nonsense, Father loves you. Pay it no mind, it's like you two are practically married anyway."

He eyed me with skepticism as I gestured to him to have a seat beside me.

"No thank you Lia, I have to get back before your father-"

Grunting sounds and heavy footfalls interrupted his words as our ears perked up at the sudden onslaught of auditory information.

Ah, it was the two juniors Fronius had sent to chase me. I had forgotten that he had done that. He too seemed to have forgotten, as he turned around with curiosity only to find the boys stopping every 20 yards to catch their breath, their heads lolling from side to side.

I struggled not to react to their obvious struggle, they were younger than us for Goddess' sake. They were supposed to outrun us. Clearly, the lack of stamina and regular training had reduced them to this state.

Shaking his head disapprovingly, Fronius proceeded to give them the scolding of their lifetime. 

Still on the grass, I tuned out the noisy man and chewed on a straw, relaxing every muscle in my body.

This was my vacation, my two weeks of freedom before I had to report for duty. Once these two weeks are up, I will be more snowed under than Antarctica itself. I had to squeeze in as much as peace and quiet I possibly could in this short hiatus.

'Lia,' my wolf, Wes, whispered urgently. My ears perked up alertly.  'Here comes trouble,' she nudged me to look in the direction where I could feel a strange presence. 

I got up at once and walked towards the boys who looked like they we're seconds away from a nervous breakdown. I was not surprised, Aloysius Fronius usually had that effect on people.

"Go on boys. Join the others and finish today's rounds," I nodded to them cutting his long-winded monologue short.

They nodded gratefully and left, clutching their stomachs. He will be mad at me for this but this could not wait.

"Al, come on, give them a break, when we were-" I turned to face him, but his murderous expression made me pause. The blue of his eyes flickered, threatening to turn colour. I may have taken this too far.

"Hey cool down Fronius, father will be more enraged that we lured away his trainees, besides, I was doing you a world of good. Now you don't have to worry about the perfect gift for Anastasia."

"You were being an idiot!" he yelled, smacking me on the head.

Clenching my teeth, I returned the favour with gusto.

"There is going to be a word to word recount of this to Sia, you know," I warned.

I smirked at the acute pinch of betrayal in his expression when I mentioned his mate. They had just moved in together. In fact, this evening Sia will be taking the last of her things from the family home to Al's apartment.

"Come on, now. Do you need me to rub lotion on your back? Get up and let's get going,"

Ooh baby, you can rub more than just lotion on me.

"What did you say?" he asked curiously, removing his pants, getting ready to shift.

"Nothing at all, you go on ahead and finish the session. I'll meet you back at home."

He just chuckled and left, turning into a handsome grey wolf. This wasn't unusual. He knew I hated going back home to face my father and get a lecture on irresponsibility. Al hated being there too, but for the Love of his life, who was coincidentally my sister, he would brave even the dragons.

My dad, when angry, was worse than any vicious beast. How stupid men in love can be.

I carefully stripped and folded my clothes slowly. Savouring every moment, as I shifted into my beautiful Midnight Blue Wolf. Taking the clothes in my teeth, I trotted in the direction of the previously detected nuisance.

The winds became faintly stronger, running through my fur, as I walked towards a big strong tree sensing the presence of another Tenebris.

"Well, well, look who decided to show up," I hummed.

"Boss called. You messed up." A deep voice reached my ever-attentive ear.

With my teeth, I dragged him out of his hiding spot, seizing him by his collar and held him in a choke-hold against the tree behind him, with my paw.

"Listen, punk. Number one, I don't work for anyone. And two, I never mess up."

"You were supposed to-"

"I know what I'm supposed to do. If you know what's good for you, never show your face here again,"

I trotted out of there as I left him massaging his throat behind me.

"Then I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." he whispered solemnly. Within a second, out of the dark emerges a brown wolf baring his teeth. Rearing up on his hind legs he took a forceful swipe...

I chuckled at the surprise on his bloody face to find my paw on his chest as he laid in a prone position in a matter of minutes.

"I would kill you for attacking me, but I pity the fool mated to you." I muttered, dragging his bloody body, only half shifted, with my teeth into the bushes.

With my pawnail, I slashed his hand. "This will tell the man you call boss not to bother me and to let me do this my way."

I'm pissed. Two reasons. First. The so-called messenger hadn't even been trained properly in combat. The bastard who sent him seriously underestimates me. Second. I've now gotten blood on my fur. Now I had to take a shower before I went home.

Huffing in irritation, I ran in the direction of my apartment which was on the other side of town. There was an exposed hose behind the building. I just prayed nobody decided to take an evening stroll back there. It would ruin my whole mission, the reason I was back home.

I chuckled, thinking of how easy it was for people to believe you when you set their expectations low. I had told my family that my boss had finally relented and granted me a holiday, and hence I could come back home for Christmas.

If truth were being told, I don't believe in holidays. Who do I have anyway? A family? Someone to come home to?

I was a 27-year old werewolf who was an electronic engineer by day, and a gym enthusiast by night; at least to them. I shuddered to think what they would think of me if they came to know about my reality.

The tall trees of the forest disappeared, replaced by shorter, tamer bushes as I neared civilization. Nobody could know the contents of the crevices of my existence. If a human found me, I could be in big trouble.

I levitated myself slowly over the barb wire fence, to avoid creating any noise. If I had jumped over, the loud thud of my massive body could have woken up the Security.

No one was in sight in this part of the back garden. With my paw I manipulated the hose to clear off my blood-matted fur, as I watched the swirling red blood rinsing off of me.

Funny, how my other life suddenly had a bitter way of reminding its dreaded presence by wagging its ugly head at my short-lived peace.