Hey everyone! This is the start of a '21 Day Upload' or basically me uploading 21 chapters in the span of three weeks. I'm on my Uni/College holidays now and I'll go mad if I don't have something to do! Hence, here we are :)

I'm aware I said I'd upload yesterday, but it is Saturday somewhere right now so that's my excuse... and my computer froze and I had to reboot it which took an hour too long :/

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!! Let me know what you think  :)

Libby xx

Elijah knew how difficult it was to run after a creature of the forest. The Hunter had run after many wolves before to hunt them down for execution, but he had never run after one to stop them from injuring others. Again, Elijah knew a lot about the extent of a wolf's power. He knew almost everything; he has never witnessed one cry, they are loyal to a fault, have a constant thirst for hunting down prey, and always take out their anger with violence. That was why he was chasing his Princess Thalia through the forest around their cabin right now.

He saw the look of pure black anger as soon as Raven finished speaking, and how her hair was glistening gold; moments away from shifting into a furious Royal wolf. Elijah was surprised that Thalia even made it out of the cabin. I guess it's another characteristic with Royals; that they can hold onto their anger that little bit more. He thought as he pushed his body to chase the golden beacon in the distance. 

The Leader of the Hunters was notorious for his strength and stamina, but he was panting as he tried to keep up with the furious Royal. His prickling neck was alerting him of Thalia's presence, his body warning him about her temper and for him to run the opposite way, but he ploughed on. He had to calm down the Princess before she took her anger out and made a beacon for the vampires. While they appeared safe in that cabin, there was still the chance that Thalia could alert them if she roared or tore down the forest. 

Glimpsing gold to his left, Elijah adjusted his course. Leaping over fallen logs and weaving between trees, getting wacked by leaves along the way, he chased his wolf. His Hunter instincts were screaming at him in regards to Thalia's anger but the experienced supernatural mercenary was detecting worry and pain as well. He wasn't sure what exactly had set off the Princess into an anger storm but he was worrying about the damage she could do. 

Thalia was sprinting with all her might to the nearest waterfall, so that the volume could drown out the sounds of her anger.  She was fuming; she hadn't been this angry since her twin Lorraine cut the ties between them for that fake-mate 'Jasper'. The Royal knew that her hair was glowing with her wolf's anger; they were both raging. It was taking all of Thalia's skill not to erupt into a blazing golden wolf and let her rage on the forest around her. She also knew that her mate was behind her and gaining. 

Clenching her jaw, she diverted left and headed to a clearing further down the waterfall, the stream calmly working its way through the trees as though ignorant to her anger. With her feet digging out the dirt beneath her as she sprinted for the stream, Thalia collapsed on her knees at the bank. Her fists were clenched as she stared in her reflection. She stared down the black-eyed woman in the stream. Her hair was shining, her body trembling, mind screaming, and lips bleeding. She'd bitten down on her lip in fury. Her head cocked to the side as she heard the Hunter running into the clearing. Elijah was panting as his green eyes locked with the back of Thalia's head. 

Silence echoed between them as they caught their breath and Thalia attempted to calm down. The Hunter waited until the wolf was no longer blazing. While the hair was still a golden blonde, the wolf still at the surface, Thalia's anger was also simmering at the surface. One wrong phrase and he'd be sliced to smithereens and the vampires would know where they are. 

"Thalia?" Elijah asked, taking a small step forward. While he was still a fair way away, he saw his mate's body stiffen at the question. 

"I..." Thalia attempted to talk but unhealthy anger was raging to her very core. Her entire body was screaming at her mind. Her wolf wanted to go on a rampage; Raven's words were ringing in her head.

Lady, you won't see what's coming... It's all he would ever say...

She felt blood trickle out of her tight fists as claws started to press down fiercely. Thalia's breathing was starting to get out of control, Elijah carefully took another step forward. 

"Thalia, honey, talk to me." He encouraged, arms stretched out in defence as he looked around them. He was unarmed, in unknown territory, and his senses were going crazy. If something tried to sneak up on the unstable Princess of the Wolves then they would become ribbons very, very quickly. 

Thalia paused at the words of affection. Her pause was visible to Elijah but she didn't turn to face him. Her Hunter rarely used loving words or pet names; only when his guard was absolutely down. Thalia knew his guard was down; his fear was still ricocheting in his heart with a rapid pulse but his guard was down. She turned back to the stream to see her reflection again before responding to him. Her eyes had lightened from charcoal to the dark brown of her original state. While her hair was still blonde, it wasn't a frightening glow anymore.

The calm before the storm.

"I-I... Elijah..." Thalia whispered as she had her voice back. Her fists were still clenched as she breathed through her nose. 

"What's going on Thalia?" Elijah delicately asked. Twigs were crushed under his shoes as he took another careful step forward. He was close enough now that he could reach out and touch her shoulder, but Elijah didn't dare provoke her. While Thalia had calmed down a bit, he could still slip up. So he played the careful tactic of being a mate instead of a Hunter... but he didn't know where to start. 

Thalia breathed in Elijah's woodenly scent carefully as her wolf roared beneath her skin. She was watching her reflection to monitor her emotions and noted the brighter shade of her hair when Elijah stepped into her vision. The fuming Princess saw his green eyes of worry crinkling in the waters ripples, her wolf stilled. 

"What Raven said," Thalia spat, another tremble going through her. "A-About..." 

Elijah saw that she was clenching her fists, her blood around her hands drying but still staining the banks. He gently moved to sit down next to her; close enough for their hands to almost touch but not enough to alarm her. Elijah's eyes locked with Thalia's, light and dark clashing as anger and worry rolled off the both of them. With deep gulps of cold air Thalia continued. 

"The vampire who was experimenting on her... He spoke of 'Lady'..." Thalia left for elaboration. Her hair started to lighten again. Eyes to darken. Fresh blood dropped from her fists. Elijah frowned slightly at her words and quickly deciphered them to stop her from enraging. 

"'Lady' as in Queen Seraphina, the Lady of the Wolves, and Priestess of the Moon?" Elijah asked, raising an eyebrow at his own Princess of the Wolves. "That Lady?"

Thalia trembled. "There is only one, he would mean no other." 

Elijah paused for a moment. "You're thinking he's going to go after Lady Seraphina, aren't you?"

"WHAT ELSE!?" Thalia blew up, hair brightening to an alarming shade of gold and eyes switching pure iridescent black. She opened her fists in fury to reveal bloody claws that shook with every rapid breath she took. Her teeth were bared in a rumbling snarl. Elijah didn't dare move a muscle. His heart had stopped and his Hunter instincts were screaming for him to take her down. 

"Thalia, you need to be quiet." Elijah spoke sternly, but scuffled further along the bank to put distance between them. "You could alert vampires to our location."

Thalia immediately snarled at the mention of vampires, but halted when she realised how far away Elijah was. He was scared of her, his own mate... what am I doing? Thalia's claws retracted almost instantly and her palm wounds healing rapidly. Her hair shot back to a luscious dark brown with matching eyes which now portrayed horror. Elijah didn't move as her wolf backed down. His green eyes were locked with the Princess; only recognisable now.

The Princess scrambled away from Elijah, feet splashing in the stream briefly, as she scurried from him. From anger over her sister-in-mate's threat on life to complete horror on behalf of her mate, Thalia had done a complete one-eighty. 

"Elijah..." She breathed, eyes shaking back and forth between his green orbs. The Hunter frowned at the sudden change, his heart lurching, and inched forward. "No! Just, leave me alone." 

He paused with a hand slightly reaching out towards her. "Will you be okay?" Elijah asked out of genuine worry. He suspected he'd done something wrong but couldn't put a finger on it currently. 

"Y-Yes, I'll be fine." Princess Thalia said as she curled up on the bank. The Hunter leaned back on his heels and was about to talk when the two of them both heard a twig crack at the edge of the clearing. Their brunette heads snapped to the sound and Elijah broke into a defensive crouch. Thalia immediately recognised who stood there and bowed her head slightly. 

The silver wolf herself, Lady Seraphina of the Wolves stood before the two of them. Like Elijah's first encounter with her, she stood tall with blonde hair rolling in the wind and a glistening white gown resting on her body. However the Queen was slightly different from that encounter over one year ago. A small silver circlet rested on her light blonde hair with a moonstone in the centre. The ringlets themselves curled around it delicately and cascaded down her neck and back, as well as in front of her shoulder. The white dress, with a dark blue hooded cloak, clung to her body now a lot more nourished than then. She'd only just been rescued from the Zoo where she was harboured for fourteen and a half years then and was just skin and bone. Now, after over a year of building back up her body and being crowned Queen of the Wolves, Lady Seraphina was skin and muscle.

With a baby bump.

The Moon Priestess stood before them with a large stomach signifying she was almost nine months pregnant with her first child with King Elliot. The heir of the Wolves rested in the body of the Priestess, making her a high target for monsters like Raven's torturer. While Elijah still had doubts about Raven, he knew that she was telling the truth regarding Lady Seraphina. She was a target now. 

"Elijah Griffin, I will take care of Princess Thalia. You may return to your cabin." The Queen said with a smile, and her hands resting on her stomach.  

"Your Majesty, I recommend you return to your home; it is not safe for you out here with your pregnancy." Elijah encouraged, looking at Thalia worryingly. While he was worried for two highly valuable wolves, Thalia just seemed really disappointed in herself. Her eyes were portraying unreadable emotions. Elijah's head turned back to the Queen as she spoke again.

"I can go where I please Elijah Griffin; no matter what state I'm in." She smiled with a sense of a snarl at the Hunter. He could tell that he was no longer welcome at the streams clearing. He turned to Thalia with a worrying look, slightly shocked that she was looking back at him with a look of shame. Her dark eyes were swarming with a dead look that, surprisingly, scared him. 

The Hunter walked over to her, not bothering with being careful about space. Elijah gently bent down and placed a soft kiss on the top of her dark locks. He pulled away only a little bit and went to her ear. 

"Come back to me." He whispered before stepping back and running into the forest once again. The Hunter's clothing blended him in with the forest around him and Thalia let out a breath when she couldn't see him anymore. 

The Princess turned to the Queen with teary eyes as they both knelt at the stream. Thalia let a tear roll down her cheek as Seraphina's blue moon eyes softened. 

"I felt your anger from our home Thalia." She whispered gently.  "Tell me everything, I have all the time in the world." 

"I don't even know where to begin." Thalia admitted as the tear dried on her cheek.

"The start is always wise."