"Lucinda." He begins after the others had walked off leaving us alone. "I am truly sorry, I never meant to make you feel this way." He looks at me trying to gauge a reaction, but I remain motionless.

I won't give him any indication of how I am feeling. He doesn't deserve it.

"I didn't realise just how alone you really felt, how alone I was making you feel. We are meant to be like family and I have been acting just like your real parents." He admits looking ashamed of himself.

"Lucas.. I, I.." I can't find the words to say to him, what can I say? I know that having a mate changes your life but it doesn't mean that you forget about your friends or people who are meant to be like family to you.

"I know I can't make it up to you now, but I promise to try. You won't be too far away from me. We can meet up once a week." He is looking me in the eyes, he is trying. But it's her that I don't trust.

IF she doesn't want us spending time together we will not be spending any time together. And now that I'm leaving him... well lets just say she will have complete control over him.

Yet again I have lost another brother.

Tears start to form in my eyes as I think about losing another person. I am sick and tired of this. I refuse to cry in front of him. He doesn't deserve my tears right now.

"Luce." He sighs, he can still read me like an open book, he pulls me into a hug. "I won't lose you." He whispers so low I don't think I was even meant to hear it.

I pull away first. "We can try." I speak with a shaky voice, but you've hurt me and I will not be put in the same position again." I will not be walked over, if I want to be strong it starts with me and how I let people treat me.

Lucas wants to say more to me. I can see it in his eyes. "Goodbye Lucas." I look him in the eyes as I take fleeting steps away from him. I can't believe I am leaving him after everything but this is for me.

Zane, Lena and Andrew all look at me with sad eyes so I push down my feelings. Today isn't the day for me to cry, today is another new beginning.

Zane walks up to Lucus, probably telling him the plan since of what to do today while Zane is running with us part of the way to meet up with members of Alice's pack.

"How do you feel?" Lena asks me as she grabs onto my forearm to drag me away from this situation.

"Fine." I smile as she gives me this look which all but says I know you aren't fine.

"Luce." She begins.

"Not here." I cut her off, I will not break down here around him I need to be strong for myself.

"Okay." She responds a little apprehensive. "DO you want to start heading off and let the boys catch up?"

"Absolutely." I let off a nervous laugh I need to leave this place. I start to run off away from sight so that I can change with a little bit of privacy. Slipping off my dress and throwing it into my travel pack I let the shift come naturally. My wolf took one last look and sniffed around the territory that could have become home to her. Imprinting it into her memory.

Just in case.

The wolf shakes her fur out before bounding forward running up towards Lena who has also already shifted waiting for me and the boys. We take off sprinting away she nips at my flanks edging me away from this place.

As we sprint away the boys slowly gain on us, nipping and playing with our wolves. Some of the last bonding time the four of us will ever have. We stop by a lake quickly to get a drink quickly before we meet Alice and the rest of her pack members for the last half of this trip.

We shift back to eat something while we rest. Zane throws around some sandwiches that we all dig into greedily. "So you're really doing this?" Andrew asks

"Yeah." I shrug "I need this."

"How did it go?" Zane asks between mouthfuls of his ham sandwich.

"As well as can be expected, it's not that exciting of a story I didn't really give him much, he just said he would be better." I look away I don't believe the words he spoke to me and I don't want to see the pity in their eyes.

"You never know." Lena pipes up. "Sometimes it takes someone leaving for a person to realise just how much of an ass they have been."

"Maybe." I give her a fake smile. "But after everything that has happened I just didn't think it would be him to leave me like this. But it's fine. I'm fine." I laugh

"Yeah you will be fine." Andrew comes over and bumps my shoulder. "After all you kicked Zanes ass today if you beat him you can beat anything."

"HEY!" Zane shouts as he throws a branch towards Andrew that was lying on the ground next to him. MAking all of us laugh.

"Yeah, you're right. Although zane isn't much of a challenge." I mock.

"Yep. I almost felt bad, beating him was like taking candy from a pup." Lena joins in.

"I don't know why I let any of you treat me like this." Zane turns his back on us. "I have feelings you know." He pretends to be hurt but not even he can hide the laugh that slips out.

"You know this is nice." I smile.

"What?" They all ask in unison.

"Just this, being here with no worries the nice fresh air. No drama, no sadness, no nothing just us and nature."

"Yeah you are right." Andrew leans on me. "Too bad the real world exists and we have to deal with its shit all of the time."

"Yeah too bad." I mumble. Something still doesn't feel right about going to Alice's pack. It's not a bad feeling, it just isn't right. But then again my wolf doesn't know what or where she is looking for. What it is she needs.

What it is we need.

"We better get going again." Zane sighs looking at his phone that he pulled from his pack. "We need to meet your Alice in a little over an hour and we still have a lot of running left to do.

"Ugh." We all groan together as much as we need to leave. None of us want to leave this moment of peace. We all get up and stretch before repacking our packs and shifting. We start out slowly not wanting to make ourselves sick by running too quickly after eating.

Throwing up as a human is disgusting but wolf form is just something else. So much worse. The run feels like it's dragging out but at the same time going far too quickly. I'm not ready to leave my friends.

The closer we get to where Zane says the meeting spot is the more I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach something doesn't feel quite right.

"Zane.." I speak through our link. "Something doesn't feel right..." I need to tell him, I need to know if I am the only one feeling this way.

"I know." He speaks into my mind.

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't know..." I can tell he is unsettled. "We are only a few minutes away from the meeting place, I don't want to get worked up over nothing it could be because we are coming close to a different territory and different wolves."

"Yeah... maybe..." I'm not so sure, this feeling seems familiar to me.

I just don't know what it means...

Zane slows to a trot, signalling to the rest of us that we are almost there. Lena and I shift first behind some trees while the boys keep watch. It's easier to do all of this in human form.

The boys follow quickly after us. I adjusted the pack over my shoulders. "There's no turning back now luce." Andrew wraps me in for a hug kissing my forehead.

"I know." I sigh. "But I'm ready for this." I smile and pull away from him. We walk together in a group Zane taking the lead as the future alpha. Appearances are everything.

I smell her scent before I see her. "Alice!" I exclaim as she runs up to hug me, only to stop a few feet short of me frozen in place. Zane as well stiffins beside me. "Alice?"

"You." She smiles timidly towards Zane

"What?" I ask as I look between the two of them. Everyone around us, including the 4 wolves from Alices' pack are looking confused before it hits me. "Oh, oh, OHHHH." I point back and forth between the two of them.

"Oh damn." Andrew smiles widely slapping Zane on the back.

But at that moment a scent catches me off guard. A scent that I will never forget. I start to shake. "Zane, we need to leave." I whisper. They are watching us. They are close by.

"What?" Lena asked nervously looking around.

"Alice..." A small whimper comes out of my mouth.

"Luce?" She looks towards me puzzled until it dawns on her that I have a look of pure terror on my face. She walks to me slowly ignoring zane who looks confused. "Luce what is it?" She asks as she grabs onto my shoulders slowly and gently. The doctor in her coming out.

"It's them." My voice comes out in a tremble as my body shakes I can smell them coming in closer.

Alice jumps into action while I break down. Why am I turning into a trembling mess. Why can't I be strong?

"Call Cooper." She yells at one of the males from her pack. "Tell him to get some fighters ready and let him know we are heading home." She communicates more to him through their link just in case there are listening ears around. "Follow us." She whispers silently pulling me by the hand.

I cannot believe I am acting this way I should be better. This shouldn't paralyze me to the core.

"Come on Luce." Lena grabs my other hand. "Let's go." I Let them pull me away through the trees.

I see the silver before the others do. "Down!" I shout I know that this is one of their guns if it is a tranquilizer or an actual bullet gun I don't know and I don't feel like taking the time to find out.

I hear the shot fire and luckily it misses us all and hits the tree behind us as Alice, Lena and I hit the ground. I can hear my heart pounding in my ears nothing else. I can see Alice trying to talk. But Goddess why? Why am I being like this?

I look and feel like a deer stuck in headlights. Alice is pulling me up directing me away from this... whatever this is. Are they hunting me? Are they just trying to find more of us to torment? Or is this just for sport?

The males of the group are herding us away from them to safety. Wherever that really is.

"Lucina." Alice growls as she grabs my face. "We need to move. Pull yourself together." I try but I just can't Lena drags me away. I can see them. Six of them with their guns. Firing away at all of us.

They aren't well trained either that or they are just scared of us. Two of Alices' pack members take out one of them, Andrew and Zane fighting with another. The hunters are shouting and crying out in pain. The other three members of Alices' pack have shifted and are tearing into a third hunter.

Three down. Three to go.

I see it. I smell it. The sliver of the gun pointed at us. After spending some much surrounded by it I will always know the smell no matter how faint it may be. The gun is pointed towards alice, this hunter is new and shaking not knowing what he has really gotten himself into.

He points the gun at Alice, I see it all pass by in slow motion. She is too busy looking out for everyone else to notice the danger she is in. I see this young boy holding the gun in unsteady hands struggling to aim, he barely manages to pull the trigger but when he does its heading straight for Alice.

A shot to her heart.

Instinct kicks in as I jump up and push Alice out of the way, taking the bullet myself in the stomach, I think it may be lodged in my ribs but I just feel cold. I can feel wetness on me. The bullet was definitely silver. The pain from it is excruciating. I collapse down and Alice manages to catch me as Lena launches over us and rips the the young boys throat out.

I can feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness. I know we are moving but I don't know what has happened. Is everyone alive? I can see Alice putting pressure on the wound as Andrew and Zane carry me as quickly and safely as they can.

"Move there could be more!" I hear a shout.

"We can't." Someone snaps all of the voices are melding together I can't tell who is speaking and who isn't.

I can feel the wolf calling out to something she is weak but antsy about something.

"We need to move faster we don't know how far away-" The voices are cut off from me as I slip away again.

I groan as I wake again the wolf forcing me to regain consciousness, there is something she is trying to get through to me, but everything is foggy the silver is attacking my system. I can feel her pawing at me, whimpering wanting to get out, but I can't do that. If I even attempt to shift it'll kill us. "Luce it's okay we can get help you soon." I hear a voice in my ear as my head rolls back too weak for my neck to hold it up.

I can hear her whine in my head, pushing and pleading scratching to get out, she needs out but we are far too weak to even open our eyes at the moment. "Be careful." I can hear some hiss. "We are almost there Luce." Some else whispers.

I slip out again while the wolf continues to convince me to allow her to take over, but I just can't. I know it'll kill the both of us.

She bites me awake as I hear a commotion going on around me, people yelling and growling. Something has happened while I was out of it again. "Keep pressure on the wound, she is still bleeding." Hysteria in the voice commanding orders.

"Let go." A cold voice reaches the wolf as she whines. I can feel myself being pushed and pulled by everything freezes in my mind when I feel it. A single touch that eases some of the pain.

Only for a moment for a fall to the I feel another bump to the head.

Mate. is the only thing the wolf manages to pass over to me while I let the warmth of darkness take me again.