“Great. More of you.” Max snarled, stepping forward protectively, and I still stood a little shell shocked as Violet walked up to Max a physically pushed him back a step.

“Do you really want to try and fight these guys, Max? Just take a look at Levi for a second. His biceps bigger then your head.”

Okay, that was a slight exaggeration, but Max seemed to get the message and reluctantly let Violet push him back, then folded his arms and stared hard at all three of them.

“Let me guess,” he spat. “Packless pack members?”

“No,” the lanky one who had addressed me before spoke up, “I'm a rogue, pup. No need to try and sugar coat it.”

My mouth began to remember how to work again as I walked forward and stood next to Max, looking at Violet directly.

“Now, I know this might come as a shock to you,” Violet started, and her eyes held a pleading message, as if she was telling me to let her explain. “But I couldn't just tell you about them. You had to meet them when the time was right.”

“So you live in a bungalow, in the middle of our pack land, with three other rogues?” I asked skeptically, and lanky nodded, grinning.

“Sounds pretty accurate. I'm Noah.” Lanky winked, stepped forward and clutching my hand in his warm ones. I swear, if he bent down and kissed it I'd probably lose it...

A burst of laughter came from my left, and I stared at Violet who shrugged while grinning madly. “Sorry, she's got a funny thought pattern.”

“Why did you bring them here?” The thicker set guy asked, his voice deep and husky. Violet walked towards him, a worried frown working it's way onto her face.

“They're moving faster than expected. Katie got attacked at school this afternoon.” She answered, and the thick set guy tensed, muttering a curse under his breath.

“I'm sorry, but who are you two?” Max asked a little bluntly, but I didn't blame him. He pointed at the big guy, then the girl quickly, then dropped his hand.

“I'm Lydia.” The girl chirped up, smiling shyly. “And this is my brother Levi.”

Max nodded curtly, accepting the girls word without saying anything in return. “So you all live in this cosy looking little hut, our pack completely unaware even though it's on our land?” Max said, his eyes narrowing. Noah nodded, smirking cockily.

“We're good hiders. Must suck, rogues living right under your nose.”

I sighed when Max tensed up and stepped forward menacingly, his face contorting in anger. Was not the right thing to say, Mr. Noah.

Violet seemed to have read my mind, as she stepped forward quickly and pushed Noah backwards before turning to Max.

“He doesn't know,” she said quietly, but Max stepped away from her, his anger directed at her.

“Neither do you.” He spat, and walked back to his spot beside me, looking less than impressed with even the thought of sticking around.

“So you guys aren't dangerous, you aren't here to attack our pack, and you don't seem to want to join, either. Why are you hiding out here?” Max asked, and Noah opened his mouth to probably make another cocky remark, when Levi spoke before he could.

“Who said we're not dangerous?” A hint of a smirk appeared on his lips, and Max scowled, before Levi continued talking. “We're here to protect Katie and help take care of the people wanting to kill her.”

“How do you know about any of this?” I wondered aloud. Levi's eyes flicked to mine, a pale blue colour connecting with my own. They weren't quite the icy blue of water wolves, and they had inky spots in the light colour, like little specks of dark blue against the pale colour.

“Violet had a vision a few months ago. The people hunting you, Katie, they hunted our pack too. Our parents. Our family. So we're here not only to help you, but to help ourselves as well.” Levi said, and I couldn't help but find his presence safe yet powerful. He was like the quiet leader, directing subtly from the background.

“What bloodline are you?” I blurted out, blushing as soon as I'd done so. “I'm sorry, but your eyes, they're a different colour-”

“Do you know what happens when you kill one of your own kind?” Noah said suddenly as Levi half smiled at me, as if to say he wasn't offended by my questions, before turning away and walking back to the bungalow. I shook my head as Noah continued in a quiet voice. “You lose a little of yourself as well.”

I understood without Noah telling me directly. Levi had killed one of us werewolves, and the paleness in his eyes showed me he wasn't lying.

I nodded slowly, taking in this information. The clearing fell silent for a few seconds, all of us thinking about what had just been discovered, when Violet spoke up.

“You better come in, then. You two need to get back before someone starts to get suspicious, so we need to go through the plan before dark.”

We followed her inside the bungalow, Noah and Lydia behind us, and I could tell Max wasn't very happy about the situation but followed me anyway. I sent him a small smile over my shoulder, and the slight tilt upwards in the corner of his mouth was his reply.

“We have a plan?” I muttered, and Violet nodded as the room opened up. I gasped, the space so cosy and beautiful I had to stop and just look for a few seconds. The room was large inside, the kitchen set on the back wall, the floor covered with oak floorboards, the ceiling the same. There was three couches centered around a fireplace that crackled away slightly, and one of the walls was a wall to ceiling bookshelf, stacked full of books and knick knacks and the floors had an array of rugs scattered around. A door to the right must have led to bedrooms and a bathroom but it was closed so I couldn't tell.

“How long have you been here?” I heard Max mutter behind me.

“About seven months,” Violet replied casually, picking at the bottom of his shirt she was wearing. “I'll be right back, I'm just going to put on some clothes. Noah, don't annoy them too much.” Violet said, rolling her eyes as Noah just grinned at her cheekily.

“Aye Aye, captain.” He saluted her, then moved towards one of the couches, plopping down with a sigh. “So, welcome to our humble aboad. What do you think, kids?”

“You look younger then I do,” Max scoffed, folding his arms over his broad chest, his scowl never leaving his face.

“I'm eighteen, Violet's nineteen, Levi's twenty, and little Lydia's fifteen.” Noah threw over his shoulder, picking up a book from the empty couch cushion beside him. I got a quick glance of the cover, Pride and Prejudice. I almost laughed at the image of the cocky, good looking Noah, sitting almost primply on the sofa, reading such a dignified, well known book. He just struck as me as the sort of guy that just didn't read, fullstop, let alone Jane Austen.

Max turned to look at me with a funny look then rolled his eyes and walked over to the bookshelf, looking at the massive collection with his arms crossed. Violet reappeared with a pair of shorts and a white shirt on, Max's shirt in her hands. She walked over and gave it to him with a small thanks, and Max took it hesitantly, his face void of any emotion but I knew he was having some sort of conflict mentally.

“Okay,” Violet said, clapping her hands together sharply. “Where should we start?”

“How about the beginning.” I said, and Violet nodded, pointing to the couches. I followed her over and Max took a seat furthest away from the others, scowling to himself. I sat next to Violet and beside Noah, and Levi sat down next to his sister.

“The very beginning,” I spoke again when Violet frowned, realising I meant what happened with her pack as well.

“Okay. You know I've, well we've,” Violet started, her arm sweeping around the room to show that she meant the other three too, “been rogues for a few years now. I was eleven when our pack was attacked. We never saw the attack coming, mostly because they weren't rogues or loners or feral wolves. The ones who started the attack had been part of our pack for years, they had been part of the family, and they betrayed us all for the organisation that they worked for. So when the fight started, we thought only the unloyal pack members were a part of it, but they had others on the outside who helped wipe us out.” Violet stopped, looking down quickly before continuing to talk. “Levi was twelve, and he had Lydia to look out for, but he managed to save me too.” She sent him a small smile. “We hid in the forest, and the pack war was worsening. Levi wanted to stay and fight. Our parents had already been killed, and we all wanted revenge, but with Lydia and I he decided we should stay hidden until the fight had died down a little. We found Noah a day later with a chunk out of his side lying in the forest. He'd been bitten but managed to get away, and that's how we ended up together. We don't know of any other pack members that survived, but if some others did, we've never been able to find them.”

I sat frozen, feeling the horror of her story and their past wash over me slowly, seeping into my pores and settling under my skin in a cold layer of sadness.

“And you've been together ever since?”

Violet nodded. “The forest became the only place we felt safe, so we jumped from forest to forest while trying to gain information on the people who did this to us.” I could see the emotion in Violet's eyes, the pain that she was still living with, and glancing around the others I noticed that they all were wearing the same mask.

Revenge, agony, mourning.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I waited for Violet to keep talking. “We've been gathering bits and pieces on the organisation since then, but they had never popped up on our radar since the pack war. Then, about seven months ago, we were passing through the city when Lydia spotted one of the ex pack members who turned on us, just walking casually down the street like he owned the damn place.” Violet's voice grew dark, and the cheery atmosphere in the bungalow took a deeper turn.

“Is that...what happened?” I already had the sinking feeling I knew, and by the looks of it so did Max.

“Levi lost a little of himself,” Noah pitched in, and I understood immediately. Glancing at Levi, who was sitting calmly, looking straight out the window, I understood why he did what he did. If someone had killed my entire family like that...I would have done the same thing.

“We didn't know exactly why they had attacked back when they did. We'd always had theories, but it wasn't until I saw you in my head that things became clear. Do you remember the woman in your dreams?” Violet asked, and I nodded.

“How could I forget?” I muttered, a little irony in my voice. Violet's mouth quirked upwards a little as she started talking again.

“She's your ancestor. The great Ether wolf, is your great, great, great grandmother. She was four hundred when the Great War happened, and she had already birthed your great, great grandmother before she was killed. Being the great Ether had it's perks, she could see things, just like I can. She saw the attack happening, and hid her child with one of her most trusting friends.”

“Why didn't she try and stop the war?” Max piped up, and Violet turned to him.

“Because she had seen the amount of wolves that were on the other side, about to fight against her. It was hopeless to even think they had a chance, so she did the next best thing.” Violet paused, and the room filled with anticipation. I even felt myself lean forward, waiting for her words to fill the silence.

“The thing about Ether wolves is that where most of the time, the strongest bloodline between mates was passed to the offspring. Ether blood, is different. It picks it's inheriters, who it's going to be a part of. She found all the children that possessed the bloodline, and pretended to sacrifice them in a peace offering to the other wolves. She knew it wouldn't stop them, but it was worth a try. What the other wolves didn't know was that she had actually sent them away, hidden them in corners of the Earth, in continents and countries that hadn't even really been heard of back then, so the bloodline could live on.”

My head was swimming as I tried to process Violet's words. “How do you know all of this?” I asked quietly, staring at her with slight awe at her seemingly endless knowledge.

“She's visited me a few times in my dreams, too. She's been watching you since you were born, Katie. She picked me to help you, and to help avenge my pack too.”

“So the people who are part of this organisation, who are they?” I asked after a few seconds of heavy silence that the bungalow had become filled with.

“Bad, bad people.” Levi said from where he sat, his elbows resting on his knees. “You need to understand now that you've just entered a world where death isn't nearly as uncommon as you think and killing might be something you have to get used to, because in our world, there won't be any way to avoid it when the time comes.” He said, staring at me solemnly. I gulped, nodding in determination and straightened my posture, trying to look confident even when his words had sent cold shiver of fear down my body.

“So why'd they attack your pack again?” Max asked, not bothering to hide his interest in the story anymore. He was just as curious as I was, and it was showing.

“We discovered after Levi had...interrogated that ex pack member, that the main reason was that an Ether was hiding in our pack, and the Alpha wouldn't give her up because she was his mate. The organisation is a cold group, Katie. They decided that if he wouldn't give her up, the whole pack would pay.”

“So they killed the whole pack because he wouldn't give up his mate?” Max asked, sounding a little agitated. I could tell that all this talk was making him think of his father and brother by the fiery icy blue lighting up his eyes.

“She was special to everyone.” Noah spoke up, being completely serious for the first time since we'd arrived at the bungalow. “Everyone loved her, and they killed her because of what ran through her blood.”

“You sound as though you were in love with her too.” Max commented, and Noah shook his head bitterly, laughing even as his eyes raged with a sudden green inferno and his jaw clenched to the point of pain.

“She was my mother.”

Silence fell over us, and Max nodded his head slightly, his eyes flashing in understanding. I watched the exchange between the two, Max's silent apology in his eyes when Noah just grinned a little and looked away.

“Think of the organisation like World War 2. Hitler was killing innocent people because of something they couldn't change or control, wasn't he? This is the same thing, but with werewolves instead.”

“And the leaders just like Hitler.” Levi muttered darkly, like he knew him personally.

“How'd they find out about me if I didn't even know about it?” I asked, the question I'd been mulling over for a while coming to the surface.

“They knew because of you not having a bloodline like the others. That's what they look for. The past couple of times, they've sent in scouts, werewolves that blend in and check out packs for people just like you. The scouts normally the one who kills the Ethers, but in your case, he's failed twice now. The frustrating part is we've never been able to catch the scout. They're always in and out so quickly. So someone's been in your pack, or around enough to know who you are. The organisation won't stop until the Ether bloodline is dead once and for all, and we won't stop looking for the people responsible for killing our families and pack until they're dead once and for all either.”

Violet's words were all making sense. I could feel the passion the four had towards the subject, and for some reason had an overwhelming feeling of gratefullness wash over me.

“We're here to protect you, Katie. For as long as we can, until this is over. But you need to stay with others at all times now, preferably with a male because the scouts less likely to attack a werewolf male with you. That's where Kade comes in.”

I stiffened, my guard going up instantly. “I'm not dragging him into this.” I said in a determined voice, and Violet frowned.

“Katie, he's your protection. Max could do the best job in the world at being your bodyguard, but the one person who completely guarantees you safety is Kade. It's just how it works.”

“Well, not in this case.” I said stubbornly, standing up. “Kade rejected me. I'm not about to run to him and ask for his protection when he doesn't even want to be near me. So forget it.”

“I knew I'd like you, Katie.” Noah smirked. “That's why we're going to be class buddies starting Monday.”

“What?” I asked, turning to look at Violet. “What does he mean by that?”

“Well, I knew you'd say no to the Kade idea so...I enrolled Noah into school as well, just as a precaution.”

Staring flatly at Violet, I noticed Max stand up as well and check his phone, looking at the time. Glancing out the window, I noticed the light growing darker, and turned back to Violet. “Noah? As in, that Noah?”

Levi and Lydia chuckled as Noah pouted, slumping into the couch cushions. Violet smirked, nodding.

“He's pretty good with confrontations. He's an asset, not a hindrance, trust me.”

“When have I not?” I sighed, and Violet rolled her eyes at me and looked out the window too, a frown marring her features.

“You guys better get going, it's getting dark. But remember, we're all here, so for now, you're safe.”

Violet said as she walked us to the door and the others stood and followed. “But Katie,” she grabbed my arm gently. “You're going to need him. No matter what. Remember that.”

I nodded, closing my eyes briefly. Violet smiled slightly, then led us out into the forest and down to the ivy curtain, all three of us deep in our own thought. Max was silent behind me, and Violet walked with a little more ease then she did in getting to the bungalow.

“So,” I started conversationally. “You're flatmates seemed cool.”

Violet laughed over her shoulder, her eyes alive with delight. “They're the best.”

We reached Max's truck ten minutes later, and I said goodbye to Violet before I got in, suddenly feeling a little emotionally drained by what had happened today. Leaning my head back againdt the seat, I swivelled it to the left and glanced out to see Violet and Max standing in front of each other, and Violet was saying something to him.

Sitting up slightly, I watched her closely as she talked, noticing the slight warmness in her eyes and the openness in her face when Max was paying her attention. It was subtle, and if I hadn't been looking so hard, I wouldn't have seen it, but suddenly, it made sense.

“Oh, you are kidding.” I muttered just as Violet finished talking and Max said a short reply before walking over to the truck and getting into the drivers side.

I stared at his profile for a few seconds, the way his angled jaw and cheekbones stood out in the dimming light, how his eyes watched Violet disappear back into the woods out of their corners. I shook my head slightly. How could I not see it before?

“You okay? You're silent.” Max said when we were back on the road, the truck roaring towards the pack house. I nodded, storing the little piece of information I had just discovered into the back of my mind.

All I knew was that Violet seemed to have a connection with Max that hw didn't know about...and that only meant one thing...

I sighed, closing my eyes tiredly as Max drove back towards the house, humming slightly to the radio. I thought over what we'd found out, what Violet and the others had told us, and wondered for a fleeting second about the whole situation. About who I was, what was after me, the danger I was in, and I knew I should have felt scared at that moment.

Instead, I fell asleep in the steady hum of the warm truck interior, tired, worn and sore from the massive day I'd had.

At least I'd finished my assignment.

* * * *

Enjoy! :) This was more of a information packed chapter, so sorry about the lack of action and excitement, but you got to meet the three I've been just dying to introduce!

I have big plans for those guys, so remember them ;)

x

Random fact #4: Apples are more efficient than caffeine in waking people up in the morning.

For you coffee addicts, remember, an apple a day seems to keep everything away, really.