Anastasia's P.O.V.

"Stoppppppp ittttttttt," I laughed as Asher and Ari swung me between them. Asher had my hands and Ari was swinging me by my feet and neither of them were showing signs of letting me go.

"She's going to get dizzy and feel sick," Damien warned. "And when she does, she'll be riding with you."

"That's okay," Ari grinned as he and Asher started to swing me faster, singing Rock-A-Bye-Ana loudly.

"Guyssssssss," I wailed. "You're gonna pull my arms out!"

I shrieked loudly as the damn devils let my arms and feet go. I sailed through the air briefly and I braced myself for the hard impact but I was caught instead by a pair of strong arms.

I squinted in the sunlight and grinned as Luke grinned down at me. "Hey baby hey baby hey," I sang to him as he set me on my feet.

"Hey baby baby," he sung back, kissing his mark and sending a jolt of electricity through my body as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Who gave you three coffee?" Dad inquired as he entered the clearing with Jonathan and Harvey and a couple other Blackwell council members who were on good terms with us.

"Axel!" I giggled while Ari and Asher nodded in agreement.

"What the fuck? I did not!" Axel defended himself as he closed the trunk on one of the Pathfinders.

"I know," I grinned, "but Rowan and Jared told me to say that."

"Why you two timing lil sneak sister rat." The guilty ones cursed as I grinned and settled into Luke's chest as he thumbed my navel. I let his calming thoughts wash over me and my wolf.

Remind to me to put the coffee on the highest shelf when we're living together. Luke said in my mind. I loved our new connection, it was so deep and it was relieving to finally have someone understand what's going on in my head when I couldn't put it into words.

I'll just find some way to climb but I'm not much of a coffee person. I answered back, watching my brothers and Dad talk to Jonathan and Harvey.

Tea for Tasie please. Luke smiled against my neck as he tested out his newfound name for me. I caught some dark thoughts with a flash annoyance. Luke sighed as he let me in, after all, he couldn't hide it from me anymore. He hated the fact that he was left in the dark on why they were here.

"Ana-bear," Dad commanded my attention. "It's time." I whined softly, my stomach rolling with dread. I shrank into Luke more and his arms tightened around me. I felt his confusion and his wariness about receiving an answer.

Dad nodded in understanding. "Gentlemen, I have brought you here today to share a secret that we have being hiding from you."

"Over the past couple months we've been here," Damien continued, "we have made several expeditions back to our territory in the north." I winced as Luke's shock hit me like a truck, drowning the other Blackwell members out. I took a deep breath and tried to placate him, just as Dad was doing everyone else.

"We have never been attacked, nor have encountered the Nightwalker pack during our excursions," Dad continued once everyone had settled down. I looked at my brothers, they were on edge and any little outburst would set them off. "I am sorry that we have kept this hidden from you but we have decided not keep it a secret no longer."

"Who's brilliant idea was it to keep it a secret in the first place?" Jonathan spat.

"Mine," I answered slipping out of Luke's embrace. I crossed my arms and met his gaze. Luke was behind me in an instant, his wolf not liking the hostility radiating from his father. "On my brothers' advice, of course. Our missions are very high risk, the less the better. We have always stuck to small groups of 3 or 4 for these missions given that the Nightwalker pack has patrols just on the border however, as of last week, that changed."

"Surveillance has shown that a few members of the Nightwalker pack have moved into a couple of houses on the western most border of our lands," Damien continued. "A total of 5 couples have counted as of this morning. The women are also pregnant."

"It is believed that Maximus Kali took advantage of these women during their heat, orchestrating an attack on the McDonald pack to keep their mates away," Nyal followed.

"How do you know that?" one of the council members.

Do I tell him? Nyal asked me.

No, I answered. Let's not give them anymore to get riled up about.

"Mind linking during a discussion is rude," Luke murmured softly in my ear as Nyal answered and the conversation continued. He pressed a soft kiss to his mark, sending a jolt of electricity and pleasure through me.

"Just playing our cards right," I murmured back watching Dad and the Blackwell council bicker. My fingertips traced the veins on the back of his hands.

"What I want to know is why are we here?" Jonathan said loudly, effectively cutting off his fellow council members.

Dad scratched the back of his neck, "We want to move some important artefacts and every pack member's documents. It's a large scale move this time, we're going to need these 4 four cars," he gestured to the parked Pathfinders, "and the nine cars we have back home."

Jonathan pursed his lips, "Alright, we'll help. But we're not placing ourselves on the front line."

Dad grinned and clapped Alpha Blackwell on his back, "Your support is all we need. My children and I will take care of the rest."

Luke was oddly silent as we walked to our designated car with Axel and Nyal. He also kept his emotions and thoughts to himself, a trick he picked up from me. I looked up at him, concerned as he opened the passenger for me. Axel raised his eyebrow at me as he started the car and waited for Dad's order and soon we were on our way home.

"How long?" Luke asked, breaking the silence. "How long have you been going back?"

I couldn't find the words to answer him. I let all my memories of each journey run through my head. I felt his anger and disappointment, as the latest memory, our trip last week.

"So every time you came to school exhausted, it was because you ran all the way back," Luke stated.

"Or she was sedated," Axel added from behind the wheel. "When she was being a stubborn ass wolf."

I smacked the back of his head as Luke growled. "Not helping," I growled. Axel smirked, getting his payback for earlier.

"I wish you would've told me," Luke said softly, "even if you decided not to tell my father, you could've at least told me."

I swallowed dryly, "I'm sorry."

He sighed and pulled me closer but didn't respond. I curled up into his side as his fingers traced my skin as he looked out of the window.

~

"Welcome to Ashworth territory," Nyal grinned as we crossed the border into our lands. I grinned looking at the lush greenery. My wolf paced eagerly, wanting to run through her homelands and show our mate around. But we couldn't, we had way more important things to do than frolic.

"Alright," Dad said quietly, "everyone knows their job. Jonathan, I kindly ask you and your council members to join me. Luke, keep my daughter safe."

"I will," he replied. On Dad's signal, we split up. We had learned the hard way that the wolves in the Nightwalker pack could detect mind links so everyone was isolated. I hid my side of the mindlink and signalled for Luke to do the same. Once he did, I grabbed his hand and together we moved quickly and quietly through the forest until our pack house came into view.

"Welcome home," I murmured as I used my key to open the door.

Our house was still left untouched. Little by little, the house was being emptied. Pictures were gone from the shelves dedicated to me and my brothers, we started taking appliances months ago, clothes disappeared from the closets, the most important pack papers were safe back in Blackwell territory.

I looked at Luke quickly before shaking off my shoes and running up the stairs. I darted in everyone's room, locating the safe each of us had. I heard my brothers' surprise and Dad's laughter as I opened each one without any help; did they really think I didn't know their combinations? I slipped everything into the envelope with the intention to sort it out later.

I sensed Luke behind me as I walked up the stairs. It was comforting to know that despite everything, he had my back. I opened the door to my room and immediately gravitated to the safe hidden among my tutus.

"I like this," Luke commented. I glanced back and saw him standing in the middle of my room, looking around. "It's very pretty, very you."

"Thank you," I answered slipping my documents into the envelope. "I actually like my room. My brothers complain I spend too much time in it."

"I can see why," he chuckled. His hands rest on my waist as I stood up. He closed the closet door and I saw our reflection in the full length mirror. His arms coiled around my waist and I pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"We look good together," he murmured, looking at me via the mirror.

"That we do," I smiled. "Come on, we need to go." I rubbed the back of his hand before he let me go and we shuffled downstairs.

Dad? I used the faintest bit of mind link that I could muster. I'm done.

Take your car and head back to Blackwell territory he answered

Don't you all need help? I frowned, preparing to open my mind to my brothers.

Ana NO! Dad's alpha order made me stumbled. You are to leave now, the less of us on the land; the better.

But Da-

That is an order Anastasia.

I swallowed dryly and conceded. I took Luke's hand as I headed to the garage.

"Which one is yours?" Luke asked, even though he tried to hide it, I could feel his excitement.

I pressed the button on my fob and his eyes lit up as the lights on my Chevy Impala flashed. We loaded everything into the car and I slid into the driver's seat. Even though our family carpooled a lot, everyone had their own vehicle for emergencies and in the very rare occurrence where all nine of us needed to be in different places at the same time. Luke's hand gripped by thigh as we watched the garage door open and I started the car and drove out.

My wolf howled in sadness as we drove along the main exit road. I pointed out landmarks as we passed them, when we reclaimed our land he would get the grand tour.

"Stop," Luke said and I pulled to a stop as three men blocked our exit. I choked my wolf's growl down as my eyes landed on the bleeding W that was the Nightwalker's pack brand. Luke and I exchanged glances and wordlessly we got out.

They were ugly, and that was a compliment. Their skin had a faint purple tinge and their hair were jagged and choppy. I tried my hardest to keep my wolf in check as we neared them. I gripped Luke's hand, aiming to calm both our wolves.

"Good evening gentlemen," Luke greeted the men as his arm curled protectively around me.

"State your business here," they said in a unison monotone. Our wolves immediately were sent on edge. As we approached, I noticed their eyes were lighter, rimmed with a yellowy golden brown.

I risked it and mindlinked Dad. After his initial shock, he retreated to just listening.

"We're just two wolves on a trip to visit family in the south," Luke replied, trying his hardest to keep his alpha nature out of his voice, however he e couldn't stop it from showing in his stature.

"Where are your wolves?" one asked. Luke pulled me closer to him as the he began circling us with a crazed look in his eyes.

"We couldn't run as wolves," Luke replied, commanding and keeping the crazie's attention. "My mate here is indisposed and I could not bear the thought of leaving her behind. Surely you know what that's like?"

For added effect I rest my hand on my lower abdomen and rubbed it gently. The crazie's eyes locked with mine and there was a look of realisation and if I wasn't mistaken, sympathy, in his eyes. Luke pulled me behind him as he came closer, his haunting eyes examining me.

"You smell familiar, but funny," he murmured. The crazie's canines lowered and his companions stepped forward, making Luke growl.

"Like my mate said," I answered coldly, curling my lips as my wolf would pull her muzzle, "I'm indisposed."

The crazie stepped back and examined us. "Get in the car, we'll give you an escort out."

"I expected nothing less," Luke said coldly. I tugged on his hand as we walked back to the car, the hair standing on the back of my neck as our backs were turned to them. I reached for the handle on the door of the driver's side when all of a sudden my hand was ripped away from it.

I snarled loudly and let my canines and claws extend and Luke was immediately by my side as five growls rumbled through the forest. I kept my eyes on the crazie's companion who had the audacity to touch me. Luke was struggling to keep calm and I heard my brothers and father howl as Axel and Ronan rushed to our aid.

"Get away from her," Luke growled menacingly, no longer hiding his true nature from them. "Now."

"He drives," the guy spat as they stood back.

"I drive," Luke said matter of factly, "but you don't touch her again."

I curled my lips at the trio before slipping into the passenger seat. Luke got in, his eyes never leaving the men. "Are you okay?" he murmured. I nodded as he brought my wrist up to his eye level. Our eyes widened and he growled as we saw three purple claw marks running across my skin.

"What kind of monsters are they?" Luke spat.

Three eerie howls echoed through the night as the men in front of us morphed. Their skin became a thick violet hide with choppy patches of fur, their eyes were a luminous yellow as they stood on two legs. I looked on in horror, we weren't dealing with wolves.

Luke swallowed started the car and put it in drive. One of the monsters beckoned us forward and we followed behind him, flanked by the others. I kept my hand in Luke's until we cleared the boundary for Ashworth territory. My heartbeat stuttered as the monster took one last look at me before howling and running off.

Luke stopped the car and pulled me into his lap, I clung to him, both of us shaken by what we just saw. I jumped as the car rang and Luke answered the call using the steering wheel control.

"Are you alright?" our dads asked seriously.

"I just have some scratches but we're okay," I answered. "Dad, what are they?"

"I don't know Ana-bear," Dad answered. "We'll talk more when we get back home."

"But we are home," I said ruefully, making Luke pull me closer and kiss my mark.

"You know what I mean," Dad replied.

"We'll be heading out in teams," Jonathan said. "You should expect us to arrive within a half an hour of each other. Luke, tell your mother to bring out the journal."

Luke frowned, "What journal?"

"She'll know what I'm talking about," Jonathan replied. "Now don't stay there for too long, Go!" And with that he ended the call.

Luke sighed and placed me back into my seat. "What is he talking about?" I asked.

Luke grit his teeth as he put the car in drive, "I don't know and I have every intention of finding out."