Anastasia's P.O.V.

I crouched low under the bushes, waiting for my prey. The forest was quiet but I could hear distant whines and growls but ears were tuned for the sounds of someone else. I tensed, poised and ready for the attack as the faint sound of crunching dirt filled my ears. I saw a flash of grey and pounced.

Luke's wolf yelped in surprise as I tackled him to the floor, biting his neck hard enough to cause pain but not break the skin. He pushed me off and I rolled out of the way before Luke could pin me. I lunged, claws extended to latch on to his hide but Luke was faster. He caught my front legs between his teeth, making me crash to the forest floor. I growled as I stood on my four legs, my wolf was more in control now and she did not like losing, even to her mate.

I barrelled into Luke, knocking him over due to my size and speed, something he always underestimated, and pinned him down with a triumphant wolfy smirk.

Not bad, I said, re-opening the mate bond that we hid from each other. I heard his thoughts a fraction of a second too late. Luke used his legs to push me off of him and pin me down. His wolf let his weight crush me a little, reminding me who was alpha. Not bad at all, I reached up and licked his neck.

Luke grumbled as he sat up, Part of me wants you stop going for my neck during training but I keep that part locked in a box.

I rolled my eyes as I looked up at him, all the nips and bites we inflicted on each other during training left us with red spots that looked like hickeys when we shifted back. We gave up trying to convince everyone otherwise and played along. Luke's wolf nuzzled his nose against my neck, nipping at the small crescent area where his mark was. 

That, his wolves piercing blue eyes bore into mine, is the only mark that matters.

I formed a rebuttal in my head but I yelped in pain as seven bombs of anger exploded in my head. I forced myself to phase back and I curled into a ball in an attempt to soften the mental blows. Luke growled loudly as his wolf curled around me protectively. He had felt the blast and tried to shield me as much as he could from the wave of fury that was in my head. My hands knotted in my hair as more voices and minds joined the chaos, someone had opened the pack mind link in the Ashworth pack. I hated using the pack mind link, everything was out there for everyone to see and feel. Whatever happened had my pack up in arms and me in pain. Luke whined, unable to buffer an entire pack that wasn't under his command. After a what felt like hours, finally, came silence.

"ANA!!" Damien's voice echoed through the forest. Luke howled in response as I struggled to form words. We were training one-on-one under him today but Luke and I were allowed to training separately from the pack as Blackwell tradition, an Alpha and Luna learning each other.

Damien appeared from the trees, shirtless and positively livid. Our position only fuelled the fire in his eyes. Luke growled and tensed, ready to attack him if he started a fight.

"How do you feel?" he said slowly.

"Like Hiroshima, Fukushima and Chernobyl went off in my head," I muttered. My ears were ringing but I looked at him. "I'm too shaken to phase back."

Daimen placed our clothes at Luke's feet, his lips curled with distaste at the action. "Blackwell pack house," he said simply before turning around and walking away.

I exhaled a bit shakily before slipping my clothes on and giving Luke some privacy. I rest my head on my knees, trying to recover.

"Come here," Luke scooped me up into his arms, making me rest my head on his shoulder. "You're not used to a pack mind link," he stated. 

"I have suppressed my wolf for most of my life," I murmured as he began walking. "We never really get to interact with the pack because when I do let her out, it's either with my family and friends or around children. I've never really been connected with the pack in that way."

"Then how do you fulfill your Luna role?" Luke asked. "Mom uses our pack link like CCTV."

"I expect people to tell me the truth," I replied, "and I dare to them to meet my expectations. I never ask anyone to open their minds to me if they don't want to and I have never had an incident where I've had to use the pack link by force."

"Something tells me that we're going to have to use it now," Luke muttered as agitated chatter reached our ears. I hopped out of Luke's arms and we jogged over the Blackwell pack house.

There were shouts and jeers as the two packs were engaged in a standoff. There was a very visible line were the Ashworth pack stood facing the Blackwell pack. I was shocked to see my brothers in the fray and my father nowhere to be seen. Luke's parents were absent as well.

Luke and I exchanged looks but a snarl caught our attention. A hothead from my pack was engaged in a heated argument with someone from the Blackwell pack and it was one minute away from coming to blows.

"Uh oh," I muttered as I saw claws extend. In a flash, I was there, grabbing the guy by the throat and extending my own claws to dig into his skin slightly. I growled lowly, a shiver ran down my spine, indicating that Luke was behind me, probably dealing with the guilty party from his side.

"What is going on here?" Luke spat, glaring at the offender in his grasp. I released the man and turned. The guy offered no explanation and the yells and jeers increased on either side.

Cut it, Luke muttered and I immediately closed off my mind to his.

"QUIET!" Luke roared loudly and I saw the Blackwell pack members flinch and some even grabbed their ears and I understood what Luke had done.

He opened his pack link to get everyone to submit to him; my wolf sat up straighter with pride. I turned to my pack and snarled loudly, my wolf drowning out those closest to me. I brought her dangerously close to the surface, extending my claws and canines and lunged forward, making everyone jump back and eventually settle down. They feared my wolf and she loved it.

"Good, now that we have all become civil," Luke boomed, "someone explain what the hell is going on."

"Murder!" a woman shouted out and ice shot down my spine and Luke instantly grabbed my hand.

"Thank you for the elaboration," Luke answered sarcastically. I scanned the crowd looking for my brothers who had snuck off. I reached out to Nyal, the most level headed of us in these situations. He didn't speak but from his thoughts, they were all safe.

"Bryan? Jason? Seth?" Luke called out. Bryan elbowed his way through the crowd.

"There was trap set in the training grounds," Bryan said lowly, "made out of pure silver. It was meant for...."

"Daddy," I whispered in horror. I broke Luke's grip and ran into the pack house. "Dad!" I shouted.

"Anastasia," I heard him answer from Jonathan's office. I barged in, not caring what I was interrupting. I tackled him with a hug, my wolf going into over protective mode. I surveyed him for any form of injuries.

"I'm alright Ana-bear," Dad reassured me, hugging me tight. I didn't listen to him as I held onto him. Dad chuckled and kept me close as the conversation resumed.

"Again Simon," Jonathan said calmly, "even though tensions between our packs have been high, no one from the Blackwell pack would attempt a crime such as this and if the perpetrator is one of ours, they will be punished eternally."

"Again for the umpteenth time Jonathan," Dad was starting to get annoyed, "I don't suspect that is anyone from the Blackwell pack nor our guests." He pointedly glared at Jonathan and Harvey who both looked dubious.

"Can I see it?" I asked. "The trap."

Dad released me and walked over the table. The trap shone under the light of the reading lamps, Emma had focused on it. It was similar to the bear trap but with a couple extra mechanisms. My fingers stretched to pick it up but I immediately regretted it. I yelped and the trap fell to the table with a clatter. My fingers were stinging and my palm was singed red with a burn.

"Are you alright?" Luke was by my side in an instant. He cradled my hands in his and looked at me with concern.

"I'm fine," I replied. I looked behind him to see Richard standing in the doorway.

"You're an idiot for touching it," he said arrogantly, "those traps were designed for wolves like you."

I had come to learn from my visits to talk to Penny who was expected to give birth next week that Richard's haughtiness was part of his personality so I took no offense by this. "The expression is "curiosity killed the cat" not the wolf," I retaliated with a smile.

"You've seen this before?" Luke asked, taking charge of the situation. Daniel, Penny and Richard held their ground and only talked to Luke and I if they needed anything.

"Prototypes," Richard answered, "nothing like this. We left when development was in its earlier stages."

"Can we see how it works?" I asked. Dad raised an eyebrow. "What? I'm just curious."

"I need a branch or something, unless someone is willing to lose a limb," Richard smirked as we all sent him withering looks. Damien poked him in the back with a limb sized branch. I studied my brother who was seething inside as Richard walked over.

"You may want to stand back." Luke pulled me into him at the warning and we watched Richard place the branch in the foothold. He pushed down and in a flash, the branch snapped with a resounding crack and the last quarter of the branch fell sizzling to the floor. The teeth of the trap had made a clean cut.

"Wow," I muttered. "If that was leg....there's no recovery from that." I looked up at Dad, the reality of the situation sunk in.

"This contraption," Luke kept an arm around my waist, "is a definitely Nightwalker invention."

Richard nodded, "Yes. They weren't complete when we left and I'm telling you upfront, Daniel, Penny nor I brought this here."

"Why does it sizzle?" I asked him. "I can stand the sting of silver but this burn actually hurts."

"It must be laced or embalmed with something," Richard said thoughtfully, "Maximus has a potion cupboard which he keeps under lock and key. Who knows what poisons he has in there?"

"Okay, now that we know it's definitely not someone from both our packs," Dad said, not pleased at the shift in power in the room. "It means that a Nightwalker or many Nightwalkers have been getting into Blackwell territory."

"Nyal is already placing an order for cameras and microphones so we can do a surveillance system," Damien offered.

"We're going to have to increase patrols," Jonathan stated, "all our warriors are already assigned to shifts."

"We're going to have to dip into the younger generation," Harvey stated, "thanks to Ashworth training," he inclined his head in respect to us, "they're capable of handling themselves if, Goddess forbid, there's an attack."

"Anastasia, Luke," Emma said, "you need to set up a schedule and make sure everyone sticks to it; use force if necessary." I grinned because that part was directed for me.

"Meanwhile, Richard," Dad said, "if you don't mind....can you show my sons and I how to build a trap like that?"

"Once hothead over here doesn't join us," Richard jerked his thumb in Damien's direction, "I'll see what I can do."

"If he thinks Damien's a hothead, wait until he meets Axel," Luke muttered as we slunk out of the room. We were going to call Xaden, Cael, Bryan, Jason and Seth now and discuss everything over dinner at Home on the Lake.

I looked over at my sulking brother. I didn't miss how his eyes flashed angrily at our intertwined hands before refocusing on the meeting. I stopped and tiptoed to kiss his cheek. I knew the level of distrust Damien had in the Blackwells something that extended to Luke as well, he only held it back for me.

"I'll keep her safe," Luke said, "nothing is going to touch her."

"I'm holding you to that Blackwell," Damien answered gruffly before deliberately focusing on the meeting.

I smiled as we reached outside, Luke, Bryan and Damien had managed to send both packs away but we knew we were going to be feeling the aftermath of this stunt for a while. Luke looked down at me as we walked to Aunt Miranda's restaurant.