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As she stood by the bar waiting for Ruby to finish the large order of drinks for the equally numerous group of wolves in the back she took a moment to glance about. Her senses picked up every individual scent left by the patrons of Hubris. Human and shifter alike. She could sense the locations of every patron. She could smell their weaknesses.

That night she found herself catching the scent of strangers walking through their doors. Two males. Strong and in their prime. Non human. Lion. Her eyes lifted to meet the cool gazes of both. They were obviously strangers. And males with no territory of pride.

Their pride of females wouldn't be too far behind. Two line males wouldn't venture so near to another prides territory. Unless...

"Here you go. I'm sure the boys will be feeling good after all this. " Ruby said cutting off her line of thinking.

"I'm sure"

"When you get back I'm going on my break"

She nodded and picked up the massive tray easily, with expert care made her way through the haze of smoke to the back. The wolves were always a group that made her smile. Lola and Lottie were personal friends of hers. All their brothers and cousins had adopted her as a friend as well. That was what a wolf pack did though.

"Here you are boys try not to get plastered tonight. Ruby might castrate you. " they all laughed and shooed her off with teasing jabs of pulling the cats tail. Lola and Lottie gave their male relations heavy eye rolls and smiled at their feline friend.

Once she was back at the bar she relieved Ruby of her duties and began filling orders and taking money. Cora came out of the kitchen to help serve drinks. As she was filling an order for the College frat boys in the booth near the TV she felt a chill go down her spine.

A chill of awareness.

She turned calmly and found the two strangers at the bar across from her staring deadpan at her. She gave them a raised eye brow of indolence and reached the drinks to Cora.

"What can I get for you gentleman?"

"They say your whiskey is good" the older male asked

" It is " she shrugged.

"Two shots of whiskey and two shots of your finest bourbon. " he said those eyes of his left her knowing this male was dangerous.

"Coming right up" she said reaching for the glasses and the bottles beneath the bar.

"You know for a sweet faced female your working in a awful rowdy place. " he kept talking.

"Well for two strange males who don't belong here your sure walking with death. " she set the shots down before both of them.

He chuckled darkly the other male was quite but the shifting eyes made her realize that he was younger and more nervous than the male right before her.

"Where's my manners?!" He slapped his companion on the shoulder. "This is Gabriel and I'm Alistair. We just arrived. And you would be?"

"Nobody you will have the time to know." She answered turning away and hearing the low rumble of a growl the make face her.

"I'd be careful little leopardess. Some day we may meet in a more private setting " his voice was soft but easily heard and with a clear threat.

"That's the day I'll climb a tree. " she smiled sweetly.

The males didn't stay very long after but she managed to make call to Silas to warn him. He didn't answer.

If he had answered that phone call or checked his voice mail thug may have very well been completely different. And yet like all things meant to be he didn't. And she often wondered if there was more that she could have done.

Once the rush of customers were through and the bar was closed she found herself at the dumpsters taking the trash out. Once all five hefty bags were thrown into the abysmal depth of the dumpster she went to where her car was parked.

The long hours of waitressing at the bar had left her with more than a few kinks in her body. She just wanted to take a run, let her feral side out for a while. Tonight she felt even too tired for that.

"Guess a hot bath will have to do" she murmured pulling out her keys.

There was no warning before a large had wrapped about her face turning her. It left a smear of coppery liquid across her mouth and cheeks. She saw before just a moment before her inner leopard would have shifted and tore out her would be attackers throat that it was Silas. She would never forget the blood and the bone deep scratches and the crushing bites left on his body.

"Char-" he slurred before slumping against her. It took all of her strength to catch him and hold him up. "They're dead I'm next" he managed before passing out completely.

How she managed to keep him from falling or opening her back door and sliding him inside she didn't know. She didn't remember the drive that night to the farm house. She did remember the call from Cora.

"Charlie where are you?" She asked. The tone of her voice was off.

"Oh I'm just going to stay the night at Lola and Lottie's I need a night with my girls" she lied.

"Oh well I'm glad your going to have fun "

"Yeah. It been so long since the three of us hung out together. " she kept with the lie.

"Hey by the way have you talked to Silas tonight?" She asked.

"No not really I left a message on his phone but that's it. "

"Well if you see him or talk to him just give me a call" she said.

She knew before they said their goodbyes and hung up that the two strange males from earlier had done this to Silas. And she was more than sure that they had found her phone message. And that hey were now at their farm.

She decided to take him to the cabin where she and her sisters had grown up. The farm had only been built when they had managed to get the bar off its feet and running. After their parents death they had left the territory for they were too young to keep it. And their house had been burnt out when a group of rogue wolves came through.

The cabin would do. No body would suspect that she went there. No one would think to venture into he wolf territories to check and see if she was there. For now Silas was safe.

The rest of the night was a blur of blood and worry for her. The rest has been history. Her sisters came out unscathed from the male lions. The pride had lost their leaders and Silas was in hiding. All of his sisters were under the thumb of the strange volatile and violent males.

The males take over instigated many new things. Their intolerance for other shifters caused fear to ripple through the community. Any caught on or near the lion territory were caught and killed.and even then you weren't safe. Alistair and Gabriel were known to go into the weaker shifter clans territories and brutalize other shifters.

They closed ranks and protected and provided for Silas. Being the only son of the pride leader Anse, only he could reclaim his pride. The leopard sisters watched and waited for the moment things would turn in their favor. For the balance of power to right itself. It would eventually.

All it took was time and a little bit of fate.