It was morning, and Romulus was awake; he felt the sun's rays refreshing. He looked beside him, and a smile crept on his lips. Leah slept soundly beside him.

The sun's rays hit her face, and she slowly opened her eyes and stretched. "Is it already morning?" she asked.

He nodded. "It is. Good morning, my love."

"Morning." Leah sat up as she felt the cold morning chill. "Are we almost there?"

Romulus smiled. "Yes, my love. We will almost arrive at your grandmother's house. First, let's eat breakfast."

"But what are we going to eat?"

Romulus closed his eyes and moved his ears a bit, and without warning, he used his speed to go to many of the trees. Leah was shocked at his pure speed. A few seconds later, he returned with things on his arm. "What do you have there?"

Romulus smiled and showed what he held. "Eggs."

"Eggs? Where did you get them?"

"The trees, many birds lay eggs, but I chose the ones without chicks." Also in his hands were pieces of wood to make a fire. Leah watched him put the wood together, creating a fire, cracking the eggs on a long stone, and putting them near the fire. When the eggs were ready, Romulus got a piece of cooked egg and motioned it to Leah. A blush came across her cheeks. She blew on the piece and slowly ate the piece of the egg.

Both ate with a bit of conversation between them. When they finished their breakfast, they began to move.

"You know, if you are fast, you could take us to my grandmother."

"I like the time we have together; life is short; it is no use in going fast."

Leah giggled. "I know you don't want to take me to my grandmother's home, but you kept your promise, and I will keep mine to you." She gave him a peck on his cheek. The werewolf felt his face becoming warm. He carried his mate in his arms as he walked through many trees and hills. An hour passed; they saw the village; it looked empty. Romulus put Leah down; she ran toward the village. He walked behind her but made sure to keep her in sight. 

Leah was worried that her grandmother was gone or, worse, dead. Isla's house was spotted from afar, and Leah ran toward it. Before she could get to it, Romulus grabbed her waist, pulling her close. "Remember our deal, my love. We are only here to visit, and we are going back home." His face got closer to hers. "Don't speak things she does not need to know. Understand?"

Leah could sense possessiveness in his voice; she sighed. "Promise."

The two got in front of the door, and Leah opened it. The house was dark; there was no sound.

There was nothing.

"It seems that your grandmother is not here. We must leave," said Romulus.

"Wanting to take my granddaughter away again?" said a feminine voice.

Both flinched and looked in the bedroom's direction; it was Isla. She slowly left her room; her hair was slightly in disarray, and her clothes were wrinkled. Leah felt tears forming in her eyes."G-Grandmother! You are okay!" She got out of Romulus' grip and went to the older woman; they hugged.

Romulus felt irked that his mate was hugging another, even if it was her family. However, he knew that he couldn't be entirely selfish.

"I thought you were hurt," said Leah.

"I am here and alive." Isla glared at Romulus. "You took my granddaughter away from our family!? I had to lie to her parents that Leah wanted to stay for a while longer! I couldn't fathom telling them the truth!" She spat toward him. "You monster!"

"I didn't hurt her if that is what you are implying." He felt anger, but Leah's grandmother couldn't be blamed for feeling that way.

Tension was felt between the two; Leah cleared her throat. "Well, I am here now and wanted to see that you were okay. By the way, what happened to the other villagers?"

Isla sighed as she sat on one of her sofas. "Many of them left and went to the city; they are still investigating the disappearances of their daughters, their children." Her glare at Romulus never wavered. "You werewolves always cause trouble! Breaking families."

Romulus felt annoyed. "Like you know how we feel and what we must live through. The women are well and safe. We love and cherish them. We-"

"Love and cherish? Do all of them think of their mate's happiness? Would you even allow them to see their families? Throughout your kind's history, not one woman that had been kidnapped has returned. You werewolves are monsters!"

Romulus stopped momentarily. He was so angry that he almost missed the part where Isla mentioned his kind. " Wait, how would you even know us!?"

The young woman looked at her grandmother and heard her say, 'Werewolves.' "Grandmother, you know about their kind. Do you?"

A scoff escaped her lips. "I have lost my daughter to your kind!"

Leah and Romulus were stunned. "What?"

Everyone was silent in the house. Leah walked forward. "What do you mean, your daughter? I thought my mother was your only child."

Isla shook as she slowly sat on the nearby sofa. The older woman put her arms around herself. "I never told anyone. Not even your mother knew that she had an older sister. My eldest, Felina, was sixteen at the time." Leah was in shock, as was Romulus. "I remember how Felia was, so young and beautiful. She was beloved by many and was so innocent. She was timid around men but was very focused on her education. Many men would ask her out, but she would refuse them all. Yet one day, everything changed."

"It was the mate hunt, wasn't it?" asked Romulus.

Slowly, Isla glared at Romulus. "Mate hunt. You and your kind have no shame! Stealing girls away from home, families, and futures!"

Romulus was getting annoyed. "We don't hurt them! We provide everything they need. We love them until our last dying breath! Something you humans have trouble even within your kind!"

Isla stood, and Leah got closer to her grandmother, afraid that she would do something that she might regret. "Love!?" Isla gave out a laugh. "You lie; my daughter was found dead! Your kind killed her!"

Leah and Romulus were aghast. "W-What are you talking about, grandmother!?"

Isla turned as she put her arms around herself. "That night, Felia was kidnapped by a werewolf. I will never forget her screams when she asked for my husband and me. Many of us in the village never found our daughters; my husband and I never gave up. We looked for months until it turned into a year. Until...she was found." Tears formed in the elder's eyes. "A man brought her to us and said she was found in the mountains. The werewolf scratched her so terribly that she was almost unrecognizable. Yet, I will never forget that man; he looked distraught. I tried to find him but have never seen him again."

Romulus then flinched and was quiet for a moment. "It was a possibility that the man who brought your daughter back to you was the one who took her. He would have never harmed her. There was the possibility that another werewolf wanted her but was stopped but not before killing her as revenge." He shook his head. "Now that I think about it, my father told me the story. The rival werewolf was consumed with jealousy and waited until the one who took your daughter wasn't home. The rival tried to take and force himself upon her, but her mate returned, and well, you know the rest."

Leah was stunned by everything she was hearing. "Wh-What ended up happening to the two werewolves?"

"The rival werewolf was killed, and the other probably committed suicide. That's what usually happens when a werewolf's mate is killed."

The young woman put her arms around herself. Everything was hard to process, but she was conflicted about what would happen next. She did promise Romulus that she would return, but it was her chance to escape and be with her grandmother.

Leah didn't know what to do or think.