All of us raced back to my place where I had to make the call I did not want to make, but before I did that I wanted to go over everything that Mason saw one last time. I had no doubts on Mason's recollection but with Sam's incident I needed to make sure. We all sat and listened to Mason telling us what happened again. It was the same.

Sending the boys out to the ATV's ready I picked up the phone. Lawrence picked up on the second ring, "Yes?"

"Lawrence." Skipping the formalities, getting right to the point, "Did you find Cassie?"

Lawrence sighs, "No. Why?"

"We might have. Meet us at the clearing, we're leaving now." Informing him, waiting for a response this time.

"Fine," He sounded weary.

Meeting my wolves out back where they had everything ready to go. The first thing I noticed was that Quinn and Nate placed themselves between Dmitri and Mason. Dmitri was ignoring the hostile glares that Mason was sending off. I would have to deal with this situation sooner than later. Besides the tension she seemed to build between these men she also brought a sense of calm and peace the rest of the time. It didn't look like she was playing my wolves against each other and I didn't think she would, but her presences did have some downfalls.

Needing everyone's head in the game, I broke the silence, "Listen, things could get haywire and I need all...," pointedly looked at Mason and Dmitri, "of your heads in this. Do you understand?" I waited for confirmation before starting my ATV. Getting it, I led the way to the clearing.

Two kilometres until the clearing, we abandoned our ATV's to take the rest by foot. Our senses were good, very good, but with the roar of the engines, it reduced drastically. This way we could hear anything coming, not that I was overly worried, but then again you don't live to see 267 years on not being cautious and 50 of those being Alpha of this pack.

Waiting for Quinn and Braydon to change into their wolf forms we stood in silence listening and smelling our surroundings. Taking just as much time to undress as it did to change into their wolf forms, we were moving again within five minutes.

Quinn took the lead, the top of his head reached my hip; his fur was a striking chocolate brown with his front two paws black. He was one of the tallest in his pack and in the top five for his fighting abilities: in human and wolf form. Braydon on the other hand was a few inches shorter but broad; he was more of the traditional colouring of grey with white on his nose trailing down his neck to his chest. He too was one of my best fighters, which was why I kept them close by for situations like this. Not that I believed they would be needed.

Quinn led, just ahead of myself with Nate and Dmitri flanking them, and Mason and Braydon to cover the rear. In wolf form their senses out did our human form, the distance alone grew never mind the intensity. As we ran at a steady pace Quinn and Braydon whimpered, and then lifted their nose to the air. I knew it would be any second now that the rest of us could smell the decomp my wolves already smelt. Less than a kilometre to the clearing, the wind shifted sending the smell our way. Pushing our legs harder to reach the clearing before the Lions so we could have a minute to examine the body, this was purely for information.

Twenty feet from the edge we all stopped, studying our surroundings before breaking through into the open. Getting the all clear from everybody, we stepped in unison into the clearing. The smell had gotten so strong from the sun we needed no visual to what direction we needed to go. Closer to our boundary lines then the lions, the body lay just how Mason had describe. Ten feet back, not wanting to disrupt any evidence, crouching down, inhaling any scent that may be out of place. A faint smell of wolf I didn't recognize lingered but just barely, the overpowering smell was of the blood and sex. Her body consumed with bruises and superficial cuts except for the gaping slash across her throat. She was dumped here; the lack of blood from her neck wound was a tail sign. The terror screaming from her lifeless, cloudy eyes stared back at me. This site was disturbing. I could only imagine what Sam would have thought even if this young girl did not remind her of her child.

Quinn and Braydon let out a soft bark letting us know the Pride was here. Snapping my head up in time to see Lawrence walking out into the clearing followed by five of his, two in cat form. Taking a step back we waited as the Lions jogged over to one of their fallen.

Watching the two cats in their lion forms, it always made me wonder why the wolves grew to be such a great size. All shifters were larger than their natural animal, but the wolves had the greatest size difference then the natural wolf. In all my years, the wolves always seem to tower over the rest. The lions and tigers may out way them by pound, but never could compare to their height. The other advantage was we truly hunted and fought as a whole pack; our numbers were much greater. I admired and respect many other forms, but I would never give up my wolf for that was truly my other half and was even before the change.

As Lawrence and his Pride reached the body, I gave a curt nod and stayed silent, giving them a chance to examine her for themselves. Lawrence getting down on all fours inhaling, abruptly stopped, snapped his head up, and glared my way.

Knowing he could scent a wolf I spoke up before the question was asked, "It's not one of mine. I don't recognize the scent."

His stare lingered before acknowledging the truth with a nod. "I believe you," he said. Standing up wiping off his knees staring at his lion, he asked, "How did you find her?"

Jerking my chin in Mason's direction, "One of my wolves was out on his ATV and found her. The closest he came was around 15 feet. Mason?" Gesturing for him to come forward.

Mason walked up, pointed to the location he tackled Sam, the ATV she rode still sat a few feet farther away, but said, "There, was the closest I came."

Lawrence's eyes narrowed, he knew Mason was telling the truth, but also knew there was more to it. "What are you not telling me?" he asked, inhaling deeply clearly suspicious. I think he may had caught Samantha's scent a well.

Answering instead. "He was with a family friend that knows nothing of our kind."

Nickoli's, Lawrence's second, head whipped around, inhaling, and stood up straighter. "Sam? Sam was here?" he asked, taking in the area where Sam laid and then the ATV, clearly shocked.

Seeing that same look in Dmitri, and recently Mason's eyes as well, I defused the situation before it could come to a head. "She's fine and yes."

"I want to see her," Nickoli demanded.

Dmitri and Mason both growled their refusal. Raising my voice, in no mood for this. "Enough! Both of you stand down." Looking back at Nickoli. "I will tell her you're concern," was all I said.

Lawrence eyebrow shot up then asked, "Who is Sam and why are these...men acting this way." I could tell he changed his wording to men opposed to something more appropriate like idiots.

Curling up the corner of my mouth, I said, "I would have said idiots, but that's me." Trying to lighten up the intense situation. "Have you heard of the term Tlazolteotl before?" I asked with a more serious tone.

Eyes widened a bit. "You have got to be fucking kidding me right? This Sam, she is a Tlazolteotl," he asked, shock and annoyance in his voice. "What perfect fucking timing. So what are you doing about this?" he almost sounded disgusted about the whole situation.

This time it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Watching," my tone was on the defensive side. Before I could say anything else all my wolves and Nickoli asked in their own words but overall the same question. "What is a Tlazolteotl?"

"Stop!" I barely ever raised my voice, but this time I roared. Everyone including the Lions stopped what they were doing and looked at either myself or Lawrence. Back to a normal tone voice, "I really don't think she will be a problem, but I will worry about that if that time comes. Now I think this," pointing to Cassie's body, "takes precedence."

Leave it up to Dmitri to be the first one to speak, "I have a question," he asked staring at Nickoli, "How the hell do you know Sam?"

Seeing a slight smirk on Nickoli's face before he had it back under control he answered, "We had lunch together...a few times."

Once again, Dmitri and Mason growled. Raising my hand in a stopping gesture, they do actually that. "We will stand back so you can finish up here." Acknowledging Lawrence and only Lawrence.

The mention of Sam's name had just increased the highly intense situation to a colossal one. Stepping back, growling at my men to do the same and to keep their mouths shut.