"Wuh-What?" My eyes widened while my mouth stumbled over the words. A quick glance to Cole's gray-toned skin, gaping mouth, and glassy eyes showed he looked like he was going to be sick. "They're not here!?"

"No," Fenris's voice thickened with strain as his dark eyes darted between us. "Were they supposed to arrive sooner?"

'Don't tell them we went separate,' Cole warned me. 'Fenris is a direct feed to your father.'

Fenris' eyes studied both of us, so I didn't respond. Instead, I wet my dry lips with the tip of my tongue. "They left a few hours before us because I asked to spend a little more time with Alpha Stephan's family," I offered. "Yes, they should've been here."

"I'm going out there," Cole's voice laced with concern as a frantic look took over his brown eyes.

With rushed steps, he got halfway to the car when I stopped him. "Cole, you can't." I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, rock hard with tension. "You're in no shape to drive."

Stalling, I didn't even believe my own words, 'I'm sure she's fine.'

"I can't do nothing!" Shrugging off my hand, he changed his movement to angry pacing.

An unusual amount of emotion slipped into Cole's voice, mirrored by his eyes pulling wide. 'I can't hear her, Zara. Or feel her.'

"Alpha Fenris." My gaze shifted back to our host. "Is there somewhere Cole could go for a run? We've been in the car for three days, I think it'll do him some good to... stretch his legs."

"Of course, behind the packhouse." He nodded at the entrance doors. "Come inside, get settled."

"I think someone might need that run sooner than later." My eyes tracked Cole, who's irises now blazed a bright yellow as Sable fought him for control. A ripple spread over his skin like a miniature earthquake and he growled.

Alpha Fenris' eyes glazed over for a moment, then Beta Niran reappeared in the doorway. After a curt nod from Fenris, Niran directed Cole to the edge of the driveway, where both shifted and Sable tore off with a snarl.

That was... kinda awkward. Poor Cole.

"His mate is in one of those cars." At the admission of Elena, a lump welled up in the back of my throat. Desperate for a distraction, I nodded at the car. "I'll get us unpacked, do you have anyone who could park the car?"

"Of course." Alpha Fenris mindlinked someone, then a short, thin girl with flowing black hair appeared at the entrance. By her similar features to Tobias, and Luna Diana's reaction, I assumed she was Meredith.

"There she is." Diana's face broke into her first genuine smile and she extended her arms.

"Hi Meredith." I hoped my smile was polite as I stepped closer.

Meredith shared her brother's sentiments, or manners, as her face screwed up into the same scowl. Her dark eyes flashed over my appearance and she heaved a loud sigh.

"Do we really have to entertain this... insanity?" She spat out the words like they put a bad taste in her mouth.

"Meredith!" Alpha Fenris scolded. "That is no way to treat our guests. Help Miss Zara get her things and show her to her room."

I flashed up my palms in an innocent gesture. "No, I -"

"Now."

Alpha Fenris wasn't kidding around, rolling waves of aggression off him. A chill in the air raised goosebumps down my arms and my spine trembled at the insistence he threw into one word.

Flashing a tight smile to everyone, I picked up an armful of things at the floor of my seat in the car and set them on the ground. By the time I pulled out our suitcases and slammed the trunk, Meredith had scooped up my other things and disappeared.

"I swear we've taught them manners," Alpha Fenris mumbled more to himself than me.

"I'll show you to your room." Luna Diana flashed an apologetic smile as she grabbed one of my suitcases. "Welcome to the Western territory, Miss Zara."

"Oh wow," I breathed, stepping into the guest room Luna Diana directed me to.

The Western territory packhouse's interior was as opulent and impressive as its exterior. Large black and white marble tiles adorned the floors in a diamond-pattern. I didn't see a speck of dirt on them while we walked through the entrance and hallways to the guest rooms.

"This is beautiful." A smile spread over my face.

The walls were decorated with alternating light and medium-lilac strips. Most of the décor, from the bedding to the rugs and side chair at a small desk area, was light purple with pops of red accents. The bed's headboard was a tufted velvet in bright crimson.

Not my personal taste, but nice.

Meredith had dropped my things from the car, including a still damp Elena wig, on a tufted ottoman at the foot of the bed.

"Feel free to relax, draw a bath, whatever you need," Diana's voice sounded pleased at my reaction as she pointed at the only other door in the room. "Elena had your clothes shipped here, you'll find them already in order. The bathroom is two doors down, if you are hungry then we can have the kitchen fix something."

Elena... I sure hope everyone's okay.

My mind echoed her name as I sank down onto the soft bed linens.

"Thank you so much." Appreciating the hospitality, I turned and gave her a smile.

She nodded then closed the door behind her, leaving me in silence. I drew in a slow, shaky breath, feeling a sensation that the walls squeezed tighter around me.

It'll be okay. I can do this.

Closing my eyes, I reminded myself of why I was here.

Not for myself, for Lumi.

Her soft whine was the sole acknowledgment she offered, but it was enough. After I unpacked everything, a multitude of power bar wrappers brought my attention back to Cole as I threw them into the trash can near the guest room's desk.

'You alright?' I attempted to contact him, but my thoughts rammed into a wall of resistance. 'I'm really sorry, Cole.'

Despite feeling isolated and alone, I unpacked my suitcases and inspected the clothes Elena had sent here. After hanging the last outfit in order of my preference and tucking my personal items away in the top desk drawer, I stifled a yawn.

Wrapping myself in a white, fluffy guest robe and pushing my feet into marshmallow-squishy slippers, my feet padded down to the bathroom, where I took a much needed shower. The hot water did wonders for my body. Aches melted into warmed tissue and knots dissolved in places I didn't know I held them in.

My limbs moved slow and sluggish as I toweled off, dressed, and climbed into bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, sleep took me.

Despite my heavy sleep and her incredibly weak mindlink, Elena's message woke me up as if she doused me with a cold glass of ice water.

'We're okay.' We... be there soon.'

'Thank the Goddess! Was so worried!' Cole linked back.

'Breathe, Cole,' I added with a smile.

As my heavy eyes dragged up to the ceiling, I didn't hear any more words from Cole or Elena. Figuring they wanted some privacy, I slid back into sleep.

The next morning, a knock on my door woke me up. And by knock, the pounding fist seemed determined to break my door down.

"Zara!" Cole's voice thundered through the door.

My eyes cracked open and I stretched my stiff arms and legs, then relaxed down into the bed. The pillows smelled like a lilac-scented fabric softener, which was almost as relaxing as sleeping in a non-seated up position.

'Let's go for a run, princess.' Even Cole's mindlink sounded impatient.

'Before breakfast? What time is it?"

'Six am.'

I groaned as my legs slid out of bed, my calves knotted tight. After a quick brush of my teeth, I tossed on a pair of sweatpants and a loose T-shirt, then opened the door to an annoyed Cole. Gray circles pressed around his puffy-lidded eyes, so dark I first thought he'd been pinched, and random scratch marks were across his cheeks and hands.

"Are you -" I started when he cut me off.

"I'm fine, let's go," he snapped, gesturing for my hands to leave the room and leaving before I moved. I shook my head and followed him down the hall.

With the morning light peeking through the windows, I got a better glimpse of the inside of the Western territory's packhouse. The interior corridors were lined with impressive silver-framed portraits, sculptures on pedestals, and vases that I prayed I didn't break while we stayed here.

I'm afraid to touch anything.

My shoes padded down the pristine hallways as I followed behind Cole until we exited the main entrance. He walked in the same direction Beta Niran took him last night. Once we rounded a bend and were granted privacy, we removed our clothes and shifted.

The dry, rocky terrain gouged the pads of Lumi's paws, filling gray, powder-fine dirt in between her toes. Her snowy white fur contrasted against the dark gray rocks on either side of the trail as Cole led us in Sable's form to a forest line. Her lungs expanded, drawing in the dry, cool air.

Tall evergreens towered over us like giant Christmas trees and the smell of damp moss, decayed trees, and forest animals hit my senses. Cole darted and weaved around in an aimless trail, and I struggled to keep up. By the time he came to a small clearing, Lumi's paws were streaked in gray and brown dirt and mud and her tongue half hung out her mouth.

'On the other side of these trees.' Cole directed his snout to a patch of trees located farthest from the grass opening. 'Are the silver mines. Go visit those discreetly, by yourself. I'd say take Raina but she and Idris will be with me near the Western territory.'

'Right, because I clearly blend in well.' I lifted up one of Lumi's stained paws.

He snorted, sounding a lot like Lumi when she snuffed at me. 'You'll be fine, find a time when everyone is busy and come alone. Can you find it again?'

'I think so,' I replied but uncertainty pricked my skin. Lumi didn't seem to have much faith in my tracking ability, snuffing at me in the back of my mind.

'Good, get us back to the packhouse then. Consider this a practice in tracking. And no cheating by letting Lumi do it.'

I groaned at Cole's trial by fire learning lesson, lowering my head until my snout hung low to the ground and inhaled deeply. His scent was quite faint, but a mix of earthy sandalwood and whatever horrible spicy aftershave he preferred filtered through Lumi's much better sense of smell.

A second scent hit my nose, twitching it as I disentangled a salty smell mixed with a sweet, almost baby-powder, like scent.

'That's not seriously what I smell like, is it?'

Cole nodded, and if there were such a thing as a wolfy grin, then he wore one.

'Ugh, no wonder I can't find a mate.'

Lumi chose that moment to join the conversation, although she wasn't any help.

'Mate perfume.'

Not funny Lumi.

'Mate will like.'

I slowly snuffed at the ground, retraced step after step until we returned. Oddly, I was better when I tracked my own scent, not Cole's. We needed three times longer to get back because I wasn't used to leading with my sense of smell. With practice and a lot of double-leaf sniffs, I picked up the trail faster after each time I lost it.

After we redressed quickly, my nose cringed as we walked back through the pristine hallways covered in dirt and mud. We ran right into Luna Diana when turning the corner for the guest rooms, whose eyes dragged up and down our appearance.

"We were, umm, heading for the showers." My shoulders lifted as a blush spread down into my bones. A cringe wrinkled my nose when a large chunk of wet dirt fell off my left knee, breaking into smaller pieces on a white tile.

"Pretty sure Luna Diana knows what people look like after they're done training." Cole sent me a smirk over Diana's head that I had an urge to punch off his face.

"I do." Only her mouth flinched into a slight smile. "Some of your traveling party arrived."

Cole's head snapped so fast that I grabbed my neck in sympathy. "Is it -"

"Mister Idris and Miss Rose." Cole groaned. "And by the state they arrived in, your showers should wait. I insisted they go straight to the hospital but they were quite... insistent that they see you first."

Cole and I exchanged looks as we spun around and hurried back to the entrance.

'How did we not see them outside?'

'They must be at the gate.' A frown pinched Cole's eyebrows together.

Cole was right, since there weren't any cars at the entrance. My eyes widened as three black SUVs rumbled up the long driveway.

Three?

"Cole..." As a shakiness overcame my legs, my hand reached out and clutched his bicep. "How many cars did they leave with?"

"Six," he mumbled.

When I looked up, his brown eyes were two shades darker. The hard clench of his jaw pressed a small divot into the bottom of his right cheek. My heart pounded at the sound of his molars grinding.

We stood, muddy shoulder-to-shoulder and arms crossed over our chest, watching the smaller motorcade approach. My chest tightened at the state of the vehicles. The first, which rocked on its wheels as it approached, was so smashed in on the side, I wasn't sure how it even drove. The windshield was smashed on the second, revealing two security guards, and the hood and doors peppered with bullet shots.

A shaky breath left me when the third vehicle, with the least amount of damage of shattered windows, pulled up to the front circular drive. The drivers' door opened and Idris wearily climbed out.

With a hand on the top of the vehicle, his dark eyes darted around, then he reached in and pulled out Rose. I gasped at the smears of blood on the sides of her temple, which soaked dark red streaks into her Zara wig.

Why on earth is she still wearing that?

I must have mindlinked the thought, since Cole responded, 'She took her undercover task seriously.'

My feet froze on the spot as they stepped closer, Idris' arm wrapped around Rose's small waist. She gave me a feeble smile, but winced and squeezed Idris' arm tighter with both hands as they climbed up the two stairs to the entrance.

"Rose," I gasped as my arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her scent was mixed with an iron tint from all the crimson and black dried blood down the sides of her face and neck.

"We're okay," she whispered. "Only a bit banged up."

"Straight to the hospital." Luna Diana's stern voice matched the frown on her expression. "For a full check up."

Cole grabbed Idris' shoulder, but we all knew what he was going to ask. Thankfully, he offered, "Elena and Raina are about an hour or two behind. We passed them when Elena was, uhh, sick."

My nose cringed at the mental image of poor Elena throwing up on the side of the road. My gaze shifted to Cole's expression, which remained frozen with concern. "Is she -"

"Pretty smashed up too." Idris sighed.

Scanning of his appearance while he helped Rose inside, I noticed multiple cuts along his arm as he lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "Once the rogues found out we didn't have the real Zara, they abandoned us then attacked Raina and Elena's group."

My stomach dropped and my heart squeezed within my chest. Not that my pale cheeks had much but I felt like the color drained out of them. My skin chilled and trembles ran down my spine.

They do want me, or us Lumi.

She didn't respond, but I felt her shift to her dark comfort spot in my mind.

"Oh my gosh." My hands clapped over my mouth and tears blurred the wobbly steps Rose took closer. Turning to Cole, I whispered, "Why do they want me?"

"We don't know."

I almost jumped out of my skin when Alpha Fenris snuck up behind us. "But rest assured, you're safe here. I've sent a security team to patrol the gates. As soon as the rest of your company arrives, we'll close off gate access to my authorized personnel only."

"Thank you." I threw him a smile over my shoulder, which he responded with a nod. His eyes scanned over Idris and Rose's torn up appearances, then ushered them to another car that pulled up behind theirs. "The hospital is a short drive away, attached to the research lab."

As Idris and Rose turned to get into the waiting vehicle, Alpha Fenris paused with a mindlink. Once his eyes resumed their normal dark, chestnut brown color, they locked onto mine.

"The rest of your party is here." His voice was even but laced with a grim, sobered undertone.

"The guards at the gate directed them straight to the hospital." His gaze shifted from stoic to sympathetic as he looked from me to Cole. "Your mate is... unconscious."

Cole's mouth dropped open as his hand clenched into fists as his side. Ripples raised up on his skin and a low growl rumbled in his chest.

"Wait..." My voice was meek, timid, and threaded with confusion. "Alpha Fenris, you know Cole's mate Elena?"

"No." His eyes flicked to me. "They're both unconscious."