We'd been moving for countless hours and were almost out of our lands and into unfamiliar territory. It was honesty more intimidating then being back at home, this was a whole new playing field and now we knew even less about what was going on. From what about these woods we're about to enter there are a lot of bandits that roam around and I doubt that they were used to seeing wolves, much less people who turned into them.

We cross the border.

"Keep alert... these are no longer our playing grounds," I tell her.

"Right..."

Soon the familiar pines shift in to dense thick forest, the clean, crisp smell replaced with the heavy earthy smell of the surrounding forest. Out here Luna was way more vulnerable, her white coat shown out like a rare jewel against the sun in this forest.

We travel until the sun began to set, we didn't get as far as we wanted but it was close enough that we should be able to get to the town near here in a little over two hours of travel tomorrow.

"Let's stop here for the night," I say.

"Alright," she agrees.

Both of us slow our sprint down to a jog and then stop in a relatively clear area.

"How does this look?" I turn to her.

"Good, It'll do, easy perimeter to guard."

"Agreed,"

"I'm gonna go shift back..." she says.

I nod, watching as she disappears behind some trees and then a few moments later I do the same, when I come back out I find Luna looking up at the sky.

"What's so interesting?"

She looks back at me, smiling slightly. "It's just the stars here... they are pretty."

I look at her a little confused. "Luna, we're from the mountains, we see them all the time..."

She laughs again. "I know and I know that better than anyone... But something about them here, they seem brighter." she pauses looking around the forest. "There's something about this forest... something tells me that there are other people with abilities besides us and this forest is their home,"

I look around, she was right, there was a feeling about this forest. "Well lets hope that they're on our side."

She nods.

***

The next morning we arrive in the town and try to find an inn to stay in. The people around this town seemed lively, there was a heaviness in the air, as if everyone knew about it but refused to talk about it. Acted like it wasn't there.

"What has happened to these people?" asks Luna the concern was clear on her face and completely laced in the tone of her voice. "These people, their souls... they are so scared."

I sigh. "I don't know, Luna... But it means getting on their trail isn't going to be easy,"

I look around and finally find a sign for an inn, The Sunrise Inn, was the name off it. It almost looked out of place among the gloomy atmosphere of this town. This place seemed to still have a light protecting it.

We enter the building, a bell at the door signaling our arrival. The elderly woman attending the desk looks up and smiles, her hair was completely white and she seemed frail. But I'd learned my lesson from living with the old lady all of these years, never judge a book by its cover.

"How may I help you two?"

I smile. "We'll need a room, please."

Her smile gets wider, looking at the both of us. "Newlyweds?"

This catches me off guard, but before I can answer Luna does.

"Yes," she says looping her arm through mine. "We were just wed two days ago,"

She smiles again. "So many young people coming into this town lately, just a couple days ago there was a young man with the prettiest blue eyes I'd ever seen in here. He was so polite too, smiled a lot."

We look at each other.

"Could it be?" Luna starts.

"Did he say why he was here? What did he look like?"

She pauses for a moment removing her glasses from the bridge of her nose. "Hmm, tall, very pale, obviously not from around here, he had short black hair. And now that I think about it his eyes were more of a grey blue. He said he was in town looking for someone, a friend I think,"

We look at each other again, there was no doubt about it that description matched Winston. He'd been here.

But looking for who and why, God only knows.

"Did he say where he was going?"

She shakes her head. "No, he just picked up and left. Why so curious is he a friend of yours?"

Luna smiles. "Yes, he's an old friend,"

She chuckles. "You two remind me of a newly wed couple I boarded, well it has have to been at least couple of years now, they were such a cute couple. But the bride, the poor dear, was sick the whole honeymoon. But let me let you go so you can enjoy each other's company." She winks.

I find my face heating up.

Luna laughs.

We head up the stairs and into our room, upon entering its a simple room one bed a washroom. But it was clean and I suppose that is all that truly mattered.

"I'll take the floor," I tell her sitting my bag on the floor.

She looks at me confusedly. "But why? The bed is big enough for the both of us."

I sigh. "Because it wouldn't be right, Luna. Although it's you it's still Amelia's body and she is the Princes mate, I technically shouldn't even be alone with you like this."

She gives me that sad look again.

I step towards her. "Why, why do you keep looking at me like that?"

She scoffs and turns away from me. "Let's just go find out what we can, see if we can catch a scent." With that she leaves the room, the door slamming shut behind her.

I sigh, running my hand through my hair and look at the door.

What exactly is going through her head?

***

We search around the town for hours, trying to catch a whiff of Winston or Van's scent. Though more on the side of Winston's since his would be the stronger of the two and more familiar. But so far we'd come up with nothing, the scent we'd followed ended here and I'd heard reports that it had rained the day before we got here, so this trail was dead.

"We should stop and get something to eat,"

Luna nods sharply not meeting my gaze.

She'd been like this the whole time, only talking to me when to report something she found, lack there of, or her location. We walk around silently until we're directed in the direction of a popular tavern. And popular it seemed to be, it was full wall to wall of talking people. Most of them rough looking individuals.

We find two seats open at the main bar.

"Luna, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she answers shortly. 

"There is something obviously wrong, you stormed off for no reason earlier and have been distant all evening,"

I see her eyes shift over to me, and she sighs slightly. "I-"

"What can I do ya for dearie?" asks a familiar voice.

I turn to face the person. "Marie?"

Her eyes widen once she sees me. "Erik! You're okay!" She smiles, a hand against her chest. But then her eyes harden. "We need to catch up, come with me."

Luna looks at me her eyebrow delicately arched in a questioning gaze. "Who is she?"

I smile. "My contact,"

***

Marie brings us outside into an alley way behind the tavern giving me a hug as soon as we get outside.

I smile. "I'm glad to see you made it, I was worried about you. I was going to send someone to check on you... but there were some complications."

She sees the look in my eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss," and then they turn serious. "But I'm guessing the other reason you're here is because of your friend Winston,"

"You've seen him?" asks Luna.

"And by the looks on your faces that guy was not one of your friends, he was the prisoner from where you got your information." She sighs and frustratedly stomps the ground. "I knew something was off about him... I knew I should have kept him here, I'm sorry."

I shake my head. "No, you didn't know and we weren't expecting it either." I sigh. "Trust me."

She smiles bitterly. "It is often those closest to you that you do not truly see,"

"Were you able to get into contact with her?"

"Sadly no, she's out of our lands right now, but I've left her a sign that I need to contact her. I'll tell you when she makes contact,"

"Thank you so much,"

Hopefully we're finally on our way to getting some where with this thing.

***

Later on that night I sit staring at the ceiling, I've tried to go to sleep several times. But alas nothing was working and my mind wouldn't shut up. I sigh rolling over in the bed, the moon was waining, the night of a no moon was upon us.

I wonder if everyone is okay at home...

I sigh again.

"Erik, are you awake?"

I turn back around to see Luna looking at me, her eyes glimmering more than usual. This was her time after all.

"Yeah, you can't sleep either?"

She shakes her head. "No... I have a lot on my mind."

"What's going on?"

"I guess I don't understand why you don't fight for Amelia, you obviously care a great deal for her..."

"It's not my place, like I told you, she's the prince's mate. Not mine."

"Then how come I'm seeing memories of you telling her that you weren't going to give up until she told you other wise?" 

"It was a mistake, I should have never said that." I turn away from her. "It's nothing but a fools task, a fools hope. She holds no love for me in that capacity and never can or could."

I hear her stand up and growl slightly in frustration. "I thought you strong, Erik. I've observed you since you were young, and I saw the light, the potential, to something great. But like every other time you've never fought for what you want and that has hindered you greatly." I hear her let out a heavy breath. "I hate to think that I was wrong to place my faith in you..." she whispers.

With that she goes into the wash room, shutting the door behind her without another word.

I find myself scoffing.  What does she know? She knows nothing about me. Inside my wolf was giving me grief, because he knew she was right, I knew what she had said was right.

It was the only reason that I was mad, my trying to deny it.

I run my hands over my face.

There is a crash from the wash room.

Immediately get up and knock on the door lightly. "Luna, are you alright?" There is no response, I open the door to find her on the floor, seemingly unconscious. I see that she is bleeding slightly from where she had hit her head.

Suddenly I feel a prick on my neck and my vision goes instantly blurry and I get dizzy, I pull out a tiny dart from my neck.

What?

I fall to the ground unable to move with my vision getting darker by the second.

Boots fall into my line of vision. "Well isn't it just my lucky day." hisses a voice, slightly laughing when he says this. "Bring both of them, he'll want the boy for questioning..." His footsteps fade away. 

My world goes dark.

***

Hello beautiful readers! What did you think? Did you enjoy it? It was a long one to write and sadly there is only one more full chapter and then an epilogue after this. *Sheds a tear* But like most things it must come to an end... Anyways I'll see you in the next one! And as always don't forget to comment, vote, and share! Until the next time! ^_^/

-Flowereader230