Adeline stared down at the hairbrush.

Hair.

Lots and lots of hair.

Turning back to the mirror, she stared blankly at the thinning hair on the top of her head. She never had excessively thick hair, but it had never been this thin.

Running her fingers through the coarse strands, she watched in horror as hair got caught on her fingers, and left with her fingers.

"Crap." Adeline breathed. There was no way in hell that she'd be able to hide this from her parents anymore. But she had a sneaking suspicion that her father already knew about the hair loss. He had shaken her awake this morning, and without thinking, she had pushed herself up, completely forgetting about sweeping the strands under her bed and pillow. His eyes had zeroed in on her pillow.

His eyes widened and his mouth opened as if to say something... but nothing came out.

She had wanted to say something to him, she really did. But just like her father, her mouth opened, but the words had died on the tip of her tongue.

Adeline had no idea what to say too him... too everyone else.

She had caused so much pain... so much suffering.

"Get dressed." Was all he said before he turned on his heel, and practically darted out of her room. Her ears had tingled as he disappeared down the hall; she could almost hear the conversation he was having with her mother and the doctors.

Great. Just great. They already had enough to worry about, but leave it up to her to add to their stress.

Adeline watched her reflection as her lips mashed together, forming a tight line across her face that was more sad than neutral.

There were heavy bags under her eyes, and her cheeks were gaunt and hollow. Her face had once been full of life and happiness... she had been pretty with her heart-shaped face and lively grey eyes, but now her face was all too bony. Her cheekbones stuck out sharply, her lips were chapped and severe, and even her skin had lost its natural tan.

She was slowly wasting away.

Slowly, but surely.

'I wonder how much I weigh,' Adeline asked herself as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror.

The last time that she had been measured was only a few months ago, the doctor had told her that she had reached the height of 5'4 and that she was done growing for the rest of her life. Adeline was short compared to the average height of other she-wolves: their heights ranging from 5'7 to 5'11. When her mother had asked the doctor why Adeline was so short, the doctor had replied with a sad look on his face.

"As you both probably know, Wolfsbane can stunt the growth of a developing pup," he had said. "And using it in large, constant doses certainly doesn't help, especially with a pup that hasn't yet reached adulthood."

Even though Adeline didn't really care that her period had disappeared, the female in her was stressed. One of the consequences for using Wolfsbane was the loss of fertility, and that was possible for using Wolfsbane mildly.

Adeline was injected with it daily.

A whine escaped her throat, so low that it was nearly non-existent. Before everything had gone to Hell, she had been looking forward to finding her mate, starting a life with him, and then having a family. She had wanted pups of her own all her life, but now, it seemed that it was one more thing that she didn't deserve.

Canises had a difficult time conceiving, but if she did have fertility issues... she would never be able to have pups.

Shaking her head, Adeline tore her thoughts away from the topic. There was no reason to miss something that she never really had. She wasn't even sure if she wanted pups anymore; she hadn't even seen a single pup in almost two years.

Frowning in the mirror, she grabbed a hair-band that was wrapped around the handle of her brush, pushed back her hair, and pulled it into a small bun. Adeline's hair was the shortest it had ever been- nearly passing her bony shoulders- but she wanted it even shorter. But, of course, her mother wouldn't allow her. Short hair was extremely uncommon on females, and even, in some packs, it was looked-down-upon. Her mother was a great mother, she really was, but she was also very appearance-orientated. Alexandra's family had to look as normal as possible in front of strangers.

A soft knock on the bathroom door had Adeline hurrying to brush her teeth.

"One second," she said, applying toothpaste to her toothbrush. Right before sticking it in her mouth, she breathed in deep through her nose, scenting the air.

The smell of cinnamon and something sweet met her nostrils.

The Oracle.

"Are you okay?" Sasha asked, her voice muffled through the door.

Adeline paused for a moment in shock and confusion. No one in the past three years had ever stopped by and asked her how she was doing other than her parents and Clyde. Perhaps her father had sent the Oracle to check in on her.

Probably... because no one wanted to spend time with her. Every time she passed a lesser wolf, the strong scent of fear emitted off of them almost immediately. People were terrified of her, and rightfully so. She knew that the Beast didn't care who it attacked. Anyone and everything could be a victim of its rage.

"Adeline?" The Oracle asked again.

"I'm alright. Just brushing my teeth."

"You've been in there for twenty minutes, and you're just now brushing your teeth?" Sasha's voice was exasperated as if she had been waiting for her the whole time. "You're dad and mom are waiting for you. They need to discuss something with you."

Quickly scrubbing her teeth, Adeline averted her eyes from the mirror as she turned towards the door, not letting her see herself again.

The Western Oracle was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Adeline was slightly unnerved by Sasha's fierce golden eyes and unwavering gaze, but she didn't submit. The choice to stay dominant wasn't even a conscious one, alpha blood ran through her veins; it subconsciously forced her to be the more dominant one. Even though Sasha was mated to a Delta and was a sacred Oracle, Adeline was still higher up in the ranks than she could ever be. Alphas trumped every other rank in a pack, and Adeline was the daughter of full-blooded alphas.

Sasha jerked her head in the direction of the Pack Library as she straightened her posture.

Follow me. The Oracle nonverbally said.

"It's so nice to meet up with you again," Sasha said, her voice strong.

Adeline nodded stiffly.

The Oracle let out a chuckle, "You don't talk much, do you? That's a first, usually your kind just can't seem to shut their muzzles, especially the dominant ones. They're always grunting and growling and being overly possessive."

Adeline looked at her out of the corner of her eye in surprise. Wasn't she mated to a dominant?

"Aren't you mated to a dominant?" She repeated the question verbally this time.

Sasha flashed her a pearly white grin that was just as terrifying as a rabid lion.

'Aren't Oracles supposed to be gentle and passive?' Adeline asked herself. 'Sasha is something else entirely. How does Desmond put up with her twenty-four-seven?'

"Dez learned early on in our relationship to not argue with me. It's kind of like the saying, 'Happy wife, happy life', but instead... its 'Happy Sasha, Happy Existence'." The Oracle let out a snort.

"Happy Sasha, Happy Existence?" A male said from behind Adeline. Desmond.

"Yep." Sasha said, popping the 'P'. Turning her beautiful face towards Adeline, the Oracle grinned again. "Trust me, he knows. After a couple of nights in the doghouse, he quickly caught on."

"Doghouse? We don't have a doghouse; we don't even have a dog." The red-headed male said, appearing between the two females.

Adeline hadn't even scented the Western Delta, but she wasn't surprised. The male went wherever his little Oracle went.

The trio stopped in front of the large oak doors that revealed the library. Breathing in deep through her nose, Adeline pulled in the scents of her parents, Clyde, the Western Warriors that had arrived with Sasha, and the Western Beta, Finnian.

Why were there so many wolves?

Just before Adeline could open the doors, they swung open by a force that was anything but human.

A dark wolf pulled the door open all the way. It was one of the warriors that had arrived with Sasha... Darius.

"Adeline?" She heard her father ask.

She walked into the large room, the scent of dust and musty books met her nose, but she welcomed the smell. The wolves were all sitting in sofas and chairs that circled the electric fireplace, but in her mother's and father's laps, were the pack records. The records that had the names and information of every single member in the Southern Pack.

"Adeline, come sit over here." The Luna ordered, patting the empty space beside her.

Turning her head, she saw that Sasha and her mate had already left her side, and were making their way over to a vacant loveseat. It didn't escape her though, that Desmond had stayed behind his mate and was looking over his shoulder at Adeline in warning.

He wasn't afraid to take on the Beast himself to protect his mate.

Walking over to her parents' sides, Adeline lowered herself into the well-worn leather seat.

"What are you doing?" She asked her mother.

Alexandra's dark eyes lifted up from the Book of Records to look her daughter in the eyes.

The next words out of her mother's mouth caused the air in Adeline's lungs to rush out.

"We are looking for anyone with ties to a witch."