The morning of Zack's promised return dawned bright and clear, much to Sophie's disgust. It should be dark and cloudy, rain and thunder pounding. Because then it would match her mood.

She had been awake much of the night after yet another nightmare made it impossible to get back to sleep. She was beyond done with this situation. The sooner she told him she wasn't going back with him the sooner she could get on with her life. And that's exactly what she intended to tell him.

She stood in her small kitchen sipping her fourth cup of coffee of the morning when she heard the sound of an engine approaching from the road. She sighed gustily and slammed her mug on the scarred counter, squared her shoulders and marched towards the door.

With her hand on the lock she took a moment to compose herself and threw open the door just as she heard footsteps on the porch.

But to her surprise and dismay, it was not Zack who stood there. It was Ron Stevens. What the hell was he doing back here. So much for Zack keeping everyone else away, she might have known he wouldn't keep his word.

Sophie pulled the door half over to block his entry, just in case, and reached her hand into the slot built into the panel of the door withdrawing her handgun and holding it behind the door.

"What are you doing back here?" She demanded angrily. "Did I not make myself clear when I told you what would happen if you came back here?"

Ron crossed his arms over his chest and smirked down at Sophie. "I told you I would be back girly, if you didn't return yourself. And lookee here, you didn't do the right thing. So here I am. And make no mistake girly, I will be taking you back to Hollow Ridge with me today whether you like it or not!" He declared, his chest puffed out, filled with self importance. "So you just run along now and get your stuff and we will be on our way."

Sophie's jaw dropped in astonishment. For a few seconds she couldn't even form the words scrabbling around in her brain trying to get out. She closed her mouth with a snap and released a growl her wolf would have been proud of and snarled between gritted teeth. "Get the fuck off my porch and off my land! I told you and your buddies the last time, I wasn't coming back and I will not repeat myself."

Ron huffed an annoyed breath and said angrily. "Why do you have to be difficult girly? I told you already, you are coming with me! Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way, it don't matter to me which, but just remember if you choose the hard way and you wind up getting hurt it's on you."

Sophie gasped at the not so thinly veiled threat. "I'm not going anywhere with you, you arrogant, self important little prick. Who the hell do you think you are? I will not be threatened or intimidated by you or anyone else! Go back to your Alpha and tell him that. Now for the last time get off my property!"

Sophie watched as Ron's face turned an alarming shade of red and his eyes narrowed, his rage growing as she spoke. He growled menacingly and his eyes began to bleed red, a sure sign his wolf was close to the surface. As Sophie released the safety on her gun Ron suddenly stepped forward and put his hand on the door as if to push it open. She brought her hand out from behind the door and raised her gun, pointing it to the middle of his barrel chest.

"The first bullet is lead!" She told him, her calm voice at complete odds with her pounding heart. "The rest are silver. I don't want to shoot you, but if you take one more step I will."

Ron looked at the gun pointed right at his heart and took a half step back, he looked the the young woman in front of him a frown forming. "You won't shoot me girly, you don't have the guts!" He growled. He took another step forward and leaned down, his forehead almost touching hers. "Why do you have to make this so difficult? Now I'm getting tired of all this," he waved his hand negligently towards the gun still pointed at him, "put your toy away and let's GO!" He shouted the last word in her face and moved to grab her arm.

Sophie raised the gun to a point just above his shoulder and pulled the trigger! Ron staggered back, one hand covering his ear and screamed. "What the hell you crazy bitch! You could have taken my head off!"

Sophie smiled, completely unaware of how sinister she looked. "I'm a very good shot Ron, if I had wanted to take your head off I would have, but that was just a friendly warning. Remember, the next one is silver and if I have to fire it I won't miss!"

Ron took another step back and just when Sophie thought he had saw sense and was leaving he seemed to realise he was retreating and stopped abruptly. He lowered his head and glowered at her from beneath angry brows. Within seconds his anger grew and Sophie knew his wolf was about to come out. She knew she had to do something before that happened because despite all her bravado, she really didn't want to kill anyone and if he went wolf she would have no other choice. Her own wolf was too damaged to be of much help to her, she hadn't been able to shift for years.

But those few seconds hesitation cost her and were enough to give Ron the edge. Quicker than she thought he was capable of, Ron shed his human side and a large brown wolf was lunging towards her, teeth bared in a snarl of hate and rage.

Sophie raised her arm to block the snarling jaws from going for her throat and cried out in shock and pain as they closed on her bare forearm, blood immediately flowing freely from the deep wound. As she brought up her other hand with the gun help tight in its grip, she tried to get an angle to fire on the attacking wolf. Just as she was about to pull the trigger she was suddenly thrust back, her arm ripped from the jaws of the snarling wolf painfully.

She fell to the floor and cradled he injured arm to her chest. When she raised her head to see what happened she was amazed to see another wolf. Where had it come from? Where she and Ron so distracted that they had not heard another car arrive? Not that it mattered much at the moment because the unknown wolf was tearing at Ron, who unbelievably, was doing next to nothing to stop it. He made to moves except to try and defend his throat.

Quicker than it began it was over. Ron rolled over onto his back and bared his throat submissively to the other wolf.

Sophie finally took a breath and it hit her who the unknown wolf was. Zack! Even over the massive amounts of aggression in the air she could smell his citrus woodsy scent.

Zack growled low in his throat and took a step back from a cowering Ron, still on his back showing his belly to his Alpha. The air around Zack began to shimmer and the noise of bones realigning signalled Zack's shift back to his human form.

Once his transformation was complete he stood towering over the beaten Ron and he ordered. "Shift now you piece of filth!" Said Zack, the alpha command clear.

Ron whimpered and slowly began to retake his human form. When he was once again fully human, he moved to rest on one knee with his head lowered showing submission to his alpha. "Alpha I am sorry! I was trying to help the pack! Your father told me how imp..."

"My father is not Alpha! I am! I warned you the other day what would happen to you if you returned here did I not?" He shouted at the now cringing Ron. "You deliberately disobeyed a direct order from your Alpha by coming back here, and for that alone, I should kill you."

Just at that, Zack sniffed the air and whipped his head round and looked at Sophie still cradling her bleeding arm in the doorway. "Sophie! You're hurt!" His bent down towards her and went to touch her arm. Sophie flinched back. Zack pulled his hand away and slowly stood. His eyes flashed red and he began growling dangerously as he turned to look at the now standing Ron.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" He shouted at the now chalk white Ron.

"I didn't do nothing to her Alpha! The crazy bitch pulled a gun on me and tried to shoot me. I was only defending myself!"

Zack prowled menacingly towards the now terrified male at his feet, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "Get the fuck out of here and back to Hollow Ridge! If I have to look at you any longer I will kill you! Do you understand? I will deal with you when I return."

Ron scampered down the steps, leaving his shredded clothes behind and all but ran to his truck, threw it into gear and quickly drove away leaving blessed silence in his wake.

Zack slowly turned looking down at his mate crouched in the doorway, still cradling her injured arm close to her body.

Sophie pushed herself to her feet flinching back when Zack put his hand out to help her.

"Sophie...". He said quietly, hurt clear on his face at her rejection of his help.

Sophie looked looked at Zack and quickly averted her eyes when she realised he was naked. Of course he was, she thought, mentally shaking her head. Clothing did not survive when we shifted. Or at least that's what happened to others. Anger and resentment burned through her, and she growled deep in her throat, and bit out through clenched teeth. "I don't need or want your help Zack! Just get in your car and follow your pack mate. I told you the other day I wasn't coming back and I meant it. Just leave me alone and forget I even exist!"

Zack dropped his head and sighed deeply. He looked up and seemed almost as if he were steeling himself for battle. "I'm sorry Sophie I can't do that. Let's get you inside and get you wounds sorted, then we need to talk."

"I've nothing more to say Zack!"

"I can't leave, I'm sorry but your times up. I gave you as much as I could but now you have no choice. You have to come back with me. The council have removed the young from the pack and their parents. You have to come back with me today, now! You have to help me get the young back."