Adrenaline pumped from my veins making every limb tingle. I didn't argue when Aspen ordered me to hide.

Her ears had started to grow furry and taller as her nails extended into claws. Her brown eyes shined brightly as she became protective. She was on edge and she could clearly see something I couldn't and with her feral posture it was a threat.

I tucked myself in amongst the weeds that grew under a fallen tree, the tall plants hid much of my body along with the shadows the hovered tree trunk offered. The wood was rotting away slowly but I could care less, it concealed me that's all that mattered.

Between my frantic pants, I stared out where Aspen once stood expecting her to still be there scouring the area for the threat, but she wasn't. Aspen was long gone most likely searching for whoever the intruder was.

My heart raced as the sound of snapping branched drew closer. My mouth suddenly dries up like the Sahara Desert.

With feverish hands, I softly rummaged through the messy forest floor for anything that could possibly be used as a weapon. I didn't get far into my search before I heard the sharp piercing howl.

I froze. My breath hitched in my throat as I sunk deeper into the shadows.

The sound of paw pads came closer and it instinctually held my breath as the figure of a dark brown wolf emerges from the trees. His snout was pointed high in the sky hoping to catch a whiff of whatever made it wander this far into Osiris's Territory.

As the brown wolf continued to take in the scents of the forest another, much more lighter and smaller, wolf trotted up beside it. The smaller wolf nudged the larger causing him to growl out a scold.

It lowered its ears to its head and took a step back. The larger of the too nodded his head in my direction and my eyes grew wide. Had they seen me? They probably smelt me, I pointed out to myself.

Where was Aspen? She had just left me here to hide as if wolves arent capable of sniffing out their prey. Wolves are notorious for smelling their prey miles away and running them down.

The wolves slowly walked in my direction and I froze. What else was I able to do? Sitting still and quiet was the only thing I could do to keep myself alive.

"This is not your land." I heard Aspen growl. The two wolves perked their ears up as their lips curled back. Before they turn to face her I could have sworn one of them noticed me but they had turned to face her already.

Aspen towered over the two wolves regardless of the fact that they were five foot or taller. She was truly the definition of an Amazonian as her golden hair swayed effortlessly in the crispy winter breeze. Her pale skin flowed under the sunlight not a single blemish in sight or redness from the harsh temperature.

The taller of the two wolves shifted before Aspen revealing a mountainous man. He dwarfed Aspen's hight with ease. His eyes were pure black with a rolling anger that could be felt from the shadows I hid in.

How Aspen held her head high and eyes cunningly sharp was beyond my comprehension. If I were standing before that monster of a man I would have disintegrated into the earth.

"This isn't your land either." He taunted taking a terrifying step closer to her.

Aspen snarled rearing her head back as the man raised his eyebrow unfazed. How could he? I wouldn't be surprised if nothing scared him.

"You're trespassing on our land." Aspen reminded him.

"I am? Says who? We all know the council doesn't see you group of misfits as a pack. This is unclaimed land."

"You aren't welcomed." I half expected Aspen to shout out another defensive argument about her pack but she didn't. It only fueled my unease.

If this was truly unclaimed land than that meant Osiris was the alpha with no territory. He my claim it is his and his packs but in the eyes of everyone else he was nothing.

So that explained Philips hatred toward Osiris. He was a threat, a mutant himself with the capability to bring people together. Osiris took in the wolves packs found to be weak and beaten but and turned them into confident beasties.

Maybe he wasn't so awful. No, no, he is. He's a liar and a manipulative bastard.

'Mate,'

The fairy-like voice echoed in my head and I could hold back the grunt I let out as I fought back to silence the noise. Heads snapped toward my direction and I subconsciously shrunk deeper into the snow.

The smaller wolf narrowed its eyes in my direction. It was unclear if they could see me out not but regardless they were focused right where I laid.

"You're not alone." The man muttered twinkle of something behind his eyes.

"My alpha is on his way as we speak so I suggest you get moving."

He chuckled with amusement. "As if that is some sort of threat."

"It should be." A new voice interjected.

The voice warmed up my frozen body like a fire. My once consuming fear began to dissipate as I watch Osiris come out from around a tree.

My eyes widened in astonishment as I laid my sights on him. He was shirtless, well actually, he was more than shirtless. He was strolling around in front of everyone in his birthday suit. It was that that came as a surprise it was the fact that I had probably the best view of his back side and well, you can't blame me for marveling.

My marveling dissipated as the uninvited man turned untroubled by Osiris's presents.

"Ahh, we'll if it isn't the renowned Alpha Slayer himself."

"Who are you and why are you on my pack's territory?" I didn't know what was more chilling the freezing snow or the tone of voice as Osiris spoke.

"This is not a territory. It's open free land-"

Osiris growled cutting off the man. "I'm not entertaining your rambling excuse. Either you get off my land now or tell me why you're here."

Irritation fell on the guys face as he eyes Osiris. There was no doubt that he was reeling in his urge to snap. He didn't look like a man who easily controlled his temper and from the looks of his clenched fists I'd say he was ready to snap.

I was relieved Osiris was between us because I didn't think I'd have been able to keep from panicking. The man was a menace.

"I won't say it again. Either tell me why you're here or get out of my sight."

The man suddenly found Osiris's threat comical as he snickered. His eyes darted down to where I still laid silently knowing now without a doubt that he knew I was here.

It was foolish to think that I, a human, could hide myself from man hunting predators. They could all sniff me out miles away. Hiding right under their noses was virtually impossible, I might as well not have hid at all.

I gulped as the mama eyes flash with a bubbling interest as they connected with my own.

Osiris was quick to move between us blocking his view of me. I was both relieved and flustered all at once cause once again I was nearly blinded by Osiris's full moon.

"I said leave." Osiris growled. It wasn't a normal warning growl it was a feral growl, a I dare you to disobey kind of growl.

I wasn't sure what conspired between the two but before I knew it familiar sounds of pops and cracks filled the forest. The snarls of furious wolves drummed inside me ears like angry war drums and the once four supernaturals that stood to talk were now a blurry mess of watercolor.

Claws flew through the air slicing deep into each other's fur. Cotton ball size loss fur floated in the air as they all tried endlessly to sink their teeth into one another.

Blood soared through the sky find home on my skin. I recoiled deeper into the shadows sipping vigorously at the blood as if it were acid.

My stomach knotted as I watched everything unfold. I was so consumed with processing what was occurring that I didn't even take the time to take in the beauty of one of the wolves. Knowing what I know now and with the fixation my eyes had on a single wolf I know it had to be Osiris.

His dark fur coat was a drastic contrast to the bright white snow. But it was his eyes that took my breath away.

He had pinned the wolf he fought just mere feet from me and I couldn't help but gasp. His eyes were fiery orbs of molten gold. Those savage eyes would make a grown man cower but all I could do was stare in awe.

The fearsome beast was a force to be recon with but all I saw was a protective wolf, protecting what was theirs.

He was mine and I was his but as much as I craved to indulge in that warm fuzzy feeling it was drenched in the reminder of all the lies.

Osiris shifted back with his large hand wrapped tightly around the wolf's neck. I watched in utter disbelief as Osiris strained to keep the aggressive wolf down. Claws scraped wounds into the soft flesh of his arms. Blood oozed down in streams leaving most of his muscular arms stained in red.

"Get out of here Phina," He ordered though my body remained stuck. "Now!" He shouted as the wolf lunged up its teeth only millimeters from his face.

I snapped out of my trans crawling quickly out from under the shadows. My shoes crunches in tot he snow as I ran in the opposite direction as them.

I didn't know where I was going, hell I didn't even know where I was but anywhere else was much better than being there. My lungs burned against the frosty air and my eyes teared up from the wind.

Who were those people? Why were they fighting? What cause them to snap?

So many questions with so little answers. Like where was Aspen going in the first place? And how on gods green Earth did Osiris get to us that fast? Was he following me this entire time?

I was both annoyed and some how, dare I say it thankful. Internally I groaned at the thought that's ever be thankful for anything he did for me, but with the blood image of him fending off those beasts I could deny the obvious.

Running blindly in the forest I came to stop when I noticed I had ended up in an open clearing. The open free space felt eerie and out of place compared to the haphazard forest of trees and fallen logs.

Clouds of my hot breath left a hazy fog in front of my face as I scanned the area for anything that looks familiar.

Nothing looked remotely familiar.

"Great Sera! You got yourself more lost." I ranted to myself.

I took a step in the direction I thought would lead me back home as a echoing howl broke out across the woods. My heart fluttered in a nauseating way, in a gut wrenching way.

Pain shot up my forearm and in a panic attempt to keep from keeling over I gasped. I clutched my arm to my chest as I pressed my back to the nearest tree.

What the fuck? It felt as though my arm was being torn from my socket. I screamed out as another searing shock way of pain radiated up my arm. I pulled back the sleeve of my jacket revealing raised inflamed scratches down my arm.

Blind sided by the pain I failed to notice the monstrous wolf that slowly approached.

As if my life couldn't get any closer to distraction.