“If you go with me, you’ll be breaking the Pack law. You could be chased away… You sure you will risk becoming outcasts like me?” I asked him and Scott, my look absolutely serious. “Lone wolves…?”

“Can’t be lone wolves if we have an alpha,” Scott said baring his throat as he approached me. I couldn’t possibly take his words seriously. I was no alpha. But I could feel that quiet little pull of pack, pack, pack in the back of my mind. Damn did my wolf howl his happiness at that.

“Won’t be the first time you lead us into some trouble.” Yuri chuckled, baring his throat as well.

“Alright then, let’s go,” I told them, feeling more confident than ever. “So I’ll give you my hotel room card, you’ll just go for my bag there and bring it back. And while you are explaining that to the guard at the door, I’ll sneak out,” I told them my plan.

“There are patrols everywhere.” Lowell pointed out.

“I’ll just go through the storage. We’ll be gone long before they find my scent,” I told him. “But once I’m gone I’m sure Diego will try to persuade Father to have Matt killed.”

Lowell sighed. “I can go to Holly, but Father won’t kill an innocent if he doesn’t have to,” he said though he almost looked like he was pouting. “Be careful...”

“I’ll see you soon.” I squeezed his shoulder then turned to the confused and obviously scared Matt. “Holly will protect you, you’ll be okay.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about…” he grumbled. I smiled, then tilted his head so I could take his mouth in a hard possessive kiss. I heard Scott make a retching sound, though he grinned at me when I let go of Matt and glared at him.

I gave my card to Yuri and Scott, waiting until they left the house. Lowell was still frowning at me, not happy about this at all. “It’ll be okay, Lou. You know I can take care of myself.” I smiled reassuringly at him. He looked away when I left the room. The whole pack was downstairs, so there was no way I could just walk past them to the basement. There was a different way down though…

This house was very old. It existed in a time where dumbwaiters were still a thing. I carefully made my way to the bedroom next to Father’s office. The main bedroom… The bedroom for the King and the Queen. It had a huge bed with a canopy, a huge closet, and a dressing table with a mirror. There was make-up stuff on it and a brush and some photos of me and my siblings as small children. I caught myself taking a deep breath looking for mother’s scent. But even though Father never moved her stuff it didn’t smell like her anymore, not after fifteen years. I shook my head to chase away the memories and walked to the bookshelf next to the bed. I moved the bookshelf as quietly as I possibly could, cringing every time the legs scraped the floor. I let out a triumphant breath when I found the old dumbwaiter door still there. I opened it and looked down through the dark tunnel. The cabin itself was taken out a long time ago but some wires were still there. I used them all the time as a kid to sneak out of the house. The question was… Would they support me now when I was a good few hundred pounds heavier and they were a decade older? I was a werewolf, falling down from the second story to the basement wouldn’t hurt me that much, but it probably wouldn’t be a very sneaky way to get out.

I grabbed the old wire and gave it an experimental tug. It seemed strong enough. I crouched in the doorway and carefully pulled the bookshelf to me as far as I could. It was pointless; the second they found my scent here they would know what I did, why else would I be here? But I could at least try to hide it. When I was satisfied with the position of the bookshelf I grabbed the wire again and squeezed myself into the tunnel. My shoulders were broader than when I was a kid so it was a tight fit. The wire held. I slowly climbed down and prayed for it to not snap. I had to be quiet too, especially when I got to the part that was next to the kitchen. The elevator door here was sealed shut though so they shouldn’t hear me. I held my breath until I passed the kitchen anyway. Then the wire groaned and I froze in place. Fuck. I sped up. I was almost down, just a few more inches, come on. The wire groaned again and I jumped down the last few inches, falling on my tiptoes quietly.

I took a second to calm down since my heart was pounding into my rib cage. Then I pried open the elevator door and found myself in the storage room. The only light came from a small window at the top of the wall. I tip-toed to it and quickly realized I remembered it much bigger… Goddamn werewolf muscles! I stood under it and tried to figure out a way to squeeze myself through. I sighed when something came to mind. I quickly stripped, then I opened the window and stepped on an old box. Okay buddy I’m gonna need your help. I told my wolf. He was feeling anxious since technically I was breaking our Alpha’s orders and leaving Matt behind. But he didn’t fight me when I called forth the shift. I clenched my jaw against the pain of my body breaking and pulled myself up through the window. Shit. I cursed inwardly when my shoulder dislocated to allow me to squeeze through. I managed to somehow get out while my body shifted. The thing was, I couldn’t stop it once I was out. Luckily there were some bushes around the window so I could hide while I shifted.

The black wolf looked through the leafless twigs of the bushes and listened for the patrols. He could hear Yuri and Scott arguing somewhere on the main road, probably waiting for him. There were some wolves on his right, quickly coming his way. He needed to go, there was nowhere to hide. On light feet, the wolf ran out of his cover, his belly close to the snow. He darted into the trees hoping no one was looking out the window at the moment. He ran as fast as he could toward his friends though one part of him grew anxious with every step he took away from the den, the pack… from Matt. He was doing this for him. He was protecting him. He reminded himself and sped up since the wolves on patrol would find his scent any second. He ran a few miles straight, then he turned left and got back to the main road in a huge berth, just to make sure he wouldn’t meet anyone. Finally, he stopped on the slush-covered asphalt. Yuri was leaning against his car, while Scott paced back and forth in front of it. They both looked up when the wolf jumped out of the woods.

“And the game is on.” Yuri grinned with his teeth bared and opened the back door for him. The wolf jumped in. Yuri took the wheel and Scott rode shotgun.

“So we’re officially partners in crime. Feels like old times,” Scott said with a smile, though the car was filled with the scent of his nervousness. The wolf rested his front paws on the passenger seat and touched Scott’s neck with his nose. Scott drew in a sharp breath and shivered. “I’m fine Reid, really. Just… Your Father’s been my Alpha my whole life and while I always knew I wanted to follow you it’s still hard not to feel like I’m betraying him,” he explained and reached behind him to rest his hand on the wolf’s massive head.

“You are betraying him,” Yuri remarked. Unlike Scott, he seemed unbothered.

“You know I always thought you were the more loyal one of us.” Scott frowned at him. The black wolf had to agree with him.

Yuri just smirked. “I am… just not to Alistair,” he said and looked at the wolf through the rearview mirror. “Not leaving with you when you got kicked out was the worst mistake of my life. I was mad at you, I was your best friend you should’ve told me…” he sighed and shook his head. “I tried to turn my loyalty to Trystan but it was always you. It will always be you.”

now that was something the wolf never expected to hear. Sparks of joy filled his chest though and he let the selfish happiness wash over him. Yuri was always his. The wolf wasn't really sure how to communicate his feelings without the ability to speak or get closer because of the confines of the car so he just leaned forward and licked the man’s face.

“Ew, get your disgusting dog breath out of my face.” Was the thanks he got for it. The wolf huffed with annoyance and then he lay down on the back seat so people in the city wouldn’t see him through the windows. It didn’t take long for their phones to start buzzing. They ignored them…