The forest was deathly silent.

The small creatures that skittered about through the fallen leaves hid deep in their burrows and the heavy clouds, still sodden with rain, paused in their assault on the ground below. Even the birds seemed to have ceased their endless songs, afraid to disturb the atmosphere that floated through the trees like an invisible but deadly poison.

The woman stood on the far side of the stream, watching the approaching wolves with wary eyes. She'd been waiting for nearly two hours, the line of damp leaves trodden into the mud a testament to her constant pacing.

She made no move towards them, yet no effort to retreat; she knew flight would only quicken her demise now that the pack had spotted her.

They had tracked her through their territory, the criss-cross of false scents the intruders had left behind them hampering their efforts to successfully locate their prey.

As the rogues had intended, their search had led them to the woman they'd left behind and, also as intended, the confusion had allowed her companions to make their escape without pursuit.

Blake observed her with an almost detached interest, his nose seeking out, and failing to locate Hannah's scent on the air. In contrast, his wolf snarled in frustration and the woman's eyes locked on to him as the wolves padded towards the water's edge.

Her clothes were worn but serviceable - no where near as ragged as many of the rogues he had tackled in recent weeks - and there were signs that she took a certain pride in her appearance. Her scent was barely tangible on the damp air, the heavy, primeval forest aromas hiding those traces the masking spray could not conceal.

"Finally." Her voice was crisp and business-like. "It took you long enough."

Blake glanced down at the water, its overflowing banks straining to contain a much stronger current that it was used to. Two of his companions stepped forward, their ears twitching as they contemplated the depth of the stream. Not too deep. Certainly no real challenge for wolves as large as these three.

The woman gave the grey wolves by his side a sharp glare as the larger of the two placed one paw purposefully into the water. "Control your warriors, Alpha Blake!" she called, her eyes narrowing. "If I don't return safely... neither will your little red head."

The black wolf snapped his jaw at her. "Stop," he ordered, suppressing Rothan's urge to attack.

His lieutenants advance halted and they looked nervously to their Alpha for guidance.

Blake's quiet calm had proven far more terrifying to the wolves than any blind fury. His wolf trembled with suppressed rage, and every living creature in the forest could feel the enormity of the power emanating within - barely contained but, at the same time, perfectly controlled.

Blake stepped as close to the edge of the unstable bank as he dared and sat down, indicating his willingness to listen.

A twitch of his ear sent a silent signal to his lieutenants, and the larger wolf, Marcus, trotted back into the trees, his nose sniffing out the caches of clothes. Alex remained poised by his side, eager eyes locked onto their elusive prey.

"You might want to shift for this next bit," the woman advised, talking directly to Blake. "It's kind of important and we need to be able to communi -"

She was cut off as an auburn wolf, nearly as large as the Alpha, stalked out of the bushes behind them.

He pushed his way through the warriors and along the bank of the stream, a low growl rumbling deep in his chest that mingled with the low rush of water.

Giving the other wolves a look of disgust, he stepped into the water and continued forward towards her, nose wrinkling up into an aggressive snarl.

The black wolf stared at him a moment, then shifted, the cracks of bone on bone particularly loud in the silent forest.

Blake rose up from the muddy bank, his eyes blazing with a golden ring of fire.

On the far side of the bank, the woman tore her eyes away from the auburn wolf long enough to observe his muscular physique appreciatively, making no move to retreat from the advancing teeth heading in her direction.

"Macleiry!" he warned the wolf in a controlled voice, his overlying dominance forcing the former Beta to pause his advance. "Do you hold your niece in so little regard that you'd risk her life for your own satisfaction?"

Macleiry's wolf snarled, his ears flat against his head as the man within grappled for control, staggering slightly as they fought inside his head.

The woman watched his struggle with curious eyes, but showed no outward signs of concern for her own safety. When she heard his name however, her eyes widened slightly and her lips curled upwards with a cruel little smile.

Blake's eyes flicked between them, noting her recognition and storing it away for later.

Eventually, Angus regained control of his furious wolf and retreated to the bank, his dark eyes fixed on the woman on the far side.

She ignored him, her eyes drifting back to the Alpha.

"What a strange relationship you have with your wolves," the woman murmured. "Always jostling for dominance. I'd forgotten how restricting it could be."

"Where is she?" Blake asked bluntly. He had no time for games.

"She's far out of your reach, Alpha," the woman mocked. "And she'll stay that way, until we're ready to give her back. How many pieces she'll be returned in will depend entirely on your level of cooperation."

As with all rogues, her eyes remained permanently black, the wolf's voice threading through her own, giving her words a strange duality. "And His," she added, nodding her head in Macleiry's direction.

"Alright." Blake's gaze was level, and his voice remained steady despite the clear provocation. "What do you want?"

"Well now," she replied with a look of surprised satisfaction. "Your reputation precedes you. He said you had extraordinary control, but I have to admit... I'm impressed I'm still alive. A very sensible decision."

Blake did not move and his face did not change expression. "And?" he asked, his voice still unemotional.

The woman took a folded sheet of parchment out from her jacket pocket, and held it up for him to see. "Just you," she told him, nodding towards the water.

He nodded stiffly and gestured to his wolves to stand down, taking extra care to fix Angus with a warning stare.

Once satisfied, he stepped into the chill waters, the constant flow protesting his disruption of its journey by sloshing over his boots and attempting to sweep him off his feet.

The woman mimicked his movements, moving cautiously forward one step at a time until they were within touching distance of one another.

"That's far enough, I think," she declared, thrusting the parchment out in front of her.

Blake reached out to take the folded missive, his eyes watching her every move like a hawk.

One of the wolves behind him whined involuntarily as the paper exchanged hands, the tension in the air palpable. Slowly they backed away from one another until both were safely ensconced back on opposite sides of the water.

"This is the first of two sets of instructions." Her voice rang through the air. "When I have returned to my friends, safe and unharmed - " She looked pointedly towards the auburn wolf. " - you will receive further instructions outlining how the exchange will work..." She offered him a side long glance. "We expect that messenger to return alive as well."

"I see," Blake said in a calm voice. "May I ask the name of my... instructor?"

She frowned. "If he wants you to know it, he'll tell you himself."

Blake nodded. "Your name then?"

She stared at him for a moment, the first sign of hesitation she'd shown. "Esme," she offered reluctantly.

"Thank you, Esme," The Alpha said, his voice still steady. "You've shown surprising courage remaining behind to confront me. I hope your leader is worth the risk?"

She tilted her head, one side of her lip twitching upwards in a half-smile. "He is," she replied.

Marcus returned from the cover of the trees, now in human form and fully clothed - his eyes far darker than the Alphas. When he'd heard the frantic call for reinforcements, not even Doc could have prevented him from leaving the hospital and catching up to Blake and the other search parties - the Beta's place was by his Alpha's side, especially in times of crisis.

He limped slightly as he traversed the unstable bank, and his eyes showed signs of a lingering fatigue, but there were no other outward signs that he had hovered so close to death.

The woman looked the Beta up and down with similar appreciation. "If you ever tire of pack life, be sure to look me up," she told him. Marcus stared silently back at her, his eyes giving nothing away.

"Is there anything else?" Blake asked clinically, the only sign of emotion, the stiff set to his shoulders.

"No, not really," she replied. "Only a reminder that you need to do as your told if you want to see the girl again, and that starts with allowing me to leave unharmed."

"Very well," Blake agreed, his eyes already on the note in his hands. "Go. Before I change my mind."

The woman wasted no time turning towards the safety of the trees behind her, fleeing as fast as she could without allowing her wolf to take over.

Blake watched her progress until she was out of sight, then glanced down at the enormous grey wolf by his side.

"Follow her," he instructed his Gamma. "But don't cross the border. I want to know where she crosses over and the direction she flees. And keep your distance," he added with a frown. "She's probably got other rogues waiting for her."

And if they're waiting on our side of the line? Alex asked, his ears flicking back.

"Take steps." Blake shrugged, his voice grating like stone on stone. "You heard her. The messengers are the only ones off limits."

The grey wolf bared his teeth in a feral grin and shot across the stream in the direction of the fleeing rogue. Two of the six remaining wolves followed him, their paws silent on the damp ground.

Blake ignored them, turning towards the trees, the note cradled carefully in his hand.

Just as he turned to follow his Alpha, Marcus's sharp eyes spotted something lying on the bank of the stream, abandoned by the fleeing rogue.

Carefully picking his way across, his lips twisting intonation grimace as the strong current soaked as much of him as it could reach, he retrieved it, frowning down at the object as he turned it over and over in his hands.

A rough hewn wooden handle encased a long, thin blade that had been professionally forged -- locally, if the makers stamp was to be believed. There were no other identifying features. He waded back and handed it to his Alpha.

Blake glanced at it, noting the local mark with one raised eyebrow. It was the first time they'd seen locally made weapons in the hands of a rogue. Most traded amongst themselves from distant camps or forged their own, basic but serviceable blades.

Any other day it would be a significant find, a lead to possible rogue sympathisers amongst the human population. But today, it couldn't hold his interest.

He turned his attention back to the note.

As controlled as he'd managed to remain since Hannah's abduction, when Blake broke the seal and unfolded the parchment - catching the single lock of fiery red hair as it floated out from the folded pages - he stiffened, as his mind filled with flames.

His grip tightened around the shaft of the long blade, cracking the wooden handle under the immense pressure of his fist and he was forced to close his eyes to hold himself together.

He'd been fighting against his overwhelming feelings ever since the Macleirys had appeared at his border, shattering the future he'd envisioned for himself and Hannah.

His wolf had been howling his loss none stop in the back of his mind ever since, and he had never had to expend so much effort to control Rothan before.

And now...

It had taken him too long to realise something was amiss.

Too long to seek out and discover the lifeless bodies of the guards.

Too long for Amara to regain her ability to communicate and recall the attack and far, far too long to unravel the trail that had led him here.

He took in a deep, trembling breath, pushing away another wave of sudden, irrational fury.

Blake quickly scanned the note.

The others could see the muscles rippling along their Alpha's jaw as he read, and he could sense their wolves reacting to the tension he exuded.

He handed the paper to his Beta. "You'd better read it," he said bleakly.

The Beta's eyebrows shot upward as he read the instructions, and he cast his Alpha the kind of wary glance one would offer a snake that's about to strike.

Macleiry padded over, his fur bristling. As an outsider, he couldn't communicate with them over the link, but his eyes rested on the letter in the Beta's hands.

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Out loud, if you would," he asked his Beta through gritted teeth. "Our guest should hear this too."

Marcus cleared his throat nervously and began to read.

"To Blake Hunter, Alpha of the Blackridge Pack, blah, blah, blah - My Goddess, what a frightful mouthful, I'm drifting off with boredom already.

Since we're both very busy, let's skip the rest of the formalities shall we?

I hope you've shown at least some of that control you're so famous for and allowed my messenger to leave before opening my letter? I'd really hate for anything to go amiss that would force me to hurt your little house guest. Or rather, my little house guest now, I suppose.

To cut a long story short, I'm owed quite a lot of money, my friend... you don't mind if I call you friend, do you? I haven't got the energy to keep repeating your title over and over again.

For reasons you really don't need worry about right now, I've decided you are now liable for my current financial misfortune.

So, here's the deal.

I'll return your redhead to you. And you'll pay for the privilege. I think you and I both know she's worth the sum I'll be asking for.

All you have to do is turn up where I say, when I say and pay up. No games. No surprises. No sneaky little plans.

I give you my word she will remain unharmed... So long as you're a good boy and do as you are told, of course.

Fail to heed my warning and I'm afraid, although it would be with done with a great deal of regret, I will cut her pretty little throat.

You have been warned.

Now be a good chap and trot along home to wait for my instructions?

With utmost regards, F."

*

Angus smashed his fist into the wall, his face rigid with fury.

By the time the overwhelmingly complex tangle of scent trails had been unravelled, Hannah and her kidnappers had long since disappeared.

As soon as Hannah was safely in their clutches the small group that had crossed the border had scattered, criss-crossing each others paths as often as possible before fleeing the scene in completely different directions.

In their retreat, however, they had somehow, not only reversed the effects of the masking spray they'd so effectively hidden under, but enhanced their scents to make them stronger, creating clear trails all over the territory that had masked even Hannah's unusual scent.

Once they'd created enough confusion, they'd crossed back over the border in six separate directions.

The wolves had no clear way of figuring out which route they had taken her.

The Alpha had been busy on the silent walk home. Communicating over the link, he held his cold fury at bay, directing the patrols to search for and memorise each and every scent trail they came across - he had no intention of letting any of the rogues involved in this draw breath for longer than absolutely necessary.

He kept one ear on his Gamma, still tracking Esme's retreat, and the other on his border patrols following the other trails.

As Blake made his way up the steps to the porch, Angus gave the wall another thumping, the grazes on his fists healing almost as soon as they appeared.

"That's enough of that!" Marcus snapped. The Scotsman glared at him a moment before joining the others to seek out his clothes.

"What are you going to do about this?" Angus demanded of the Alpha, catching his attention. "You have to do something!"

Angus had shifted before they'd even reached the tree line, snatching the letter from Marcus to read it with his own eyes. It had done nothing to improve his temper.

"Watch your tone," Marcus told him, his own voice tinged with anger. "And give that back."

Blake watched him retrieve the crumpled parchment from Angus with narrowed eyes, the Beta carefully smoothing out the creases. As offensive as it was, the letter was the best lead they had right now.

In contrast to the irate outsider, Blake had remained frighteningly calm. On the outside, at least. He'd seen his warriors exchanging worried glances as they tiptoed around him all the way home.

Unlike the deadly rage that had fuelled his counter-attack after the ambush, this level of control had them all more than a little on edge.

Packs were used to the volatile nature of their Alpha's temperament. It was often joked that a werewolf with a short fuse must have Alpha blood somewhere in their lineage.

Control therefore was paramount for a good Alpha. The human side of a werewolf needed to earn the respect of the pack; prove to them that they were capable of ruling with intelligence, not just their instincts. But it also masked the wolf's naturally fiery temperament.

To claim that Rothan was merely angry right now was paramount to describing an actively erupting volcano as a little hiccup, and he let loose a ripple of a snarl as Blake glared at the half-dressed outsider with open dislike.

He wanted to lash out at something, smash it into oblivion like Angus's fist against the rock wall. But, unlike his wolf, he knew it wouldn't help. However, the belligerence rolling off Angus wasn't helping his efforts to remain calm.

Issac was waiting for them in the study. His knees and elbows were muddy and several twigs had caught in his unruly hair. "I found the crossover point." He told his Alpha, ignoring the glare from their unwanted guest. "They weren't as careful this time. I suppose they thought the false trails would be enough. There's an outcrop about a hundred yards inside our eastern border, a natural underpass that cuts straight under the borderline."

"Probably the same place they snuck in last time," Marcus murmured.