As the pitch black of night slowly turned to twilight, one of the forests tiniest residents tucked itself into a crevice halfway up a crumbling stone wall. From here, it could reach any of the courtyards that made up the outer rim of Elmwood’s upper village, scurrying unobserved from feast to feast in the darkness.

Half hidden by the climbing jasmine and tall stems of borage, the delicate whiskers twitched as its keen sense of smell detected the presence of the wolves. But it didn't scurry for cover. In the absence of any cats to hunt them down, and generally considered too small a prey to interest the hungry wolves, the mice had thrived within the Elmwood territory. Here they had every advantage.

They had little to no competition for their food, the larger, slower rats proving the perfect targets for adolescent wolves practicing their hunting skills. In addition, with the exception of the owls, who flew on silent wings to take full advantage of the abundant food source; the predators of the forest avoided any areas the wolves congregated, their natural instincts fearing the stronger hunters.

This particular resident – it’s furry little belly already well rounded and making short work of a seed it clutched between tiny paws – became an unwitting observer of the tense scene unfolding below.

“There you are.”

There was a moment of complete silence in the sheltered courtyard, where even the light breeze faltered. The redhead, frozen in terror in the shadow of the house, let out the tiniest whimper of distress. The stranger at the gate, calm and assured, trained his piercing eyes on his prey and allowed his lips to curl into a smile of satisfaction .

He took a confident step towards her. She, in turn, took a step back. He took another, and she matched him, her face pale in the moonlight. The predatory dance might have continued if Hannah hadn’t suddenly felt the rough stone of the house scrape against her shoulder blades. Her eyes began frantically darting this way and that, seeking an escape route. Her breath coming in short, sharp bursts as adrenaline began to take over .

His advance faltered, his smile disappearing as he took in her tense features; her pupils wide with panic – every muscle clenched like a coiled spring, ready to bolt left or right at the first opportunity – and a small sigh of irritation escaped his lips. "I haven't got time for this," he muttered to himself.

"Then leave," Dylan's voice rose from the shadows. "And forget you've seen her."

The stranger's attention flicked to the new arrival, and Hannah took the opportunity to edge further away, grazing the side of the house, her fingers searching for the door she knew lay within the shadows. The stranger’s eyes flicked back towards her and took a step in her direction, matching the distance between them.

“Move again, and you'll never see the sun rise.” Dylan's voice held a tone of menace Hannah had never heard before. His eyes were dark and stormy, the light blue irises swirling with a maelstrom of deep greys that showed just how close to the surface his wolf hovered. A low growl rose up his throat, vibrating his adam’s apple in a clear warning.

In contrast, the stranger's earthy pupils widened with surprise, a look of wary caution washing over his face. He moved with the confidence of a skilled hunter. However, it quickly became clear he hadn't been expecting the object of his hunt to have company, and confusion halted his approach, allowing Hannah to take another step sideways where the cold stone suddenly changed to grainy wood under her hands. She held back a sigh of relief, pressing her body into the door, fingers seeking the handle.

As she scrambled, the two wolves faced each other, the tension palpable in the air.

“Dylan,” the stranger greeted first, his voice just as low and dangerous. “How did you find her before me?”

Dylan remained silent, the only sound the continuous roll of thunder rising from his chest.

The stranger flicked his brown eyes towards her, then back to Dylan, as though attempting to reassess the situation. A look of comprehension dawned. “Ah. I see,” he said in a slow drawl. “I didn't think you were that good a tracker. I wondered how she got this far without her wolf.”

Hannah's eyes flicked between them, not even bothering to hide her confusion. "I take it you've met before?" She forced the words out through parched lips, the mutual recognition clear in their eyes.

"Hannah," Dylan spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes never leaving the stranger's face. "This is Riker. He's one of the Elmwood Warriors – ”

Riker? Hannah’s eyes narrowed as she looked her pursuer up and down. Blake had mentioned meeting a warrior by that name. “You're the Beta's nephew?” she murmured, dredging the information from her memories.

Riker offered her a wry nod of acknowledgement without relinquishing his fierce gaze from the angry Scotsman.

“And their best tracker, if rumours are to be believed." Dylan concluded, distrust written all over his face.

"I found her, didn't I?" Riker's lips twisted into a self deprecating smirk.

"That's not hard," Dylan muttered, attempting to bypass the warrior to position himself closer to his pale companion. "Her scent stands out like a beacon."

Riker blocked his path with casual ease and wrinkled his nose. "It did, back at the pack house. But you've muted it somehow." He tilted his head to one side, and looked Hannah over with avid curiosity. "How did you do it?"

Dylan frowned. "I didn't. She did."

For a brief moment, Hannah forgot her fear as her confusion deepened. “I didn't do anything, what are you talking about?”

“Don't worry about it,” Dylan growled, taking another step around the Elmwood wolf.

“Don't worry about it? What do you mean don't worry about – " Without warning the courtyard lit up, the parting clouds revealing an almost full moon, a natural spotlight that exposed every corner of the small yard to scrutiny. Instinctively pressing herself closer to the dissipating shadows, the tangle of ivy hanging low over the door brushed against the wild locks of her hair and she glared up at the hovering orb balefully. "Oh come on, give us a break!" she hissed.

The two wolves, trapping her in the corner of the courtyard, squinted up at the rolling clouds. A canvas of shadows in a hundred shades of grey, they drifted leeward at the mercy of the winds.

“Full moon tomorrow night,” Dylan murmured, his eyes holding an air of speculation Hannah didn't have the energy to ask about.

The two wolves growled at each other once again, chest puffed out in a primal display of dominance, and Hannah was struck by the similarities between them. Both with Beta blood yet without a Beta title, they sized each other up like boxers before a match, trying to figure out the others skill and fighting style. But who should she be cheering for? Her kidnapper trying to help her escape? Or the more trustworthy stranger attempting to take her back?

She resisted laughing at the laudable ridiculousness of her predicament, and met the gaze of the Elmwood warrior with narrowed eyes as he furrowed his brow and glanced surreptitiously over at the target of his hunt. She didn't have to read his mind to sense his genuine puzzlement as he flicked his eyes between them, clearly wondering why her ‘mate’ had seen fit to run off with her in the middle of the night.

Dylan too had been watching the thoughts flickering across Riker's features with narrow eyes. “What happens now?” he growled.

“Now she comes with me,” Riker stated firmly.

“I don't bloody think so – "

They continued to snipe at each other, but Hannah ignored them.

Faced with the prospect of capture, and suddenly forced to confront the wretched gravity of her situation, her body had betrayed her – the panic creeping across her skin like an ice cold parasite, the pounding in her ears, amplified by the rush of adrenaline, blocking out the outside world.

Not again! I'm in charge, not you, she scolded her trembling limbs. Concentrating on the rhythm of her heart, her eyes watching the sway of the pines beyond the wall Counting the beats in her head, she willed them to slow down so she could regain an edge of control over her traitorous body.

One Mississippi. Two Mississippi... The trees were so tantalisingly close.

The sturdy pines stood in the same forest Blake's wolf ran through right now. A link between the two packs and a potential route back to the Alpha she'd relinquished her heart to just a few short weeks ago.

Three Mississippi. Four Mississippi... Oh Goddess!

If they dragged her back now she'd never escape again, her uncle would make sure of that. The layers of horror she knew awaited her were so overwhelming, her chest constricted in an agonising wave of pain that travelled up to her temples and pounded at her head in a bid to overtake her completely.

Five Mississippi. Six Mississippi...

A forced mating. A pregnancy spent drugged and imprisoned. Culminating in a likely death somewhere far from anywhere she could call home. Overriding it all, the realisation that she would never see Blake again...

Blake.

With his magnificent wolf and golden eyes that flickered with an intensity she'd never felt before. The thought of losing him now, when she was so close to freedom was unbearable.

Seven Mississippi, Eight – No. I'm not going back.

Without warning, a sudden, swift anger overtook the fear, replacing it with an intensity that burned in her chest like an raging fire, and the snarl tore from her lips before she'd even had time to register it. “I'm not going back, you'll have to kill me first!”

It was unclear who was more surprised. Hannah, having no idea what had come over her, or the two wolves, who ceased circling each other to stare at her with an odd mixture of shock and speculation. Riker shot Dylan a glance, eyebrows raised in unspoken question.

Dylan merely shrugged, avoiding the higher-ranking wolf's gaze as a troubled look settled over his face. He took one last glance at the retreating moon then, to Hannah's surprise, squared his shoulders and took a final step to the side, effectively shielding her from the Elmwood wolf. "You can't stop us," he declared in a low whisper.

Riker's eyebrows rose higher than before and he glanced between them, before meeting Dylan’s determined glare. "I can," he disagreed matter-of-factly. "Unless, you can give me a reason not to."

There was a pause.

“It's simple really,” Dylan said eventually, in a neutral tone. “Hannah no longer wishes to return to Scotland with us, and I gave her my word that I'd help her return to Blackridge.”

“In the middle of the night?” Riker said sceptically. “Without informing your father, or my Alpha of your intentions?”

Dylan gave him a level look. “My father would rather the mating go ahead as planned, and he’s not an easy man to reason with. I believe – ” and here he paused a moment, as though weighing up the risk of continuing. “ – your Alpha, shares the same desire.”

Hannah held her breath as Riker stared at him. She gently squeezed the handle behind her back, praying the door wasn't locked. A slight shift in position told her she'd found their potential escape route should Riker choose to end the current standoff with violence.

To both of their surprise, Riker let out a sudden exhalation of breath, and the irritation reappeared across his features. He nodded towards the outer wall and the trees beyond. "You can't go that way."

"Says who? You?" Dylan's lip curled up in disgust. "How convenient."

Hannah watched as Riker took a deep, calming breath before fixing Dylan with a stare that would have crushed a lesser wolf. "On the other side of that wall is a forest flooded with hostile wolves. There is no way through. Try and flee that way and you'll be dead before dawn."

"Are you sure?" Hannah let go of the door and unconsciously reached out to grab the warrior's arm, surprising him with the strength of her grip.

"Unwaveringly,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Did you not hear the bell?” He chewed off a frustrated curse. “We’re under attack, and instead of joining my pack in the defence of our borders, I'm stuck here chasing down a – ” His eyes flicked between them once again. “ – couple of bloody runaways."

"They're... they're Blackridge wolves?" Hannah couldn't help but ask, fighting the hope that rose up unbidden.

Riker stopped swearing long enough to fix her with an accusing glare. "No. But they are coming. Probably for you, if I'm following the current chain of events correctly. So, you need to – "

"Rogues then?" Dylan growled, a mingling of disgust and concern in his voice.

"Evidently," Riker snapped, his frustration getting the better of him.

Dylan turned to Hannah, exposing his back to their pursuer in a suicidal show of unconcern. "Well, that blows your theory about Syrus working with the rogues out of the water then, doesn't it?" he commented, his voice low, but carrying an uncertainty that had been lacking earlier.

"I doubt it,” Hannah fretted. “Syrus has been playing both sides in this war, and it's catching up with him. Maybe he's becoming more trouble than he's worth. Maybe he's done something to piss them off? I doubt patience is amongst their many virtues and – what is it?"

A horrified look had over crossed Dylan's face. "Maybe the rogues have figured out you’re here,” he countered.

Hannah paled. Yes, that would make sense. They'd gone to such trouble to kill her, why would they risk letting her live now? If they even suspected Syrus might not hand her over to them... he could be having a hard time convincing them of his loyalty. Either way, they’d tear this pack apart looking for her.

"What are you talking about?" Riker demanded. Then he held his hand up to cut Dylan off before he could explain. “No, never mind, I don't have time. Listen Hannah, or Eleanor, or whatever your name is, I was sent here to find you – "

"I'm not going back," she repeated in a venomous hiss, another sharp pain lancing across her forehead. "I don't care what your orders are, I'd rather take my chances with the damned rogues."

Riker rolled his eyes. "It’s a good job no one in Elmwood sent me then," he snapped.

Two pairs of eyes locked onto him in confusion.

“You're – you're working with the rogues?” Hannah gasped, her fists clenching in an effort to hold it together. The look he offered her left her in no doubt how offensive he found that suggestion. “For – for Blackridge, then?”

“Technically, no.” Riker's scowl deepened.

Dylan returned his scowl with one of his own. "I'm sorry, you're going to have to explain that one."

"Again, I'm really not," Riker disagreed, focusing his attention on Hannah. “Listen, You don't have much time. Everyone in the pack not already engaged with the rogues, or cowering in the safe houses is looking for you. My Alpha and Beta? They should be leading the counter attack, but for some reason all their focus is on you." He turned to glare at Dylan. "And you can't tell me your father isn't blowing up your link searching for you either."

"He is," Dylan confirmed through gritted teeth. "Which is why we need to move. Now. He won't be far behind you."

"I agree," Riker nodded. "But not that way."

Dylan swore. "Every other way leads back into that goddess forsaken labyrinth. Hannah, listen to me – "

“No. Shut up the pair of you, let me think.” Hannah raised trembling fingers to push her hair out of her eyes and pursed her lips. The only irrefutable fact she could count on, she was forced to admit, was that she couldn't really trust either of them.

“Precocious, isn't she?” Riker muttered, rubbing the crease between his eyes with frustration.

“You have no idea,” Dylan agreed, his own hand ruffling through his hair in an effort to relieve a nagging headache.

Riker cast speculative eyes on the young Scotsman. “I don't suppose you want to tell me what it is about her that has half of wolfdom converging on my pack?”

Dylan snorted. “Ask me another.”

Go ahead, tell him the truth Dylan, Hannah narrowed her eyes at the pair of them. I double dare you. For a brief moment, the spiteful voice inside her head tempted her to tell him herself, but reluctantly concluded that it was unlikely to help their situation.

“Riker's right,” she finally admitted. “If the rogues are that way, we can't be. Not if we want to make it out in one piece.”

And even then, it's going to take a miracle, the voice inside her mind informed her dryly.

Ignoring Dylan's snort of protest, she turned towards Riker. “But, that doesn't mean I'm going to trot off after you either. How do I know you don't intend to hand me over to your Alpha at the first opportunity?”

Riker returned her look with one of his own, frustration warring with a begrudging admiration. “Because something tells me that the quicker I get you away from my pack, the better it will be for all of us.” He sighed heavily and relaxed his stance, propping his lean frame against a conveniently positioned spade. “About half a mile east of the lower village, there's a sepulture. A clearing where we burn the dead,” he added at Hannah's blank look. “The area is clear of trees and undergrowth, there's a shallow trench running the perimeter and the ground is well scorched from previous pyres,” he turned to Dylan. “You know, the usual preparations.”

Dylan nodded tersely.

“If you reach it by dawn, a member of the Blackridge wolves will find you there.”

“How do you – " Hannah started to ask.

“That's what you want, isn't it? To re-join them?” Riker asked, cutting her off. It was obvious he intended to provide no other explanation, and his eyes warned her that any further questions would be met with a wall of silence.

“How will we know we've got the right one?” Dylan asked reluctantly.

“It's a little hard to miss,” Riker grimaced. “It's where the lower-ranking wolves of the pack are set to rest. Honeysuckle has been planted up against the surrounding pines. A little out of place in this part of the forest, but it's rather taken over. Between that, and the memento's they hang from the lower branches...” He looked suddenly uncomfortable. “look, you really can't mistake it. I was supposed to take you there myself, but with the rogue attack, plans have changed.” He fixed Dylan with a glare of distrust. “All you have to do is find the place and stay out of sight long enough to – "

A clattering of heavy boots on cobblestone interrupted him and they all turned eyes to the heavy gate.