Winter had travelled for almost three weeks straight when she approached a small town. She knew it wasn't under the claim of a pack so she could stop here. It wasn't too far from her Nanna's compound but she needed some change first.

Winter looked in the mirror of her car and was a bit startled. The front of her side swept hair had turned completely white, the rest was still long and brown as it had always been. Winter had no idea what the change in her hair could mean, but she didn't linger any longer.

She stepped out of the car and opened her trunk. She changed her grey sweater for a leather jacket over her black tank top. She locked her car and made her way over towards the center of the town.

As she walked, she spotted a hair dresser and a smile formed on her lips. First step in saying goodbye she thought as she pushed open the doors of the little shop.

A friendly lady greeted her and smiled.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"I want a short haircut." Winter answered.

The girl smiled and escorted her towards the washing tables.

"And some colour as well? I really like the white maybe we can add a few more to your hair."

As she took her seat, she nodded her head.

"No, it's natural, I want to keep it that way." Winter replied.

The girl started to wash her hair.

"Aren't you going to miss the long hair?" she asked.

"No, I am done with it."

"Ooh, usually such a drastic change forms closure for people." The girl answered.

"I really hope it does." Winter answered.

As Winter took place in front of the mirror, she looked at herself, her face had hardened from the pain. Her smile was disappearing as well. She knew what she had to do, she was done letting a pack rule over her, or any other man for that matter. She wanted to go her own way and as a wolf that really left her with no option. She needed to become a rogue. It would be dangerous, but she would manage.

The girl took a seat behind her.

"Okay I am listening" she said.

"I want a short wavy bob with a nice undercut." Winter said.

The girl nodded her head.

"Perfect, I just want to keep your side way look, since it's accentuating the white nicely."

She tried to smile at the girl, she was really making an effort to help her. The girl started to work and Winter enjoyed the silence for a couple of minutes.

"I have never seen you here around town. Are you new?" The girl asked.

"Sort of." Winter replied.

"The town is lovely, but there aren't exactly much women around here." She answered.

"Ooh, why?" Winter asked.

If that was the case and the territory wasn't claimed by a pack then chances were that there was a fighting pit nearby for wolves.

"Well apart from the old bar, run by the insanely handsome Luke there isn't much to do around here."

Winter noticed how a blush appeared on the girl's face.

"Do you go there often?" she curiously asked.

This girl was not a wolf, but maybe she was her ticket in.

"Alone? Are you nuts?" She snickered and continued to work on her hair.

As the girl applied the final touches to her new hair Winter looked satisfied in the mirror. She looked good and confident and a little less fragile and broken.

"Now all we have to do is fix your make up." The girl said over excited.

She started to clean Winter's face and grabbed her make up collection.

"You really don't have to do that." Winter said.

"Please, as if I have anything better to do." The girl laughed.

"I am Winter." She suddenly said.

"Jenny" the girl replied.

She started to work on Winter's eyes and lips and as she was finished Winter was startled. The mirror showed a beautiful badass woman. Jenny had applied a dark red, brown eyeshade, a beautiful black eyeliner and mascara and a lipstick Winter didn't know how to describe the color. It was a matt dark Bordeaux lipstick which suited her perfectly.

"Wow Jenny. I can't thank you enough."

Jenny beamed at that compliment and sauntered of to the register. Winter gave her a generous tip before leaving the small store and waving one more time at this girl who helped with phase one of her new life.

Winter walked further into town until she spotted the old bar. She made her way over and suddenly her wolf woke up.

'What are you doing?' she asked concerned.

'Something to take our mind of things.' Winter responded.

'But I need you to shut down the alpha vibes, people can't know how strong we are.'

Winter worked hard to master that particular skill with her wolf. But she had always knew that eventually it would pay off. She opened the door and walked in, she felt how immediately the place turned silent and all eyes were on her.

There weren't lots of wolves or people for that matter in the bar, but all of them were rogues. Winter could easily feel that. It wasn't common to see a rogue she-wolf all by herself so she felt how they all eyed her. She made her way over towards the bar and took a seat.

The guy behind the bar greeted her with a huge smile. She could see why Jenny liked him a lot, his wolf charm would appeal to most women.

"What can I get you sweetheart?" he asked, emphasizing the sweetheart.

Winter rolled her eyes, before the rejection it would have charmed her, but now it didn't affect her at all.

'Ooh can I fight with him?' her wolf finally got a bit exited.

Winter snickered at that thought.

"A whiskey." Winter replied cold.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

She lowered her voice and responded.

"The suggestion of my wolf."

He placed a glass in front of her and she noticed how his eyes had gone pitch black as his eyes roamed over her body.

"My wolf has some suggestions for you as well." He answered with a smirk.

Winter leaned closer hanging over the bar, giving him a better look at her cleavage.

"Mine is suggesting to kick your ass."

A loud laugh boomed through the bar escaping from his throat.

"I like you." He answered.

"Luke" he held out his hand for her to shake.

"Tell me something I don't know." Winter replied as she still looked at him.

"There are three guys in the corner waiting for my signal to jump you." He said with a serious expression.

"Don't play dumb with me." Winter replied.

He looked confused at her.

"First of all, your wolf would never allow that, because he likes me. Second let them, I'll kill them all."

She knew it was a gamble, but she had a decent shot. In a fair fight she would win from all three of them. She just didn't know how fair they would fight.

"What is a girl like you doing here all on her own?" Luke asked her.

"Isn't that obvious?" Winter asked.

The bartender eyed her curiously.

"Looking for a decent fight."

"And you couldn't get that in your pack?" he asked.

"Yeah together with a leash, I could." She answered.

He snickered at her.

"Or maybe a golden cage." She added.

"How long has it been since you let her out?" he asked.

Winter thought back to her last run at home when she was still part of the pack.

"A couple of weeks ago, but if I let her out now, I can't guarantee the outcome." She added.

Suddenly someone grabbed the chair next to her. Winter studied the guy and saw he was all beaten up.

"Jack you look pretty." Luke said as he smiled at the man.

They looked a lot like each other Winter noticed.

"What she is having." Jack said stern.

"Hard night?" Luke asked.

"It's better now that I have seen the mystery girl from close by. She is indeed smoking hot." He replied while winking at Winter.

"Gossiping about me over a mind lick isn't quite polite." She said.

"Honey, he did a lot more than that, the picture he painted was quiet amusing. My wolf couldn't be her fast enough."

"So, you are two horny teenagers?" Winter asked with a smirk.

She knew that they were both older than her, but she couldn't let it slide. Jack laughed and his laugh boomed through the bar much like his brother had done.

"Sweetheart it isn't any day that a beautiful she-wolf passes along this little town." Luke said.

"And especially one without a pack and unmarked." Jack added.

Winter swirled her whiskey around and looked inside her glass. The scene from that night played over and over in her head. She needed to remind herself why she was here.

"Maybe I can take you out to dinner." Jack said.

"I haven't seen a restaurant in this place."

"Luke will cook for us with pleasure." Jack said.

"Wait, what, why do I have to cook? I want to take her out. You can cook." Luke said.

"Haven't you guys a mate waiting at home?" she asked.

"Yeah two rogues without a pack, quiet the catch." Luke said with a laugh.

"How long have you been on your own?" she asked.

"Ever since our dad got kicked out of the pack. We were still little pups." Jack said.

"Wait your pack punished your whole family for something your father did?" Winter asked.

"Yeah." Luke answered.

"It wasn't something lightly he did." He chuckled.

"Did he kill someone?"

Jack laughed loudly.

"No, he just had an affair with our Luna. She could stay and we were thrown out."

Luke was silent for a couple of seconds and looked down at his hands.

"Dad is our hero, he saved us multiple times. It isn't easy been a rouge. He made sure that we still had a place to call home." He said.

"I am sorry." Winter whispered.

"She has a soft side. Remarkable."

Jack said with a laugh, but she could see that he too was affected by the story. She thought back at her own pack, she would have suffered the same fate as those two brothers. Refusing to help your alpha, not much to defend her case.

The more she thought about it the more she became to hate those pack rules. An alpha wasn't better than the rest of the wolves in his pack. They should have functioned as one and protected each other, something her father never had done.

"So why did you got kicked out?" Jack asked.

"So how do you got that pretty face of yours?" she answered his question with another question.

"Smooth" he laughed.

"Did you kill someone?" Luke asked.

"Seriously what happened to your face?" Winter tried again.

"How about this an answer for an answer." He said.

"What's your name?" Luke asked as she nodded her head.

"Winter." She replied.

"What happened to your face?"

"I got in a fight." Jack answered.

"Fighting pit?" she asked.

"It's my turn honey." He said cocky.

And Winter rolled her eyes.

"Why did you got kicked out of your pack?" he asked.

"I am not kicked out, I took off." She answered.

They both looked at each other.

"Why on earth would you do that?" Luke asked.

"Sugar, you can answer mine first." She said with a sweet smile.

Jack looked nervous around the bar and lowered his voice so that nobody could hear him easily.

"Yeah it was."

"Take me there." Winter answered.

"It was our turn, sweetheart."

"It wasn't a question." She replied.

It was dark when Winter left the bar with Jack and Luke.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Luke said.

"No, I agree but we can't leave her on her own wondering around town." Jack responded.

"I am a big girl; I can take care of myself." Winter replied.

"I am sure you are, but a fighting pit is something different."

Jack and Luke approached an old abandoned industrial site. They walked in using a side entrance, shielding Winter between the two of them. As soon as they were inside another wolf approached them.

"Luke, boss, what are you guys doing here? I thought that you didn't want to come tonight." The guy said.

"Relax Enrique, we are here with our friend. She wanted to see the pit." Jack replied and shook the guy's hand.

"You own this place." She whispered towards Luke.

"Yeah Jack does." He said with a smile.

Luke and Jack escorted Winter inside the building they both took their time to greet their fighters. Winter introduced herself to all of them, actually liking to have a talk with them.

"Come on, or we will be late to our seats."

Jack pulled them further inside the building. The next room was pitch black and Winter felt how she was squeezed between the two guys.

"My wolf likes this a lot." Luke laughed.

"Mine to." Jack answered.

"Mine is still looking forward to fight you guys."

Winter answered with a chuckle. They soon made way towards their seats and Winter took place in between the boys. Suddenly the lights flashed on and Winter saw an arena filled to the top with wolves. Some part of a pack some rogues. But all had their eyes on the middle of the room the ring. Winter looked exited down in the same direction. She felt a bit excited and her wolf wanted a go as well. She smiled, if she could get in phase two of her plan her new life could start.