Winter pushed the double doors of the pack hall open and walked in. Her emotions were still off, it was the only way that she could survive a confrontation with Charlie.

She walked past the long table and saw that they had placed Charlie in front of the alpha's seat on his knees. She just hoped that her brothers were alive and well.

Blade stood next to her seat, a patrol group around Charlie, she could feel how everybody was on edge. Nobody knew what to expect, normally trespassing was not tolerated. So they all were curious to who this stranger was to the alpha.

Winter didn't take a seat in her chair, she placed herself on the table. Luke stood next to her. She studied Charlie quietly.

"Are we still waiting for your alpha?" Charlie asked.

The boys all snickered, amusement filled their eyes. Winter just looked bored at the man at her feet.

"Guess again." She said emotionless.

"You are the alpha?" he asked startled.

"Still as short minded as ever. I am not interesting in making small talk with you Charlie." She hissed his name out.

"Why are you here?" she asked stern.

Charlie bowed his head for her, he was silent carefully choosing his next words.

"Your brother." He said.

"What about my brother?" she asked.

"Winter can't we talk normally? We are friends after all." Charlie said.

"We aren't friends." She replied coldly.

"Which brother? I have three of them." She said stern.

"Aster." Charlie said as he looked straight in her eyes.

Winter bowed her head, she didn't need her wolves to see how worried she was.

"Free him. You can leave, Luke, Blade you can stay."

The guys all nodded their head at the orders. Charlie was helped up and looked intensely at her. Winter grabbed her seat and Blade and Luke quickly followed on her side. Charlie walked over towards the table, but before he could grab a seat Winter stopped him.

"Here you have to earn the right to sit at this table."

One of the wolves walked back in with a chair for him.

"Winter please, you must have felt it too. I know you did, you two were connected from the day you were born. He is in a lot of trouble" Charlie pleaded.

"Aster can miss his beta in the middle of his misery?"

Luke looked over at her, he studied her every move. Charlie let his head down.

"I am no longer his beta." He answered.

"When did that happen?" she asked still coldly.

"The night you left." Winter closed her eyes for a second.

"I told him not too."

"He was beyond reason after that night." He said.

"Can you blame him?" She asked.

"No the only one to blame for all this pain is me." He said silently.

"And I still regret that decision every day of my life. You look so different, but yet you are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on."

Winter didn't even react on that statement, but the two men at her side looked at her, searching for a reaction a hint of pain, ready to protect the most important person in the pack.

"Little too late for that isn't it?" Winter said sarcastically.

"My wolf still wants to rip your head off." She added with a smile.

"Winter, please. Give me a chance."

Winter felt how the two wolves tensed next to her.

"No" she answered emotionless.

Charlie's head slumped down.

'Maybe we can simply rip his head of his body, entertaining and I bet very satisfying for you.' Blade commented over a mind link.

'I volunteer for castration.' Luke added.

"Why are you here Charlie? After you did what you did you knew that there was no way back. So don't start with that bullshit now. You rejected me and you fucked her afterwards, so to me you are as death as possible." Winter answered.

"The alpha king is coming for Aster." Charlie said silently.

Winter let the words sink in, her brother was in danger.

"And Aster sends you?" she asked.

"No, he doesn't know I am here."

"Why are you here? What do you expect from me? How did you find me?" she studied him.

"The alpha king still hasn't found his mate, he is looking for a strong Luna and he made some packs hand over their unmated strong she-wolves. The stories are horrible. Aster doesn't want to oblige. He has an alliance with two other packs, but the packs not approached by the king don't want to intervene. With only three packs they are nothing compared to the king's army. Me and Falco agreed that the only solution was getting the help of the rogue pack. But Aster didn't want to do that."

"So you came here against your alpha's command?" she asked.

"If I had known you were the alpha I would never have done it." He said quietly.

"Why did you use my name when they got you?"

"I could feel that you were near, I saw it as my only way out." Charlie answered.

"Why can't he hand the girls over?" Luke asked, provoking Charlie.

"Would you hand them over if the question came?" Charlie answered.

"No." Winter answered stern.

"But we don't live by the alpha rules. He has no claim on us." She said.

"River's mate is amongst them. He knows but she doesn't, her wolf isn't ready yet." Charlie said.

"And Robin's sister." He added.

Winter felt how a headache started to rise, she rubbed her forehead.

"You are wasting my time." She said after a long silence.

"What do you expect from me?"

"He needs you Winter, hell we all need you." He answered.

"Our army isn't the same since you left. Even with the packs united there is nobody to lead them."

"What makes you think they will listen to a rogue? What makes you think I want to sacrifice even a small part of my pack? My pack comes for everything."

She said stern as she stood from the table and walked out of the room, leaving the three men dumb founded.

Winter made her way across the field, fresh snow had just started to fall. She made her way over towards Thomas' house. She needed to talk to him. She felt so angry that Charlie expected he could still affect her. She knocked on his door and he quickly opened.

"Winter" he said happily until he saw her face.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked.

"I have fresh pancakes."

Winter nodded her head.

"But can we eat outside, the snow reminds me of Nana?" She answered.

Thomas handed her platters and the stack of pancakes. They started to move through the snow towards their small table. Winter quickly cleaned the table and the chairs. She took a seat and a deep breath. Thomas handed her a pancake and smiled at her.

"Talk to me."

He said as he poured her a cup of hot chocolate.

"He is here." She said.

Thomas looked at her silently as she took a bite from her pancake.

"Your mate?" he asked.

"The mate who rejected me." Winter corrected him.

"And how does that make you feel?"

"Upset, he still thinks he can fix this." She answered.

"But he can't, you have changed too much. Your wolf will never settle for him."

She nodded her head.

"That's not what's on your mind, sweetheart." He responded.

"My old pack is in trouble."

"And you feel conflicted." He said taking a sip from his cup.

"What trouble?"

"Alpha king trouble" she answered.

"He is demanding the she-wolves of packs, since he is mate-less."

"Spineless bastard." Thomas said.

"But is it worth losing your wolves over? He isn't coming for your pack. What if you put a target on your own pack by helping your brother?" he asked.

"Because that's what keeping you from saying yes, I believe."

Winter smiled, the old man could see right through her.

"I don't want to risk them for a war they are no part off." She said.

"But what if it's more than that?" he answered.

"What do you mean?"

"How many she-wolves will he destroy before he's stopped? This isn't the first horrible thing he has done." Thomas said.

"What are you going after?" Winter asked.

"You have built a whole different pack, one were all wolves are equal. But it's limited to your pack. Don't you want to push that further? Get a say in the council, change all the packs?" he asked as he studied her face.

"You think I should challenge the alpha king?" she asked startled.

"I don't know, but sooner or later they will come for you. What if he learns that the rogue alpha is an unmated female? How long do you think it will take him to come knocking at your door? He won't ask politely, he will destroy us and take you. That won't be easy and everything you have fought so hard for will be gone." He said.

Winter looked out over the fields.

"Winter you will never forgive yourself if something happens to your brothers. At least go over and talk to Aster. Then make up your mind." He said.

Winter was silent for a second.

"I have something for you, your nana wanted you to have it when you were finally alpha."

Thomas handed her a small box, which Winter opened with trembling hands. In front of her lay the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen.

"Thomas it's beautiful." Winter stammered.

Luke was waiting for Winter in her room, she was surprised as she walked in. He looked at her with a worried face.

"I need to know." He said.

"What do you need to know?" she asked.

"Do you still have feelings for him? Do you still see him as your mate?" he asked.

Winter closed her eyes for a second.

"I won't lie to you, as I saw him the old wound was reopened and the pain that crushed through my body was almost unbearable. But me and my wolf will never ever settle for him. He destroyed us. And in a wicked twisted way, I am grateful he did."

Luke looked confused at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"If he hadn't, we wouldn't be here today." She said.

He wrapped his big arms around her.

"You are too strong for him anyways, but I am glad I could hear the words out of your mouth." He said with a smile.

Winter sighed against his chest.

"What do you want to do about your brother?" he looked her in the eyes.

"I want to go talk to him before I make a decision about what we will do. I don't want to risk the pack if I don't know the story. Besides after I have talked to Aster it will be a pack vote on what we do." She said.

Luke's fingertips trailed softly over her jawline.

"You are so beautiful you know. The pack will support you and follow you no matter what. Maybe we are not only fighting against the king but also for our future."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"More and more wolves are joining us, maybe it is time to do something bigger. Something beyond the pack. Something that will change the future of all wolves."

Winter made her way inside the pack hall, the wolves represented the pack were all there. She looked around as everybody took his seat at the same time.

"Wolves, we caught an intruder today. We didn't kill him according to the laws, since he was identified as not being a threat. But I am sure that some off you noticed how his presence affected me."

She was silent for a minute and wolves looked at her expectantly.

"He was my mate, he rejected me and among other things he became the reason I left my pack."

There sprouted rumor at the table.

"You should have killed him." Marshall said.

"Yeah probably, but I didn't. As it turns out my brother, now alpha of my old pack, is in trouble. The alpha king is claiming unmated she-wolfs. I want to estimate what the threat is before we make a decision as a pack. We have a couple of them as well, I don't want to have him knocking at our door." She said.

The wolves all nodded their head.

"Maybe it's time for a new alpha king. A female." Flint said with a smile.

All wolves howled and whistled at that suggestion.

"Will see about that." Winter answered with a smile.

"I will leave with a small delegation of fighters, Luke and Blade stay here to make sure the pack business are handled as always. In case something happens, I think Luke can be an excellent successor." Winter said.

All wolves looked at her.

"Not happening." Bastian, one of the other army division leaders said.

"You will come back and you will take Blade, Flint and a part of his division with you. The pack above everything else, you are most important to this pack." He said.

All wolves nodded and bowed their heads in respect.