They sat in silence for a few minutes her words still echoing around them. Slowly Aislinn began to feel the out of control emotions raging in her mate. She could feel as he fought them as he fought to try and control them. Control, always such a battle for something so tenuous yet so desperate.

Letting out a sigh she turned so she was looking at him. Eyeing him she debated her actions. He had always been there for her, ever since he had first scented her in that tree, he had never faltered, never pushed, never demanded anything of her. Could she do the same? Was this what it meant to be mates?

Feeling her eyes on him Kaiden turned so he was looking back at her. And then it happened he felt as her fingertips gently brushed against the back of his fist, where it lay clenched on the bed. He let out a shuddering breath, his eyes closing as sparks erupted across his skin. The feel of her soft cool fingers brushing over his heated skin was instantly calming. Her touch soothing him. Breathing in deeply he felt himself center, his emotions ease off.

Aislinn felt as the storm inside him quieted. Saw as the slight tremors that had been racing over his body slowly eased, his muscles relaxing back onto the bed once more. She continued to brush just her fingertips over his hand, the warmth of his skin and the sparks that touching him brought still amazing her. Not taking her eyes from him, she watched as his own opened back up and looked at her. Slowly the most beautiful and warmest smile took over his face.

Looking at him, Aislinn felt that weird feeling erupt in her stomach again. Still unsure and not used to it, she pushed it away, the sensation too odd and confusing. She did like that he was smiling again, though. It was much more pleasant then when he was upset. Did she make him happy?

Did that make her happy? That was a truly shocking thought. She didn't even know how to think about that. How to process such an idea. Happiness was something she did not understand. It was something she didn't even know. Something she never even considered or thought about.

What the hell was this man doing to her?

They sat like that for over an hour. Both of them just resting back against the pillows of her bed as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky, spilling soft light across the room. Her fingers lightly resting on the palm of his hand. He never tried to touch more of her, never attempted to hold her hand or control how she touched him. Instead he simply relished in the feel of it. In the feel of her.

.

.

Eventually they made their way back downstairs. Kaiden didn't want to leave the small bubble of peace they had found but he knew that they needed to discuss what would happen tomorrow amongst other things. There was too much happening, most of it too much beyond their control for any of them to be able to ignore it even for an afternoon.

When the door had swung open Richard had been in front of her in the blink of an eye, his gaze intense and searching as he looked her over for any sign of injury. His posture was rigid, worry and concern plain as he looked over her face last. It didn't matter that he had to have already known she was okay he wouldn't believe it until he was able to see it for himself. Thankfully he stayed quiet on what had happened, Aislinn knew he felt her gratitude for this through the bond. After everything that had happened she wasn't in the mood for another lecture. Still he stayed close to her. His wolf out and very present, dominance and strength pouring from him as they moved down to the kitchen not yet at ease.

The guys and Liv had whipped up a meal of cold platters from the groceries Aislinn had had delivered that morning. Grabbing plates for themselves they joined the others at the large farmhouse style kitchen table. Kaiden took a seat at the head, where Austin was on his right Blair and then Clay seated next to him. At a nod from him Aislinn took the chair to his left with Richard taking the seat next to her, Olivia got up and moved so she sat beside Richard once he was settled.

"Okay so is everything on for tomorrow?" Kaiden asked looking at his second.

Austin let out a humorless chuckle before answering, "If you mean - are we all set for the most awkward, stupidest, dangerous dinner party on the entire planet? Then yup, everything's a go."

"It's what's necessary."

"I don't see why?" Clayton growled out from further down the table, his eyes flashing black.

Kaiden let out a sigh, he knew Clay would be the most difficult obstacle in all of this. It was his wolf's prerogative to be more protective and argumentative because of his position. To care for the Alpha and the Pack meant sometimes it was necessary for a warrior especially a pack's lead one to stand against the Alpha and the other higher ranks. It was similar Kaiden thought to how Richard behaved towards Aislinn except to a much lesser degree. Their need to guard and protect overrode their natural tendency to submit and follow. And Clayton's wolf was loud and clear about this being a dangerous and risky decision and he was none to happy about it.

"We are currently sitting in the middle of their territory"

"Then we should leave!"

Kaiden bit back the growl at being interrupted. Reigning in his irritation, he reached for his patience before addressing his friend as calmly as he could.

"This is where Aislinn needs to be - therefore it is where we will be."

Clay met Kaiden's eyes, the black of his wolf staring out. Kaiden held the stare easily, unoffended at the blatant challenge it carried. His dominance was not yet unquestionable in his pack. Unlike their human sides their wolves needed to test it, to have proof that they should be following him. That he was truly the Alpha amongst them. After only thirty seconds Clay's eyes dropped changing back to their normal color as he bared his neck in submission. Kaiden let the silence hang for a moment before speaking.

"They will know there are wolves here. We can't hide from them, and if we tried to. It would be taken as a sign of weakness, of fear. They need to understand that we are here because we choose to be and they have no power to sway or influence that. This is no longer their territory. We invite them here to establish that this is ours now."

"What happens when they realize that we are a separate pack? Not part of your dad's?" Olivia asked looking at Kaiden her eyes showing a hint of fear.

"Well we just need to be ready. Whether they like it or not they can't do anything without the council's permission. If they attack while they are here even if no one knows about us it would be an illegal act of war, even the council would have to admit that. The rest we will deal with after." Kaiden said with far more confidence then he felt. He couldn't let any of them see how nervous he actually was they needed him to be calm and sure.

"The rest?" Olivia asked her voice and posture both now more confident and stronger, soothed by her leader's words.

"The rest is when they get home and call the council to rat us out." Austin supplied his voice light and peppy, "And then of course there's the part where they declare a legal and sanctioned war. And then most likely attempt to kill us all."

"Aus" Kaiden snapped rubbing his eyes at his second's flippant and unnecessary remarks. He didn't need to open his eyes to see the shrug and smirk that his best friend would have thrown his way at the reprimand.

"Your highness." Richard interrupted the tension turning to look at Aislinn. Taking her silence as permission to continue, "They will be able to sense that we are not a part of their pack."

He still received no answer.

"If you cover your power they will see you as a simple rogue it will raise suspicions as to why you and I are present."

Kaiden hadn't thought of that. He had forgotten that neither were technically part of the pack, they carried none of the scent that now marked the rest of them as Silverbloods. They were free of the slight smell of crisp fresh snow that laced through the others.

"My Queen you need to reconsider the idea..." That got a response. A sharp sigh and a glare.

"You might not like it your highness, but it doesn't change the fact that it puts you at risk, extreme risk to not be bound to your pack." This got an eye roll. Kaiden could feel as her emotions began to surface, irritation and annoyance flitting across the bond along with a sharp burst of her power. Richard decided to ignore the warning.

"There will be an Alpha. An Alpha that knew your parents, that knows the line and the power you come from. If he pushes you, if he gets the response I got out of you now princess, he will fill in the pieces."

That snapped her head in his direction. Her eyes narrowed as light swirls of silver danced in them. "You're testing my control?" Her voice was incredulous and deadly.

"If I can so easily get you to show your true self, your highness, to expose who you are. What are you going to do against those who murdered your family?" Richard retorted his voice just as hard, his eyes flashing black as his wolf fought to match hers.

"And what would you propose? Hmm Custos? What great plan would you have? To have me join as what ... as Luna perhaps?"

Olivia flinched at the venom in her words as she flung them like daggers. All of them could easily feel the forces of the two wolves, her full power and dominance breaking free. Waves of violent power radiating from her, as more of her eyes gave into the swirling silver.

"To begin with."

The words had her anger ratcheting up another level, and along with it the aura that demonstrated just who she was. Sprinting free and basking them all in soft silvery light, the smell of fresh rain and lavender filling their senses and dominating everything around them.

"You would attempt to blackmail me, to strong-arm me into something you know I do not want?" Her voice had dropped another level now completely cold, it was devoid of everything, everything but pure power. Her eyes were fully swirling silver pools. The others wolves in the room were fighting to keep themselves in their chairs to not bend under her strength.

"I will do whatever is necessary to keep you alive!" Richard roared not taking his focus off of her.

Suddenly as if someone flipped a switch it was gone. The lingering traces of the waves of dominance still hung in the air, but Aislinn was suddenly back to normal. Her eyes returned to their normal hooded grey, her face blank. None could feel even a hint of her power or the strength of her wolf, she felt absolutely normal.

"I will not."

"You won't what? Live? Survive? Take what is rightfully yours?" Richard's fury was still fully on display, his wolf still in control as he growled at her nearly desperately.

"No I will not. You knew this Custos, I told you I would not. And I will not have you attempting to force me into something I do not want. You question my control? You will be sadly mistaken if you think that would have me bending to your wishes. If I lose control it won't matter what they saw or what they think anyway."

"Why?" Olivia asked staring at her wide-eyed as she felt a threat somehow in the words.

Aislinn was completely calm, her voice monotone as she spoke. "Because they will be dead."

With that Richard had pushed from the table storming through the back door, throwing himself from the back deck to the forest floor below.

Aislinn let out a small sigh. Getting up from the table much more calmly, she didn't look at the others before following her Guardian outside.

As she launched herself over the railing she heard the others follow behind her.

She knew Richard was only trying to protect her. And she knew that his wolf was unsettled that both of them were not a part of her mates pack. What made it worse was that he could feel that her wolf wanted it as well. It was natural, her family's pack was made for their bloodline, it existed now only because she did. Her wolf cried for the bonds and strength of her pack, and it was weakening her to ignore them. It only added to his urgency, to his instincts.

Following his trail she took notice of the ripped clothing that littered the path, frowning internally she made to quicken her pace. It took a lot for a Guardian to lose control, especially one as powerful as Richard was. To have him leave her side at such a time meant that he was nearly out of his mind, nearly completely lost to his wolf. She had seen it once before. She had pushed another too far as well once. Richard was right she had been a terror as a child, she just hoped this didn't end the same way.

Kaiden watched as his mate leaped over the railing her silver hair whipping behind her like a banner on the wind. Without pausing to think he was up and moving to follow her the others close on his heels.

Richard didn't run far. Aislinn was thankful for that, she was still weak from her training earlier and didn't particularly feel up to traipsing through the woods for hours in the deep twilight of night. She knew he sensed her trailing her, and would feel as she got closer to him. The moonlight offered just enough to illuminate the deep brown of his wolf. He was large his fur dark and thick, patches of grey around his snout, ears, paws and belly making him look nearly feral. He was a beast. An animal of power and strength born to fight for those it bound itself to and right now that person was her.

He didn't give an inch as she walked towards him. Her shoulders back her head high, her hair wind whipped and glowing in the light falling around her, in that moment any lingering doubt of who she was, what she was, was erased.

Not losing eye-contact Aislinn never faltered as she encroached on the space this nearly out of control wolf had claimed. She could feel the wildness of his thoughts, the grief and fear that were clawing at him, the desperation of his wolf and the overwhelming sense of duty fighting within him, the conflict of what to do eating at his control.

He easily towered over her small frame. His breath escaping in loud puffs of billowing smoke, washing over her face as his hard black eyes stared down at her. She looked into his eyes, taking in the torment she had indirectly put in them. It was her fault he was here now. Her fault her mate now claimed a pack that would be hunted, a title that would lead to his slaughter. It was her fault that the first people she had spoken to in over a dozen years now stood on land that would pull them into a war they had yet to even begin to understand.

She hadn't wanted it. She hadn't meant to. It was never her intention. But that didn't mean that it wasn't her fault. She had done this.

And the blood that was to come would be on her hands.

She looked up into the haunted eyes of her first friend, of her protector, of her mentor. Her Guardian.

She knew she could cut the bonds. She could release him from his oaths, reject his claims to her, remove this burden, this death sentence from his shoulders. She could. She should. She had always sworn she would never let another die for her. Never let another's life be placed in front of her own.

The words were on her tongue. She could taste them. Feel them. The words that would set him free of her. Free of the pain and the death that she would bring. Bring to all of them.

She felt the others gathering behind them. She felt for the well inside of her. That pool that existed in the deepest part of who she was that held the source of her power. The part of her essence that held the ties to her blood.

As she opened her mouth, Richard's eyes widened in horror. He took a step towards her his lips pulling back in a snarl as he let out a howl. His warm breath bathing against her chilled face.

She paused, her eyes narrowing as her own growl rose in her chest.

Richard didn't stop he let out an answering growl as he took another step closer to her. Now standing close enough that the fur of his chest brushed against her body, close enough that his warmth basked over her.

Aislinn felt herself crack, her control splinter.

It tore at her. All of it. It was too much.

Her mate.

Her Guardian.

Her life.

Her pack.

It was hers. All of it and yet if she claimed it, it would just be ripped from her. Ripped away and destroyed until she was soaked in the blood of all that she loved once more.

She couldn't do it. She needed to escape. Escape these feelings that she had been running from for so long.

She did the only thing she could. For the first time in five years she shifted.

The familiar feeling of her body remolding, her bones snapping and re-aligning sent a shiver of pleasure through her. It had been too long. Much too long. The feel of her fur pushing through her skin, her snout elongating as her senses sharpened further; brought a feel of pure bliss. Her body fell forward her back breaking as her clothes exploded around her. Her hands now large powerful paws fell softly onto the cool damp earth. Sharp claws reaching out to dig deep scars into the soil and dirt as her ears and tail elongated.

It took only a matter of seconds but Aislinn relished every moment of it. The pain now only an afterthought - a comforting echo of the pleasure and freedom to come.

At the first tremor and snap of bone Richard had stepped back and away, giving her plenty of space his anger and torment replaced by shock and surprise as he watched her shift into her wolf for the first time.

Her transformation complete, Aislinn stood proud and strong her wolf shaking out her coat, and stretching her muscles, relishing the feel of being free once more.

Kaiden stood stunned. He didn't think she had shifted yet, when he saw the first tremor his heart had sped up thinking she would finally go through her first transformation. It would be painful and slow but he would be there to help her. But then suddenly she transformed so smoothly and effortlessly, faster than any shift Kaiden had ever seen. Her body shifting and morphing until where Aislinn's slim frame had previously stood now was the most stunning wolf he had ever seen. Her fur looked soft and downy, light and almost fluffy especially compared to the thick and heavy fur of Richard's hardened wolf. Her body was lean and agile looking. Like her human form her limbs were willowy and thin, muscled but without any bulk. She was larger than most she-wolves and even some male wolves. But she was still small compared to the huge size of Richard's wolf coming up only to about his shoulder and would be smaller than Kaiden or any of his men's.