My ears twitch as the swish of a steady hiss of grass and dirt against bare feet comes from the trail behind me. I turn to find Heather coming up the path I vacated not too long ago. She eases up the path with the grace of one well acquainted; this timeless, worn passage is her old friend.

The moon seems to caress her in a glow. Her black hair falls to her waist in a braid, different from the free-flowing form of earlier. Her silver eyes hold my gaze just enough to challenge one alpha to the next. I feel no need to defend my position. Despite her alpha status, I consider her a pack mate. Her lips quirk and eyes smile as I realize my tail is slowly swishing back and forth.

Traitor, I think to it.

Don't give our tail sentience. Please. I can't handle anything more up here.

I snort as the voice impedes against my peace.

Heather's smile widens as if she can hear my thoughts.

She is not striking in the regular sense of the word, but her beauty shines through her soulful eyes. The kindness in her gaze is enough to melt any old geezer's heart. I turn to the lake as my heart pounds in my chest so hard I’m afraid she hears it. It's likely she does, as I can hear the soft beat of hers.

She stops beside me. Her hand eases into the fur at my head. I smother the urge to flinch. Instead, I stay still. A wolf waiting. I am both ready for flight and fight, despite my instincts saying Heather can be trusted. I have felt the sting of betrayal one too many times to be at ease around any, human, Shifter, or other.

“It’s wonderful out here. This forest has been my home ever since we were cast out of the pack. Dad took me in as a young pup, married my mother, and became my family. It’s not always blood that makes a family.”

I softly snort in agreement as I think of my own adoptive family. The love they gave as they accepted one who could turn into an animal. The reminder brings a spasm to my heart I shouldn't feel as a wolf.

“He accepted us for what we were. I never understood I was different until the boys in the village teased me, while the girls shunned me. All I wanted was a friend.” Her soft voice soothes my aching soul. I listen with rapt attention. “You sure are an easy wolf to talk to, ya know. Somehow I know you won't share my secrets... you understand the cost they contain." Her breath catches. "You shared so much with us, I want to share with you some of the pain you helped ease when you saved my daughter."

Her gaze travels to the night sky, her brows furrowed in pain. "I was lonely when he came. He treated me as if I were just another person. When we met, I believed he thought me special." She snorts, self-loathing making her voice deep and dark. "He got me alone, drugged me with wolfsbane." Her voice chokes, and I turn to lick her fingers and lean into her. “He took what wasn’t his.” She turns and buries her face in my chest. It takes a moment before I realize she's sobbing, her shoulders shaking and a barely detectable, high-pitched whine meeting my ears. The sound of her near-silent misery breaks what's left of my heart. I place my muzzle over her shoulder, granting as much comfort as I can.

"Dad about killed him when he found out. I convinced him to spare his life. Dad ran him out of town with the beating of his life. Gave him a scar," she trails her cheek, starting near her hairline in front of her ear and curving around to end it right beside her nose. My blood runs cold as I think of hard hazel eyes with the same J-shaped scar on his cheek. Can it be a coincidence that such a man sent his underlings to fetch Heather? Is he the same man, and if so, does he know Heather was the one he violated? A sick feeling curdles in my stomach that such a man touched the tender hearted woman beside me. And that the same man now holds my family. I whine.

She doesn't seem to hear me, holding me as if she's floating away and I'm her anchor. "It took a few weeks before I found out I was carrying his child." Her sobs grow, wracking her body. “Why? Why do young girls...? Why do you, a man with a beautiful, kind heart—why do you have to suffer so while men like him,” she growls the word with such loathing a badger scurries from a thicket. “Get away with only bruised egos? Why must I someday have to tell my daughter she was conceived in such a way?” She grasps my fur like a lifeline, and I am thankful to be in wolf form.

I have no answer for why. No words of comfort. I have no answer for either of our sufferings. I pull her closer with my nose as she sobs silently into my chest. All I can do is to be there for her, a woman whose innocence was stolen. The rage in my box grows as a growl sticks in my chest.

Why did she have to suffer so, indeed.

I know one man we will break our promise for.

Yes, I growl to the voice in my mind, grateful to be of one mind on this.