Without stopping, I leapt onto the mossy bank of the creek and gripped the ball of clothes in my jaws, turning in the direction I came to get here, using my memory and sense of smell to guide me. It had taken only about 20 minutes to get here, so I estimated that I was nearly 30 or so miles from the Mansion. Dodging a tall dead tree stump, my mind drifted to Eric, the 48 or so year old Wolf I had met in the creek, and how easy it was to open up to him. Something about him made me instantly want to pour all of my secrets out to him from the moment we first spoke to each other, whether I admitted it to myself of not. Through the short time we were together, we formed and shared a bond, one built on trust and mutual understanding.

'I liked Eric,' Nikita spoke warmly, and I imagined a big Wolfy grin on her lips. Bobbing my head in agreement, shooting past a small pine tree and spreading the needles, I responded.

'Yea, I do too. There was just something about him though, it instantly made me want to get to know him better. Like, it was his very aura that was like that. Don't you agree?' I tried to explain, hoping I didn't sound confusing or crazy.

'Yea, I felt that too. I wonder what it was though..' she trailed off, once again going quiet, causing me to succumb to the pressure of my building thoughts.

What will Tiberius say? Haley? Will he be mad at me? Well, duh he'll be mad, but how mad? Like, raging-hide your children, hide your wives- mad? Or like "Oh, you're going to get a spanking" mad?

Now that I thought about it though, the last one doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Wanting to slap myself for my suddenly dirty thoughts, I stopped when I heard Wolf yaps and barks coming from a small clearing in the woods ahead of me. Watching my footing, I slowly crawled a break in the thick foliage, revealing 8 Alpha Territory Wolf fighters I recognized from around the Mansion before.

'Anything boys?' the leader of the small militia called out, raising his dark brown head from the soil. Another head raised, then another, each calling out a heavy "No" before going back to sniffing the ground. The leader, whom I recognized as Timothy from around the Mansion, grunted in dissatisfaction, snorting and shaking his head.

'How could she have gotten away so easily? And so FAST? We're only 7 miles from the Mansion, for goddesses sake!' he exclaimed loudly, irritation lacing his words.

I smirked victoriously, pleased with the fact that they couldn't keep up with or track me. On the way here, I periodically changed my course, darting a sharp left randomly or leaping as far as I could to make a gap in my trail.

Deciding on whether or not to confront the Wolves or go around, I decided to play a little game with them.

With the wind blowing towards me, pulling my scent away from them, I let out a small noise close to a whimper to get their attention. They all turned their gazes to where I was hiding, not seeming to be threatened by the small mew. Successful with phase 1, I skipped into phase 2.

Since the time was about 5 o'clock and the sun was starting to set behind me, I used the shadows to my advantage and let my left foot step gracefully out of the treeline, then the left side of my neck, then upper body. Still keeping my head hidden, I growled sultrily and waited for phase 3.

All of the Wolves but Timothy started towards me, their husky breathing becoming more and more ragged. Smelling their lust and desire coming out in strong waves, I decided to sweeten the deal by letting my tail make it's appearance, waving light and sensuously in the growing shadows. This only turned them on more, for they immediately quickened their pace, their hulking masses of a body going from a slow walk to a predatory trot.

Remaining calm despite the inner desire to reveal myself as their Luna, I slowly slunk back into the woods until I was completely hidden, then hurriedly picked up my paws and took long strides, hiding away deep in the shadows under a densely covered thorn bush.

The 7 Wolves, not including Timothy, burst through the treeline, their eyes scanning the woods before them and..going right over me. After a few moments of looking for me, or the horny She-Wolf they thought I was, they went to sniffing the ground, getting irritated when they lost my scent.

Just then Timothy came through the treeline, huffing at the pathetic scene of his fighters trying to find sultry She-Wolf they saw in the woods. Suddenly his nose went into the air, and he inhaled deeply. With narrowing eyes, he growled to himself. 'Something's not right..'

Oh my goddess. The wind direction changed.

Turning in my direction with his nose coming down to point straight forward, his neck elongated, he slowly started walking in my direction. Eventually the other Wolves caught on, and they went in behind Timothy as he came closer and closer. 11 feet. 8 feet. 5 feet.

By now he was peering directly at my hiding place, squinting in the mass of thorns to find his prey. My heart started to beat hard like a diesel engine. 3 feet. I had to move!

Running and leaping out from under the webbed network of vines, I shot straight over Timothy and the other Wolves, who were all staring up at me in awe, surprise, and shock. Clearing them easily, I landed behind the group and wasted no time in taking off towards the clearing, pushing my legs behind me powerfully. Growls and grunts sounded from behind me, meaning they were chasing me after they got over the shock.

I was in no real danger, but man did it feel to have adrenaline pumping through your veins, to feel the excitement of a risk taker, to feel the dangerous consequences of a bad decision. Sprinting straight through the small grassy clearing and towards the Mansion, the sound of the Wolf Fighters behind me grew fainter and fainter, eventually stopping altogether as I grew closer to home.

~~

Finally seeing the large backyard of the Mansion through the trees, I stopped to quickly put on my Gray Hoodie and Skinny Jeans that had been in my mouth, carefully rolled up the entire time. Walking barefoot up to the house, my toes and heels sinking into the soft earth, I felt my adrenaline rush crash inside me, making me suddenly feel very tired and achy. Preparing myself for what was to come, I softly slid open the sliding glass door in the back of the house and stepped in, glancing around the kitchen and hallways to see no one. Strange.

Closing it back, I padded through the hallway and living room when a loud snarl echoed from upstairs, followed by loud shouts and muffled thumps. Sprinting up the curved staircase, I turned right into the Alpha Hallway just as soon as Beta Gail walked out of Tiberius and I's room. Sliding both hands down his face roughly and turning on his heel, he stopped abruptly once he saw me standing there, his eyes widening like saucers.

Before I could speak, he hurriedly came over and pulled me into a tight hug. After a moment, he pushed me backwards and checked me for wounds quietly, turning my face up and down, lifting up my arms and making sure they twisted properly. Satisfied with my condition, he nodded and dropped his hands.

"Where were you?" he whisper yelled, full of concern.

"I had to get away! Tiberius just told me he has a brother, which I'm assuming you know about? Oh wait, everyone in this house does except for me!" I spat back venomously. He sighed tiredly and rubbed his eye.

"Look, I know he kept that from you, but he just didn't want you to be overwhelmed! He was going to tell you, just not this soon! He was afraid this would happen.." he trailed off, muttering the last part to himself. "You need to go calm him down, just talk to him! He's tearing everything up in there, and you should see the Pack Hospital room.."

I already knew I wanted to see him, so I wasted no time in rounding Gail, fast walking towards our door to hear rips in cloth, heavy bangs against the floor and walls, and ferocious growls coming from the inside. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

What I saw before me could be compared to a level 9 hurricane, minus the water and palm trees. Feathers and shredded cotton lay littered across the floor, broken lamps shattered against the hardwood, a broken mirror and vanity shattered along the wall. And in the middle? A panting, shirtless Tiberius stood rigid, his hands, arms, and back caked with dried and fresh blood. Staring at the bed absentmindedly, I noticed clear wetness beneath his eyes. Tears.

Gasping at the sight of my broken mate, I started into the room to feel a sharp pain in my left foot. Hissing quietly, I lifted it up and regrettably saw a large piece of glass sticking from the arch of my foot. Reaching to pull it out, Tiberius' voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Ellie?" he asked hesitantly, in disbelief. Looking up at him, standing only 4 feet away, I've never felt so lonely. My throat started to burn, and tears pooled at my lower lips. A choked sob escaped my lips, and I set my foot down carefully as I tried to muffle my cries.

Rushing over to me, he immediately picked my up bridal style, snuggling his head into the crook of my neck. Holding me tightly, he inhaled deeply and I felt him smile against my skin. Running my fingers through his hair, he started walking towards our bathroom.

"Ellie.." he mumbled against my shoulder. "My Ellie is home."

This intimate moment brought a new wave of tears to my eyes, rushing down my cheeks as he set me down on the bathroom counter. Holding my face gently, he kissed away my tears and pulled me into a proper hug, my face buried into his chest as his rested on the side of my head.

"Goddess Ti, I'm so sorry I acted that was before. It was so childish! I'm so sorry I ran away like that, I know I worried you sick and-" I started, but he cut me off by kissing me on the lips lovingly.

"It's okay, Ellie, I know . I was just so worried about you, that's all. Seeing you run out of that room this morning and through the back door- it was torture. You have no idea how much I wanted to track you down," he ended chuckling. Smiling against my will, I snuggled into his shoulder as he began getting the piece of glass out.

Picking me up Bridal style again, he carried me out of our room, past the staircase, and into my old room, setting me on the bed gently.

"I'm going to get you a snack and drink, then we'll go to bed, okay?" he affirmed. Nodding, he kissed my head and whispered an "I love you" before walking out. Sighing, I decided to spend my time usefully and get ready for bed while he was gone. Grabbing a pair of boy shorts underwear, sports bra, and knee high socks, I went into the bathroom and did what I had to do. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I changed into the underwear, sports bra, and socks, finally pulling my hair free from it's very messy fishtail braid and leaving it down and wavy.

Walking out of the bathroom expecting to get under the covers before Tiberius got back, I was surprised to find him already sitting on the bed, eying my half naked body appreciatively. Blushing furiously, I started to walk to my side when he pulled me over to him by my waist, setting me atop his lap comfortably. Smirking at my still blushing cheeks, he kissed my neck affectionately.

After he fed me a ham sandwich and glass of water, I nestled into his side, feeling him tucking me in as I sunk deeper into the bed.

"I love you, Elnore Burns," I heard him whisper to me quietly in my ear. Smiling sleepily, I giggled.

"And I love you, Tiberius Connall," I mumbled. Right before I slipped into blackness, though, I remembered something. "Tiberius?"

"Yea, baby?"

"We really need better Alpha Guards here. Just sayin'," I yawned, falling asleep to Tiberius' chuckling vibrating my eardrum.

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A/N: Double update :)