The faint clicking of the hinges echoed in my ears, sounding like bass drums being pounded in an empty house. Pulling the door towards me, I craned my head around the edge into the hallway. Seeing it for the first time, I took in its rich Mahogany brown walls and sleek wooden floors extending almost fifteen out until it met another hallway. Let's hope this house doesn't creak.

Opening the door a few more inches, I slunk my thin body through the narrow space. Nearly -but not fully- closing the door behind me in case someone was to come down this hallway, allowing me a quick escape, I tested the floors. Satisfied as I heard no wooden groans, I stuck to the wall closest to the windows, which were lining the left side of the hallway sporadically. Taking featherlight steps and leaping past each window I passed, I found myself at a T intersection. Peering past the corner carefully, I saw that the hallway on the left led to a dead end, while the hallway on the right ended with a bright window, a staircase turning to the right just before it. Down both hallways, though, there were many identical doors, each bearing the natural swirls and patterns of forest wood.

Glancing around once more, I swung to the right and hurried down the corridor towards the staircase. Just a few feet away, hushed whispers made me freeze.

"Should we go ahead and let her roam around, or..?"

It was coming from the stairs, the place I was about to go down. In a flash, I spun on my heel and sprinted back down the hallway, then turning left back down my miniature one as the voices grew in volume behind me. Pushing open the door and closing it soundlessly behind me, I sprang onto the bed and rested my back against the leather covered headboard. Make yourself look innocent, I thought to myself.

Leveling my breathing and closing my eyes, I suddenly remembered the door. The door! I left it unlocked!

Before I could do anything, though, the doorhandle started to turn. Going back to my artificial calm despite my rapid heartbeat, I crossed my ankles and arms casually.

The first thing I saw was a pair of large, tanned hands followed by a black sleeve. As the figure came into my view, I noticed he was undeniably attractive, with thick but trimmed eyebrows shadowing his chocolate brown orbs. Dark stubble covered his cheeks and chin, slowly fading and melting into his head hair as it neared his ear. With his height towering to almost the top of the doorframe, 6'4", he gazed upon me with interest.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked in a sickly sweet tone, smiling as bitterly as I could manage without grimacing. Smirking, he gently closed the door behind him, causing me to grow a slight bit nervous.

"Elenore Burns, it's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face! I've heard, and seen, much of you ever since the Running, my dear. You're just as beautiful as I remember," he smiles brightly despite my comment. My eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?" I furrowed my brows, leaning forward on my hands as I brought my legs closer to myself. There was no point in beating around the bush; just get straight to the point is a lesson I had learned over the years.

Chuckling, he came closer to the bed as his hands were stuffed into his jean pockets. Settling on the corner of my mattress with one leg strewn out while the other was planted on the floor, he eyed me amusedly.

"You may know me as 'The Murderer' in the Territories, or more specifically the Alpha Mansion. My name," he started, making sure I was locking eyes with him, "is Blade Connall; your dear mate's brother."

Ice ran through my veins. My heart, which was beating extremely fast, seemed to slow down to a near stop. Taking deep breaths after black dots clouded my vision, painting it to look like a thunderstorm was surrounding me, Blade's face came back into focus, his face a mask of worry.

"Ellie? Elenore?" I noticed him calling to me, his voice slowly coming back and becoming clearer and stronger over the rushing in my ears.

"Hmm?" I hummed in response, momentarily forgetting I was infront of a murderer, my mate's psychotic older brother.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry I startled you! Do you need some water?" he inquired, starting to stand as the worry line on his forehead deepened.

Right now, I wanted to be alone, but I wanted answers more.

I shook my head quickly. "No, no. I'm fine, really!" Despite his skeptical glance, he sat down on the bed once again, this time a little closer to me.

"Okay, well I'm sure you have some questions, so go ahead. Ask." Motioning for me to begin, I shook my head with slight disbelief. He was just going to tell me whatever I wanted to know? That doesn't sound very dangerous to me..

"Alright, well..why did you kill the mates of those people all those years ago?" I asked shamelessly. Secretly pleased with his shocked expression, he quickly covered it up with a neutral stare.

"Tiberius probably already told you that they kept calling in faux emergencies and that I warned them to stop, although they didn't. I told them there would be consequences, but yet they didn't listen to me. I did what I had to do to get their attention," he sighed. "Getting rid of their mates wasn't my favorite way, but it was the most effective. Believe me, I never did it for fun; just for the well being of the Pack."

Listening to him as he explained, honesty and regret shining in his words, I began to see his point of view. Never would I kill a Wolf's mate, but imagine how hard it would be to get a whole continent of Wolves to listen to you! My eyes softened.

"I..I think I'd like that glass of water now."

Smiling toothily, he quickly got up and walked out of the room, saying he'd be back in just a minute.

Oh Tiberius, where are you?

As I was waiting for Blade to come back, an escape plan began forming in my head. French Doors? No, they're barred. Down the hallway? Maybe, but I haven't seen any other part of the house yet, so I wouldn't know where to go. There seemed to be only one place to go if I truley needed to get out of this house in a hurry, but I was holding it off as plan C.

A light snickering from outside my closed door drew me from my thoughts. Immediately thinking it was the only Wolf I knew in this place, I called out; "Blade? Is that you?"

The snickering didn't stop though. If anything, it grew stronger. "Blade? Just come in!" I said again, growing a slight bit irritated with his childish actions.

The door gradually crept open, as slowly as it would be in a horror film. Chills shot down my arms and legs as my hairs stood on end. A thin, pasty hand wrapped around the edge of the door, each finger slowly resting onto the wood one by one.

"Oh, Ellie," an all too familiar voice cooed, a voice I thought I could trust. "When will you learn to not be so ignorant?"

Auburn red hair flowed out from behind the door as Lilly's freckled face came into view, her deceitful moss green eyes mocking me with their corrupted innocence.

"Li-Lilly?" I gasped in disbelief. Giving a fake bow at the waist while throwing her arms out gracefully, she giggled. "The one and only, Luna Burns," she said, emphasizing my title.

"But..but how? You were a maid for the Alpha Mansion, for me! You talked with Brenda, Alesha and I for hours! We were friends!" I shouted, quickly getting worked up by her taunting stare.

"Oh, hush!" she scolded me, running her finger along the top of a desk absentmindedly. "I've been working for Alpha Blade almost all my life. He took me in when your precious mate slaughtered my parents in cold blood!" she yelled, her facial features quickly turning from a harmless child to a raging bull. "HE murdered my mother and father when I was only 7 years old! SEVEN!" she roared, swiping an empty vase from the same desk easily. I flinched as it shattered against the hard floor, sending shards of glass with jagged edges ricocheting.

Eying her destruction with mild interest, she shrugged and met my tense gaze.

"Okay, so.. Tiberius killed your parents? When? Why?" I asked, trying to unwind the tension in the room. Leaning with her back against the wall and standing on her left leg, she crossed her arms over her relaxed figure.

"Ever since I was born, my mother, father and I were all Rouges. None of us chose it, we were all just born that way. I was an only child and we all lived in the Penn Pack, one of the Easternmost Territories there is. There was a sort of village there, housing dozens and dozens of Rouges. We all looked out for each other, helping hunt for food and remain united..until the day he came." She sighed, eyes glazing over with saddened memories. "This all happened a year after Blade was banished. When I was 7 years old, my family and I were in the village when wolves started running in every direction, some even trampling over me to get into the woods. I didn't know what was going on at the time, but my parents did, so they hid me in a hollowed tree trunk at the edge of the treeline. I begged them not to go, to run and hide with me, but then," she choked, eyes pooling on her bottom lids as a few slipped down her porcelain cheek. "But then his pack fighters came and killed them right infront of me. I- I saw the light go out in their eyes, Ellie. A seven year old shouldn't have to see that!"

And there she was; the fragile, broken young teenager I had grown close to in the short time I had known her. Rising from my spot on the bed, I walked over to her with open arms. Without hesitation, she leaned into my chest as I tightly wrapped my arms around her. Sobbing into my shoulder, her nose sniffling every few seconds, she finally calmed down to just hiccups.

"After Tiberius and his fighters left, I waited with my parents' bodies. I didn't know what to do, and looking back I probably would've died right there with them if Blade hadn't showed up a few hours later." Hick! "He convinced me to come with him, and from then on he took care of me. He even buried my parents in the graveyard for his close friends and and fighters." Hick! "About 4 years ago when I was 12, 5 years after he was banished, Blade decided that he needed a 'private eye' in the Mansion, so he sent me in since he trusted me and knew I wouldn't cause suspicion. You know how he said he would take something from Tiberius that meant a lot to him?"

I nodded my head.

"Yea, well ever since Blade found out about you, he decided you would be the chess piece in his little game; the queen to his board, in a sense"

"But, what does he want to do with me?" I replied, thinking about a chessboards' pieces. At this, Lilly looked at me straight in the eyes, showing nothing but honesty.

"He wants you to be his mate."

"Ellie, I have your water!" Blade announced as he pushed open my bedroom door. A clear glass was held in his left hand, while his right rested on the handle. His smile turned surprised at first when he saw Lilly in my room, but it soon returned back to normal. "Oh, hello Lilly! I see you've caught up with Elenore, here." She nodded agreeingly.

"Yes, sir! I was just telling her about how you took me in, and that we've been waiting for her for a while," she grinned happily, showing no signs of the crying girl moments before.

Taking the glass of water from him and sipping gratefully, Blade then cleared his throat.

"Elenore, would you do us the honors of accompanying us to breakfast?" he asked, raising his eyebrow kindly. I thought it over for a second; gain their trust and familiarize myself with my surroundings, or sulk and stay a stranger?

I decided on the first.

Nodding and taking Blade's arm that was offered to me, we made our way to breakfast as I noticed every crack and crevice of the old house; every escape route.