"Krane, do you have any candles?" I call out, as I enter his lodge without knocking.

From the smells coming from the kitchen, bacon and eggs are on the menu this morning, my stomach groans appreciatively at Krane's cooking skills. However, as I turn the corner to enter the kitchen I stop in my tracks when I see Krane sat at the table with my dad sat across from him.

"Alice." My dad says nervously as he rises to his feet.

I say nothing for a moment, I hate been caught off guard and seeing my dad this morning after Cole left just yesterday is a little too much for me to handle. I'm still feeling fragile, all I seem to be able to think about is the Gamma who broke my heart.

"Why are you here?" I grit out.

"There's much to talk about and we don't have a lot of time baby girl." My dad replies but I still don't make a move. "... and I brought candles with me." He smiles at me sheepishly. "I knew you'd not forget our tradition."

"I'll honour Adam's birthday alone this year." I growl out quietly.

"Please Alice, we can fight about many things, and I deserve all of your anger...but don't block me out from this...lets go down to the river and talk whilst we light his candles in remembrance." My father pleads.

I chew on the bottom of my lip unsure what to say when I see Krane give me an encouraging nod to accept a truce with my dad. He understands grief better than most, I guess.

Begrudgingly I agree. "Ok, but only if Krane can come as well, I don't want to be alone with you."

A wide smile creeps across my dad's face, his eyes glisten as if he's holding back tears as he nods enthusiastically and looks to Krane to see if he's willing to come.

"That's fine with me." Krane replies as he slowly raises to his feet. "Let's get breakfast when we get back shall we? It's to rain soon, so best we get these candles lit whilst we can."

----------------

When wolves pass to the next world, we light candles on their birthday to remember the light of their passing souls. Often this is just done in the privacy of your own homes, but as Adam used to love playing with his model sailing boat, my father and I have always lit small candles on a home-made boat and sailed them down the river. We've done it for the last ten years, never once forgetting his birthday. Today he would have been his twenty-two.

As I push the homemade boat out into the river and watch the current take it down stream, I can't help but wipe a little tear away from my face. I miss him more than anything in this world. More than even my mother in all honesty. We'd bicker and fight like any siblings, but in reality, he was my best friend and when I lost him, I lost everything. I'd do anything to have him back.

I come back to reality when I feel my dad's hand squeeze my shoulder. "He would be so proud if he could see you now Alice." He says quietly.

I shrug his hand off and raise to my feet. "I'm not sure he'd feel the same way about you dad." Before I go and stand by Krane who's sat on a nearby boulder still watching the little boat floating away wistful.

"Enough." Krane murmurs before he turns his attention back to me and my dad. "We've not got time for this. Mitch, get talking. Alice needs to hear what you've gotta say. You said back in my kitchen it was urgent...and you're gonna listen Alice. I promised Cole I'd look after you, we need to hear this." Krane says firmly to us both.

I purse my lips but keep them tightly shut in order not to spit out some sassy retort and look back at my dad. Crossing my arms over my body, I raise a brow at him waiting for him to speak. The colour from my dad's face pales, he takes a deep breathe before his soft sad eyes fix on mine.

"They'll be coming for you soon Alice." He croaks out. "Beta Jay and no doubt a handful of his best warriors will come soon to take you back south...so he can claim you as his."

I hiss with disbelief. "Not a chance. I rejected him. The night at the farm I told him I'd never be his."

"Baby girl, forgive me. I signed a blood pact soon after the deaths of your mother and brother." My dad starts to explain as I watch small tears run down his face. I look at him with confusion as I'm not sure what this means. However, It's Krane that surprises me when he gets to his feet and has my dad up by the throat before I even see it coming. For a wolf as old and disabled as he is, he's truly fucking strong.

"What did the pact say." Seethes Krane.

Chocking and spluttering my dad tries to free himself from Krane's grip but he's just not strong enough. "I agreed that Jay could claim Alice when she came of age. There's no way out of it, it's a legal document. She's his." He weeps.

"No!" I scream outraged as I press my hand across my mouth to stop the sobs.

Krane growls so loudly that the whole forest seems to shake before he throws my dad to the floor in disgust. "You fucking idiot Mitch. A blood pact. A fucking blood pact!"

"I was tricked! Ezra gave me no choice. He said putting her as a category three would keep her safe, keep male wolves away. That she wouldn't be able to follow her mother's footsteps as a warrior, so she could never get hurt. He promised me that she'd become the Beta female of the pack, a place of honour and respect. But after a few months had passed, I saw how much Alice hated been on that register, I knew what I'd done was wrong. I went back to Ezra and begged him to rip up the blood pact, but he refused. I'd signed it blindly in my grief, not reading the small print." My dad weeps.

I'm a loss of words, I look to Krane for answers and all I see is those familiar wolf eyes shining with rage at my father. Krane is so like Cole it makes my heart wince.

I need Cole, now more than ever I need Gamma Cole. The man that makes me feel safe. The man I'm in love with.

"What happens if you revoke the agreement?" Krane growls at my father.

My father runs a hand over his face before he looks up at me. "Then Alice and I would be banished and would have to become rogues."

I drop to my knees in despair. How? How can this be happening to me.

"You fucking idiot Mitch!" Krane roars.

"Idiot he maybe, but everything he has said is correct," says a smooth voice from behind us.

We all look around to see Beta Jay with six strong looking warriors flanked at his sides. "Hello Alice." Jay says quietly, his eyes burning possessively at me.

"Alice, get behind me." Krane whispers. I slowly get to my feet and do as he says. My father stands up quickly also to stand next to Krane.

"Stay away from my daughter." Snarls my dad.

"Do you think we can handle a cook and a cripple?" Beta Jay taunts making the warriors all laugh.

"Enough." Thunders Krane.

Instantly the warriors fall silent, there's a prickle in the air. Evidently Krane hasn't lost all his Gamma authority, this old wolf still has some tricks up his sleeve.

"I want to see my son and Alpha Drake now." Krane demands.

"Unfortunately both the Alpha and the Gamma are no longer on pack grounds for the next two weeks." Beta Jay smirks. "It appears that the Red River pack needed some assistance to train their warriors, so I negotiated a deal for the Alpha Drake and Cole to oversee this to sweeten a deal. So I've been left in charge."

My heart beats frantically at this news. Coles not here, he's not even nearby. Leaving me at the mercy of Jay. From what I remember the Red River pack is halfway between here and Alpha Lucas's pack in the North. Over a day's journey at least.

"That's Gamma Cole to you!" Grits Krane.

The smirk on Jays face widens. "Apologises for the disrespect. Talking of disrespect, from what I hear the Alpha had to use his command tone on Gamma Cole to get him leave the pack lands and follow orders. Now I wonder what's made the usually ever-so-obedient Gamma disobey his Alpha?

Jay's eyes snap to me, his eyes flash with irritation making me think he knows full well what Cole and I have been up to together.

"Enough. I will not allow you to take Alice until the Alpha and my son are back on pack lands." Says Krane firmly.

"With all respect. You have no say in this old man." Beta Jay smiles condescendingly before looking at me. He raises a hand, motioning me to take it. "Alice, come." He commands.

I whimper and take a step back, shaking my head. "No, never. I'll never be yours." As I hear Krane and my dad growl and snarl at Jays words. Ordering me about like I'm a fucking pet dog.

Jay drops his hand and huffs. He looks away for a moment looking both impatient and conflicted before he looks back at me.

"I didn't want it to come to this Alice. I didn't want us to start our life together like this baby. But you're giving me no choice here." Sighing, Jay steps aside and motions to his warriors. "Men, take her."