A frown automatically curves down my lips as I slide my arms through my jacket. Beside me, Grey is silent mirroring my movements.

His frown just as deep as mine.

Today, they travel to the Lunar Pack's territory.

Nether of us slept last night, I don't see how we could. We tried to close our eyes and slip into a peaceful slumber, but we never had a chance.

So, we talked all night until the sun rose over the horizon. Lazy words would roll off my tongue, while my head laid in his lap.

Only if I could just stay in that moment, instead of facing the reality of today. Him playing with my hair softly as we conversed quietly. A tired smile never leaving our faces instead of these-set in stone-frowns.

Biting my lip I adjust my jacket until it lays comfortably on my shoulders. When I look up to him, he's already looking at me from the corner of his eyes.

Grey reaches up placing his hand on my cheek, rubbing soft circles into my skin. I lean into his palm, "I hate that I can't go with you." I finally have the courage to speak after being quiet for so long.

I slide my fingers across the back of his hand as he looks down. "I wish you could come too, but after what recently happened it's safer for you to be here looking after the pack."

When I sigh-becoming annoyed-he grips the back of my neck pulling me into him.

I collide into his chest as we wrap our arms around each other desperately.

This time is different. This time there's room for error, and room for danger. And I just wish I could be there if anything happens.

Not only are we going for Silas, we have to trade something of ours. Not to mention, we have to act like we still want to be allies with them even if they're considered a threat to our pack.

And since they're a threat, we can't have them planning anymore threats, like the girl that was killed.

So, what we're trading for Silas is five of our warriors.

It sounds idiotic that we're giving them more people, but it's not that simple.

Those five people will send us nightly reports via link, and tell us anything and everything that they've gathered on the pack and Bahee.

They will be our spies so that we can never be blindsided again.

But like I said, we have to be careful with this or we will start a war.

We don't want that.

Nobody wants that.

Pulling away from Grey, I slide my fingers between his. I hold on tight as he leads me out of the door.

Cold air quickly slaps my face and makes my skin feel brittle as I watch pack members scurry around trying to prepare everything.

My eyes rake up to Grey. He sighs deeply which makes a white cloud swirl form from his lips.

"I need to go make sure everything is ready, I'll be right back," he nods to me quickly before I feel the warmth of his skin leave my own.

I retreat my hand back in my pocket, but the warmth still isn't as inviting as it was with Greyson.

I bite the insides of my cheeks nervously while sliding a hood over my head. While I tuck my hair under, my back is pushed suddenly.

Turning, Grey stands next to me. He looks at me with a pointed look as I start to pull at the sleeves of my jacket.

How could I not jitter with nerves? There's so many components fueling into the anxiety that's caving a hole deeper and deeper into my stomach.

"Stop," Greyson tells me gruffly, pulling on my shoulders to get me to snap out of it. "Which part of all this are you nervous about?"

"All of it," I say quickly. My eyes twitch up to him before retreating back to the ground. "Silas, Bahee, our men and women being stuck over there. It's a lot," I end up stuffing my hands into my hoodie pocket. At least then I'll stop stretching out the sleeves.

"We got this Koda. We've been preparing for days now, okay? I won't let anything bad happen," he nods while his grip slowly falters from my shoulders.

He looks behind his shoulder for a second. A sigh releasing from his lips, which makes me look past him to see what he's watching.

Tilting my head to look, my eyes focus in the distance.

There, all alone, is Willa. She looks up to the gray clouds above, a frown etched permanently into her lips as she trembles in the cold.

"I have to come home, I have someone to come back to," he turns back to me after one last look at her. "And now you're getting that very person, the one you'll always come back to." I find myself nodding to his words understanding what he means.

Months ago when we were trying to get used to Willa with Grey, I wouldn't of understood what Greyson meant. But now that I have a mate of my own, it all makes sense.

"Anyways," Grey whispers suddenly before standing up straighter. "Everything is ready?" I nod, we just loaded everything up a second before he came to me. "Great-good. I'm going to tell Willa goodbye and then we can leave.

Before I have time to say anything, he's already turned on his feet and making his way back to her.

~~~

Trailing just behind Grey, I try to broaden my shoulders. I try to look confident and strong, but my body won't agree with me. While on the inside I'm feeling nervous, and the hole in my stomach increases as the second goes by.

It's feeding on every single insecurity and worry.

We are here for Silas, we need Silas.

I need Silas, so damn bad.

That exactly is what's keeping my body from running away from this whole thing.

Groaning inwardly, I just need to stop being so afraid. He's my mate, and in his. I need to face it head on.

Grey slows his steps which causes my attention to focus on him, until I start looking around.

Houses are scattered around us, but they're tattered and in desperate need of repair.

Not a single person is in sight, yet I see a little girl peeking at us from her window.

The ground scattered with debris.

This isn't what it's suppose to look like.

A pack is suppose to be unity, peace, where there's no poor, there's no rich. But here, it's different.

I remember Greyson telling me they live off a hierarchy. I wonder if this is what's considered the 'bottom layer.' Even worse if this was the top layer and people are living in even worse conditions.

"Welcome!" Loudly a voice booms from in front of us. The girl that was once in her window watching, vanished as soon as her eyes land on her Alpha.

Bahee chuckles as I find my place beside Greyson.

I have to control the immediate look of disgust that over comes me every time I'm in his presence.

"This is our fourth-tier, which is next to the lowest. I was hoping you'd walk into our first-tier for a good impression. Though I'm just glad you didn't see the fifth-tier first." Bahee announces laughing while grabbing his protruding stomach.

He really thinks this is funny.

His people living in poverty, and yet he finds humor in that.

"Let's work our way to the third-tier, that's where we'll find the mute," he smirks towards me.

I bite down hard on my teeth to try and stop my impulsive tongue to say something I know I'll regret.

Grey tugs on my sleeve as a sort of warning to keep my mouth shut.

This is exactly what Bahee wants.

I swallow the growl bubbling at the center of my throat.

We need to get Silas out of here and away from this man. He doesn't deserve this.

"I see you're mad Beta Koda," Bahee cocks his head as if he's innocent. "Your dementor is calm, but your golden eyes give it away," he smiles largely.

Quickly I retreat my eyes down to the ground. Blinking my them rapidly I try to return them back. "Was it something I said?" Bahee continues like he's clueless.

My fury starts to boil, and grow to the highest point. I'm about to explode and tell Bahee what I really feel about him.

Though I'm too slow.

Instead Greyson grabs my shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "No Alpha, everything's fine. Let's keep going," he interrupts.

I shake off Greyson's hold that starts to become more painful as the seconds pass.

He shoves me before following after Bahee.

After I calm for a second more, I follow behind.

Continuing in the fourth-tier it gradually gets better going to the third-tier.

By better I mean less holes in houses, maybe a little less trash in the streets.

That's until we finally arrive at the wired fence of the third-tier.

Bobbed wire stretching across the top making it so no person would dare and try to over it. Electricity pulsing from the chains making it even more impassable.

Once we make it through unscathed, thanks to the disabling of the electricity, we continue to walk again.

But my head quickly snaps up as Silas's scent seeps into my nose, smacking all of my senses into action. "Greyson we need to go. We-We need to walk faster," I swallow harshly feeling everything in my body go on hyper drive.

It's been way too long.

"I know," he nods clapping my shoulder. "Just be patient, we can't go any faster."

As soon as he tells me to be patient, I see a head of blonde-almost white-hair.

My hands jitter by my sides spotting him out of a crowd of people.

My eyes stay planted on him, watching and waiting until I get closer.

All of the worry I felt earlier about seeing him again, has completely washed away. I don't even know why I was so nervous.

His head snaps up suddenly, and those brown-blue eyes look back to me. I lose every ounce of my self restraint.

I take off towards him.

I smile wider when I see him do the same.

Running faster until we finally collide together.

We both laugh as we cling onto each other desperately needing one another. "They told me you weren't coming," he breathes out,popping into my head suddenly.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Pulling back from him, I look to his face. His eyebrows creased and concerned. His eyes graze past my shoulder for a second, looking at whatever is behind me.

But as quickly as he looks away, his eyes connect back to mine. "There's a lot of shit going on here right now, and you guys just walked into it all." He bites his lip placing his hand on my cheek. "You should've stayed in your own territory."