The smell of death was clear in the air as I followed the scent. Desmond's wolf scent mixed with the dreadful scent as I approached.

Through the thick branches of the woods I made out the husky bossy of Desmond's wolf as it circled around a dead body. The person that had died laid motionless and naked. It was normal for werewolves to shift back to human skin when they parishad. It was like a kill safe to make sure humans didn't come across us be accident.

I didn't need human sticking their nose in my land. It would just be another headache added to my list of never ending headaches.

'It's Adam, one of the twins.' Desmond mentioned as I stepped beside him to look at the young kid.

We had taken them in roughly a year ago. Adam and his brother Andrew were twins. They'd run off together after their mother lost her mind after the death of her mate. She'd turned into an alcoholic, they'd left her for a better life and my chest tightened as I looked at his lifeless body.

'Why was he out this far? I thought I made myself clear to stay on pack lands regardless of the uptick in activity outside of the border.' I shifted to be able to check his body more easily. Desmond did the same.

"Adam linked to Aspen and I about a wolf that tried to slip over the boarder undetected. Adam came across him and pursued the wolf. He didn't link us after that." He explained sorrow evident in his voice.

Desmond crouched down lifting up the eighteen year olds arm. Scratches were slashed down his abdomen leaving his ribs exposed. As crazy as it might seem it wasn't the gaping whole that left me speechless but the lettering that was etched into his chest.

Desmond gentle flipped the boy over displaying the bloody writing.

SERA IS NEXT

They know.

My teeth clenched. I knew that my eyes were nothing but pitch black with the overwhelming sensation of anger that lit every nerve in my body.

A threat to my mate, how kind.

Didn't they know who they were messing with? Didn't they know what kind of bear they were poked?

"This isn't good Oz. What did you and Philip discuss when you met with him?" Desmond's worry was easily smelt and his question solidified it.

"Nothing." I bluntly stated eager to dismiss the topic. I didn't want to think about the annoying fucker right now, I was tired of thinking about him. Everything lately has been revolving around him.

"Liar." Desmond growled shoving my chest as he stood up. "He's catching on to us isn't he?"

"I have it under control."

"This doesn't look under control Osiris. This looks like a mad man allowed to murder with no repercussions." He hissed.

His angry was mutual and his statement was easy to agree with. He was stating the obvious, it didn't take a genius to realize that Philip had to be dealt with. The hard part was how we were going to deal with him.

Philip is a prized and loved alpha in the eyes of the council, killing him myself, without reason, would end up with me being hung. The fact that Philip more than likely killed Adam wouldn't be enough reason for me to kill him. He had, after all, kill him in unclaimed land.

"This is Adam, Osiris. This isn't just some rogue we found dead."

"Am I blind? I know who the fuck I'm looking at." I growled, my eyes burning olive green with petulance.

"Then you should be more fucking bothered." He challenged back his eyes glowing an equally bright amber. He sighed taking in a calming breath of air. "Osiris I think it's best to just tell Sera, and the pack and straighten all this shit out now. We can up the boarder patrols and have Jensen accelerate his research."

My lips curled up disliking his idea.

"If it's you're worry about he safety I completely understand but if Philip is this comfortable getting this close to us it's only a matter of time before Sera finds out on her own." Sincerity was in his every word but I couldn't be bothered to really let that matter to me. I didn't want anything or anyone manipulating my decisions.

I knew that Desmond was right but I couldn't get myself consider his idea. Telling her would be another situation I'd have to iron out the kinks to and straight out. I already felt the pain of raising my voice at her and keeping my distance. By telling her the whole truth myself I'd feel the full force of her hurt and combined with mine.

"Up the patrols, having Aspen join Ivy in watching over Phina and..." I trailed off hating the next part I was going to demand. It was going to piss of my wolf the moment I said it but it was all part of this long plan. "-take her up into the mountains for a day."

"Have you lost your damn mind?" He accused watching me as I picked up Adam under his arms.

"I lot it years ago, now help me carry him back. Did you tell Andrew-"

"Osiris. This isn't a joke Philip just killed one of our own because her." He shouted.

I gentle slid Adam down to the ground. Storming over to Des I stopped before him eying him through narrowed lids.

"You think I see Adam's murder a joke?" Other than the step he took back from me he was silent. "I care about each and every member of this pack. I am deeply upset about finding a pup such as Adam dead, but I can only be so angry. He didn't follow orders and the orders were simple stay in pack territory. There is no reason for him to chase after anyone or anything. He could have easily just reported his findings and we would have dealt with it."

"And this isn't Phina's fault. This is a psychotic alpha that can't handle the fact that I'm a treat to him." I pointed out in the open hoping who ever did this heard our conversation. I would love nothing more than for Philip to hear how idiotic he was. "Don't forget that though she doesn't know it and neither does the majority of the pack know, but Phina is the luna of this pack."

He opened his mouth to object but decided in shutting it, hanging his head low. He knew he spoke out of line. It might seem like all this revolved around Seraphina, but it wasn't because of anything she did. She was simply living it wasn't her fault that Philip was hell bent on being deranged.

"I'm sorry." Desmond mumbled. "I'm just- this is all getting a little too close to home Osiris."

I took a deep breath looking down at the lifeless body. It was a shame the kid couldn't help himself. I'm sure he disobeyed because he thought it was a wiser idea but it wasn't, it costed him his life.

I shook my head guilt grow in my head as I blamed myself for allowing him to patrol on his own. If I had paired him up longer with a veteran patrol member he would have had better judgement. He had begged to have more single patrol shifts on his own and though I wasn't comfortable with the idea I still allowed it thinking he'd either excel or give me a reason to revoke the duty from him. Sadly, it came to his murder that made my revoke that decision.

"I know. Trust me."

"You keep saying trust me and that you know, but I don't think you really do." He stepped toward me exasperated. "You don't understand that it's not just two, three, four wolves coming close to us now. There is no reason for anyone to come up this far in the mountains."

"So, what do you suggest we do?" I asked.

He paused staring at me stunned. "Uh-um, that's your job."

"You're my beta, you have to have ideas of your own to bring to the table. I can't make all the decisions by myself." He began to open his mouth but I interjected before he spoke. "And a different idea than the one you spit out earlier."

Desmond moved to lean against a tree his bare back scrapping against the rough bark as he slid down. The hint of iron and blood hit my nose telling me he's open himself up. It wasn't out of the normal for him to distract himself from his anger with pain. He did it often when he thought he'd loss his temper all together.

"If you refuse to still tell Sera the truth then having Aspen around her will help keep her secure but that doesn't solve the new wolves wandering up here." He said through shut eyes. "I think the next best things we can do to maintain everyone's safety is to send her parents back as soon as possible. I don't trust them."

"Philip held her mother hostage Desmond. I highly doubt that they'd side with him."

"Just because he threatened to harm her doesn't mean that they side against him. The fact that they were so adamant on bringing her home was a clear indication to me that they still have loyalty to him." I hummed finding what he said eye opening. I hadn't thought about all that in the heat of the moment. I just saw it as parental love and authority from her father.

"They're leaving tomorrow remember?"

He nodded opening his eye to face me. "We need to train more people for boarder patrol. If we strength the numbers on guard it'll make it harder for anyone to slip in or out."

"You think someone could be working with him?"

"No, I just think it's best to cover all corners though." He admitted.

"Okay, then you and I will route the training yard and gym. Every man and female with a wolf over the age of eighteen will take part in daily trainings unless otherwise exempt."

"Osiris, you and I will have to do rotations at night to keep an eye on Sera back home. One of us should be patrolling every night and I would normally offer myself to do that kind of work but seeing as I have a mate to attend to from time to time I can't do that."

"I'll do the night shifts. I need you there with her." I strained finding the words bitter on my tongue.

I swear Phina if it weren't for the fear I have of someone taking you away I would shower you with everything. You're gonna hate me when I finally tell you but I just hope you understand why I had to do what I had to do.

Turning back to Adam's body I grabbed under his arms again to lift him up. I needed to distract myself from the ever growing guilt I felt.

"Can't we tell the council about Philip? They'll believe us-"

"No, we don't have the proof. There aren't any scents of pack around here and this was in any man's land, they'll just blame Adam and reiterate, that because it wasn't in pack boarders it doesn't fall to them."

Desmond groaned standing up and grabbing the boy's legs. We tracked through the woods carrying Adam's body the entire way back to the cabins.

"So we continue this charade until when Osiris? Until shit hits the fan?"

"Until we find a way to get rid of Philip." I blurted out before pursing my lips and admitting the other way the chips might fall. "Or when Phina figures it all out."