I froze for a moment glancing at Ivy believe she had spoken but I witnessed her turning away already. Stunned I contemplated what to do.

My head was surely in disarray. I was hearing shit now just to cope with the enormous pile of pain.

Space was what I had determined was best for me and in so I wandered a little further than the backyard. I walked the perimeter of the wood that lined yard of the cabin.

'Mate... help.' The fairy like voice echoed from within my head. I gasped in shock as I clutched my chest and grabbed on to the nearest tree.

My back was ridged like a hot rod was pressed to my back as I stumbled. My head cocked from side to side frantically searching for a person hiding in the bushes. I even searched the skies for anyone above. I wasn't taking any chances.

'Mate... help.' The fairy like voice echoed from within my head. I gasped in shock as I clutched my chest and grabbed on to the nearest tree.

What the hell was going on with me? It seemed like I was going virtually insane. My head spun as I struggled to fathom what it was I heard and how I heard it.

My lips parted as I caught my breath. Pants of frosty air bloomed in front of my face as I leaned against the trunk.

Fuck. What was getting into me? I didn't heard anything, just like Osiris said, I'm making things up in my head. I had to be nothing else made logical sense.

Rubbing the sides of my head I scanned the horizon. None of the trees looked familiar; somehow in all of the confusion I had strayed from the path or rather stumbled from the path.

Not good Sera. This is a not good at all.

My head darted about trying desperately to find anything that looked for anything recognizable. Nothing came into view and out of shear panic I cursed under my breath.

'Mate, mate... help.' I grabbed at my head groaning as the voice echoed like a constant chant in my head. 'Mate, mate, mate.' The voice was turning more and more sinister like a nagging ache in my skull.

With watery eyes I fumbled through the harsh terrain hunting for any gaps of open forest that might be the path. There were none.

The chanting voice slowly fell silence as my breathing quickened with my growing stress. At the rate I was breathing I feared I'd pass out. I slumped to the ground in an attempt to keep conscious and it worked as I curled up into a ball.

The throbbing ache continued but it lessened with the passing time. Wiping my eyes I leaned against a near by tree closing my eyes as I regained composure.

"Are you alright?"

My eyes snapped open. Aspen sat a few meters away from me on a rooting log. Her long dirty blonde hair was braided over her shoulder and a concerned look was plastered on her face.

I hadn't had much interaction with Aspen and when I came to think of it she hadn't had the chance to lie to me. She concealed the truth but then again she was around much to tell me much of anything. I hardly knew here other than the fact that she was statuesque with a gorgeous appearance.

There was a sense of protection around her like I could instinctually trust her. How much could I trust her? I thought to myself. She was loyal to Osiris after all.

"Yea, just a killer headache." I lied pushing a palm to my forehead.

She rolled her eyes no believing me. Aspen jumped off the log and walked toward me until she stood towering over me. A shiver traveled down my spine and I couldn't be sure if it was the fridge temperatures or the fact that Aspen was enormous in comparison. I think it was the latter of the two.

"Yea, I have killer heartaches too that make me fall to the ground." Her sarcasm caused me to clam up as I watched her cross her arms. "Let's try this again. Are you all right?"

My eyes were fixated on her's until I could no longer look at her. Aspen carried herself so domineering and confident. Reading me like a book with no effort left me utterly speechless. There was no way around her. There was no lie I could spew that would sound believable. Honestly, even if I told the truth I doubted she'd believe me.

The silence grew as I balled up snow into my hands. The freezing snow stung my hands but I refused to open them finding it a nice distraction from Aspen's interrogation.

"Fine." She said with bitterness. She processed to walk past me. Heading where? I had no idea as she mindlessly walked.

So that was it? She wasn't going to press me on the topic? Give me a harder time and force me to talk? She was just going to leave me here?

The realization that still has no clue where I was had me scurrying to my feet. "Wait!" I shouted catching up to her. Aspen continued to walk as if she didn't hear me.

I stayed close behind her shivering as the wind gradually picked. I still struggled to understand why they picked such a harsh place to call home. All the snow and sun-freezing temperatures were unbearable and the beauty of the mountains weren't enough for me to see the worth of calling here home.

"Here, take this." Without looking Aspen pulled off her jacket tossing it over her shoulder. I lunged forward hobbling as I caught it.

Her uncanny attitude left my irritated and unsettled. She cared enough to give me her jacket but not enough to look at me. I'm beginning to understand why she never stuck around me much. She didn't seem to care about what happened to me, then again I wasn't expecting her too. I at least half expected her to acknowledge me.

Annoyed with her apathetic demeanor I huffed as I put on the jacket.

The sound of our shoes crushing snow was the forest had to offer in the form of noise. Not a bird in ear shot not a single animal prancing by; it was just us.

Minutes turned into what I could only assume turned into an hour. I hadn't wandered this far from the cabin, I couldn't have wound up this far into the woods.

Unable to keep quiet I asked. "Where are we going?"

Aspen hesitated in her steps for a moment but it was brief as she returned to her earlier pursuit. Pursuit of what you might ask, I had no idea.

After a few stomach twisting seconds she replied. "I don't know where you're going but I'm checking the boarders."

Her snarking reply left me baffled. "I-I thought you were guiding me home."

"And why would you think that." She laughed.

"Because I got lost."

"How was I supposed to know? You never told me."

I fell silence at her snarking reply. It was wrong to assume that she's come all this way just to find me and take me back home. She had other things to do than help helpless ole me.

"How long have you known?" I asked knowing damn well she knew I was Osiris was my mate.

"Since day one."

Silence.

"You know it's wrong to mess with mates."

Aspen shrugged without a care in world. "Yes, but I also didn't mess with you so..."

Rude.

"But you knew and said nothing." I pointed out as my frustration grew.

"Yes, but I also know it's not my place to tell. Like you said," She whirled around causing a surprising gasp to escape. "-it's wrong to mess with mates."

"Y-y-you-"

"I, what? Kept my mouth shut because I'm not one to stick my noise in other peoples business?"

"It's wrong."

I didn't know what else to say as Aspen looked down at me. Her inquisitive eyes studied me like a specimen. I gulp unnerved.

After what felt like centuries she spoke.

"Osiris kept the truth from you because he feared losing you more than he feared your... hate." She scanned me up in down scrutiny. "He didn't do anything because he wanted to hurt you. It's frustrating, you think this has everything to do about you. Before you decided to spontaneously dispose someone it will do you wonders to listen to them first."

I took a step back at her sharp words. A sudden rush of nostalgia came back as flashes of being slammed into lockers and cornered after school popped up in my head.

I felt small.

I felt guilty.

I did this to myself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't-"

Our head flew into the direction of a sudden snap in the woods. I held my breath as Aspen lifted her nose ever so slightly in the direction of the sound.

Her eyes steadily grew as they focused on to something my human eyes couldn't see. The sounds of soft padded paws crushing the fresh snow reached my ears. There was a wolf here and from Aspens posture I was willing to bet it wasn't a friendly wolf.

I looked out the corner of my eye to Aspen. With a low whisper I spoke. "Aspen-"

"Shut up."

The pounding in my heart was audible in my ears.

Badum- badum-badum

The paw pads haunted. They'd heard us.

With panicked eyes I jerked my head toward Aspen. She knew what I was waiting to hear because she said what I already knew I needed to do.

"Hide, now."