My knuckles were turning white as I held a death grip on the steering wheel. Alex took timid glances in my direction but said nothing since we had left. I knew he wanted to make conversation and make light of the situation, but now wasn't the time and he knew that.

A mixture of emotions invaded my mind as I drove down the highway. My thoughts solely were revolving around Eve. I worried what that little bastard was doing to her. If he laid a hand on her I wouldn't ask any questions, I was ripping off his hands. He wasn't going to touch anyone ever again.

Even if he did lay a hand on her I wouldn't know, out bond was severed. Someone had destroyed her mark and no matter how many time I tried to dig through my mind to her's I never could never reach her.

"I can smell your fear from here Caleb." Alex finally spoke up taking a quick glance at me. He looked unease as he held on to the drop handle on the ceiling of the car.

"I've lost contact with her Alex, I can't exactly be calm." I shot back with more anger than I had intended to. He flinched my tone before sighing an continuing.

"I'm not sayin you can't be scared, I've just never seen you so discombobulated. It's not like you."

I closed my eyes for a moment to control my emotions before I lashed out in annoyance. "Is there a point to all this Alex? What are you trying to get at?"

"She's changed you. You aren't such a hard ass anymore." He pointed out looking back at the road ahead.

"I was never a hard ass. I was strict there's a difference."

Alex huffed making his annoyance known. He disagreed with my view on myself. I wasn't a hard ass, I was strict, and I was stubborn but not a hard ass. I had to be strict, if I wasn't anyone in my pack would walk all over me. I wouldn't be much of an alpha if I allowed such behavior, though now that I look at it maybe I wasn't strict enough.

"Honestly, I don't think I am strict enough. I think that some members of this pack see me as friend rather than an alpha. Once this is all over things are going to change." Alex cocked his head in my direction and with a quick glance in his direction I noticed his unease expression.

Did he think I wasn't going about this the right way? He wasn't saying anything to object which only meant that a part of him recognized the same problem. I had let my pack get away with too much, and live too comfortably.

"I agree." Was all Alex mustered up to say. I could sense that he wanted to say more but held back from it. I was thankful he restrained himself as I didn't have the capacity to hold much of a conversation. My mind was too indulged in searching for any fragments of Eve in our tattered bond that I didn't even want to conversate.

With my mind clouded in thought I was shocked when the car started to shake uncontrollably. We weren't close to the coast so there was no reason to feel an earthquake, but that assumption was quickly replaced with a piercing scream.

My chest heaved at the sound as I veered the car to the right to a stop. Staring out at the dense woods around us I watched as loss leaves fell in abundance at the shock way. As it died down I finally looked over to Alex who stared blankly ahead as well.

"Was that..." He started unable to finish his question.

He knew who it was, I knew who it was, and with the recognition came the aching heartache that washed over me. My wolf was a combination of snarling and whimpering as he paced restlessly in my head.

Her scream was filled with pain which only caused my fuming angry to skyrocket. The grip on the steering wheel now threaten to break the piece. Noticing my tensed posture Alex rested his hand on my arm snapping me back to reality.

"It sounded kind of close." He mentioned looking over at me. My jaw was clinched tightly fighting the urge to shift and run in the direction I knew Eve was. "There's nothing around her though Caleb."

Removing my hands from the steering wheel I looked around at the scenery there wasn't much to tell me where we were exactly. I tapped the screen in the car bring up the GPS, an old location saved popped up in the immediate area.

The family cabin.

"No," I sighed rubbing my head down my face in disheartenment. "there is. We have a family cabin out here." I explained putting the car in drive and turning around back in the direction of the cabin.

"How come I never heard of it?" Alex questioned a slight disappointing tone in the voice. Alex was like family and we had took him in as one of our own but my parents still hide the cabin from everyone in the pack. It was meant to be a get away from all pack business, far before Alex stumbled into our territory.

"We stopped coming here around the time mom and dad took you in. Dad was was too busy keeping Luther away, when he became obsessed with mom, to bring us here. He was scared to take us out of pack territory."

Alex slouched in his seat the smell of sadness radiated off of him. I wasn't sure if it was because of the fact no one every mentioned the cabin or recalling how hell bent our father was to protect us. He'd run himself into the ground some days, one reason why I passed up the alpha position at first.

Changing the subject I asked, "We need to call Druscilla, tell her there's a change in plans."

Alex pushed himself up on his seat pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Druscilla hardly ever leaves the city. We'll be lucky if she helps us now."

My hand knotted against the steering wheel. If Druscilla backed out of helping us the odds of getting Eve back were slim to none. My stomach twisted at the thought. I couldn't let that happen, I had to have her back, I had to know that she was okay. The tethered bond was giving me a mental strain and I couldn't keep my mind from thinking the worse, because in reality the worse must likely the truth.

Speeding down the highway I listened tentatively as Alex cursed under his breath every time that the call went to voicemail.

"Don't worry," Alex assured me not looking up as he tapped quickly on the screen of the phone.

"I'll send her a text. Maybe she's just busy." He said with a meek look. He and I both knew this wasn't looking good.

Merging off the highway and down the isolated road that lead to the cabin my mind felt cloudedI couldn't think then again I could. All the what if questions piled up in my head like a damn holding back a flood. I was ready to burst, crack under the immense pressure.

"What was that?" Alex asked perking up in his see. He pointed at the tree-line to our right and a glimpse of gray broke through the fragmented tree limbs.

Focusing on the move figure I made out more and then there was a break in the tree-line. It was clear now and there was not a doubt that it was a wolf, but not just one there were four. To make matters worse all of them were recognizable as member of my pack.

No, they aren't members of my pack any longer, they were traitors just like Nora.

Alex let out a threatening growl when one of them ran closer to the car. They wouldn't be able to do much to the car but I wouldn't put anything past them or Nora.

"Just how many are there that sided with her?" Alex murmured under his breath as he looked closely at them all. I didn't doubt that he was trying to imprint the names to memory.

"I don't know, but if she has this many this far patrolling that means we are out numbered even if Druscille decides to help. She wouldn't leave herself or the cabin unguarded and poorly protected."

Alex pursed his lips as he watched the running wolves. "Caleb, if Druscilla doesn't come this will be a suicide."

I sighed which caught his attention and he looked over at me. "Alex, I won't ask you to do this. You have Nani to return to. Drop me off and turn around."

Alex remained quiet the rest of the ride as his sadness wafted to my nose. He felt guilty, my words held truth behind them. He knew this was suicide and the fact that he was a brother to me I couldn't live with myself if he died because of me. He did deserve to be brought into this.

There was a clearing coming up to the cabin, the road turning to gravel another indication that we were about to be there. As the cabin came into view my stomach coiled and dread washed over me.

Nora was walking out of the cabin a smug smirk on her face, a flash of rage coursed through me, but then it vanished. It was replaced with forebodingness, it wasn't just her outside the cabin there was over twenty Weres lined up outside, some I knew and some I didn't.

This was suicide, but I had to try, I had to.

I put the car in park and looked over at Alex. I had made up my mind in the silence I wasn't going to let him come with me. He had to turn around.

"Alex," His eyes locked onto mine with sadness, he knew what I was about to say and what I was about to do. He didn't want me to say it and as my mouth opened to begin he squeezed his eyes shut. "I want you to get in the drivers seat and turn around. Drive back to the pack house, get Loz, Taylor, Jozy, Mom and Nani in the car. Tell everyone about what is going on and give them choices. They can stay or they can leave. They can go to Midnight Shadow pack, I want you to go there too. Daniel will take you all in."

"I can't." Alex croaked opening his eyes and released a tear that he had been fighting to hold back. He looked broken and torn. I could see the battle he was fighting behind his eyes. He didn't want me to go, but he knew he had to go. He had people depending on him. "Please don't make me Caleb."

"You have to Alex, you have people depending on you. I'm putting you in charge." I put my hand on the back of his neck bring him closer. "You have to do this, for me, just one last order."

He scoffed at the mention of my last order hating the sound of it. He pulled his head back and looked at everyone outside before glowering and looking back over at me.

"I hate her. I hate what she's done to us, to everyone, for making you do this. It's not supposed to go like this Caleb." He sniffled clenching his hands into fists. "But for you I will go through with your last order."

"Thank you, Alex." Pulling him into one last hug. God, I didn't want this moment to end but it had to, just as Alex had to go back.

Pushing open the door, Alex did the same as I made my way to the front of the car as he climbed into the driver's seat. With one last glance back I smiled at him as he gave me one last nod before backing out and turning down the road.

Once the sound of the gravel ceased I looked up at Nora who had watched the whole scene play out in silence. She clapped sarcastically as she offered me a conceited smile.

"Long time no see, brother."

.