|Stoneybridge|

Liana raced into the Smith house to see that Maddy was shouting at her parents and Liana winced, wondering exactly what she had just walked into here.

"I understand why you don't want to help Rhydian, but Rick is out there on his own with the bloody canister floating around!" Liana argued and the Smiths sighed at her words, which were now producing surprisingly good arguments. "He doesn't have anything to do with this and he does know better, we can't condemn every single wolfblood on our territory to being discovered if they haven't done anything wrong." She snapped and Daniel sighed. "He was in the cellar with us that night. He didn't do anything to deserve being exiled by us for being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Liana said and Maddy was ordered to her room.

Mrs. Smith was actually agreeing with Liana on this and Liana nodded slightly as she knew that if she looked in the mirror, her face would be scared.

careful Daniel Smith stated and Liana nodded with a low growl, as she raced off.

Liana grabbed two masks and she bolted off into the woods and once she was far enough into the woods, she let out a chilling howl.

She waited a few moments, before she heard a faint howl in response to it and she recognized the deeper tone of voice.

Liana bolted off and found that she was starting to catch the scent of the smell. "No, no!" She spat out and she slipped the mask on over her face before she could wolf out and nearby, she heard Rick's familiar growling.

Liana raced to the left where the growling was coming from and she saw that Rick was half transformed and she tossed the mask over to him and he slipped it over his mouth and nose, as he shuddered, restraining the wolf and Liana crouched next to him.

"Good timing." He murmured as she held out her hand to him and helped him up onto his feet.

"We have to get to that canister and get it away from Tom and Shannon for all of our sakes." Liana said and he looked at her, before he nodded at her words and she helped him up.

"I'll catch up. I promise." Rick murmured and as he caught his breath, she continued racing onward toward the main area where the scent was coming from.

Liana heard howling and snarling and without needing to listen very carefully, Liana easily recognized both Maddy and Ceri's very distinct and different growls.

"No!" She shouted and she shifted in midair, right in time to crash into Ceri to protect Maddy.

Ceri and Liana rolled along the ground and Liana came up onto her feet first, snarling at her birth mum in a state of protective fury right on her normal personality track to protect her sister and Liana tipped her head back and let out a howl, a challenge to the wild wolfblood that just happened to be her mum.

Liana tucked her chin afterward and she circled her mum with a low growl that rumbled through her, and Maddy had gotten back up onto her paws and when Liana turned to check on her, it was Ceri who lunged for Maddy.

Rick had stood on the edge until he saw it and in response, he leapt into the air and transformed, slamming into Ceri with a sharp growl.

Rick and Liana were standing on either side of Maddy and they all snarled at Ceri, who suddenly faced off with all three of them.

Natalia came running in and she flung herself as a wolf into the combat and seeing no other targets, slammed right into Rick, who stood steady against the sudden blow and to Natalia, it felt like she had just ran right into a solid stone wall.

Rick growled menacingly and it did not seem like Natalia's appearance, it did not appear like it had rattled him at all.

Rhydian ran into it and he managed to get them all back in wolf form, as the two sides were still snarling at one another.

Emma and Daniel Smith had arrived and as Shannon ran off with her chip and the camera, Liana looked over at Rick as Maddy was being pushed into the car by her mum.

"I'll be fine. Just go with them. They are your family, after all." Rick said as he looked like he was going to be the exact opposite of fine, but Liana was looking back at the Smiths and her eyes were pleading with them.

Mrs. Smith decided and Rick got into the car in silence and after Mrs. Smith demanded that Rhydian, Bryn and Ceri leave their territory, they drove off in silence.

"Why did you decide to help me? I'm no better than Rhydian." Rick asked as he was helping them by carrying their bags into the Jeep. "I'm not even a part of your pack." He said and Liana put one of the smaller bags into the car.

Mr. Smith stated and he was smiling and even Rick was smilin' a bit at the offer.

Rick sniffed a little and it turned out to be just Natalia, who hugged Liana and Liana sighed softly.

"Where are you headed?" Natalia asked and Liana smiled slightly at her old friend, but her eyes were sad.

"We're headed to Devon. What about you?" Liana asked and Natalia sighed a little.

"Headed right back to Newcastle. I need to defend my pack mates. My whole life is there." Natalia murmured and Liana nodded slightly, before she was motioning and Natalia raced off down the road.

"You okay?" Rick asked as Liana was walking around the property and she was looking around carefully.

"This is the only place that has ever really felt like home. After foster care for so many years... I don't know." She said and he nodded a little bit.

"I understand. The feeling of being torn from your home, I get it." Rick said and he rubbed the hourglass charm around his neck.

Shannon and Tom came into the house as Liana was walking into it and Maddy was crying harder now, when Shannon and Tom gave her the camera chip with the pictures on it.

Liana felt Rick's hand in hers and she squeezed it gently, as they both looked at the chip, as Maddy dropped it onto the ground.

Liana slammed her heel quickly down onto the chip and she smiled with satisfaction, as she hopped out onto the roof and she tipped her head back.

Natalia heard the howl from where she was running and she slowed only briefly, before she moved up the pace once again with a howl of her own on the way.

On their way to the Wild pack once again, it was all three of them heard the howl. Bryn, Ceri and Rhydian all heard the howling, Rhydian was the only one who howled back to show he had heard.