Conrad sniffed the grass carefully. "A group of five, I think. The one's scent is very well camouflaged. Four males and one female. Two are just teens."

Josh sent his agreement across the mindlink. "That's what I'm picking up as well. Two were in human form, but their scent is clean – no old blood or bitterness, so they aren't lawless rogues."

Vera looked on unhappily as I sat between her front feet. Like a nervous shadow, the Omega – Jenna – stuck close to Vera. The other wolves had spread out in the underbrush, checking for more scents and waiting for someone to make the decision.

"If the wind shifts again, they'll pick up our scent since we haven't been hiding it. No harm in saying hello. If they get defensive, we'll leave. Julie, I assume you'll stay close to Vera?"

With a grin, I glanced up at the dark brown wolf looming over me. "I don't think I really have a choice."

Conrad snorted and bared his teeth in silent laughter.

She looked down at me with her dark brown eyes. "Stay close to me. Most rogues are fine, but some don't mind stabbing people in the back."

"Sure." I wagged my tail and tilted my head cutely. "If I thought it would work, I would pretend to be a puppy, but even if I suppress my aura, they'll sense it when we get closer. It isn't something that can be completely hidden."

"I know, and that's what bothers me. Comforters and Omegas are almost never seen outside of packs. It will gain the attention of anyone we come across if they realize what you are."

"Our abilities do tend to draw us to groups," I admitted cheerfully. "Jenna hasn't unshielded her abilities, so they won't notice her even if someone has a sensing ability, which is doubtful."

"Which leaves you as the one who stands out."

"I hate to break it to you, but pint-sized wolves who can't shift will always stand out. Especially when we use our mind control abilities."

She snorted at my reference to Sorrin's beliefs; she had heard the story – they all had. Just as I had heard theirs.

"But," I continued, "all joking aside, if things do spiral downhill, I should be able to keep things calm."

"Please stay close to me and try not to attract too much attention."

"Sure." If she really thought that something as cute and fluffy as me would be ignored by people who probably hadn't seen children or Comforters for years, then she was about to find out the hard way. Anyone could sense a Comforter's aura; they didn't have to have a pack rank or special abilities.

"Let's pretend to be halfway civil," Conrad said. "We're rogues now, not ferals, so we should really act like friendly rogues."

"I'll think about it," Vera replied, "but, I'm not shifting."

"That's fine. I'll shift and go in first to see if they want some company."

For a split second, it looked like a heat haze covered the massive black wolf before a man with dark brown hair stood in the same place. His clothes looked a bit shabby, but didn't have any holes.

"You really need a bigger shirt," I commented. All of that running around as a feral had built up more muscles than the Enforcer had boasted before. The poor shirt was practically being stretched to the breaking point.

"Yeah, I know, but chances of them having something that will fit me is very unlikely. I'm hoping this group knows some friendly packs who don't mind trading with rogues." His deep voice was quiet and surprisingly soft.

He began walking through the bushes as he followed the trails the rogues had made to their camp. Even with my wolf ears, I couldn't hear his footsteps.

"You might want to step on a twig or something so you don't startle them."

He sent acknowledgement over the mindlink even as I heard leaves crunch underneath his next footstep.

"Hello to the camp! Do you mind having some company?"

A few seconds later, a voice ahead called back, "If you come in peace, we'll welcome you in peace."

We waited as Conrad found their camp and asked if his nine friends could also join them around their campfire. For a group of five rogues, having twice as many potentially dangerous strangers around could make them very uneasy.

He finally told us, "Come on in, but they'd prefer it if most of you shifted."

Shimmers of heat from various directions made me blink. The six who shifted into human form began leading the way to the camp, leaving Vera, Daryl, and me to bring up the rear. I trotted close to Vera's back legs, halfway hidden behind her tail.

Daryl walked farther ahead, acting as a second sight barrier to keep them from noticing me right away. I suppressed my aura as much as possible and shifted it to a dull calming so it wouldn't be as apparent.

As we entered a clearing that smelled like wood smoke, I peeked out from behind Vera's tail. From here, I could see two men in worn leather shirts and pants. Their chins had stubble, although it looked like they had tried to shave recently.

Their eyes were quickly evaluating the newcomers for potential threats, lingering on Vera and Daryl, who were still in wolf form. One tilted his head and scanned the trees around us before focusing on the two wolves again.

I ducked back behind Vera's tail, knowing he had sensed my weak aura, but hadn't spotted me yet. From the confusion in his mind, he probably wasn't aware that a Comforter was around, just that he had felt something.

Daryl sat down, and Vera stopped a bit farther back. I remained beside her, still shielded from sight by the two large wolves.

"Thanks for letting us visit," Amber said quietly. "Not many want such a large group stopping by."

"I'm surprised you found us. Most travel closer to the river and never cross our trail. What brings you to this area?"

"One of our group originated from a pack called the Woodhurst Pack, and we are trying to locate it. Have you heard of it?"

Surprise rolled across the mind of the five rogues present.

"Actually, yes. Although it's so far to the west that we hadn't heard the name until recently. We talked to the Brenton Pack yesterday, and they had just received word on a messenger pigeon that Woodhurst's young welp of an Alpha tried to hire some shadow assassins. From what we were told, there were no children with Alpha blood, so the pack splintered."

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to keep the tears at bay – it hurt to hear that Carson's suspicions were correct. My old pack had scattered into the nearby packs; the packhouse, or whatever was left of it, would be abandoned.

"We were worried about that. Did you happen to hear anything else?"

"Not really, just that the assassins might be skirting pack borders and to keep an eye out." The male's voice paused, then continued with a bit of an edge to it. "And, as much as I don't want to point it out, your group is rather large and has a faint smell of old blood..."

Conrad murmured from the side, "We ran into a few lawless rogues a week ago. Do the names Rodger, Liam, and Carson ring a bell?"

"Those kidnapping scum? Please tell me they aren't in the area."

"Their bodies are about a week's travel to the southeast."

There was a long pause. A very long pause.

"Are you trying to convince me that you killed them? Even with the odds being ten against three, I doubt you'd manage it. Those guys were a nasty piece of work – always attacking with poisons or acids."

"We knew they were trouble by their scent. We attacked swiftly and caught them off-guard." Conrad sounded like he was grimacing. He didn't remember attacking the rogues, but he didn't doubt my account of the events.

"Wow. It's a relief to know that they're gone. A couple of months ago, they kidnapped a young Omega from a pack two day's travel to the north, and they never did find her."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

A female voice piped up, "I thought you said you had nine companions?"

Amber reluctantly replied, "Julie is pretty small, and Vera is more than a tad bit overprotective."

From how Vera's hackles began to rise, I knew the rogues were looking at her and Daryl as they realized I must be hidden behind the two wolves.