Prologue.

I can still remember the sound of my mother's surprise when I growled at the men who walked into our village. Perhaps it was more her look of worry that sticks with me now. Because in that moment it was clear as to what my place would be in the pack. My father was proud of me but my mother's gaze held nothing but sorrow. After all with my path now set there was very little chance of my having cubs of my own. The way of our pack is very different from the others. My mother pleaded with father him not to send me away. Yet even while I could smell the tears and hear the pain in her voice I knew that this…this path was my destiny. It has taken me years until I realized why my mother was so afraid of what was happening.

The beginning-

The playful bark of cubs abounded in the small hidden village. While the adults watched over them carefully there was a slight tension in the air. The prince of the Carpathians was coming to forge an allegiance between one of the more powerful Lycan packs and the High mage. Pack leader and his mate sat on the raised porch looking over the village. Though the man kept his unease hidden his mate and daughter could tell that something was not quite right. The small girl had her hair cut short so short in fact it gave the small girl the look of a boy.

"mama…may I go and play?" She asked her big eyes looking up at her mother who sat clothed in a deer pelt. Unlike the other species the Lycans did not bother so much with clothing they were nothing but a hassle. As it was once the pups were capable of maintaining their forms for long periods of time they would once again resume their wolf forms until the time for a new littler. "Please mama…I promise to play nice. Papa, can you tell mama to let me play?" she pleaded her dark eyes looking up at him imploringly. Than for a moment a smile touched her father's face. The man's stern countenance was broken for a single moment as he smiled down at his daughter. His eyes were as light as her eyes were dark. The small girl toke after her mother who was not originally from this pack. Were the alpha male was light and fair with his hair blonde and eyes ice blue, his mate bore long dark black hair her eyes were a dark brown.

"Go play my little pup." He said in a low voice and then reached a hand out and gently sent her tumbling down the small steps. The little girl laughed as she bound off to play with the other pups. Like the other children the only thing that showed that she was a girl was the small deer skin dress that she wore where the boys wore small britches made for deer hide. A shot went up from the other children as she joined them in their endeavor to catch flying bugs.

"They look happy as if nothing is changing." The alpha female looked at her mate from the side. Her hand reached out and settled on his thigh.

"Nothing is changing for them love, and perhaps not for us either." He said in an even tone. Personally he did not care for the Carpathians in the least, but he did respect their power. It confused him why they would work with the mage though. As far as he and his pack were concerned the Mage was just another human and therefore not trust worthy. "I have called the Tsume here." With that his mate stilled. It worried her that he would call that part of the pack here.

"You do not believe that things will go smoothly tonight?" Her question was soft

"He is human…and you can only trust human to do one thing and that is to be greedy and betray you." His words were cold. But perhaps he had reason, So many packs had been hunted by humans…and some many killed. It was amazing that his pack had managed to stay safe so far but he worried how long that would last. As it was the time was coming that they would have to be leaving. His mate sighed and moved closer to him to offer him some sort of comfort. She too knew how dangerous humans could be to them; her own pack had been hunted and killed. Than before they could continue their conversation the pups had fallen silent and their mothers were pulling them away. Yet here in the middle of the path way stood their daughter eyes flashing growling at the men who had walked into the village. There stood the Mage and the small group of Carpathians including the prince Vlad Debrinski. Moving quickly they moved to stand next to their daughter. It was then that they saw something that would change everything. Behind their daughter stood a pup that had lost its parents and was now being raised by the whole village. He cowered behind the little girl and her hands were curved and her nails had become claws on the back of her neck was a glowing mark that had not been there before. Reaching out his hand the alpha male rested it on his daughters shoulder.

"Papa he scared Demi….send him away he scares all of them." She growled in a voice that seemed much to mature to becoming from such a little girl.

"Tatsuki, take Demi and go inside…I will deal with this." He said in a cold voice. All around them the pups had disappeared and now only the adults remained. Many of the woman looked as if they wanted nothing more than to rip the intruders apart. There was nothing in the world that was more dangerous than a bunch of she-wolves protecting pups they thought could be in danger. Taking in the scene about he slowly allowed his gaze to fall on the mage. "Tell me Debrinski…Why is it that you have aligned with a …Human?"

" Alexander, why don't we going in so we may speak." Vlad's voice was calm and soothing. He was clearly trying to use his abilities to fix the situation.

"No, Anything that needs to be said will be said in front of my pack." Alexander said with a sharp laugh. Carpathians had no power over them. There were not some weaker species like the leopards.

"As you wish….Xavier has much knowledge and power to offer perhaps a way to keep you protected from the humans." Vlad said without any embellishments.

"He is human….and unworthy of trust. Already he has brought fear to my cubs…" He said firmly. A quick glance about said that the others all agreed. The man was not to be trusted. So far the mage did not speak and Alexander did not need to hear his words to know that the man was not all that he seemed. "No, we will have nothing to do with him….And so long as your people are aligned with him…" Alexander paused, his next words were dangerous for both species but there was no other way. "We will have nothing to do with your kind, Our lands will no longer be safe for you to travel through. It will also be known that we will not offer any safety to any lycan who chooses to align with you or the human." As he finished speaking it was clear that his words surprised the prince. Yet it was clear that there would be no changing his words or decision. Than just as quickly as the group had come they were gone. Turning he headed back towards his small house his mate following him.

"Alex….what about Tatsuki?" She asked fearfully.

"She will be sent to the Tsume….The time was coming for a new protector to be appointed." He said evenly all emotion being held away from his voice and face.

"You are just going to send away my daughter?" She snapped

"It is the way of the pack….If I do not follow our tradition the others won't….Maya….love." Alexander tried to ease the pain as much as he could.

"She will never have a chance…to have pups of her own, You are sentencing your Daughter to a life that only has death….no love…no mate…no pups…nothing. You are giving her a long future of emptiness!" Maya all but screamed. The others who had been out in the streets quickly moved back into their little houses. Tatsuki was sitting just hidden from sight listening to the fight her parents were having. She didn't understand what was happening. Why was her mother yelling and why did her father smell like he was heartbroken.

"I have no choice…and neither do you." He said in an empty tone. Alexander knew that he was going to allow his mate to scream and yell all she wanted. After all it was exactly what he had wanted to do but he knew that as pack leader he couldn't. "Tatsuki come out here and sit with your mama and I for a moment." He called to his daughter as she once again sat on the porch overlooking the small village. Tatsuki came out a bit bashfully ashamed to have been caught listening to the conversation. Instead of sitting down next to her parents she climbed carefully into her mother's lap. The woman who Tatsuki thought was the strongest person cried softly as she held her daughter close to her. As she sat there Tatsuki heard her mother whispering quiet words in her native tongue. It was a language that the woman rarely spoke.

"Tatsuki…." Her father started slowly, he seemed to have problems finding the right words to use. " What you did today when you protected Demi and stood infront of those men…It was very dangerous….you should have gone and gotten one of your brothers."

"But daddy…he would have hurt Demi I know that the human would have hurt Demi! Cause Demi is like his gramma" Tatsuki tried to explain without getting upset. Both Alexander and Maya shared a worried look after hearing Tatsuki's words. If it was true, and Demi was like his grandmother than there was going to be many more troubles.

"do you know what the Tsume is?" Alexander asked Tatsuki gently

"No,"

"It is the claw of our pack….. It is the person who extracts vengeance for our pack...hunts down those who have betrayed our pack. It protects the pack." He said evenly. Alexander left out the fact that the person who held that position also was held apart from the pack. After all how could he extract justice if they were stuck having relationships with those they may have to kill at some point. Lycans did not have more than one who hunted those how had broken pack law like the Carpathians. No, that task fell to one person that person's lifespan was extended longer than that of their fellow lycans until another was chosen. Maya tightened her hold on her precious little girl. "You, are very special my little princess….You have been chosen to become the next Tsume."

Tatsuki turned a bit in her mothers lap and looked up at the woman's face. Reaching her hand up she tried to wipe the tears from her face. "Mama, please do cry….I promise I will be the best Tsume that our pack has ever known." A bitter little laugh escaped Maya's lips as she heard her daughters words.

"You my precious little angel will be the best the world has ever known." She said as she tried to smile. Alexander reached out and touched his daughters head gently and forced himself to keep the tears at bay. Tatsuki had been the pride of his family, of the pack and now she was going to have to live separate from them it broke his heart. Yet just looking at the little girl he knew that she was the one that was going to be needed in the years to come. The sound of movement caused him to turn his head. There walking into the village stood his sons with the current Tsume. The man was tall, and was covered with scars and his eyes held nightmares that others could on imagine. He had held his position for many, many years and it was clear that he was ready for his reward…..he was ready for the death that he had dealt to so many others. Watching the small group of men approach it was clear that they knew what was happening. There was very little conversation as Tatsuki was handed over to the care of the man who would teach her everything that she needed to learn and who would become her first kill.