The temperature inside the cave was much cooler than outside in the sun, and Ludwig was taking a break in his human form from his tiring duty as alpha male. He had spent most of the morning talking to Antonio and Elizabeta about their recent border patrol while trying to organize hunting parties. They had eaten the last of their prey the night before and would need more as soon as possible. However, that was the least of Ludwig's worries. The two he had sent out on patrol had come back with some troubling news.

"Are you sure?" Ludwig had asked them.

"There was no doubt about it," Elizabeta answered. "Ivan's pack was sniffing around the border."

Antonio stepped in right away. "There's no proof that they crossed the border. We shouldn't jump to any conclusions."

"I agree, but we have to be careful," Ludwig said. "We'll increase the amount of patrols and hope they get the message."

He now sat alone and wondered what it could be Ivan was after. The other pack had just as much territory as his pack, if not more. It was unlikely that they would risk crossing borders to catch prey. Desperation like that only ever happened in the winter when prey was scarce and bellies empty. A thought crossed Ludwig's mind, and he didn't like it one bit. There was one thing his pack had that Ivan's didn't. Lili.

How did he even know Ludwig had her? That was easy enough to figure out. They didn't kill her, so there was no blood anywhere near the village. The only other explanation was that they took her with them, which was in fact what really occurred. What Ludwig couldn't figure out was why Ivan would want her. There were lots of other humans, what was so special about Lili? A new idea struck Ludwig that made his face contort into a scowl. Maybe it was because he spared her life. Now Ivan thought she was someone special. He was always looking for a way to assert his dominance and cripple Ludwig's pack, and now Ludwig had given him a way.

But would it really be so bad to lose her? He hardly knew the human girl. His face relaxed as he thought of their outing the night before. The weight of her sitting on his shoulders and her bell-like laugh had sent shivers down his spine. Why? He remembered peering into her shining green eyes as he asked her if she trusted him. He remembered the way she had jumped from the tree, never doubting for a second that he would catch her. She trusted him absolutely. There was no way he was going to let Ivan have her, even if that's exactly what Ivan wanted him to feel.

Ludwig's heart pounded in his chest as he thought these things. He pictured her bright eyes, her soft blonde hair, her tiny hands clasped within his own. She was worth protecting, and maybe something more. He stood to clear his head. He was getting much too ahead of himself. There was no way she could feel anything toward him other than wary. She had been taken from her home and placed in a dangerous world that she didn't fully comprehend. He had asked her to trust him. Asking any more of her would be too much. But he wanted to. Deep down inside, he knew he wanted her to do more than trust him. He knew from the very first moment he saw her.

"Hey West! You got a minute?" Gilbert strolled into the cave. He was in his human form and ran a hand through the messy mop of white hair on top of his head. "Lizzie was telling me about patrols."

"Yes, now would be a good time to talk about that," Ludwig agreed. He was secretly relieved for a distraction from his wandering mind. Gilbert was his brother, but also his right hand man. He was he one Ludwig trusted above everyone else in the pack.

"What do you think those fleabags are after?"

"I…" The alpha was unsure if he should divulge his theory to his brother. It wasn't one of those things he liked to talk to Gilbert about. "I think it has to do with Lili."

"The human?" Gilbert's brows furrowed in confusion. "You want to explain to me why you think that, bro?"

"There are two thoughts behind it," Ludwig began. He might as well say everything now that he's started. "The first is that Ivan doesn't like what he can't have. If he can't have it, no one can."

"Bastard," the white haired brother muttered.

"The second thought is that they want to hurt us where it counts. If they think that she's valuable to us, they'll do anything to get their hands on her."

"Wait a minute here West." Gilbert absentmindedly rubbed one of his eyes. "Why would they think she's valuable to us? She's just a human. She's not really valuable to anyone."

Ludwig's jaw tightened at his brother's remark, but he didn't say anything about it. "She was our prey, and we spared her. What would you think if Ivan took a human back to his lair instead of killing it?"

He waited for Gilbert's response, but his brother was giving him a strange look instead. "You like her, don't you?"

"What? Don't try to change the-"

"There! You just did it again!" Gilbert exclaimed as he pointed at Ludwig's face. "Every time I say something about her your, face twitches."

"I don't twitch," Ludwig growled in annoyance through his clenched jaw.

"Whatever. You still didn't answer my question."

"Shouldn't we get back to the matter at hand?"

Gilbert sighed. "This is the matter at hand. If you like her, that makes it that much more dangerous for her to be here. It makes it too easy for them to use her against you."

For once, Ludwig thought what his brother was saying made sense. That didn't mean he liked it. "So what is it that you're suggesting? We abandon her? We give her over to Ivan? We kill her ourselves?"

"No need to get so upset, West." The white haired man put his hands up defensively, but a smirk was plastered across his face. "I'm just saying that we need to have some kind of plan." He lowered his gaze and softened his voice. "We could just make her one of us."

The thought had occurred to Ludwig before, but it wasn't something he wanted to do. "How would Elizabeta feel if she heard you say that."

Gilbert's red eyes darkened. It was no secret among the pack that his mate had not chosen the life of a werewolf. She never once complained, but the pain was real. Ludwig didn't want to take Lili's choice from her. He didn't want to force her to make a choice either. Becoming a werewolf was not something to be taken lightly.

"Where is she right now?" Gilbert asked in a low voice.

"Who?"

"The human."

"She has a name, brother," Ludwig said. "Lili and Feliciano went to pick berries. They should be back soon."

Gilbert looked toward the mouth of the cave. Bright sunlight illuminated the clearing just outside. He looked back at his brother. "Did they cross the border?"

It took Ludwig a moment to realize Gilbert was talking about Ivan's pack again. "No."

"Don't sweat too much about it then." The white haired man turned toward the cave entrance and began to walk away. "You should tell her how you feel, West!" he called over his shoulder. "And watch the face twitching. You've never been a good liar."

Ludwig watched his brother go with an exasperated sigh. Gilbert could be difficult to manage, even if he was the older one. The alpha crossed his arms and thought about everything his brother had said. Would it be better for him to confess his feelings? He didn't know. With another sigh, he sat on the cool stone floor and closed his eyes. The image of a certain human girl danced behind his closed eyelids.

"I don't twitch," he muttered to himself as his lips curved upward in a gentle smile.