I have worked so hard to get this chapter up without making you guys wait too long. I'm really so glad you all clearly enjoyed the last chapter (at least that's the message I got from the huge amount of reviews as well as their content :D)

Keep the reviews coming; you know I love 'em ;)

Previously

I could say what I wanted to say. I would say what I wanted to say to him. There was no going back now. This was Dimitri – he wouldn't laugh at me, even if I was being foolish. I just had to take a deep breath and say it. Shocking even myself, the words escaped from my mouth before I meant them to…

Dimitri, do you want to mate with me?

Chapter 21

My courage lingered for only moments after the words had slipped out of my mouth; I took the short opportunity to look at Dimitri and judge his reaction. Thankfully he didn't look disgusted in any way, just surprised – which I allowed him due to my unexpected question. After a few moments of torturous silence, Dimitri found his tongue.

I- You mean right now?

No! I exclaimed, embarrassed. Had I been in my human form, I was positive my cheeks would have been a flaming red. No, that's not what I meant. I just wondered if…

The words stuck in my mouth as the last of my bravery faded away. I was left only with humiliation and the regret of even attempting to approach the subject with him. I dropped my eyes to the ground, hoping that it would open up and swallow me whole. I grimaced slightly as I felt Dimitri move forward tentatively.

If it was on my mind at all? He finished, lowering his head until he could see my face. Cautiously I let my eyes meet his – there was the same warmth and kindness in them that they often held when around me. The familiarity made me feel slightly less mortified; Dimitri and I were both grown wolves now, we could manage to have a mature conversation. Not to mention the fact that our kiss the other night had me thinking that our relationship was possibly moving in this direction anyway.

Well, yeah, I admitted, managing a small smile.

Dimitri cast a quick glance back at our sleeping companions before gesturing for me to follow him. He let out a chuckle at my panicked expression.

Don't look so worried, he grinned. We're not going to do anything. I just thought you'd like to talk somewhere more private.

I relaxed and nodded, before starting to walk away with him. We didn't go too far from my brothers and Lissa in case some other wolf decided to come snooping and they were left unprotected in their sleep. But at least moving away from them allowed us the distance to talk privately.

I didn't realise you ever thought about mating, Dimitri started, taking a seat by the stream. I found myself smiling at the sight; I realised suddenly that we weren't far from the spot by the river that Dimitri and I used to visit all the time. Seeing him in a similar position reminded me of a simpler time when we used to just meet up and play with one another as pups.

I haven't been, really, I told him, taking a seat beside him. Not until recently. Lissa mated with Christian.

I noticed, I could see his smile from the corner of my eye. They seem happy.

I think so too, I spared a glance back towards the clearing in which my family were sleeping; we couldn't see them from where we were sitting, but I could still hear the sounds of their soft snores.

So, Dimitri turned to face me then. Lissa was the one who got you thinking?

Yes and no, I replied. Most of the females our age have already found their mates this season, and I had never even really thought about it. What about you though? Haven't you thought about it at all?

To be perfectly honest…He gave me a small, almost sheepish smile. Yes, I have. But you never mentioned it, so I figured you weren't ready.

I narrowed my eyes at him and let out a humourless laugh. Oh yeah? Lissa told me she could smell me from miles away…how did she pick up on that and you didn't?

Unlike my laugh, Dimitri's was full of amusement. I never said I couldn't smell you – believe me I could, Roza.

I grimaced once again in embarrassment.

Your body may have been ready, Dimitri went on. But that's not what I meant. I didn't realise you had even entertained the idea of mating just yet.

But mating season is almost over, I said quietly. If you didn't think I was ready, why didn't you just go find another wolf to mate with?

Dimitri shot me a funny look. Why do you think? Because I didn't want to mate with anyone else, Roza. It's you I want.

Really? I whispered, my breath catching in my throat.

Really. He rested his head against mine gently. It has always been you, Roza.

I smiled as he rubbed his head against mine. His actions were sweet and loving – a side of him a rarely saw around anybody else but me. I revelled in this private moment – once my brothers and Lissa woke up, Dimitri would return to his normally stoic self.

Or at least I tried to revel in it – our few moments of peace was very short-lived however. Only a moment later, another vibration began to run through the ground, only it was different than it had been before.

Wolves, I gasped at the realisation. I shared a panicked look with Dimitri before taking off in the direction of Lissa, Eddie and Christian. As it happened, the vibration had roused all of them from their sleep and they were waiting for a decision to be made by the time we reached them.

Do they know we're here? Lissa looked scared as she glanced around herself frantically.

I can't be sure, Dimitri replied. Surprisingly, I thought he looked a little nervous.

Well we can't hide, they'll smell us! I gulped, looking at the others for an answer. At this stage it didn't matter what we did, we just needed to do something other than stand here waiting to be found.

Maybe they'll bypass us? Christian suggested, although his suggestion lacked any real hope.

We can't take that chance, Dimitri sighed. We need to-

Dimitri froze, his nose suddenly lifting into the air. Wondering what had caught his attention, I coped his action and tried to inhale every scent around me.

It took only seconds to realise why Dimitri had frozen. The scents of the wolves approaching were familiar…very familiar.

It was the scent of my pack.

Nobody moved as the realisation of the situation slowly hit us one by one. By the time we had managed to unfreeze, it was too late.

They're here, Lissa whispered shakily. I took a deep breath hoping it would calm my nerves. It didn't.

The five of us moved closer to one another, forming a defensive circle. Wolves poured in from every direction, positioning themselves in a way that gave them an advantage. My father's pack had always been a small one – meaning it had always been seen as a more vulnerable pack to target. But right now – against our pack of five – they had practically already won.

I quivered slightly as a few growls escaped from the mouths of territorial wolves around us. I looked desperately around at the ones in my sight for a familiar face but could spot no one – not even my father. Apparently that wasn't the case for everyone.

Rose?

The voice that rang out through the growls and grunts was like a splash of cold water had been thrown over my face. I pulled myself out of my defensive position to locate the wolf. Her voice made my heart swell and my breath catch. The sight of her was even better.

Alberta! I cried out. My happiness threatened to consume me, and without thinking, I darted out towards her…not exactly the smartest move to make when there's a potential territorial fight about to begin.

Before I could reach my surrogate mother, a wolf I didn't know charge and slammed his body into mine, clearly unhappy with my sudden movements. He wasn't aiming to kill me, just to put me in my place. Little did he know that Dimitri wasn't going to stand for that.

I felt him move until he was standing over me, growling at the wolf who had dared touch me. In my mind I was reminded of the fight that had occurred between Dimitri and his brother, Jesse, not so long ago. Although out situation right now wasn't even remotely the same; fifteen wolves against five? We barely stood a chance.

The wolf that had charged at me was soon backed up with a few others by his side; they growled in warning at Dimitri who stood a couple of feet ahead of the rest of us. The tension was thick in the air, up until Alberta finally broke up. Ignoring the protective wolves of my father's pack, she strode right through their line of defensive to my side.

Baby, I missed you so much…Alberta began to caress and lick my fur exactly as she had done when I was pup. Guilt consumed me; I hadn't even said goodbye to her when I had left so long ago. She had aged quite a bit in my absence, and I couldn't help but feel that the worry of my leaving had caused it. I leaned in to her embrace, unable to resist the momentary comfort of the wolf who had raised me, despite being fully grown myself now.

Boys, Alberta was almost weeping now as my brothers hurried forward to greet her. Once glance at Eddie and I could see he had the same concerns for her as I did; we both knew our absence had contributed to Alberta's weariness.

I'm so glad you're okay…I was so worried…Oh, my wonderful babies…Alberta's coos went on, and we were completely happy to allow her to pamper us with rubs and licks. It was almost a replica of when we were young…although then we hadn't been surrounded by a pack of annoyed wolves. Nobody moved while my original little family was reunited after so long; everyone seemed to be waiting for something to happen with bated breath. I was enjoying Alberta's company so much that I almost didn't notice the tension increasing around us.

A low, warning growl – one louder and more powerful than any of the others – came from behind the pack. Slowly, the wolves parted, making room for the authoritative wolf striding through.

My father.

Once again I tried to stop my legs from quivering. Alberta, sensing my panic, moved to stand in front of me ever so slightly – enough so that she could protect us if need be, but she moved subtly so that my father didn't think she was defying him.

I waited for my father to turn on us but we didn't seem to be the object of his scrutiny. On his face he held the same look of anger and coldness he always did, only this time it was amplified. It took me a moment to realise why he didn't seem bothered with us…

It was because he was completely fixated on Dimitri.

Another low warning growl emitted from his throat and I waited for Dimitri to take a step backwards…only he didn't. Seeing the anger increasing on my father's face and the wolves surrounding him getting antsy, I panicked and tried to move towards Dimitri.

Dimitri…A whine escaped my mouth as Alberta stood in my way and Abe took a step forwards. If Dimitri stood his ground then my father wouldn't hesitate to attack – or even kill – him. Against even a small pack of wolves like my fathers, Dimitri didn't stand a chance of surviving.

You…My father spat out viciously at Dimitri, making me flinch. How Dimitri didn't seem even the slightest bit afraid was beyond me; Abe was really a scary guy. Just when I thought Dimitri would growl back and initiate a fight, he took a slightest step back.

It wasn't a move of submission, that much was clear. Dimitri clearly wasn't backing down from a fight, he was just showing that he didn't want one in the first place. This smallest of movements didn't seem to relax my father in the slightest; however he didn't seem quite as angry as before.

What do you want? Abe growled out. He had yet to acknowledge mine, Eddie's and Christian's presence.

We mean no harm, Dimitri assured him calmly. Once again his ability to be expressionless even while being surrounded by wolves astounded me.

Then why did you proceed to enter our territory if you meant no harm? My father demanded. One thing was for sure – it wasn't my father's challenging tone that brought me up short.

What do you mean 'our territory', I interrupted. This isn't part of our land?

Finally my father's head turned in my direction. Suddenly I regretted saying anything at all; while I knew we would have to speak eventually, I rather wished I could've waited until he had calmed down some.

You're right, his dark eyes stared coldly into mine. I couldn't see anything in them other than his obvious anger. It's not 'our land' – it's mine. You lost your right to consider yourself a part of this pack the moment you left it.

If you could just let me explain-

Absolutely not. I finished with you the very second you decided to abandon your pack to run off with some over-confident Casanova you barely knew! And you two, Abe turned to my brothers; they too had managed to put on expressionless faces…somehow everyone knew how to do that but me.

You two, Abe continued to growl. I am ashamed to have even called you my sons. How dare you abandon your pack in its time of need? We are at war with the Belikov's pack and you cowards chose to leave your family to defend for itself. You're disgraces to wolves everywhere. All of you.

His words brought all of us to silence, even Dimitri. I almost felt his desire to look at me to see if I was okay, but it would've been dangerous to turn his head away from Abe right now; my father could very possibly attack at any moment…or worse, order to the pack to.

Abe…Alberta spoke up quietly, surprising me by moving to stand in front of Dimitri too. Clearly, she had sensed that he meant a great deal to me. Alberta had always had a knack for reading my emotions. That's not fair.

What's not fair? They left their fellow wolves to starve! We have no food, Alberta! We need every wolf to work their hardest to keep this pack alive and strong.

They were so young, She replied gently, her voice soothing. You can hardly blame them for being curious about the world.

I am Alpha of this pack; I can blame whomever I want for whatever I want! And I will do whatever I have to do to punish those who turn their backs on us, even if they are of my own blood!

Abe! Alberta chastised, but I didn't really listen. I felt a painful pang in my chest at my own father's words. Was he right? Should I really have stayed here to keep the pack strong in numbers and therefore have an advantage against attacking rival packs?

If you had done that then you probably wouldn't have ever seen Dimitri again, Lissa reminded me quietly. My emotions had been so strong that I hadn't realised I'd been projecting my thoughts ever so slightly. Clearly, Lissa had picked up on them. She was right though; everything would have been different had I decided to stay. Yes, I may have found a mate within my father's pack and maybe even had some pups to replenish the packs numbers…but who's to say that I would've been happy?

Abe don't do this…Alberta's pleading brought me back to the present situation around me. One look at my father and I saw the Alpha within him raise his head and puff out his chest, about to give one last command to us.

He was going to exile us.

Or he would have had the ground around us not began to vibrate.

They're here! Someone yelled out, panicked. Chaos ensued as the sound of at least two dozen sets of paws fast approached us.

Brace for attack! I could barely hear my father's order over the noise as wolves yelped in fright and scrambled to get away. A few braver members stayed behind to defend their territory, but there nerve quickly vanished as the rival wolves grew closer.

Roza, Dimitri was in front of me suddenly, his eyes frantic. Run.

I-What?! I gaped at him. I can't leave the others to have to defend for themselves; my father was right – they need everyone they can get!

Rose, this is my father, Dimitri reminded me anxiously. He already wants to hurt me – if he realises you mean something to me then you'll very quickly become his target.

Please? He begged me desperately. I looked over at my brothers and my father, who were waiting nervously for the other wolves to arrive. I'll look after them for you, I promise. Just please, get as far away from here as you can. Take Lissa with you, and we'll come find you as soon as we can.

But what if-

We'll be fine, he insisted desperately. Just please go.

I hated myself for doing it, but there really wasn't much I wouldn't do for Dimitri Belikov. Slowly, the part of me that was completely devoted to Dimitri trumped the instinct to stay and fight with my family. I sincerely hoped with everything I had in me that it would not come to a fight; after all, Dimitri himself could be more than a little persuasive. Perhaps his father and my father could come to some fair territory arrangement without violence being necessary.

With that encouraging thought in mind and one last look at my family, I turned on the spot and ran, Lissa right on my heels.