"Are ya'll going to do anything else besides hunt? Your Christmas vacation is almost over."

"Hay we are starting the New Year out right darlin'. Puttin' meat in the freezer." Victor said getting out of the truck. "Your dad got a big buck." He had bonded with the men in Sara's family over hunting and after they got over the initial shock that he didn't hunt with a rifle they accepted him with open arms. "Uncle Victor helped me track a doe that I got." Sara's nephew took up quickly with Victor and soon started calling the big man uncle. She loved watching Victors mouth slide into a ghost of a smile every time the kid called him that. "This guy's noes is a damn goldmine. Brad would have lost that doe if Victor wasn't helping him track it. It ran almost a mile before it dropped." Her father said slapping Victor on the back.

"That's great. Breakfast is almost done mom fixed it. We are just waiting on Salem. She called about ten minutes ago she was fixing to leave Jenny's house. She should be here shortly. Sara said as they walked back to the house.

Victor froze and his head lifted as he scented the air like a stocking predator. The people around his stood silent staring at him. His sharp eyes scanned the field and the trees beyond. "What's wrong?" Sara's father asked watching him closely. He'd seen that look on men's faces far too many times in Vietnam. A soldier always knew how to read a fellow soldier. He knew all too well that look was trouble coming their way.

The big man didn't say a word as he took a few steps away from the others. The metallic scent hit his sensitive noes and he automatically knew the scent was blood. Fresh young blood. It was the other scent of familiar perfume that made his heart skip a beat and the panic wash over his body.

"Salem's hurt!" Was all they got as he took off running through the woods and out to the road.

This is not happening. It feels like a dream. My little sister is not fighting for her life right now.

Sara was setting silently in the waiting room of the hospital, Victor beside her and her mother, father and nephew sat across from her. Waiting for the rest of their family.

She looked at the man beside her. his head was down his long hair falling over his face. His large hands where clasped between his legs. She could feel his anger and worry rolling off him in waves. She knew that Victor had taken a back seat to Sabertooth when he found Salem. He was running on pure animal instinct. In his mind someone had just hurt his pack mate. Hurt one of the cubs he'd grown to love.

It had happened so fast they didn't know what to think. Victor ripped Salem's car door off and tossed it several feet behind him. Sara slammed the truck into park as Victor pulled her limp body from the car and cradled her to his chest.

Victor had growled and clutched her to his body as Sara's father ran to them.

"Hay... Victor, Son it's me. come on let me see her." Her father held up his hands to him.

It took him a moment to register who was standing in front of him. He looked at the people around him.

'Pack, Family, other alpha, my mate and other cub. Mine.' his mind was screaming at him. They were his pack. His black eyes locked onto Sara and he didn't hold back a low whine as he looked from her to the girl in his arms.

"It's ok, we are here. It'll be ok." Sara was talking softly as she moved closer to him. "Dad give me your jacket. Brad you call 911." She said never taking her eyes off Victor. She took the jacket and put it on the ground. "Put her down baby. We are going to get her help." He did as he was told and took his own long duster off to cover her.

Victor was pacing back and forth sniffing the air every so often. He could smell the alcohol in the air and his anger was turning the edges of his vision red.

And then it happened. it was so strange almost dream like. Victor's head snapped to the other car. We didn't even check on the other driver. He cocked his head to the side and looked at the car. The man in it was groaning in pain. A deadly growl ripped through the air. The car door opened and beer bottles clinked on the asphalt. Victor had his huge hand around the man's neck. It was amazingly easy, what he did. It looked like just a small flex of his wrist. And the man's neck snapped.

My father and my 14 year old nephew just watched the father of my unborn child kill a man effortlessly. In his mind he had every right to protect what was his. This intruder had hurt his pack member, a cub at that. He had to take out the threat.

'Protect my mate and the cub in her belly. Protect the older human alpha and the other cub.' It was running through his mind and that's exactly what he'd done.

She was pulled from her own mind when the door opened to the private waiting room. Sara was still in mild shock when she watched her aunt help her grandmother into the room. She took her walking stick from her and patted her hand.

"I need to speak to him." She slowly made her way to stand right in front of victor. He never lifted his head. She rested her walking stick beside his leg and gently lifted his head with her frail hands and smiled at him. She pushed his hair away from his face and back over his wide shoulders before she spoke.

"Listen to me, both of you." She made him look at her. And she spoke loud enough for the others in the room to hear her. Sara had no clue how her grandmother knew Victor wasn't alone in his own head, but she had. She always just seemed to know things like that.

"You have a place in this family. What you did does not change that. It's in your nature to protect what is yours and that's what you did. And trust me on this Son; you were right to follow your instincts on this. Eye for and eye and tooth for a tooth Victor. You're a good man and you proved today what you're willing to do for your family. Never doubt your place." She kissed his forehead and smiled as she watched the sparkling blue take over the black in his eyes.

"Brad come here son."

The young man stood up and walked to his great grandmother.

"Do you remember the stories I told you about what the warriors in our tribe did when someone came and tried to hurt the women and children?"

"Yes ma'am. They killed them."

"That's right. And that's what your Uncle Victor did. He protected Salem. He's still the same man you knew. But now he's one of the warriors that protect the tribe understand?"

Grandma always had a way of making the younger generation understand. Sara watched as the words she spoke fell into place in his young mind.

"Yes ma'am, I Understand." He said smiling at her.

"Sara."

"Yes ma'am?"

"When you are able to see Salem you need to heal her. It should be soon. Just do the worst first. No need to draw unwanted attention to yourself. More can be done when she gets home."

"You can do that?" Sara's mother asked surprised.

"I…I can! God why didn't I do that earlier!" She stood up panicking. "I could have helped her and I didn't." She was crying as Victors big arms wrapped around her.

"Calm down darlin' you were in shock. You can help her soon. But you have to calm down." Her body shook and the tears fell faster.

"It's going to be fine Sara; Salem has a lot of work ahead of her. She has to be stronger when he comes. You can help her with that.

It did not register in Sara's mind that her grandmother said 'when he comes.'

Focused on helping her little sister that small tidbit of information fell through the cracks in her mind.