A/N It's been a bit of a long wait for this chapter even though I've had part of if already written. So much for getting things done over Winter break. I have the intentions to make this story a long one, but hopefully we should be seeing Regina in the next chapter or one after that. I know it's a slow build up, but hang in there. I promise it will be worth the wait! Once the stories gets rolling, I have big plans. ;)

I'd love hearing from you. Stop by my tumblr (Amethoenix which was formerly femphoenix) and feel free to leave a review as well.

"I sense the night bending towards me
The rhythm is slowed but deep
Blackened tips of desire cannot keep out of my reach
Orchid covered deadwood breeze wakes the sickness from the leaves"

– I:scintilla

"What brings you out to these lands, princess?" Red curiously inquired.

Leaves crunched under the weight of their boots as they walked deeper into the darksome forest that should have produced a chill, yet only intrigued the blonde. Her head snapped to left to regard crimson hooded woman, her teeth finding the bottom of her pale lips.

"What do you mean?"

There was a slight snicker.

"You have obviously ventured out here for a reason. You don't find many visitors in the Evil Queen's kingdom unless by pure accident," wolfish eyes caught the way blue-green eyes lit up at the mention of the queen, "which from the look on your face, I will guarantee it wasn't."

White teeth bit into soft flesh of her lip even harder as she tried to hide all emotions from her face. Out of the corner of her eye, the wolf-girl had been watching her every move with little effort. Inwardly Emma was cursing the woman for being so damn insightful especially for having just met her. She would never be able to get to the castle with the eyes of this woman guarding her as if she were the most fragile girl.

This isn't what she came here for. Everyone in Lucidia viewed her as nothing more than this frail, pale child aiding in her departure, and now that she was within the grasp of a new kingdom she was still being looked down upon as such.

It was a rather large assumption that this woman leading her into what was supposedly her camp was not leading her into her death. Nevertheless, she could have easily left Emma at the filthy will of the queen's men, yet she had chosen to save her. Why?

It was a question she would have to bring up another time. Right now her mind was stuck on another peculiar question.

"Can I ask you a question?"

There was a downfall to the brunette's lips at the dismissal to her own curiosity.

"Sure."

"Back there," Emma took a moment to find the right words, "I saw your eyes glowing. I...I'm not sure how I should be asking this."

When she looked over Red had a wicked grin on her face and she threw her head back in laughter.

"Fear not, Emma. I'm not going to hurt you."

"But you…"

"I'm a werewolf, yes. Cursed by the bright moon in the velvet black sky."

Emma opened her mouth to speak, but grew silent as she became aware of laughter and chatter in the near distance. Her eyes narrowed in on an orange flame flickering amongst a crowd of people. They were still too far to make out detail. However, there was one man leaning against a tree with his arms crossed watching us as we approached. He wore fur for attire that matched his scruffy brunette hair and as we got even closer I noticed how his eyes were watching me as if I were a threat.

"Give me a moment," Red whispered to me and motioned that I remain where I stood.

Lifting up her hands, she drew down her hood and nodded towards the man whose jaw was clenched.

"Red," he nodded, "Who is she?"

"She's a friend."

He narrowed his eyes and raised his chin.

"You know you're not supposed to bring strangers into our camp."

A soft growl built up in the back of her throat and she dug her nails into her palm.

"I just told you she is a friend."

"Then answer my question, Red. Who is she? I know you're Alpha but my job is to protect the pack. You know that."

"She's the princess."

His eyebrows pulled together.

"Of where?"

"Where do you think? Lucidia. I don't know why she is here, but I found her at the Tavern."

His blue eyes roamed across the air to find the blonde tapping her foot against the ground in a bored manner. It wasn't the first impression one would expect when meeting the daughter of the Charming's or any princess for that matter.

"How can you be so sure?"

Red turned her head and glanced at the woman behind them and upon feeling that she was being watched, the blonde snapped her head up awkwardly.

"She…," the brunette took in a breath of air, her voice falling, "she has her mother's eyes, Graham."

In that instance every ounce of her usually cheery figure dropped into the shadows as the memories of a past she would like to forget flooded in. There was a short silence before the man put a comforting hand upon her shoulder to try and bring her back into the present.

"If she is who you say then we will protect her."

"Does it bother you to be surrounded by an entire pack of beasts?" a boy with auburn hair asked the blonde between chomping down on part of a dead rabbit, blood dribbling down his chin.

"We aren't beasts you moron," called out a girl who attempted to toss a bone at the boys face, but was caught with precision between sharp white teeth.

"That's what they call us," another called in.

"You're all just pups," Red interjected, "what do you know?"

With her eyebrow raised, she waited for someone to come up with an answer, but shorly after the handful of the young werewolves began firing words back and forth across the burning fire producing a chatter to contrast with the silent night while others, like Graham who wore a smirk on his face, stuck to eating their meal.

The brunette shook her head with a chuckle before sharing a look with Graham. She threw her head back towards the night sky and howled which was accompanied by the rest of the pack a short second later.

As different and alarming as it was to be surrounded by half a dozen beings that were part vicious animal, it was actually very similar to her times in the barracks with the boys. There was laughter, drinks, food, and the usual banter of crude jokes.

Oh if only her parents could see her now. Off on her own, surrounded by a pack of wolves.

It came as a surprise to the princess when she found out that Graham was actually not part wolf. In truth he was a fearsome, skilled hunter that could track anything down, but what made him differ from the rest of the human hunters was his heart. It wasn't natural for werewolves to befriend anyone other than their own kind, but as a child Graham was raised by a pack of wolves who essentially became his family; when he found Red's pack he was welcomed into their group as protector. Not necessarily the Alpha, for that was Red, but when situations got confusion the Alpha turned to Graham to make the more tactile decisions. He was there to balance the power between beastly bloodlust and human compassion. Red always consulted him when things became shaky, but when it came down to it, the pack would always have true allegiance to their Alpha.

"I guess that makes sense," the blonde said with a thoughtful furrow of her brow. She pushed herself off the log she had been sitting on and met the brunette's emerald gaze. "I need to clear my head."

Instead of arguing like her mother always tried to do, the woman nodded.

"Don't stray far from camp. The woods are not safe especially for you, princess."

"Don't call me princess."

"Then what?"

"Emma. I'm simply Emma. Nothing more, nothing less."

With that she slipped her hood over her head and proceeded out of the light of the fire into the shadowy forest. She didn't venture far out, but it was distant enough so that the faint murmurs were just a whisper and she was alone with her thoughts.

Looking upward towards the crescent moon she could see the obsidian castle standing amongst the stars in the distance lit by fiery torches that one could say resembled the eyes of a demon.

The chill of the night cascaded over her. She could feel the shadows stirring around her, pulling at her soul and begging her to give in to the darkness. There was a whole other life away from the light that she seemed to crave more than anything in the world. It was as if Obscuria was feeding off of her purity, yet she didn't shy away. Instead she only wished to draw closer and become one with whatever this sensation was.

The Evil Queen. Whatever it was that she was feeling had some root in the queen that had been there since she was a child. Despite the warnings, regardless of what was to come, she needed to get inside of the castle and meet the queen. It was imperative to her very life or so she felt.

There was a howl from behind her, but it didn't budge her soul. Instead she stood, blue-green eyes fixated on the soulless castle of Obscuria as the shadows recited a poem she had read in prior days.

Star light, star bright
Whose soul is dying tonight?
I wish, I may, I wish I might
As I walk with strangers
Away from the light

"You gaze upon the Dark Castle as if it calls to you," said a female voice causing Emma to jump.

Hazel eyes met green. The blonde hadn't even been aware of another presence and it she silently questioned how long Red had been there. She turned her lingering stare back towards the castle that stood high above the withering lands and saw the crimson sun starting to peak the horizon casting a blood colored hue against the shadowy realm.

"Emma," a pale hand was laid upon her shoulder, "what troubles you? I can't help you if you remain in silence."

"You wouldn't understand."

"I'm a werewolf. I think my mind is a bit more expanded than most."

The blonde bit her lip and nodded towards the castle.

"The Evil Queen. She resides there?"

"Yes."

"Can you take me to her?"

The brunette's mouth fell open, but couldn't find the words to convey her astonishment. Finally, after a few long seconds of pause, she spoke with shaken whisper.

"Are you insane?"

"I have to, Red." Her voice was of dark desperation.

"I don't understand," her eyes were narrow, "Haven't you heard the stories—?"

"—Yes and that's all I have heard. Stories. Fables. I want the truth."

"Emma, the truth isn't always what you expect it to be," Red warned, her face dropping with a sigh as her own experience of such realization washed over her.

"I'm counting on that."

The wolf-girl shook her head in confusion, for she couldn't fathom why a child of True Love would want to venture into the very heart of darkness.

"Can we discuss this back at the camp?" Red asked with a quick glance backwards.

"No, no one else can know. They won't understand."

"And you believe I do?"

"Perhaps not, but you're listening to what I have to say aren't you?"

"I suppose I am."

"Will you help me?"

The blonde's lips pulled into a small smile, but quickly faded when she saw Red shake her head.

"It's too dangerous, Emma."

"Please."

Emma knew that if Red wasn't going to aid her in her endeavors that she would have to do this on her own which was the plan in the first place. There was a strand of hope hanging in front of her and as she looked the older woman she held a sliver of optimism that it wouldn't be cut.

The brunette's face contorted in contemplation.

"I'll need to think it over," Emma's shoulders sagged; that always ended up being a no, "and you need to as well. I cannot fathom why you would want to risk your life out of simply curiosity."

Turning around, Red motioned for the princess to come back with her to camp to get some rest even though Emma's mind was racing far too much to attempt such.

Eventually she did fall into a short sleep, but the distractions of the world around her kept her from diving too deep into the dreamworld.

Several days passed by without another word of the Evil Queen and her castle. However, that didn't mean the blonde's mind was kept from pondering. Even though their camp had been moved in order to hunt, the darkened fortress remained in the distance, hovering over them all as if to say that in the end it was always the Evil Queen's land. Regardless of the lands that farmers plowed, regardless of the woods that the wolves hunted in, every part the darkness touched was hers.

The days turned into weeks which didn't alarm Emma at all, for she was actually enjoying herself for once in her life. If it weren't for the pack, the forest would have seemed like death, but the wolves were family. They supported one another and aided each with their strengths when others had weaknesses.

After the energetic teenagers found out the blonde wasn't a frail damsel in distress they egged her on into wrestling with them. Surprised by her strength they begged for Red to take her on but the Alpha refused. Graham pulled her aside at times to teach her how to hunt which she caught onto fast. Surely enough she was becoming a sister to them all, but little did they know she wasn't here to stay.

"You're not going to stay with us, are you?" said a male voice and when Emma looked up, Graham was taking a seat next to her by the fire. Since Red took the others for a run it was just them.

"Why do you say that?"

"Red told me about your fixation."

"My fixation?"

"My apologies. I didn't mean for it to sound demeaning. Emma, may I ask you why?"

Pursing her lips, her gaze drifted to the glowing fire that was roaring like her very soul.

"Are the stories true about her taking hearts?"

"Avoiding my question, princess?" When her hazel eyes narrow he grinned, but yet it seemed that gleam that one would find in a normal person's eyes was nonexistent as if someone had stolen the light, "Answer my question and I'll tell you all you want to know about the Queen."

She looked the man straight in the eye, searching beyond his surface and found that his words were true regardless of the missing emotions. It was time she started pursuing the truth and even if they were solely words from a huntsman, she could see that they would be unveiled by deception.

"Ever since I was a child I would always be drawn to the darker side of nature even though such play is forbidden in Lucia. I would always hear stories about how if one were to take one step out of the kingdom that their heart would turn to ash or be taken by the darkness itself. I thought, as I child, that these were only fables to frighten us but as I got older I kept hearing whispers about an Evil Queen and how she took people's hearts, that her very own had been sucked dry of life as we know," she looked to him and he nodded for her to continue, "Have you not ever wondered what actually made her that way? It can't be so black and white."

"You have never met her."

"And you have?"

"We all have, Emma." The blonde's eyebrows pulled together in confusion as well as surprise. That wasn't exactly what she was expecting to hear. "Red hasn't told you anything?"

She shook her head.

"Here in Obscuria werewolves aren't allowed to run free. They are the sole property of the Evil Queen. Red's pack is a bit specially, however. I don't know the entire story, but Red has been given special permission from her Majesty."

Suddenly Emma remembered the words of one of the guards from a few weeks prior.

"She's on our side. We'll all be in deep shit if we fuck with the Queen's most prized possessions."

In the near distance was several howls, but far closer was the sound of one wolf's paws changing into a set of human feet. The two looked up and greeted the Alpha.

"Telling all my secrets, aye?"

Graham only shrugged. He should have known better since werewolves has an acute sense of hearing, but it wasn't like he was giving away her darkest confessions.

Neither paid mind to the way Emma's face was contorting in bewilderment. She lifted her head up to look at the sky and then back at Red, opening her mouth to voice her puzzlement.

"You were just wolf."

Both brunette's raised an eyebrow.

"I told you we were going for a run."

"But the moon isn't full."

A pale finger pointed towards the sky to prove her point.

"Ah, Graham has yet to get to the good stuff, I see."

The woman went down into a crouch before Emma and held out her hand. There was a moment when green eyes flashed yellow and suddenly a smoky picture of an apple with wicked thorns emanated from her pale palm. Her lips pulled into a curve when she saw the blonde's eyes widen.

"That's the same picture on your cloak."

"It's the Evil Queen's insignia. The rest of the pack and I, excluding Graham, have it. It allows us to change form whenever we will."

"At what cost?"

Graham grinned in the background in acknowledgement for how bright she was.

"We hold an oath to protect her Majesty and fight by her side. I can be called at any time to do her bidding and I must abide. However, such is different for other werewolves. Most would see this as a betrayal to the blood; this bond is collar in a sense, but what they don't realize is that this is a gift of freedom to not allow the beast to control us."

"The rest of the werewolves that are captured are held for battle," Graham added, "They don't give in easily however and are tortured until they do. Fortunately, Red was able to convince her pack to take an oath to the queen."

"And I will never regret that decision. No one deserves to be put in shackles and beaten until your skin is covered in blood," the brunette sighed with sadness in her eyes and looked down as if she had partaken in the harmful events herself.

The three of them took in the silence around them until the rest of the pack came running into sight with shades of brown, gray, and red that slowly transformed back into human forms.