Kouga stared at the ceiling of his bedchamber. His lovely little mate was blissfully asleep and now that had gotten the party in his pants to calm down, he could not fall asleep. He growled softly, causing Kagome to mumble and then turn over.

He glanced at his mate and shrugged. Well, his night was shot anyways. He got up and dressed. He walked out of his den and decided to go for a run. It felt good to have the wind in his hair and on his face. He loved the smell of early morning dew. He could tell that it was close to sunrise, and he decided that when he got back from his run, he and Kagome would sit down once again and discuss his rules. He had to make her understand that he was the one in control, however, with this particular female, he never felt in control.

As he ran, he listened as the surrounding forests came awake and he smiled. He had made a full circle and soon found himself standing at the entrance of the den. He walked through the waterfall and shivered slightly. The cool water felt good on his heated body and he smiled at his men, who were polishing their weapons.

He walked towards his den and looked over to see Inu Yasha and Suzaru sitting and cuddling each other. Rolling his eyes, Kouga called out to Inu Yasha. "Hey, dog-boy. Today, you are leading the men in hunting. Don't screw up." He said.

The look on Suzaru's face was priceless and she quickly told her new mate that being made lead hunter was an honor only given to special members of the tribe. Hearing that, Inu Yasha's chest swelled with pride and he wiggled his ears at Suzaru, who laughed and then reached up and rubbed the wiggling appendages.

Shaking his head, he walked into his den and heard Kagome moving around. He walked to the bedchamber and found that she was straightening the room. Smiling, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Good morning, mate. Did you sleep well?" He asked, kissing her behind her ear. When she giggled and nodded, he gently turned her around to face him. Cupping her soft cheeks in his hand, he lowered his mouth and caressed hers. The kiss was slow and very sweet. When he felt her lean into his kiss, he pulled back slightly and grinned.

"If you want more of that, you have to fix me breakfast. There is no way in hell that I am going to eat another bite of Sango's cooking, friend or not." He said, his blue eyes darkening at the thought.

Kagome sighed. "Fine. Go sit down and I will be there in a moment." She said. When he left, Kagome hurriedly made the bed and then joined him in the kitchen.

She fixed her mate eggs and spiced meat. She had sliced from fruit and set it on the table. Kouga watched her with unwavering eyes. He was afraid that he would blink and it would be Sango fixing his meal instead of Kagome, but the pleasant aroma of the meat hit his nose and he finally closed his eyes to inhale. Oh, how he had missed this.

As he watched her prepare his plate, he could feel his mouth watering at the sight of his pregnant mate's backside wiggling in her kimono. However, before he could satisfy that hunger, he needed to fill his belly. After all, a big job like pleasing his mate meant that he needed all the energy he could get and this breakfast would do the job.

Once he was served, Kouga didn't even wait for Kagome to sit down. He began to shovel in the delicious food and moaned in ecstasy with every bite. It was clear to Kagome that she would need to tell Sango that their little plan was off. Seeing him this happy about her cooking made Kagome swell with pride. She was glad that she had made extra. With the way he was wolfing, no pun intended, down his food, they were going to need that extra since there was no way he was getting her plate.

After breakfast, Kouga stood up and reached for Kagome's hand. Smiling down at her, he told her that it was time for him to show her how much he appreciated her. He began to lead her to the bedchamber, but Ginta rushed in, his eyes wild with grief.

"Kouga, you have to come quickly. Our brothers from the northern tribe have been slaughtered." He said, his voice shaky.

Kouga forgot all about Kagome and hurried out of the den. Ginta helped Kagome outside and together they heard Kouga speaking to a severely injured wolf.

"You must go, Kouga. They need you. Dead. They will all be dead if you don't go." The wolf said, his eyes blank.

Kouga felt his anger rising. He asked the wolf who had done this, but the wolf did not answer, instead, he held out his hand and opened it to reveal a shard.

"Take this. You will need it to help you." The wolf whispered.

Kouga's hand extended, but Kagome screamed for him to stop. "That's not a shikon shard. I don't know what it is, but it's not part of the shikon." She said, her eyes trained on the shard.

Miroku stepped forward, his staff held out in front of him. He studied the wolf and then shook his head.

"This wolf is already dead. I don't know how he is moving, but his eyes are lifeless. Kouga, we need to release him." He said, his violet eyes sad.

Kouga took in a deep breath. This wolf proved that something had happened. And, he was going to find out what happened. He nodded at the monk and watched as Miroku struck down the walking corpse with his staff. The women burst into tears and the males growled viciously at the thought of their brothers being used as puppets.

He saw that the hunters had not left yet, and he called out to them. "Get your shit together. We are going to follow this wolf's scent back to our brothers. Hey, dog-boy, take Kagome back to her mother. Until this is settled, I want her out of harm's way. If someone has decided to single out the wolf tribes, she is not going to be anywhere near." He said.

Inu Yasha nodded, and looked at Kagome, whose face had gone pale. She watched as her mate strolled past her and into their den, and she quickly followed.

Kouga knew that his mate was upset. So, when he got to the bedchamber, he turned and waited for her to catch up to him. When she appeared, she had tears streaming down her face and she launched herself into his chest.

"Please." She sobbed. "Please, I don't want to leave you. I don't want you to go."

Kouga felt torn, but he was prince and it was his duty to help the other tribes when needed. He had an obligation to his brothers and even though it was killing him, he schooled his face so that he did not show any emotion and gently pushed her away from him.

"I have made my decision and you will do as I say. On this, I will not reconsider. You will go and stay with your mother until either Inu Yasha or I come and get you. Do not disobey me, Kagome." He warned. His blue eyes narrowed as a look of shock spread over her face at his coldness.

She stepped back and watched as he gathered some of his belongings. He placed his stuff into a small pack and slung it over his shoulder. He turned and walked over to Kagome, who was silently crying.

He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, Kagome. I will come back, and we will fix whatever has happened. But, for my piece of mind, do as I say." He whispered.

She nodded and he stepped back. He led her out of the den and over to Inu Yasha. "Get her out of here, now." He ordered.

Inu Yasha kissed his new mate and then gathered Kagome into his arms. He did not even look back as he took off. Kouga watched as they left the den and he then told his men that it was time to leave. He told Miroku that he was in charge until Inu Yasha got back, and the monk nodded.

Soon, the men were gone and the females surrounded the monk. Miku lifted her eyebrow and said, "Ok, since it's just you and us, you are about to get an earful, so get comfy."

Miroku gulped and shuddered. From the look on the many beautiful faces that were surrounding him, he could just bet that they were not here to discuss the option of bearing his child. He hung his head, and wished that he had gone with the males; he would have been safer.

The trip to the well had been a quiet one and it was late in the afternoon when Inu Yasha jumped into the portal. He held Kagome tightly against him as he passed through time. He could hear her soft sobs and he cringed. He hated it when she cried. And if he hated it when Kagome cried, he could only imagine what it would do to him if Suzaru cried.

After they had crossed over, Inu Yasha jumped out and carried Kagome to her house. It was clear that her mother was not at home, but Inu Yasha knew that she would be safe and he told her that he had to get back. When she nodded, he kissed her cheek and took off.

Kagome watched with saddened eyes as her friend left her behind. She sighed and walked up to her room and closed the door. She looked around and saw something upon her bed. Stepping closer, it was a small envelope. Kagome's curiosity got the better of her and she opened the envelope.

She gasped when she found a small bracelet with the words, "I love you" spelled out on a red heart. It was breathtaking. But, who would have done this? She knew that it was not her mother. No, this trinket was something that would be exchanged from a boyfriend to a girlfriend. She shrugged and placed the bracelet back into the envelope. She would have to tell her mother not to accept anymore gifts. It was probably from Hojo.

She placed the bracelet into her desk drawer and heard her mother pull up in the driveway. She straightened her shoulders and walked down the stairs to greet her.

This was bad. The damage done to the northern wolves was beyond cruel. They had finally come upon the sight and Kouga ordered that their brothers' remains be burned quickly. He did not want scavengers to defile the bodies.

He sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes. He walked towards a door, and was quickly thrown back by a large gust of wind.

A woman stepped out from the shadows and she grinned. "Ah, the wolf prince. I see you did not take the bait and use the fake shard. Naraku won't be pleased that you did not accept his gift, however, you can make it up to him by giving me all of your shards." She said, her fan open and held directly in front of her.

Kouga barred his fangs at the woman. "Bitch. You did this. You killed my brothers." He hissed.

The woman laughed. "Bitch is a title reserved for that pretty little mate of yours, if you're into humans, that is. My name is Kagura and I am known as the wind witch." She said, raising her fan above her head.

Suddenly, a violent wind surrounded the wolves and they looked around wildly. Kouga told all of them to crouch down and wait for his signal. However, the wind quickly died down and Kouga looked up to see Sesshomaru holding the woman by her neck.

The demon lord stared down at Kouga and said, "Pick yourself up and let us ask this woman some questions. I wish to meet her master."

Kouga cocked his head and waited for the demon lord to come to the ground. Once he landed, Sesshomaru flung the woman at Kouga's feet and the wolves quickly surrounded her. She looked around for her fan, but found that Sesshomaru now held it and he snapped it right in front of her eyes.

"Now, bitch. Tell me what I want to know or you won't live to see the end of this day." Kouga said, his fangs lengthening.

Kagura gulped. This was not good. Not good at all.

Kagome and her mother had a quiet meal. She had told her mother not to accept any more gifts from Hojo, but her mother said that Hojo had not been by. Confused, Kagome told her mother what she had found and that it was not from Kouga or Inu Yasha. They would not know where to get such items, especially in this era.

Her mother shook her head. She could not come up with an explanation, so Kagome decided to let it drop. She told her mother that she was going to bed early and that she would see her in the morning.

Her mother nodded and began to do dishes. Kagome went upstairs and took a quick shower before climbing into bed. As she felt sleep come upon her, she looked out at the dark sky and closed her eyes, praying that her mate was safe and that he would return to her soon.

It did not take long for Kagome's breathing to even out and after an hour passed, her window began to slowly slide open.

The figure had been waiting for this moment. It came closer to Kagome and leaned over, taking a deep breath of her sweet scent. Her scent made his mouth water and it flipped its long hair over its shoulder as it stood back up.

It looked around and quietly pulled out her chair from her desk. It had only been a couple of days since it had last seen her, but it knew that in a few days, she would need it and it would not fail her. Not this time.

It sat beside Kagome for the entire night, never taking its eyes off of her form. When the first rays of sun shone through the window, that was its cue to leave. It stood up and pushed the chair back before heading to the window and leaping out of it. It closed the window and was gone within seconds.