Well. It's been a hot minute. E learning kicked my ass, and with more bad weather rolling in, I am not chancing it. Here's another chapter for you guys, hope you enjoy! Don't forget to review and/or follow/favorite. We are also to the end of our journey guys! This story is almost over!

Nicki

"Hey Quil." I say without looking up from my book. Kathy Reichs' Death Du Jour hits different every time. "Lemon Bars in the kitchen if you're interested."

"Thanks, Kens." Quil says. "Hey. Have you seen Embry or Jake this morning?"

I look up from my book as my face turns bright red. Don't be stupid, child. He pecked you. On the forehead. Dumbass.

"Embry and Jake were here last night. They left for patrol this morning and I haven't seen them since."

Quil freezes in the kitchen. Lemon bar halfway to his mouth. "They were on patrol?"

I set the book down before jumping over the back of the couch. "Yeah. Why?"

"They aren't on patrol now." Quil says. "Collin and Brady left Emily's about fifteen minutes ago to go relieve them but they weren't out there."

I look at Quil feeling sick.

"DANI!" I holler as Quil jumps. "Grab your gear!"

"Kens?" Quil asks.

"Look maybe I'm paranoid." I start. "But if Em and Jake aren't on patrol and no one knows where they are, then I don't know where they are. Gather the pack Quil. And rip up the reservation."

"You don't think…" Quil trails off.

"The wolf napper struck again?" I ask rhetorically as I walk to my bedroom. I peel my sweatshirt off and toss it onto the floor as Dani stumbles out of her room.

"What's going on?" Dani asks.

"Get dressed. We don't know where Embry and Jake are."

Dani looks down the hallway at Quil. He stares between us in shock. "Kensi, you're sure about this?"

"Has Billy seen Jake today?" I ask Quil.

"Well no-"

"Then yeah I am." I start. "And quit staring. Embry will kick your ass if he ever catches that."

Quil quickly averts his eyes, as I walk into my bedroom. I pull on my gray dry-fit long sleeve and then pull on my black cargo pants over the spandex I wore to bed. My socks are mix-matched but they work for being shoved into my work boots.

I load up on weapons and exit my room at the same time as Dani. We walk out our front door to find the scattered remains of Quil's clothing on our front lawn.

I follow the massive wolf prints to the woods and enter the mind of the hunter, shutting out all the other distractions, and focusing on finding my wolf. Embry.

But what I can't shut off is the immense worry that refuses to be silenced.

And thus began the fiercest hunting regime I've ever conducted.

DANI

"As of one PM today, Embry and Jake have been missing." Kensi's voice rings through our living room. All the imprints, the remaining wolves, Quil, Leah, Seth, Collin and Brady, and the elders crowded into our house. "Dani, Quil and I found the same scentless odor in the woods, which confirms that with Mara or Colette are behind their disappearance."

I don't know how she's locked herself together. She's showing no fear, no worry, she's expressionless. She's fierce. She's always been amazing at compartmentalizing her thoughts and emotions.

"We expected some sort of fallout to Dani and I's threat, this isn't what we expected. In hindsight, we should've." Kensi explains. "Dani and I dug through the wildlife, but we couldn't find any creature that witnessed the abduction. We tracked their scents from the house to the woods, and through their patrol routes. They were abducted behind Embry's house, and loaded into two white vans parked in front of his house."

There's silence as Kensi continues. "Yesterday's meeting revealed Lieutenant Mara responsible for the abduction of our wolves."

My eyes flick to Kensi as she speaks.

"Mara is three hundred years old, and she has a twin sister, a sister whom was previously thought to be dead after a fight with a vampire. However after entering Mara's mind, I discovered that Micah, Mara's sister, is alive and well living her life as a vampire."

Kensi shifts her weight uncomfortably. "Micah has always been in love with Tift, and now that Tift's mate is out of the way, Micah is doing whatever is necessary to get him to love her. Including kidnapping Mara's boyfriend and using him to force Mara to do Micah's bidding."

Emily's mouth drops open and a strangled sigh slips out. "Mara's vampire sister kidnapped Mara's boyfriend to force Mara to kidnap the wolves, all so that Micah might have a shot with Tift."

Kensi nods firmly. "Yes. It appears that way. Not only are Mara's actions incredibly illegal in several ways-"

"How?" Billy asks.

"For decades, Elemental Guardians have honored treaties and alliances with Children of the Moon as well as your spirit warriors of the Quileute tribe. Mara violated this treaty by coming after the pack. Not only this, but harboring vampires is an extreme offence unless they have proven themselves trust worthy like the Cullens or Denali covens ." Kensi's voice spits out angrily. She doesn't like either of them. "Therefore, Mara is under threat of execution if she's discovered. Harboring a vampire is a serious offense to the Elemental Guardians, as well as violating the treaty we have with the wolves."

"Almost as worse." I continue. "Is that Elemental Guardians have a very similar rule the 'never harm and imprint' rule." I glance at Kensi as she looks to the floor painfully. "We take it very seriously. And Mara broke that. Therefore, the queen had no choice but to grant Kensi and I first rights to ending her life." I grimace but Kensi's eyes ignite with fury.

"Must we kill her?" Old Quil asks.

Kensi nods. "If I don't do it, Queen Marnie will." Kensi bites her lips together. "And after what she's done to my family, the imprints here, Emily, Kim, my future sister in law and nice, and then the things we don't know what she and her sister have done to my brother and the other wolves, on top of taking my wolf, and my sister's wolf, and having to feel my own pain, and see my sisters…" Kensi trails off looking Billy, Sue, and Old Quil each in the eyes slowly. "I want to kill her."

Emily gazes at Kensi in shock.

"Mara, the sniveling little raving bitch she is, does not get to hide a vampire for almost the entirety of her life, and then get away with it." Kensi snarls fiercely. "She does not get to get away with kidnapping my brothers, the wolf pack, my tribe! She does not get to get away with hurting my friends and family! She doesn't get to get away with forcing me to watch them struggle through their days either! She doesn't get away with hurting my sister by stealing her wolf from her! She doesn't get away with forcing me to watch my twin go through the worst pain of her life! She doesn't get to get away this! She will pay." Kensi's voice is firm but she's furious. It stirs up hope and ignites sparks inside the souls of everyone here.

"Mara will not get away with this." Kensi vows. She looks each imprint in the eyes before blowing the fly away hair off her face. "She's not going to get away with this."

I watch as Kensi slips out of the front door, slamming it with all her fury behind her.

I watch her Camaro zoom down the road seconds later.

"She won't admit it. But she's hurting too." I mutter.

"Her wolf is gone too." Billy says. "It's expected."

"She won't let herself hurt though." I say looking at him. "Kensi…. All emotions are weaknesses to her. She won't let herself feel them. She thinks love lets you get soft. She thinks being content takes the edge out of your strikes. She thinks that safety takes away the desperation needed to fight. She trusts anger though, to always fuel her strikes and make her dangerous. She won't let herself be touched by her feelings for Embry."

"Are you sure she's got them?" Leah retorts.

I glare at Leah. "You know, you and her aren't so different."

Leah glares at me. "She comes around and leads Embry on. I respect her fire, but-"

"When Kensi was sixteen she trusted some asswipe named Nathaniel. She let him in close enough and one day, he turned on her. He spiked her drink, and forced himself on her. She only viewed him as a friend, but she was starting to fall in love with him. Since then, Kensi has sealed herself up, locked her heart down, and made sure no one could get inside. She didn't want just anyone inside in case they hurt her again. She won't admit that Embry got inside her walls."

Leah is silent like the rest of the room now. "Kensi is beating herself up just like the rest of us are. Only she's blaming herself because she didn't go with Embry and Jake on patrol. Embry woke her up before he left, and she let him leave. She warned Jake and Embry that it would be dangerous to be on patrol after we pissed off Mara, and yet she let them go. She blames herself."

"Sounds like she could've stopped it." Leah murmurs.

I look at Leah. "She couldn't have. Because if she went with Embry and Jake, then Mara would've taken Collin and Brady later."

Leah looks over at Collin and Brady, sitting down on the floor.

"There wasn't a winning scenario here, Leah." I state. "Mara was probably forced to collect Embry and Jake while Micah held a knife to Mara's boyfriend's throat. And if Mara wanted Devan to survive, she would bring someone home to her sister. So even if Kensi and I protected Embry and Jake, then it would've been another wolf she took."

Leah looks at me. "Is there anything we can do now?"

I take a deep and unstable breath. "I don't know. Kensi seems to have plan though. If she was going to patrol the woods, she wouldn't have taken her car."

About that time my phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Grab your gear." Kensi's gruff voice asks. "We're going to Seattle."

"What?" I ask confused.

"Bring Leah."

"Why?" I ask.

"Marnie and Colette wants to meet one of the pack. And I'm willing to bet that it would be stupid to bring one of the guys around with the other Children of the Moon around."

"Good point but-"

Kensi hangs up and I look at Leah. "Want to come with?"

Leah's eyes widen. "What?"

"Want to come with?" I repeat.

Leah glances around the room and her mom nods with a smile.

"Yeah. I guess."

"Great. You can borrow a pair of Kensi's jeans. You're going to want something that shows off a little less leg than that."

"Where are we going?" Leah asks.

"We're going to Seattle." I answer. "Kensi is on her way, I guess. She wasn't specific."

Leah furrows her eyebrows.

"Children of the Moon are right horndogs, Leah." Kensi snaps walking into the house. "I'll grab you a pair of jeans."

I wince as recognition flickers in Leah's eyes.

She leans over and quietly whispers to me. "Nathaniel was a-"

I elbow her in the ribs before nodding.

Kensi comes out and tosses a pair of faded jeans to Leah, before handing her a pair of boots.

Leah accepts and heads down the hallway a way to change her pants. I hadn't seen the girl wear jeans in my life. After hanging out with the pack, cutting her hair off, and wearing sports bras and basketball shorts you could hardly tell she was actually incredibly beautiful. She downplays her beauty so much.

Now it's clear with the jeans that she's a knockout.

"Let's go. I really, really, really want to hear whatever Colette wants to tell me." Kensi growls walking back out of the house. I get into the passenger seat of the Camaro as Kensi let's Leah into the back seat.

"Colette wanted to meet one of the pack." Kensi explains to Leah. "But Seattle is swarming with Children of the Moon, and I really, really, really would rather prevent a full-on dogfight between one of them and one of the guys."

"I mean they only phase on the full moon." I say in explanation. "But that doesn't mean that one of the guys wouldn't tear into them just to teach them a lesson. They're notoriously idiotic and very polygamous."

"They're just serious horndogs as I've said already." Kensi snaps dragging her fingers through her hair. "I hate all of them. Every single one of them. There are Elementals who marry these freaks and it's just disgusting. I despise them with everything in my being."

"You despise Nathaniel." I murmur.

"Oh I have a special kind of hatred for that animal." Kensi growls. "But Colette said that Marnie has information for us. She wants to meet at a café in Chinatown."

"Chinatown?" Leah asks.

"There are two Chinatowns inside of Seattle. One of them is actually Chinatown, and the other one is like a magical little haven where Children of the Moon and Elemental Guardians hang out. It surrounds the palace where Queen Marnie lives. It's the stupidest shit ever. Locked down like the goddamn Buckingham Palace." Kensi fumes.

"Did she Colette tell you anything about her information?"

"The dumb bitch wouldn't 'say over the phone. ' Who the fuck is going to hear you? Mara and her stupid vampire sister Micah are to bloody retarded to tap her cell and trace her calls." Kensi growls going way over the speed limit.

"Can you slow down?" I mutter.

"Fuck off Dani." Kensi growls but eases off the accelerator. "I'm hoping that Mara will stupidly jump in front of me, and I can officially say it was an accident."

I don't answer and Kensi shrugs. "I really don't want to scuff the paint though. Maybe I'll just run her down with a bus or something. Or lock her in a teeny-tiny closet until kingdom come."

"I like you." Leah decides with a laugh.

Kensi smiles, it's a half-assed painful smile but a smile, nonetheless.

"Yeah, you're not bad either, Leah." Kensi smirks.

"Is someone dying Colette?" Kensi asks sliding into the booth across from Colette. "Because someone better be dying."

"Sorry, Colette." I apologize sandwiching Leah in between us. "But she's been in a right foul mood. I'm sure you understand."

Colette nods. "Look. I want you to know that you have the full support of the entire Elemental Guard at your back. Everyone wants to nail this bastard."

"This bastard' is Lieutenant Mara." Kensi growls. Leah bristles beside me in response to Kensi's dangerous tone. "There has to be dozens of people who don't want to see Mara come to harm. There are dozens of sibling relations inside the Elemental Guard that can't blame Mara for harboring her sister's true identity on the pretense that she'd be executed, and her sister killed."

Colette shakes her head. "Not many. Most of the Elemental Guardians understand, accept, and would gladly kill their sibling if they found out that they were a vampire. Mara and Micah hated each other from the womb, it makes no sense why Mara harbored Micah as long as she did."

"I know I'd kill Kensi if she became a vampire." I say. "I know Kensi would want to kill herself than become something she swore to destroy."

"Which is probably why Mara didn't kill Micah. It would be torturous for Micah to have to be a monster that she was sworn to destroy." Colette says. She's dressed for battle in an eighteenth century ball gown with a split all the way up to her hip revealing her tanned legs and a dagger strapped to her thigh. There's a sword that's propped up against the wall beside her that was around her waist I'm sure earlier. Her hair is half down half up, with pieces of it braided to hold it off her face.

I wish I could pull off an eighteenth century look like she can. Shit isn't fair.

"Anything else you want to tell me?" Kensi asks as a waitress comes over to us.

"We're giving you a mission."

Kensi looks past Leah and locks eyes with me. I don't get the chance to speak before Kensi rounds on Colette.

"You're out of your fucking mind Colette if you think Dani and I can be pulled from the search efforts for my wolves, to fulfill whatever wild goose chase you and Marnie would like to send us on!" Kensi's voice is a full-on yell that gets the attention of everyone in the diner. I cover my eyes and Leah smirks.

Upon noticing that it was just Kensi, notorious for her temper, the entire Café returns to ignoring her. I don't know which was more embarrassing.

"Of course not." Colette snaps. "Marnie and I can be short sighted and inconsiderate at times, but we wouldn't pull you from the Project: Encore. That would be stupid on our part because you'd do what you wanted to do anyways."

Kensi shrugs.

"Right but anyways, Mara inactivated her tracker anyways, months ago we realized. We've got a few locations that she was at frequently before her tracker disconnected." Colette hands me a piece of notebook paper and I look at the addresses before handing them to Kensi.

"If you guys are up for it you can check those out for us, see if there's any signs of Mara."

I nod. "I'm down."

"Me too." Kensi nods firmly.

"I'm coming with." Leah says.

"Well of course." Kensi says.

"That isn't all." Colette says.

Kensi flicks her eyes to the much older woman in expectance.

"We want you to find Mara."

Kensi and Dani share a look. "What makes you think we can find her?" Kensi snarls.

"The fact that you two are the best trackers in the business." Colette says matter of fact.

Colette reaches into the front of her dress and offers Kensi a small spray bottle.

Kensi pulls a grimace before taking it from her hand.

"This is sweaty, Colette. That's disgusting."

Kensi sets it on the table before wiping it off with a napkin.

Colette ignores her but her cheeks highlight with a pinkish hue. "That's like our own personal version of overwatch spray. Makes the wearer light up like a Christmas tree with special kind of detection." She produces a pair of sunglasses from the same place she got the spray bottle.

"There is no way in fucking bloody hell I am putting those on my face." Kensi says shaking her head.

Colette sets them down on the table and slides them over to Kensi. "They're like 3-D glasses, but very different. Or Tactical glasses. It allows the wearer to see every Elemental Overwatch signature."

"And there isn't an app I could've downloaded?" Kensi growls. "Because those glasses are not going on my face until they've been disinfected with an entire box of Clorox wipes, gallon of bleach, and quarantine for three weeks."

"Cut your shit, Kensi." Colette snaps as Leah stifles laughter behind her fist. "There is an app that you'll have to download on your phone to track her with too. I'll text you the details."

A phone comes out next and she starts typing on away on it. Kensi's phone vibrates.

"I'm afraid to answer that text." Kensi announces. "As if you're boob sweat was sent through the text message."

Colette shakes her head and locks her jaw before kicking Kensi's shin under the table. Her knee jumps and she knees the table violently.

Leah and I burst into a fit of giggles as Kensi rubs the pain out of her leg.

"Damn you, Colette." Kensi growls. "Any idea where to find Mara?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Colette says.

Kensi nods. "I'm requesting her credit and debit card statements, as well as her bank statements."

"You got it. I'll email those to you." Colette says standing up.

"Better not be with that sweaty-ass phone in your hand." Kensi growls as she grabs a napkin to pick up the sweaty Elemental Overwatch spray and glasses.

"I'll use the computer in my breeches." She retorts sarcastically before exiting the diner.

"Dumb bitch." Kensi murmurs pocketing the napkin-wrapped items Colette gave her.

"Might as well get food while we're here." I announce moving to the other side of the booth to give Kensi and Leah more room. "Besides, I'm starved."

"I won't say no to food." Leah smirks.