AN: This chapter is shorter, again. Sorry! I aim for 3000-4000 words per chapter, but this one wasn't working well as a long one, so I've split it up. So that does mean an extra chapter overall! ;)
Enjoy!

Riza stumbled through the forest, not quite knowing where she was going. Her only thought was get out. Her mind was reeling and she still failed to process it properly. Every time she stopped moving her stomach lurched.

"Hey! Hey!" Someone called to her. It sounded far away, like she was hearing it underwater.

Hands grasped her shoulders tightly, pulling her upright. Blinking furiously to bring the world into focus, her vision swam and Sam appeared before her. She wrenched herself away roughly, afraid for him to be near her. All Riza knew now was that she didn't deserve comfort. She forfeited that luxury six months ago.

Sam said nothing regarding her behaviour, he simply raised his hands in front of him in an effort to placate her. "Riza, are you okay?" he asked. The concern was clear as day on his face. He waited for her answer, but when none came, his concern only grew. "Riza, talk to me," he urged.

She stuttered, unable to form a sentence. She tried, she really did, but nothing formed. Her mind swam with everything that had happened, forcing her focus in five different places at once.

"Come here." Sam slowly and gingerly reach for Riza's arm. When Riza didn't show any hostility, he lightly grasped it, pulling her forwards a few steps to a nearby boulder which stuck out the ground. Sitting her atop it, Sam crouched so he was eye level. "Are you hurt?"

Riza shook her head. "No," she replied, voice hoarse. Not physically anyway.

"That's good. Did the Hunters get to you?"

That managed to penetrate through the fog in her mind. Hunters? Why would the Hunters get me?

"I saw them nearby," Sam explained. He ran a hand worriedly through his hair as he looked to his right. "They're making a move towards your location."

"What?" Riza whispered. If her blood could freeze within her veins, it would have right there and then.

"They received reports there were wolves in the area. My guess is these guys are the reinforcements."

Every emotion within Riza disappeared in an instant, leaving her numb. Slowly, dread started to seep into her, followed by panic.

If the Hunters were there, they might have found Rebecca and Roy by now. Riza might have been completely lost within her fear when she left Roy sitting in the snow, but she saw how he was losing control. With no one to reign him in, calm him down, he would have let the beast take over.

Riza knew how ugly that could get.

Fear and worry flooded through her as she thought of her friends.

"I've slowed them down. Through the night I slashed their tyres but something tells me they won't let that stop them. The group will be on the move soon."

"Wait," Riza stopped him, bringing her hands to her head as it throbbed in pain. Trying to get a grip on the situation, she paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Hunters are here?"

Sam nodded. Then he paused, eyeing her critically. "Now that you've come back to me," he paused briefly, smiling. "What's wrong? Why are you running all the way out here?"

Riza felt her face fall. Sam noticed, a small frown overtaking his features. She paled, felling bile rise in her throat. Instead of giving in to it, she fought it down. Get a grip Riza. They need you right now.

"I… killed someone." Riza had to choke the words out, the realisation of saying it out loud sending panic flitting through her again.

"Hey, easy," Sam soothed, placing two hands on her shoulders. The pressure grounded her, letting her breathe again. "It's okay." He could obviously see her distress.

"It's not okay!" she cried, jumping to her feet. "I have killed someone, Sam. That is not something that I am okay with!"

"How did you do it?" he asked quietly.

"During my first change, I killed two people. I woke up covered in blood in Central Park. Today I found out it was an old friend's parents."

Silence descended on the pair. Riza, fearfully, looked up to meet Sam's eyes. Riza's were filled with unshed tears, expecting disgust to be in Sam's. However, there was nothing. No judgement. No fear.

"You could be wrong," Sam began. "You have no idea what happens in your first change –"

"That is no excuse."

"You had no control Riza. It wasn't really you. No one is there to confirm your story."

"I know I did." Sam blinked, leaning back slightly at the force of her words. Riza was so sure she had, but Sam knew she couldn't have. She was too good. Sam had come across a whole manner of different werewolves. There were those who you knew were killers just by looking at them. They were the top of the food chain and they were proud of it. Others, were reserved, neglecting their heritage completely and lived normal lives, apart from their werewolf self. Sam had no idea how they managed to soothe the beast within. If someone didn't change within a couple of days the wolf grew restless, and boy, did it let you know that was the case.

Then, there were others who filled in the gaps in between those two extremes. They embraced their wolf form, however knew the significance of keeping a low profile when necessary.

From the brief encounter he had shared with Riza, he could tell she was the latter. Whatever killing she had done, if any at all, wasn't intentional. While discussing being a werewolf with her, Sam could tell she was simply trying to find her place in this new world and keep a low profile. The attempt at simply understanding was clear as day when they had spoken while descending that mountain. Riza and her small pack were not stupid. They knew the risk of revealing their true selves.

"Okay," Sam replied slowly. "But we have more pressing matters to attend to." Lightly grasping her shoulder, he pulled her quickly behind a large pine trunk. Riza was about to ask what he was doing when she heard voices, and, more importantly, smelled the incense. "They're here." Sam's voice was grim as he spoke.

"How long until we get there boss?" a gruff voice asked. It sounded irritated.

"Should be there tomorrow morning," came a curt reply.

"We need to move." Riza nodded and quietly crept away, following Sam.

The thought of returning to see Roy made Riza want to flee in an instant. She didn't want to see the hate, the fear, the disgust in his eyes. Riza had taken away one of the most important things to him. He didn't need to see her face ever again.

"I can't," Riza whispered, freezing in place. "I can't go back." Fear had gripped her yet again, cementing her in place.

"Riza, look, if we don't move they will spot us."

"Good." Her simple, childlike reply made Sam's blood run cold.

"If they spot us, they will kill us when they find out."

Riza gaze rose with a finality in it. It scared Sam to death.

"Then that's what I deserve."

Crack.

Rebecca had searched fruitlessly for two hours, but with nothing to go on and no way to track Riza, she couldn't find her. She was beyond frustrated. She just hoped Riza hadn't done anything rash. That thought worried Rebecca the most. Riza wasn't a rash person, but nothing this traumatic had happened to her. Rebecca had no way of knowing how her friend would act.

An incredibly familiar smell drew Rebecca up short, and she grinded to a halt in an instant. Hunters. Wrinkling her wolf nose at the awfulness of it, she backed up slowly, trying not to make any noise. In her searching, Rebecca had looped back around towards the Christmas Resort. To have the Hunters this close to her house… This wouldn't end well.

"God damn it," she growled to herself. Rebecca was torn. She needed to warn Maes and Roy. If they were this close and the Hunters already knew their identities, they would be ambushed. On the other hand, Riza was out there in the forest and probably unstable at the moment. Roy had filled the brunette in on what had transpired while Rebecca was away.

What made Rebecca feel even worse was that if she hadn't left in anger and said the things she had said, Riza might still be with them and she wouldn't have run off.

Crack.

The noise caused Rebecca's ear to perk up in an instant. The tell-tale sound meant only one thing.

"Shit." Rebecca turned in the direction of the changing werewolf and ran. She had made her decision. The only other werewolves in these parts were her, Riza and Roy. The latter was with Maes in his home. The other, had just changed nearby. Rebecca was sure of it. Making her way towards the noise, another sounded. Two werewolves? Could Roy have…? No. Roy was with Hughes, she was sure of it. He was in no state to be changing, or really properly functioning, at this point. So who was this other werewolf?

Rebecca had just reached the edge of the forest when she saw a dark shape flash by about fifty metres from her current spot. It was headed back towards the Resort. Rebecca altered her course, following it.

Sam hissed her name in anger. He couldn't believe she had actually changed. While it seemed suicidal, Riza's intention was completely different.

Roy didn't need to see the face of the person who had murdered his parents. Riza knew Rebecca had only said those horrible things in the heat of the moment. It didn't make it hurt any less, but Rebecca herself was hurt and angry. It didn't excuse them, but deep down, they both knew it wasn't true.

They were good people. They didn't deserve to die.

So, Riza had made her decision.

She watched as Sam's eyes widened at the sudden ruckus. Shouts went up in the group of Hunters who, at this point, were about one hundred metres away. The sound of the change was loud. There was no way they had missed it.

Sam changed as well, eliciting another crack.

"They're here!" someone yelled. There was the sound of movement as guns were readied.

"Find them! They can't get away." After someone growled that order, the group dispersed, with three or four sets of footsteps heading their way.

"Get to Rebecca and Roy. Warn them."

"And what exactly are you going to do, Riza?" Sam's growl was accusatory. He wasn't happy with her decision, but Riza was beyond caring now.

"I'll draw them off, cause a distraction. Just get to them and tell them to leave."

"Don't you dare get yourself killed, Riza. I am warning you."

The tone Sam used sounded like a parent warning their child. The thought would have made Riza smile, if the situation she was already in wasn't so dire. It couldn't possibly get any worse.

"I won't. I promise."

"I will hold you to that. Believe me, I will."

Riza nodded. Sam turned tail and sprinted back towards her home. Her former home. Shaking the thought from her head, she focussed on the task she had set herself. If the one good thing she could do today was save her friends, then she would do it. Riza had already ruined Roy's life. She didn't need to get him killed as well.

Riza caused as much noise as possible, throwing in an odd bark every now and then as she moved through the forest. She stayed just far enough ahead that they couldn't see her. As she reached the edge of the forest, it opened up into the valley below. Riza took off running away from her home.

Roy had sat numbly on Maes' guest bed for the last half hour. Both Hughes and Gracia had attempted to talk to him, but he offered nothing. He simply had nothing to give. He saw Hughes' worried looks. He was sorry to have done that to his friend, but he didn't have the energy to pretend otherwise.

It felt as though everything had been taken from him.

His pack, his friends, his parents, again. His new life, that he was beginning to adjust to and actually enjoy somewhat, had been ripped from underneath his feet. He was at square one and totally alone.

He knew Rebecca would stick with… her. It made sense. They had been together through everything. Rebecca wasn't the type to abandon people. She would try and help her friend and bring about peace between them, but Roy wasn't sure that was what he wanted. He could barely speak her name without feeling the need to vomit, never mind see her face.

In truth, Roy didn't know what he wanted. He wanted to be left on this bed, alone. He wanted answers, but no one could give them to him. She wouldn't remember what happened. His parents couldn't tell him what had happened…

Roy paused in his thoughts. There was one person who could help him.

Roy jumped from his seat on the bed. The quick action made the blood rush to his head, but he shook it off. He strode quickly over to the window in the room. He opened it softly, it creaking softly. He froze, waiting to hear if Gracia or Maes heard it. They continued talking in hushed tones downstairs, oblivious to the man who was "escaping" from their two story home.

Hopping lightly out of the window, Roy landed in a crouch in the snow. He listened for any activity within the house, hearing nothing out of the ordinary. He strode towards the Hotel.

His Aunt would help him.