"Well, this is the most pointless thing we've ever done." Said Clayton, glancing up from the thick ancient book he held within his hands as he gazed around at his pack. Seven mugs of steaming coffee sat on the table in the center of the room, books strewn here there and everywhere as each of them struggled to comprehend the conflicting ideas of Arthurian lore and myth. The large werewolf lifted a worn notepad and jotted something down onto the paper as he tried to reference something that could be important while his wife was quietly reading something from her own book. Riley however couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto her features as he complained; who would've thought that it was the anthropology university lecturer who would have grown bored first.

Riley was surrounded by her pack, each of them engrossed in their pile of books as they tried to uncover anything that could be of use to them in identifying the creatures that had been plaguing their lives in recent weeks. But as she sat with her back leaning against Nick's side, feeling his protective arm draped around her middle while his other hand held his book, she really didn't want to move. She felt included, she felt like she was a part of something and deep down, she knew she was the sole focus of Nick's attention; baring the book of course. It was days like these, when the pack stayed together, researching their threat and informing each other of interesting or poignant facts that they really did work effectively. Maybe that was because they all had such dissimilar backgrounds. They had an Anthropologist lecturer, a journalist, a businessman, two doctors, a graphic designer and a con man all working together, all sharing their own thoughts into what they considered important. No wonder the northern American pack was one of the strongest in the world.

"The sooner we've found something, the quicker we can finish." Jeremy expressed coolly, his eyes never leaving his book as he addressed his son who huffed a little before turning his attention back to his book.

"Has anyone actually found any correlating information or is it all different?" Elena asked, her gentle voice rousing everyone from their books as they looked towards each other in hopes of understanding whether their reading was making a difference. From the expectant looks on each of their expressions it seemed they still had a long way to go. "Any mention of these creatures?"

"Not yet." Nick voiced as he moved the arm he had cuddled around Riley to turn his page before he replaced his arm to where it was again. "Though from what I'm reading I really don't want to meet a Serket."

"The weird scorpion, crab thing?" Riley questioned as she moved her head to the side to point her question to Nicky who looked down at her with an astonished expression.

"That's the one." He started before a frown engulfed his eyebrows. "Are you a historian now too?"

"One of my books mentioned it. I thought I could be onto something when it went into detail about it's poison, but from what the author was trying to convey it sounds very similar to the modern Scorpion venom which is dissimilar to the samples we have collected from this creature." Riley answered before turning back to her book again, unknown that her pack members, barring Clay and Karl, were smirking at her; she also refused to let on that she had seen those creatures in her nightmares.

However, just like yesterday Riley was abruptly pulled from her researching when the vibrating of her phone within her jeans pocket redirected her attention. The boring but simple ringing phone tone pulled everyone's attention to Riley who was awkwardly readjusting her seated position and pulling out her phone. Again, she quickly checked the caller ID and a smile grew onto her features.

"Sophie, hey!"

"Riley, oh thank god you're okay!" Sophie's frantic voice sounded, her words making Riley's stomach churn as she looked down towards the ground, refusing to get distracted by her packs concerned expression.

"Something vexed is it?" Riley replied, an edge of humour and sarcasm evident in her tone as she spoke with her English friend, but when she felt Nick's grip on her hip tighten she realised now probably wasn't the best time to be joking.

"Are you seriously trying to tell me you haven't seen the news? The story is huge and happening right in Bear Valley! I'm surprised they haven't called you in, they need as many Doctors and Pathologists as they can. "

"What are you talking about? We've not heard anything from town. We didn't even get our newspaper delivered this morning"

"Probably due to the fact Bear Valley is in lock down and no one is allowed in or out!" Sophie huffed frustrated. "Oh for goodness sake just turn on the news and you'll see what I'm talking about!" Riley simply complied with her friend's instructions as she unfolded her legs and motioned towards Elena to switch on the TV that hung on the wall opposite the sofa she was seated on. Clayton had been in the process of heaving himself to his feet but his Doctor simply scalded him for doing too much considering he was only a few days into his recovery. What she saw made her blood run cold and matters only got worse when Nick unconsciously reached for her hand.

The TV was inundated with helicopter images of police cars and ambulances and fire engines, their flashing lights penetrating the green of the forest that encased the motel that was forever burned into her memory. Somehow, a group of hikers that had been navigating the snowy woodland of Bear Valley had fallen upon wolf tracks and unfortunately put two and two together. They had been following the local newspapers regarding possible wolf attacks that had been killing local woman and had thought that if they killed the animal they would get the bounty. It seemed they got a little more then they bargained for, as it wasn't a wolf they found; instead they would be haunted by the images of hundreds of bodies for possibly the rest of their lives.

But Riley couldn't stop the dread from filling her stomach, as the voice of the newsreader became background noise. Had it been her tracks that the hikers located? Was it her fault that the FBI was now in Bear Valley? The human authorities could not turn their backs against something this devastating and now they were taking Petersons claims of a rabid wolf seriously. Everything she had done to sway the police away from thinking an animal had killed these woman has become null and void; now her pack were in even more danger because it seems an animal behaviourist had noticed the varying sizes of footprints and stated that officials needed to look for a pack of animals. Great, today really couldn't get any worse.

"Holy Hannah!" Riley exclaimed, struggling to pull herself from her reprieve, unknowing to her friend that her and Nick had been the ones to find the desolation in the first place. It was times like these when she really hated hiding what she was, because now she had to try and communicate her acted surprise and utter horror. "Is this real?" Riley finished, hoping the forced bewilderment was evident within her voice.

"Yahuh!" Was Sophie's reply, obviously buying Riley's fake surprise.

"But in Bear Valley? Nothing ever happens here!"

"Well not anymore! Seems the whole of the American government is involved in this thing! Bear Valley will always be remembered for this! "

"Bet the feds are regretting not listening to Sherriff Peterson now. He had asked for their help" Riley stated sadly, her concerned eyes shifting towards Nick who was pointing her a look of encouragement, knowing how difficult this was to keep a conversation of lies going and making them believable.

"You're involved in this?" Sophie gasped "You're there for a funeral, spend this time grieving not getting mixed up in kamikaze, hit man murder plot!"

"Not buying the whole wolf story then?"

"Are you kidding me? Prints that big would make this wolf nearly five ft tall which is ridiculous." Sophie explained; Riley was thankful that they were speaking over the phone because she was unable to see the raw panic that was evident within her eyes. Like usual her composed expression did not give away her emotions, but as she flashed her silver eyes towards Nick his features softened and the grip he had on her hand tightened; it seemed that Nick could read her perfectly for he knew exactly how she was feeling. Sophie would never know how close to the truth she really was and it seemed that her pack were intently listening to their conversation; her eyes shifted to her Alpha and she could see that Jeremy was asking her to keep the conversation going, to ask as many questions as she could to try and discover what Sophie and maybe the rest of the human population really thought of this new investigation.

"But how would you explain the footprints?" Riley started "And the scratches? A wolf couldn't leave the kind of lacerations that the authorities have found on the victims."

"What scratches?" Sophie questioned, concern and curiosity sparkling within the undertone of her voice; but it was those two words that had Riley faltering and scrambling for something to say, anything that would come to mind as she closed her eyes, understanding just how badly she had screwed up. Had the news report really not mentioned anything about the scratches?

"You know, the scratches that dominated the victim's back." Riley stammered, saying the first thing that came to mind which unconsciously made Riley feel the mutilated flesh of her back against the soft fabric of her t-shirt.

"Nobody said anything about scratches." Sophie voiced but before Riley could even justify that statement with a response Sophie cut her off. "You're remembering aren't you?" Riley simply looked towards Nick again, her confusion openly displayed on her features as Sophie's words chilled her to her core.

"Remembering? Remembering what?" Riley asked, forcing herself away from her companions as she got to her feet and started to pace behind the sofa, consciously aware of her Pack's eyes studying her intently. The young Doctor simply ran her hand through her fringe as she tried to alleviate the tension from her shoulder; nothing helped.

"This is happening far to soon, you're not ready…. I'm not ready. Things haven't been prepared, you're under threat and I need help…. If only I could find him." Sophie rambled, more to herself than anyone else but Riley's and her packs sensitive hearing was able to hear everything.

"Sophie? Sophie!" Riley shouted, struggling to break her friend from her ramblings "What's going on? What am I not ready for? What's coming after me? Sophie!"

"Riley, you need to listen to me." Sophie replied suddenly, completely failing to comprehend Riley's frantic questions and the utter terror that was spiraling around her as the werewolf tried to comprehend the enormity of the situation and the possible danger she could be in. "Something is coming, something dark and dangerous that has the potential to destroy the world." Sophie started before she gasped and the line went silent, the only reason Riley knew the call hadn't ended was due to hearing the wind over the speakerphone.

"Sophie? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just thought I heard something." She expressed. "But Riley, you need to prepare yourself because you're important to this…" Nevertheless before either were able to get another word spoken to the other, a loud cracking of a tree branch and the unforgettable, hair raising snarl that emanated over the speaker grills had Riley on edge, her emotions going haywire as panic and fear and desolation and total helplessness overwhelmed her.

"Sophie?!" Riley panicked, her voice rising as she helplessly heard her friend's heavy breathing. "Sophie, YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THERE!" Riley bellowed down the phone, the young Doctor unaware of how her Pack were getting to their feet as they tried to comprehend the situation Riley was getting herself involved in. Elena simply looked towards her husband and grasped hold of his hand while Clayton fluttered his eyes between Elena and Nick who was shooting concerned glances of worry. Riley simply stood in the doorway, her back to her family as she listened to Sophie's begging, her voice cracking as the woman knew she was about to die. But as Elena came to stand next to her alpha she was consciously aware of how the line was buzzing. Sophie was gone.

"Sophie? Sophie!" Riley shouted again before looking at her phone a handful of times. The werewolves watched as one of their own frantically keyed in the numbers to a phone number that she had memorized, her heart shuddering in her chest as Riley frantically listened to the dialing tone and prayed to any god that would listen that Sophie was safe and got away. Two redials later Riley's emotions were beginning to get the better of her and all she could do was drop her mobile to her side. Elena was expecting a furious reaction from the Doctor, for Riley to throw her phone across the room, screaming in anguish as she replayed the horrific last moments of her best friend. Instead Riley just stood there, looking down at her phone, unable to believe that Sophie was truly gone. Nick looked over his shoulder towards her; deep dejection and sadness evident on his features as he felt all the things Riley should have been feeling. When was he going to pick up the courage to tell her? For years the pair of them had been dancing around each other, and now, when Riley needed him the most he was going to be there. She just hoped that the pair of them would finally allow their feelings to override reason. "I need to go." Was all Riley said before she headed from the room, Nick and Jeremy hot on her heels.

"Go where? You can't leave, not yet." Nick urged as he chased off after her.

"I've got to go back to England, to make sure she got away and she's okay."

"Riley stop!" Nick shouted as he lunged for Riley, grabbing hold of her wrist to make sure she didn't climb any higher on the staircase. Riley simply looked down to where his warm hand had curled around her wrist before turning slightly to look at him; her expression voided off all emotion but as Nick gazed deeper into her eyes he could see the agonizing grief that was starting to overwhelm her. "If you go back home now those things will kill you. Without the protection from our pack you're chances of survival are slim. I won't let you go to you're death."

"I have to do something; I can't just sit back and let her die."

"Nick's right." Jeremy interrupted as he and the rest of the pack followed him into the foyer. "If you leave now we won't be able to help you. We have to protect ourselves and our territory, everything else doesn't matter." Jeremy finished coolly, unaware of Nick's faltering expression as he understood how Riley would react to this callous statement; after all, Riley had been growing into a stronger and confident woman since this whole fiasco started.

"Doesn't matter?" Riley snapped, "She's my best friend, I'm not about to sit back and let her die!"

"For all we know she's already dead." Jeremy voiced which simply left Riley staring at her alpha as the fury began to boil within her. "By the time you get to the airport, pluck up enough courage to actually board the plane and then get back to London, you're talking ten twelve hours at the most. What use do you think you would be then?"

"I could at least figure out what happened to her and give her family some peace of mind." Riley stated "I know what its like to live in a world of doubt and what if's. I won't let Ryan believe that his sister just abandoned him."

"And potentially tell him about what we are. You know that I can't let you do that. We can't help her."

"Because she isn't pack?" Riley fumed

"Because she human." Jeremy retorted, his expression dark and hard and he warned Riley not to defy his orders. "This is my command Delta, do not disobey me." Jeremy finished, pulling rank before he walked away and deeper into the house. Each member of her Pack started to move away at the point, feeling more than a little awkward regarding the heated argument they had witnessed. Usually Riley was the one to walk away, embarrassed from witnessing a confrontation between Elena, Clayton or their alpha. Instead, she was the one in the doghouse. Nevertheless, it was Nick who stayed with her. Still standing above her even though he was standing two or three steps below her. Sometimes Riley really noticed their obvious height difference.

"I don't want you're pity Nick." Riley said, an edge of bitterness and anger laced in her tone as she once again turned away to retreat to her bedroom.

"You don't have it." Was his speedy reply as he refused to let go of her wrist. "You know Jeremy is right, right? We need you here more than ever so running on this foolish renegade task could destroy both you and our pack."

"You think this is some foolish notion on my part?" Riley balked; hurt flashing across her features as his remark. Nick was inwardly screaming at his stupidity and his bluntness; of course she would react this way. She was hurting and when Riley was hurting, especially emotionally she lashed out. Nick sometimes joked that Riley was unable to deal with her emotions; right now she was proving this statement correct. "Sophie is my friend; heck she's my only friend and I need her when I'm trying to fit in in my human life. She makes me feel almost normal." Riley finished as she looked to her feet.

"I know how much she means to you. I see it and hear it when you talk about her. But help us stop this thing and in the end you will have you're revenge." Nick voiced gently as he rested his large hand to her cheek, his heart fluttering when she lifted her own hands, one covering the hand he had on her cheek and the other resting on his wrist. She lifted her watered grey eyes towards him and he could not stop the gentle comforting smile washing to his lips as she gave in, knowing that he was right. She couldn't do anything while she was here in the States, and right now her pack took precedence. "You never know, she may have gotten away. From what you've told me she's a resourceful kinda gal." Nick mused, trying to lighten the conversation and get Riley to smile. It worked.

0-0-0

One drawback to being a Doctor for most of your life is that you can very rarely shut off the scientific mind in which you had nurtured while studying. Unfortunately, Riley was one of those Doctors. For years she had wished she could just stop thinking about hematology, epidemiology, immunology and pathology for just a few hours so she could relax and have a few quite moments to herself. For once she hoped to enjoy looking out of the window and observe the melting snow and greening surroundings without thinking about what was happening within Clayton's blood, or how certain diseases maybe overwhelming certain patients back home and in her care. Then again, Riley really shouldn't complain considering there were others out there that could never have a moment of peace. She wasn't someone living in the limelight, having to parade around on a stage with six-inch heels on and smiling until her jaw ached; some poor slobs actually did that as a career and just thinking about it made her heart shudder with trepidation.

Nevertheless, the reason she was studying her medical journal in the first place was try and distract her mind; Jeremy had pulled rank, Sophie was in a potentially dangerous situation and Riley was powerless to stop it. For all she knew Sophie could be gravely injured and Jeremy was refusing her to let her head back home to try and save her. On top of this Karl was still looking at her with some weird affectionate wanting look that was creeping her out and Clayton was still grumbling when it came to dressing his wounds. She was just thankful that each of them had allowed her some time to herself because she feared she would be terrible company considering she was still angry, upset and worried.

However, the young Doctor was unsure how to react to all the different emotions that were swarming her body considering she was usually so regal and composed when it came to reacting to them; to say this situation was making her loose her composure was an understatement, emotional outbursts and to her surprise her confidence was growing. The werewolf simply looked down at the medical garb and diagrams of blood samples that were shining up at her from the journal but unfortunately none of it was making sense. Her mind kept drifting to what Sophie said. What was coming after her? What was she not ready for? And why the hell did Sophie know this kinda stuff considering Riley had made sure that the 'supernatural' part of her life remained hidden. All of these questions were being left unanswered considering the young Doctor kept trying to reach her friend and inwardly cried out in anguish when she reached Sophie's voicemail service.

The buzz of the house was drowning out her thoughts when she heard the humming of the hoover or the booming laugh of Antonio and Elena as they washed up the dishes that couldn't fit in the dishwasher. She caught a whiff of paint and painting oils and shuddered to imagine what kind of dark paintings Jeremy must be dabbling in considering his mood that last few days. From what she'd seen after a quick peek into his studio was a painting she doubted would make the thousands like most of his other pieces; hell she knew it would never even line that walls of the immaculate house considering Jeremy was very uptight in regards to what came in to his home.

Riley just let out the air she was unconsciously holding and heaved herself to her feet in frustration, agitated by her lack of focus and moved over towards the window, running her hand though her thick side fringe in the process as she tried to center her thoughts. But, as she gazed down towards the front yard, she could see Clayton and Nick removing something from the Explorer, loose t-shirts and jogging bottoms clothing their bodies which again spiked Riley's curiosity. Nick never wore that sort of clothing unless he was about to go for either a human or wolfish run or if he was to train with Clayton. It seems the pair of them were also eager to forget the events of the last few days.

0-0-0

The smell, dampness and feeling of the grass were becoming all too familiar to Nick seeing as Clayton had just rugby tackled him to the ground… again. Most of the time when they wrestled like this it was playful tussling between them, but today, Clayton was going full on and Nick was getting the brunt of it. A few days ago Nick had asked whether he and Clayton could spar together, to try and keep in shape, but now as Clayton unleashed his beta skills Nick was starting to regret the idea. Nicky also came to understand that Clay's pride had been seriously wounded after being attacked by the creature and because of his friends nature he knew that Clay would train himself into exhaustion to make sure it never happened again. Especially considering he was the first line of defense in protecting his alpha and his mate.

"Are you sure you really want to be doing this?" Clayton asked when Nick's head finally stopped spinning after its last connection with the drying grass of Stonehaven's back garden. Nick simply lifted his eyes towards his old friend as Clayton held out his hand; Nick just grasped hold of Clays warm palm and allowed himself to be helped to his feet.

"Riley's in trouble." Nick started as he tugged at the hem of his black shirt so it was covering the waistband of his trousers "Something's coming after her and I want to be able to protect her." Nick finished with sincerity as he stood in front of his friend who was intently studying his expression. It was no secret that Clay disliked Riley, but he would never turn his back on her.

"God knows she's gunna need it." Clayton uttered sarcastically as he ran a hand through his thick curls as he rotated his injured arm that was well on its way to being completely healed; thank god for werewolf healing. "But do you really want to be getting mixed up in all of this? To be so personally involved?"

"I'm already involved." Nick sighed, "However much I hate that fact there is nothing I can do about that now."

"But do you think you could do it? You're good at this stuff Nick, but I fear not good enough." Clay voiced, his deep concern regarding his oldest and possibly only friend was evident in his voice and his expression as he took a step towards him. Had anyone else said that to him he would have taken offense but with Clay the pair of them were always completely and totally honest; even if neither of them wanted to hear the truth.

But as he comprehended Clay's words Nick knew he was right. Nick was never the strongest fighter in the pack; sure he could hold his own in a fight and he was pretty good, but when compared to someone like Clay, his father and even Karl he hit like a teenage girl. Then again he never felt the need to be better. Elena and Riley are pretty good fighters; Elena is strong and well built while Riley is agile and cunning. Next to them he looked clumsy and disorganized as he struggled to fight Elena's strength and Riley's ability to contort herself around her opponent.

That was why he was doing this. Riley was far too important to him and the very idea of loosing her devastated his mind and heart. The animal within him yearned for her and demanded he fight and protect her and the human part of his brain knew that his wolf had located his mate. That was why he needed to be better because Riley was in danger and he was going to do all in his power to keep her safe, even if that meant gaining a few bumps and bruises in the first place.

"Which is why I've asked for your help." Nick said as he dodged a sudden punch flung in his direction. "We both know I'm not good enough." Nick continued, moving left, right and then ducking as he avoided contact with Clayton's mean right hook.

"You're good, just not disciplined." Clay expressed "But you really need to tell her."

"I know." Nick stated, faltering in his statement, as he looked at his older friend with sad eyes "I'm just worried that she won't reciprocate my feelings, that if I've been misreading her behaviour and she only sees us as pack mates it could change everything."

"I can tell you for a fact that she wont." Clay started, surprising Nick considering Clayton very rarely spoke of Riley with such affection. "She looks at you the same way I look at Elena. Could you really let her go not knowing whether she loves you?"

"No. I don't want to hide anymore. I don't want to wake up next to a new woman every week; I don't think that's who I am anymore. I don't want to keep secrets anymore i'm done with hiding who I really am and I just want someone I can talk to about everything. Riley isn't just the only one available to me, but she understands me, she accepts me. Hell she knows me better than even you, which is something I've never had with a woman before."

"Who would've thought that Nicholas, the Lothario of the pack has fallen for the Doctor." Clay [expressed before jumping Nick who in return landed a punch to his shoulder, causing the beta wolf to stumble before he advanced on his companion, Nick slapping away Clay's fists and curled his hand around his wrist and flung him in the opposite direction. Clayton simply moved into a forward roll before the pair advanced on the other, Nick trying to shove as much power into his stomach punch as possible, but as usual Clay reacted far to quickly and shoved his hand away and sent Nick stumbling.

Again Clay rounded on his old friend, sending punch after punch that Nick deflected by using his elbows before twisting his hands so he was able to shove Nick off him and towards the wall. The young delta wolf simply moved into his throw, timing his jump and bounced from the side of the house and back into the fray. He ran at his friend, his only intention of trying to keep himself protected and land a couple of decent punches because Nick knew he had no chance in stopping a wolf as well built and as experienced as Clayton…. Not unless he had a serious distract; most of the time that never even stopped him considering he would be surprised for a whole two seconds before he regained his composure.

Clay shot another round of punches, making easy work at rendering Nick open to another attack and Nick was momentarily distracted by the idea of just giving up, to throw away this foolish notion and let fate takes its course, but when Clayton lunged towards him, Nick simply replied with a simple sidekick to his stomach, doubling him over before following up with a quick rising uppercut.

His old friend momentarily winced and lashed out to make sure Nick never got the upper hand; however, this inexperienced attack knocked Nick from his balanced position and back to the wall of the house. Nevertheless, he was not about to let this opportunity pass him by and using his environment to his advantage he curled his body in on itself and back flipped onto the wall and pushed off towards his 'opponent'. The werewolf used his momentum in a creative way and jerked to the right and swung around Clay. Just as he reached his friend who was preparing to hit him Nick curled his legs into his body and dropped to the ground, changing the direction of his fall, putting the weight into his jump and into a powerful throw.

Surprisingly Clay was violently thrown off his feet and propelled across the grass. Nick himself had to look on at the situation with a look of disbelief as Clay slowly heaved himself back to his feet with a small laugh tumbling from his lips; a look of pure elation and exhilaration crossing his features considering Nick had just bested him for the first time in years and he had seriously been listening to Clay and his advice concerning his safety and the difficult task in keeping Riley safe.

"I didn't see that coming!" Clay chuckled as he strolled over to his friend who was adjusting his shirt. "Just watch your left flank, you leave that open." Nick simply nodded and laughed when Clay brought him into a hefty boisterous headlock that had the pair of them laughing.

But Nick was pulled from his tussling when he felt Clay's hands resting on his shoulder. The chilly wind was bellowing around them as the frosty air chilled their somewhat sweaty skin, but bringing a scent the pair of them were far to familiar with. Clay pointed a frantic look towards his companion, his ice blue eyes shining with concern as he understood the look of fear that he received from Nick.

"Jeremy! Elena! Get out here now!" Clayton roared, his form stomping towards the edge of the trees as his anger and fury overwhelmed him. Someone had invaded his territory and threatened the safety of his pack and he was sure as hell going to find out who.

"Clay?" Jeremy asked, his voice smooth and emotionless as usual.

"Smell the air. Its been here." Was all he said as he turned around to look at every face of his pack. "The creature has been here, and I think it's left us a message."