The measly beams of light were barely able to penetrate the large canopy of trees that overwhelmed her figure and the sprinting forms of her pack. Powdered snow was falling from its temporary perch against the bare thick branches of Stonehaven's forests while the shadowy silhouettes of the looming trees reached to grab Riley and her friends with emaciated and grotesque arms. Blades of grass, all withered and small, were protruding from the dense layer of snow that covered the ground through the winter months while tracks left by deer dominated the undergrowth as they weaved and navigated the forest.

But Riley herself was bolting through the trees, ignoring the bramble and ferns that snatched at her ankles as they hindered her tracking like ghouls reaching out for the living. She could hear the gushing of the river, the bank struggling to hold the water as the melting snow trickled to join the waters of the river that was interwoven into Stonehaven's grounds. She twisted and turned, propelling herself onwards as she forced her body away from tree trunks while stumbling over uneven ground.

She had little more than memory and her weak sense of smell to guide her for she had roamed these woodlands for the majority of her adult life. She hunted and fed on the wildlife, right up to the west of the forest and the eastern boarders that neighbored the outskirts of Bear Valley and the edge of their territory.

Cresting the hill, her pack broke free of a dense patch of needle leaves and rolled freely down the embankment, a natural landslide that served their purpose more effectively now that the ground was covered with a thin layer of ice. Riley shoved her body to the ground, her clothes catching on protruding roots and twigs as she used her hand to steer her in the right direction. Unknowingly it helped to speed her pursuit, taking a quick look to her side, her senses allowing her to observe her surroundings while avoiding any obstacles. Her pack was running with her and her sensitive silver eyes noticed Jeremy springing over a fallen log while Antonio was spinning away from a small tree.

Compared to a human her vision was incomparable. Everything was sharper and more defined than a human's and possibly even an average wolf; she could see colours a human couldn't and colours that were rich and vibrant making her realize that anyone not a werewolf would have mud-eyed vision. Riley sometimes smiled to herself when she thought back to how Jeremy explained all the perks of 'Werewolfism'. Her eyesight exceeded that of a hawk, seeing everything with microscopic detail as she looked into the invisible spectrum of light and continued on her journey.

Her gaze swept over towards the form of her Alpha, allowing him to take point and guide them past the rocky edge of the river and navigate the twisted pathways of the cliffs that travelled down to the river; her memory making her aware of the peppered trees that littered the ridge as they casted a soft shadow along the white carpet of snow, beckoning her forward to whatever situation she was to face.

She could smell the thousands of trails of moving animals, or distinguish the two different but interwoven scents of a predator stalking its prey. The animal within her stirred, momentarily distracting her as her body grew excited at the possible idea of a hunt; feeling the familiar itching of her neck and limbs as if her wolf was demanding she be let out to find the prey, to listen for its heartbeat and to track its movements. But her prey was several miles away, the good breeze and cold temperatures meant hearing the fluttering wings and heartbeats of small birds startled by her packs haste were far to easy to hear.

Riley was running like the tall-horned stag, waving his white tail in a gesture of alarm, barking as it alerted his herd as he went. Her breath mirrored his; heavy and sporadic while an even cadence that mingled fluently with the nightly chorus sung by various woodlands beasts.

The young werewolf could sense the thick canopy that hung overhead and she was acutely aware that her footsteps were becoming muffled as her path was littered with pine needles and snow; it seemed the ground was no longer as white as other areas of the forest. The trees were much thicker in this area of their territory and it was also an area they rarely ventured into but Riley could see her pack slowing and she too matched their speed. It was only when Antonio sniffed the air did her heart plummet into her chest.

Sophie was here.

And her pack was blocking her view.

Riley simply forced her body around Karl's large form, her expression emotionless as she looked at the uprooted dead tree trunk and the unmistakable form of a body lying on it's front. Riley took a few more unwanted steps forward and almost blanched as the overwhelming aroma of rancid metal and decay engulfed her; but the Doctor continued, acclimatizing to the sudden onslaught of smell as she glanced over her shoulder towards Nick and Elena whose expressions mirrored her own. Pain, fear, worry and despair.

At first, as Riley headed closer to the fallen tree, her feet crunching the untouched snow, she was barely able to comprehend the enormity of the situation. There was a human body on their ground, the FBI were literally on their doorstep and for some reason Sophie's natural scent was embedded into the trees, the ground, she could even taste it on the air. But her mind was refusing to accept that she was the woman lying in the cold snow, all manner of reason had escaped her as she continued on her journey, her body yearning to be proven wrong and this woman was just meant to scare her.

However, as the beams of sunlight shone through the canopy of trees it allowed Riley to recognize the figure that was lying on the wooded floor and the blood coursing through her veins froze with heart wrenching sorrow. She bolted, ignoring the cries from her pack as the werewolf clamored to the side of her best friend, ignoring how her blood was covering her clothing as the snow failed to carry the substance away. Riley frantically searched for a pulse, her hands shaking with emotion as her clouded mind struggled to even consider basic first aid as she dealt with Sophie. Her eyes investigating her body until she took in the three massive cuts that dissected her back.

She didn't know what to think. Dealing with the body of an enemy came with being part of the pack as burying or burning the bodies of the offending mutts was more of a duty than a life choice; but the prospect of removing the body of a close ally was something Riley could never even consider. For all she knew Sophie had been coming to Bear Valley because Riley had failed to answer her message, or she had panicked once she had heard the news about the mass grave and rushed to America to see if she could help both her friend and the officers; she was a Doctor after all. Riley knew that not to be the case. She was a devastating message, a message that was destroying her and a message that made this situation all too real.

But Riley made a fatal mistake, her eyes transected the bloody features of the woman below her and as she looked into the lifeless hazel eyes of the woman that was once her friend, Riley finally realized that she was gone. She would never see Sophie's eyes twinkling with mischief as she mocked and teased her regarding her somewhat nonexistent romantic relationship with Nicky, she would never hear her laugh or see her smile and she would never hear her utter the comforting words she always seemed to find when Riley's life was unlivable. The council and comfort she once sort and found in her friend was never to be replaced and with dark realization Riley knew her human life was over. She had nothing tying her to England or humans, she had no reason to go back and that scared her half to death because now she needed to face the harsh reality that the only life possible for her now was a werewolf one; and that meant facing her past, her emotions and her uncertain future.

The young werewolf felt someone ducking behind her and placed a comforting hand to the back of her shoulder. She didn't flinch and she didn't even look at them; her eyes were focused on the unseeing eyes of her friend. But Nick moved to her side to try and get a better look at her face. The turmoil that was twinkling within her eyes made his heart shatter as he gently moved her obstructive fringe from her features before resting his large warm hand to her cheek as he tried to get her too look at him. She briefly moved her eyes towards him before she slowly moved her eyes back down towards the woman.

"Is this Sophie?" Nick asked gently as he sat himself down next to Riley, his hand resting behind the young Doctor as it held up his figure while his torso seemed to curl around her. His voice was gentle and consoling as he witnessed the normally strong, tenacious but anxious woman freeze with grief as she continued to struggle with this emotion on her own. From one look given to him by Riley he already knew the answer to his question.

"We need to call the Sherriff." Jeremy stated, his cool voice slicing the heavy silence of emotion as each pack member baring Riley turned to look at him.

"I don't think that is a good idea Jer." Clay interrupted, his cold eyes shining with icy composure as his animalistic side outweighed the best way in protecting his Alpha and his bonded mate. "Before long the FBI will be traipsing around our property and asking more uncomfortable questions regarding our involvement."

"So you want us to bury her and pretend none of this happened?" Nick balked, bewildered by his friend's callous way of dealing with a situation that affected one of there own so badly. "This is Riley's friend, how do you think this could be affecting her?"

"A lot more if the FBI find out we're involved." Clay retorted irritably.

"Enough, Peterson needs to be informed otherwise we'll be in more trouble if we try to cover this up." Jeremy interrupted, pulling the two men from their debate and reaching for his mobile.

"Cover what up?" The familiar voice of the Sherriff sounded, his balding and overweight form coming into view as he trampled through the undergrowth. Nick fluttered his gaze away from Clay and towards the officer; not failing to notice his flushed cheeks as if the walk here had been strenuous. Not surprising considering Nick knew you didn't need to have werewolf eyesight to see the buttons straining over his ever growing stomach considering his diet probably consisted of donuts and beer.

"We've found another victim." Jeremy explained, as he remained standing, his pack remaining cold but alert as they tried to wiggle their way out of a possible interrogation.

"And you all just happened to be taking a walk all the way out here." The snide deputy voiced as his suspecting eyes washed over the seated form of Nick who was still trying to comfort an almost catatonic Riley who had yet to say anything and had refused to look away from Sophie.

"It's my property." Jeremy said before a frown overwhelmed his features "Why, is it a crime to enjoy a walk with close family and friends?"

"No, but it's a little suspicious to be walking deep in the woods, on a freezing cold day with no warm clothing." Peterson interjected as he looped his fingers on his trousers.

"To then stumble onto a body." His deputy continued, "And a body of someone one of you're guests knows."

"How'd you know we knew her?" Nick questioned, shifting his weight as he came to stand at his full height, his eyes momentarily fluttering down to Riley whose features had lost all colour; she looked like a zombie, unfeeling and unmoving and Nick's heart was breaking as he observed her suffering.

"We had an anonymous tip."

"Of course you did." Karl mumbled as he shuffled on his feet.

"Besides, a blind person would be able to see how this is affecting your 'friend'." The deputy replied, emphasis placed on the word friend as if he was still struggling to believe that Riley and Nick's relationship was anything but platonic; it seemed he still suspected Nicky and as Clay and Elena came to stand at his side he realised that his pack were also beginning to come to that conclusion.

"She found the body, how else do you think she should act?" Antonio lied; defending Riley while Jeremy's usually composed expression had a darkness creeping into the corners of his eyes.

"She's a Doctor, she's used to seeing dead bodies. She should've been more professional and not have contaminated the crime scene."

"This was her friend!" Nick exclaimed, his voice rising in volume as he took a step towards the officer "She tried to help her!"

"Well she failed." The deputy retorted, eyes hard as he smirked at Nick who was struggling to control his anger; the cool temperature of the winter air was un-affecting to the young werewolf whose rage was steadily overwhelming him. He was not aware of the rain that was beginning to clatter onto the canopy of the trees above him.

"Randall." Peterson warned as he placed his hand to his colleagues shoulder, a concerned and apologetic look passed towards Jeremy concerning his officer's lack of propriety. "Right now we need to do what is best for the victim and her family. Crime techs need to be here to try and preserve the scene."

"She needs to come in for questioning, there is no deny her involvement now, not after this."

"She's not going anywhere." Nick replied, his eyes hard and dangerous as he stood in front of Riley's frozen form, venom dripping from his words as he gained the support and confidence considering his Pack was standing at his side; obviously feeling the same way he did.

"You're just going to let her go?" Randall expressed, bewilderment evident within his features and his tone as the surprise and pure frustration started to get a hold over him.

"For the moment yes." Peterson started "Look at her, she's in shock. She's no good to anyone in this state. Give her a few hours and she'll come around."

"That's not protocol! We should be taking statements from each and every one of them! Are you going to let them get away with this again?"

"We have no evidence to make that sort of claim." Peterson warned, his hand moving to Randall's chest as he struggled to prevent his underling from pouncing on Riley and Nick.

"Sherriff, may I suggest we take this conversation back to the house to allow your technicians to adequately gather the evidence you may need. We only want what is right for Sophie." Jeremy interrupted, hoping that this may aid in calming the deputy; unfortunately it did the complete opposite.

"What so you can converse with you're friends to get your stories straight? I don't think so. I'm taking them in, both of them" Randall snapped, forcing his way past his superior and towards Nicky who simply stood his ground and blocked any path towards Riley.

"Get away from her." Nick confronted; his voice was dark while his expression lost any sort of normality. As his companions looked at him now they could see nothing of the easy going, care free joking man they had come to expect of Nicky. Now he was showing a man of strong passion as he tried to protect and stand up for the woman he cared for. To say Jeremy and Clay were impressed was an understatement.

"Are you infringing a police investigation now?" The deputy snarled, stopping directly in front of Nick as he confronted him, falling at least a few inches smaller than the werewolf. Nick could only look down at him as he tried to take a confident step towards him to try and increase his distance from Riley.

"I'm trying to stop you from doing something you'll regret later. We have no qualm with you, we've done nothing wrong."

"There's a girl lying dead on the ground you son of a bitch!" The deputy resounded before unexpectedly throwing a punch at Nick. The graphic designer simply ducked away from him, his instincts obviously on alert considering he was facing an enemy and he had been practicing with Clayton not so long ago. However, before Randall was able to recover his balance Nick literally flung his arms around the middle and forced the pair of them to the ground. Nick let out a small grunt when he felt the officer's knee move into his stomach but the werewolf simply rolled the pair of them down the small hill to try and get him away from Riley once again.

A strong punch was powered into Nick's cheek that caused him to loose his balance as Randall effectively defended himself and to render Nick defenseless. The officer got to his feet and curled his hands around Nick's t-shirt before flinging him further down the hill. The werewolf was consciously aware of how his Pack was trying to stop the fight while Peterson was calling for his colleague to see reason. Again, another punch was placed onto his cheek but this time it was different; he felt blood trickling from his cheekbone as the deputy's fist drew blood and before he was even able to retaliate a small form intersected the pair of them.

A set of emotionless cool grey eyes were shining up at him as Riley forced her small form between the pair of them. She said nothing, instead she rested the palm of her hand to the contours of his chest and pushed back, feeling his chest heaving as Riley urged him to calm down. Nick just looked down at her, her features still gaunt with grief but life was slowly moving back into her eyes. He glanced over her shoulder and towards the Deputy, Nick spitting the blood from his mouth as he felt the fresh tickle of blood moving down his cheek.

Riley once again pushed back on Nick's chest and this time made him take a step back before she placed her hands to his shoulders to turn him back towards his pack who had started to walk back to the house after instructions from the Sherriff.

"Way to go hero." Randall muttered before the Sherriff forced him away from the group and the body to make sure he called the crime scene officials.

0-0-0

She wanted to run. To throw open the door and run; to not rest until the police were gone and stopped repeating pathetic useless questions to try and make her into a suspect. But she wanted Sophie's killer caught, so sitting through a seemingly pointless interrogation and deterring the police from seeing a murderer in Stonehaven was a necessity. That still didn't deter the idea of running; she wanted to run until her legs ached and her lungs burned and to not stop but the young Doctor was unable to spare a moments energy dealing with what had happened in the last few hours.

So that was why Riley had sat and answered questions for the last two hours. She knew she had to stay and made sure the authorities understood what had conspired and if they suspected her, she sure as hell could handle it. But when they continued to delve deeper into the story, reciting the flaws, Riley knew it was going to be a lot harder to keep her werewolf status a secret, making their violation somehow more personal. She also wasn't surprised when they inquired about her and Nick's relationship and their history; apparently the deputy suspected that either Nick killed all those woman to get her attention or the pair of them had collaborated together to enact the murders themselves. It was those questions that had made her want to run, but it was only her ability to remain calm and Jeremy's demonstration of emotional control and propriety that had kept her in the room. Unfortunately it also gave her a few moments to think.

Riley didn't want to let Sophie down; if she bolted and allowed the Police to continue their investigation with only half the story and a handful of misinterpreted leads she knew she would have dishonored Sophie's memory; even if she had every intention of finding the creature who had done this too her in the first place. In life, if Riley ran she knew that Sophie wouldn't be angry, she would've understood. And that's what bothered her. Riley didn't want her to understand why she'd screwed up, Riley wanted Sophie to be proud of her, in life and death; to have the strength and courage that Sophie had always displayed to her. The Doctor knew that she was too old to seek approval from a younger woman, especially now that Sophie had been murdered, but deep down Riley knew that if she didn't conduct herself properly it would only backfire in maintaining her position in the pack; even if she was in two minds whether she wanted to stay or not.

So she had sat through the questions. She endured the conflicting and troubling questions of the Sherriff and his angry Deputy, unconsciously eavesdropping on the other officer's enquiries as they spoke with her Pack. But as she stood in the downstairs bathroom, preparing her medical supplies to clean Nick's cheek she spent even more time thinking about why Sophie was in the States. The thought of Sophie suffering at the hands of this supernatural creature was distressing enough as it was but she was finding it difficult to believe that the creature had somehow figured out that Sophie was someone important to her. She knew without a doubt that Sophie's death was a message to her; either detailing to her that something was indeed coming after her, or that she should stop hunting them all together. Did this mean that they would finish what they started all those years ago and she too would suffer the same fate as Sophie?

These dark thoughts were spiraling around her mind and it was only when she felt Nick's hand curling around the back of her shoulder did she shove her eyes to look towards her closest friend and away from the dark thoughts plaguing her mind. Again, she directed him to the edge of the sink so she was able to get a better view at his scuffle wounds. Luckily the bathroom was tiled with pristine white tiles and the lighting was bright.

"You do realize you probably shouldn't have provoked him." Riley voiced as she reached for a gauze pad, rinsed it with water and came to stand in front of Nick who was studying her movements. A very gentle smile washed to his lips as she came to stand directly in front of him, her eyes taking in the bruise that was evident on his cheek.

"I think you will find my dear Riley, that it was him who provoked me." Nick said with a smile before wincing when Riley dabbed a little too hard to the cut on his cheek. When he looked down at her he was sure he saw a small smirk etched to the edges of her lips and a small sparkle finally finding its way back into her eyes.

"Well you should have been the bigger man and put him down easily." Riley retorted quickly as she rung out the material, the water stained pink as a few droplets of Nick's blood came free of the gauze.

"Next time I will." Was all Nick said as he allowed Riley to pay closer attention on her work.

"But thank you Nick, for standing up for me." She said to him gently, again dapping at his wound but this time with an antiseptic that was starting to sting as she continued to clean the wound. Nick could only look at her, her face still failing to display any sort of colour as her grief was still to new; her eyes were still voided of emotion and she had yet to smile or even talk to anyone beside him. He realized that Sophie must have been the first person she had to mourn after the deaths of both Logan and Peter five years ago and considering the sheer impact Sophie had on her life he knew that Riley must have been taking this harder than they cared to imagine. She was shutting down and he feared that she wouldn't be back to her usual self for the next couple of days as she tried to get past the tormenting ideals that must have been plaguing her mind as she dealt with his scratched cheek.

"I would protect you any time Riley." Nick replied, pure emotion and utter passion filled his words as he pulled her hand away from his cheek and gently wrapped his long fingers around her small hand. Riley simply searched his eyes, trying to read his expression that usually came so easily for her but before long she was pulling away and clearing away her things.

"You're all done, but keep this on you're cheek. It will help with the swelling." Riley retorted, passed over an ice pack and started to evacuate the bathroom. However Nick simply reached out for her, curling his large hand around her petite wrist and made her stop. The young Doctor simply looked down to her wrist and then back up towards him.

"I'm serious Riley." Nick implored, his hands coming up around her shoulders as he turned her around so she was standing directly in front of him, her small form almost pressed against him as he tried to get his emotions across. "Any place, any time and any where, if you need me I will be there."

Riley's heart was pounding in her chest as she took in the sincerity that was shining in Nick's dark eyes, but it wasn't the seriousness that had her heart and mind screaming it was the underlying emotion that had her scrambling for some sort of hold on reality. Her best friend had just died and suddenly Nick was saying words that should have had her running to his arms, instead they made her want to run away screaming. She wasn't ready for this, she wasn't ready to face her feelings and she sure as hell knew that she wanted to talk to Sophie which was now impossible. The Doctor knew that she loved the man who was holding her; hell Sophie and Elena had demanded she tell him but with her low self-esteem and her unwillingness for things to change she was still shrieking back from her emotions.

That was why she pulled away from him, muttering something about needing some air and she bolted. She had never experienced being in love. She had the odd fling and one time she thought she was pretty close but the pure unselfish need to make sure Nick was looked after, that he was safe and happy and the complete desire to be able to be the one to make him happy was nothing she had ever experienced before.

Was what she was feeling love? He sent her flowers and paid for dinner when they were out but he had never written poetry or said anything she would class as romantic; none of the things he would normally do to woo a woman. So surely it must have been something else. Was being in love being able to finish someone's jokes, to know how they were feeling or to have complete trust in someone to have your back in a fight or to be there when you need a hand to hold? Did love mean that you know someone so well that you automatically understand why someone does the things they do and share the same perverse faith in the universe? Because if that was true, she realised her and Nick were already half way there and it was that realization that made her terrified.