He hated the idea of being confined to Stonehaven. Hated the very idea of staying in only a few of its rooms to find the pockets of heat from the fireplaces. Hated its endless tangles of long analogous corridors but knowing full well that he would be unable to find an area of privacy. He did not want to speak with his Pack; Clay and Karl were determined to get their point across regarding the changed circumstances they now found themselves in while Jeremy was adamant for Riley to stay well clear of their discussions. To say Riley's isolation was starting to grate on his nerves was an understatement; wasn't the whole idea of being a Pack was to work together and come up with a plan together? If Jeremy was hell bent in keeping her safe why didn't he just send her back to England?

All he wanted was to smell the calming and familiar aroma of the pine trees outside, to hear the barking of deer and the rustling of leaves. The snow had almost disappeared from their territory and all he wanted to do was run and to try and forget everything that was happening, if only for a few hours. Instead he was stuck inside, all too aware of the rising tension and pathetic bickering that his Pack was now involved in.

The werewolf begrudgingly allowed his eyes to fall over the pale blue walls and shield covered lighting fixtures as he paid no attention to his squabbling companions; his mind falling again to the constant nagging at the back of his head that symbolized the agonizing truth that he wasn't fighting for Riley hard enough. He knew his time was running out, he knew that Riley was thinking of leaving due to her segregation and he knew he needed to tell her how he really felt. Things were getting worse by the hour but with the continuous mind-numbing squabbling and the politics of their pack, ultimately he knew it was up to him to convince Riley to do something and for her to understand her dreams and put a stop to all of this.

However, he knew she was in no state to just suddenly realize what her subconscious was telling her and to storm whatever strong hold they had over here in the states. For starters they didn't even know why they were here and where they were hiding. He also knew that if she were to do this alone it would lead to her death and if he could he would make sure that she would survive this ordeal. He needed to guide her to the relevant information if he could, to try and help her in getting Bostel to talk so they could find out what he knew and technically speaking they needed to do this privately so Riley was considered vital to the Pack instead of disposable. All of these ideas were swimming around his mind but as Nick moved along the corridor that held the sleeping form of Bostel and his doctor he was abruptly pulled from his troublesome thoughts when Karl was snarling at Clay.

"The fucker has just put us in more danger. We shoulda just left him there and let them get on with it." Karl snarled darkly, his dark eyes boring into Nick's back before fluttering his eyes down towards Clay who seemed to be the only one rising to the bait.

"You mean leave him to his death." Nick uttered sarcastically as he refused to turn around to face Karl. It seemed Clayton was just as annoyed with his statement.

"Careful, if you disrespect Jeremy's orders again I won't be at fault for my actions." Clay retorted childishly, his face moving to look directly into Karl's smug expression as the trio continued down the corridor.

"Oh please, if you believed he was so infallible you would have found out what this guy knows already. Hell, I doubt leaving him in the hands of a woman who can hardly make a decision is a good idea either."

"He's been here less than a day dickhead and spent all of it comatose. What am I supposed to do, beat him till he tells us what we want to know?"

"Isn't that you're usual approach? Come on! You're too far up Jeremy's ass to ever disobey him, that's your problem." Karl grumbled as they turned the final corner. Nick shot Karl a brief look, his eyes hard with emotion as he struggled to compose himself. It seemed Clay had not failed to notice his sudden predicament and refused to comment. "Which is why you've been getting Jeremy's coffee for goodness knows how long. And you," Karl started as he pulled his attention towards Nick, the younger wolf just turned to face his elder, his sensitive hearing understanding every word and his eyes turned ice cold in the process "You have everything you could possibly want yet you leave her waiting. I would hurry up, because there're maybe other wolves that would like a piece of her."

Everything happened so fast, only a moment before Nick was calm and composed, the next his impassive features contorted with dangerous fury as the younger werewolf flung his hands to Karl's chest, shoving him to the wall as he held Karl by his throat in an unbreakable grip. Thankfully this was a move he had remembered after all those self-defense lessons he had with his father.

"You touch her, I swear to god I will end you." Nick snapped perilously, his eyes boring into Karl's as the majority of his emotions shone within his dark eyes, his voice never quivering, his hold never deteriorating as he unleashed the fury he had tucked deep down and out of sight.

"I'm just trying to do what is right for the pack."

"Oh really? Because I think maybe you have another agenda." Nick growled as he flung his hand from the other man's throat, stepping away from the werewolf. "Maybe you think that playing us against each other and putting doubt into our minds will distract us from what you're really planning. That you're so starved for power, you would step on any of us to get it. We all know you've been eyeing up Jeremy's position, to become Alpha and to then take anything you want with Riley being the first on your list. It's no secret that you're in love with her. "

"That's a lie." Karl snarled, leaning closer towards Nick who refused to back down.

"Is it? All the teasing and put downs are just your way of covering your true feelings. Weren't you saying to her just the other day that a man of your stature could give her everything she wanted?"

"She told you?"

"Of course she did. I'm not an idiot Karl." The werewolf was not surprised when he felt Clay resting his palm to his chest as he pushed him away. He was unaware of the emotions bubbling within Nick's heart, his mind falling to the various circumstances that had led Riley to intervene in the same way Clay was now.

"Nick." Clay voiced, his own eyes wide, shaking his head as to stop him. "Take it easy. We have no idea what he wants or what he's planning."

"Maybe not yet." Nick whispered perniciously "But I will find out. And when I do there will be no mercy. You stay away from Riley." He ordered, his finger pointing towards Karl, expression dark and hard before he moved into the room Riley had inhabited as he tried to calm himself down and forget everything Karl had said. He closed the door in their faces.

It took him a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness of the room. The curtains were still closed over the large window that dominated the wall in front of him and the lamp beside the bed was struggling to penetrate the darkness that was trying to overwhelm the spare bedroom of Stonehaven. As he moved deeper into the room, he could see that Bostel was still lying comfortably on the bed, with the thick duvet tucked under his arms while Riley was seated in the large armchair.

She had a thick blanket slung over her bent knees while the large ancient book detailing the adventures of Ayleth was resting on her thighs and in her hands. Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion and the dark purple bruises under her eyes symbolized to him that she had had very little to no sleep at all. Her elbow was resting to the arm of her chair at the same time as her head was leaning on her balled fist as she tried to keep her eyes reading the large swirling letters on the pages in front of her. She looked like a sorry sight and he could not stop his heart from constricting once again.

Nick just moved into Riley's line of sight, hoping his anger and his temper was back under control but as the small frown seemed to overwhelm her features he realized he didn't have that much control. The exhaustion and stress was beginning to show on her beautiful features as he moved over towards the chair positioned next to her.

"How's he doing?" Nick asked as he folded his arms across his chest, his head motioning towards their visitor as Riley fluttered her eyes between Nick and Bostel.

"He's okay. Just sleeping at the moment." Riley expressed as she closed the large book in her hands, Nick not able to remove his focus from her dejected figure.

"And you? Please tell me you haven't been up here all night? You got some sleep too?"

"I got a little."

"Oh really?" Nick asked with a knowing glint in his eyes and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah." Riley replied with a smile of her own, a smile that only got brighter when she felt Nick reaching towards her and gently resting his fingertips to the skin of her cheek. "Besides I thought it best I kept myself hidden and out of the way. Jeremy and Karl have been everything but welcoming and I think your father is still pretty angry with me regarding the guys back in England. Has anything been decided?"

"Not yet, Dad suggested we take a break as we were starting to stray off topic. I don't think he was enjoying the arguing."

"It always ends with bickering."

"I know." Nick said sadly before bringing in a large lungful of air and hurriedly changed the subject. "Has he said anything?"

"Nothing we can use. He's muttered the odd word or name but that's about it."

"We really need his help. Jeremy won't admit it but he's running out of ideas and the Pack is starting to get restless. They're demanding answers which he cannot provide them."

"I knew it would end this way." She said with a sad weak smile. "I've been trying to do some research, to read the book you found detailing Ayleth's adventures in hopes of some of our questions being answered. The only problem is that when one question is answered two or three more questions need asking. It's frustrating."

"Nobody said this was going to be easy."

"They didn't say it would be this difficult either." Riley uttered. "I mean look at this, every legend mentions Ayleth's bravery, her strength and her finesse as a warrior. The blooming woman was a dragon rider for goodness sake. How on earth am I to compete with that?"

"We don't even know if she's involved. Are you sure you're not looking at this from the wrong point of view? Surely identifying the creatures coming after us are more of a priority now than investigating whether Ayleth was real or not? Jeremy and Karl would certainly agree with me."

"I don't care if they do or don't. Deep down I know Ayleth is important and if she wasn't why is my subconscious only showing me her story? If these creatures are so damned important why do I only ever see her?"

"Riley, we don't even know if she's real, she could be made up. Hell these stories could all be made up. We both know that she is not involved in the more common stories regarding King Arthur, his Knights and Camelot. There has never been any mention of his daughter."

"We both know you don't believe that. With my dreams, my mark, my ability to read ancient Celtic and Bostels positive identification of Ayleth something serious is going on here and we are in way over our heads. Besides every fairytale, every legend is made up from some element of truth."

However, the pair were pulled from there conversation when a groan echoed around the room. A deep frown washed over Bostel's expression and as he awkwardly pulled his body deeper into the mattress he lifted a hand to touch his injured head. Riley was on her feet within seconds, moving his hands away from his bandaged skull and momentarily fought with him so she could study his eyes. His deep brown orbs struggled to focus for a few moments before recognition flooded his eyes.

"You're highness Ayleth!" He voiced, freezing at her grip as he suddenly stopped struggling, Riley just looked up towards Nick who was on the other side of the bed, his hands pressed to Bostel's shoulders as he tried to keep him confined. The older werewolf could feel Riley's eyes staring at him and as he lifted his features to look at her he knew that his expression of concern but anticipation mirrored her own.

"My name is Doctor Riley Thompson, it was my family who found you being dragged through our woods by a creature. You sustained a closed head injury before you came here. You're suffering with a concussion and a variety of scalp wounds which could be causing your confusion."

"You bare the mark, there can be no confusion." Bostel expressed, his hand pulling away from Riley and towards her collarbone, removing the fabric of her shirt to display the intricate reef that was her tattoo. "You may not know it now, but something is coming, something that has the potential to destroy civilization." He managed to say, his eyes drooping as if his words were so much effort. He was slipping from consciousness once again and the young Doctor knew that she didn't have the time to let him sleep once again. This was the first time he had properly gained consciousness and she realized this was her chance to prove her worth to her pack. She slowly placed her warm hand to his cheek, shaking him a little in hopes of rousing him.

"What is coming? Can you tell us what is after us?"

"First are the foot soldiers…" He trailed, his words slowing as he whispered, eyes drooping more and more, words coming out as merely a whisper.

"Those creatures? Are they the first? Can we expect more? Please Mr Bostel, we need to know what they are so we can defend ourselves."

"Where is my lady?" He uttered again, unknown of the frown overwhelming Riley's features as Bostel uttered words she didn't understand. Her confusion was evident on her features as she shared a brief glance at Nick again before forcing Bostel to look at her. Again his eyes fluttered towards her as he struggled to focus.

"These creatures? We need to know what they are?" Riley urged, "What are they?"

"The creatu…." He whispered his words being lost in his voice before he seemed to muster a small ounce of strength. "Gargoyles." Was all he said before he slumped into the mattress once again and drifted back into unconcisouness.

Riley simply stared at him, her heartbeat racing within her chest as her mind struggled to come up with some logical explanation regarding his identification of those terrifying creatures. How could stone statues meant to watch over and protect ancient church buildings be responsible for the deaths of so many people? But then something was also stirring in her mind. The possibility of a war between two different sides, the using of said creatures and the manipulation of different ideals.

She took a step away from the bed, some many different thoughts swarming around her mind as she tried to understand everything she had been trying to organize as her radical mind tried to come up with some sort explanation. Instead all she did was look up towards Nick who was just as confused as she was before she bolted towards the ancient book she had been reading.

"Riley?" Nick voiced as he came to Riley's side before following after her as she moved towards her desk area and frantically flicked through the book as if she were searching for a certain page. "Riley what's going on?" He asked her again, an edge of panic in his tone as his moved his eyes from Riley and towards the pages that went past showing ink drawings of horrifying creatures or ancient runes. Again Riley refused to answer him as she slammed her hand to the page she wanted and then bolted from the room. "Riley!" Nick bellowed as he ran to keep up with her, swinging around the doorframe to see Riley was already jogging down the stairs with a distracted expression.

Nick in return just sprinted down the hallway, his long legs propelling him after Riley. He jumped down the flights of stairs, careful not to bash himself against the banister as he veered to the right, down the slim corridor and towards the kitchen that held his Pack who was preparing to reconvene their meeting. Nick could see Riley's flustered cheeks as she prepared to discuss whatever brainwave she had just had with her pack, but as he came to stand next to her he realized that none of them were taking any notice of the pair of them.

The warm lighting was illuminating the busy faces of their Pack; Elena was brewing multiple mugs of steaming coffee, Clay was brooding over various pages of the medieval literature they had been forced to study while Jeremy, Karl and his father were struggling to keep their private conversation private as their voices began to carry around the room. Riley however had had enough of being ignored the slammed the book to the table top, rattling the empty mugs and plates due to the force of her blow. Elena was unable to stop herself from jumping considering she hadn't been expecting to see Riley away from her patient, but the hard stares she received from the others would have made Nick turn tail and run. But Riley was far more stubborn than anyone else he knew.

"Riley, I hope you have a good enough reason for interrupting our meeting when the man upstairs is supposed to be in your care." Jeremy voiced, his tone even and unemotional as he continued his facade of authority.

"I know what they are." Riley replied, her annoyance evident in her voice as she watched Jeremy flutter his eyes between the pair of them before he settled on Riley again.

"Really?"

"They're Gargoyles." She continued, sliding the book at the relevant page towards him, watching as the rest of her pack crowded around him, looking over his shoulder in hopes of trying to understand how she had come to that conclusion. Unaware that Bostel had given her the positive ID. "Bostel was awake long enough to tell us what they are." She said with a shrug. Nevertheless she started to inwardly squirm under Clay's penetrating stare as if he was looking right into her before a small smile washed to his features.

"You've had a lot of time to think about this. He only confirmed what you theorized."

"I have had my suspicion yes." She replied with a shoulder shrug.

"I always thought Gargoyles were good? Like protectors." Antonio voiced as he moved his eyes from the book and towards the Doctor.

"And I think most of them are." Riley started. "But apparently centuries ago something happened that split them into two sides. The side of the good and the side of the dark." She started.

"What have you read?" Antonio asked as he moved into a seat next to his alpha.

"Back before Arthur and Merlin, Gargoyles were considered a whole race of their own, very much like werewolves and witches. They were known to have incredible strength, were fantastic thinkers and were the best at surviving. Many people searched for any signs of the mysterious Gargoyles as they were very secretive, kept themselves to themselves and had the extraordinary ability to keep themselves hidden."

"But let me guess, there was a war." Karl said as he raised his dark eyebrows. Riley simply nodded.

"The Great War." Was all she said.

"What happened?" Elena questioned, slowly falling into a seat close to her, her steaming mug of coffee pressed into her hands almost forgotten as if she was transfixed with the story.

"There were two factions of the Council of Magi. Those who studied the magic of the mind, so telepathy, clairvoyance and telekinesis while the other faction practiced the physical arts which I believe are the ancestors of the witches and sorcerers we know today."

"And what was Merlin? A physical?" Clay asked.

"I don't know." Riley expressed with a disheartened smile "But the legend only goes into detail about the original eight stewards of magic who were considered the more experienced and well versed in their chosen magic field."

"So they could be considered coven leaders or elders." Elena asked again.

"I believe so." Riley said with a nod. "But one of the stewards, Bricius who practiced coercive persuasion, so part of the magic of the mind faction, was tempted by the darker, more powerful side to magic. He thought the Council were holding him back by keeping certain spells and incantations hidden from him or by refusing him apprentices and special tasks. He demanded they give him everything regarding mind control to be given to him so he was to become the elder in that area. When they refused he tried to practice his magic on them to give him ultimate control of the Council. Some who were not as strong in mind fell to his manipulation but most of them stood against him and threw him out of the order."

"Big mistake." Nick uttered quietly from Riley's side.

"The Stewards knew the Bricius wasn't going to go without a fight so they realized that they needed to protect themselves and their protégées, and that was where the Gargoyles came in handy. The Gargoyles though remained hidden and out of politics found themselves in a tight spot. One of the neighboring kingdoms was invading their land, locating and killing whatever was different from their own kind, which ultimately meant that gargoyle numbers were being decimated. One of the Stewards trainees had heard of a super secretive and protective race and asked his master whether he could try to locate them."

"I take it he did." Clayton voiced

"He did and he also managed to convince one of the leaders of the gargoyles known as a Chieftain to join them as their protectors. To work for the Council of magi and protect them."

"Surely those beasts were out matched by Bricius's strength and magic."

"They were, and the Stewards realized that. Now he was on his own Bricius also tried to learn physical type spells too so he could attack them when he was ready. So the Stewards cast a variety of spells enhancing the Gargoyles strength and abilities. The book details a specific weapon that bought their victims to their knees mirroring that with the work of the devil. Apparently people affected by this Gargoyle weapon were found with their blood turned black and their flesh blistering."

"The venom?" Antonio expressed, half questioning half knowing.

"That's what I assumed. So many of these Stewards and their high apprentices came together to create the strongest of Gargoyles in hopes of warding off evil, unaware that they had made this once peaceful race into horrifying war machines."

"What happened to Bricius?" Jeremy questioned.

"He found out what his old colleagues were up to and started to form a plan of his own. From his research at the Council he had heard of the ultimate spell that could brainwash high numbers of individuals, meaning he could cast a spell and manipulate many individuals at any given time to fight for him. He was afterall the more experience Sorcerer to practice in mind control magic. Nevertheless, it seemed his ability to control their minds was far easier than he expected due to how unhappy the Gargoyles had become."

"The Stewards had enslaved them." Elena said, knowing Riley's answer before she could continue.

"The chieftain believed his people were being mistreated as they had to face discrimination and prejudice on a daily basis. They were confined to inappropriate and unsanitary accommodation and the Stewards starting going back on the promises they originally stated. Many individuals believed the freedom they once had had been taken away from themo. It was these Gargoyles that were eventually enticed by Bricius and succumbed to the darkness and agreed to fight on his side. But Bricius was clever and when the Gargoyles were caught of guard he cursed them, cursed to obey a sorcerers every command."

"His strongest magic." Nick expressed again.

"That's right. That meant it was within their nature to obey their masters despite the consequences; and to make sure the sorcerer had complete control of the Gargoyles they turn to stone during the day and are forced into hibernation if they fail their masters or are of little use to them at any given time."

"But what about present day? Is there any recorded sightings?" Clay questioned.

"The last recorded writings about Gargoyles is entwined with Arthur Pendragon's story but how they became slaves to Morgana and Faucon is not detailed."

"How did you come to know all of this?" Jeremy expressed as he looked towards Riley.

"You've left me alone for a long time. I've had the books Nick collected from the Library to study and this particular book goes into a lot of detail in regards to Ayleth and her adventures. I also had other lines of inquiry." Riley said recognizing the familiar look of knowing washing to her alpha's features. She knew that he suspected her dreams had something to do with it, but as he took in the confused expression of his pack except Nick and the anxious look on Riley's face he wasn't about to call her up on it.

"Has Bostel said anything else?" he asked, quickly changing the subject as he looked down towards the book page in front of him.

"Not yet, he's suffering with a concussion and hasn't been able to stay awake any longer than a few minutes. I'll keep monitoring him."

"Good. Riley, I would like you to continue researching these creatures with the help of Nick, Elena and Clayton. Antonio and Karl I suggest you take another look in the area that you found him to see if any other Gargoyles have invaded our territory or if there are any tracks that may lead us to a hidden hiding spot. But, I suggest you do it during day light hours because if Riley is right it means they will be Statues for the next few hours."

"Do you think we should get hold of Paige again? To see if she has any information regarding Bricius?" Elena asked as she moved her attention towards her alpha.

"There would be no harm in trying Jer." Antonio imputed.

"I think that's a good idea." Jeremy said as he nodded his head. "Can you take care of that Elena?" He finished, watching as she nodded her head before turning his attention to the rest of his pack that were starting to dissipate to complete the tasks he had given them. Riley could feel Nick's warm hand coming to rest on her waist, giving her a small proud smile before following after the other two that were heading towards the study. Riley was just about to follow them just as Jeremy managed to get hold of her attention, bowed his head in thanks before he too left the kitchen, leaving Riley alone to think about what they had just discovered.