He stood at the fireplace, his dark eyes absorbing the burning heat that was given off by the curling and swaying flames burning in the hearth. His fingers were grasping hold of the mantelpiece; the wood adjourned with decorative ornaments and crinkled photographs of the bedroom's owner and her family. The wood crackled and burned giving off an intense heat in hopes of staving off the cold from outside, but sadly, the atmosphere of the room was anything but warm. He was back in the comfort and safety of Stonehaven but his mind was plagued with the dire circumstances that had overwhelmed his home in regards to the latest excursion away from his territory. For hours he had inhabited the room, not finding the strength or the want to leave in hopes of Riley rousing from her unconsciousness. His heart would not allow him to sleep for images of her bleeding form would plague him if he slept.

The darkness of the night was taking hold of the room as Nick continued to gaze into the burning flames whilst Jeremy continued to monitor Riley's health. He was casting a long shadow as his clothes warmed at the intense heat from the flames, all the while hearing the tinkling of water dropping into a basin of water as Jeremy continued his diligent work in keeping Riley's wounds clean. He was getting bored of his pack advising him to get some sleep; he would sleep as soon as Riley awoke.

The blossom tree's branches clicked against the bedroom window, the tips of the branches reaching out like the emaciated fingertips of an old witch casting a hypnotic spell on her victims; if he stayed really still his sensitive hearing could pick up on the howling wind that navigated Stonehaven's grounds. It was only then that Nick decided to take a seat in the armchair that Riley loved so much, nestling deeper into the lushness of the chair. His cotton nightshirt had never felt softer against his skin; the room was silent except for the occasional crackling of wood in the fireplace a few yards from the bed.

His mind fell back to the situation at hand. Now they knew they were up against Gargoyles; that in itself bought with it its own problems. Their venomous weapon was life threatening, a battle that both Riley and Clayton had had to deal with. But due to the Gargoyles unique weapon it also meant they couldn't find a biological treatment as their poison was able to withstand any medical treatment Riley or her colleagues created. They also had a problem in finding who was controlling them. From the literature they had discovered they were under the control of a sorcerer, one whose soul intention was bringing about the next apocalypse, and one they still hadn't been able to identify. It seemed that Karl's contact had done some digging of his own and managed to find a clan of Gargoyles residing in Sydney Australia, but they were only a few individuals and seemed to act like a cult. Could that mean that these creatures took up residence all over the world but were only factions of a bigger group? If that was the case they seriously needed to find the hive and destroy it. Maybe that was the reason they had awoken in the States; was it because they had sensed Riley's arrival?

But with the introduction of another threat in the form of their usual enemy how much more could be thrown at them and were the mutts involved in this situation too? They were the reason Riley was left comatose after her ordeal, suffering with life threatening wounds, his pack were left to interrogate the mutt in the cage in the basement and then there was the prospect of another attack from the creatures that had taken Riley's best friend and seemed to be settling in their forests. Man he wished he could have gone for a run.

He moved his eyes to the beautiful woman encased by the expensive linins. She was shaking like a leaf despite the comforting warmth of the room. Even after layering two extra blankets onto Riley, she was still trembling uncontrollably. Jeremy assured him that it was due to the quantity of blood she had lost but he couldn't stop a large range of emotions spiraling around his form as he watched her physical plight; anger, despair and fear. His nerves were shot and soon the rage and fury began to build in his heart. Nick sat there, still as a statue as he watched Jeremy redressing her hand, careful to clean away at the nail that had been removed during her fight with the mutts before attending to her stomach. He gently cleansed the skin surrounding her injury and started to apply his new dressings and placing them carefully to her gunshot wound. Nick waited for Riley to respond to the pain but she did not move. His stomach dropped at her lack of response and it was only then that the whole of Riley's character seemed to dawn on him. At times she could be insecure and submissive, but due to her dangerous upbringing she was first and foremost a warrior, a woman who was loyal to those she loved and set about doing the right thing, even if that meant getting herself hurt or letting go of the things she cherished most in the world. It was these ideals that only now she was starting to show them.

The fire snapped again, causing Nick to stare at the dancing flames. He promised to himself that no matter how hard her recuperation or how long he had left in this world he would love her till the day he died. He prayed that Riley's life would be spared, for she certainly didn't deserve to die, not when she still wanted to do so much. She had to uncover the secrets of her dreams, she had to prove to the world what she was capable of and she had to live the life she was so desperate to have.

The thought of loosing the one woman he had ever come to care for was unbearable and incomprehensible. Riley was always there for him and it was her support that he relied on. She couldn't leave him, not now when he needed to tell her so much, the raw emotions were too strong for him to hold back the tears and slowly he felt a few slipping from the corners of his eyes. He quickly brushed the backs of his hands over his face. He couldn't cry now, not with Jeremy in the room, but it was these realizations that made him seriously think about his life. He loved Riley, more than anything in the world, and now that she was fighting for her life, now that he was faced with the very real possibility that he could outlive her he needed her to part this world knowing that he loved her.

0-0-0

"Come now, Riley." Jeremy coaxed, his frustration starting to get the better of him. "You can't rely on the IV to feed you, you must eat something." He insisted while trying to feed a bed-ridden Riley some soup.

Nick in return was simply standing by the large doorframe that lead towards the balcony, his heart heavy as he watched the forest bustling with life and energy before him. He watched as his father dealt with the mutt's body whilst Elena and Clayton tried to make sense of what they may be involved in. Nick wouldn't be surprised if Clayton had spent a great many hours down in the basement. He always treated their guests so well.

But in her agitated, semi-conscious state, Riley moaned and turned her head away. She refused to eat anything Jeremy was forcing her to eat and the bowl of warm tomato soup was being left uneaten. His numerous attempts to spoon feed Riley had turned out unsuccessful. Jeremy tried to convince her to eat, but spoken language meant very little to the Doctor. The young patient often grumbled in annoyance when Jeremy put anything edible to her lips. Whether it was meat, bread, soup or fruit; Riley refused to eat. All she wanted to do was sleep. Poor Riley had barely eaten a single mouthful of food since she was shot five days ago.

"Riley, you need to keep up your strength." Jeremy said in an exasperated tone. Riley's only reply was a soft moan before resuming her deep sleep. "Alright, that's enough for now, we'll try again later." Jeremy uttered before collapsing into the neighboring chair close to her bedside.

Jeremy looked over towards Nicky, his tall robust silhouette standing in the doorway, the light of the day streaming over his figure made his desolate expression shine even more fervently as he struggled to deal with and accept the situation at hand. The alpha didn't blame him. He knew that Riley's dangerously sick appearance frightened him. If it weren't for the shallow rise and fall of her chest, one would have thought she had perished. The blood loss really did have negative effects on her. Her skin tone was ashy and grey, dark circles that collected under Riley's eyes did not help.

"How long can she go without food?" Nick questioned, his voice horse with emotion as he continued to look out of the window.

"The basic nutrition is provided to her via the IV solution, I would just feel happier if she took some solids. It's a sure sign that she's getting better if she does."

"And is she? Is she getting better?" Nick asked again, this time turning to face his alpha, resting his back to the wall as he clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes tired for he had gotten very little sleep the last few days.

"Right now she's sleeping, that's the best thing for her."

"I shouldn't have let her go. Knowing that this whole thing revolved around her we were stupid to not think that there could have been other interested parties."

"We had no idea just how big this situation really was. Yes, we were stupid to assume that we could keep this quiet, especially after the motel was discovered. But, we also couldn't begin to imagine that others could know of Riley and her tie to Arthur and Ayleth. We still don't know how closely Riley is involved with Ayleth. Bostel will only speak with Riley, even though he seems to be getting on well with your father." Jeremy finished with a smile.

"And all this time she thought she was worthless."

"She has been and never will be worthless. She showed a remarkable strength these last couple of days as she did the only thing she thought she could. She ran and hid waiting for you to find her. I have no doubt that she knew she would have to confront them and in the end, after putting up a good fight, she succumbed to their strength. Gus Strangford has been high on our list for years; none of us would have guessed that it would be Riley to capture him. I was wrong to keep her hidden and protected. It's time we started treating her as part of the Pack instead of just the liaison between the States and the UK."

"I hope Clay gets that memo."

"Clayton is a warrior, Riley just has to prove that she can stand up for herself in a way that he sees fit. I know that she has nothing to prove to the Pack, especially when it comes to Elena and yourself, but with Clayton she needs to win his respect, actions speak to him more than words."

"I think we all need to be honest with her."

"What do you mean?"

"She was looking after me, but I wasn't look after her. It's time that changed. Now's my chance to tell her how I really feel, about what I want from life, all my hopes and dreams, they revolve around her, and it's only now that I understand that. I won't let another day pass with her not knowing just how much I need her. I guess the only reason I haven't told her already is because I worry she won't believe me or she doesn't feel the same way."

"I can guarantee you she does. How else do you think we would have gotten her out here? It was only when you asked her too did she say yes." However, before Jeremy or Nick could continue their conversation there was a quiet knock to the wooden door that kept the rest of Stonehaven away from the room. Nick just fluttered his eyes towards Riley and then his Alpha as he turned his attention towards the entering form of Clayton.

"I didn't want to interrupt." He voiced as he moved into the room. "It's just Strangford had regained consciousness. I thought it might be worth Nicky coming down to help me get some answers.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Nick voiced with a weak half smile.

"I understand you want to be here with Riley, but a change of scenery may be good for you." Clay continued.

"That's not why I said it. I fear that if I see Strangford I won't be responsible for my actions." Nick finished, relaxing when he saw the large smile that washed Clayton's features.

"More of a reason to come down."

"I'm not like you Clay, that's not how I operate."

"Clayton's right though Nick. Strangford may open up more to you considering your close relationship with Riley. I would strongly suggest you think about going down there."

"Not going to order me?"

"Not over something like this." Jeremy finished with a rare smile of his own. "It's your choice." Nick just looked between his alpha and his oldest friend. He knew they were right; he was the only one who could make Strangford see Riley as a human and not an enemy, maybe he could head down for at least a few minutes.

0-0-0

For most basements this wasn't particularly a bad one. Most of the time people associated a basement with a secret torture chamber that had moss growing on the walls that were dripping with condensation and years' worth of dirt that hadn't been cleaned in centuries. But for Stonehaven their basement acted as another room, a room with the cage.

Nicky was proud to admit it but he had never been confined to the cage, and neither had his father. Elena had spent her first few weeks as a werewolf in the cage for her own safety whilst Riley was placed inside when she was first found; back then the Pack didn't have reason to trust her. The room below the house held years worth of Pack history as the family trees of every Pack werewolf could be located down here, along with all the mutts that they had been tracking or had destroyed over the years. This was the biggest depository of information and with the off chance that Stonehaven would be taken, this room would be the first to go up in flames.

Nicky could hear his shoes clicking against the stone steps as he followed after his friend, Clayton's overbearing form moving down the steps with ease. He followed him into the room, moving around the large table that was littered with old papers and books that Elena had been studying. Inside the cage Stangford had his hands bound behind his back, his shirt having been removed while several lacerations and bruises littered his skin. It seems Clayton had been making friends.

"Mr Sorrentino, I was wondering when Clayton would ask for your help." Stangford expressed, a large forced smile placed on his lips as he tried to intimidate Nick. Nick just smiled at him, leaning his hips to the back of the table as he folded his arms across the chest.

"Yeah, well, it must be my boyish charm." Nick grumbled as he looked at their prisoner. "Now tell us this. Why did you attack Riley?"

"Because I felt like it."

"Remember who you're talking too." Clay warned as he grasped hold of his electrical cables.

"Don't let my calm exterior fool you Gus."

"Is that your perverse way of saying that the lothario of the pack, the push over, and the joker actually has a personality?"

"And he wants answers, so I'll ask you again, why did you attack Riley?" Nick replied, his voice eerily calm as he ignored Gus's snide remarks.

"You know I'm a little disappointed in you Nicholas, hiding behind your bodyguard, getting him to do your dirty work."

"We both know that Clayton gets the job done. I'm not one to get my hands dirty."

"Oh I know, you prefer to have your hands and mouth busy." Gus smiled, taking a few steps closer to the bars of the cage, ignoring the growling emanating from Clays mouth as Nick continued to stand their, calm and composed as he looked down towards the ground with a smile on his features.

"Used to." Nick said with a smile before looking up towards him. "But you're just as much of a disappointment. I've heard stories of you Gus, pillaging small villages, raping woman or biting children. You've had us chasing our tails for years. So why is it that our smallest pack member manages to completely destroy your hand but also catch you using human weapons? Not very wolf like now is it?"

"Some werewolves don't deserve an honorable death, but it's because of my hand that I am forced to belittle myself by using weapons."

"So you wanted to get your own back on Riley for screwing up your hand by killing her by a human method? Had you been a little stupid I would accept that. But we both know you're far too clever for that. You're working for someone, someone who wants Riley. Why?"

"I have heard some pretty fascinating things about Doctor Riley Thompson, I thought I would grab her to get a taste. Have you tasted her yet Nick?" Gus smiled, watching as Nick began working his jaw as Nick struggled to compose his emotions.

"Who are you working for Gus?"

"Lets just say I'm working for a man who knows about Riley's connection with these creatures that are suddenly attacking supernaturals and the secrets that she's holding in her mind. He will get them even if he destroys you."

"So he has no ties to these creatures?"

"Hell, I don't even think he knows what they are."

"Then it seems you have no more use for us now." Nick voiced as he pushed himself away from the table and started to move away. "Unless you're willing to give us his name."

"Ha! No matter what you do to me I'll never tell you. Then again, if you bring me Riley, I may talk a little more."

"You and I both know that Riley is in no state to talk. Had it not been for you she would be down here herself, but your associate made sure that she couldn't talk let alone walk. It is because of that reason that you'll never leave Stonehaven."

"You don't have the stomach to kill me."

"God knows I want to. But yes your right. You're not worth my time, so you'll have to excuse me but I have other matters I need to attend to." Nick finished, nodding his head towards Clayton who nodded his own head and watched his companion leave. By the time he was up the stairs and had closed the doors, Strangfords screams resonated the walls of Stonehaven.