(Same day) 2:30 pm

Silence. That's what greeted her as she pushed open the door to his apartment. It had been a such a long time since she'd fully stepped into this place, avoiding it as much as possible since their little rift, but now here she was, entering the wolf's lair, her heart pounding against her rib cage, clearly expressing it's views over the stupid course of action she was now taking.

Holding her hands out in front of her face she watched as fine tremors travelled the length of them, before she gritted her teeth, fisted her hands at her side and walked into the flat extruding confidence. Only to have it crumble into fear as a familiar raven black wolf tackled her to the floor. A small 'eep' left her mouth as she stared into the heated midnight blue eyes of her 'mate'.

She stiffened as he dropped his muzzle to her neck, inhaling her scent before snarling as he picked up Diamond's unmistakable scent. Darien felt his control slipping and knew that if he stayed in his wolf form he'd do something he'd deeply regret… the world wasn't ready to know about his kind yet. Morphing back into his human form he glared down at the terrified woman pinned beneath his naked body. O.k. So maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't have tackled her to the ground like that as a wolf and maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't have snarled at her, but dammit he was so angry. A red haze seemed to cover his mind, his body tensed as if he was going to pounce on an invisible enemy.

He was quickly brought out of his trance by small fists beating on his chest, he hadn't forgotten about Serena, more that the red veil had pushed her to the back of his mind. Keeping her safe was his number one priority and that's what he was going to do.

When he spoke his words were calculated and it seemed to Serena that he was having to choke back the anger that was resonating from his body in heat waves, biting at her skin like little parasites. "I believe that I told you to stay away from that man. So why, prey tell, do I find his scent clinging to your body like a bad smell?"

"First of all, who do you think you are telling me who I can and can't associate with? Huh? You don't own me despite what you may think and I bumped into him in the street. Nothing more, nothing less."

"I don't own you? I don't own you? You're my soul mate. Whether you like or not. You. Are. Mine. And if I tell you to stay away from someone then you sure as hell will stay away from them."

"What is your problem? I mean one minute you kiss the hell out of me and then the next you're blanking me. I've got to do everything you say? Fuck you. I mean you even closed the link between us and you want to tell me that we're soul mates. Don't make me laugh Darien. The only thing we are is over."

She spun on her heel and began stomping her way towards the door, only to be jerked around to collide with Darien's naked body as by a sharp tug on her arm. She found herself stunned as she looked up stormy blue eyes that were boring into hers. A soft growl rumbled up from deep inside his chest as he re opened the link between them, becoming bombarded by her feelings of uncertainty, agony, anger, despair, confusion, sadness and more importantly love, love for him, for them.

"Oh kitten I'm so sorry…… I didn't know."

"Damn straight you didn't know. Maybe if you hadn't closed the link and had a little bit more trust in me then maybe you would have known!"

She jerked back from his embrace, her hand shooting forward to connect with his face, only to have it stopped inches from his cheek and caught up in one of his hands. He tugged her forward, placing a soft kiss on her lips. He felt her take in a shaky exhale, before it came rattling out from between her lips.

"I was only trying to protect you…… I'm sorry." "Sorry? Sorry just isn't gonna cut it Darien. You have to learn to trust me." She closed her eyes before opening them again. They were like pools of calm water, rippling in the light. "Please let me go."

With that she gently removed herself from his personal and walked out the door, leaving a troubled alpha wolf behind her. "Serena… wait!" but she just kept on walking, her shoulder tense, teeth sinking into her lip to stop herself from answering him back, hands locked in fists at her side to prevent herself from turning around and flinging herself back into his arms. She could feel his hopelessness and despair crashing into her through their link and it was killing her softly inside. But if he wasn't going to trust her then there was no point in being with him, no point at all.

9 pm (Next day)

He was staring blankly out of the window, his thoughts lost amongst the grey smog that seemed to have surrounded the whole city. It was as if the day was reflecting his moods. She wasn't returning his calls or any of the packs calls; it was if she had disappeared from the face of the earth. No one could find her and the fact that she'd closed down their link set alarm bells ringing throughout his body.

He could feel it, something bad was coming.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing dragged him out of his musings and he was grateful for the distraction. Placing the phone he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello? May I speak with a Mr. Darien Shields?"

"This is he, who's calling?"

"Mr. Shields, its Rosewood Hospital. I'm afraid that there's been a treble accident."………………