p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The dark brown Friesian horse thundered its hooves against the forest's floor. Its rider was forward in the saddle, egging the mount faster. He yelled and pressed his heels in to the horses' flanks. The Friesian's nostrils were flaring as it pushed itself faster, farther. It didn't let its panic set in—it kept its mind on running and the commands of its rider. The rider took a moment to turn and look behind him. He couldn't hear anything past the horse's movements and his own breaths. Anything that might have been following them was lost to the darkness of the moonless night./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Scott continued at the pace for a few more minutes. But he could already tell that the horse was rapidly tiring out. If he was indeed being chased by something as he had thought, the Friesian would need to be able to get up and go. Scott leaned back, pushing his heels into the stirrups as he pulled steadily on the reins. The horse gratefully slowed to a stop, his muscular sides expanding in heaves as he began to regain his breath. Scott reached down to give a couple quick pats to his horse's thick corded neck. He was fond of this horse, had assisted the birth all by himself. Heat radiated from the horse's skin and Scott's palm came away damp with sweat. He could feel the tension in his horse and strained to see it's ears, listening for any indication of danger./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"So as not to cause injury to the horse, Scott gave a gentle squeeze of his thighs to move in to a walk. Even if they weren't in danger he still needed to get back to the castle. Allison was due their first child any day now. He had known this mission would be cutting it close to the due date, but it was an important courier assignment that Lydia could have only entrusted to him. Especially during Stiles' absence, they all had to be very cautious about anything they did for the kingdom. Lydia was more than capable to handle everything but there was something running underfoot that was making her nervous. All of this heaped onto his soon-to-be parenthood was quite the weight that Scott had to carry. Feeling the anxiety seep in to his bones, Scott shook his head and picked up a jog. His Friesian let out a small huff but had mostly cooled down from the earlier mad dash./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Making way once more towards the kingdom's walls, Scott allowed his mind to wander in the direction of his child. They didn't know if it was going to be a boy or girl and honestly Scott didn't care. It would be nice to have a boy to carry on the McCall name but he would also love to see Allison teaching swords to their little girl. He wondered who the child would look more like. Hopefully they would have their mother's brown hair that was as rich as the soil in spring. He thought of children with Allison's button nose and couldn't help the grin that broke his face. They hadn't decided on a name yet although Scott knew whatever Allison named their child it would be beautiful and perfect. Scott was both nervous and excited to be a father. His own father had never really been in his life, leaving when Scott had not yet entered manhood. King Stilinski and Deaton had been the closest things to father figures Scott had ever known. He wanted to be the best father he could be. Scott was going to be there for his child, boy or girl, and do everything within his power to do it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Caught in his reverie Scott wasn't paying attention to the environment around him. Even without the stars to guide him, he knew the way back to the kingdom. He had traveled this route many times with this mount. There was a falter in the Friesian's step and Scott was brought back to the moment. Scott looked around, trying to see what had caused it. There weren't any loose rocks or tree roots to trip the horse in this area. Perhaps a bush rat had passed by and startled the horse. But Scott had never known this horse to be particularly frightful. He moved his heel back on the horse's flank and pressed, leaning forward and clicking his tongue to ask for a canter. The horse stalled, shaking his head against the reins. Scott frowned and asked again this time giving a bit of a kick with his other leg. A louder protest came from the Friesian and he bucked before rearing onto his hind legs. Scott adjusted to this and leaned forward to nearly hug the horse's body with his abdomen to keep from falling off. Even after grounding itself, the horse was jittery and did a half turn. Scott could feel his brow furrowing. Just what was spooking his horse?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He was so close to the kingdom at this point, he considered just walking and leading the horse back. It would take him four hours rather than the two it would have by horseback. But there was nothing he could do—his horse simply would not move. Scott dropped his left stirrup and swung his leg over the horse. He held himself up in order to pull his other foot from the stirrup. As he did so, he heard the sound that made his blood run cold. It sounded like thunder rumbling but deeper and more resounding. His horse stomped its feet and Scott started to swing his leg back over the saddle. He wasn't fast enough./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"From the darkness the shadows moved. Like liquid black a hulking mass came at Scott. It moved with speed unheard of from any creature in the forest. Before Scott could give his horse the command to move, he was knocked from his mount. Fearing for its life, the Friesian kicked clumps of mud up as it ran as fast as it could from there. Scott hit the ground hard and yelled with the familiar pain of a broken arm. He cursed and tried to get his bearings. The dark night was disorienting and Scott couldn't see a thing. His attacker was not relenting, circling Scott just out of his range of vision. It would come towards Scott for a moment before retreating back to stalking its prey. Scott reached for the short dagger on his belt. His good arm had taken most of the damage from the fall and he wouldn't be able to get much strength in a blow from it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"After a few more minutes of teasing, Scott could make out the basic shape of the thing that had attacked him. It was absolutely massive, larger than anything he had ever seen before. At first he had thought it was a bear based on the size of it. But a bear wouldn't have been able to move so swiftly. The way that it moved around Scott made him realize it was dog-like. A wolf maybe? Although there hadn't been any kind of wolf that size since the Ages of Giants. Was it an ancient monster come to collect some debt left unpaid? Or had it simply woken from its slumber and now had to satiate its hunger with Scott as the closest and most unfortunate meal? Scott felt his left hand trembling as the circles of the beast got smaller and smaller. He would probably only have once chance so he would have to make it count. The beast stopped right in front of him, showing his full size evident even in the night. Scott braced himself and gripped the dagger tightly, turning the blade broadside towards the creature. For a second, Scott would swear the thing grinned at him, flashing sharp dangerous teeth. Then it snarled and threw itself at Scott. The man yelled and thrust his dagger forward, feeling the blade make a mark as resistance pushed against his wrist. The timbre of his note changed as the burning pain of flesh being ripped filled his mind./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"—X—/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stiles blinked his eyes open. The sounds of the surf gently lapping at the beach met his ears. It was accompanied by the occasional cry of gulls overhead. He rubbed his eyes, careful not to get any grains of sand in the sensitive organs. The sun was about a quarter of the way in to the sky. But since Stiles didn't know where they were, he couldn't accurately tell what time it was. With a small sigh he pushed himself up onto his elbows. A dull ache settled in the muscles of his back and he decided a sand bed was no suitable substitute for a feather-stuffed mattress. He rolled his head on his shoulders to try and loosen the stiffness in his neck. From the bottom of his stomach, Stiles was beginning to experience a feeling he wasn't too used to—hunger./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Takahiro," Stiles began, "Do you know how to fish or gather by any chance?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When there was no response, Stiles frowned and turned his head towards the dark-haired male. Takahiro was still sleeping. His eyes were moving rapidly behind his eyelids. The normally sun-kissed skin was pale and ashen./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Takahiro?" Stiles tried again. Still the man in question did not stir. Stiles reached out to wake him, but when his palm made contact with Takahiro's skin he pulled away quickly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You've got a fever!" Stiles hissed. He looked around and realized that he was absolutely on his own. But now was definitely not the time to panic. If Stiles didn't do something soon, Takahiro may take a turn for the worst. So he took a deep breath and cleared his mind. The first thing he needed to do was get Takahiro out of the sun and then find fresh water to rehydrate his body from the fever./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stiles ignored the aches and protests of his body as he attempted to move Takahiro to the shade of the tree line. He tried to lift Takahiro and carry him, but the boy was more heavy muscle than he looked. At one point Stiles was able to get Takahiro half standing and drag him towards the shade. But the start-stop motion pulled at the wound on Takahiro's side. He whimpered his discomfort and Stiles carefully sat down on the beach, supporting Takahiro's body. As Stiles was trying to figure out how to get the last little bit to the tree line, he noticed Takahiro was mumbling in his sleep. Frowning, Stiles leaned down to hear him better. He realized Takahiro was speaking in the Eastern Language. Not only that—he was just repeating the phrase for "I'm sorry" over and over again. Stiles wrapped his arms around Takahiro's shoulders and pulled him close. He murmured small reassurances against Takahiro's matting hair./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's going to be all right," Stiles said softly. He continued to soothe Takahiro until he sank back in to his fevered sleep. Honestly Stiles wasn't sure who he was convincing more—Takahiro or himself. As he was planning his next move, his ears picked up on the rustling of leaves. His stomach dropped and his throat tightened. He turned his head slowly towards the sound, eyes falling on the movement in the tree line just a little ways away. He moved his body to shield Takahiro./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Who's there?" Stiles called, his voice holding more bravery than he felt. He swallowed hard when he realized whatever was coming towards them wasn't necessarily a "who." He stamped down his panic as the foliage in front of him parted./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"—X—/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aeria ran screaming into the cottage and threw herself at her mother. Erica dropped down and wrapped her arms around her pup, instantly shielding the child./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Aeria what's wrong?" Erica asked hurriedly. The mother brushed her daughter's slightly coarse dark brown hair. It was similar to her father's hair but still maintained much of her mother's softness. It would be good in the winter when she was fully shifted. The toddler pressed her face against her mother's legs./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Big thing outside," she whimpered, "I almost get stepped on!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Erica frowned and looked up at Isaac who had come from the other room at the commotion. He nodded while moving to the doorway. He cracked his knuckles and elongated his fingernails before leaving the building. Erica continued to calm Aeria while they waited for Isaac to return. It was just the three of them in the cottage at the time. Derek and Boyd had taken James to teach him how to track and hunt small game. They had been gone for quite some time, but there was no way to be sure when they might come back./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Erica heard Isaac before she saw him. He ran back into the cottage, his breath coming in harsh bursts./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's a horse from Beacon," he explained, "There's no rider." He turned to leave once more, expecting Erica to follow to investigate. She picked Aeria up, her small arms wrapping tightly around Erica's neck./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Once outside of the cottage, Erica could see Isaac was trying to calm the horse. The large, powerful dark brown stead was antsy. Isaac placed his palm on the horse's muzzle and quieted the beast. It huffed at Isaac, flaring its nostrils to catch his scent./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I feel like I've seen this horse before," Isaac murmured. Erica moved around the mount. She saw the Beacon Kingdom insignia emblazoned on the skirt of the saddle. If they were lucky, they would be able to identify the owner by either a brand on the horse or a family crest somewhere on the tack. She checked on the saddle and didn't find a crest on the pommel or the gullet, where sometimes the more modest nobles put their crests. When she started to look over the bridle, her eyes widened./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Mommy?" Aeria whispered, feeling the change in her mother's attitude./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Isaac," Erica let her fingers rest on a piece on the bridle. She turned to look at the curly haired male, "It's Scott's."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"His head whipped up to return her gaze, "How can that—"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Erica! Isaac!" Boomed Derek's voice from the edge of the forest. The two adults reacted immediately to their alpha's call. They watched as the hunting party came through the foliage but with an unusual quarry. James scurried in front of the two males and threw himself against his mother's leg. She reached down to settle her hand in his hair./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Derek?" Isaac called./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Get a bed ready and gather the ointments," Derek commanded in a gruff voice. A slight growl had crept into his inflection. Boyd moved smoothly across the landscape, a person in his arms. Any of Derek's pack could have recognized that dark head of hair anywhere. Scott McCall was an important liaison between the Forest Guard and Beacon. He frequently worked with the pack on patrols and through that become very close with them. It was impossible not to love Scott. He was hard working, sincere, and honest—all qualities that were extremely admirable for the pack. It didn't matter that he was Stiles' best friend, they liked Scott for who he was./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They got Scott in one of the spare beds in the cottage. He had a fever and had lost a lot of blood. But something else seemed wrong./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Derek," Erica began as she handed Boyd a jar with salve in it, "He doesn't smell right."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Derek looked up from where he was cleaning a wound on his leg. It looked like it had caught on something when he was moving quickly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What do you mean?" There was a bit of hesitancy in Derek's eyes. He must have noticed it too./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's like," she paused and swallowed, allowing the scent to lay heavy on her tongue, "Wolf."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It looked like Derek was going to be ill, "That's what I thought."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Could this have been—"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I don't know about any other packs in the area. Let alone an alpha."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""But if it was," Erica's words trailed off./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He turned his hazel green eyes on her. They shared a worried look. Even Boyd had paused in what he was doing. They were both looking towards their alpha. Derek let out a breath./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Then we have a problem."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Scott continued at the pace for a few more minutes. But he could already tell that the horse was rapidly tiring out. If he was indeed being chased by something as he had thought, the Friesian would need to be able to get up and go. Scott leaned back, pushing his heels into the stirrups as he pulled steadily on the reins. The horse gratefully slowed to a stop, his muscular sides expanding in heaves as he began to regain his breath. Scott reached down to give a couple quick pats to his horse's thick corded neck. He was fond of this horse, had assisted the birth all by himself. Heat radiated from the horse's skin and Scott's palm came away damp with sweat. He could feel the tension in his horse and strained to see it's ears, listening for any indication of danger./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"So as not to cause injury to the horse, Scott gave a gentle squeeze of his thighs to move in to a walk. Even if they weren't in danger he still needed to get back to the castle. Allison was due their first child any day now. He had known this mission would be cutting it close to the due date, but it was an important courier assignment that Lydia could have only entrusted to him. Especially during Stiles' absence, they all had to be very cautious about anything they did for the kingdom. Lydia was more than capable to handle everything but there was something running underfoot that was making her nervous. All of this heaped onto his soon-to-be parenthood was quite the weight that Scott had to carry. Feeling the anxiety seep in to his bones, Scott shook his head and picked up a jog. His Friesian let out a small huff but had mostly cooled down from the earlier mad dash./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Making way once more towards the kingdom's walls, Scott allowed his mind to wander in the direction of his child. They didn't know if it was going to be a boy or girl and honestly Scott didn't care. It would be nice to have a boy to carry on the McCall name but he would also love to see Allison teaching swords to their little girl. He wondered who the child would look more like. Hopefully they would have their mother's brown hair that was as rich as the soil in spring. He thought of children with Allison's button nose and couldn't help the grin that broke his face. They hadn't decided on a name yet although Scott knew whatever Allison named their child it would be beautiful and perfect. Scott was both nervous and excited to be a father. His own father had never really been in his life, leaving when Scott had not yet entered manhood. King Stilinski and Deaton had been the closest things to father figures Scott had ever known. He wanted to be the best father he could be. Scott was going to be there for his child, boy or girl, and do everything within his power to do it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Caught in his reverie Scott wasn't paying attention to the environment around him. Even without the stars to guide him, he knew the way back to the kingdom. He had traveled this route many times with this mount. There was a falter in the Friesian's step and Scott was brought back to the moment. Scott looked around, trying to see what had caused it. There weren't any loose rocks or tree roots to trip the horse in this area. Perhaps a bush rat had passed by and startled the horse. But Scott had never known this horse to be particularly frightful. He moved his heel back on the horse's flank and pressed, leaning forward and clicking his tongue to ask for a canter. The horse stalled, shaking his head against the reins. Scott frowned and asked again this time giving a bit of a kick with his other leg. A louder protest came from the Friesian and he bucked before rearing onto his hind legs. Scott adjusted to this and leaned forward to nearly hug the horse's body with his abdomen to keep from falling off. Even after grounding itself, the horse was jittery and did a half turn. Scott could feel his brow furrowing. Just what was spooking his horse?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He was so close to the kingdom at this point, he considered just walking and leading the horse back. It would take him four hours rather than the two it would have by horseback. But there was nothing he could do—his horse simply would not move. Scott dropped his left stirrup and swung his leg over the horse. He held himself up in order to pull his other foot from the stirrup. As he did so, he heard the sound that made his blood run cold. It sounded like thunder rumbling but deeper and more resounding. His horse stomped its feet and Scott started to swing his leg back over the saddle. He wasn't fast enough./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"From the darkness the shadows moved. Like liquid black a hulking mass came at Scott. It moved with speed unheard of from any creature in the forest. Before Scott could give his horse the command to move, he was knocked from his mount. Fearing for its life, the Friesian kicked clumps of mud up as it ran as fast as it could from there. Scott hit the ground hard and yelled with the familiar pain of a broken arm. He cursed and tried to get his bearings. The dark night was disorienting and Scott couldn't see a thing. His attacker was not relenting, circling Scott just out of his range of vision. It would come towards Scott for a moment before retreating back to stalking its prey. Scott reached for the short dagger on his belt. His good arm had taken most of the damage from the fall and he wouldn't be able to get much strength in a blow from it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"After a few more minutes of teasing, Scott could make out the basic shape of the thing that had attacked him. It was absolutely massive, larger than anything he had ever seen before. At first he had thought it was a bear based on the size of it. But a bear wouldn't have been able to move so swiftly. The way that it moved around Scott made him realize it was dog-like. A wolf maybe? Although there hadn't been any kind of wolf that size since the Ages of Giants. Was it an ancient monster come to collect some debt left unpaid? Or had it simply woken from its slumber and now had to satiate its hunger with Scott as the closest and most unfortunate meal? Scott felt his left hand trembling as the circles of the beast got smaller and smaller. He would probably only have once chance so he would have to make it count. The beast stopped right in front of him, showing his full size evident even in the night. Scott braced himself and gripped the dagger tightly, turning the blade broadside towards the creature. For a second, Scott would swear the thing grinned at him, flashing sharp dangerous teeth. Then it snarled and threw itself at Scott. The man yelled and thrust his dagger forward, feeling the blade make a mark as resistance pushed against his wrist. The timbre of his note changed as the burning pain of flesh being ripped filled his mind./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"—X—/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stiles blinked his eyes open. The sounds of the surf gently lapping at the beach met his ears. It was accompanied by the occasional cry of gulls overhead. He rubbed his eyes, careful not to get any grains of sand in the sensitive organs. The sun was about a quarter of the way in to the sky. But since Stiles didn't know where they were, he couldn't accurately tell what time it was. With a small sigh he pushed himself up onto his elbows. A dull ache settled in the muscles of his back and he decided a sand bed was no suitable substitute for a feather-stuffed mattress. He rolled his head on his shoulders to try and loosen the stiffness in his neck. From the bottom of his stomach, Stiles was beginning to experience a feeling he wasn't too used to—hunger./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Takahiro," Stiles began, "Do you know how to fish or gather by any chance?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When there was no response, Stiles frowned and turned his head towards the dark-haired male. Takahiro was still sleeping. His eyes were moving rapidly behind his eyelids. The normally sun-kissed skin was pale and ashen./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Takahiro?" Stiles tried again. Still the man in question did not stir. Stiles reached out to wake him, but when his palm made contact with Takahiro's skin he pulled away quickly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You've got a fever!" Stiles hissed. He looked around and realized that he was absolutely on his own. But now was definitely not the time to panic. If Stiles didn't do something soon, Takahiro may take a turn for the worst. So he took a deep breath and cleared his mind. The first thing he needed to do was get Takahiro out of the sun and then find fresh water to rehydrate his body from the fever./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Stiles ignored the aches and protests of his body as he attempted to move Takahiro to the shade of the tree line. He tried to lift Takahiro and carry him, but the boy was more heavy muscle than he looked. At one point Stiles was able to get Takahiro half standing and drag him towards the shade. But the start-stop motion pulled at the wound on Takahiro's side. He whimpered his discomfort and Stiles carefully sat down on the beach, supporting Takahiro's body. As Stiles was trying to figure out how to get the last little bit to the tree line, he noticed Takahiro was mumbling in his sleep. Frowning, Stiles leaned down to hear him better. He realized Takahiro was speaking in the Eastern Language. Not only that—he was just repeating the phrase for "I'm sorry" over and over again. Stiles wrapped his arms around Takahiro's shoulders and pulled him close. He murmured small reassurances against Takahiro's matting hair./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's going to be all right," Stiles said softly. He continued to soothe Takahiro until he sank back in to his fevered sleep. Honestly Stiles wasn't sure who he was convincing more—Takahiro or himself. As he was planning his next move, his ears picked up on the rustling of leaves. His stomach dropped and his throat tightened. He turned his head slowly towards the sound, eyes falling on the movement in the tree line just a little ways away. He moved his body to shield Takahiro./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Who's there?" Stiles called, his voice holding more bravery than he felt. He swallowed hard when he realized whatever was coming towards them wasn't necessarily a "who." He stamped down his panic as the foliage in front of him parted./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"—X—/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aeria ran screaming into the cottage and threw herself at her mother. Erica dropped down and wrapped her arms around her pup, instantly shielding the child./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Aeria what's wrong?" Erica asked hurriedly. The mother brushed her daughter's slightly coarse dark brown hair. It was similar to her father's hair but still maintained much of her mother's softness. It would be good in the winter when she was fully shifted. The toddler pressed her face against her mother's legs./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Big thing outside," she whimpered, "I almost get stepped on!"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Erica frowned and looked up at Isaac who had come from the other room at the commotion. He nodded while moving to the doorway. He cracked his knuckles and elongated his fingernails before leaving the building. Erica continued to calm Aeria while they waited for Isaac to return. It was just the three of them in the cottage at the time. Derek and Boyd had taken James to teach him how to track and hunt small game. They had been gone for quite some time, but there was no way to be sure when they might come back./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Erica heard Isaac before she saw him. He ran back into the cottage, his breath coming in harsh bursts./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's a horse from Beacon," he explained, "There's no rider." He turned to leave once more, expecting Erica to follow to investigate. She picked Aeria up, her small arms wrapping tightly around Erica's neck./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Once outside of the cottage, Erica could see Isaac was trying to calm the horse. The large, powerful dark brown stead was antsy. Isaac placed his palm on the horse's muzzle and quieted the beast. It huffed at Isaac, flaring its nostrils to catch his scent./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I feel like I've seen this horse before," Isaac murmured. Erica moved around the mount. She saw the Beacon Kingdom insignia emblazoned on the skirt of the saddle. If they were lucky, they would be able to identify the owner by either a brand on the horse or a family crest somewhere on the tack. She checked on the saddle and didn't find a crest on the pommel or the gullet, where sometimes the more modest nobles put their crests. When she started to look over the bridle, her eyes widened./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Mommy?" Aeria whispered, feeling the change in her mother's attitude./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Isaac," Erica let her fingers rest on a piece on the bridle. She turned to look at the curly haired male, "It's Scott's."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"His head whipped up to return her gaze, "How can that—"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Erica! Isaac!" Boomed Derek's voice from the edge of the forest. The two adults reacted immediately to their alpha's call. They watched as the hunting party came through the foliage but with an unusual quarry. James scurried in front of the two males and threw himself against his mother's leg. She reached down to settle her hand in his hair./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Derek?" Isaac called./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Get a bed ready and gather the ointments," Derek commanded in a gruff voice. A slight growl had crept into his inflection. Boyd moved smoothly across the landscape, a person in his arms. Any of Derek's pack could have recognized that dark head of hair anywhere. Scott McCall was an important liaison between the Forest Guard and Beacon. He frequently worked with the pack on patrols and through that become very close with them. It was impossible not to love Scott. He was hard working, sincere, and honest—all qualities that were extremely admirable for the pack. It didn't matter that he was Stiles' best friend, they liked Scott for who he was./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"They got Scott in one of the spare beds in the cottage. He had a fever and had lost a lot of blood. But something else seemed wrong./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Derek," Erica began as she handed Boyd a jar with salve in it, "He doesn't smell right."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Derek looked up from where he was cleaning a wound on his leg. It looked like it had caught on something when he was moving quickly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What do you mean?" There was a bit of hesitancy in Derek's eyes. He must have noticed it too./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's like," she paused and swallowed, allowing the scent to lay heavy on her tongue, "Wolf."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"It looked like Derek was going to be ill, "That's what I thought."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Could this have been—"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I don't know about any other packs in the area. Let alone an alpha."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""But if it was," Erica's words trailed off./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"He turned his hazel green eyes on her. They shared a worried look. Even Boyd had paused in what he was doing. They were both looking towards their alpha. Derek let out a breath./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Then we have a problem."/p