A/N: Hey y'all, I'm sorry for disappearing on you! I had a rough couple of months, but I'm back now and will definitely try to update as often as possible. Please R & R.

The silence in the room was a near palpable thing. I realized that what I was doing for the enemy's child was silly and would probably get me killed, but I had never been good with kids. It hadn't mattered how many times the mutts had tried to train this aspect out of me, I simply had a weak spot for anything half my size or smaller. The high-pitched voices, frail little bodies and sweet scent that enveloped all children was something that won me over in any situation.

I wasn't sure whether or not I was fortunate that the pack did not trust me on this.

"You would tell us about your alpha... in order to gather some plants?" the voice was incredulous. I suppressed a vicious smile. I realized how it sounded. I didn't blame anyone for feeling that I was screwing with them.

"That's what I said," I agreed, waiting for an answer. The room stirred slightly, and I knew the answer seconds before Jeremy spoke.

"Clair, if you go out Elena and Nick will accompany you."

Clayton hissed angrily, I could imagine him glaring sullenly at Jeremy. I raised my chin, staring in Jeremy's general direction.

"Actually, could Clayton come with me?"

Jeremy seemed to hesitate. I understood why: there was no knowing what Clayton and I would get up to if we were left to our own devices. But this was a chance for me to show the bodyguard that I wasn't threat... This was a chance to win their trust.

I didn't know why I needed their trust.

"Do you think you could outrun me, mutt?" Clayton growled. I tried to bite back my own snide retort, but the temptation was just too great.

"I could beat you with my eyes closed, dog," I taunted. Tonio's laughter reverberated through the entire room. I picked up the woman's clear laugh, as well as the child's giggles. The only person who hadn't caught Tonio's fit of laughter was Jeremy. I could almost hear him considering my request.

"Say that again," Clayton warned in a growl. The sound seemed to bring Jeremy to a decision. All of a sudden I regretted asking to have Clayton with me. My first foray into the woods would be unpleasant with that dog watching my every step.

"Very well. Clayton, you'll take care of her. She is still our prisoner."

I sensed an unspoken warning, but didn't pay much attention to it. I was too excited to be leaving the crowded house. I hadn't had a good run since I'd been brought here, and I could feel the energy fizzing through my blood.

We set off with very little dialogue between us. Clayton, for all his growling and grumbling, seemed to relax slightly once we entered the forest. This was his turf... there was no way a blind werewolf, and a mutt at that, could beat him here. I grinned, if only he knew!

"Start changing. Once you're busy I'll change a well. Don't try anything funny, mutt."

I didn't bother replying. I went onto all fours, feeling slightly nervous. While I was changing I'd be completely vulnerable. Clayton could kill me, and there'd be nothing I could do about it. I fought my instinct of self-preservation and begun my change. the burn was all too familiar, like little bit of my skin and body were being torn from one another and rearranged.

I had never been more grateful for my shifter-clothes than at that particular moment. Clayton didn't comment, but I could hear the sound of him losing his clothes.

As part of the most murderous pack in history, I had the great honour of wearing shifter-skins. Clothes that moulded themselves to your body and changed with you.

My change took about ten minutes. I lay panting, gathering strength to drag myself into sitting position. I had never drawn a change out that long, and I sympathized with the real werewolves for facing this agonizing slow torture with every change. When Clayton reappeared from the undergrowth I growled warningly before setting off. My back prickled in awareness, every instinct urged me to take Clayton down. Turning my back on a threat went against the most basic rule of survival. But it had to be done.

The storm was setting in. already the sky was dark with cloud and the air carried the oppressive scent of rain. My limbs felt stiff with cold, but as soon as I started jogging through the woods my body began heating up.

Clayton growled several times, furious when my jogging got slightly out of hand. I kept pace with him dutifully, aching to bare my teeth and shoot into the woods before he could react. We hadn't been jogging for very long before the smell of fresh herbs caught my attention. I set of in the direction, ignoring Clayton's puzzled yips. He wouldn't be able to smell anything from this far. By not being a true werewolf I had the advantage, even though it didn't always feel that way. We jogged at a steady pace, both of us calming down a bit at being surrounded by nature. I whisked between trees and plants, rubbing against things as I went. The need to place my scent in the unfamiliar forest was too urgent to ignore. Clayton got mad after a few times and nipped at the back of my legs to hurry me along. I bared my teeth at him, warning him off before setting off to find the herbs. When we finally arrived at the place I was aware that some time had passed. The first droplets began to splatter through the trees as I began my stoic dig to the roots of the plants.

Clayton snorted in amusement. I could hear his mocking voice. What kind of a wolf dug for roots like its prey?

I ignored the sound and continued, until I held a heap of earth-covered roots in my mouth. The taste was revolting, making me gag lightly. I put them down and managed to get a tighter hold on them before gesturing that we could head back. Lightning tore through the sky as the rain poured brutally through our pelts. In minutes I was soaked to the bone and shivering. It felt so good to be out in the woods again that I didn't mind the cold as much as I normally would have. The urge to run took over and I bolted, dragging my belly low across the ground as I shot through the forest.

Clayton's howl started up behind me a he followed close on my heels. I kept to our trail, knowing that he would get the message. I wasn't fleeing, I was proving that I could beat him. We raced flank by flank, each pressing just a little bit harder, fighting to be just a little bit faster. I swerved between obstacles, every sense charged with keeping me sprinting through the forest.

Clayton began falling behind when I cleared a tree trunk in a single bound. I wanted to howl in exhilaration, understanding the sheer joy of being able to compete against another wolf. My stomach was wet with rain and mud, my muscles burned fiercely as I pushed forward. Clayton growled and sped up, but I was going full speed. The one natural advantage I had was my speed. It came not from being a fake werewolf, but from the part of me that was all wolf. I was a hunter, I belonged in the forest.

I could outrun even the most brutal warrior if I had my strength. Thanks to my rest in the cage, I had exactly that. I could feel a few wounds tear open again, but it wasn't bad enough to slow me down. The adrenaline coursing through my veins took away any pain I might have felt as I skidded to a sloppy halt in front of the house. I dropped the roots and howled my victory joyously to the crying skies. Clayton panted as he reached me, fury and slight admiration animating his dark eyes.

Jeremy was standing just inside the door. He smiled lightly when he noticed our high spirits. I huffed and stalked inside with as much dignity as I could muster. No one commented on the trail of dirt and mud I left behind.

I didn't bother to waste time changing. In wolf form I could smell how badly the poison was already affecting the child's system. Faint whimpers lead me to the living room, where most of the pack was anxiously awaiting our return. I set the roots as close to the child as I could manage, then I began chewing them. The bitter taste made me cough several times, but I continued to chew until the roots were a bitter palp.

I sniffed the wound pointedly, scratching at it until Jeremy seemed to guess what I wanted.

"Should I hold him?"

A yip of agreement. Jeremy didn't have to move, the two newcomers – Tonio and his son – moved forward and grasped the child tightly. I sniffed at the wound again, making sure I had the right spot. When they had him firmly I began applying the mashed roots to the bite. The child howled, squirming violently in their grasps. By the time I'd managed to apply all of it I had a few extra bruise on my snout and the men smelled of sweat.

The boy calmed down after a while, already sinking into unconsciousness. I wagged my tail and headed outside to change. Clayton stood in the door, blocking my way. I growled lowly, only to be surprised when he stepped aside. I tilted my head and made a beeline for the basement. It was to cold to change outside, and I was tired...

I refused to acknowledge the piercing excitement in my chest. I had been of use to Jeremy's pack. Why did that make me want to jump up and down with joy?

My change took two minutes. Two minutes of excruciating pain and I remembered why I couldn't ever be a part of the ruling pack. I wasn't normal.

I dragged my fingers roughly through my tousled locks, shivering from the cold. Jeremy's clean scent invaded the room.

"Thank you," he said softly. I tensed up, leaning against the side of the cage. He was very close again. I didn't know the appropriate response.

"He's a kid," I growled, running my fingers through my hair again. Jeremy's nod could be felt in the air between us. I blinked. He was really close.

"Are you all right? You're bleeding again," Jeremy asked disconcertingly. I shrugged uneasily.

"I haven't changed in a while. They'll heal in no time," I replied, flinching lightly when his fingers flitted over a gash in my arm.

"I should clean them up for you again. There's no point in risking infection."

I opened my mouth to refuse, but suddenly Jeremy's breath was right there on mine. The air felt charged, crackling wildly around us. I pressed my back against the cage, heat flushing through my entire body. He was too close. He made me feel out of control.

"Jeremy, I..."

"Clair," he said. I didn't know what my name meant in that moment. His lips were only barely not touching my own. I felt hot and cold at the same time. I blinked, unable to shake the heady feeling clouding my mind. Why was he so close? Why was his earthy scent so distracting to my sense of logic? Why did the heat of his body warm the entire room, and his voice make me want to just listen to him constantly.

He stayed there, so close that we were only barely not touching. I wanted to do something, to say something... I wanted to lean forward, even as my mind screamed at me to ask him to back away. I wanted to touch him even as I remembered that I was Alpha's little pet.

"Jeremy," I gasped as our lips touched. Electricity jolted through my body. Jeremy pressed me against the cage, his mouth gentle but somehow demanding on mine. I deepened the kiss, needing to feel him against me. I needed to not think, to not do anything other than feel.

His hand reached up to entangle with my locks, keeping me there, demanding as much of me as I managed to give. I gasped, feeling crowded and lost. The feeling was explosive, as though Jeremy was holding me standing there where I was, keeping me a part of the natural world. It was all Jeremy, while my mind was orbiting into outer space. Jeremy was the one keeping all of the bad out of my carefully constructed bubble of denial. He was stealing my breath and capturing that elusive happiness that I had wanted for as long as I could remember.

He was also the alpha of the ruling pack, and my sworn nemesis.

I broke the kiss, heaving breathlessly against Jeremy. He pulled back abruptly, his sudden disappearance leaving me cold.

"You should get some rest," was all he said before suddenly slamming the basement door behind him. I sank to my knees, confused and frustrated. What was going on? Why had Jeremy kissed me? The questions flitted through my mind even as I ordered myself to get some sleep. It was probably gratitude that had made Jeremy act that way.

But I couldn't banish the gnawing voice in the back of my head, reminding me that Jeremy wasn't that irrational.

A/N: What can I say, things are starting to happen. Any suggestions or constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated!