Disclaimer: All characters in this story are not mine. They all belong to Annette Curtis Klause. Except for the few that I will list later on. Thank you for reading this first

Please be aware that I'm not the best speller, writer, and definitely someone who isn't nearly as good at grammar as some of you other fellow writers. But please respect my love for writing and not to ridicule it. Please, and thank you.

Chapter Four

Will took me by the hand and dragged me to the back door. We stood on the porch looking at he forest. He stared ahead and was pondering on something. I just watched him, just to see what happened in the last moment. He was so content to show me something, and now, nothing. It wasn't hard to see that he was debating if he should show me now. I touched his upper arm, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, turned toward me.

"Vivian. Please, understand, that this is pack business and that I could severely get in trouble for showing this. It's against Gabe's orders. But you want to know what's going on, and you have a right to know since you are basically the queen. Just keep your mouth shut. Okay." He grinned at the end. "Where going to have to change. It'll be much quicker to get there if we do." I nodded and walked off the porch and started to strip. Will walked a few paces behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see him behind me. He was in the middle of pulling off his shirt. The boy was a man now with a sculptured body, complete with brood shoulders and a treasure trail. I threw my shirt aside and stopped to my pants off and everything else. I gathered all my clothes, put them behind a shrub so no one can see them. Will did the same then started to jog and change. I followed him exactly. We ran strait to the heart of the forest.

The deep heart of the mountains were we mostly just ran wild. Only thing though, pack law was that we weren't to go as far as twenty-five miles, in any direction. It was made a law after the first year we were here. In case of emergency, some of us could be hunting when we needed their aid. Nothing serious ever happened yet, but there was always a possibility.

Will ran much faster than me, as all males are faster than the females. They were built just a bit stronger than us. Will was running slower for me but still fast enough that I could only see his tail end up ahead. He was turning constantly around huge spruce trees. The trees made it seem as if it was night, but in reality it was the middle of the afternoon. Everything was dark in the heart of the forest, and everything was quite except for my breathing. I could handle running for hours at a time, just I couldn't handle the silence that was here. Usually the forest was noisy with birds chirping and singing beautiful songs. Rabbits would hop around looking for others to breed with, which is no big surprise as that's all what rabbits do, besides run for their lives from us.

The trees were starting to close in tighter now. As if they were going to ambush us in and keep us prisoners. They loomed up so high that the daylight couldn't come in, that was enough. Now they were so tight together that it was hard to squeeze though this path that Will was leading me.

I trusted Will with my life. But I was honestly scared. Where were we going? I have never been this far in the forest and I was pretty sure that we weren't in the premises that Gabe had set out. Unfamiliar territory was something that had my stomach in my knots now. I didn't care that I was with Will or now. I came to a complete stop and waited until Will noticed I wasn't behind him. Just after a minute he was sauntering back to see me sitting there on the path of his. He shook his shaggy head a bit. As he got the message that I wasn't' budging, Will came behind me pushed me with his head to get me going a little more. After a few nudges, I decided to move again. If Will was sure where ever he was leading me was safe, and if it wasn't I believe he wouldn't show me what he wanted to show me.

It was just a few more minutes before we got to a small clearing. Huge spruce trees were around the whole area where a tiny run down shack was. The wood was gray with age, no windows either and the door was heavily built wood with locks on the outside. Will quickly ran to a spruce tree near by. He changed back and removed a piece of bark which was apparently hiding the key since Will was holding keys as he made his way toward the door. He unlocked the door and grabbed something that was just inside. He threw a shirt on and jeans while he whispered just enough for me to hear if I strained my ears to catch every word.

"Do not change back. Understand. I don't want her to know who you are. Got it." Simple enough, but who was she. I nodded my head a bit. Will opened the door so he could walk in. I looked in to see if I could walk in. Apparently the small wooden shack could hold a cage. There was a small table in the opposite corner where a jug was sitting, a bag of bread with some cheese. In the cage it self was a limp body. A thin, petite body, whose hair was long, wild and dark for all I know, she was huddled in the corner until Will crouched down to her level to examine her, so I thought. After a few agonizing minutes went by, Will told the girl in a stern voice that I knew if you didn't listen there was hell to pay.

"Are you ready to pay attention to what I have to say." She moved her head to look him in the face and grinned. I was first shock to see that she was beautiful girl, or woman. The shirt she had on I recognized as one of Gabes. She struggled to stand up, and when she was on her feet she simply said in tired voice that was very quite.

"Water please." Will hardly moved to reach the jug that was on the table behind him. He passed it between the bars for her. She took the jug as if it would melt in her hands. She tipped it towards her and guzzled till the water was about gone then she passed the jug back. Will took it, placed it back then started to walk towards the door. I backtracked and went outside and waited until he locked the door again, stripped put everything away and placed the key where it was. But he put the clothes in the bag and tossed it up in the air where it landed on a branch way up high on one of the real close spruce trees. He changed back and motioned his head in away that meant 'let's go'.

It didn't seem to take as long as it did when we were going there. So many questions entered my mind as we ran back towards my house. Such as 'who was she? Where the hell did she come from? Was she a threat to me? The pack? To Gabe? To Will? Why was locked up? How did Will know where she was or was she his charge now?' So many questions I had and I wanted answers. As soon as we got to the back yard I was going to change and start to launch in these stupid questions.

Familiar trees were passing by me as I sped up just so I could reach Will's pace. I ran right past him and ran towards the shrub where my clothes were. It was at least six now, everything was dark since it was September. I quickly changed back and threw my clothes on. I stepped out from behind the shrubs and trees to face William. He changed back with pants on with his t-shirt in his hands.

"So who was she? Why was she in a cage and how come you knew where she and decided to show her to me. Was it because I'm queen or what?" William stood there after he threw on the t-shirt and jacket. He ran his hands though his dark blond hair with his attention on a fixed point on the ground. He never looked up at me for a quite a long time. I started to lose my temper. I shouted at him even though I knew he was less than three yards away from me. "Why won't you answer me William. William." Frustration bubbled thought me as my blood grew hot and coursed though me. The past six years had made impatient with some of the pack members and very patient with others such as Gabriel. William still didn't look up at me or even turn his face in my direction. Instead he turned around and spread out his arms and swung them back and forth while he walked away from me. My short temper wasn't going to last long if he was going to ignore me. I would burst and lash out at him if he didn't co-operate so. I started to shake until he turned around, stopped and stared me down.

"You have a right to know that she's kept there. She was found on our property last night. Gregory, Finn, Ulf and I found her snooping around here. We chased her down and caught her. She wasn't easy to catch either. I phoned Rudy to see if Gabriel got there. I told him that we had an intruder and what should we do. We were to take her there, in that prison until he came back. God knows when too, Vivian, she's one of us. She was standing outside your window when Ulf saw her. He miss took her as you since he only took a glance in that direction when he was going home. That's why I told you not to change when we were there." William explained. He walked towards me briskly, because as soon as he mentioned that she was one of us and that she outside my window, my knees started to buckle. What happened? William was right in front of me holding my waist so I would stand up. Was nothing right anymore? Was anything going to be the same anymore? Why couldn't I be that strong vibrant teenager I was. Not this pathetic woman I was now who depended on her man to keep her up. Not even he could be around for me anymore. He was gone and the man standing in front of me now none other than my best friend. That's if I could call him that anymore.

I was in Williams arms, huddled in his bear like hug. Trying to comfort me, knowing that it was a difficult task especially telling me that this stray was outside my window last night when Gabriel was gone, she got past the young wolves on duty to keep everyone safe and William who probably just left me. This just wasn't adding up.

I wondered if I should tell William about Aidan's phone call last night. No I shouldn't, only things would get worse if I did that. Not too mention that Esme would have a field day now. She had enough fun tormenting me about the wedding. William started to rub my back now making sure I guess that I didn't feel scared. How was I not? We started to walk towards the house when things still raced through my mind. I hated this. I just sat there when we got to the living room and after just plopping down on the couch.

William went to the bar in the corner and brought me back a whisky. I downed the whole thing right away. He passed me his which I took and did the same. Nothing made sense. All I wanted to do was just cry. But that'd be the wimp ass way. Fight? Who? The girl. I bet she had some training or something. Why on earth would she be here? I didn't recognize her at all. Was she just a stalker or something? I just had to think this all though. And when Gabriel comes back, he isn't leaving my side at all. That's all that's to it. There was going to be changes made now. And it's going to be the queen who'll make up these rules. I couldn't help it I was determined.

"Vivian. Are you alright." I heard William say to me. I could tell he was worried. He was just sitting there on the arm watching me very closely. I hadn't said a word to him since I was fuming. I looked at him; his face was ridged with worry. I smiled at him, hoping that would put everything all right for now. "You know what? I'll make dinner for you. Just sit here and watch some TV for now. Okay. I'm not going to leave you until Gabe comes back." He got up and saunter toward the opening where the kitchen was. I grabbed the remote and made the best out of it. Just relaxed for now. We couldn't do anything till Gabe came back. And then I'll do the changed.