A/N: I own nothing but Reyna! So here's yet another chapter for you all to enjoy. Don't forget to review!

PROTECTION

The next week, Tsunade had them back on missions and their newest mission sent them to the neighboring village to pick up some important files. Reyna and Kakashi were heading out from Kakashi's apartment only a couple of minutes late. There was a strong wind that day in the village and Reyna took a deep breath, thinking that she would savour the scent of home. It took her a second to filter out each individual scent and in her second inhalation; she picked up a scent that didn't belong in her world.

A shiver ran down her back and she shifted closer to Kakashi as the scent registered in her mind. The Leaf Pack's Beta was in the village and fairly close based on how strong his scent was. With each stride she shifted closer and closer to Kakashi as they got nearer to the source of the scent. The closer that they got to him, the more she started to growl under her breath. Finally Kakashi glanced over at her and noticed the hard look in her gaze and her growling.

"Reyna, if you get any closer to me, you might as well just stand on my foot," Kakashi muttered lightly.

"Sorry," she muttered in reply, but didn't move any further away from him her voice a growl.

"What's wrong?" he asked a couple of strides later when the tension he was picking up from her increased again and the growl grew in volume.

"The pack beta is in the village and we're getting closer to him," she muttered, her eyes shifting restlessly around their surroundings.

"He's not getting close to you, Reyna and if he tries anything he deals with me, contract or no contract," Kakashi responded.

Reyna nodded and they continued walking shoulder to shoulder. It wasn't long before the beta stepped out in front of them and Kakashi froze for a second. The beta stood around 6'2" of solid muscle with honey blonde hair and sky blue eyes. He crushed the small hint of jealousy that surged through his body and faced the beta shoulder to shoulder with Reyna.

"You're coming with me, Wolf-girl," the beta snapped at her, completely ignoring Kakashi's presence.

"No, she is not," Kakashi replied, managing to keep his voice cool and collected even as he felt a slight shiver run down Reyna's body.

"What the hell do you think you're going to do about it?" the beta snapped, eyes fixed hungrily on Reyna.

"Kick your ass right out of this village. You cannot attack, claim or take anyone from the village or anyone heading into or out of the village without their consent."

"I don't hear any arguments coming from her."

"The village is my pack. I will never want to be a member of a pack that treats their members or their females in such a disgracing manner," Reyna snarled, barely contained rage evident in her voice.

"Fine, but keep this in mind…I will have you. You will be my mate and you will beg me to take you as such."

As the beta turned to leave, Kakashi pulled his fist back ready to deliver a blow to the back of the man's skull, but Reyna's hand on his arm stopped him and he glanced over at her. She shook her head at him.

"It's what he wants you to do," she muttered, standing on her toes in order to whisper the words in his ear so that the beta wouldn't hear her.

They continued down the street to rendezvous with their team. Without a word to Naruto and Sakura, Kakashi walked past his students and started down the road. The two students looked between each other and Reyna who remained just as silent and tense as their team leader. Quickly the two of them jogged off to catch up with Kakashi, Reyna a half a stride behind them.

When they made camp for the night, Reyna settled in against a tree. Kakashi had finally started to relax and explained the mission to the rest of his team although even Naruto sensed that he shouldn't question too much about what was going on with Kakashi at the moment. Reyna glanced up when Kakashi dropped down to sit beside her.

"What would it take to get this over with?" he asked.

"Basically the only way to get a wolf to stop stalking another one that they want as a mate is for that wolf to be mated to someone else."

"How does that work with you? You just renounced the pack to the beta."

Reyna shrugged, "I don't know. He will definitely report that to the alpha, but I don't think it's going to stop him from trying to get me as his either."

Neither of them realized that Naruto and Sakura were sitting with rapt attention, listening to their conversation. Suddenly Kakashi's bad mood became clear to Sakura and Naruto. They had both come to the realization that there was a lot more between their two Jounin team mates than friendship. The two shared a look and slowly retreated from the others to let them discuss the issue alone. If they needed help, both students knew that they would ask for it.

Kakashi continued never realizing that their conversation had been listened in upon up until that point, "There has to be a way…"

Reyna shrugged, "The only thing I know of is if I were mated to another, which isn't going to happen."

"Has a wolf ever been mated to a human?"

Reyna nodded, "My mom. She was an ANBU agent for the Leaf when my dad managed to take her. She wasn't a wolf. She was one of the few Leaf Ninja who knew about the contract and the pack; in fact she was really good friends with the alpha which is why she knew that he would take me in regardless of who my father is. She was mated to my father, had the mate mark and everything. I'm not sure if a human can mark a wolf or not, but it has as much to do with scent as anything else. Mates are together so much that their scents intertwine. My mother smelled like her, but also carried my father's scent as well because they shared everything. My dad would probably even still smell like her, but that has more to do with the fact that he carries her blood. My scent is a combination of theirs as well as my own unique markers. It's complicated."

Kakashi nodded, "I think I understand enough of it. Out of curiosity, do I carry your scent then since we've been spending so much time together and you basically live at my apartment?"

"I never really paid attention," Reyna muttered before leaning closer to him and sniffing his shoulder and neck before nodding, "Yeah, you do carry my scent on you. Your clothes, your skin, even your hair."

"All I need to know," Kakashi smiled. "Now get some sleep. I want to make the village by noon tomorrow so we can head back home as soon as possible."

Reyna nodded and laid her head back against the tree as Kakashi regained his feet. He took watch for the night, his mind formulating a plan that he was seriously hoping wouldn't end up with him breaking a contract with the Leaf Pack and the Village.

The group did reach their destination by lunch the next day, but the papers that they were to pick up and return to the Leaf were not going to be ready until the following morning. The group found a place to stay for the rest of the day and the night and made plans to meet for breakfast the next morning before picking up their package and starting for home again. Naruto and Sakura headed through the village to explore and see what they could find to do, Sakura promising to keep Naruto out of too much trouble. Kakashi kept Reyna close by him, just in case the beta had decided to follow them and try to make good on his threat. The team retired to their hotel early that evening and by mid-morning the following day, they were back on the road heading for the Leaf.

They reached home just as the sun was starting to set, Kakashi setting a hard pace for his team since he had to find a way to get an audience with the pack alpha. He sent his team home, heading for the Hokage's tower alone, not even letting Reyna accompany him. Confused and slightly insulted, Reyna headed instead to visit Iruka at the academy. She kept their conversation light, not mentioning anything to him about the beta or anything that had happened between her and the pack.

Kakashi slipped into the Hokage's office when he was called and stood before Tsunade, papers in hand, "Lady Tsunade, our mission was a success."

"Excellent, but you didn't have to deliver your report and the package in person. You could have dropped it all off at the mission desk, Kakashi. You know that," Tsunade glanced up at him from her pile of papers.

"Yes, I do, but I needed to speak with you about something and set up a meeting with the pack alpha and myself."

Tsunade raised a brow at that, "Alright, now you have my attention. What's going on with them now?"

"The beta paid a visit to the village before we left the other day and threatened Reyna. I may have a way to get the pack to back off but I have to meet with the alpha myself."

"Explain."

"He vowed that he would have Reyna as his mate. I got some information out of Reyna on our trip and it appears that the mark isn't the only way to tell if someone is mated to another. It has a lot to do with how entwined their scents are. Since Reyna and I have spent so much time together since the issues in the Sand Village, her scent and mine have combined and that may give me the advantage to claim her as my own."

Tsunade sighed, "Reyna isn't going to be happy that you're going to talk to the pack alone."

Kakashi nodded, "I am aware of that."

Tsunade nodded at that, "Alright, I will send word to the pack that you wish to speak with the alpha. I will let you know when the meeting will take place."

Kakashi bowed and disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Slowly he made his way back to his apartment, glancing up when he heard Reyna's laugh and Iruka's voice. He lifted a brow and shifted direction, heading towards the two of them. He paused at the corner and stuck his head around to see if he could see the two of them. Reyna was walking with Iruka, shaking her head with a smile on her face as Iruka told her some story about one of his students. Iruka was walking nearly shoulder to shoulder with Reyna and Kakashi glared at the younger man. As they got closer to his place, he leapt to the roof above them and followed the two of them to Iruka's apartment building where Reyna bade her friend good night and headed towards her own apartment.

Kakashi continued to follow Reyna from the rooftops for a couple of blocks before he jogged ahead of her and jumped back to the street. He met her just as she turned the corner for her apartment building.

"Kakashi!" she exclaimed, surprised by his sudden appearance since she hadn't caught his scent.

"Reyna, I thought you'd be going to my place," she could have sworn there was an accusatory tone to his voice.

"I figured I'd head over to the Academy and catch up with Iruka since you didn't want me coming with you to deliver the papers. After that I just thought I'd head to my own place for a change."

"And what were you doing with Iruka?" Kakashi questioned.

"What is this; an interrogation? He's my friend, Kakashi. We talked, we laughed I walked with him to his place since it's on the way to mine. I said good night, I left."

Kakashi gave her an odd look before he responded, "And you're coming home with me."

"Possessive much? Did you ever think that maybe just asking me to come home with you would be a less likely way to get your ass kicked?"

"Look, with everything that's happening with the pack, I think it would be a good idea if you stayed with me, besides, you do have a history with Iruka. Can you blame me for asking you about what you were doing with him?" he tried to smooth things over.

Reyna sighed and she finally nodded, "Fine, but next time; don't be an ass about it."

Kakashi fell in stride beside her as they headed for his apartment and Reyna was beginning to wonder why she even bothered keeping her own place. She was very seldom ever there anyway. She shook her head as she walked in silence with Kakashi.

A/N: You all know what to do now! Feed my muse with reviews and let me know what you think of everything!