I cautiously move around trees to get behind them. 2 in the back, 1 holding the little girl and 1 in front. If I can get the 2 in the back out first then that will make this a lot easier. I intentionally snap a twig and wait, "what was that?"

"You go take a look." A man mumbles incoherent cuss words while making his way in my direction, "I don't smell pack so don't worry. We lost them ages ago." I close my eyes and listen for his approach.

10 feet.

I hear his friends laughing. Good they aren't paying attention.

5 feet.

I have a firm grip on my handle while the silver blade is parallel to my forearm.

NOW.

I throw my hand over his mouth and make a small cut over his jugular. In a few minutes he will bleed out, I slowly lower him to the ground and once I'm sure he won't make sound I move behind another tree. Again snapping a twig to showcase I'm still here. "DMITRI!" Moon Goddess forgive me for killing Dmitri. "Rick. Go. I smell blood." 3 minutes.

I ensure that my heartbeat remains steady as the crunching of leaves sends me on high alert. I'm 100 percent relying on my sense of hearing since I'm hiding behind a tree. Once I take this rogue out I will have to act fast. As he walks past me and in front of my tree I jump out of my spot and onto his back. My hand covering his mouth while he swings from side to side, "Shut the hell up. You aren't bucking me off so don't try." Without hesitation I slit his throat and watch him slide to the ground. I scurry up a tree and go to the branch furthest out.

"Shit."

I smirk and let my wolf take over my consciousness without shifting. "Yes." They glance up at me, "Shit indeed." I jump off towards the man in front and bury my knife into his chest before he has time to react.

I get into a defensive pose immediately. I'm blocking the last rogue's path to get into the 'safe house' and from his growl he doesn't like that. "Give me the girl and no one gets hurt."

"No one?" He questions with a smirk.

"Okay, you won't get hurt." That bad, I'll make it as painless as possible. Okay I'm lying. "Give her to me. Now." He cocks his head to the side while listening to my tone. His wolf is curious.

2 minutes.

"Don't tempt me. I won't go easy on you."

I smirk as he basically drops the girl on the forest floor. I growl at him and clench my fist, "I expect a perfect effort." I retort and get into a fighting stance, "You'll need it."

Of course he attacks first, shifting mid-sprint as an act of intimidation. I run and slide under him, dragging the knife across his belly. A loud yelp resounds through the forest as I stand back up. My back is to the girl and just like Riley I stand over her proudly. He begins pacing in front of me, teeth in a snarl.

20 seconds.

I'm just thanking Goddess they don't have mind link since they aren't a pack. That would make this difficult, he could have called for help already. The wolf lunges at me again but shifts back into a human before he reaches me and gives me a swift punch to the face. I use my forearm to block his next attack and tackle him to the ground. My knee swiftly connects to his rib cage and hopefully kidneys when I hear a loud howl echo, I know that's Josh. The shiver that I'm fighting off along with the fact that the howl was the most perfect thing I've ever heard indicate it as him. I place my knife at his throat and he tries to push me away, using his forearms against me.

A growl rumbles in my chest as I take a chance to stab him in the side. A left hook is delivered to his cheek before he drops his guard completely and I bury my knife into his chest. I climb off of him and go towards the little girl, though I mostly want to sleep right now. Right on cue Josh and 10 pack members flank him. I have the girl in my arms when Josh trots towards me.

I take the time to admire his wolf. Midnight black, it's absolutely beautiful. Wow. Plus he's so tall, even in his wolf he's slightly taller than my frame. By his amber eyes I know Jax is in control while circling me, checking for any injuries. "I'm fine Jax let's get out of here." He whimpers slightly catching a glimpse of the small bruise that is forming from the one punch I received. A tongue laps up against my skin but I stifle my laugh. We're too close to the safe house.

Jax leans down and with the girl in front of me we climb on. I lay down on top of her and grip his fur. So soft, "you're gorgeous Jax." I can feel the wind his wagging tail created before he reaches a full out sprint. I bury my face into his hair and wait… that's all I can do.

Fingers crossed Josh isn't too mad at me.

GMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMW

We dropped the little girl off at the infirmary where Riley and Dr. Packwood are treating her together. I peck the little girl's forehead after being reassured she was just knocked out and would wake up soon. As soon as I step out of the room Farkle and Zay are waiting to 'collect me'. "Alpha would like to speak with you with leadership present."

I hate when he sends people for me like a dog, despite the fact I'm kind of sort of related to one. In a way. "Also Alpha wanted to let you know he would have come and gotten you had he not started the paperwork for tonight's attack." Well didn't Josh just think of everything? I thank Zay for clearing that up as we meander towards his office.

It's now midnight and the only people up now are the guards as well as us. It's eerily silent in the halls and I actually don't hear anything until we are a few feet away from Josh's office. I open the door and step inside while the conversation between Josh and Lucas ceases. "By all means proceed. Don't stop on my account." Josh leans back in his chair and pats his knee, as soon as I'm in arm's reach he grabs my hips and makes me straddle him.

I say makes, but it isn't like I was unwilling. "You disobeyed me tonight."

He reaches out for my hand and places small kisses on my knuckles. "You were all going the wrong way and it isn't like I could give you a treasure map to their hideout."

They all chuckle slightly while Josh nuzzles my neck, "You put yourself in danger."

"For a helpless little girl." I tack on, what is he doing right now? As soon as I hear him sniff me, I realize he's just ensuring that I'm okay.

I gasp when his lips brush against my neck, "You took down 4 rogues in 5 minutes."

"What is happening right now?" I voice my thoughts and Josh leans back in his chair while pressing me against his chest. "Yes I killed them. Are you mad I didn't keep one alive for questioning? Why am I here, when a bed is calling my name?"

The office door opens again and a woman probably around late twenties early thirties rushes inside and bows. "Alpha, Luna."

I rise off of his lap and give her a small smile, "Good evening. Is everything okay?"

"I wanted to thank you personally for saving my daughter's life." I give her a small smile and I step forward to pull her into an embrace. "L-Luna?"

Geez with this Luna title. Though I'm sure I won't ever get it through to the entire pack I don't want to be called Luna there's a ton of wolves here. Plus Josh wouldn't allow that to happen. Bleh, respect. Bleh it all. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." I remember when I was 6, I ran off into the woods. Not really knowing any better I mean, people around me did it all the time. But, I went by myself and didn't tell anyone where I was going. By the time I came back my mom had sent out a search party for me and she was on the steps screaming my name with tears streaming down her face. It broke my heart to see her that way, because even whenever my father would abuse her she never gave him the satisfaction of crying.

I miss my mom. The emotions hit me hard and I know I have to escape this room and fast. I give her a polite smile and sprint towards the hospital room where I last left Riley. I know I should go to my mate, but he's busy and quite frankly I will more than likely be balling my eyes out whenever I tell him. Images of my mother flood my mind. Her kind smile that was contagious and lit up a room. Her bright eyes that were hard when they needed to be as a strong Luna. And her blonde locks that stopped a few inches below her shoulders, she always had her hair curled. I knock on the door and open it without waiting for a reply.

No doubt my red eyes and tear stained face is shocking to my best friend. "Dr. Packwood, can you-"

"Go." He commands gently, "take care of our Luna."

We sprint to her bedroom and she immediately pulls me into a hug, "Your mom?" My chin trembles as tears threaten to spill out of their cage. I nod my head, surprised that she was able to figure it out so easy. "I'm so sorry Maya. She was a beautiful person." My mother is my motivation behind everything I do. I can and will kill Kermit, he doesn't deserve the Alpha title and I will be the one to take it from him. We tried contacting Sepiente Wolves, because I know my slime ball of a father murdered the only beautiful thing in my life… no offense Riley. My father gained sympathy from the entire pack because his wife who he supposedly 'loved' was murdered by supposed 'rogues'. All of it makes me sick, it's just a coincidence he was gone when we all heard the screams. It was just a coincidence that no rogues were spotted in the territory.

"I'm gonna kill him." I say calmly. Almost too calm.

"You have to tell Josh." The urgency in her voice sends me on high alert, "You can't keep this from him any longer Maya. He has to know about your father and the arranged marriage."

"I will never marry him." My intent was for my speech to come out hard and strong but the whimper that I registered as my voice made it the exact opposite.

"You have to tread carefully Maya." Riley pulls away and cups my face, "You must. For your mother's sake. The consequences could be disastrous should something go wrong." I cock my head to the side asking her to elaborate, "If you do kill Kermit then how do you expect to get out of the arranged marriage. Because, Alpha Thomas has waited on you. I am not sure why since even your father believes you are dead. Should you fail, this pack will lose a Luna, which will inevitably weaken this pack. You and Josh will lose one another and you will be forced to marry Alpha Thomas after some 'discipline'." She sneers and grips my hands, "You belong here Maya. This is your home now and you need to trust Josh with this information."

"I've been alone for so long." She wipes my tears away and grimaces, "I've only ever been able to trust you and even then I haven't seen you in 6 years."

Her eyes cloud over for a moment before she comes back to reality. "Josh senses your worry and sadness. He's on his way up." I nod my head and try to wipe my face, "Listen to me closely Maya. You can trust Josh he's a good wolf, and an excellent leader. This pack is prosperous for a reason. And you are not alone anymore. This entire pack loves you, you keep proving to us why you will be a great Alpha Female."

I blink and of course more tears come out, "I'm not alone." I repeat.

"No."

The door bursts open and I'm in my mates arms. "Why are you sad? What's wrong baby girl?" I don't even have to look in his eyes to know that he's worried. I'm not surprised he knew I was bothered, as Alpha's our bond is stronger so even before we've marked or mated we can feel intense emotions exuding off of our mate. "Talk to me baby girl." Riley gives me a reassuring head nod and that's whenever I break down.

Memories flood my mind.

The moments where I'd take my mother's place in her beatings.

The moments where my mom would come to sing to me when I couldn't stop crying.

The moment I saw her body when the pack doctors were trying to revive her.

That same moment I became emotionless.

The many whippings I received.

The days I would go without food or water.

The times where Riley's father would try to protect me.

All of these images flash into my closed eyes as I sob in my mate's arms. I feel myself being lifted into his arms and I bury myself further into his embrace. "I will love you for you. Not for what you have done or what you will become. I will love you for you, I will give you a love, a love that you never knew." I pull away from his chest slightly and give him a look as he continues to sing that same line over and over again.

We sit on his bed and he rocks me while stroking my hair. His chocolate eyes meet my glacier blue, "I will love you for you." He wasn't singing. He was stating a fact. His tone was in no way argumentative, it was taunting almost daring me to try so he could prove a point. However, I don't argue. And I can only hope more than anything that he means that because I have a lot to tell him. Josh places feather light kisses against my tears, leaving a trail of tiny sparks. I can already feel myself calming down.

In all honesty, I've never really grieved for my mother. I've never coped with what happened, I always brushed it off because it happened and there's nothing I can do to change it. And even though that's true, that doesn't make it any less important. And just as if my mate knows what I'm thinking he gives me a single nod and says, "Let it out baby girl."

And I do.

GMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMW

Josh didn't ask me any questions last night, knowing he'd be getting answers soon enough. He just held me and sang to me and gave me the comfort I've never known to be possible. I could practically see more fibers of our mate bond strengthening and forming together. So when I woke up this morning, I wasn't surprised to see red puffy eyes, tear stained cheeks and messy bed hair. I was actually surprised that I was able to get out of Josh's arms, even in his sleep there's a death grip on me.

I came to the realization I haven't even remotely trained since my sleep over's began, well in reality I haven't trained since the moment I met him. And if I wanted the chance to beat Kermit then I needed to stay focused and train. So that's where I am now, currently running laps at the edge of the forest in my human form. I always train my human form first because it is weaker than my wolf, and once I get exhausted. And I mean exhausted then I shift into my wolf, so even whenever I'm tired I'll know I can push myself. It's just now 8 o'clock in the morning and I let my past fuel me, the need for my canines around Kermit's neck pushes my legs faster. The urge to hear that snap ringing through my ears forces my arms to pump faster.

The wind whips against my face and I don't think I've ever moved this fast before in my life. I've been given this spark and I tend to turn that spark into a flame. Kindling it and molding it into something powerful. I didn't think anything could stop my progress, how fast I'm moving or the burning sensation in my calves but something does.

A roar.

I would normally say a growl but I'm about half a mile away from the pack and I can hear it as plain as day. "Shit." I sprint back to the pack house knowing that was Josh. I will my legs to move faster and when I'm about a quarter mile away the front door is thrown open and Josh is sprinting outside. Oh good he's safe. What the hell was that growl about? He sees me and though his muscles relax he doesn't stop running towards me.

"Where were you?!"

Angry Alpha. Uh oh.

I inhale deeply and begin to catch my breath when he reaches me and lifts me off the ground forcing my legs around his waist. "Maya damn it! We had a rogue attack last night and I wake up and you're missing. Your scent stale-" He shifts my head from left to right and checks the rest of my body for injuries. "Are you okay baby girl?"

Well if you'd shut up I could answer.

'Be nice to mate!'

'I'm kidding Amber. Grumpy butt.'

"I'm fine. I was training."

"Goddess Maya." His lips crash against mine, full of passion and need. I moan into his mouth and grip the nape of his neck while I tighten my legs around his torso. I open my mouth and his tongue dives inside. An overwhelming urge in my core begins to make an appearance and I can feel Amber taking over. I should stop, I need to stop but I can't this feels so good. Nothing compares to the way I feel when kissing my mate. Josh nudges me with his head and I lean my head to the side so he can have more access to my neck. He leaves small kisses all over my neck until he finds my sweet spot right above my collar bone. I involuntarily moan and rest my head on his shoulder. He growls and I feel his canines descend and scratch against my sensitive skin. Amber has full control right now and no matter how hard I fight, I can't gain it back.

He's going to mark us, I can freaking feel it.

'Amber! Give me control!'

'Mate.'

"Mine." Josh pierces my skin with his canines forever marking me as his. Now that Amber got what she wanted I'm back in control and fighting off this undeniable amount of pain. Seconds later it turns into absolute bliss, a high feeling of ecstasy surges through me and my need for Josh amplifies. He licks the wound clean and places a few kisses on the mark before pulling away and smiling like an idiot. "So perfect." He growls and his amber eyes fade away while his chocolate orbs flicker back.

"I think-"I inhale deeply and stare at him in the eyes, "I think we have a few things to discuss."

And that's when everything registers to him, he marked me.

There's no turning back now.

Time to tell my story.

GMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMW

Let me know what you think lovelies! Her story is in the next chapter EEK!