Author's Note:

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Dasha felt the metal pressed against her forehead, and all the anger she had repressed to figure out where they were washed over her. Her teeth started to ache as her finally calm heart started to thunder again.

"Use me," her wolf whispered.

She did. As the round chambered, she shot up the hill, body flying six feet in the air. Their attacker was too dumbfounded to fire his weapon. Not that it mattered anyway since it went flying from his hand. Dasha landed on him a second later and drove her fist into his shoulder, snapping it instantly.

Bullets pattered to an end in the dirt as four more people ran towards them. The hill shifted as dirt and rock welled up and started swirling. Dasha was able to use it even with the moon being nearly full. She could only do it tonight. It was their best bet of survival for the few moments it took Benji to change.

Sweat started to bead across her head as she hit her max. Wolf and Guardian hadn't merged yet. She hadn't found that balance and it was starting to wear her out. Her wolf was straining to push through the powers of her Guardian lineage, and that struggle was weakening her.

She felt the burning pain as a blade slid between two of her ribs. Her wolf growled and took instant control. She shoved him away just as Benji's battleship gray wolf launched into the fight with a howl.

Somewhat useless, Dasha did the best she could as she tried to staunch the blood flow. At this rate, she'd bleed out. She couldn't help anyone if she was dead. But she couldn't just watch Benji act alone.

She broke the guy's wrists for good measure and jumped up to help her friend. She stomped on her heel and a knife popped from her steel-toes. Holding her side to stop as much blood as possible, she used her blade to disable their opponents.

It didn't take long to either take out or disperse their opponents. They checked their surroundings to make sure no others were waiting to attack. When they were certain no one would, they let their guards down.

Dasha felt lightheaded seconds before her knees buckled. Through blurry vision, she lifted her hand to see it stained red. Benji looked at her with concerned golden eyes. She couldn't change back just yet so she couldn't help at all.

Leo slid beside her and started pulling at her clothes. She was bleeding profusely from a serrated edge. It was amazing she had been on her feet for as long as she had been.

Yi Jeong helped Hyuk sit down then gently pushed Leo away. He rummaged through one of the packs and produced needle and thread then set about suturing the gash. He did so with ease and no one said anything about it.

Leo held Dasha's hand. She never once made a sound as the needle stitched her skin back together. She squeezed his hand every time she was in pain but no sound came out. She reminded him of Baye in the fact that she was strong physically and mentally.

Overcome with emotion, he wrapped his free hand around her head and pulled it to his shoulder. He didn't even flinch when she bit into his shoulder and whimpered pitifully.

Yi Jeong snipped the tied ends and started cleaning up the wound before putting a patch over it. As he cleaned up everything, Leo pulled back. Dasha looked at him. He saw something flicker in her eyes. They were now a mix-matched color of ice blue and gold. They weren't human eyes anymore.

"We need to get moving," Yi Jeong said as he repacked the bag then slung it as well as two others on his back. "It's almost dawn. Leo, carry Dasha. She's weak and probably can't walk. We'll need to change the bandage once we get across the strait."

Leo didn't argue. He squatted before Dasha and slowly yet carefully pulled the woman's arms over his shoulders. When she tightened her arms, he grabbed her under the knees and stood. He heard her grunt and felt her press her forehead into his neck. She was in pain. He didn't know how to ease that pain so he kept walking.

They came to the waters of the strait and looked down the banks. Dasha said something and Leo told Yi Jeong. The potter did what he had been instructed and soon the quintet was sailing towards Portugal.

Yi Jeong knelt in the boat and tended to Dasha while keeping an eye on the sails. Dasha was feverish, a clear sign she wasn't able to heal. The bandage was soaked clean through. The stitches were still in tact, but it was bleeding heavily.

She exhaled a shaky breath and opened her eyes. The same mix-matched color peered out at them. The wolf was still in control and taking the pain from her human counterpart.

"How is Dasha able to use her powers around you?" Yi Jeong asked a newly turned Benji.

She rummaged around her pack for her fresh shirt since she had ripped the other one. "She's half-wolf and half-Guardian. Those stereotypes don't apply to her. She can be in a pack of wolves and still use them."

"I bet she's unstoppable," Hyuk said. It was the first words he had spoken since they had dropped in Morocco.

"Unfortunately she hasn't found a balance between her dual sides. If and when she does, her powers could rival Baye's. No one knows because there has never been a Wolf-Guardian Hybrid before that has reached adulthood."

Leo followed the she-wolf with his eyes as he moved across the boat. "There've been more of them?"

Benji nodded as she gathered Dasha's hair and tied it in a bun. "Six that I remember. They were all killed in infancy. Dasha's father was the High Alpha of Atlanta when the pack found out he had a Guardian for a wife. They tried to kill him but killed his mate instead while she was in labor. Somehow she managed to give birth before she died. Eventually his pack poisoned him, leaving Dasha alone. Not that it mattered since her wolf had already made herself present. It was really the only thing that saved the child's life at such a young age. After all this time, she's made a name for herself, but she's weak at the same time."

"What would happen if she and Baye formed an alliance?" YI Jeong asked. "IF they are on par with each other like you said, wouldn't they be unstoppable?"

A cold glint stole into Benji's eyes. "Don't even think about it. She's not your puppet. The only reason she's a Hunter is because she won't fit in anywhere else. She can't. Her intelligence level ranks among the highest in the world and she knows why too much about the inner workings of many governments. No one would let her fit in."

"You misunderstand. I don't care that she's a Hybrid. We have one in our family as well. What I do care about is her ability to bring about peace. She has risked her life more in one day than anyone has in all my life. Baye isn't a fighter nor will she ever be. She needs someone at her back that isn't afraid to get dirty. Someone who can unite the wolves and Guardians because right now it's in chaos even with Baye at the helm."

"And you wonder why."

Yi Jeong sat back. "No, I know why. I'm not afraid to admit we were wrong. We have only ever held the Makers and Wild Powers to a higher standard while looking down on everything else. Meeting Baye has been the best thing for all of us because she grew up knowing our world but not being part of it."

"She was the first one to extend a hand to us when everyone had cast us aside," Leo said.

Benji watched him for a long moment. "You loved her unconditionally and yet you're alone."

"She loves him," Hyuk said, "but she loves someone else more. It was out of her control."

"The mating bond."

"We don't call it that, but yes," Yi Jeong confirmed. "She's easy to love but hard to forget."

He flicked his eyes down. Benji was now holding Dasha as a lover would. "What does this mean?"

Benji looked mutinous. "Don't misunderstand. I've been with this woman for fifteen years. We have fought side by side and have supported each other. She's my sister wolf."

Leo had heard Xero and Yano talking about it once. In a wolf pack there were two kinds of siblings, blood sibling and wolf siblings. Yano and Xero and Hansol, B-Joo and newcomer Byung Soo were blood brothers. Jenissi and P-Goon were wolf brothers. They had no blood relation but considered each other family. They would fight and die for each other. They had taken each other to heart and were now helping to raise each other's children like they were their own.

Dasha and Benji had no blood relation and considered each other family. They didn't go long without seeing each other and were always in the other's business. There were two more of their team and it all went together.

"Benji," Dasha muttered. "Someone is coming fast on starboard."

Benji sat up and looked over the starboard side. A speedboat was making time as it nearly reached top sped. And it was headed right for them.

Jumping up, the woman dropped the sails. The boat lurched to a stop seconds before she fired the engine and the boat picked up speed. Hyuk dropped to the bottom and held on to Dasha as they speed towards the coast of Portugal.

Yi Jeong grabbed for a hold as he made his way back towards the wheel. "What kind of boat is this?"

"One Dasha designed. It's a mix of a speedboat and a sailboat made for lazy days or fast getaways. We need the latter," Benji stated as she cut the wheel hard to port.

The potter nearly toppled over as the boat went right. "What can't you do?"

"Swim, which is why we need to hit the coast fast. We have immunity and everyone knows it. If we can't get to the Portuguese, they'll kill us."

Cursing, Yi Jeong looked back. "I wish Woo Bin were here. He could handle this."

"Noona!"

Both looked down to see Dasha struggling to get on her feet. Hyuk couldn't hold her down and Leo didn't dare. Whatever she wanted to do she was about to do it.

She stumbled up to them but didn't look. Instead she flicked her wrist. The speedboat that had been following them shot up into the air then suddenly exploded. The two men who were in it luckily didn't die in the blast but the same more than likely couldn't be said about the flying debris.

"What in the world?" Yi Jeong asked.

"That was the power of wolf and Guardian combined. Imagine what could happen if she was healthy and had full control," Benji said. She looked down at one of her gadgets. "We're coming into Portuguese waters."

"How long until we dock?"

"An hour at most. Someone needs to get Dasha."

Leo had already beaten them to it. He was talking to Dasha as he checked to make sure everything was tucked in before he picked her up. Yi Jeong was surprised by the look on the younger man's face as he carried the woman. He hadn't seen that look of contentment ever on him.

Dasha was drowsy as she once again settled on Leo's back. These three men had made this trip easier. If she and Benji had been alone, she had no doubt she would have died. They had saved her life. Now even though she was weak and had possibly contracted an infection, they were still willing to do as she had instructed.

The boat docked just inside the Portuguese borders. Benji sold the boat to the dock master for a reasonable price and they headed inward. Benji led them to a small restaurant for a quick rest and food.

"We need to head to Lisbon. We have a friend in the Underground who can help us," she said as their drinks were given to them.

"What's the Underground?" Hyuk asked.

"It's a group of people who have been outcast or voluntarily chose to leave their societies. Many of them have criminal records. The one we're going to see is a doctor and Boghosian."

"And that would be what exactly?" The maknae was clearly confused.

"He's a member of the Magickal community but not directly descended from the Makers. The only family to have direct lineage there lives in Spain, which we just bypassed."

"Isn't there a hierarchy to the Magickal Community?" Yi Jeong asked.

Benji nodded. "But I don't know it."

"A Maker is one of the four primary magic users. Halflings are first descendants of the Makers. Thrices are on-third Maker and two-thirds human. Boghosians are humans with magic that don't have any immediate family members who are the three above. They are so far removed from the Makers that their DNA barely registers," Dasha explained. She sat up straighter and blinked. "Where are we?"

"Just inside Portugal's borders. Are you feeling any better?" Yi Jeong asked. She shook her head before propping it up on her hand. "We sold the boat and are going to eat before heading towards Lisbon."

"We're going to need new clothes," she said.

"You need medical help," Benji urged. "You wolf eyes are showing and you're running a fever. If you're not careful, you'll change right here and expose us."

"I know already. I can feel it. You don't have to point it out."

Leo took a different approach. "I ordered a simple soup. Would you like some it?"

Dasha shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"Dasha!" Benji scolded.

Leo cut his eyes to her and forced her to back down. The woman looked away, securing dominance in the Darkened Guardian. Yi Jeong and Hyuk bit back a laugh. Wolves were very dominant creatures. For one to back down in a staring contest said a lot. Benji was giving Leo a lot of respect by doing so.

"You need to eat, Dasha. You'll need strength when you get better," he said.

Dasha slanted her eyes at him and watched him closely. Usually Leo would be unnerved by someone watching him, but that golden eye proved different. It was honest and quiet, more speculative than anything.

Shortly their food arrived. Hyuk tore into his like a ravenous beast while Yi Jeong and Benji made small talk. Leo urged Dasha to eat though he knew she really didn't want to. He got a few spoonful's before he just gave up and settled on water. He made sure she drank enough to ease any and all achy muscles.

"Are we going to see Ronaldo?" Benji asked.

Dasha glanced up and nodded. "Yeah. He's made a deal with every group imaginable that he doesn't have to tell who he hides regardless of legal affairs. He's done so much work he's earned it."

"So we'll be safe?" Hyuk asked. He received a weary nod. "What about Noona? How are we going to get in touch with her?"

"Don't worry about it. It's already been dealt with."

Benji laughed at Hyuk's confusion. "Once we found out we were in Africa, Dasha probably already talked with Jin. Even though she hates to give herself away, she's probably already headed to New Zealand with Creed to meet you group."

"Can we contact them from Lisbon?" Yi Jeong asked.

"We'll have to get into the Underground to do that. But our first priority is that one." Benji pointed to Dasha who leaned heavily on Leo.

"She doesn't look too good," Hyuk mused.

"It's probably an infection. Hurry and eat. We need to move sooner rather than later."