[In-between Wolfblood Season 1: Episode 12 and 13]

Scrolling through the video files with a downturned expression, Kyle Weathers made a noise of frustration at all the unusable footage. He had captured the wolves. He had them in the palm of his hand. He would have made a pretty penny selling it. Selling himself, rather. He should have become famous. Instead, two obnoxious teens ruined it all. Not to mention Jo had helped them, more obsessed over her film school than him. The nerve.

"Still brooding, Kyle? I told you my wolf bait wouldn't work. Maybe that'll teach you to stop mucking about my personal business."

"It did work. I had them," said Kyle, annoyed, nearly slamming his finger on the exit key on his keyboard, closing out the video player.

His brother, Eric Weathers, stopped in his tracks. He had been cleaning his rifle when Kyle came back home, all frustrated and angry. Eric thought it was funny. His brother's blunders were often the highlight of his day. But instead of a complete failure, Kyle seems to have unknowingly succeeded in something for once…

Days ago, Kyle had found him setting a beartrap with his wolf bait, a chemical concoction of his own design. Then Kyle had gotten into his head that he could track local legends and bring them to light. Eric thought he would flame out before ever finding success…

"My wolf bait worked?" Eric asked softly, laying down his gun.

"Yeah," said Kyle, exasperated. "I just said that didn't I?" he snapped.

Eric's hands started to shake in excitement. "Up at… what was it? Stoneybridge?"

"Yeah," said Kyle, turning into his seat to face his brother, "Why?"

Eric only smiled at him. His little brother with all the fame and aspirations in the world to chase after. This wasn't his fight. He'd let Kyle stay in the misbelief that everything monstrous in the world was merely fictional superstition. He'd never let him know monsters actually existed. That werewolves roamed the world along with all sorts of other fun monsters to hunt…

"No reason," Eric muttered, picking up his rifle again and inspecting the barrel. "Just didn't think my bait would work, is all."

In truth Eric's wolf bait worked amazingly well. But it wasn't wolves that it attracted. It was werewolves. With a combination of Aconite and Silver Nitrate, the chemical compound would attract any werewolves and then force out their inner beast…

Four hours later, Eric Weathers was on the road headed north toward Stoneybridge. Of course, he knew werewolves had hunted in these parts generations ago. But they had all been wiped out by a hunter named Lord Harfire according to local legend. Eric knew the Harfire estate was managed by the Driscoll family who were his werewolf hunting successors. He would have called the old couple to help on this hunt if he actually thought they were capable of hunting. But they were more deranged than anything else.

Now, he fancied himself a werewolf expert, but what he had been hunting recently left him drenched in mystery. They were werewolves, without question but… these ones were unlike anything he's ever seen and up until now he hasn't had a single solid lead on finding one again.

Most werewolves only hunt during the three nights of the full moon. And their victims all wind up with missing hearts, eaten by the werewolves. Except these werewolves didn't go after hearts. They hid in the forests and barely, if ever, ventured into civilized society. They could also assume a full wolf form which was what made them so difficult to hunt down.

And their eyes were different too. He had seen it. Bright yellow. A stark contrast to the pale blue ones he normally hunted. The yellow-eyed were different. Maybe a stronger breed? He knew skin changers were essentially the cousins of werewolves, so maybe this was another monster all together?

From what Eric had gathered the yellow-eyed ones only assumed their wolf forms during the middle night of the full moon. That and they went feral at the sight of humans, killing on sight and leaving their hearts uneaten. It sickened him. A normal werewolf couldn't help themselves. They hunted for hearts because that's what their monstrous instinct forced them to do. He considered it a service to put them out of their misery.

But these yellow ones? They killed for no reason. So, in his eyes, they were the real monsters.

[During Wolfblood Season 1: Episode: 13]

Maddy was still reeling from the full moon night two days ago when she and Rhydian were nearly caught by that wolf hunter. Their secret would have been exposed to the world had it not been for Tom and Shannon. Though, admittedly, Shannon did give Kyle Weathers all the info to track them down. But Maddy knew Shannon's intentions were honest and, in the end, she and Tom had freed them. So, Rhydian and Maddy decided to give their friends a gift for all their hard work…

Shannon and Tom burst through the doors of the photography room to see Maddy and Rhydian waiting and completely at ease.

"What's the emergency?" Shannon asked out of breath.

"We sort of lied about the emergency," said Rhydian cheekily. And the coy smile Maddy was shooting him all but confirmed their conspiring to give the redhead a heart attack while Tom was just plain confused.

"Actually, we got something for you. On behalf of the wolves you so bravely protected, we'd like to present you with these," said Maddy as she and Rhydian brought out two framed drawings of a pair of wolves, the ones they rescued.

"Whoa," said Tom taking the frame with a smile.

"They're amazing," said Shannon, remembering that night she finally saw the beast she had searched for all her life. It struck a cord with her. Seeing the image of the two wolves in the drawing.

"I framed them," claimed Maddy because no one needed any clarification on who drew them. Rhydian was a gifted artist and while Maddy was no slouch her skill matched her father who was a woodworker.

"They look exactly like the wolves we saw," said Shannon in awe, sharing a look with Tom who silently agreed with her.

"Oh, I just copied them from photos on the internet," jutted in Rhydian.

"Thank you," said Shannon with Tom giving a nod of appreciation.

After a few classes, Maddy and Rhydian caught up with Shannon and Tom at Tom's locker. Shannon had all but ambushed Maddy with a familiar half-crazed look and grin.

"I'm going to contact the Department of the Environment," Shannon proclaimed.

"Department of the Environment, why?" Maddy asked, sneaking a glance at Rhydian who shared her silent concern.

"The wolves are in danger up there," Shannon explained. "People like Kyle. Farmers with guns. Look, in some parts of America, wolves are protected. And I'm going to get our wolves protected too," she said determined.

"I don't know Shannon," Maddy expressed her unease at it all. "What if going public only attracts more hunters?"

"Yeah, or the government decide to shoot them," Rhydian suggested.

"I wont let that happen," Shannon defended.

"Look, I know you want to help—" Maddy tried to reason.

"You weren't there, Maddy," Shannon interrupted. "Your picture brought it all back to me. How they trusted me, how they knew I was their friend. And I'm going to make sure no one ever threatens them again."

"Look, wolves have been extinct in Britain for centuries, Shannon. Look, if you want the government to start passing laws to protect them, you need proof they actually do exist," said Tom, trying to find the middle ground between his two butting best friends.

"I know how to get it," said Shannon, confidently. "Kyle's wolf bait."

Maddy and Rhydian felt the blood drain from their faces at the mention of it.

"It's irresistible, remember?" Shannon recalled.

"What? You've got some?" Maddy asked.

"Well, Tom threw the canister away," Shannon said, "But we'll go up there after school, find it, attract the wolves, and take all the photos we want," Shannon finished explaining her plan with a proud smile.

Eric Weathers had pulled up to Stoneybridge in his beat up truck. He sized up the little town before prepping his supplies. He loaded his rifle with some freshly made silver bullets and prepared a bag of wolfsbane, which always came in handy.

Next, he pulled up his GPS tracker and found his wolf bait canister's coordinates. It wasn't far from where Kyle had said he caught them.

The hunter then drove into the forest toward the coordinates until the thicket became too thick and he was forced to park. He proceeded to take out his camo gear and cover his vehicle in a camouflaged tarp before swinging his rifle over his shoulder and marching into the woods, his GPS tracker guiding him all the way.

"4 o'clock at Bernie's, right?" Shannon reconfirmed, walking next to Tom while looking back at Rhydian and Maddy as they separated in their path from school to head to their respective homes.

"Can't we make it half past?" Maddy suggested, hoping to buy at least thirty more minutes of time.

Tom, unknowingly helping, mentioned, "Yeah, I'm not going hiking in my school gear."

"All right, quarter past," Shannon relented. "Look, it's really important to me. I'm relying on you."

"I know," said Maddy. And she did know. She was the one person who really knew what it meant to Shannon. But, contrasting her own inner turmoil, Shannon was completely unaware of how much this meant to Maddy, and all the potential dangers she was bringing over her head like a guillotine.

"See you at quarter past, then," said Rhydian, cutting the conversation short. They all agreed and parted ways. Tom and Shannon headed further into town while Maddy and Rhydian headed toward Maddy's home in the countryside.

"Why did we give them those drawings?" Maddy angrily whispered to Rhydian.

"It was your idea," said Rhydian in defense, feeling the pressure placed on him.

"Yeah, I didn't know Shannon was going to turn into David Attenborough, did I?" Maddy shot back.

"We should have said we weren't going. Shannon opens a canister, there's no wolves, job done," reasoned Rhydian. To him the simplest solution was just to be nowhere near the wolf bait while it was being used.

"What about tomorrow and the next day?" Maddy told him. "She's not going to stop till she gets what she wants."

"Well, what happens if we find the canister? Won't we just wolf out?" Rhydian asked.

Then Maddy stopped in her walk. "Dad's got some felt and mask in his workshop. Meet us where Kyle trapped us in 15 minutes," she said, patting him on the chest and making a run for it toward her home leaving an anxious Rhydian behind.

Once Eric had found the wolf bait, he smiled at the half full tank and quickly stashed the cannister in his rucksack. Knowing the chemical bait inside and out, he surmised that the surrounding area still had the lingering scent. So, this was as good as any place to set his trap.

He'd lure them in and shoot a bullet through their heads, no two fusses about it.

Maddy deftly snuck into her dad's workshop. Usually, she wasn't allowed in here. Her father was quite adamant that Maddy would accidentally skewer herself on a stray nail one day, so he drilled the rule into her head early on.

In fact, this was probably the first time she had ever stepped foot in here by herself. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

She spotted the masks right away, though the felt gloves were nowhere in sight. When she stepped toward the hanging masks, the ground creaked under her.

Looking down, Maddy realized there was a hatch just under her feet. Kneeling down she inspected the trapdoor with piqued interest. It was unlocked. There was a turning latch. When she locked it, the hatch became more secure in the ground and didn't make so much as a squeak.

But with the latch unlocked, the hatch was loose and slightly wobbly which would explain how she'd never noticed it before.

Maddy told herself the only reason she was going to waste time and inspect the hidden cellar was because she still needed those gloves, and they might be down there, and it wasn't because her own curiosity was thumping in her chest drowning out her voice of reason.

She carefully stepped down the creaky step latter onto a bare dirt floor.

Her first thought was that this was just an earlier version of their wolf den. The one in the house basement was much bigger and far more well-built while this one was a cramped space and void of any lamp fixtures.

Pulling out her phone and turning on the light, she was able to see the shelf lined walls. The shelves were full of books and boxes and old tool crates on top of them and really nothing more. On the floor their were some old glass bottles, all empty. In the corner she spotted a rusty wrench and a pair of leather boots.

With a slight shake of her head, Maddy was going to head back up to find a rag instead. Anything was better than nothing at this point and she really didn't have a lot of time to work with. Then, moments before she turned to leave, her eye caught something.

It was a journal. Leatherbound with a twine string holding it closed with a metal key tucked under it. The light of her phone had just shined against the key, barely catching her eye.

Maddy approached the journal and picked it up. The key nearly slipped out, but Maddy had just caught it in time. Holding it up she realized there was an engraved "M" on it. No wait, if the key was pointed down… then it would be a "W".

Turning her attention toward the journal, Maddy opened it and read the first written line on the first page.

"To my dearest Madeline…"

Maddy raised a curious brow. This wasn't her mother's handwriting. Nor was it her father's, but that's because it was clearly a woman's handwriting.

"I'm sorry I left you, cub. The wild calls to me and I am helpless to resist. One day you'll understand. You'll understand why I had to leave you with my cousin, Emma. I hope she's taken care of you by the time you're grown and reading this—"

Maddy flinched back, nearly dropping the journal.

What? she questioned in utter shock, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she had just read. She almost convinced herself it was completely false. But then she kept reading…

"—I wanted to write of my adventures, so that you could know about me. I have so many wonderful things to share, my dear. I have seen so many impossible things. So many wondrous and fantastical creatures… but in my travels I have also seen great evils. That is how I met your father—"

Maddy exhaled a shaky breath but forced herself to read on.

"His name is John Winchester. I wanted us to raise you together, but he had his own demons to deal with and I had mine. He told me the right thing to do was let you live a normal life. Even if that meant living a tame one with my cousin. Remember this always, Madeline. Never fear the wolf. Never fear the wild. And most of all, never fear yourself."

Tears were fully streaming down Maddy's face now when the trapdoor creaked open. She whirled around and saw her dad step down into the cellar with a grim expression.

"Maddy…" he said carefully, looking at the journal in her hands.

"Is it true?" Maddy whispered, face red with hot tears.

Her father had no words, his mouth was open agape, but no sound came out.

The silent answer was all but confirmation that it was true. It filled Maddy with a hot rage, her eyes flashing yellow as she demanded, "Is it true!"

"Yes," her father said quietly. "I'm sorry, Maddy. This isn't how we wanted you to find out."

Maddy wanted to demand more answers and Daniel would have given them to her, but Maddy's phone decided now was the time to ring.

As if on autopilot, Maddy picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"

"You won't believe this, but I just met my brother," Rhydian said over the phone.

"You're what?" Maddy asked, not mentally prepared for what Rhydian had just said.

"My little brother," he repeated. "Isn't that a nice surprise?" he said sarcastic. "Stop it Bryn…"

"Is Ceri there?" Maddy asked.

"Ceri?" Maddy's father asked in mild worry. The wild wolfblood was a magnet for problems and even though his daughter was going through a life changing moment, he still had to focus on protecting his family. "What's going on Maddy?"

"Is that your dad?" Rhydian asked, hearing his voice in the background.

"Yeah," Maddy replied, though the word felt dry on her tongue.

"Why didn't Ceri tell me I have a little brother?" Rhydian asked her, frustrated.

"Sometimes parents don't tell you everything," Maddy said coldly, trying not to shoot a hard glare at her dad.

"He keeps saying he's come to take me home. But what part of, 'no, I don't want to live in a cave' did Ceri not understand?"

"Look, I'm not sure. But stay with your brother and try to get some answers while you can," Maddy told him.

"Brother?" her father mouthed the word in surprise.

"I have my own family problems to deal with right now," Maddy finished and hung up.

"Daniel? Maddy?" Maddy's mother, Emma, had called from above.

Daniel sighed deeply before gesturing for Maddy to follow him back up into the workshop. Maddy trailed her dad as he climbed the stepladder while she clutched the journal and key to her chest.

"Dan…?" Emma said worried, seeing his expression. Then when she laid eyes on Maddy her heart dropped. She was holding her cousin's journal. Emma had resigned herself to never looking at that journal ever again. When her cousin left the pack, it was like her heart was scarred. Louise had all the love her family gave her, but she still went wild and abandoned her pack. When she showed up fifteen years ago, she finally thought her cousin had come home. But she only came back to drop off her newborn baby before disappearing again, leaving the poor cub with only stories to remember her by.

"Maddy—" Emma said softly before Maddy ran past her. Emma tried to reach out but the shock of what Maddy had just learned left her stunned. She was left standing helpless as her daughter ran away into the woods.

It was Daniel that broke her from her trance. "Emma, we need to go after her," he said, nudging her shoulder. Emma could only nod back and the two wolfbloods hurried toward their car.

From atop his perched position on a sturdy tree, Eric Weathers rechecked his sniper rifle before looking through the scope at a small clearing he had set up his wolf bait. It was the perfect position. He'd get a clear shot before the werewolf even knew what blew their brains out.

The only problem now was the two wandering teenagers. He remembered that there was a school nearby, but he didn't think any of the students would be so bold to walk through the woods.

They looked like they were searching for something, and they were nearing the spot where he had set his trap.

Shit, he silently cursed. He didn't need this right now. They'd be in the way or worse, they'd get caught in the middle. At least he knew they were human since their reaction to the wolf bait scent was neutral.

With a breath of indignation, Eric shouldered his rifle and climbed down the tree. If he hurried, he could get them out of the way before it was too late…

Stepping on top of a log and hopping down, Shannon planted her fists on her hips and sighed deeply. "Where could it have gone?" she asked aloud.

Behind her, Tom followed, sliding down the toppled tree trunk and walking up next to her. "Beats me. I was sure I'd thrown it somewhere close to here…"

"Thrown what?" said a voice.

Shannon and Tom jumped in their skin before whirling on the new person.

"Who are you?" Shannon asked immediately.

"Name's Eric. What are you two doing walking through the woods? You know they're wild animals around these parts…" Eric stated.

"We know," Tom said in defense. "We just…" he scrambled for an explanation.

"What are you doing walking through here?" Shannon asked, interposing the question to cover for Tom and eying the rifle slung over his shoulder.

"Well," he said reaching into his jacket and pulling out a folded wallet. "I'm with the Environmental Department," he said showing them the badge.

Shannon flinched at the reveal before walking up to the badge and taking it from the man. Sure enough, it read "Eric Ferdinand" with a picture of the man and an official looking seal of the department.

"Oh," said Shannon, softly and handed back the badge. "Are you here for the…" she almost didn't want to say.

"The wolves, yeah. Caught wind of them. Some chap by the name of Kyle Weathers reported a sighting of a pair of feral wolves. I'm doing a checkup on that. Just in case."

Shannon scoffed. Kyle Weathers. Of course, he'd do something so lowly.

"Truth be told, I don't think they're feral. But I have to take precautions," Eric said tapping the butt of his rifle.

"Are you going to try and capture them?" asked Tom.

"What? No of course not. I just need to find their den and once I establish that there are indeed a pair of wolves living in this forest, I'll go to my superiors, and they'll get an expert team here to tag em and monitor their status. I'm not sure you're aware but wolves haven't been spotted in England for quite some time. So, I know the department will want to get them protected and studied, proper like."

Shannon could feel the weight ease off her shoulders, and she found herself nodding along in agreement. "That's good. That's great. Well, that's what we were trying to do," Shannon explained, gesturing to herself and Tom. "We wanted to get pictures."

"Smart lass," he said. "But, unnecessary. As friendly as these wolves might seem, they're still wild animals. Any sudden movements might spook em—"

"Well, we actually encountered these wolves before—" Shannon tried to explain.

But Eric waved his hand in refusal. "I understand that but it's still dangerous. Not only that, but from what Kyle Weathers said, he used some kind of chemical bait which is illegal six ways to Sunday. So, I don't need two kids going and getting injured inhaling some unknown fumes. I'd lose me job. So, for your safety, I suggest you head back home, okay?"

"But—" Shannon was about to rebuke but Tom laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Drop it, Shan. We did all we could, yeah? We should let an actual expert handle this," Tom said to her.

Shannon begrudgingly agreed despite her warring heart. The duo said nothing more as they trudged back toward town. Eric watched them depart with an amused grin, pocketing his fake I.D. badge and chuckling.

Then he heard a rustling from behind. Eric's smile dropped and he immediately unshouldered his rifle.

Leaning against a tree, tired from the constant running, Maddy slumped down wiping the tears from her face. Everything she thought she knew was a lie. Her parents had lied to her all this time. The secrecy was like a dagger to her heart leaving her feeling empty and betrayed.

Looking down at the journal in her hands, Maddy opened it up, flipping it to a random entry and reading the first line.

"Summer of 02. I wanted to find the truth about the One Pack. In the south Canadian wilds, there's a cave under a waterfall. There are cave drawings predating the rule of Genghis Khan. With Ansin, I was able to see the history of the cave in all its bloody glory. Oh, my dear Madeline. When you learn how to use Ansion, there isn't a thing that can be hidden from you…"

"Ansin?" Maddy mouthed the unfamiliar word.

She would have read on had it not been for the intoxicating scent trailing in front of her. Maddy's head jerked in the direction of the familiar smell, a deepening concern in her gut reminding her of Shannon's plan to find the wolf bait.

She damn well nearly forgot about it.

Standing up, Maddy tucked the journal into her coat before running toward the scent. She needed to find Shannon before she used it anymore. The only problem was that Maddy didn't have the chance to get a mask from her dad's workshop. She'd be going toward Shannon completely unprotected.

But her legs still pushed forward. Part of her wanted to get to Shannon and stop her right away and another part hated going back to her house where her parents were waiting with more lies to tell her.

So, she kept running.

When Maddy stumbled across a clearing in the woods, with no one in sight she was left confused. Already the intoxicating smell was making her wolf twitch. The beast under her skin showed through her blackened veins and reached her eyes, turning them bright yellow. She could feel her fingertips pulsating and her gums aching with her growing fangs. There was also a second underlining smell she almost missed. It almost smelled like gasoline.

It was too quiet and every fiber of her being screamed "trap!"

She took a step back, ready to run away.

Then she heard the click of a rifle, and she froze.

"Didn't think it'd be a kid…," said a new voice.

Maddy turned and saw the man with a gun pointed at her.

He whistled when he saw her eyes, "You poor lass. Don't worry it'll be over soon," he said aiming the rifle.

Maddy went on the defensive, crouching low and ready to pounce. But she was trapped and as fast as she was, even she couldn't dodge bullets. She was paralyzed with inaction, forced to stare at the barrel of the hunter's gun. With her adrenaline spiking, the world seemed to move at a snail's pace and moments before the hunter pulled the trigger… a dark shadow leaped out from nowhere, tackling him head on!

Snapping out of her stupor, Maddy realized who had just collided with the hunter.

It was Ceri of all people. In a whirlwind of teeth and claws she attacked the hunter slashing into his chest, blood and shredded clothing flying every which way! With a throaty growl of anger, the older wolfblood went for a final slash toward the hunter's throat when—

Bang!

The gunshot rang out and Ceri flinched backward, staggering off the man. She was still alive, but the shot caused her to fall back and hit the ground. She quickly found her bearing and stood up cradling her bleeding arm. The bullet had just barely grazed her.

Now, Maddy thought and bolted forward. When the hunter struggled to stand and recover, Maddy shoulder charged him, forcing him back to the ground where he hit dirt and grunted in pain. Maddy then yanked the rifle from his hands and rolled off him before scrambling to stand and move away from the man with his gun.

"Ceri," Maddy said franticly, "Are you okay?"

The woman nodded, eying the gun now in Maddy's hands. Maddy didn't spend another second holding it and with her formidable strength, swung and threw the rifle far off into the woods where it landed past a plethora of shrubs.

With the gun out of sight, Ceri's eyes homed in on the hunter struggling to stand, opting to lean on his knee. His chest was torn to ribbons, and blood was spilling out onto the ground. With one hand he was holding the wounds closed on his chest, while the other was pulling out a knife from his back pocket.

He spit out onto the ground. "There you both are…" he sneered. "Let me guess," he said pointing to Ceri. "Couldn't handle being a lone wolf, so you turned this poor girl," he said and gestured to Maddy. "A mum and her cub?"

The words struck a note in Ceri because she had been struggling with that very thing. Longing to be with both her sons… Her expression made the hunter smile.

"She didn't turn me!" Maddy said angrily. "That's not how it works."

"Oh, I'm sure she told you that, little one. But alas that's not the case—" he shifted his weight onto his other foot and grunted in pain. "—she turned you. Made you a werewolf against your will and now… when the moon turns full you will kill." He gestured toward himself. "I am only doing you both a favor. Killing you before you kill any innocents."

Ceri and Maddy shared a look of mutual confusion, and the hunter used that moment to produce a lighter from his coat pocket. Before Maddy or Ceri could act, the man lit something on the ground and an explosion of fire erupted before them!

Maddy threw herself back, baring her teeth in panic, black veins arcing up her neck in full blast. Every muscle in her body forced herself to turn away from the flame. When it finally died down, she realized the hunter was gone. He had used the fire as a distraction.

"Maddy," Ceri said, walking up to her. "We need to leave, now. Before he returns."

Maddy nodded. Despite their tentative relationship the mutual threat of the hunter was enough to keep them working together. After they were far from the clearing, Ceri took a moment to kneel on the ground.

Eolas, Maddy realized what she was doing.

When Ceri stood back up, she stated, "He's gone to his truck. Heading south."

"So, he's gone," Maddy said relieved.

"But he will be back," Ceri said to her, locking eyes with the young wolfblood. There was a warning in her eyes. A silent plea for understanding. "They always come back."

"What do we do?"

Ceri looked left in the direction of the woods. "We run. Hide. Survive. Our advantage is our mystery. That hunter thought we were werewolves. And he believes there are only two here in Stoneybridge—"

Then two figures walked out from the forest.

"Rhydian!" Maddy exclaimed, running toward her friend.

"Mum!" said Bryn, Rhydian's brother, running up to his mom and embracing her in a hug.

"Oh, you foolish boy," scolded Ceri hugging her son.

"Maddy hey—" Rhydian said, slightly confused. The two hugged and Rhydian finally caught the scent of blood from his mother. He looked up at Ceri and asked, "What happened?"

"A werewolf hunter," she said. "It's not safe here anymore, Rhydian. We have to go."

Rhydian was speechless, he looked down at Maddy who only nodded in agreement. "He thinks there are only two werewolves here. Me and Ceri. It's not safe for either of us."

"So… what? Maddy comes with us?" Rhydian suggested, almost hoping for it.

Before Ceri could say anything, Maddy interrupted. "I— I couldn't even if I wanted," she said pulling out the journal from her coat. "I just learned that my parents aren't my real parents."

"Wh-what?" Rhydian exclaimed.

"Apparently my real mam is a woman named Louise. She's… a wild wolfblood. I have to find her."

"Maddy…" said Rhydian softly. "I'm so sorry."

Hearing those words brought a lone tear to Maddy's eye. She hurriedly wiped it away and nodded. "I know. But… even though their not my real parents, they're still my parents. And I still love them, it's just… I need to find her and my real dad. I want answers."

Rhydian nodded at that.

"And Ceri's right. If that hunter returns, we're all in danger. He's seen our faces, so he'll be looking for us," she said looking at Ceri. "It's not safe anymore."

"So," Rhydian said, looking to Maddy, "What're you going to do?"

The sounds of sobbing could be heard from outside the Smith home. As the night grew darker and the weather colder, Rhydian Morris walked up to the homestead with a heavy heart. Knocking on the door temporarily ceased the sobbing from inside as Daniel answered the door. His own eyes were red dried tears. Behind him was a distraught Emma, who had tissues in her hands and was openly crying.

"Rhydian?" Daniel said.

Swallowing a dry lump in his throat, Rhydian held up the letter in his hand. "Maddy wanted me to give this to you," he said.

Daniel was at a loss for words but moved to grab the letter. However, it was Emma who rushed over and took the letter, reading it.

As Emma read the letter, Daniel asked Rhydian, "Where is she?"

"She went to search for her birth parents but… that's not all. A werewolf hunter showed up and saw Maddy and Ceri— as wolfbloods."

"Oh God," Daniel said in horror, his heart sinking.

"That's why she wont come back. The hunter thinks that Maddy was bitten and turned into a werewolf by Ceri… so the plan is to let him think that, so he doesn't come after you two. Since he doesn't understand what wolfbloods actually are," Rhydian finished explaining. After a beat of silence, he added, "I'm leaving too. With my mum and my brother. It's about time I joined my pack…"

Daniel swallowed his words and gently laid a hand on Rhydian's shoulder. Looking back at Emma as she slumped down onto the sofa, barely holding back a sob. Turning back to Rhydian, he patted his shoulder, "I guess this is goodbye then," he said to him.

"Hopefully not for long," he said with a nod to the letter, implying that Maddy would one day come back too.

"Hopefully," Daniel repeated with a forced smile.