Eleven.

Their breath came out in clouds as they stood on the edge of the wood. Frost covered the ground, and snow had hardened to icy mounds in patches where the sun could not reach. Remus led Ginny silently on through the trees until the familiar wild, earthy scent of werewolves overcame him.

"Come on," he said quietly to Ginny as he tugged on her hand.

Ginny dutifully followed him into the trees and through fallen leaves and twigs and other forest debris. It became necessary to light their wands as they strode further into the woods, the light from their wands cast a stark white glow on the trees surrounding them.

"What if a fight breaks out?" Ginny whispered.

"It won't," he replied with certainty. "Even Greyback and his lot conformed to the rules of a werewolf gathering."

Ginny said nothing further but Remus got the distinct impression that she was sceptical of this answer.

Lights began to prick the black stillness ahead, sound drifted towards them and became louder as Remus and Ginny approached the lights. The path sloped downwards into a clearing between the trees where a huge bonfire was crackling with hundreds of people gathered around it. From their vantage point on the slope, Remus saw Stefan and Marcus in deep conversation with a couple other males who he assumed were alphas.

Remus and Ginny had to force their way through the crowd, and he had needed to snarl and bare his teeth more than once at other males hoping for Ginny's attention. She clung to his arm but stared around in wonder at the sheer amount of werewolves in one place, hardly bothered by the male attention she was getting.

"Remus!" Stefan boomed as he saw him approaching. They shook hands firmly and Stefan introduced them to the people he didn't recognise. "This is Cassius of Sherwood," Stefan said, gesturing to an older man with a dark brow, deep set eyes, and sloping shoulders. Despite his age, he gave off an air of strength and resilience.

Cassius gave a curt nod to Remus and said nothing.

"And this is Adam of Pamber Green," Stefan continued, undeterred by his fellows obvious lack of interest in Remus, but that was the way with werewolves at times. Anyone who wasn't in your pack, anyone who wasn'tknown, was treated with suspicion to protect the pack.

Adam, who had an oddly aristocratic look to him, grunted in response at least, but showed no further interest.

"This is my old friend, Remus Lupin," Stefan said with a smile as he clapped Remus on the back. "He's no threat to you and yours, I can attest to that. Remus prefers the life of a lone wolf... though young missy here might just be changing that!" He gave a bark of laughter as he gestured to Ginny, who merely gave a rather coquettish smile in response.

Cassius and Adam now seemed mildly interested in him and gave him and Ginny an appraising look.

"Where do you reside?" Adam asked, his tone a touch haughty.

"I have a cottage in Yorkshire, close to Ripon," he replied.

Adam nodded once. "No pack up there that I know of."

"No, there isn't."

"'Bout time you started your own one then, isn't it?" Stefan said and he placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Remus could only smile awkwardly back at him as Ginny seemed to be looking up at him expectantly. "But enough about that, ay! We need to get this meeting under way..." He nodded to Cassius and Adam and steered Remus away.

"Did everyone answer the call then?" Remus asked once they were out of earshot.

"One refusal from a pack up in the Highlands," Marcus said.

"Why?"

"They didn't feel they were under any kind of threat," Marcus replied with a shrug.

"Well, who could blame them, being as they live in the mountains," Stefan said with a shrug. "But we've got all the big packs here tonight. Toxteth, Digbeth... they're another big urban pack like ours. More importantly, we've got Sherwood and Pamber Green, you met them."

They stopped right at the edge of the huge tree stump as Ada and Josie approached them. Ada kissed Stefan on the cheek and greeted Remus and Ginny warmly.

"Marked her again, then?" Josie said with a smirk as she leant against the tree stump, arms folded.

Remus drew in a deep breath and repressed the urge to growl at her.

"You have no decorum, Jo..." Marcus muttered, though he had a small smirk at the edge of his mouth.

Josie shrugged. "I like to make life interesting."

Ada rolled her eyes and reached a hand out to Ginny. "Come," she said. "We'll join the others whilst these lot chat."

Ginny glanced up at Remus, a look of uncertainty in her eyes, but he nodded at her and released her hand.

"You've got her well tamed, Lupin," Josie said, laughing as Ginny walked away with Ada towards the group from Hale End. "Never knew you could be such a naughty boy."

"Shut up, Josie," Remus muttered, shaking his head.

Josie shot him a wicked smile and walked off to join Ada and Ginny.

"Pay her no mind, Remus," Marcus said, chuckling. "You know what she's like..."

Remus waved a hand. "Has anything else happened with the Sherwood pack then?"

"Thought your Auror friends would have kept you up to speed," Stefan said with a raised brow.

Remus scoffed. "They're not Aurors yet, they're in Magical Law Enforcement."

"Thought you were buddies with the Minister?" Marcus asked, one dark brow raised.

"I am, but he doesn't concern himself with individual criminal cases," he replied in exasperation.

"Right..." Marcus said, an air of judgement about him. "Thought he'd take at least a little interest in a case concerning his friend."

Remus said nothing. It was not worth it. Pack life meant helping your fellows, no matter the inconvenience. They wouldn't understand how things worked at the Ministry of Magic either, since most of them hated the Ministry.

"Well..." Stefan said, ending that line of conversation. "The alpha of the Matlock pack is called Elias Mott. Vicious bloke," Stefan explained, shaking his head. "Had a few stints in Azkaban back when the Dementors were running things. Anyway, he's approached Cassius from Sherwood a couple times now seeking an alliance."

Remus listened intently. "An alliance?"

Stefan nodded. "Cassius has refused, of course. But things are getting a bit... aggressive. Some weaker pack members defected. And things have escalated since a female werewolf marked by this Mott character turned up at Cassius's door... There is every indication that this marking was not by mutual agreement... It is messy."

Remus nodded in agreement and his eyes found Ginny amongst the other women, in deep conversation. Children weaved through the legs of their mothers and laughed loudly, some had babies in wraps close to their chests.

"Got one on the way, have you?" Stefan asked as he saw where Remus looked.

Remus gave a nervous laugh. "Ah... no, no, I haven't."

"They're great," Stefan said with a smile. "Naughty buggers, but there's nothing better than holding your baby in your arms and realising you made that."

Remus shifted uncomfortably. "Ginny and I aren't a...permanentthing."

Stefan glanced at Remus. "This again? Make it permanent, marry the girl. You're in love with her, aren't you? And you're obviously carrying on with her. She might have a little Lupin baking in her oven and you wouldn't know!"

Before Remus could respond, Ada hurried over.

"I think it's time, Stefan," she said in a hushed voice.

"Oh, blimey! Is it?" he asked, rubbing his jaw. "I'm a bit nervous!"

"You'll be brilliant," Ada said, and she gave him a kiss.

Stefan smiled and ushered Marcus alongside him towards the humongous tree stump, which they both clambered onto. Remus stood back with Ginny as Stefan called for quiet in his loud, booming voice which was perfectly suited to the task.

"Friends, werewolves," Stefan called out. "As you know, our numbers were greatly affected in the last wizarding war and this came from a threat none had ever seen before. Many of us joined him and were punished for it, many of us were targeted," he continued. "But we survived. We haven't been drawn into pack wars since that time and now, we need that unity again."

Remus knew this was important, but his mind kept drifting to what Stefan had said earlier about Ginny carrying without him knowing yet. He gazed down at her, but she listened with rapt attention, and he wondered if there was any discernible change in her that would indicate such a thing. But there was nothing.

She turned her gaze on him and smiled. "Is something wrong?" she whispered.

Remus shook his head and returned his attention back to Stefan, who now seemed to be enjoying the pulpit.

"Our friends in Sherwood are under threat from one of our own," he was explaining. "They have attacked another werewolf on his own land. They've poached pack members from Sherwood." Chatter was rippling through the crowd, but Stefan pressed on. "They have killed the Papplewick alpha." The chatter turned to a buzz now and Stefan had to raise his voice. "Lastly, they subscribe to an unnatural form of marking."

"It is not unnatural," a cold voice permeated the length of the clearing and a familiar smell dragged itself up Remus' nose. He had only smelled it once on Ginny whilst in wolf form. It was the smell of the one who had turned her.

The crowd turned to see a group of about ten men dressed all in dark clothing and leering down at them all. Remus recognised two of them as his attackers.

"Elias Mott," he called with a sneer. "Matlock."

Chatter broke out again as they began to descend the slope and enter the clearing, shoving people out of the way so their leader could stand before Stefan. Stefan and Marcus eyed him wearily, but Remus felt an intense urge to attack.

"What is unnatural about the bite that turns us?" he asked loudly. The crowd hushed at the sound of his harsh voice. "Who says it is unnatural? Wizards?"

Silence.

"As I am sure you all know," Mott continued, "there aren't many females of our kind. Do we not have a right to procreate just as easily as the humans do? Yes, we could do this with humans, but they don't see us as part of them, that's why we hide in the margins of society. That's why we've had to create our own societies."

"We live in packs because of instinct," someone called from the crowd. There was a ripple of agreement from the crowd at this.

"And yet we live in the shadows," Mott said, shaking his head with a haughty look on his face. "What are we hiding from exactly?"

"We do not hide," Stefan said forcefully.

"You tuck yourselves away at the full moon." Mott said in a sly voice. When silence followed this, a cruel grin crossed his face. "You did not extend an invite to this gathering to me and my pack, we feel greatly offended that we have been overlooked."

"The meeting has been called to address the chaos your pack has been causing," Stefan retorted. "Your presence was not required."

Mott still grinned. "I believe my presence is necessary. I have my own grievances with the Sherwood pack and withhim." Mott turned without warning, causing some children to gasp in surprise, and pointed directly at Remus. The crowd turned to stare at him. Mott sneered as Remus growled, a surge of bestial energy coursing through him as their eyes met.

Stefan gestured to crowd of werewolves watching the proceedings, even the children had quietened. "We were already addressing this issue of yours when you arrived," he said with narrowed eyes. "But your actions have endangered the peace we have built over the past few years."

Mott folded his arms in an act of defiance as he faced Stefan again. "I want my grievances heard," he drawled. "The Sherwood pack harbours one ofmyfemales. A female I have marked," he added. "They stole her from me and I want her back, that is all. If they return her to me, I will not bother them again."

Stefan held his stern look. "The female you speak of ran away from you and sought refuge with the Sherwood pack."

Mott's dark brow deepened into a frown and he sneered once more. "She is lying," he said roughly.

Stefan raised a brow at Mott. "Why would she lie if she were taken against her will? I spoke to her away from the Sherwood enforcers, she was able to speak freely to me."

"That girl is mine," he growled and Stefan's own enforcers surged forward as Mott took a step towards him. "I marked her."

Stefan nodded, not bothered by Mott's movement as his enforcers stared Mott's down. "By all accounts, you marked her against her will," he said, his tone serious.

There was a collective gasp from a good number of werewolves in the crowd, and hushed whispering immediately followed this.

Stefan called for quiet. "This is how she was able to escape you so easily," he continued over the chatter. "If she had been willing, you would have had greater control over her."

Mott growled again and turned abruptly away from Stefan, his angry gaze now on Ginny who held tightly onto Remus' arm. "Her, then," he said forcefully as he pointed at Ginny with a grimy finger. "Iturned her. She belongs to me, regardless of thisfilthwho marked her." He spat on the floor at Remus' feet and this was enough to awaken the beast inside him.

Remus lunged forward and would have been at Mott's throat had it not been for the four or so other werewolves tugging him back. He snarled up at him but Mott simply laughed.

"I'll tear you apart, old man," he said with a lazy grin.

"No, you damn well won't," Stefan said, stepping in front of Mott and casting a warning glance at Remus. "This meeting is protected. We do not fight here."

Remus' heart thudded hard in his chest as he glared up at the ugly, twisted face of Mott but he carried on grinning. He shook off the other werewolves and returned to Ginny, who looked shocked by his behaviour, but she was still young in her condition. She would understand what the wolf could make you do when necessary.

"And we all know that the act of marking lays the claim, not the bite," Stefan continued and their were murmurs of agreement from the crowd. "The scent is most powerful upon marking, not upon biting. That you openly admit to wilfully turning this girl is enough to recommend banishment at any rate."

Mott now glared at Stefan. "I'd like to see you try, my enforcers are quite the savages when they want to be. And... perhaps she was marked against her will," he said, gesturing to Ginny who shook her head immediately.

"No, I wasn't!" she said fiercely.

Mott snarled at her and Remus moved to stand in front of her so fast he barely registered what he was doing. "Tell the female to keep her mouth shut," Mott hissed.

"Elias Mott," Stefan said loudly, calling the meeting back to order, "the female werewolf under the protection of the Sherwood pack will remain there if they so choose and if she wishes it. As for this one," he gestured to Ginny, "her marking was consensual and therefore takes any precedence over yourclaim. She has chosen her mate, you must find another."

Mott bent forward, his face contorted with rage, and looked as though he were readying himself to pounce, but Stefan's enforcers surrounded him once more and Mott turned his attention to Ginny. He snarled loudly, threw himself forward and lunged at Ginny.

Remus reacted without thought as the beast took over entirely and roared as their hands locked onto each other's shoulders and they grappled fiercely. He dug his fingers into Mott's fleshy throat, almost gagging at the awful smell of him, and bore down hard. Mott growled with pain and almost buckled to his knees, but he swiped hard at Remus' face and his fist fell with a resounding thud on his nose. A sharp crack resonated sickeningly in the clearing and white spots popped in front of Remus' eyes, which were now streaming with tears.

"Remus!" Ginny shrieked and she rushed forward, but she was held quickly back by other werewolves.

Blood flooded his mouth but he spat it to the floor and held his grip on Mott until they were forcefully dragged apart. Remus snarled angrily but Mott merely laughed aloud.

"We do notfight!" Stefan bellowed as he stood between them now, his arms raised.

Mott threw off those holding him back and whistled sharply. His own pack came to his side as he grinned cruelly. The other packs converged by Stefan's side and Mott's grin turned into a scowl as he surveyed their larger numbers.

"This isn't over, Redwood," he muttered. "Sherwood will pay for stealing what is mine... And you, girl," he pointed at Ginny, his gaze threatening, "you'd better hopehiswolf is enough to protect you because you'll wish for death once I'm done with you."

"You won't fucking touch her," Remus snarled as he shoved past Stefan. "You touch her, and I promise, I will fucking kill you and your pack."

Mott narrowed his eyes at Remus, but grinned again slowly. With one last arrogant look over them all, Mott and his fellows retreated into the darkness of the woods.

The tension in the clearing lingered as they all exchanged weary glances and muttered to each other, a heightened sense of fear settled in amongst them too. Remus could taste it. The threat of a pack war hung heavily in the air.

Stefan sighed and took his place on the stump again. "I suggest we strengthen the Sherwood enforcers. Mott is bent on punishing you first," he said directly to Cassius, who nodded and stepped forward.

"We do not need further enforcements. We can hold ourselves against Mott," he said assuredly. "His pack is small in numbers."

"It may be small in numbers, but they fight like savages," Remus interjected, though his voice was thick with blood now and he was certain his nose was broken.

Cassius turned his suspicious gaze upon Remus. "I would not concern myself with what we are doing, Lupin," he said. "You have no pack. Perhaps it is you who will need the protection."

Remus shook his head. "I have Ministry wards on my land," he replied pointedly. "As long as Ginny stays inside them, she will be fine."

There was a buzz of chatter at the mention of the Ministry and Stefan held his head in his hands and sighed.

"Ministry wards, ay?" Cassius said with a look of disdain. "How does a werewolf come by that level of protection?"

Remus sighed. "I am friends with the Minister," he said impatiently. "But that doesn't matter. We all need to be on our guard against -."

"And who are you to tell us what to do?" Adam stepped forward, his own suspicious glare on Remus now. "You behave like an alpha but you don't have your own pack to speak of."

"You may be Stefan's old friend," Cassius cut in. "But you have no authority here, you have no status."

Remus growled in frustration but Stefan quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation. "Whatever Remus' status is, he is right. We need to concentrate on protecting your pack," he said firmly. "If Mott overruns Sherwood, he has greater numbers to move onto ours and as we've seen, he isn't afraid to move around. We must work together."

"I am happy to keep up correspondence and happy to fight this threat together," Cassius said, but his tone was cold. "I am not happy to allow enforcers from other packs ontomyland. It would cause disruption, of which we have had enough."

Stefan shook his head. "Very well," he said with finality, though Remus could see he was worried by this decision. "But we recommend that all the packs in attendance answer the call if Sherwood makes it."

There was a murmur of agreement through the crowd and Stefan shook Cassius' hand as he called his pack to order so they could leave. Adam followed suit, and slowly the clearing began to empty until Remus and Ginny stood alone with the Hale End pack.

"What's wrong with you?" Josie said, shaking her head as she approached with Ada. "Why would you mention the Ministry?"

"Been living like a wizard for too long," Stefan muttered and he pulled out a cloth from inside his jacket pocket and handed it to Remus.

Remus held it to his nose and briefly wondered when he would stop getting beaten up. "I was trying to make them see they needed help."

Josie scoffed and folded her arms. "As if they would have taken advice from you,youdon't have a pack and you stink of wizards."

"Don't speak to him like that!" Ginny snapped and she squared up to Josie, who merely chuckled.

"So this one does have a bark after all?" she said as she grinned down at the much smaller Ginny. "But does she have abite?" Josie started as if to lunge at Ginny, but Ginny did not flinch. Josie laughed again. "Don't worry yourself, little one, he can handle himself well enough against me."

Ginny clenched her fists at her side, her jaw tightening.

"Ginny, leave it," Remus said firmly and he held his hand out for her to take.

She tore her gaze from the grinning Josie and looked back at him, anger in her face but she slid her hand into his. Concern was etched into her brow. "I can fix it," she said softly, reaching into her pocket for her wand.

"Not here," he muttered. "No wands out."

Stefan stepped forward and held his hand out to Remus. "You best be off," he said, and he gripped Remus' shoulder firmly as they shook hands. "You are always welcome at Hale End. And you, young lady."

Remus nodded. "Thank you," he muttered, his voice still thick as the pain in his nose worsened. "Come on," he urged Ginny, "it isn't safe out in the open here," he said quietly. "Let's go home."

Ginny said her goodbyes and they left Stefan, Ada, and the rest of their pack standing in the clearing. Once they were in the thick of the woods, they disapparated hand in hand to the cottage. The sun was shining weakly through the trees as it began to set behind the horizon.

Remus made to lead Ginny up the path but she tugged on his hand.

"What is it?" he asked, a spark of fear entering him. He thought that perhaps the Matlock pack had returned for one brief moment, but Ginny was smiling.

"Here," she said softly and she withdrew her wand to point it at his nose. Remus gingerly moved the cloth from his face and Ginny winced as she saw the damage.

"That bad, is it?" he asked with a wry smile.

Ginny simply nodded and muttered, "Episkey!"

Remus bit out a sharp gasp as his nose cracked back into place and he rubbed it tentatively. Then she began to siphon the blood off his face and clothes.

"Perfect," she said with a smile as she slotted her wand back into her skirt.

"You are too kind," he muttered with a scoff.

Ginny pressed her body into his and he held her close, it was instinctual now. No thought was at all required when it came to her and now, more than ever, he felt the urge to protect her from all that was to come.