"God damn it!" I curse just before my back hits the ground. I lay stunned for a few moments and gasp for air.

Derek, I am the north side of the territory near the big maple tree, I mind link my brother.

I will be there in a minute, he replies. I sigh and look around when I hear light footsteps.

I see my brother's dark silver wolf trot up beside me. I look away as he shifts and pulls on the pair of shorts he brought with him.

"What the hell happened Raven?" He asks pulling me up. My head spins and I fall against Derek's chest. His arms wrap around my shoulders and he holds me up.

"I had another nightmare, and I was sleepwalking, I woke up in the tree," I sigh pointing up at the maple that towered over us.

"We need to chain you to your bed or something," he shakes his head.

"I doubt that would work, but I could always just stop sleeping," I mutter, my shoulders slumping tiredly.

"Yeah, I will have a guard next to your bed while you sleep before I let you stay awake 24/7," Derek says, a growl seeping into his words.

"Glad I still have someone who isn't afraid to order me around," I laugh.

"Yeah whatever. Let's go, we should probably get back before they send a hunting party," Derek says with a roll of his eyes making me smile.

"Okay, I think I'm good now," I tell him and he reluctantly lets me go.

"I have to get back to Training, are you going to be alright?" He waits for me to nod before taking off into the forest.

I sigh and lean against the tree I fell out of. My mind wanders back to the nightmare I had and a shiver runs down my spine.

Everything is dark, but I can make out the outline of several people standing around me. I shift into my Lycan so that I can see who they are.

A horrid smell hits my nose and I gag. I hear a sudden scream for help, and Ira takes over my mind at the sound of Shade's cry. I suddenly have no control as I leap forward and sink my teeth into the nearest rogue's throat.

Blood fills my mouth and the taste sends Ira into a frenzy. I feel my eyes turn as red as the blood, and my mind goes completely blank. My black fur becomes heavy with hot blood as my teeth and claws sink into flesh.

I am stalking towards the last rogue when everything slowly gets lighter. I see black fur, striped with gold and silver, it looks very familiar to me, but not to Ira.

My claws are in the wolf's neck before I can utter a word to my Lycan. I hear a howl of pain that is all too familiar.

A paw smashes against my head, letting me take control again, but much too late. Silver and gold eyes pierce mine and I whimper at the pain coursing through my heart.

The wolf blinks once before going still, her eyes still staring into mine. I let out a howl of sorrow and bury my muzzle into the bloody fur.

"I'm so sorry Shade."

I feel tears running down my cheek and quickly swipe them away. I take a few deep breaths before pushing myself off the tree.

I stalk through the forest, my jaw clenched in an attempt to control my emotions. I have my face completely blank by the time I reach the Pack Hospital.

I walk past the confused looks from Aiden, Camryn and Rosa and head straight for Shade's hospital room. My eyes immediately land on the frail form lying on the bed.

I feel my eyes water again but swallow hard and hold them back. Her hair is sprawled out across the pillow and her body is completely limp.

Her face has grown gaunt and her muscles are slowly wasting away. The machines keeping her alive aren't doing much else, supplying her just enough food to keep her body running.

I want to break down at the sight of my cousin, who is the strongest person I know, in such a terrible condition. I pull over the chair in the corner of the room and sit down next to Shade's bed.

I grab Shade's hand in mine and lay my head on the side of her bed. I feel my eyelids grow heavy and everything quickly grows dark.

****************

My eyes fly open and pain shoots through my neck. I slept in an odd position and had to crack my neck to get the soreness out of it.

I stand with a sigh and see that my hand was still interlocked with Shade's. I reluctantly pull away and place a kiss on her forehead.

I take a deep breath before leaving the room. Just as I am about to walk out of the Hospital, I hear Camryn call my name.

"Hey Raven, hang on a minute," she says and I turn back to her.

"Yeah?" I ask sitting down in a nearby chair. I notice she has her hand on her belly that is starting to swell wth her unborn pup. I believe her and Aiden are expecting a child in just a few more months, I can already hear it's heartbeat.

"I had a dream..." She whispers and I nod.

"About Shade?" I ask and she nods, confirming my thought.

"Yeah that I had killed her," she says and I nod again.

"I've been having them too. That's why I went to visit her, in one of my dreams she called for help," I tell her with a sigh.

"Do you think it's possible she is trying to communicate with us in some way? Telling us that she is okay?" She wonders aloud.

"Maybe. I'll ask Rosa, Derek, Jace and Aiden if it has been happening to them too," I shrug and leave the room.

I walk outside the hospital and find Derek and Jace training Lycans with Aiden's help. I head over to where Derek and Jace are watching them spar.

"Hey have either of you been having dreams about Shade?" I ask.

"You mean the ones where she calls out for help and so find my self killing her?" Jace asks, and I am surprised by the anger in his voice.

"Yeah," I mutter.

"Nearly every time I close my eyes," Derek sighs.

"You are having the dreams too?" I hear Aiden ask from behind me.

"Yeah, Camryn said she was having them and was wondering who else is too, she thinks Shade may be trying to communicate with us somehow," I shrug and he nods before returning to sparring with the other Lycans.

I sit down in the snow and watch the training that continues even after the sky has grown dark. A sudden screaming catches my attention and I turn to the Hospital with wide eyes.

"Shade!" I yell and run into the Hospital. I bursts into Shade's room, Derek and Jace right behind me.

Her eyes snap towards me as I throw the door open and her hand reaches out.

"Rav...en," she gasps and clasps her hand over her heart suddenly.

"She is bleeding again, quickly, we are losing her. Get me some cold water and call Rosa!" I yell to Derek and Jace who rush off without a word.

Shade cries out as another wave of pain rocks her body and I struggle to keep her down on the bed.

"Raven, I got the water." Jace runs in with the bowl of ice water and a cloth.

He hands me the cloth to wipe away the sweat and I place my hand on Shade's forehead before yanking it back with a gasp.

"She is on fire!" I breathe as Rosa rushes into the room.

Shade lets out another ear piercing scream and pulls her hand away from her chest. Blood seeps into her shirt, leaving a growing blood spot over her heart.

"Raven, I need you to step out for a minute," Rosa tells me and I feel my eyes swirl red.

"Like hell I'm leaving!" I snarl and see her roll her eyes. I pin Shade down to the table while Rosa stitches up her wounds again.

"Shade, listen to me, you have to calm down okay? I know it hurts, I'm sorry I can't do anything to help you right now," I tell her gently, nearly losing it when she merely bites her lip and whimpers.

I sit down in the chair beside her bed and wait for Shade's pain to subside.

"How long was I gone?" She asks, her voice raspy and cracked.

"About five days," I tell her with a half smile.

She nods and I can tell that she is starting to drift off. Rosa and I leave the room and stand outside her door.

"I want to stay near her in case her wounds open again," I tell Rosa who nods.

"In the lobby we have a few cots set up, you can sleep in one of those," she offers and I give her a grateful smile.

"Thank you Rosa," I say and pull her in for a hug. She seems surprised at first but quickly hugs me back.

"You should get some sleep Raven, you look like shit," she chuckles and I frown.

"I have slept more in the past few days than I have in the past two weeks, although they have been pretty rough nights," I sigh.

"Nightmares?" She suggests, her eyes peering at me curiously.

"Yeah, do you get them too?" I ask. She nods and I shake my head.

"Looks like all of us are getting them, one downside to being really close friends I suppose," I shrug.

"Get some sleep Raven," she says and leaves to go to her own room.

I go into the lobby and lay down on one of the cots. It was surprisingly comfortable, and I fell asleep pretty quickly.

***********

I wake up to the sound of footsteps and see Aiden walking past me into Shade's, a container of fried chicken in his hand.

I can't help but smile as I listen in on their conversation.

"You should've seen Raven after you 'died', I thought we'd all pay the price for your death," Aiden chuckles and I laugh aloud.

"Yeah, like she would've done that," Shade muses. I snort and shake my head in amusement.

"I have legitimately never seen her or anyone so angry. Her wolf is back though, so I'm happy for that," he says and I feel my heart swell.

At least someone cares about me, Ira says and I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, I guess..." I faintly hear Shade mutter and my eyebrows furrow. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Ira growls.

Not everyone likes you, you can be quite a bitch sometimes, I tell her and she scoffs.

I am not.... Well actually I am a pretty big bitch most of the time, I blame you father for that though, she growls.

He is not my father, I hiss at her before ending our connection.

I sit up from my cot and make my way over to Shade's room.

"Since when have you become my mother?" I hear Aiden tease as I walk into the room.

"Go on, you have training with Derek and Jace so get to it," I say shoving Aiden out of the room as he rolls his eyes.

"So, how are you feeling?" I ask Shade, sitting beside her in the bed. She is sitting up with her back against a pillow, she looks better than yesterday but not 100%.

"Better, but how are you feeling? How is Ira?" She asks sitting up a little more.

"Typical Ira, she doesn't give a shit about how hurt you get as long as the rest of the pack is okay. She is okay though I think, I haven't really asked her, but I am define you feeling much better," I tell her and she nods.

Shade starts to get out of the bed and I let her put her arm around my shoulders. I help her out of the room and we walk outside. She sees the snow and the cold hits her body making her jump back with a yelp and fall onto the ground. 

I laugh at her but grab a black coat from the stair railing near the door.

"Thanks," she says and puts on the coat before shifting. She shakes out her coat, the gold and silver tiger stripes barely visible under the thick winter fur she had grown.

"Sometimes I'm jealous you don't need an extra pair of clothes," I mutter remembering how she somehow has the ability to shift back into her clothed human form, while the rest of us end up naked.

She trots through the snow a little and I shake my head. A little girl in pigtails runs up to me with a grin.

"Alpha Silver, how is Alpha Shadow?" She asks me, hope shining in her eyes. I smile at her reddening cheeks and chuckle when a snowflake lands on her nose.

"See for yourself," I say, kneeling down to her height and pointing to the black wolf in the snow.

She gasps and runs toward Shade while I stand. She was halfway to Shade when she trips over her boots and lands face first in the snow. I flinch but sigh in relief when Shade comes to her rescue.

She gives the little girl a wolfing grin and licks her face, making the girl giggle and wrap her her arms around Shade's neck. She lets her muzzle rest on the girl's back that was covered in a puffy pink jacket.

"Chloe! What are you doing sweetie?" I hear a woman laugh behind me. I smile as Chloe runs to her mom who scoops the girl up into her arms. I recognize her as one of the caretakers, she helps to take care of all of the pups in the pack while the parents are hunting or securing the borders.

"Alpha Shadow, it is good to see you out of bed and doing well," she says, bowing her head in respect to both of us.

"Hello Anna, this is your daughter I presume?" I ask, noticing the resemblance between the two. She nods and I see Chloe start to squirm. Anna puts her down and she immediately dashes off, laughing at her own little trick.

"That girl, excuse me Alphas," Anna shakes her head before running after her daughter, who was a pink dot in the distance.

I turn back to Shade who flips over onto her back playfully. I roll my eyes and pet the fur on her chest.

I run behind some trees and strip off my clothes before shifting. Just like Shade, my red and white tiger stripes barely showed in my thick winter fur.

"Come on, I found this place I think you'll like," she says, her voice booming around the clearing.

"Alright, lead the way," I say in Ira's voice, making every nearby wolf cringe and their heads bow slightly. I realize that Shade was unaffected and grin happily.

Shade turns tail and takes off into the trees with me following close behind. She leads me farther into our territory until we reach a small clearing.

My eyes catch onto the frozen waterfall that sits above the lake of ice. Shade sits down at the top of the hill that overlooks the beautiful winter scene. I slide to a stop beside her and let my gaze move across the evergreen trees and the blanket of snow that lies untouched by any creature.

I sit down and lean my head against Shade's furry shoulder. The setting sun cast a light on the snow making it sparkle and glow.

I sigh and feel my heart warm at everything around me. Right here, I think, right here I have everything I will ever need to keep me happy.

Right now, everything is so easy and simple, it was just me and Shade, running our very own pack and not having a single care in the world.

*********

OMG! I am so sorry! I know I told some of you that I was going to update last week but I completely forgot. I made this chapter pretty long so I hope that makes up for it ;).

Please check out SunFireStar stories 'Shattered' and 'Dare To Kill'. They are on my reading list and they are the same as my stories, but they are from Shade's POV. They might help you understand my stories a little better. She is an amazing writer, please check out her stories!!!