My paws thrum against the ground in rhythm with each powerful beat of my heart. Blood rushes in my ears and my vision blurred red in my rage.

Ira is pushing to take over and I can barely hold her back. I keep my eyes trained on Xavier's dark silver wolf ahead.

Are you sure it's this way? He mindlinks me.

Yes! I clearly remember that it lets out on the other side of the mountain. I just hope we can get there before Shade disappears, I growl, pushing myself to run faster.

Xavier snarls and lengthens his strides, bounding further ahead. I hear paw steps in the distance but ignore it.

My eyes suddenly lock onto a sudden shift in the ground ahead of Xavier. I narrow my eyes, trying to make out what it is. But when I figure it out, it's too late.

Xavier it's a ditch! I shout through the mindlink but he won't be able to stop in time. He digs his claws into the ground, crouching down and trying to slow down.

I watch in horror as he scrambles for a hold for a few seconds before disappearing over the side. I let out a howl, rushing to the edge.

I look down into the ditch. It is dozens of feet deep, ending in a massive river. The water swirls violently below me and I desperately search for any sign of my mate.

I hear a snarl and suddenly something slams into my side. I gasp, clawing for purchase as I become airborne.

It seems to happen in slow motion as I fall down into the deep ditch. I look up and see Lily's silver wolf standing where I was.

"Don't touch Shadow ever again!" She snarls just as my body hits the churning water. I gasp at the force of the impact, making water fill my lungs.

I cough roughly, starting to shift as I am carried away by the rushing river. In my weakened and distracted state, my Lycan decides to take advantage.

Ira takes over, immediately stopping my shift and making me claw through the water. Using powerful strokes I manage to get my head above the water.

I barely have time to regain control of my breathing before I am thrown underwater by rapids. The water is dark grey and the same color as the sky, so I can't tell which way I am looking as I tumble through the torrential waters.

After fighting for what feels like hours, Ira finally relinquished control and I simply relax, allowing the current to drag me downstream.

Why are you letting the water carry you away? She asks.

Because it's safer than fighting it. I am waiting for a calm spot to try to get out, I explain.

I close my eyes and hold my breath. The rapids seem to worsen, tossing me around more violently before as I am carried farther downstream.

I am suddenly thrown against a rock and gasp in shock, sucking in a lungful of water. I choke, trying to expel the water but my head remains below the surface, only making it worse.

My vision starts to go black as I continue inhaling water in panic. Everything starts to slow until something latches around my arm.

I am yanked from the river and onto a nearby rock. I immediately flip over, coughing up water. After a minute I can breathe.

I collapse onto the rock, gasping for air. My entire body aches and my lungs burn with exhaustion. I push my wet hair out of my face and turn to see my mate sitting beside me, soaking wet.

I jump up and throw my arms around him, burying my face in his neck. He hugs me tightly, instantly warming me up from the freezing water.

"Thank god you're okay, I was really worried when I saw you get caught in those rapids," he says, his voice raspy.

"I'm okay, and so are you," I say, kissing him hard. I pull away and he places a light kiss on my forehead before helping me to my feet.

"Shade got away," I mutter.

"We will find her, its impossible to hide from the most powerful alphas in the world," he says making me chuckle.

I sigh, then look around with a frown.

"Now, we just have to figure out how the hell the most powerful alphas in the world are going to get out of this ditch . . . "

**********

"Raven! Oh god where have you two been? We have been searching everywhere for you!" Derek growls angrily as my mate and I trudge into the clearing.

I let out a snarl, forcing him to lower his head in respect.

"Do not yell at me," I tell him in a deadly voice. He nods, then slowly looks up at me.

I turn away from him and towards my house. He jogs to my side before speaking in a low voice.

"Maya and I did our best to keep it quiet that you two were missing but the pack started asking questions. They were freaking out, what the hell happened and where is Shade?"

"Gone, thanks to aunt Lily. She helped Shade escape then pushed me into a very violent river at the bottom of a very deep ditch," I growl, still pissed at Lily.

I push open the doors to my house and head straight for my office.

"I need to call Alpha Blackthorn, in the meantime can you find some wolves that know how to track or hack cellphone numbers?" I ask Derek.

"Yeah sure, but why?" He replies, looking at me in confusion.

"Shade is going to try to contact someone to help her get away from here, if we can figure out where she is now and where she is going, then we can find her," I explain, dialing Alpha Blackthorn.

"Okay, I will get Hailey to help me, she's good with technology right?" He asks. I nod and he walks out, leaving me alone in my office.

The phone picks up after the first ring.

"Hello?" Blackthorn answers.

"Alpha Blackthorn, this is Alpha Raven Silver, I believe you wished to speak to me regarding Shade," I say.

"Yes, I was wondering what the hell happened that our bond is nonexistent," he growls. I sigh tiredly.

"Shadow's Lycan was replaced with one named Venatrix. She was designed to be a match for my Lycan so I could be killed," I tell him. He snarls and I hear a crash.

"Of course it's your fault!" He spits. My eyes go wide and I can feel a growl rumbling in my chest.

"Just because you are thousands of miles away doesn't mean you can disrespect me! I have killed alphas all over the world for talking to me like that, don't think you are any different!" I yell. He whimpers in response and a triumphant smirk creeps into my face.

"Where is Shade now?" He asks, his voice much quieter.

"Well she was in my prison while I was breaking her new Lycan, but thanks to her mother, she is gone now."

"Gone? What do you mean? Where is she now?"

"I don't know but my pack is working on it. Now since you two aren't really mates anymore, I would appreciate it if you didn't call anymore except for official business," I say firmly before hanging up.

I sit down in my chair with a small groan. I rub my temples and close my eyes tightly.

"Everything alright?" I look up and see Xavier standing in front of me.

"Yeah, I just wish being Alpha wasn't so much work," I mutter. He pulls me to my feet and then into his arms.

My favorite part of his embrace is that he makes me feel safe, which is a luxury I never had before he came along. When he holds me I know I don't have to look over my shoulder because he is doing it for me.

"Well Hailey already found something so lets go see what it is then we are going to get some rest," he tells me. I nod and allow him to lead me through the territory until we reach the pack house.

It is basically a massive dormitory, with twenty-six floors and 15 rooms on each floor. The bottom floor though has offices and meeting rooms as well as the control center for all of the pack's systems.

It is nearly dark outside so most of the pack is retiring for the night. The pack house is bustling with activity. Children are running around and adults are hanging out in the main lobby.

Xavier leads me to the back of the building and into a locked room. Maya, Derek, Hailey, and about 6 other Lycans are sitting around a table, each with a laptop.

Hailey spots me and immediately waves me over.

"I found her!" She says, pointing to the laptop. My eyes widen as I walk around the table.

I look at the map on the screen and see a blinking red dot. I shrug.

"Where is that?" I ask. Hailey rolls her eyes before zooming out, and I recognize it as a nearby town.

"How the hell did you find her?" Xavier asks.

"I just ran a tracking algorithm that showed all of the phones within 50 miles of the territory and then looked for ones that have unknown users. That left less than half a dozen so I just looked through recent messages and calls and Shade's is the one that called moving agencies and stuff like that," she explains, shrugging as if it is no big deal.

"And you did that in like ten minutes?" I scoff. She nods, shrugging again.

"Wow, okay well last I checked that is a hotel so she is obviously spending the night. We will leave early in the morning to get her," I decide.

"Thank you, now get some rest," I order the room. I get a chorus of 'yes Alpha' in response.

"Let's go get some rest too," Xavier says. I smile and gladly walk with him to our bedroom.

I take a shower quickly, my hair still full of dirt and sand from the river, then slide into bed beside my mate.

"Goodnight," he says, kissing me forehead lightly and pulling me against his chest.

"Goodnight," I mutter. My mind is still racing and it is nearly an hour before I fall asleep.

*********

My eyes snap open to a knock at the door. I recognize Hailey's scent and slide out of bed. I quickly change into a sports bra and shorts before opening the door.

"We've got a problem," she says and I curse under my breath.

"Of course, what is it this time?" I sigh. She jerks her head before taking off at a full sprint.

Shit, this must be bad if Hailey's running, I think before running after her. I follow her back to the room we were at yesterday.

She is there with only Maya. She pulls over the laptop and start typing furiously.

"What's going on?" I demand.

"Shade knows we're coming," Maya says.

"What? How?" I growl angrily.

"I've been watching her text messages, and a few minutes ago she got one practically warning her that we are coming," Hailey says.

"From who?" Hailey types a few more things before pulling up a black screen with white text on it. I recognize it as a text message.

"The text was sent from your phone," Maya says. I look at her confused before reading the text.

"Shouldn't have made those calls last night dear cousin of mine," I read aloud. I stare at the screen for several minutes, rereading it before snarling loudly.

"I know for a fact you didn't send that, so I tracked your phone and it's in the pack house, room 312," Hailey says.

"Find out whose room that is!" I growl, running a hand through my hair.

"Don't bother, I know whose room it is," Maya says, crossing her arms over her chest with a sigh. I look at her expectantly.

"That's Rosa's room," she tells me. I let out a yell before smashing my fist into the wall.

"Put that bitch in the prison!" I spit. She nods, then leaves the room.

"Well now we're screwed. No way is she going to keep that phone so now we have no way to track her," Hailey sighs. I shake my head and close my eyes.

"She could be anywhere."

**********

Two weeks later . . .

"Alpha! One of the messengers from a Northern Pack brought this a few minutes ago," my messenger Amira tells me. I take the folder from her with furrowed brows.

"Okay, thank you Amira," I say. She nods before disappearing into the forest again. I open the folder and take one look before smirking.

Be in Meeting Room C in five minutes, I mindlink Xavier, Derek, Hailey and Maya.

I walk away from where I was keeping an eye on the pack and head towards the pack house. All four are already in the room when I arrive.

"What's in it?" Derek asks, nodding to the folder.

"This came one of the Northern Packs who are helping us by placing scouts around Canada and northern United States," I explain.

I pull out the photo and toss it onto the table. They glance at it, before looking at me. It is of a girl in a department store, with white hair.

"We found Shade."