"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Hailey asks me again and I roll my eyes.

"Relax, Madox is not going to kill you, and neither will Zelda, Xena, or any of Shade's cats," I reassure her though she still looks uneasy.

I push open the doors to the kennels and walk straight to my lion.

"Do you want to ride with me or do you want to try riding by yourself?" I ask Hailey and she bites her lip.

"I will just ride with you," she mutters and I smile a little.

"I'll bring Zelda along just in case you change your mind," I tell her and unlock both of their pens.

My lion comes bounding towards me and I hear Hailey yelp as he comes to a sliding stop beside me.

"Zelda!" I call and she stalks out, her head held high and her chest puffed out. I laugh and she chirps at me.

"Madox, subsido," I command and he crouched down, allowing me to climb onto his back. Hailey gives me a nervous look and I roll my eyes.

I grab her hand and yank her up behind me. Her eyes are wide and she looks around in panic.

"What the hell am I supposed to hold on to?" I give her a shrug and grip Madox's silky black mane.

"Ad incolumem locus," I tell him before repeating the same to Zelda.

Madox pads out of the kennels and pauses, smelling the air and trying to find a path. I lean down and he turns his head to face me.

"Rugiet," I mutter and he rears up onto his back paws. Hailey screams and wraps her arms arms tightly around my waist.

I laugh as he lets out a thundering roar that shakes the ground before leaping into the forest. The trees fly past us in a blur as he runs towards the mountains.

Zelda runs beside us for a few moments before dashing ahead, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. I feel Hailey squeeze me tighter as the dark mouth of the tunnels comes into view.

I shift a little to loosen her arms and laugh as Hailey screams when Madox leaps into the darkness. I feel the temperature instantly drop several degrees and get even cooler as we travel deeper into the mountain.

Madox's claws scrape against rock as he quickly turns a sharp corner, the harsh sound making me wince a little.

How does he know which way to go? I hear Hailey's voice in my head.

The same way I do, we were trained from a very young age so it's just memory, I reply with a shrug.

Oh yeah, I remember you telling me this now, she laughs.

As we pass a few diverging tunnels, my ears catch several different growling sounds and I shake my head in disbelief.

"So that's what they do all day," I mutter under my breath with a small smile.
Madox comes to a sliding stop in front of the silver door and I see Zelda laying down in front of it, looking quite bored.

I roll my eyes at her and slide off of Madox's back. I help Hailey down before digging my fingers into his mane and scratching his head.

He growls in content and rubs his head against me before laying down beside Zelda. I enter the code into the door and push it open.

I look around the familiar room for any sign of my mother or aunt but find none.

"Where are they?" Hailey asks and I shrug. I don't think they are in here.

"I don't know," I admit after Ira confirms that they aren't anywhere near the safe room. I walk back out and motion to Zelda.

She leaps up and stands in front of me with a small chirp.

"Hailey you can either come with me or wait here," I tell her and she laughs.

"I'm staying here, May and Lily always seem to have the fridge stocked full of food so I will be raiding the fridge if you need me," she snorts and I roll my eyes.

I climb onto Zelda's back and hold on tightly to the fur at her scruff.

"Invenire ire mater mea," I tell her and she sniffs the air deeply.

She searches for a scent for several moments before leaping into one of the connecting tunnels. I watch the turns she makes and assume we are going to the Training Chamber.

I see the turn come up to get there and I notice that Zelda isn't slowing down. She runs right past it and the tunnel suddenly slopes downward, taking us deeper into the mountain.

Can I look around your room? I hear Hailey's voice in my head.

Yeah just don't touch anything, I growl. A few moments later I hear her let out a string of curse words.

You have fucking guns and knives and weapons as decorations?

Uh yeah, why do you sound so surprised? I laugh.

I'm not really, its just a little concerning, did you find your mom yet? Or Lily?

Not yet, but Zelda is taking me to a new part of the Mountain I've never seen before.

I feel Zelda slow beneath me and look around for nearby doors, but find none.

"What the hell?" I mutter under my breath as we come up to a dead end.

Zelda walks up to the rock wall and suddenly it shifts, moving upward like a gate. I shake my head, a grin on my face as I realize it is like a secret passage.

My cheetah stalks inside, the rock closing behind me. I can barely see the outline of the walls, they seem to be moving closer until there is barely enough space for Zelda to walk.

We pass through another secret door and the rock abruptly widens out into a cavern filled with a bright light. My eyes widen in shock at the technology and equipment that surrounds the room.

I spot my mother and Lily on the other side of the room, fiddling with some strange instruments. I slide off Zelda's back and walk over to them, gaping at the room in amazement.

"This is what you two do all day?" I ask.

"Oh hey Raven. Yeah, we don't have much else to do," Lily shrugs.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"Well right now we are synthesizing an antidote for silver poisoning. We created a chemical-based bacteria that eats silver in the bloodstream," my mother replies casually and I stare at her.

"You can do that?"

"Yes, right now we are just trying to make sure that after it eats all the silver that it doesn't start eating something else. So far everything seems to be okay but we should have it finalized and ready for mass production by next week at the latest."

"How did you find a bacteria that can do that?"

"It was in your blood. I was doing some tests and found a chemical your body actually produces that destroys silver. I extracted that chemical and grew a bacteria from it. The bacteria moves better and destroys the silver more quickly than just the chemical itself, making it that much more effective," she explains and I shake my head in disbelief.

"Well apparently my mother and her sister are fucking medical and military geniuses that figured out how to create genetically modified cats, grow bacteria from chemicals that can destroy silver, and build a secret underground facility in a mountain that is designed to kill anything that comes inside it," I list off, pausing for a moment to think.

"Okay well my mother and aunt are officially the most awesome people I know. But, I didn't come here for that. I came because I need your help," I tell them and they put down everything they were doing.

"Let's go to the Safe Room to discuss this."

"Oh by the way, I brought Hailey with me, she said she misses you guys," I say and Lily laughs.

"I actually missed her too," she says and I smile a little.

They both whistle and their cats come bounding into the room. I climb back on Zelda but pause before letting her run.

"What's the new creature I passed on the way to the safe room? It didn't sound like a cat," I say and they grin.

"It's a fox, a giant fox," my mother says.

"Who is it bonded to?" I ask her.

"Right now he is bonded to you, but if Shade comes back we can activate the genes in the fox that would bond him to her as well."

"What's his name?"

"Vælius, it means hidden. He is genetically modified to be absolutely silent, and stealthy. His fur is a special color that reflects light to match his surroundings and you communicate with him through a mind link," she tells me and I am impressed.

"I like him already," I grin and we take off back to the Safe Room.

Hailey is waiting for us inside, excited to see Lily again. They go off to talk while my mother turns to me.

"What are you here for exactly?"

"Well I am going to another pack way up north, and I need some more weapons," I say and she smiles widely.

"I've got just the thing," she says and leads me through the halls until we get to another locked room.

She enters a code and the door opens. It is full of hundreds of weapons, varying from machine guns to hand grenades and daggers.

I let out a low whistle and look around excitedly.

"We have some weapons that are made of silver and laced with wolfsbane, so it makes them lethal whether you deliver a death blow or not. The silver is infused with several other metals so it can cut through nearly anything and is virtually indestructible," she says.

I nod and she hands me a black bag that is heavier than I expected.

"There are swords, knives, daggers, whips, bullets, arrows and just about any other weapon in there. All are made of the reinforced silver and infused with wolfsbane."

"Thanks, do you mind if I take Vælius with me? I have a feeling that he might come in handy," I tell her and she shrugs.

"Sure, just remember that he is bonded to you," she reminds me.

"I remember. Is he trained?"

"Of course. We have actually had him for months now but he finished training and we put him in a tunnel just a few days ago," she shrugs and I nod.

"I will take Madox and Xena with me as well, I want to leave Zelda with her kits though. Oh and who is the father of Zelda's kits?" I ask her and she smiles a little.

"There isn't a father but Shade's cheetah Calypso's DNA is infused with Zelda's to make the kits even faster than their mom and bond them to both of you."

"That's not right, I swear you guys are trying to replace Mother Nature," I mutter making my mother roll her eyes.

"Well you better get going, it's almost nightfall."

*********

The freezing wind whips my hair into my face and I tuck the strands into my hood again.

"Why the hell do they have to live in fucking Canada?" I hear Hailey growl and look over to see her huddling against Madox for warmth.

She grips his fur tightly as he pads through the snow. He doesn't even seem to be fazed by the snow, or the wind, or the fact that it is -23 degrees outside.

We have been traveling for two weeks now and are expected at the Black Ice Pack tomorrow. We travelled quickly for the first week because it wasn't too cold, but then a few days ago, this blizzard set in.

"Do you need another blanket or something?" I ask her and she hesitates before nodding.

"Here," I say, taking a blanket out of my backpack and tossing it to her. She wraps it around herself and sighs as warmth spreads through her body.

The material is reflective so it doesn't absorb your body heat like most do. I am riding Vælius who is becoming my favorite of my animals.

He is quiet and moves like a cat but more graceful and without a single sound at all.

I finally spot a dark shape in the distance and the vague outline slowly morphs into a building.

"Is that it?" I hear a voice call on my other side. I see Maya riding on Xena and give her a nod.

"Yes, that's the pack. How are you doing?" I ask her and she smiles.

"This is a lot of fun," she says and I laugh.

Xena's thick, white fur makes her perfectly adapted for this weather and she struts through the snow confidently. Maya keeps her body close to the leopard's and I notice she seems much warmer than Hailey.

As we approach the first building I see two men guarding the door. They ask for us to stop and I climb off of Vælius.

"My name is Alpha Silver, I have a meeting with your Alpha tomorrow," I tell them and they nod.

"Beta Cameron warned us about your arrival. Who did you bring with you and what are those things?" One man asks.

"I brought one of my pack doctors and my head warrior. Those are genetically modified animals, one is a lion, another a snow leopard and the third is a fox," I explain with a shrug.

"Come inside, your animals can come too but we will have to speak with our Alpha as far as what to do with them," one sighs and pulls open the doors.

I wave over to Maya and Hailey and they hop down, running inside with the animals following behind.

They barely fit through the doors that are immediately closed behind us. We are in a large room filled with light from torches and I can't help but notice how warm it is.

I unbutton my furry Eskimo coat and see Maya do the same. Hailey is still shivering so I pull her close to me and rub her arms.

The room is empty but the door on the other side soon opens and a man walks in. His hair is blonde and he is heavily muscled, can't be much older than 25.

"Hello Alpha Silver, I am Beta Cameron. Glad you made it all right," he says, holding out his hand. I shake it and smile a little.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. You must not get many visitors considering how remote your pack is," I say.

"That was the reasoning behind its location. Not many are approving of a rogue pack so by being isolated, we are making it more secure," he explains and I nod.

"That makes sense. Well this is one of my pack doctors Hailey and this is my Head Warrior Maya," I introduce them and they give him a respectful nod.

"And my guard said you had three genetically modified animals, where did you manage to get something like that?"

"I know two wolves that are exceptionally talented and have nothing better to do all day," I shrug and he chuckles.

"Well the Alpha is waiting for you, but he requested to speak with you alone. We have rooms prepared for you that Miss Maya and Hailey may stay in along with some stables that I'm sure will hold your animals."

"Very well."

*******

"This is the Alpha's office," Beta Cameron tells me and I nod.

"Thank you," I mutter and he leaves me in front of the double doors. I hear pacing on the other side and take a deep breath before knocking.

"Come in," a deep voice says. The growling undertone has me blinking in surprise for a moment before I shake my head and push open the doors.

A beast of a man stands before me, fairly young for an Alpha. He looks to be only 30 years old at the most.

He stands at 6'6 and thick, hard muscle covers his entire body. He has a tattoo that stretches over one arm and across his chest and back, clearly visible beneath his white T-shirt.

His hair is brown and his jaw is lined with stubble. His face would make any girl swoon and his eyes, they are the deepest blue I have ever seen.

He stares at me in surprise and I stare back. Hearing but not quite understanding what Ira is growling at me.

I finally comprehend what she is saying and speak at the same time he does.

"Mate."

**********

This chapter is not edited so I apologize for any mistakes!!!!

I am so sorry! I meant to update last week but I was camping and they don't have cell service or wifi in the mountains so....yeah

Please let me know what you think of this chapter! I don't have school anymore so I should start publishing more often.

Please COMMENT, and VOTE!!!!!