I officially had roommates. Unwelcome ones and of the opposite gender. I know I complained about not having one when I first got here and I wouldn't complain out loud, but I wasn't happy about it at all. Two extra cots were now in my cabin with Uncle John taking one and C.J. on the other. Grayson and Jarek took first watch. That was so not the best team to be paired up with but Grayson wouldn't allow Jarek around me without him. Not that it really mattered anymore, he was no longer my boyfriend. Shortest relationship ever!

After Nikko told us about Queen Harmonia, he had been on edge, especially around Jarek. The three of us were tucked in but all still awake. The chirp's of the crickets was the only sounds I could hear outside besides the odd grunt coming from Grayson, probably answering some soft spoken question from Jarek.

"So you're a late bloomer eh?" Grayson's voice broke the soft snores of C.J. after a while. Jarek mumbled something, he must be farther from the cabin than Grayson. "You said you were looking at your heritage 5 years ago before you shifted.

Jarek gave a low masculine chuckle that made me shiver. "No Grayson. I shifted when I was 16 just like all other borns. I'm only 19."

"You're still too old for her. Stay away from her," Grayson hissed after a minute of hesitation. He must have been in shock with this newfound information like I was.

Jarek didn't act or look 19, mid 20's yes but not only 3 years older than me. Yes, there was the connection I felt towards him and Nikko, no matter how hard I fought it I knew it was there. But thinking he was so much older helped me ignore the attraction I felt towards him. I am big enough to wish there were somethings I didn't know and this was one of them. It shouldn't make that big a difference but I knew I was lying to myself.

The last thing I heard from outside was what sounded like a snort which I thought came from Jarek, and Uncle John murmured something after he too must have heard the conversation outside then rolled over and went to sleep. Soon after, no matter how much my mind would not shut off, I drifted off to sleep.

"Do not shift, Hunter," Uncle John begged.

"But I can help!" I was not going to stay in the cave and do nothing.

"No! Listen to me. They do not know who you are yet. If you shift they will see you are the red wolf. The future Queen. The shock of it may give us the upper hand for a moment but that is it. The fight to take you will become an outright slaughter. We really don't want to kill, no matter what they have already done. We are better than this. Hunter, promise me. Promise me you will stay here and not shift." Uncle John held my face between his huge hands. The pleading in his eyes were screaming at me.

He was right and I knew this but it was still hard to hear and see my pack fight to protect me while I stayed hidden and did nothing. Even Nikko had called some of his pack in and they were fighting for a girl they didn't even know never mind met. The quilt was eating up at me. Looking at my uncle I nodded, I would do this for him and the others. I would keep myself locked away and hope this was for the better.

Grayson, in his wolf form, and C.J., still on two legs stayed back with me. I could tell they were itching to join the others but they wouldn't leave my side for two reasons: they were given an order and because they both would be worrying about me if they were not here.

We all made it to the cabins in the woods without a problem and the pack members that Uncle Adam and Nikko called where here waiting for us. That's as far as we got. It was dark already so we were just going to crawl to our cabins and crash. Out of the cars for about 5 minutes when the first howl screamed through the night air. Uncle John had me over his shoulder and running before the howl stopped. A dozen others followed us to the cave. I was told there was only two entrances and they were both covered. It would take a tank to get through the pack members.

We seemed pretty deep into the cave but sound seemed to carry all the way to us: howling, snarling, growling, yelping, barking, and the dreadful screams that would cut off immediately. In a matter of minutes after Uncle John left I was a nervous basket case. Both Grayson and C.J. were pacing back and forth making their own noise.

A series of yelps came from the right tunnel. The boys stopped in mid pace and looked at each other. "Go! I will take her up," C.J. commands.

Grayson whines, head butts my hip before licking my hand then takes off full speed down the right tunnel. "Wait! What...Where is he going?" I tried to sound angry but all I sounded was like a scared little girl.

Grabbing my upper arm C.J. moved us further in the cave. "The yelps. You did hear them right?" At my nod he continued, "It was a signal. If they thought or saw someone get past the last line of defence they would send a signal and whoever was in wolf form would meet the others halfway. Between them they would either stop whoever made it through or confirm it was a false alarm. During that time I would move you deeper in the cave to a spot hard for a wolf to get to."

The further we went the sounds of the fighting were getting harder to hear. C.J. seemed to become more anxious and speed up our pace from a slow jog to an easy run. I was paying so much attention on where I was running so I wouldn't trip over a boulder since all we had was a dim light from a small flashlight that guided our way. Our eyesight was good but in a black cave we needed some help.

I heard C.J. whisper, "I am so sorry." Before everything went dark.

I jumped right out of bed with my heart pounding through my chest. Sunlight coming through the windows told me I slept through the night. Jarek and Grayson shot out of bed and looked around the cabin told me two things: I slept through the shift change and my startled movements woke them.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "Just a dream." I realized that I was once again in my pj's and had male company. This really had to stop.

"Dream or vision?" Jarek took a step closer when he asked.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know how to tell the difference."

"Nikko, Adam, to the cabin please," Grayson was using the 2-way radio. He got a muffled affirmative.

"For once I would like to wake up alone and not have a room full of people before my shower," I grumbled, taking my clothes to the bathroom with me to have a quick shower before everyone and their mother was piled into my cabin.

After the quickest shower ever I found only both my uncle's and Nikko waiting in my room. Before I got the 20 questions routine I asked Nikko, "How do I tell the difference between a vision and a dream for the future?"

"Good question," Nikko said with a smile of approval. "Of course the visions of the past are much easier because we are an observer. Some future visions are the same when they are about someone else and we are there as an observer and nothing more. Now the ones that are personally about us, those can be more difficult at the beginning. First, when you wake up you just know deep down in your gut. Also they have more of a hazy feel to them. Almost like you are looking through a subtle wavy glass. I don't expect you to remember how things looked. It takes practise and you will start to notice the difference between just a dream and a vision. Another way is to think about how much of it you remember. If it fades quickly then it was just a dream but if you remember things clearly than there is a better chance of it being a vision."

Part of that was disappointing. I tried to think on how things looked but I couldn't remember. I did remember what happen as clear as them standing in front of me, but like he said it was a chance it was still just a dream. "Oh." I didn't hide the disappointment I felt.

Uncle Adam cleared his throat before speaking. "Tell us about what you dreamt about Hunter." I did. Started from the beginning, taking my time so I wouldn't forget anything.

"I would say it was a vision except for the two tunnel part. Everything you described sounds like both the places we have in the mountains but...the tunnels don't add up," Uncle Adam said as he was lost in thought.

"I'm sorry for making you all rush here because I had a stupid dream." Even though a part of me was extremely grateful that it was just a dream after all. Nikko looked less convinced.

"No reason to be sorry hunny. It's a learning curve and I rather you tell us everything than not and end up being something we needed to know. Why don't you head out and get some breakfast."