Shade's POV

I woke up with a start, jerking awake from the sleep that had taken me hostage.

There was a loud beeping noise when I realized I was on a bed, countless wires attached to me and the smell of infection less than before.

Looking down I saw that I was in a pair of white underwear and a white sports bra, seemingly so that they could stitch closed the wounds on my body.

Trying to move I whimpered in pain.  Every part of my body ached.

Forcing myself to sit up I pulled out some of the wires and the IV drip, why was I in the hospital?

Raven didn't care that much about me did she?  Doubt started swirling in my mind endlessly as I kicked me feet over the edge of the bed and rubbed my temples.

The door opened and I saw Rosa walk in, looking up and jumping in surprise when she saw me.

"Shadow what in the name of the moon goddess are you doing?!" She shrieked when she saw most of my wires disconnected and a puddle forming around the IV drip.

I stared at her for a moment in confusion, tilting my head.

"What do you mean?  What am I doing in the hospital?" I said back, she sighed and shook her head.

"For starters you almost died from the infection and wounds you sustained while in prison," she rolled her eyes and walked over to me, picking up the IV again.

I looked up when I saw someone at the door and screamed, covering my mouth as I shook, Raven.

"Rosa is everything -" I cut her off with my scream and she looked up, eyes sharpening into a deadly glare.

"Raven, stop, if you cause her anymore panic she might just faint again," Rosa stated calmly but Raven wasn't listening.  I pinned myself to the wall of the hospital and watched her in fear.

"No!  Stay away!  Get away from me Alpha!" I screamed in an uneven and mangled voice.

Tears leaked from my eyes and I started to feel weightless, swaying slightly.

"Raven, stop!" Rosa finally yelled, snapping whoever was in control back o their senses.  And in one swift motion I had the IV back in my arm, supplying me with the liquids I needed to come back to focus.

"Shade, our parents have a birthday surprise for us, get ready to leave in 30 minutes," Raven grumbled before stiffly walking back out of the room.

"Here Shadow, I'll help you get dressed..." Rosa offered, helping me back onto the bed.

She dressed me in a simple pair of skinny jeans and a loose light grey t-shirt.

"Now, you still need to be attached to the IV so, I'm going to hide it against you back okay?"  She told me with a smile, I nodded, keeping my eyes away from hers.

"Okay."

She walked behind me and gently placed the plastic bag against my spine, wrapping it there securely using an Ace bandage.

"There, that should last you about 3 hours, if you're not back by then hopefully you mom will have something to keep you stable with," she patted my shoulder and I flinched away out of habit.

She gave me a concerned look, her eyebrows knitting together before she left me alone, a pair of black high top converse at the foot of the bed.

Willing myself to move I slowly put in the shoes, standing up and trying to find my footing before I walked out the door submissively, watching Raven as she smiled and picked up a young kid, talking with the child's parent, smiling slightly as she did so.

I watched in awe at the amazing relationship she had built with her pack, every wolf clearly adored her.

Slinking off into the trees to watch from a safer spot I continued to monitor their conversation, picking up on little pieces here and there.

I hear footsteps behind me and turned just as I was slammed into a tree, my arm being painfully twisted behind myself.

I cried out in pain but it was muffled as the person covered my mouth with their hand.

The overwhelming power almost sent Veana into panic mode.

"Don't even think about running," Alpha Xavier growled at me with glaring eyes.

"I'm not, I'm not I promise, please let me go," I begged as he continued to put pressure on my arm.  Tears started to stream down my face and I felt my arm break, the pain burning through me.  It hurt so much that I wasn't even able to breath, my body conversing and going rigid.

"Next time you think about sneaking off or stalking my mate let that be a reminder not to," he snarled and let me go, I finally screamed in pain as my arm fell to my side motionless.  I grabbed at my bicep where he break was, sinking to my knees.

Raven at this point had spun around towards where I had screamed, Xavier always out of sight and out of mind.

She started to walk over, leaving the child with their father.

My mind began to race as I stumbled away, trying to make as little noise as possible while my arm healed.

I managed to make it to the back of the house and collapsed on the wooden deck, which was warmed by the sunlight.

"Shadow?!" I heard Raven yell, again flinching back.

"Y-yeah?  What do you need Alpha?" I shakily yelled back.

"Did you see anyone run this way?" She asked as she came out of the woods, I shook my head, already sitting up as I remembered the IV drop that was taped to my back.

She looked at me carefully, trying to see any hints of me lying.

"Fine, are you ready to go?" She said quickly, I nodded, dropping my head in submission.

"Good, let's get going then," and with that she walked off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I was loaded into a black Range Rover and chained in to the back seat, Xavier in the driver's seat and Raven in the passenger, I was two rows behind them in the trunk of the car which was shockingly comfortable and spacious.

It took us about two hours to get to the mountain where our parents lived, we were greeted by two large bob cats which I believed to be our mother's bonded animals.

I was unchained and walked about five feet behind Raven and Xavier, who seemed to be talking about the next full moon.

We made our way through the tunnels, getting closer and closer to the Safe Room, the big cats following behind us, my mother's nudging my hand and purring, demanding attention which I happily gave.

Seeming to sense my fear when we stopped at the door it stepped in front of me, hissing and growling at Xavier when he tried to come closer.

"Raven, get this animal under control will you?" Xavier said, growling back at the bob cat.

Not to thrilled about being threatened the larger than life cat swiped it massive paw, claws out stretched and it being about the size of face, towards him, spitting and sending him stumbling back.

The door opened and my mother appeared in the door frame, immediately commanding the creature to calm down, which it did.

"Hey baby, it's okay I know he's new, it's okay," she cooed to the animal who purred and rubbed it's head against her stomach and chest.

"Sorry, she isn't a fan of new people," my mom stated with a smile.

"Come in come in, do you guys want anything to eat?  Shadow dear you look like skin and bones, let's get you some food," she said in a worried but cheerful voice.

"U-uh. No thank you mom, I'm actually training to live on smaller meal sizes, the pack is going to visit Antartica in a few weeks and we need to learn to ration food," I half smiled at her, hoping it would be a believable excuse.

"Maybe later you could show me the hospital room?  I think I forgot something in there last time I was here," I whispered, she nodded and we walked in, leaving the cats out in the passage way to play fight.

May met us in the living room and I quickly excused myself and my mom to go to the hospital, Raven and Xavier sending me warning glares at I left, my hair standing on end.

"I'll leave you to it then, I should go get some water," she smiled at me knowingly and I nodded, smiling back.

Picking up three bags of IV fluid, I taped them under my shirt and looking in a mirror so make sure you couldn't see them, the plastic tube going into my arm hardly visible from where I was on my arm.

"H-hey mom!  I'm going to go into my room really quickly," I half shouted down the hall.

"I should probably go watch her," I heard Xavier say, standing up of the couch he was sitting on as I walked into view of the room.

My mom slapped a hand on his arm and half sending him a glare forced him to sit back down.

"A girl doesn't need a guard everywhere she goes, Xavier," she warned him, I was shocked, my mother looked truly terrifying in that moment, like she could take on the world and win.

"Yes, of course," Xavier answered bitterly, I merely slinked off towards my room, opening and closing the door quietly.

Immediately I went for the shower, rinsing off my sent and washing my hair quickly, when I stepped out I glanced in the mirror, looking at how much weight I had lost in the last two weeks, though I still had meat on me you could see my ribs and hips, my collarbones where incredibly well defined, and my shoulder blades where sticking out of my back.

Pulling on a different pair of pants and a different top I heard a knock at the door, my mom opening it slightly and smiling at me.

"I know dear, do what you need to do," she enveloped me in a hug and kisses the top of my head.

"It's horrible what happened to you, I understand, you can always come back here if you need to," she told me and I nodded, walking to the the wall and placing my hand on if, remember there was an escape just behind it.

There were footsteps down the hall as the wall opened up, I stared at my mother in fear, but she just growled at the door.

"I'll take care of them, you get going, if you don't leave now you won't get other chance," she warned me and I nodded, stepping into the passage way as the wall closed in front of me.

"Where is she?!  Where did she go!" I heard Xavier shout, I covered my mouth and began to sob, the wall sound proof so that they couldn't hear me.

"Don't get between a wolf and her cub, bitch," he mother snarled out, I could hear her shifting as she did so, looking out of a tiny piece of one way glass I saw her wolf almost matching Xavier's with the strength of her rage.

"Lily you don't understand, you just let one of the most dangerous wolves free!" Raven shouted but my mom hardly seemed to notice.  I didn't care to watch them fight, I wouldn't be able to take it.  So, with a pained and guilty heart I turned around and ran, the secret door locking shut, no one could follow me.  Not through that door anyway.

As I ran I could see light a ways away from me as I ran my way to freedom.

I finally made it out, the fresh air filling my lungs as the peaceful sounds of the forest relaxing me.

But now, I faced a new challenge, learning to survive on my own in a place where Rouges ruled the unclaimed territories.  As a wolf who has never been away from a pack, the next few weeks were going to be difficult.