They wait in tense silence, and irritated by the storm, Jet does something about it. As the storm breaks up Stephanie catches hold of it. These two are just the front runners, she will likely want the storm later when the others show up.

Ethan heats up the wind that is flying around drying off their clothing so they aren't shivering when they meet their new enemy head on. They all figure that the one that brought the storm is Bianca, but they have no idea who the second person is, or what kind of supernatural they are.

Shortly after Jet has dealt with the storm the two figures walk to the crest of the hill and show themselves for the first time. Even though they are still some distance away the female is plainly visible and Stephanie can tell from the sharply in drawn breaths and angry tension that the female is Bianca.

She studies the female curiously, but only sees pain and regret as she looks at the female. The male she studies and is confused. She can't feel power from the individual and so knows that he isn't a witch of any kind.

"What are you?" She demands the answer from the male. This takes the attention of her friends from the traitor to her male companion as well.

There is a change in the atmosphere from them, but she isn't sure just what the change is or if it is good or not. She feels them gathering their power and she supposes that she has her answer that way.

"My name is Luke, alpha Luke at your service I am alpha of the Lodge pole pine pack. We came here expecting or rather hoping for four males, not three males and a female."

Not ever having had much experience with supernaturals, Stephanie isn't too sure what an alpha is. They'd gone over the basics of the witches, the different kinds and what they are able to do, a bit about vampires, mostly how to avoid them and a bit about shifters but not much.

"An Alpha werewolf." Talon's voice conveys his surprise, and his disbelief all at once. "I would expect that your entire pack is dead if they have you under their control."

His words are what shocks Stephanie. An alpha werewolf, they are the strongest of the shifters and not easily caught or controlled. She can't imagine how the hunters or whatever the hell they are managed to do so.

"Not quite right, witch. I, and some of my best warriors sprung the trap meant to take down my pack. I allowed them to take me and those with me, that survived that is, to save the rest of my pack. They even now await for my return." There is a bit of amusement in the alpha's voice as he tells Talon this, but more overtones of anger.

"There is nothing stopping you and the traitor from going to your pack." Talon looks at the female and sneers. "There is nothing stopping this one from disappearing on her own."

For the first time Stephanie looks at her companions and gives them a warning look.

"I would have left some time ago, but one of the lovely things they injected into me, us, is a tracking compound. Should we leave, they would be able to track us down and kill all those around us. I will not lead them to my pack, so until it's safe for me to return I stay away."

"Where is Chase? We hoped that he would be able to remove the tracking agent."

At Bianca's words Stephanie can feel the three behind her stiffen in anger. She gives them all another warning look.

"Before we tell you about where Chase is, why don't you tell us why you betrayed us to those hunters after you left!" Jet spits that out like the words are acid and he needs to get them out before they burn his mouth.

Bianca shakes her head. "I never betrayed you. I was betrayed, Chase betrayed me, that was why I took Apple and left. I should have stayed. Watching him be with that bitch would have been better than what happened once we left."

Stephanie feels once more a change in tension by those behind her. She can feel their confusion, especially from Talon.

"You are lying. Chase would never have cheated on you. He loved you more than anything." Yet Talon's voice doesn't reflect that belief. She can hear the doubt in it and she's sure that Bianca could as well.

"Tell me where Chase is, he can tell you himself just what a fucking cheater he is." Bianca's voice is just as bitter as Jet's had been earlier.

"Chase was killed the day the hunters came, just hours after you left. They said that you betrayed us to them, they were laughing." Ethan says for the first time. His words now thoughtful instead of angry.

"How was he captured and you three not?" Bianca says hiding her pain and desperation those words bring her.

"He went to help a female witch and was captured with her. They were killed before we were able to get them away. Killed in front of us. We weren't able to save them, but we did kill the hunters afterwards.

"So he tried to save his lover? How nice. I wonder if he would have bothered to try to protect me if I hadn't of left. That bitch that was killed in front of you, was she pregnant?"

"Yess," Talon draws out the s slightly as he thinks back to the happenings of over a century before.

Bianca snorts out in derision. "That bitch wasn't innocent. That baby she carried was the lead hunter's child."

Bianca decides to tell them her side of what happened more than a century ago. "That day, the day I left I had collected the eggs and was on my way to the store to sell them there. As I came to the top of the ridge, I saw Chase come out, partially clothed and that bitch come out after him dressed only in a blanket. At least as they were kissing the blanket slipped and it looked like she was naked underneath. And those kisses were most definitely not innocent, chaste kisses. He pulled her into him and cupped her ass while practically eating her face off.

"I threw down the basket with the eggs and ran back to camp. I couldn't stay with a man that I had chosen and who had chosen me and then after leaving my bed in the morning goes to another's in the afternoon.

"I made the worst mistake in my life when I grabbed Apple and a few of our things and left. I couldn't stand to look at him and know what I know. Perhaps it was socially acceptable for a man to be married to one and be with another, but it wasn't acceptable to me.

"Before we made it too far, Apple and I were captured. I was too upset, tears clouding my sight and pain clouding my other senses for me to have enough warning to protect us. They hurt us both after tying us up, but it wasn't until they started doing the violating of Apple that I cracked. I had heard them talking about the four male elementalists and so I knew that they already knew about you. It wasn't until they told me about the leaders girlfriend being pregnant, her being a witch, that I realized, she is the one that betrayed you, not I.

"In told the six violated my sister multiple times, at least twice for each man. Once they left I was able to get free in time to hold Apple as she took her last breath.

"It wasn't until some time later when I realized that the hunters should have been back by then and I hoped that they were all dead by you all. I never once dreamed that they would have killed Chase or any of you, you were too strong for them.

"I took care of my sister's body before I staggered to my feet and then down the road. For years I was lost in my pain and hatred. I didn't let any one in, I couldn't let that kind of pain in my life again. Then Trent found me. A wonderful man. I tried to love him, but I just couldn't. He, however, did love me. He chose me and gave me love, more than I've ever had before and a little girl. My Joy.

"Then the hunter's happened. They killed my husband and my Joy and captured me. By then, I didn't care any more. They could do whatever the hell they wanted to me, I no longer had anything to live for." Bianca is stuck in her memories and pain, so Luke takes over.

"I heard the scientists talking, they were afraid that a prime female like her would die. They filled her with antidepressants before they did anything else. She didn't respond like they had hoped. They sent her into a room and injected her with female wolf hormones, the kind our females only get when they are in heat. Then they shoved me in with her.

"Normally, I would still have been able to resist, even though as an alpha my instincts are stronger, but they injected me full of testosterone. So much so, that I had a hell of a time to keep from turning and ripping her to pieces in my efforts to mate with her. But I wasn't able to stop my wolf from doing this." Luke moves slowly and carefully and moves Bianca's collar just enough to show them the marking, mate marking created when Luke bit her.

Talon sounds just as shocked as they are all feeling. "You marked a non wolf?"

"There were so many hormones and the pain from her from not mating was making it so that my wolf was too confused. He just wanted to help her and he wanted to claim her. He was tired of being lonely, we hadn't found our mate yet." Luke shrugs and lets his arm drop.

"Why did you want Chase?" Stephanie asks curiously. She hopes it's because they want help to escape.

"As I said before, I was hoping he could find a way to rid us of the tracking compound inside of us." Bianca says irritatedly, looking at the unknown female before her.

"My name is Stephanie, and I believe that I can help you with that. But I have to warn you that it will be painful as hell and you will likely lose the child you are carrying. It even now struggles to survive, the two halves, the wolf and the witch halves are fighting and if that isn't stopped she will die."

"My baby is a girl?" Bianca says turning white.

"Yeah, but right now she's not likely to live much longer. Even if she does survive you will have to hide what she is from the supernatural as well the mundane." Stephanie turns from the shocked female to the equally shocked male.

"If this child is born without a wolf, would you still care for it? Would you still want it?"

"Yes, of course, it is a life granted by the moon goddess. A gift to be treasured and loved."

Stephanie nods thoughtfully and asks him the next thing. "Removing all the compounds from the body will include removing the mark from her as well. Are you still willing for me to go ahead?"

Luke looks at Bianca, "Yes, I will take the pain if it allows her to find her way to love me, or someone to love with out being forced to be with them. I will hope that the baby survives, but if it comes by the wolf side dying, I will not leave her alone in the world."

Stephanie smiles delightedly and walks up to them. "Then prepare yourself for a great deal of pain." She takes hold of them both and sends out the low level fire that it takes to burn out the poisons that they'd been injected with for years.

The two drop to their knees convulsing and vomiting for several minutes before they finally lie there panting and exhausted.