My own snoring was what woke me up. Groaning, I rolled over. Sleep was like a bubble that just got popped. Slowly, my mind crashed back to reality from a dreamless stupor. I had slept like the dead after last night's little....escapade, if that was even the right word for it. Then a small voice in the back of my head, the malicious, curiosity-filled voice that usually came up with all the bad ideas, spoke up.

Was Lucian even alive? He had no heartbeat. Weren't werewolves usually a form of the dead?

And then my brain crawled from the thought to the person behind it. I sat up, stretching my entire body on the luxurious bed. Weak morning light spilled through the balcony doors. I really should remember to pull down the shades next time...

The house felt quiet. It was almost strange, sitting there alone with nothing but the sound of the clock ticking and my own soft breathing. After a final yawn, I tumbled out of bed. The tiger head stared back at me. I would also have to remember to tell Lucian to remove it. There had to be some soft of line between okay and too much.

"Lucian?" Even my own voice felt too loud in the large room. I got up, my curiosity growing. I knew how big his mansion was. My whispering would get me nowhere. However, this was more of a feeling. Something felt off. The sweat on my palms. The loud beating of my heart. The pain was slowly growing in my chest as I went out the door barefoot.

It was just wrong. Something was wrong. Lucian and I had a bond, not exactly of blood but eternal love, as Genie had said. He came to save me that night when Flora and I had been attacked even though no one but Flora, I, and those men knew what was happening. Lucian just knew something was wrong. I could feel the panic blossom even more as a peek into the kitchen gave me no sight of the golden-eyed wolf.

"Lucian!" I ran into the living room, searching frantically. Then reality hit me. Lucian was obviously gone, and Vaughn nor Genie was anywhere to be seen. The front doors were probably unlocked, but if it was, I could easily manipulate the keypad. I had the perfect chance to get Flora and leave London until we were so far away that no bond could make Lucian find us. We had one chance to finally be free from his dominance, his control.

I didn't take it.

Because truth be told, I needed Lucian. Not just to keep me alive but because I really needed him. Lucian had slowly become my anchor. I knew the answer to Genie's question. Yes, I did love Lucian. Now that he was gone, I finally realized just how sane he had kept me. Lucian wasn't the perfect fairy tale prince nor a hero. He was just a broken wolf, in need of love just as much as I. Sad as it may sound, it was still true.

Forcing myself to take deep breaths, I searched the entire house. There was no note on the refrigerator in the kitchen. His bed was completely made and free of wrinkles. The ballroom was still the dark beauty missing the man who played the piano. There was no sign of struggle. Lucian's car was even parked in the driveway.

He was just...gone.

I was utterly alone. Flora was at school, but I would never drag her into my misery. Genie and Vaughn were nowhere to be seen, and I had not a single way to contact them. My mother had left, just like my father. Before, at least I had a sister. Now, there was nothing. Not even the man who said he would always protect me. Lucian had told me not to run away from him. But the tables had turned. It was now Lucian who had left.

I tried to keep myself together but the miserable tears came anyway. Sitting down at the last step, I buried my face in my hands. I hated Lucian so much before. I had utterly despised the dominance he emitted over me, the way his eyes would make me feel. And to think, I wanted nothing more now than to see him walk through the front doors.

The pain in my chest got to me so much that I actually had to force myself to breathe.

"Victoria!" 

My heart leaped. It was not Lucian's voice that spoke, but I would invite anyone in by now. Genie appeared, looking the perfect red-haired angel in a black dress. She looked beautiful, but her kind eyes showed anything but calm.

"Genie!" I sighed in relief, suddenly self-conscious about the tears on my cheek. As subtly as I could, I wiped them away. Genie threw a pair of boots at me.

"I don't know what happened!" she said angrily. "He just left! I woke up to find an empty pillow beside me. I called the rest of the pack. Everyone else was there, so this wasn't some kind of huge mission that we all needed to contribute to! They all sounded truly surprised when I told them Vaughn was missing. God, I just hate him so much sometimes!"

I dragged the boots on to my feet and stood up. "Lucian's gone too." I said softly. "I searched the entire house and he's not there. Genie, I'm worried. I know Vaughn is Lucian's right-hand man. He's Lucian's Beta, right? If anything happened, Lucian would ask for Vaughn's help."

"But what happened?" Genie paced around the room, throwing her hands up. "I can't get a signal to Vaughn. It's like they blocked the communication path on purpose! What the hell could have to be so secretive that they wouldn't even tell the rest of the pack?"

"Unless...." I threw my pink hair up into a bun. "...they didn't want anyone else to get hurt. Lucian would want to save the rest of his pack. He knows that keeping people out is the best way to protect them. What if-"

"But the pack acts as one. Everyone else would have known something was wrong-"

"Unless the Alpha didn't want anyone to intervene." I interrupted. The gnawing bitterness was filling my stomach. Genie looked just as unhappy as I did. Her mouth was turned down into a frown. I rubbed the last of the sleep from my eyes and walked to the door. Genie followed after me, grumbling curse words under her breath. All of them centered around Vaughn's name.

"Let's check Whitaker Forest first." Genie muttered angrily. "It's the only place I can think of. Lucian always takes our pack there to transform because it has a lot of room and no one is around for miles. Do you think something happened with Viktor?"

I pulled open the car door, gnawing on my lower lip until a sharp pain elicited. "He's not dead?" I asked in surprise.

Genie scoffed, taking the passenger seat. "Trust me, a millennium old werewolf, especially another Alpha, who's hell bent on taking revenge is way harder to take down than we made it look the first time. Where's your sister Flora? Viktor-"

"No." I said firmly, backing out of the driveway. The panic I had felt before was lessening now that Genie was here. "There is no way. Absolutely not. Lucian sent her to boarding school. She's safe. She has to be, because I'm not going through that again." The vulnerability was clear in my voice. Genie stayed silent as I drove like a drunken idiot. The knuckles on my hand was white from gripping the steering wheel.

"Why wouldn't they tell us, Vic?" Genie sighed softly, staring out the window as trees flashed past. "Why wouldn't Vaughn tell me something like this? I'm in the pack too. I'm just as much help to Lucian too. Why would they shut us out?"

"Because they care." I admitted. "Because Lucian and Vaughn don't want us to get hurt. Believe me, Genie. I hate it just as much as you do. I know I wasn't always exactly kind to Lucian, but you know what? He treated me better than anyone I had ever known, and I know Vaughn does the same. Do I take a left on this road?"

"Yes, and park the car near that sign." she answered gruffly. I could see the pain gnawing inside her, and the look on her face was all to familiar. Parking the car to where she pointed, we both hopped out. The trees stared back at us, darkness slipping through the cracks.

Whitaker Forest was infamous in London for being a murder site. The man who was killed here had started the rumour in Draycottof werewolves existing. Unfortunately for me, that rumour was nothing but true. My nerves were already jumping from just looking at the deathly forest. The look on Genie's face was anything but comforting.

"How do you know they'll be here, Genie?" I turned to her, worry crinkling my eyebrows. "Whitaker Forest runs for miles. There is no guarantee that Lucian and Vaughn are in here. They could be anywhere. We could just be doing this for nothing. And even if they were there, how will we find them? Maybe we should not have come, Genie. Maybe they'll be back-"

"Victoria, stop." Genie said firmly. "Do you trust me?"

Did I?

"Yes."

"Okay." she murmured. "Then come on. My wolf senses aren't that dull, okay? Even though Lucian blocked the communication signal, I can still tell they are here. Vaughn and I have this thing. It's not part of the mating ritual, though. It's like a GPS. Not exactly a clear sight, but more of a feeling. Just trust me, Victoria. I know how brave you are. You slapped the Alpha, for God's sake! Tell me you won't let a few trees stand between you and Lucian. Do you love him? Honestly?

I sighed, knowing I couldn't argue with her anymore. "Yes."

Genie grinned and started pulling me through the first ring of trees. I eventually gave up and went along. Fear was heavy in my stomach, but I wouldn't let that stop me. Genie sure as hell wasn't. The grim look of determination gave me some sense of comfort. I trusted Genie even though I hadn't known her very long. 

"We should split up." Genie suggested. "Cover more ground that way. Just keep walking Victoria, until you get a sense that Lucian is near. Trust the bond, okay? It will lead you to him. You look for Lucian. I'll look for Vaughn. If you find either of them, shout for me. I'm going to change into my wolf form so hearing will be no problem no matter how far away I am.

"Okay." I tried not to show the fear I was feeling inside. Genie looked worried. "Be safe, Genie."

"You too." she began walking away. "And trust your feelings, Victoria."

* * * *

I was completely, totally, and utterly lost.

Mosquitoes buzzed near my ear. I swatted my hands wildly into the air. After five miserable hours of trekking through Whitaker Forest, the result was anything but good. Lucian sure knew how to play hide-and-go-seek. My calves hurt, my lungs burned, and sweat was like a waterfall down my back.

But I didn't want to call Genie just yet. After all, there was no immediate sense of danger other than the occasional surprise of a bird fluttering overhead and oh yeah, walking into an ant hill once. I had fallen down on the hard rocks more than twice already, but the scrapes and bruises were nothing serious. 

After five more terrible minutes, I gave up.

Lucian was the god forsaken Alpha. I sat down on a big rock, the lump in my throat rising. He was the leader of a pack of supernatural beings. He was anything but vulnerable in the woods. Lucian could take care of himself with anything. I, on the other hand, was almost close to death.

Well, maybe that was an exaggeration.

There was a dark beauty in the woods. After so many days of seeing nothing but the god forsaken tiger carpet, it was good to see something different even if the motive wasn't very nice. The trees were old and gnarled but held a good mystery. The soft cooing of birds added to the overall comfort. The sun was dipping low. Even if it was dark in the forest, the night sky would make things worse. Dusk passed and yet there I sat. 

Genie was gone.

Lucian was gone.

Flora was gone.

My parents were gone.

I didn't notice I was crying until the tears fell on my bare thighs. Suddenly, I felt like screaming at the whole world. What had I done to be so miserable? So alone? All I had ever asked for was...nothing. I asked for nothing because it was easier not to be disappointed. I hadn't asked for a knight in shining armour. Yet there Lucian came. And now he was gone and I was just left with a raw, bitter pain. The sky above darkened like my mood.

So Lucian didn't care about me. I did not care what Genie had said. This wasn't about Viktor. This was the way I had treated him. Regret added to the nauseous feeling growing in the pit of my belly. I had thought, after the mating festival, we could at least try to make this work. It was not Lucian's fault I had been such a bitch. It's funny how when you lose something, you finally realize its worth. Lucian was my everything, and now my everything was gone. Flora would eventually forget about me, being surrounded by all her new friends.

Wonderful thoughts, really.

A twig cracked from behind me. I was so wrapped up in my misery that I dismissed it subconsciously as just a noise. It was when it happened again that I finally took precaution. There was nothing behind me when I checked. Just as I was getting ready to shout for Genie, something dark and large flew out from behind the shadows and pinned me against a tree.

Instinctively, I raised my hand to slap whoever was holding me. My hand was instantly caught in mid-air by a firm hand. A shriek left my mouth from the panic that gripped my chest. I clawed and kicked at the beast until the familiar scent registered in my frenzied mind.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, little mate?" he growled.

Oh, that voice. Perfectly accented with just the right twinge of deepness. Anger was evident in his dark tone but I was welled with relief. Fresh tears filled my eyes, making the golden eyes in front of me blurry.

"L-Lucian." I whispered gratefully. I instantly stopped fighting and relaxed against the tree until his close proximity also registered into my head. Lucian was absolutely seething, his jaw locked and his eyes burning a fire. He kept his fingers around my wrist and pressed me harder against the tree until I could feel the bark digging through the soft material of my clothing.

"Answer me!" Lucian suddenly roared. I cowered under his height in fear, the pounding of my heart heard by both of us. I could feel a hand snake its way into the tendrils of my hair until Lucian gripped it and yanked me hard into his chest. The hand loosened as well as the panic, only to be risen again when I felt fingers trail up my neck.

"I am so tired of your antics, Victoria." Lucian said dangerously. The fingers tightened, not enough to cause actual choking but enough for discomfort. I whimpered under his tight grip, suddenly feeling vulnerable in the darkness. Lucian's golden eyes were terrifying enough. "Why must you always rebel? Do not run after me, Victoria. Answer the question, little mate. Why are you running around in the woods at night with barely anything on? Does this seem like a game to y-"

"I was looking for you!" I fought to release the hand that held me, but Lucian merely tightened it. His chest was like a wall of muscle. My heart flipped when I felt the other hand wrap around my waist and pull me into him. The hard bark that was bearing into my back moments before was gone. Instead, I felt his thumb rubbing circles on my back. "I was worried about you, Lucian. I woke up and y-you were nowhere to be seen. I'm sorry for caring. Is that what you want to h-hear? Because I'm sorry, Lucian. Truly. For e-everything-"

His lips were on mine before the sentence could even be completed. My nerves were all in a jumble as Lucian kissed me. His mouth was rough and unforgiving, so hard to the point where it caused me actual pain. But I kissed him back with just as much feverish need. I couldn't hold myself back. All the pain and worry and anger melted into that one kiss. Lucian's lips were everywhere all at once, and damn, I loved it.

I moved away, inhaling the cold night air back into my lungs. My heart was pounding like drums. I could feel how flushed my face had become. Lucian placed another soft kiss near my temple. The anger in his eyes burned down.

"Do you even realize how much danger you just bought yourself?" he said each word slowly, emphasizing the weight of the words. "There was a reason I did not tell you, Victoria! You should have waited for me at home, where you would have been safe."

"Why not, Lucian? I'm not some fragile flower that needs to be protected! God, would you stop leaving me in the shadows? This is what our life is like now, Lucian. I accept it. I know there are people, things, that want to see me dead. But you need to be by my side. And you have to tell me what's going on. Genie and I-"

"Genie's here?" he interrupted me. "Why? Vaughn is not with me."

"Well, Vaughn wasn't with Genie either. We both came here to find you guys."

"Vaughn is not with me, Victoria." he repeated.