---Will's POV---

The silence in the packhouse was deafening, though the room was rather crowded. Everyone just stayed silent, trying to keep out of dad's way as he was pacing side to side beside the large windows, fuming silently to himself.

By the time Kim and I had made it to our home, Dad had contacted us to let us know that Carlos had managed to slip away. How, we didn't know, though Dad suspected it was simply because he had went through several rivers and streams, washing his scent away until dad couldn't pick it up anymore.

So right now, he was extremely angry; angry at the fact no-one knew how the rogues had managed to sneak into our territory without being noticed and mostly, angry at himself. He blamed himself for not capturing Carlos, especially when he noticed that Kim had grown silent at the news.

I sighed before walking up to my dad, ignoring the warning glances from the people in the room. "Dad, come on, snap out of it. Okay, he got away this time but he's all alone now. We got his friends and surely we can get some information out of them."

A repressed snarl escaped his mouth while his hands curled into fists, shaking with the force it took to calm down. Eventually he opened them up again with a sigh, his breathing calming down again.

His eyes found mine and he smiled warmly, gratitude shining from his gaze. "You're right; we got a step further instead of backwards and everyone is okay, so I should be grateful." Mom grasped his shoulder gently before leaning against his side as he pulled her closer, pushing his nose into her hair to calm down completely with the help of her scent.

"I'm going to question them right away and you," He stopped, opening his eyes to shoot a look at me over mom' s head, "You're going to stay with your mate and calm her down. Her wolf must have taken over as soon as she realized that you were in danger and she might have some issues with that..."

My eyes widened at the thought, because I hadn't thought that far ahead, before I nodded and instantly rushed up the stairs. I knew Kim had slipped back to our room, saying that she didn't like the anger floating from my dad; It reminded her to much about her parents.

Now I felt guilty to leave her alone to talk to my dad.

"You went down here to calm him down because you knew it was upsetting Kim. You were helping our mate." My wolf reassured me, though his thoughts were concerned as well. A smile slipped on my lips as I opened the door to my bedroom, because I could sense his eagerness to be with his mate, and his pride for Kim and her wolf defending us.

"Of course I'm proud; she leapt on him and helped us out when we were in danger. She reacted instinctively and I could feel their worry and love for us." He wagged with excitement while I chuckled, opening the door completely before I smiled as I saw Kim sitting in the middle of the bed, playing around with the covers.

Her lips tugged up in a smile as her green eyes flickered upwards, moving left and right in a rapid motion to try and see me. They eventually settled on a point not too far beside me, probably because the light was shining through the windows at an angle.

My smile grew a bit sad but I chuckled and shook my head, knowing that I should be glad she was gaining something, anything at all of her sight. At least she was able to detect something.

Kim laughed softly and shook her head before tilting her head back, allowing her hair to flow over her shoulder and down on her back. "Does your wolf talk often to you?" She inquired curiously, blinking a few times before she scooted a bit to the side so I could sit beside her.

"Depends on the situation...If I'm in trouble, he'll often scold me or laugh at me." I laughed, hearing my wolf snort for a moment before he chuckled as well. "It's like having a permanent friend around you, someone who stands by you and helps you through hard times."

Kim nodded, pulling her legs closer so she could cross her arms over them before she rested her chin on top of it. "Yeah, I see that now. I kind of wish she would've been there after the assault." She replied with a gesture to her face, meaning the attack of Carlos and his gang.

I sighed and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head before I smiled as she snuggled against me, sighing in relief. "How are you now? I know things must've been weird, fighting as a wolf..."

Kim shrugged slightly, a small frown marring her face. "I don't know how to explain it but I just...felt that you were in trouble. I was feeling uneasy as soon as you left but I didn't think too much about it, until I realized my wolf wasn't letting me go away any further. And then, well..."

I nodded, understanding what she meant. "Your wolf took over for the first time. I know it can be scary but she immediately gave your control back, right?" I stated softly, sitting closer so I could hug her tightly against my chest.

She nodded with a smile, "Yeah, she told me she would as well." She admitted with a little chuckle at the end, shaking her head as I was sure her wolf was talking to her right this moment. "It was nice to have some help from her though, I doubt I would've figured out instantly how to fight in her form."

My wolf silently nudged me and I nodded, knowing that this was the perfect time to offer my mate some lessons. "Do you want to learn more about our wolf forms and how to fight in them? It's good to rely on your wolf but in some occasions, you're better off with the clarity of your own mind." My wolf snorted slightly in amusement, saying, "What mind?"

I was distracted from his barks of laughter when Kim kissed my throat, pulling my attention back to her immediately. She smiled up to me, her hand reaching out to trace my expression before she replied, "I'd like to learn more about my wolf and it could be useful to know how to fight...just, not today?"

"Of course my love." I said softly, leaning back and pulling her with me until we both laid there comfortably, listening to the sound of the other's heartbeat and letting our scents mingle. I could feel her body relaxing completely, knowing that her wolf has recovered from the rush and panic during the fight.

The serenity and calmness around us was soon interrupted when David knocked on our door before peeking his head in when I called out. "They need both of you downstairs...your dad managed to pry some information out of the rogues."

I glanced at the clock and glanced again, realizing that we've spend more than two hours in our room. With an amused chuckle rumbling through my throat, I pulled Kim up with me before she laced our fingers together, following me downstairs.

The warm and hospitable feeling of the packhouse made way for a colder, more professional atmosphere when we reached the detaining rooms, where the rogues were being held. Instead of going directly towards the cells, I rounded a corner and ventured towards the office, where the others were undoubtedly waiting for us.

Pushing the wooden door open, I came face to face with dad as he was about to leave the room. He smiled and stepped back, though I could tell from the way he smiled that something bothered him greatly.

"Dad? What's wrong?"

He sighed deeply and rubbed a hand over his face, his darkened eyes and slag jaw adding to make him look exhausted. Instead of answering me, he waved us in and motioned towards the seats at the desk, where uncle Jasper was frowning at the laptop as he typed away.

"One of his men have revealed something very interesting, but it complicates everything." Father sighed out deeply before dropping down in a seat while Jasper cleared his throat, flipping a few papers away and continued himself, since father clearly lacked the energy to do so.

"When we were interrogating the rogues, one of them mentioned that Carlos didn't attack Kim in his right state of mind." I could feel Kim freeze beside me while a growl started to grow in my throat. "Apparently, Carlos had an encounter with his mate, months before even meeting Kim on that fateful day."

I straightened in my seat with disbelief written all over my face. "Hold up...Carlos has found his mate?" I stated in shock, holding a hand up to stop my uncle from continuing his report.

Jasper frown grew even deeper but he nodded, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Yes, only his right hand knew that bit of information but he didn't tell us this to rat Carlos out; he told me because according to him, Carlos needs our help desperately."

I snorted, barking out an angry and disbelieving laugh while I shook my head, holding Kim closer to my chest to keep myself from losing my calm. She held onto my arm and tilted her head, a cute confused expression on her face as her nose wrinkled up slightly.

"What do you mean, Carlos needs our help?" She asked without a trace of anger or bitterness in her voice, which surprised me though I shook my head, feeling amused when I noticed she actually wanted to know what Carlos needed, why he was the way he was.

Jasper's face turned incredibly dark when he looked up from the screen and I could feel my stomach sink at his expression; this didn't look too good for us. His eyes found mine before he glanced back at Kim and said with a solemn expression.

"His mate did what no-one would've imagined...Carlos was rejected."

---Kim's POV---

I sat still in my seat, still feeling Will's arms around me though I could sense he was completely shocked by the news. The surprise flooding through my veins at the news that Carlos had a mate paled in comparison to the fact that he had been rejected but then again, I didn't know Carlos before he became such a bitter and cruel man.

Nor did I fully comprehend the consequences of being rejected by your mate, judging from the deafening silence in the room. Turning my head from one side to the other, I eventually settled with looking in Will's direction, feeling frustrated that I couldn't see his face.

"What does it mean to be rejected by your mate?" I asked softly, breaking the silence eventually. Will's arm tightened around my waist as he pulled me closer to his chest, digging his nose against my neck as if searching for comfort.

"It's the most painful thing that can happen to us. When our mate, the one and only destined to be with us, rejects you..." he took a deep breath, nuzzling my neck gingerly while he continued, "It breaks your spirit, leaving you alone, mentally unstable and even worse, your wolf in complete power."

I felt my own wolf shiver slightly, a whimper slipping out of her muzzle at the discomfort that was clear in the shakiness of Will's voice. "We only take over when we need to but when our mate rejects us, it leaves the human part weakened and the wolf becomes mad with the pain of rejection." She whispered to me before I shivered myself.

A clearing of a throat made me swivel my head in the direction of Jasper, the tiredness and anger coming of him in powerful waves. "It's obvious that Carlos has lost the fight against his wolf's momentarily insanity and caved in, leaving his wolf in charge. You most know that this is a faith I wouldn't even wish to my worst enemies Kim.

I even have a strong feeling that what Carlos did to you wasn't done by choice of either of them but rather done in a fit of madness. And I just found out why he picked you out of all the students he could've chosen from."

He fumbled with his laptop for a moment as I cocked my head, a mixture of sadness and compassion for Carlos being added to the general confusion I felt with this tidal wave of information bearing down at me.

Will moved beside me, turning more in the direction of his uncle as he asked sharply, "Why? What have you found out that makes you so sure of..." his voice died out when a scraping sound filled the room, created by his uncle twisting the laptop on the table to turn the screen towards us.

"As you can see, Kim roughly represents his mate; she too has the same hair color and they share the same eyes as well, a very similar facial structure. I think that his wolf couldn't bare the resemblance and the reminder that they couldn't be with their mate, ever again, so he acted out of madness and anger."

I could sense that Will was in war with his feelings; on one side, he was angry and disgusted with Carlos for what he has done and on the other side, I knew he felt for the guy, simply because I couldn't imagine the same happening to me.

If Will had rejected me when he realized I was his mate...I think I might have been depressed enough with everything going on that I might've tried to end my own life. A shiver rushed over my body before Will's hand rubbed soothingly over my spine as they went over the rest of the report while I took a moment to think.

What happened to me was done in a fit of madness? From what I've learned from Carlos, he's the son of the Alpha pair, so he might've ordered the others to join in. Though I figured some of them were sick enough to do such an act on their own, judging by Kevin's behavior at the mall.

So, his wolf was partially in charge, when he wasn't swept away in his pain of rejection and the madness that came along with it...And Jasper told us that the wolf's instincts were harder to ignore after rejection.

My mind turned a different direction while I leaned against Will, sighing and closing my eyes slightly. But Carlos' mate, I wonder why she rejected him? He must have been a whole different guy before she rejected him so I didn't see a reason for that.

"Uhm..." I started, gaining everyone's attention as I felt their eyes turn towards me while Will's breath brushed over my face, dazing me slightly with the rich aroma of his own special scent.

"Yes?" he asked slightly amused when I didn't say anything. I shook my head slightly and asked slowly, "Carlos' mate...is she a werewolf or a human?" I heard some typing and clicks before Jasper replied, "She's human, living in with her dad. Why?"

I tapped my fingers on the desk in thought, before mentally shrugging as I shared my newly formed ideas with them. "You see, even with all the information you found, I still couldn't help but wonder why Carlos was rejected. I mean, he probably was completely different then so why did she break the bond? What happened between them?"

Will nodded beside me and kissed on the top of my head. "I've thought about that as well but why did you bring that up, love?" I smiled up at him before turning my attention back to the others in the room.

"I find it strange that she rejected him...We don't know what happened between them so maybe it can be fixed. We just need to find her and question her about it because maybe, just maybe, she can stop this madness without any more bloodshed and fights."

I felt Will's dad stand up before he patted me on the shoulder with clear appreciation in his actions. "That, my dear, is a genius idea. I'm sure we can get their files through your work James?" He asked, turning to his brother, who was already rapidly typing away on his keyboard.

"Yes sir, I'm on it." He stated while Will stood up and pulled me with him. "Do you know that I love you like crazy?" he asked seriously, making me laugh as he guided me out of the gloomy and damp room to lead me back up the living room, where he sat me down.

"Yeah, and I love you too." I stated warmly, smiling when he chuckled and nuzzled my neck before he sighed deeply. "Chances are that whenever they found out the location of that girl, that they need us to go and check up on her ourselves. You think you're up for it?"

I nodded, feeling him slip beside me in the seat before I said calmly, "Yeah, I'm up for it." I closed my eyes as I placed my head on his chest, listening to his heart beating soothingly in his chest.

Maybe this mysterious girl could solve this mess and give Carlos another chance for a happy life. Either way, we would find out as soon as Jasper had the information we needed. My wolf purred in happiness while we waited in the living room for the results that could change our lives.