Wandering through the dark forest, I am in tune with each and every sound that echoes through the darkness. From the whoosh of the winds to the blinking of the fireflies; everything is under my scrutiny tonight.

I am being followed.

And that's the only reason why I am here, in the middle of a dead end where I know that I can't find anyone, neither Dimitry nor Nikita. But I know that the person following me wants to speak to me.

He means no harm.

He's miserable without his mate and helpless without his family's support.

Turning around to let him know that I am aware of his presence, I stand in the meadow, waiting for him to make himself visible.

I expect to see his face but all I can make out is the silhouette of a wolf. So, he ran all the way. Makes sense.

"You were there at Connor's place," he asks, his words echoing his pain as he walks up to me, now in his human form. He's fully clothed which tells me that he didn't just walk away. He has thought this through.

"I was."

"You saw... I pushed...."

"Yes, I saw how you flung your own mate and broke her ribs. Talk about being an abusive mate."

I finally take pity on him and mutter those words, watching his stooped shoulders as hopelessness clings to him. He deserves it.

"I... I don't know what came over me."

"I don't know either but it's clear that you don't care enough for your mate."

Fenris's head whips up to look at me, his eyes wide in shock and then shame. He shakes his head a bit, not really ready to accept it but I know that it's true.

Fenris loves his mate. But he has started loving his people and his newfound family more. Sierra's no longer on the top of his list of priorities. He has been taking his mate for granted, just because she's always there for him, to listen to him and simply to hold him, without any questions.

Sierra's self-less love is not appreciated by Fenris. And it deserves to be awarded. The woman has basically adopted an entire pack. She's mothering a pack full of wolves when she's just recently given birth to her own child.

She deserves a fucking break.

"I am sorry."

"I don't think I am the one who needs to hear it," I mutter, rolling my eyes at this pathetic display of emotions. "I do not have time for this Fenris."

"I know. I am sorry for holding you back. But I came to know a few things back there at Connor's place," he whispers, running a hand through his hair. His mind's running fast, he's connecting the dots and I somewhere have a feeling that Sierra or Catrina must have told him about the reason behind my presence at Connor's place.

"Go ahead."

"Are you... her mate?"

He can't even say her name. No. He doesn't want this fate for his sister that's why he's not saying her name where it connects her to me somehow. Well, I have news for him.

Instead of answering him, I just nod my head and gauge his reaction. At first, he's just shocked, then he closes his eyes, bowing his head. It's as if he doesn't want to accept it.

Would I be such a terrible choice for his sister?

I don't show my emotions, hiding them under a layer of indifference inside my mind. I feel Fenris's mind poking at me, but I don't let him in. He needs to be worthy of it and right now, he's not just up to it.

"How? You lost your mate-"

"I lost Charlotte twenty-three years ago," I begin, knowing full well that my words would be under scrutiny. "Now, I have found Nikita. I needed some time to come to terms with it. I need my revenge but once I avenge Charlotte; I plan on asking for Nikita's hand in a mating. However, I think Nikita already knows about all this. And she's already made some decisions. We need to sort it out and you do not have any right to influence her."

There I said it. If it hurts him, then be it. For me, Nikita's opinion is the only thing that matters.

"Okay, I understand," he says and nods at me. He looks at me in the eyes, his own shining with understanding. "I agree. I will watch her from afar. I know that Nikita wants to make her own decisions in her life. She was robbed of that chance and now that she has it, I wouldn't snatch away her rights."

"That's very brave of you."

"It's time, I start being that," he whispers and then shakes his head a bit, as if not really knowing what to do next.

Again, I pity him. Deciding to extend a hand of help, especially after he reacted so maturely to me being Nikita's mate, I walk to him, stopping right in front of him.

"Fenris, I need your help. Can you keep your emotions out of this?"

His eyes widen and I can literally see his brain running a hundred miles per minute. He wants to feel useful at this moment. It is clear from Fenris's presence here that Sierra must have refused to speak with him.

"Yes, please."

And those words confirm it. Poor King!

"Sniff the air," I instruct making him frown. He narrows his eyes and soon, he transforms into his tracker's personality. I need that the most. He's the best tracker that I have and he might be my last chance.

"I can scent her," he declares and opens his eyes which are full of hope. I nod at him, knowing full well but then, I smell something else too.

"Yes. What else do you smell?"

Once again, he closes his eyes and I see him shift into his wolf but not wholly. Only Fenris's face transforms into his wolf, allowing him to upturn his snout and sniff the air deeply.

"I smell a vampire and Nikita," murmurs Fenris with wide eyes.

And that confirms my fear.

"Lead me," I allow Fenris to take charge and as he shifts into his wolf, I get ready to follow the young wolf's path. I am sure he will lead me to his sister. Or maybe even Dima.

"I smell blood. Vampire blood" Fenris's words echo in my mind through the blood bond that we share. He projects the feel of that scent and I get a hint.

"Follow it."

"You know something?"

"I might."

"Tell me."

I glance at the wolf's eyes as he stops abruptly at my revelation. His black eyes stare back at me and I can easily recognise the bleakness in them. There's also deep sorrow for his recent mistakes and a sense of despair that's waiting to take hold of his emotions. Again, I feel pity for this wolf yet, I also feel responsible for him.

"Continue with the tracking and I will tell you," I watch as Fenris growls at me when I order him. Maintaining a stoic face, I wait until he follows my command. He glares at me first and then shakes his big wolf head at me before continuing to sniff and saunter through the woods.

"Now!"

"Fine. Do you know about Dragons?"

Again, Fenris pauses in his tracking making me snarl at him silently. He's not walking fast enough.

"Yes, I heard of the dragon named Dragomir. He's some Prince of the Dragons." Even if he's not speaking, I can hear the curiosity in his thought projection.

"Yes. That's right. So Dragomir happens to be my father's friend and trusted ally." I pause when Fenris glances at me from the corner of his eyes and then goes to stop but I keep walking ahead which makes him sigh.

It would have been really funny to see a wolf sigh like that in any other situation but I do not find it hilarious when Nikita's in possible danger.

"Then what?"

"Patience, pup."

"You know, Nikita's younger than me. And you are calling me a pup. Doesn't it make you a pervert to have such a young mate?"

I am already growling at his words when I realize that the scoundrel is teasing me. Resisting the urge to smack his big wolfly head, I continue walking which makes him fall behind. Again, he growls lowly but soon takes over, making me follow his scent trail.

"What did Dragomir tell you?"

"That you are not the first hybrid supernatural."

"Okay?"

I focus on Fenris, debating to dive into his mind. "You know something." I make it a statement not wanting to ask him of my doubt. He knows something that is news to me.

"I may have known of this fact for some time now."

"You have a messenger?"

"It's difficult to call him a messenger when he's my own cousin who lived in captivity his entire life."

"Very well then, explain yourself," I command, knowing full well that Fenris will baulk at my words. Sure enough, the wolf snarls at me, showing his long and sharp fangs. At any other time, I might have considered this as blatant disrespect but I have long since realized that Fenris is an exception to most of the cases.

"Well, Cade mentioned once of a person who wasn't a rogue. He visited Xavier once and after his visit, Xavier started kidnapping females. Werewolf females, some unmated and some mated."

"How is he sure that he was not a rogue?"

"Because he had red eyes and marble-like skin."

As I listen to Fenris describe this person, my belief strengthens. The information given by Dragomir is indeed correct. This man that Fenris is describing, might be the same person.

"But what's the motive here?"

"He is my family's enemy I am sure of it."

"Yes, but then what was he doing with Xavier?"

"What did he do to the females? Experiment with them, like the ones we found when we rescued Nikita."

At once, I am able to connect the dots. And the picture that becomes clear in front of me appears very horrible. With eyes wide, I stare at Fenris and I know the exact moment when Fenris connects the dots as well.

Nikita might have been experimented upon as well!

"Fuck!"

I am so forgone in my conclusion of what Nikita must have gone through during her captivity, that I do not realize when Fenris stands in front of me shaking my shoulders, panic evident in his gaze.

"Dominic!" he yells right in my face, making me blink a few times before I am able to focus on him clearly.

"What?" I shrug off his hold on me and take a step back, my head throbbing now at the unwanted images of Nikita suffering at the hands of Xavier and his friend.

"Your face. Bloody hell! You transformed right in front of me, Dominic. That's not healthy. Your beast is trying to overpower you."

I rub my throbbing head, massaging in circles while trying to come up with the right response. This is disturbing. The thought of Nikita suffering like that, at the hands of some lowlife, makes me feel ashamed.

I should have been there to protect her. She's a living shell just because of this trauma. It's all clear now. The hesitancy, the lack of speech, the lack of knowledge about society.

It's all because my Nikita was a slave.

"Fuck!"

"I feel the same, Dominic," Fenris shouts and I almost stumble. It's only then that I take in Fenris's features as well. The anguish and despair at this realization is relatable. Fenris's black eyes are moist as he looks at me, trying very hard to appear strong so that I don't lose my composure but it cracks and all that slips through is rage.

Impotent rage at being useless to protect my mate. The first and the last one as well.

I couldn't protect any of them.

As if the winds are aware of our despair, silence falls over the woods. It's eerie. Darkness has fallen, the trees casting a ghostly shadow which threaten to play with my mind. Suddenly wind starts blowing, making us both go on alert to the unnatural patterns around us.

"It's a trap!"

"Yes," I agree, responding to Fenris's mentally spoken words. If this is a trap, I do not want to risk letting others know that we are alert enough to fight them.

Just as Fenris is about to shift beside me; the wind makes a whooshing sound and a white fog erupts into the air.

My claws elongate, and Fenris transforms into his half-shift. We are ready to attack the presence inside the fog when suddenly it disappears revealing the person inside it.

Make that people.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Fenris barks at Sascha, after he recovers from his half-shift. Behind Sascha stands Callum in all his Wizard glory, waiting for what only the Lord knows.

Meanwhile, Sascha stands there with a hand perched on her hip while her lips are pursed, trying to conceal her displeasure. What's wrong now?

"What the hell am I doing here?" shouts Sascha, her voice sounding completely opposite to her appearance. "What the hell are you doing here? And you," she points at me after yelling at Fenris. "You claim to be my twin's mate, don't you? Then why the hell are you here when you should be in Silver Oaks' ruined castle where my sister's trapped."

I am shocked, no I am dumbfounded as I stare at this petite pup, daring to look me in the eye and call me out on my incompetence.

"Wait! How do you know?" asks Fenris, his shock evident but he's no longer angry at Sascha for endangering herself.

"She's a seer." The words escape my mouth before Sascha answers herself. Sascha doesn't even bat an eyelash at my declaration, and neither does Callum. The only person refusing to accept the supernatural powers of his sisters is Fenris.

"Is it true?" asks Fenris, while he walks over to Sascha, who's now appearing quite distressed. She worried. It means Nikita's in danger.

"Yes, it is," she whispers, clasping Fenris's hands tightly. Sascha's eyes water and tears drip down her cheeks when she closes her eyes to hide her anguish. Fear oozes out of her skin as if she has seen something horrible. It only scares me more.

"Please go to her! She might lose herself with her rage to avenge herself," says Sascha and with those words, her body loses consciousness and Fenris is forced to support his sister's weight.

Callum and Fenris are frenzied over Sascha's unconscious form, but I am unable to move even a muscle. Sascha's words keep ringing in my mind.

She might lose herself in revenge. 

~~~~~~~~

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