---Zayne's POV---

Stumbling along with the rest of the pack, I felt more and more tense the closer we got to my former rogue pack. I could feel the faint power humming from the borders, unconsciously making me pause and bump into Dorian's wolf.

He gave me a reassuring lick and nudged me back to Marcus' wolf, who instantly turned around and nuzzled me lovingly.

"Everything okay Zayne?" Marcus' voice rang through my head and I nodded, sniffing the air slightly before I let out a whine, ear twitching slightly. The two pups behind me weren't any better off and I noticed that the pack acted as a whole and circled us.

We were safely in the core of the pack. Well, packs. All the Pack Law packs have sent a large group of their best fighters; some even came as the whole pack.

"Zayne?"

My ears flattened as I pressed myself against Marcus' throat while glancing up at the intimidating form of Cain. It was unsettling to see three identical men with the same posture and glare looking down at you but with the slightest whine, they quickly softened their expressions.

"Sorry, its just... I can feel we're close." I stated softly whilst looking down, eyes averting from the shifting men. Even the she-wolves averted their eyes, unlike Alice who was openly gazing at her mate's naked form.

Logan chuckled slightly as he noticed his buttocks were right in line of Alice's wolf, twitching the cheeks slightly before he grew more serious and crossed his arms. "So the pups and Zayne can feel the pack, thanks to their wolf's affinity with its birthing pack."

Cain nodded before grunting slightly, glaring off in the distance where the pack was located. His eyes slowly slid to mike, much to Terrance's furry as the Dire wolf growled threateningly, openly challenging the Alpha.

My ears flattened instantly as I recalled why there was bad blood between Terrance and the Alpha Quads. When I had suggested that there must be a member of Pack Law working together with the rogue pack, Cain had been rather suspicious of Mike.

The boy had instantly paled but spoke truthfully; he had nothing to do with the rogue pack. In fact, up until the day he had tried to retrieve me from Marcus and the pack's care before stumbling into Terrance's hands, he never knew about our kind.

Still, that didn't sooth Cain's suspicion, since Mike had been in direct contact with my so-called Alpha, Anton Sawyers, who was in fact a rogue who had managed to claim a pack for his own, along with his band of loyal followers.

But that had all happened before I was even born. What Cain didn't understand though, was why my mother would leave me after birth. Why not run away and take me with her? It didn't make any sense for any she-wolf to leave her pups behind, especially when it was the offspring between her and her true mate.

It was in fact quite possible that my unknown mother was the one spying for Sawyers and his pack. Cain had suggested that Sawyers had in fact allowed her escape and had kept me as a way to make sure she would uphold her end of the bargain.

My tiny head was spinning with the overload of information because I didn't know what to believe. Did she in fact want me and was forced to hand me over? Had she chosen willingly to dumb me in the cruel and abusive hands of Anton?

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt arms loop around my shivering body before I realized that Marcus tugged me against his chest and rubbed a soothing hand through my fur. "You'll be just fine Zayne, you'll see." He murmured along several other comforting words.

The rest of the group shifted back and scanned our surroundings. They were going to take the rogues by surprise, killing the invaders and anyone who threatened to harm pups or pregnant she wolves alike.

A soft yip rang through the forest, gathering everyone's attention to the wolf that was staring at the floor, sadness leaking off of him in thick, heavy waves. As we gathered closer, I pressed myself more firmly in Marcus' hold.

"Is that...?"

He nodded. "Femur bone. A male from the looks of it. Must've been between 4 to 6 years old." He sighed in a mournful voice as whimpers and growls combined in the air. There wasn't much left of the young boy, only bits of fur and bones that were half-buried in the ground.

As my eyes scanned the forest, I whined when I saw a few similar piles of disintegrated fur and yellowed bones. My heart froze as fear coiled around it in a tight grip. How many pups have lost their lives to Anton's madness?

Suddenly Cain let out a snarl and took off, his paws thudding against the floor before we heard a tiny whimper and a loud growl. Heads shot up at the combined sound before everyone shifted to their wolves and took after the volatile Alpha.

We found him on top of another, slimmer wolf, who was desperately trying to push the male off while keeping its throat out of Cain's reached. The little pup that had obviously fallen down was still dazed and tried to wobble away.

Just when Cain got the upper hand and was about to chomp down on the wolf's throat, a brown blur zipped past and barreled into his side before the she-wolf barked aggressively, snapping her teeth in Cain's stunned face.

It gave the male chance to get his footing as it quickly grabbed the pup in his jaws while the she-wolf stood protectively before the pair. Now that I could really see what was going on, it was clear that although the slim wolf was a male, he was also barely a teenager.

And the way he gently held the squirmy pup made it clear that he meant no harm . But tell that to the she-wolf who was snapping at Cain, surprising everyone as she backed the big Alpha up and actually succeeded in making the black wolf stumble.

It was amazing to watch as the she-wolf that was easily twice as small as Cain's massive form, still bared her teeth and snapped them inches away from Cain's face, who held his ears against his skull as he stumbled back.

But...she does look quite familiar....

I let out a small yip and pulled my ears back as the she-wolf spun at the sound, ears swiveling before she yipped in response. My wolf helpfully nudged me the correct memory to the lightly colored she-wolf before me.

"She's the woman from my memories, the one that had wanted to bathe me despite the Alpha's wishes." I quickly informed the pack so they wouldn't harm the woman. "Strange though, last time I saw her she was still mateless and without pups."

The she-wolf huffed before her male companion walked right in front of her and to my surprise she shifted. She remained out of view by curling up behind the wolf but shook her hair out of her face.

"Who are you strangers? Why were you attacking Felix?" She stated while narrowing her eyes at Cain. Her hands were quick but gentle as she let them roam over Felix' slender form, frowning as the tips of her fingers were dyed red.

Cain shifted as well, though didn't hid his nudity unlike the woman. "He was holding a pup. According to our infor-"

"Holding a pup is against Pack law now?" She huffed, interrupting Cain's explanation while taking the pup out of Felix' jaws. Cain growled slightly, gaining the attention of the red-head as she narrowed her eyes with a silent snarl of her own.

"No, but we know what Anton is doing and drew conclusions."

"Well, you thought wrong, we are saving whatever we can." She bit out before giving the pup back to Felix. "She's still fine, a little shaken by the fall. Bring her to the others." Felix nodded and as soon as the she-wolf stepped back behind the covers of a few bushes, dashed through the woods.

"Aren't you a bit bossy."

"Says the Alpha." Cain huffed out a laugh at the she-wolf's retort, who obviously knew he was an Alpha but dismissed his position in the same breath. She was barely visible in the shrubbery while she glanced over the pack before finding me. "Hey you." She cooed, making me whine slightly as my tail wagged the slightest bit.

"I'm surprised to see you in real life. In Zayne's memories you seemed a bit more...subdued." Cain stated the obvious and grinned as the woman rolled her eyes slightly.

"Anton made sure that anyone obeys him one way or another. He used to threaten me by using my little sister against me but when she disappeared, I had nothing left to lose. After he started targeting the pups, I knew what I could do and tried to save as many of them as possible."

Cain nodded, admiration clear in his gaze as he stared at the woman, something burning in his dark eyes before he hummed thoughtfully.

"So you know where Anton and his rogues are at the moment?"

Her eyes gleamed with understanding before she shifted, motioning with her head to follow. After a few wary glances, everyone followed the she-wolf, Cain almost running on her heels.

Surprisingly, instead of feeling intimidated by a foreign Alpha and lowering her tail respectfully, she curled it all the way over her back and snorted after glancing at Cain.

The black wolf was intrigued, to say the least.

"Are they mates?" I wondered making Marcus stumble slightly in his stride before taking the pair in with cautious eyes. "They could be..." He chuckled slightly, fur moving in the air while my tiny paws moved twice as fast to keep up with him. "She's excellent Luna material and it's clear that Cain wouldn't be able to boss her around."

Nodding slightly, I nearly tripped but whined thankfully when Marcus caught me in his jaws and placed me down gently before lowering to his haunches. " I know you're tired Zayne, so don't argue my love."

Rolling my eyes, I jumped on his back so I laid on him sideways before I felt his massive form shake underneath me as he laughed heartily. "As a human, you silly pup." He snorted, playfully nipping at my tail.

I smiled to myself for being able to tease and joke with my mate before I shifted back and nuzzled his soft fur. Marcus let out a humming growl as I thankfully accepted a short from Alice before clutching onto my big and protective wolf.

With Marcus' comforting sent tickling my nose and his soft fur pressed against my skin, I couldn't fight the sudden heaviness in my eyes. Marcus' smooth strides and body heat made me incredibly drowsy, so I let out a yawn and cuddled closer to my mate's back, knowing he'd never let me fall off of him.

"I'll never let anything or anyone hurt you again Zayne. You can count on that." He spoke with confidence, so I smiled and kissed the back of his head sloppily before I fell asleep with the happy and protective feelings of my mate swarming my mind.