"We should try running the route before we ambush." Derek tells me.

I'm sitting on his bed, legs crossed pretzel style. I have just passed all the information I learned from the Alpha, to Derek. Derek, just as I, was surprised to hear about the relationship between Lauraine and Harvey. We knew they were working together. But for them to be lovers? We just weren't expecting such a thing. A hunter and a werewolf together... It's surprising to me but sickening to Derek. He's disgusted by the relationship.

I nod my head in agreement. "Definitely. It would be smart to mark escape routes and figure out where they have traps set up and where they don't."

"Exactly. It wouldn't be smart of us to just jump right in to ambushing their house. We need to approach this carefully. They've managed to live and protect themselves in this house for a long time even though they are enemies to both Hunters and Werewolves. We shouldn't take them lightly."

I stand from the bed. "It's settled then. I will go and mark the trail. I will also mark all the traps I can find."

His chair spins around quickly. Derek faces me with a frown plastered on his face. "Lucia, you can't go alone. I'll come with you."

"Derek, it's safer for just one person to go. I can be more stealthy on my own. If I have you with me, it could draw attention to us... Plus... Now I don't want to sound condescending, but if we do get spotted, you're not the fastest in the group..."

He sighs. "You're brutal honesty is offensive Lucia..." His head nods up and down, "but you're right. At least ask Raymond or Ruben to accompany you. Or maybe even Greyson, he's the second fastest to yourself."

My heart races at the sound of his name. I feel my cheeks growing red. I try my best to shake it off. "I'll ask Raymond."

It's not that I don't want to ask Greyson... But he currently hates me and I don't think asking him to scope out the next mission would fix my position much... Plus, it's unfair of me to ask him to do it when he doesn't want me in his presence.

My heart aches at the thought and my wolf pouts. I inwardly roll my eyes at her. I know she grew attached to Greyson, but when she was first marked, she almost turned her back on her feelings for him. But now? Now she's confused. She doesn't hate Damien's touch anymore but after seeing Greyson, she discovered she hasn't lost her feelings. It must have something to do with the fact that I haven't marked Damien. She's still a partially free agent.

----------------------------

Raymond agreed to join me on the scouting trip. The run there takes a good couple of hours. I didn't expect them to live so far away, considering she sets traps kind of close to our lands.

The pounding of our paws thud through the woods. We are both breathing heavily by the time we reach a stopping point. My legs slow to a light jog before I come to a full halt. I pant as Raymond stops next to me. The breeze blows around us and I close my eyes to enjoy the coolness gently ruffling my white fur.

A gentle bark shakes me from my calm state. My eyes open and flick toward the tall golden wolf looking down at me. I nod my head toward a tree, signaling it's time to shift.

He gets the message. He turns his massive self and trots behind a tree. I turn and make my way behind a tree of my own. Shifting, my behind lays on the cool forest floor. I go straight for my ankle. I untie my clothes. I throw the t-shirt on and slip into a pair of boy shorts. Pushing myself from the dirt floor and the leaves of the ground, I join Raymond.

"You ready?" He asks me.

I nod in agreement. "Yeah. You go that way and I will take this direction. Mark all the places you see a trap. But be careful. We are getting really close to their home. I'm surprised we didn't hit any traps yet. We got lucky."

He smirks, "is it due to luck or skill?"

I frown, "obviously luck. I know I'm not skilled enough to sense where traps would be. With that conclusion, you aren't either."

He laughs, "okay, very good point."

"If anything, and I mean anything goes wrong, you shift, howl, and retreat. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, meet back here in about an hour. Mark and set off as many traps as you can. And do it silently."

"You got it boss."

"Good. And if by some random chance you get caught in a trap, howl twice. That will signal me to come to you."

He laughs, "you worry too much Lucia. But same goes for you."

I frown, "I won't get caught in a trap."

His hand shoots out to my head. He ruffles my messy brown hair, tangling it even further. "I know but just in case kiddo."

I slap his hand away. "Okay, okay. Enough of this. Just go."

He laughs and turns on his heels. "See you in an hour."

"See yah."

My hand reach up to my head. I comb through the tangled strands. Quickly, I gather it all up into a pony tail. Then I wrap my elastic around it, securing it in place. My body turns in the direction of the forest that I'm in charge of scouting. I start my trek.

The woods is noisy, filled with birds chirping and insects buzzing. The leaves on the ground are crisp and crunchy. It's hard to stay quiet as I adventure. The forest is densely packed with trees. It's good coverage, but also tricky to keep direction. I can see how it would be easy to get lost in these woods. Every tree practically looks the same.

In the distance, I see something sparkle in the sun light. I squint my eyes, observing the object even further. Deciding it's best to get close, I walk toward the unknown object.

When I get closer, I notice a rope infused with silver thread. It's tied close the the tree and covered with vines. If it weren't for the bits of silver, I wouldn't have noticed the rope at all. I reach out and touch the twine. As I make contact, a fire burns up from my finger tips. I hiss inwardly.

Yup, I tell myself, definitely a Hunter's trap.

I follow the string all the way down. I'm careful not to step on anything covered in leaves, and it's a good thing too. The rope is secured to a trap. The trap is a silver netting. The kind that Raymond once found himself trapped in. I growl in a low tone. Memories of Raymond hanging high in the tree flood into my memory. Seeing my friend in that state really pissed me off.

I shift my nails into wolf nails. Slowly, and being careful not to touch any of the silver, I tear the trap into bits. Once I'm completely assure the trap is destroyed, I mark the tree with my nails, deeming it safe. I leave an 'X' on the bark.

I continue on my trek for another 40 minutes or so, being sure to destroy and mark every tree possible. I need to be sure we have a safe route marked. That way we can have a place to flee without being worried about traps.

I've zoned out for a while now. I yawn unintentionally as I realize how much time has passed. I'm about to turn around when I look up and realize something.

I'm practically in their backyard.

A cold chill runs down my spine as my eyes start to take in my surroundings.

The back of the house is large. It's a two story home built with mostly wood. It's rather modern, but the house has a cabin vibe to it. On the second floor, there is a balcony that most likely connects to the master bedroom. The backyard has a stone patio on the ground floor that leads to the back door. It looks like that will be the best place of entrance when we ambush. The back door is made of all glass, and looks easy enough to break.

Just then, a silhouette moves in the house on the second floor. I quickly duck into a nearby bush, sheltering myself from the house's view. I make a small peep hole through the leaves and branches. Up on the balcony, I see the sliding glass doors open. Out steps Harvey.

His silver hair shines brightly in the sun. His face is neutral, showing little emotion. I squint my eyes. Getting a closer look, he's an attractive man. He's got a large build, similar to that of Greyson and Damien. He's dressed nicely as well. For some reason, I expected him to almost look like a demon or something. I expected someone who just shouts evil... but he looks almost like... almost like a normal man?

He stares off into the woods. I frown watching him act so calm.

He has been killing off my pack members. Him and his huntress lover. It's sickening how they are allowed to live peacefully while they continue to murder the pack. I can't be deceived by his appearance. On the inside, he is a monster... right?

A moment later another silhouette moves in the house behind him. For some off reason, my eyes lighten a bit from the hatred they were just displaying. My heart clenches in the oddest way as the glass door slides open again. Out steps Lauraine. In her arms is a small object. She cradles it close to her chest. It's swaddled in a green blanket. My head tilts curiously to the side and my eyes squint as I try to get a closer glance.

Lauraine approaches her lover. Harvey leans up from bending over the fence lining the balcony. He turns to the side. As he notices her, a smile spreads across his face. He reaches his arms out and pulls her into a hug. My heart clenches and I watch Lauraine smile. She wraps one arm around Harvey and keeps the other cradling the object in her hand.

A moment later, I hear a cry.

It's soft, and coming from... a child?

The two lovers break their embrace. Lauraine laughs as she shifts the bundle in her arms. The blanket falls a bit, revealing a tiny little face.

A baby.

The tiny thing has little hair on it's head. It wails as Lauraine tries to quickly calm the child. She rocks it in her arms but to no avail. A moment later, Harvey places a hand lovingly on her shoulder. She looks up at him with relief in her eyes. She hands the baby over to Harvey's open arms.

I watch as he gently rocks the child. The baby's cries dwindle. I watch in amazement as the two stare down lovingly at the baby. My heart flutters in this weird way.

Is that... is that their child?

They are a family?

A happy family at that.

And the Alpha wants us to destroy this family? Does he know about the child? There is no way he could... I know our Alpha is ruthless but he isn't heartless. He wouldn't have us kill them knowing they were parents, would he? Needless to say, I need to talk to someone about this... someone who would understand.

I need to talk to Rina.

------------

Raymond and I finished what we had to do and met at our meeting spot at the agreed time. Together we took out over 25 traps and marked the trees. We know that there are more traps but at least now we have two separate escape routes that are trap free.

I neglected to tell Raymond about the baby. For one thing, I need to talk to Rina about it first. I know she will give me her honest opinion on what we should do to stop this ambush.

I sent Raymond off to talk to Derek regarding our progress, currently I'm heading to the library to meet up with Rina. I reach the large double doors and push them open. I close them quietly behind me and glance around. The room is quiet, as always. I still glance around the book shelves, searching for anyone else as I go through.

I want to be sure that we are alone. The things I'm going to tell Rina need to stay private between the two of us.

I reach the back of the room. Rina sits in her large chair. The light on the side table is on and a book is in her hands. A moment later she looks up at me. She smiles.

"Hi Lucia."

"Hey Rina," I smile as I sit down in the chair opposite of her.

She closes the book in her hands. Then she slides the book onto the side table next to her. She straightens herself up in her seat.

She turns her head slightly to the side in a curious manner. "What's up? You look distraught."

"I am." I admit to her. "Has Derek talked to you guys today? Regarding the mission we are potentially going on tomorrow?"

"Yeah, him and Damien gathered us together. I was surprised when you and Raymond never showed, but Derek filled us in on that too. You guys went to scope out get away routes and destroy some traps, right?"

"Correct."

"So how did that go?"

"It was interesting..."

"Interesting?" Her eyes widen, "Oh no, did something happen? Are you okay? Did Raymond get hurt?"

"No, no, no," I calm her down, "nothing bad happened. We were successful in our mission today. We marked two separate get away routes and we even destroyed about 25 or so traps. We know it won't be all the traps, but it was a good amount of them."

She sighs in relief, "thank god. You had me worried for a second there Lucia."

"Well... something odd did happen."

"And what was that?"

"I think I'm having second thoughts about the ambush...."

Her eyebrows pull together in a frown. "Having second thoughts?" She stares at me for a moment, but when she realizes I'm serious, she snaps, "Lucia they are killers. Cold. Blooded. Killers. That woman is a hunter, and you saw what those other hunters did to Leo! They are monsters. They don't deserve to live, and if we let them, they will continue to kill off innocent pack members. Remember how she almost killed Raymond?"

I sigh, "I remember Rina. It's just-"

"It's just, what? Honestly, you had no problem tearing apart hunters when they were attacking our home two months ago. So now that we are going there to attack, it's different?" Her tone is mocking, something myself and my wolf don't appreciate.

"No!" I shout at her. Then I sigh when I notice her eyes widen in shock from my sudden change in demeanor. "I mean... no. Rina listen, when I was there I discovered that Lauraine and Harvey are parents.... they... they have a family. You should have seen their faces. They truly love their baby."

I glance into her eyes, and I freeze. They are dark. Dark and filled with a hatred so strong, I almost cower a bit. She growls angrily. "They had an offspring?"

"Yes."

Her eyes flicker between her own and her wolf's. "That's no child Lucia. It's a born demon. Half werewolf, half hunter. That kid... no that thing, will grow up to become an unstoppable enemy. Lucia you need to tell the Alpha. He needs to know about this monster."

"What?" My voice is shocked and low.

"You need to tell him. If you don't, that thing could grow up and kill us all."

I frown. "Are you listening to yourself right now? Rina this is a child we are talking about. Not an adult who has been corrupted by the ways of hunters. A child. An innocent being."

She huffs, "innocent? It won't be so innocent when it gets big and we can't stop it."

"So what, you want to kill the baby?"

"We are killing it's parents. It will die anyway without them there to take care of it."

I stand from the chair. "I... I honestly can't believe what I'm hearing from you right now. Who are you?"

She sighs, "Lucia, think about it. Half werewolf, half hunter, being raised by the two biggest threats to our pack. If Leo and I ever have kids, I don't want them to be endangered by something that malicious. It's the only smart thing for us to do."

I shake my head at her. "You're wrong. And honestly, just forget I even mentioned it to you. I came here because I thought you would be on my side about this. I figured we had the same morals, but I guess that's just not the case. This is my situation to deal with, so if you tell anyone about the child, I will never forgive you. Do you understand?"

Her mouth forms a straight line. She's clearly not pleased with the way I'm handling this, but honestly I don't care, I'm not pleased with the way she handled this. "I understand."

With that, I turn and leave her in the library.

I can't believe she had the nerve to even think about murdering an innocent child. A child that has done nothing wrong. Sure it's strange that the child is a mix between werewolf and Hunter, but honestly, that's going to be more of a burden to him/her than it is going to be for the people around him/her. I almost feel bad for the kid.

And honestly, I thought Rina's morals were bigger than this. She and I are very similar in how we view the world... at least that's what I thought. I would never want to kill a child. Plus, Lauraine and Harvey love each other. I know it's a little odd because one is a werewolf and the other a well renowned hunter, but love is love. If Greyson was a hunter I'd -- wait.

No.

I can't keep thinking about him. It's been over two months already, I need to get over him! It's only fair to both of us.

I sigh in disappointment. I finally make it to my bedroom door. I reach for the handle.

Suddenly, a hand lands on my shoulder. I jump and turn in surprise. "Leo?"

He's staring at me with confusion in his eyes and a hint of anger. "What are you doing?" he asks me, his voice low.

I frown, "the real question is, what are you doing? Why are you in this corridor?" I fire back. No one is supposed to be in this corridor besides the maids, the Beta's family and the Alpha's family.

He rolls his eyes, "enough of your games Lucia, you know why I'm here, I live here, but why are you here."

"Huh?"

He grabs hold of my arm and pulls me away from the door. That's when I take a glance at our surroundings. My jaw practically falls to the floor. I'm in the boys corridor. I glance over my shoulder and red sweeps my cheeks as I realize the room I was about to walk into: Greyson's room.

"Lucia, honestly I don't think it's a good idea for you to talk to Greyson-"

"Leo you're right," I admit quickly, cutting him off.

His eyes turn up to look at me. He grows confused by my sudden contradicting answer. "But you were just about to-"

"Go into his room? I know..." I laugh for a moment, it's an awkward laugh, "to be honest I was lost in thought. I kept walking and some how I ended up here. Thank you for stopping me. It wouldn't have been fair of me to go in there."

Leo nods his head, "I'm glad you understand Lucia."

"Leo?" I ask him.

"Yeah?"

"Does he hate me?" My voice showing more sad emotion than I was intending, but it's too late to take it back now.

Leo sighs, "I don't know Lucia. He hasn't really talked to me much since the announcement. And he especially hasn't talked about his feelings."

"But you know him well. You two were in the same pack together before you came here. You can read him better than anyone."

He nods in agreement, "you're right. But do you really want to know what I think?"

I sigh. I think it's about time I figure out just how much Greyson hates me. "I don't know if I want to know, but I'm ready to know."

Leo nods. "Well for starters, I think he's absolutely pissed right now. I've never seen him bottle up so much emotion. He's probably angry at the fact that you hadn't told him about Damien and the fact that you completely blindsided him. He must be furious that you're mated with another guy." My eyes fall toward the ground. It's feels like a blade jabs into my heart with every word. "Most of all he feels betrayed. Probably lacks trust in you too. He probably never wants to see you again." My wolf hangs her head low as my heart continues to crack under the truth. "but if I'm being honest here, I think the thing he's most furious about, is how much he loves you."

Loves me?

For a split second, I feel my heart mend itself a bit. I stop it in it's tracks though. Leo isn't Greyson. He doesn't actually know what's going on inside Greyson's head. Sure they were best friends, but Rina and I are best friends and early she proved that best friends aren't always thinking what you'd expect them to. And after everything I've put Greyson through, there is no way he can love someone like me.

"Leo, it's been two months. Greyson doesn't love me." I correct him. "He hates me."

Leo rolls his eyes,  "you're an idiot Lucia. He loved you a long while ago. And love isn't something you can just shake off after a mere two months." He pats me on top of my left shoulder, just missing my mark and I thank the heavens he didn't touch it. "Go to bed Lucia. We've got a long day ahead of us."

I nod my head, "will do. Night Leo."

"Night Lucia."

He turns to his room and I proceed to leave the boy's hall and head toward my own.

My heart thumps in my chest rapidly. It's confused just as I am. It doesn't know if it should shatter from realizing how much I've hurt Greyson, or mend because there's a possibility that he still loves me. But I don't have the right to want his love. The Alpha has promised me to Damien. I am to be this pack's Luna someday.

I frown internally.

Be this pack's Luna?

I hate the sound of it. I hate this pack. I hate everything about this pack. And someday I'm supposed to run it and have children with the guy I've hated since I was young?  It's not that I doubt my ability to lead, I certainly don't. But for starters, Damien will want me to do everything and he will continue to take credit for it. People will respect him, not me. We won't be partners, but simply an Alpha and his mate. Plus, what's the point of ruling a pack with a person I absolutely despise? If only Damien never selected me as a mate, I would be fine. I could have taken my time convincing Greyson that we'd be good together, and then we could have mated. I wouldn't have cared in the slightest that Greyson doesn't have a high position in the pack. I wouldn't need to lead anything if I was able to have the person I love at my side.