Esmeralda's store was closed and the windows were dark when I walked past them. I had never been to her home, so searching for her to ask if I could stay temporarily in her house would be extremely difficult.

So, I carried on walking quickly, treading through deep woods that would eventually lead me to Athena's house in Wildeland.

The woods were unusually quiet throughout my walk, and memories of my kidnapping momentarily flooded my mind, making me tense.

My gaze swept around me as I carried on walking, small grunts slipping from my mouth as I heaved my heavy suitcase along with me. The snow was not very deep, but it nonetheless made it difficult for me to pull the wheels of my suitcase through.

I cursed under my breath at one point, wondering why I hadn't attempted to buy a cellphone in the past; it certainly would've been great help now, as I was sure that Athena would have driven me to her home if she knew my situation.

I wiped at my upper lip when it began to sting from the cold, and after adjusting the straps of my bag and the shotgun, I carried on walking, ensuring to be extremely observant as I did so.

And, that paid off. I saw a flash of red hair and dropped my suitcase's handle, swinging my weapon around to the direction of the woman slowly emerging through bushes and trees. My head tilted in surprise as she bee-lined straight towards me, ignoring the gun which I held.

"Are you the half-witch?" She demanded, her light voice a stark contrast to her confident behavior. She got close to my face, and squinted at my eyes, as if oblivious to the scowl and weapon directed at her.

"Skylar, yes? You look like the woman Ted described. Grey eyes, pale skin, sort of tense looking."

My scowl deepened as I lowered my weapon slowly. "Who is this Ted?"

She thrusted out a hand for me to shake, which I did, albeit reluctantly. "My name is Rosa. Ted is a man you healed a while back. There are several people in our group who were severely injured and he suggested I come find you."

"Group?"

Rosa nodded. "Yes." She confirmed. "We managed to get a large house in which we're currently staying in. It's near the Northsage pack houses, and the alpha has allowed us to live in it."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Why haven't you asked the alpha to provide any ways for those persons who are injured to be treated by the pack nurses?"

Rosa shrugged. "The others are reluctant to ask. It's sort of a trust thing. I mean, even though we were thankful to stay in the house provided, we're still wary of the lycans in the pack. The leader of the group, Ted, recommended that someone look for you instead, and," She thrusted her hands towards me and then back at herself. "I found you."

"You did." My gaze trailed behind her. I was not against the idea of helping her group, but I was reluctant to stay by the house they lived in for long.

Some of the Alberrechians could be actively searching for me and I would feel terrible if I mistakenly led them to the house and a conflict arose. I would go to the home, do what is needed and leave for Athena.

But, whether or not I stayed in Wildeland was something that Hannes and Olivia would have to decide, as I was certain that they wouldn't want to put their pack at risk once again of Alberrechians invading.

However, I doubted that the Alberrechians would battle those in Wildeland just to get me, and, according to Athena, strict security measures were established and the chances of the Alberrechians entering the pack like they had in the past would be slim to none.

After the battle that had taken place recently, the Alberrechians had little choice but to retreat.

Only half of their army had been present according to Athena, and they could not fight off the combination of lycan warriors from two different packs.

"How far is this house?" I asked Rosa.

Rosa rubbed at her chin as she turned to face where she'd emerged from. "It is twenty minutes away. Not too far."

I nodded, adjusting the strap of my bag once again when it began to dig almost painfully into my shoulder. Rosa's eyes went to it, curiosity shining in her gaze, but she instead offered to help with my suitcase when I eventually agreed to go with her.

The thought of Rosa being an undercover Alberrechian did cross my mind, and that only made my fingers itch with anticipation to grab my gun if this turned out to be true.

Thankfully, it did not.

Throughout my rush to enter the home when we arrived, I barely gave a second glance to the pack houses nearby. Several lycan warriors had spoken briefly to Rosa before we'd entered the pack, and they allowed us in.

I was urged up the stairs and into a room, where several women and children laid on beds. Those who weren't resting were standing nearby, hovering over them. Their eyes widened firstly at the gun I had strapped on my shoulder whilst I entered, and then at me.

I immediately saw Ted, the elderly man who I had seen in the shed. His brow was dotted with sweat, which he wiped at constantly with a handkerchief. The windows in the room were closed and heat seemed to drain any coolness in the air.

I quietly asked Rosa to open the windows as I took off my shotgun and carefully rested my bag on the ground, somewhat protective over the potions as I searched for the one which would help with any pain.

"What is that?" An elderly woman's voice was sharp as she watched me withdraw a jar which held a dark blue potion. I paused, mentally preparing myself once again for suspicious, frustrated and doubtful looks.

I'd been receiving them since I was a child throughout the journeys I took with my mother when she chose to help others.

Not all were entirely welcoming to me at first, but that sometimes changed when I helped whoever needed to be helped.

There were also times in which even after I healed persons, hurtful and almost peculiar comments were made about my abilities. I did my best to ignore them however.

"It's millashrae." I lifted the jar slightly, cupping the bottom of it with my hand as she leaned forward to peer at it.

I straightened, ensuring that the bag which held the rest of my potions could be seen in the corner of my eyes as I first began to offer it to the young children, examining their injuries as I did so.

Footsteps echoed behind me with each step I took as I went to the beds. It was almost comical the way they swept along with me.

The healing process took close to three hours. Throughout that time, those who had shuffled along behind my back had retreated to chairs to simply sit, watch and observe, making comments now and then, most of which I attempted to answer.

They were all very pleasant people it seemed; the offerings of water or tea as I'd healed others happened constantly, which I declined, until I was finished.

I sat on the floor afterwards, by one of the beds which a child had rested on, my bag close to my side and a glass of water raised to my lips.

My body was tired, not exactly from the power I'd expelled, but because of the long walks I'd taken. I could easily fall asleep right on the floor if I sought to do so.

Those on the bed were currently resting, and Ted was not in sight. Others were lingering around the room still, whilst some had gone downstairs.

Voices floated around the air, when I rested the glass down beside me and cradled my bag, head moving back to rest back against the side of the bed as I prepared to leave the home. I would rest for five minutes before leaving.

Rosa skirted into my vision as I laid on the floor. She lowered herself to sit opposite me, and folded her legs. "Will you be staying, Skylar?" She asked. When I shook my head, she frowned.

"We could do with someone like you in our group, you know." At my confused look, she leaned forward.

"You see, Ted has this vision to create a place, or something like a shelter, so that people who are seeking somewhere safe, away from lycans, could come and stay. Most of those people would more than likely be injured, especially if they barely managed to escape lycans, and having a half-witch like yourself nearby would be nice."

"Creating a safe haven for others would not be easy." I murmured, holding my bag closer to my chest. My eyes darted to the shotgun; three more minutes and then I'd be leaving.

"Maybe." Rosa said. She only seemed to consider my words for a few seconds before she went on enthusiastically, "We plan to build the haven, as you put it, in a place that would allow others to find us easily."

"Including lycans."

Rosa paused, but jerked a finger upward. "I'm hoping to convince Ted to ask the Alpha of Northsage to help us with the protection aspect. He's been very kind so far and I don't believe he is like the other lycans in which we've encountered."

I listened half-heartedly as she carried on speaking of the vision which her group of people shared.

She seemed determined by it, and I made no comments throughout the rest of the three minutes that passed. When they came and went, I stood to my feet, cutting Rosa short.

"I need to leave." I told her, reaching down briefly to put on my bag and walked across the room to slide the strap of my shotgun over my shoulder.

The suitcase was downstairs, and Rosa was close on my heels, asking several times if I was certain that I wanted to leave, which I reassured her that I was.

I wrapped my fingers around the handle of the suitcase and began to pull it towards the entrance of the front door, only to pause at a realization.

"Rosa?" I asked. "Is there a phone in this home that I could use?"

She blinked, seeming taken aback. Her brow furrowed. "I can check for you. I'm pretty sure I saw one upstairs, so I'll go look there."

She turned on her heels and walked towards the stairs, whilst I remained by the closed front door, waiting. I was only standing for a few minutes when voices reached my ears; they came from outside of the home, and Ted's voice was one of them.

Curious, I opened the door slightly. Several lycans, and one human, Ted, stood nearby the pathway. Concerned expressions were on the female lycans' faces, but as for the male lycan...

Nicholas.

I recognized it to be him when he turned, and half of his face showed as he spoke quietly to Ted, his deep voice reaching my ears but the words not something I clearly understood.

I noticed the black, long trench coat he wore and something akin to frustration glittered in the eye in which I could see.

A muscle ticked in Nicholas' jaw when he seemed to clench his teeth, and I almost jerked backwards in surprise when Ted directed a hand right at me abruptly.

"I can assure you that they are fine now. We were able to find someone to help us thoroughly."

Heads turned towards me and I straightened, fingers still wrapped around the handle of my suitcase and my other hand around the door knob.

Heat seemed to scorch my face when I felt Nicholas' eyes on me.

His strong, purposeful footsteps echoed when he immediately began walking, heavy boots crunching over snow repeatedly, but I became momentarily distracted from listening to his approach when Rosa appeared by my side, pulling open the door further and thrusting the phone she found under my nose.

Her hand which held the phone lowered when Nicholas came to stand before me, and her mouth which had begun to open snapped closed. She shuffled backwards, leaving me alone in the doorway.

Dark blue eyes roamed my face, and a small smirk curved the corners of his lips as Nicholas studied me. He seemed larger now that I was so close to him.

My gaze lingered on his broad shoulders after his eyes became almost primal as I absent-mindedly stepped backwards, towards the warmth which emitted from the home.

He stepped closer when I moved, allowing little space to be left between us.

"Do you know Skylar, Nicholas?" Ted yelled. My gaze skipped to Ted before I met Nicholas' eyes once again.

Nicholas' smirk grew, and amusement flashed in the depth of his eyes.

"We've met before. Is that not right, Skylar?"