Sarai Laulter did not make it much farther than five miles into the forest before she was jumped from behind and knocked out with a blow to the base of her skull.

She should have been paying attention to her surroundings, but she was so busy fretting about the missing Jarren that she could barely focus on how to walk.

When she awoke, Sarai found herself in a dilapidated shed that creaked when the wind blew and smelled of salt.

"Don't make a sound" Liam Redd, Jarren's father snapped. Sarai had never really spoken to the man but she knew what kind of person he was based on descriptions. She went to move and found her body numb. She concentrated on moving her legs and did not even see a single a twitch.

"What did you give me?" Sarai's speech was slurred and almost incoherent.

"Qualudes" he growled. Liam Redd quickly dug through a metal tool box, searching for a wrench.

"What the-"

"Shut up!" the old bear growled again, turning and slapping Sarai in the face.

Sarai couldn't even move her neck enough to straighten her head from the position his violent slap had left it in. She looked up out the window and saw nothing but dense green foliage dripping with fresh rain drops.

___________________________________________________________________________________

With every drop of moisture that fell, the scent of Redd and Sarai disappeared. All of the remaining members from both Sleuths were scouring the Northeast coast searching for any sign. Seconds felt like hours, and in all reality they were. None of the sleuth members had argued with Alpha Grayson's order and immediately began to search, but it was not until they made it outside that Porter realized that Sarai had gone off on her own. This knowledge had only further enraged the Alpha, and now the group was working against a timeline. Every instant Sarai was in Redd's presence was an opportunity for her to be killed.

Alpha Scottlin had the same sense of urgency as Kaddian, but the Alpha couldn't help but notice that Alpha Grayson was allowing his rage to take over, something he didn't think Grayson did. But under no circumstance would this be the situation to ask why. Alpha Scottlin was skimming the edge of the forest, right along the water, when he caught the smell of something he did not expect.

Nothing.

It was as if all odors stopped. As if someone attempted to mask an odor and succeeded too well. Alpha Reik followed the trail of nothing until it led him to a small water inlet on the opposite side is a faux cliff. He was still in the forest but the smell of sea salt was powerful. Just ahead he saw a dark, wooden shack no doubt worn down by the abrasive sea air. Crouching low, the Alpha regretted the fact that he had not signaled Kyrrian, who was searching the forest a few miles away, before following this lead.
As quietly as possible, and hoping that the sound of the ocean would drown out any noise, Alpha Scottlin arrived at the window of the shack, just in time to see Liam Redd back hand Sarai in the face. Instead of fighting her restraints and recoiling from the blow, Sarai remained in the position the hit left her in. Liam Redd proceeded to grab a wrench and throw it into a tool box. He was packing.

Scottlin turned to look at the small dingy bobbing at the mouth of the inlet and realized that Redd planned to escape on it, and had probably kept Sarai alive as a negotiation tool.

Scottlin was about to make his way to the front of the shack in an attempt to apprehend Redd smoothly, when the window to his left shattered violently.
__________________________________________________________________
Kyrrian Grayson kicked herself for not remembering the shed at the edge of Moore's Inlet. She had spent hours of her life there as a child. As soon as she recalled that, she knew that's where Liam would be. Sprinting with true purpose, Kyrrian arrived at the shack and wasted no time planning how to attack Redd and instead plowed through the side of the shed, letting all nine hundred pounds of her collide with the unsuspecting he-bear.

Liam Redd and Kyrrian Grayson not only collided with the wall of the shed but went through it. Redd immediately shifted and the animal brawl began. Kyrrian attempted Liam's jugular twice, but both tries nearly resulted in her head being removed by Redd's intense claws.

Choosing to use her size advantage over Liam, Kyrrian shouldered him into the nearest tree. Kyrrian hit him three more times until she heard the sound of ribs cracking. Liam Redd bellowed out before slipping down the tree and exhaling short, choppy breaths. Kyrrian could tell that one of his ribs was millimeters away from puncturing a lung. Liam was in danger of killing himself by breathing, let alone attempting to attack her.

A snapping twig had Kyrrian turning to find Alpha Scottlin carrying the limp body of Sarai out of the mangled shed. He nodded in acknowledgement and thanks. Kyrrian lowered her large head to show her gratitude and had not even turned to look back at Liam when the reverberating harshness of a gunshot ring through the forest.

Alpha Reik did not realize that the bullet had ripped through him at first, but when his brain registered the searing pain crawling up his chest, his legs gave out and he collapsed forward. He did not even have the strength to ensure he fell on his back and not on Sarai. Scottlin hit the ground with a grunt, and he watched as Sarai's drugged, limp body slammed to the ground.

"Alpha" she rasped, but he could care less about himself. He tried to reach for Sarai, check her for injuries, but as he moved, blood welled in his lungs and he coughed it up. He laid back and stared at the forest canopy, hoping that the blood covering Sarai was his own and not hers.

Jarren Redd entered the Alpha's line of vision.

He looked rough. His face was sliced in three places and varying shades of purple and red. His left arm stretched across his body and held his ribs, which were obviously paining him based on his posture. In his right hand was a gun, specifically Sheriff Hale's standard issue.

Jarren stared at Alpha Reik for a few seconds with a deep, intense hatred, then raised the gun to the middle of the Alpha's head.

"Jarren!" Kyrrian yelled. Jarren sharply whipped the gun toward the sound of Kyrrians voice, then laughed cynically.

Kyrrian had shifted back and stood naked in front of Jarren.

"You were always so careful to not shift around the men. I always wanted this view" Jarren sounded two seconds away from insanity.

As if unaffected by his words, Kyrrian responded "Jarren, what are you doing?". She attempted to keep her tone calm, as she knew riling Jarren up would end in senseless killing.

"I am giving what is deserved!" Jarren's scream rang through the forest.

"I don't understand" Kyrrian attempted take a step forward but Jarren's face increased with crazed intensity as he pointed the gun at her face.

"Stay back... Stay back" Jarren stared her down for a second before peering around her to look at his father. The old bear had stayed as a such, no doubt fearing that the transformation would kill him.

"Stupid idiot. You deserve to die" Jarren spat.

"That's your father" Kyrrian whispered, her brow furrowed.

"And he's an idiot! He's the reason you stupid, snooping bears figured things out. He got sloppy, and he was obvious. For years I've played the dopey, innocent sleuth member, making sure that no one knew the pain and anger in me. And oh, I was good. I had you all fooled. But my father here never could fit in. And when we finally started to kill those rat bastards who sold my mother to the slaughter, it was him" Jarren was yelling as he gestured to his father with the gun, "that left perfect little bread crumbs for you and your little human pet!"

"Why kill them? Why do this, I don't understand" Kyrrian pressed, knowing that she needed to keep him talking.

"I already told you, they killed my mother! And destroyed me. All of those bears sold my mother out and handed her over to Hunter's. They killed her and left me for dead but I didn't die! I didn't and I used my hatred to return the favor. Oh, but of course you couldn't just let me have my fun. You had to investigate. Daddy dearest felt the need to kill sleuth members to send a message, idiot, but I will admit the look on BB's face as I killed her slowly was enjoyable. She always was the most annoying creature I had ever met. It's amazing what a dose of Qualudes will do to the body. Limp like a fish and let's me have all the fun I wa-"

"Stop it" Kyrrian spat.

"No, you stop! All of you stop! What will it take?! Look at me! Do you see this" he yelled, gesturing to his almost destroyed body. "All Lauren Hale had to do was get off the case and all would have been fine, but no, she kept digging, asking the right questions. She figured it out and was on her way to your house. I stepped in front of her car and she stopped, realized it was me and it was like she knew, she could see it in my face, that I was the brains. That bitch tried to run me over! I wrecked her car and almost got my hands on her but she shot me. I managed to crawl into the forest and I laid there for two days! Two days! And no one searched for me, but not to worry, I lived through death once before, I swore to do it again. And now I'm here, just in time to kill all of you, get on that boat, and get the hell out of here."

Kyrrian took a deep breath and slowly lowered her hand.

"I'm sorry Jarren" she said finally.

"What?" He asked incredulously.

"I am sorry, but that's not going to happen" Kyrrian pressed.

Jarren cocked his head to the side and smiled, "and you're going to stop me? I have the gun."

Kyrrian stared at Jarren before slowly shifting her gaze over his shoulder, "no, I am not. But my brother looks pissed".