After two days of horrible boredom I was able to return to my room. No, correction, as it was emphatically announced to me, OUR room. Adrian showed up in the morning and informed me that he would take me to our room. And then an argument broke out. This time it was him slamming the door, and I was so angry that I felt like hitting someone all day. I didn't see him again. Very well, at least my plan to avoid him is working as it should. The only downside is that my wolf half burrowed under a heavy quilt as I stifled her urges to stare at the guy. Eh... Stupid furball, only one thing in her mind.

**********

I left the hospital, which is located deep in the woods behind the main house I was headed to. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was in no hurry, so I took my time walking to the building. When I was close to the mansion I heard and then saw some commotion. A lot of people were entering and even more were leaving. What is going on that there is such an anthill here? I started to run as fast as I could to find out. Inside I found even more feverishness. I stopped the first better person that was passing by.
- Why is there such a buzz? - the boy turned out to be the one I had recently kicked in the jewels. I chuckled in my heart that I had to bump into him, but I waited patiently for him to answer me. He was nervous about my presence next to him, but after a moment's consideration, he answered:
- Alpha's youngest sister, Amelia, has been kidnapped. She has been fifteen years old since January. - He left at a rapid pace, and I was left standing there like a pillar of salt. 15 years? Even though I hadn't met her closely and had seen her once when Rafael told his story it's just... Oh Gosh... Poor girl. I wasn't much older than her when I came under Togor's wing, but I knew what was waiting for me. I went through a lot there, but I don't regret it. She had no choice, she was simply ripped from her previous life in one second. It won't be that easy for her to get back to normal at all. After the attack on my pack, I had nothing to go back to, so it didn't affect me as much as it will affect her. I shook off my thoughts and started looking for Daniel.

**********

I found him. After a half hour of scrambling around the halls and floors. I couldn't smell him because he masked his scent. I went down to the first floor and somewhere in the corner of my eye a familiar silhouette flashed. I ran in that direction and... Bingo! There you are. I entered the room, discreetly nodded to him, so he approached me in a determined step, with furrowed brows.
- What? I don't have time for nonsense now, you see what's going on. - He growled irritably. Oh right, I forgot, when he's upset he acts like a gruff princess.
- My outfit and weapons. - I said quietly, but I knew he heard me when he looked at my figure as if I had lost some part of my body. - Do you have them with you or not?
- I do, but... - at that moment he caught what I meant and slapped his forehead with his hand, probably asking himself why he hadn't figured it out sooner.
- Go, lead the way. - He wanted to protest, but seeing my stern look, he understood that he would not win. Resigned, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards unknown direction. We finally reached a side staircase and headed down, presumably to the basement. I wasn't wrong. However, there was not an ounce of mold or fungus there. I did manage to see that some of the rooms had couches and large TVs, as well as some sort of billiards and ping-pong table. We got to the farthest end, where there was a blank concrete wall. He looked behind us to see if anyone was here by any chance and pressed a latch hidden in the wall. Thanks to that, a door opened in front of us. Everything was perfectly measured, and the wall itself did not stand out, so no one could guess that it hides a secret. But we all have secrets up our sleeves, don't we? After entering, he closed the entrance behind us and we headed down the dark tunnel. After a few minutes, we found ourselves in paradise. That is, a room with weapons of all kinds, from swords to pistols and shotguns. On both sides there were cabinets with weapons behind glass doors. In the middle, there was an island where weapons could be sharpened or smelted. Behind it, there are two outfits on racks illuminated by lamps from above. My eyes lit up in delight.
- Something tells me that I will be a frequent visitor here. These children have gained themselves a new companion. - I joked, and he even laughed. I know there's nothing to laugh about in that situation, but I hate to see him in that depressed mood.
- Have you planned anything yet? Or are we going in blind?
- We need to brainstorm and work together to find her as soon as possible.
- Did you know that a task force of mostly trackers and warriors has already been dispatched? No need to get your hands dirty. - He sneered.
- Maybe. But we're more experienced at finding targets, not saying she's a target to kill, but a target. Plus, what can shags like them do, hm? Run around uncoordinated all over the territory, which will take them a heap of time until they find her dead? What if it's outside their territory? They can't go beyond their borders. You want to go to her funeral? I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly thrilled to see another dead body of a defenseless girl. - I muttered angrily to him. Damn it, he's kind of her family! Or at least he's known her her whole life. What do I have to do with this? I took a breath and decided that it wasn't fair to her. She wasn't guilty of anything. Daniel drew in air with a swish and answered immediately:
- We'll be moving in ten minutes. Get ready in that time.
- Just like in the good old days Dan. - I sent him a kiss in the air and walked over to the rack where my outfit was hanging. I didn't think I would ever wear it again. Oh well, here goes nothing, an outfit is just an outfit. All navy blue, heavy mid-calf boots with room for throwing daggers at the top, tight but comfortable pants that don't restrict movement, a belt on my hips with another set of daggers, a black loose tunic with an asymmetrical ending at the bottom and a long hooded cloak over it all. I added leather gloves and the last things I wouldn't move without: a bow with a quiver and two katanas on my back. Once everything was in place, I turned towards Daniel. He was wearing a similar outfit, but in black, and had chosen a different weapon. Each "clan" of assassins has a dark shade of clothing, but they all come in different shades or colors. Some also have some kind of patches or marks by which you can tell where a person is from. In our case, he has an all black outfit and I have an all navy blue outfit. We made sure we had everything and walked over to the next wall. He did the same thing with it as the previous one and we ended up in another dark hallway. We followed the winding path for quite a while until I started to notice shadows moving. We came to an exit and found that the corridor ended under a waterfall. I suspected it was the one by the cliff where I had last passed out. After he confirmed my suspicions, we entered a small cave. He kept pushing forward until he stood at the edge of a rock shelf.
- The entrance is not that easy. - He said and jumped into the flow of the waterfall. Without thinking much, I did the same.

**********

I came out of the lake all soaked, but the cold water did me good because it stimulated my senses. I don't mind, because I've entered far worse rooms and had to wade through many uninteresting things to succeed in my mission. The added bonus of cold water is that we don't have to make an effort to hide our scent, because water distorts the scent, and often obliterates it. That's why a common method before a mission is to bathe in ice-cold water, a so-called "cleansing ritual" that doesn't look as nice as it sounds. I saw him leaning against a tree, so I walked over to him and got right to the point:
- A couple of rules. We don't contact each other verbally, we don't want to reveal ourselves to anyone. If something happens to me, you leave me there and run to Adrian. I'll do the same in case you get stuck. We avoid all werewolves belonging to the pack like the plague. If they attack try not to hurt them too much. I wouldn't want anyone to end up in the hospital with an arrow stuck in some part of their body. - I rolled my eyes at his speech. I knew everything perfectly well, but I listened to the sermon until the end.
- Do you know of any abandoned buildings or old dungeons or something like that in the territory of the pack? It's huge, so I suspect the kidnapper has traveled beyond its borders. And if it's the same person as decades ago then we know he likes underground burrows.
- You're right. And there are plenty of places like that.
- How many?
- About forty, but I'd say up to ten fit your description. I hope we find her in one piece.
- I wouldn't worry about that. Last time he started experimenting with them after a few days. He gave them time to "acclimate". The only thing that worries me at the moment is the time. It will be dark soon. We have to be sharp.

The hunt has begun.

We checked all the places that would fit. Not a trace. It's been a long time since Egyptian darkness prevailed, but we won't give up, not while we're sitting on his tail. Daniel again began searching the corners of his mind for abandoned places. Eventually he came up with the first headquarters of the pack. It was a complete ruin, but beneath the surface were miles of intact tunnels, or more accurately, dungeons. This was our last resort, either find something or get stuck. As we tore through the forest, we encountered several patrols. After the first one, we decided it would be safer if we moved to higher ground, meaning tree branches. That way we wouldn't create noise and there was little chance of anyone seeing us from below. After jumping around like a monkey for a while, I noticed the dark shadows of a large object, which meant we must have arrived. We got down on the ground and after looking around first, we got closer. The view was breathtaking. Only one wall still stood almost intact. From the rest there remained a few carved portals and columns, which looked like those of ancient Greece. The whole was completed by the moon, which came out from behind the clouds. In a few days there will be a full moon.

**********

The full moon... The worst time for all shifters. As far as werewolves are concerned, aggressiveness and possessiveness rise to the level of a thousand, not to mention sexual desire... That's why men who are not paired avoid contact with women and remain in wolf form unless they have great self-control, which usually happens only with alphas. There are also cases of being in true unity with one's wolf, but they occur one in a million. Wolf and human are never in 100% harmony.

**********

Using gestures, Daniel showed me that we first explore the area around us and then wait to see if anyone is hanging around. For now, we must be doubly on guard. This place is shaped like a big circle with ruins in the middle of it. From what Dan remembered the entrance to the dungeons should be in the middle of it all. Without further ado he moved to the left, so I started moving the other way. Thanks to my upbringing or profession, I know how to put my feet on the ground to muffle the sound of my footsteps so that I don't make the slightest sound. Fortunately it is not autumn and there are no dry leaves on the ground, because then the tactic would not work so well. I walked very slowly straining my senses for my surroundings. In the distance, I saw movement, so I gently pulled my bow off my back and pulled out an arrow, then drew the string and waited in stillness with my eyes fixed on a single point.