Chapter 1

7 years later. . .

Khai's POV

Running and weaving my way through the forest was exhilarating. I had nearly forgotten what nature looked like. It was foreign to my Wolf and I. The size and height of the trees managed to block much of the sky but streams of light broke through the gaps. The feel of the forest floor underneath my paws made me yearn to never stop touching it. It was different from the solid, concrete floor I was so accustomed to. I basked in the way the wind grazed my fur. The sound of twigs snapping under me and birds chirping in the trees made my already pounding heart, beat immaculately with admiration. I took a deep inhale of the crisp clean air around me. I was finally home. From the corner of my eye, I sensed my emotions resonated with those of the light brown Wolf beside me.

Through all this, I had nearly forgotten the pack of wolves. Glancing behind, I noticed the two wolves were now joined by three more, one who I sense was a Delta. I barked at Jordan as we took a shortcut. The trees got thicker as we ventured deeper into the forest. I felt the branches slap against my fur but I paid no mind. Jordan and I really needed to lose these guys fast. I had a feeling I knew exactly what pack they were from and I had no interest going back. We broke out of the trees and entered a clearing.

Looking back, I sensed the wolves struggling to get through the thick trees. They shouldn't cross the clearing, or in other words they wouldn't. We were outside of pack boundaries now. Jordan tapped my side with his snout, urging me to continue going and we did so. However, I stopped when I sensed movement coming from across me. Inhaling, I sniffed out six wolves but one smelt different from the rest. He had the scent of a Beta, and I knew exactly who it was. I turned to Jordan who crouched low ready to fight. Always the fighter. Smirking internally, I crouched low to the ground as well.

The Beta arrived just as I sprang forward, using his moment of distraction to my advantage. He landed on his side, growling but shook me off him. He leapt forward, shoving me back. Lifting my paws up, I reached out, aiming for his neck. He dodged my attempt, barking and glowering at me. Growling, I jumped on top of him and bared my canines in hopes of getting him down. In the background, I distinctly heard Jordan's growl as he fought his opponent. Even though he had no Alpha blood in him, I knew he was capable of holding his own.

The Beta growled, attempting to shake me off but I pierced his fur with my nails. My ears perked up just as I'm yanked off by a strong force and thrown to the side. I collided against a tree and growled furiously. I turned ready to attack the Delta wolf when the Beta got up and bared his canines at her. I watched as she submitted and quickly moved away. The Beta's eyes found mine and I'm ready for an attack but it does not come. In fact, he stepped back throwing a quick glance at Jordan's fight. Four wolves were now pinning him down and I whimpered, knowing he may get hurt. Instantaneously, the Beta shifted back into his human form.

He looked just the same. A bit rugged here and there but just the same. Blood trickled down his body from my claw marks. Jay observed my Wolf cautiously.

"Khaia?" He asked hesitantly.

I snarled at the name and stepped back. Jay stepped forward and I immediately took notice of the wolves surrounding us now. I turned my gaze to Jordan who was still pinned down but wasn't struggling like he was before. In fact, he was staring at me now. I knew what he was thinking. He wanted me to Shift back.

"Khaia, I know that's you," He turned to Jordan. "Shift, both of you."

Jordan did so without so much as hesitation. The wolves pinning him moved away giving him space but are still eyeing him cautiously. He stood on his feet, standing there in his naked glory. I don't Shift though, I refused. I glared at Jordan who said we head north instead of south like I said we should have. This was his fault we got caught.

"Khai come on," he urged. One wolf approached Jordan with clothes in his jaw and dropped them down beside him.

With a snarl, I Shifted, keeping my angry gaze on Jordan who seemed anxious. A collective intake of breath arose from the group of wolves and I turned my glare back to Jay. His eyebrows were knitted together.

"Khaia?" I stay silent. The same wolf that gave Jordan his clothes came up behind me and dropped some clothes down.

"It's just Khai," I crossed my arms over my chest. "Not Khaia."

"How are you..." he trailed off. He looked incredulous. "You're back."

"We didn't mean to enter your pack's territory," I stated firmly. I keep my gaze neutral and void of emotion.

He looked even more perplexed. "This is your home Khaia," I glared at him to which he backtracked. "I mean, Khai. This is your pack."

"No it's not and hasn't been for a long time," I said, somberly. "We're out of pack boundaries so you can't take us."

"Actually, we can," he crossed his arms over his chest. "We expanded so you are both still in pack territory."

I grind my teeth together.

"Your family will want to see you," his eyes softened. "We need to get you back home."

"No," I shook my head. We don't speak for a moment, only allowing the tense confrontation to fill the atmosphere.

"Fine," he exhaled deeply. The Delta glanced up at him. "I am obligated to bring any and all trespassers to the Alpha though, whether you like that or not."

I shut my eyes exhaling out in annoyance. The last person I wanted to see was the Alpha or his Mate.

"Khai," a husky voice bellowed. I turn to Jordan who raised his eyebrows at me. Through his facial expressions, I know exactly what he was conveying. He wanted us to go with them. I narrowed my eyes at him, telling him no. But he only sighed, tilting his head to the side. As if urging me to reconsider, he glanced down at my legs. Following his gaze, I realise my right calf was still bleeding. I guess with all the running, fighting, and adrenaline coursing through me, I forgot about that.

"We'll fix that," Jay looked somewhat concerned as he stared at my torn flesh. "But you have to come with us."

He Shifted back into his Wolf form and awaited for the both of us to do the same. I sighed and Shifted, embracing the familiar realignment of my bones. I picked the clothes up off the ground and carried them in my jaws as we made our way towards the pack village. Dread began to arise inside of me as we got closer. Jordan slowed down to fall in step with me as he bumped his nose against my neck in a form of reassurance. I was thankful he was here with me but extremely upset at him for having led us here. Jay snuck a glance at us but I only snarled at him to which he quickly turned away. Part of me knew I should not display such disrespect to a Beta but I couldn't help myself. A strong feeling of contempt, not only to him but to the pack as well lingered and would not go away any time soon. When we reached a small clearing, a variety of scents attacked my nose. I heard hushed voices from afar and contemplated turning around. I haven't seen them yet but I knew we were close.

Jay stopped us and we all Shifted back into human form. I turned away to pick up my clothes but froze when I heard a gasp. I was confused for a moment, but I quickly realised why. My back, more specifically the mark on my back, was on full display for everyone to see. I tensed up and quickly threw my clothes on. Turning around, I'm met with the shocked faces of the Beta along with everyone else. He didn't say anything as he only stared at me in pity. In fact, they all looked at me with nothing but pity in their expressions. There was nothing to feel pity for, in my case I was more embarrassed than anything else. To be branded, was inhumane and torture. This sick symbol conveyed the message that I belonged to someone. But I refused to believe that; I am and will always be my own person. I don't and will never belong to anyone.

"I think someone really needs to take a look at that wound," Jordan said, taking the attention off the scar. That does the trick because Jay moved in the direction a crowd seemed to be forming in. We began walking towards the noise but I'm still unable to see everyone just yet. Suddenly, the rustling of leaves to my left attracted my attention and I paused. The scent of a familiar Alpha entered my nostrils and I stiffened, feeling my heart drop.

"Khaia?" I heard the soft spoken voice before I saw him. Just as he emerged, his dark brown eyes descended onto me, and he moved forward with a speed I never knew he had. "Khaia!"

"Adam?" I sighed in relief. He nearly tackled me off of my feet but Jordan steadied me as I embraced my not so little, little brother. Inhaling his familiar scent, I'm overwhelmed with a magnitude of emotions.

"You're back!" His smile stretched from ear to ear. I admit, seeing his face up close in the flesh and not in some dream made me nearly tear up. I held back the water works though and squeezed him even tighter. "We missed you. Mom, dad, Elena too."

"Who?" I only knew of one Elena, the Alpha's mother, and I had never met her because she was dead.

"Our baby sister," he tugged me forward. "Come on."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise and I suddenly felt suffocated. I had a sister? I shifted my gaze to Jordan who sent me a reassuring grin. A lot has definitely changed. As we walked, I observed my little brother. His appearance had certainly changed. He grew up of course but I was still in a state of disbelief by how different he seemed. He stood a bit over five feet. He was lanky in appearance but it was his face that I focused on. He resembled the image I had stored in my head of him with some minor differences. He had the Alpha's entire face, from the hair, to the eyebrows, to the eyes, down to the nose; it was uncanny. But when he smiled, I saw a glimpse of the Luna's face. As if reading my thoughts, he turned his head and showed me that infectious smile of his.

We broke through the thick trees as the whispers and hushed voices came to a halt. I exhaled, before stepping out into the unknown. A collective gasp occurred throughout the crowd. I observed the faces of everyone around me. I did not recognise many of the faces around me, but I did notice someone rushing to the front, followed by another individual. Beta Natalia pushed through the crowd and I watched as her jaw dropped before covering her mouth. Right behind her, I saw the Luna step forward with a young girl beside her. She gaped up at me as I glanced between the Luna and who I presume, Elena. She looked just like a miniature version of the Luna. Whereas Adam had the Alpha's eyes, Elena had her bright blue eyes. Everything from the head down to the chin looked exactly like her. If it was possible, I would have believed she cloned herself.

After a moment of overbearing silence, Adam pulled me closer to the crowd. "Elle, this is Khaia."

There was a moment of suffocating silence in the clearing. My thoughts were all jumbled up as Elena stepped forward. Her curious wide blue eyes skimmed me up and down. With a sudden squeal she leapt and ran straight toward me, colliding with my belly. Startled, I shuffled around trying to break free from her touch even though my Wolf and I knew we were not in any form of danger. Still, we were very uncomfortable.

"Finally!" she looked up, arms around me.

I don't know what I'm supposed to say to her. In fact, I don't know what to say to anyone. The crowd stood still, silently observing and judging me. The Luna stepped forward, tugging the girl away. I'm very much relieved but still on guard as I observed the Luna's face. She bit her bottom lip, eyebrows coming together. I watched as tears welled up in her blue eyes. I did not like this at all.

"Khaia," she whispered, reaching out for me. Alarmed, I stepped back. I kept my gaze levelled with hers as her expression changed from shock to hurt. Unfortunately, a large part of me did not care. The lady in front of me may have birthed me but my Wolf still ushered caution with the unfamiliarity of her touch. At the back of my mind, a thought began to form. What if the reason they hadn't found me was because they thought I wasn't worth the trouble? They had already moved on and from what I could guess Elena looked around six to seven years old. It didn't take them that long to replace me. The realisation caused a whimper from within. Staring at the woman in front of me, I'm sickly satisfied I've caused her some pain, as horrible as that sounded.

"It's just Khai," I stated firmly. There were seven years of hurt pent up inside of me, it wasn't going to be fixed with a hug. "And I'm only here to get my leg fixed. We'll be on our way after."

I glanced back at the wound on my calf. The bleeding had slowed down but it still looked terrible. For some reason, I could not feel the pain as much as I thought I should. The Luna turned to Jay as they mind linked. After a moment or two, she turned back to me.

"Let's fix you up then," she declared and turned to Jordan who I somehow forgot was standing beside me. "And who are you?"

"Jordan," he replied, giving no more than that.

"He's coming with me," I stated. Her gaze bounced between us for a moment before fixing her gaze onto me.

"Can you walk?" I nodded and she turned, leading the way. Elena slid her hand into mine to which I nearly pulled away from.

I definitely should have gone south.

-

Alpha Thaddeus' POV

"We need to take action."

"Do you have a plan genius?"

"Do you have the location of any missing Wolf or even the slightest clue as to how we get there? I didn't think so."

I exhaled deeply as the three Alpha's bickered. As much as I wanted to disagree with the Alpha pup, he was right. We had to do something soon. Glancing around the room, I took notice of the tight environment all ten Alpha's of the United States were subjected into. It was unheard of to have all of us in close proximity. Yet here we were. Staring at each other with obvious mistrust but facing one of the biggest threats to us all: Hunters.

"We did not arrange this meeting to argue," said Benjamin.

"You arranged a meeting involving us all and expect no conflict?" Cairo added in mockingly. With a tsk, he leaned back in his chair.

"What is the point of this meeting that couldn't be discussed over the phone?" Raven asked. "We are being hunted which makes more sense as to why we should not leave our packs vulnerable for attack."

"We found a clue about what we are dealing with," Benjamin replied. Jessie turned to the door where one of her men handed over the item shown to me earlier. "All this time we've been wondering how they manage to get past us without a scent to trace. This is how."

He placed the small item of bottled fragrance on the middle of the desk.

"My Warriors found this in the possessions of many of the Hunters they eliminated this past month," Jessie began. "At first glance, it looks like any ordinary fragrance bottle. But if you smell it," she squirts some onto her wrist, "it has no scent whatsoever."

She passed it around the room as each individual took turns observing the object.

"So it's a fragrance that smells like nothing?"

"Yes and no. It may not smell like anything but I had it analyzed at a lab and was told it's some sort of synthetic fragrance made to inhibit ones odour. This is how they managed to get as far as the Pack Villages to kidnap Wolves without being detected."

A moment of silence as we all ponder over the major disadvantage we were at. I cut that moment short.

"If we find the location where this product is being made, it gives us an idea as to who is behind this all and how to stop it."

"The Hunters are," replied Jax warily. "Or is there something you aren't saying."

"Hunters, hunt. They aren't smart enough to come up with this all on their own," I grabbed the dull bottle off the table to observe closely. "Someone is supplying this to them. Someone is hiring these Hunters to hunt our kind for some reason."

"Are you sure that's a fact or just you reaching in an attempt-"

In less than a second, I'm growling in Bane's face. The tension in the room thickened as everyone tensed up.

"What exactly are you suggesting Bane?" I growled back when his Wolf growled, but one wrong word or move would be the end of him. My Wolf urged me to give into our bloodthirsty nature and establish dominance but I knew better. Ten Alphas were better than nine.

"Boys how about we take the testosterone levels down a notch," I heard a hint of amusement in Raven's voice.

"This isn't a joking matter," Jessie intervened. I caught her gaze from the corner of my eye but her words were directed to everyone in the room. "Wolves are missing. Someone is responsible for it. Our sources point us in the direction that this person or group may be the mastermind of it all. So instead of killing each other, how about we figure out a solution?"

I don't break eye contact, not for a moment. My Wolf continued to urge me to wait for Bane to break first. Although this stare down seemed incredibly irrelevant, my Wolf's pride wouldn't let me break first. Never mess with an Alpha Wolf who lost his pup.

My ears perked up suddenly as I sensed movement from outside the room. I stepped back once I realised that it was the Warriors I brought shuffling about. With a stern glare and growl at Bane, I turned around just as the door flung open.

"Alpha," Kerin stepped in, face pale and in disbelief. "It's your daughter."

My stomach dropped and my Wolf and I were ready to harm anyone that dare lay any harm to Elena. It could not happen again. I do not think I could handle this a second time.

"Khaia," he exhaled. "She's been found."

comments and votes greatly appreciated!

MissieA