Chapter Eight (Scythe's POV)

I used to tell myself that I was a loner, despite being surrounded by a heavy pack.

We had four females and five males. We also had a litter of pups to watch over. It was the typical wolf pack, and yet, I felt like I was completely alone in it. They weren't cruel or unusual like most wolf packs were way back when.

I just felt like I was missing a piece of me.

And that piece was in a completely different pack, on the other side of the forest.

Zaid Kallas.

The moment I saw him, I recognized him. I couldn't remember his name, but I remembered his eyes. They were seafoam green with a glint of curiosity to them. I couldn't take my eyes off them. They contrasted powerfully with his chocolate colored hair. He dressed like he was a biker, which was no problem. A lot of packs around here did that. It was all the rage amongst the packs.

But he wasn't as tough as a biker. I mean that in a good way. He wasn't harsh and cruel like his father was. Nor was he as shrilly and rude as his mother. Zaid held an aura around him that was all his own. He stood so far apart from his pack that it made me wonder if Zaid was adopted.

I remembered the last night we saw each other. He was beautiful in the moonlight, his skin glittering with sweat. His face flushed pink and his breathing labored, his nails digging into my skin.

Damn, just thinking about it was making my body react.

I took a deep breath and rolled over on my canopy bed, watching the black silks stream in front of me, hiding me from the rest of my room. I could hear the clatter of dishes and a vaccum as Trisha, one of the females, cleaned the house up for the rest of the males that were going to arrive from a hunt in an hour or so. The smell of rain wavered through the window, filling the air along with the smell of pine and oranges from the kitchen.

I needed something to do, I thought miserably, heaving myself up onto all fours. I groped around for my tank top, jerking it on and sliding off the bed. I grabbed my leather pants from the chair, tugging them on and zipping them up as I wandered into the hallway. I could hear the pups yelping and wailing from one of the rooms, their mother (Thalia) trying to sooth them for their afternoon nap.

I came down the large winding staircase of the three story house we lived in.

Our pack barely managed in the small house and my father liked to rant and rave about how Luna had gotten the largest home in the area, even though they're pack was much smaller than ours. Of course, rumor has it that they had lost several members a previous year due to a civil war, but I never asked about it. It was none of my business.

In all honesty, I didn't care about Luna. They were just another wolf pack to me.

It was their future alpha that appealed to me.

I sighed as I dropped onto the floor from the last step, wandering aimlessly into the kitchen to find Xina (pronounced zee-nuh). Xina was another she-wolf, but she had yet to give birth to any pups, which made her mate -my uncle, Ugo- really uneasy. He wasn't nasty or cruel to her or anything, he was just impatient and worried that Xina was infertile.

"Hey, X." I greeted, plopping into one of the chairs that sat around our small cafe table. Xina looked up, her soft brown eyes smiling, but her expression tired as she tucked a lock of black hair behind her ear.

"Morning, Scythe. You look kind of down in the dumps. What's up?" She sat across from me with a cup of coffee, the steam rising and curling in the air. I grimaced, glancing out the window wishing she wouldn't ask me these sorts of things. That's why I wasn't fond of close families. It meant they had to know everything about you.

Of course, no one could know Zaid and I were seeing each other.

I know my pack wouldn't mind it too much. My father would be furious that it was Zaid I had chosen as my mate, but a mate was a mate. He'd have to deal with it. It was Zaid's pack I was worried about. They were known to kill anyone who betrayed them and although my relationship with Zaid wasn't exactly a betrayal, his father would use it as an excuse to kill him.

I felt sorry for Zaid to live with a pack that was so old-fashioned. They may have nice cars and bikes, but that didn't mean they were modern.

"Just bored." I confessed lamely. Xina nodded, glancing wistfully out the windowpane.

"Yes. The rain really does know how to ruin a good day. Well, think of it this way. Tomorrow you can go outside and play with the pups." She offered with a grin. I smirked at her, opening my mouth to comment when I heard yelling from the front porch. Xina and I shared quick looks before shooting to our feet, bolting out into the foyer where Trisha and Thalia were standing, looking at each other in horror.

"What's going on?" I demanded. Trisha shrank back from me, a nature reaction seeing as she was a daintier she-wolf who had come to our pack after her own had abandoned her for her timidness. Thalia, on the other hand, glared at me.

"Your father. He's come back with the others and it appears that something has happened to the Luna pack. They're blaming us for the kidnapping of their heir." She snorted.

My blood went cold.

"What?" I demanded. Thalia blinked, looking surprised.

"Ask them, don't get mad at me. They're about to go at it out there. Nyt has even stepped over our borders and is out there with his she-wolf." She pointed out the windows by the door. I didn't even look, just went straight for the door, throwing it open to see that Thalia was telling the truth.

Nyt was standing across the clearing that made up our front yard, wearing a beat up leather jacket to match his jeans and torn t-shirt. His eyes were wild with hate and his wife's expression was easily matched, her fists clenched.

My father stood across from them, a large man with enough beef to make a wrestler back off in fright. His dark hair was peppered with gray, matching his eyes that seared into the couple across from him. The other three males of our pack (Ugo, Alek, and Kylan) were glaring and backing up their pack leader, just as they should be.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded, raising my voice over the rain. My father didn't look at me as he clenched his fists, the intent to change into his true form and attack the accusers clear on his face.

"These worthless maggots think we stole their precious heir! Are you kidding me? What use would I have for your heir, other than a punching bag?" My father demanded hatefully.

"How dare you! We made a vow to not attack each other until the next alpha was chosen to make the new decisions! No one else could have taken my son!" Nyt bellowed, his voice clear over the rushing of rain around us. I stared at him, feeling my heart pound in my chest.

Zaid was gone.

Zaid was in danger.

I knew it the instant I heard them swap their stories. My father couldn't have done it. He always keeps his word. He's never once gone against a vow. He was hunting with our pack for our dinner. Of course he couldn't have done it.

Someone else had kidnapped Zaid.

"The Hunters," I managed, then raised my voice over the rain, "The Hunters! They had to have taken him!" Everyone stopped snarling at each other to share looks, frowning and gaping in disbelief.

"Impossible," Nyt snorted at last, "They wouldn't have stolen him, they'd of killed him on the spot!"

"Not unless there was a Searcher amongst them! The wolf that led them straight to you and your pack! Jack Runningwolf!" I declared aloud. Nyt stared at me for a long moment, then his eyes suddenly widened. He reached up, gasping his forehead as if he couldn't believe how Jack had snuck in under his nose. Acacia clamped her hand over her mouth, whirling to look at Nyt for answers, but he wasn't providing any.

My father frowned, standing up straight as he glared at them.

"Stupid cur. I told you. You are just making excuses to breech the vow. If you want war so badly, you should just say so." He growled. Nyt glared at him.

"I couldn't careless about your pack now! My heir is gone and Acacia is infertile!" He snarled. I blinked, staring at him now.

"If she's infertile, how did she birth Zaid?" I asked. Nyt stared at me for a long time, then snapped his head around to glare at my father.

"We'll speak no longer. Right now I have to find my heir." He snapped, then whirled around, changing into a wolf and bounding into the woods with Acacia transforming and running right behind him. My father spat after them, then made his way toward the stairs, but I stopped him.

"We have to find Zaid." I stated. He frowned.

"Why should it matter to you what they do with the worthless mutt?"

"Because...! Because it just does! How would you feel if it had been me? Wouldn't you want reinforcements?" I demanded angrily, clenching my fists and studying my father's face as he glared at me for a moment, then his expression changed into surprise.

"Zaid Kallas? You've chosen Zaid?"

Shit.

Of course defending him would be obvious.

"Yes." I admitted in defeat, glaring at him past my wet hair. My father grimaced, glancing over his shoulder at the other three male wolves, who shared looks. Ugo frowned after a while, folding his muscular arms over his chest.

"If Zaid is your mate, how do you expect to keep this pack thriving?" He demanded. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't think it matters. We have four other she-wolves who would be happy to give you the pups you want." I responded harshly, watching Ugo wince. Alek scowled.

"No. That's disgusting. We can't have you flaunting your disgusting preferences to the other packs. They already think we're inferior and having two male alphas is just wrong." He sneered at me. I glared at him, noticing Kylan flinch at our argument. I frowned at him, then my father sighed heavily.

"Scythe, this isn't our business, this is Luna's."

"They only have five members of their pack!"

"Actually, three," Kylan pointed out quietly, making everyone glance at him, "Nyt said that one of their she-wolves gave birth recently. That means she's out of commission as well as her mate, who'll be bound to her bedside until she's capable of being on her own without protection." I swiveled to glare at my dad, folding my arms over my chest. He grimaced, looked at my face, then at everyone else's.

The females had crowded at the door to watch, eyes wide with surprise and fright. Everyone just stared at my father as he contemplated, his teeth gritted.

"By getting involved in this, you do know we're putting our own pack in danger with those Hunters around." He stated.

"Our pack is too strong and large in number. We can handle it. We'll leave Trisha with the pups while the rest of us head out." I replied firmly. My father studied my face for a moment, then turned to everyone else, flinging a hand out to the woods.

"Begin the search! Stay alert, be careful where you step! Hunters use traps of all kinds! If you find Zaid, bring him to the Luna homebase immediately! If you are seen by the Hunters, flee! No one amongst us has ever faced a Hunter and there's no telling how they plan to slaughter us. We will meet here by dawn tomorrow to check out the progress." He commanded.

Kylan and Ugo nodded, whirling around and changing into large timber wolves. Alek merely snorted before he let himself change into a white timber wolf, darting off into the trees with Ugo and Alek.

Thalia stepped forward, closing her eyes and nodding her head in obedience before she let herself change into a gray wolf. She bolted off the porch, followed by Xina and Frita.

My father turned to look at me as Trisha closed the door and locked it, pulling down all the blinds as she put the house on arrest.

"I hope you know what you're doing." He told me with grimace. I frowned.

"I told you. I've chosen my mate. You know what that means."

"I do. For your sake, I should hope nothing happens to him, Scythe. Losing a mate is the most painful thing in the world." I could sense the agony in his voice and I felt a pang of it myself. He'd lost his mate, my mother, while I was still a pup. She was killed in a hunting accident and remained in her wolf form even in death.

I never wanted to experience the kind of pain my father did. I wasn't about to lose Zaid. I'd die before letting something happen to him.

"I love Zaid, father. I'm sorry." I answered. He gave me a sad smile, clamping a hand onto my shoulder tightly.

"Don't apologize for something you can't help, Scythe. I understand."

"I just hope Nyt understands."

"If only." He grimaced, dropping his hand before he turned around, letting himself change. The sounds of his bones cracking sent chills through me before I changed after him. We were both similiar in color, he was just far larger than I.

He bounded off the steps first, bolting into the woods.

I was left alone with the sound of the rain crashing down on me, my eyes searching the woods.

Please be okay, Zaid. I leapt off the porch and into the woods, heart throbbing.