Chapter Twelve (Scythe's POV)

We were finally approaching the hill that the trailer was sitting on when I heard a loud scream.

My hackles rose and so did my fear as I recognized the person screaming.

"Nooo! Let go of me! Get off!" Zaid's voice shrieked. I started to dart forward, but I felt my father's jaws clamp on my tail, tearing me back. I hissed and whirled to snarl at me, when he gestured with his paw to the leaves on the ground. I frowned, following his gaze before my eyes widened in realization.

Lying amongst the twigs and leaves was a large bear trap with jagged rows of rusty metal waiting to chomp my leg off. I winced and looked up at the trailer, hearing Zaid scream again.

"Stop! Get away from me!"

We have to hurry. I managed, whirling to look at my father and Acacia, who was cringing in agony at the sound of her 'son' screaming. My father nodded as he took a step up beside me, scanning the ground between here and the trailer.

Traps. I can smell them. Everyone watch your step. It might not just be bear traps either, so be sure to listen and keep your eyes in front of you. My group will head on from here. Ugo, Xina, and Lars to to the left. Kylan, Frita, Alek, you go to the right. Nyt, you, Ivy, and Thalia go around to the other side. We'll meet just outside the front of the trailer before we form our ranks again. He commanded aloud. All the wolves began to trot toward their destinations.

Slowly, we all began to converge toward the trailer, careful to avoid twigs, traps, and anything else that would give us away. The closer we got, the strong the scent of smoke was in the air. It was almost suffocating and I resisted the urge to sneeze, gritting my teeth as I sank low to the ground, keeping my eyes in front of me.

From somewhere to the left, I heard a trap snap shut, but no yelp or howl, signalling that it was barely avoided.

We looked to the trailer to see if anyone had woken up, but there was no sign of it. All the lights were out and the trailer was silent.

I led the way up the hill, shifting around traps as I stepped over a wire, sniffing the air loudly to let my father and Acacia know. They stepped over the wire, but just as we turned to go on, my paw touched a wire.

I froze, hearing a snap. I watched the wire rip free, flinging back.

Scythe, move! My father bellowed, making my ears ring as I bolted forward. A net tore up from the dirt, slinging around air as it dangled from the tree above. I stared up at it, then at my father, who glared at me. I grimaced, then turned and this time, moved far slower, stepping over traps and watching for anymore wire traps.

We were so close to the trailer, I could hear the faint noises of the people inside. I could hear someone snoring and a mutter before the silence followed.

My father, Acacia, and I finally made it to the clearing in front of the trailer. Just as we arrived, Nyt's group followed suit, showing up in front of us. Ugo's and Alek's groups appeared shortly after so we were all in a circle.

Okay, my group is going to remain here by the door. Alek, take your group to the other side of the trailer as back up for when the Hunters exit. Ugo, stay just on the side as our reinforcements. Nyt, you will stay just behind us as we converge. We need one person to remain as a human to go in for Zaid. My father informed.

I'll go. I stated. My father nodded his approval.

We have a plan. Everyone stick to it. Kill if you can kill, flee if you can flee, but remember that our objective is to rescue Zaid. Good luck, everyone. May the Goddess stand by us. He declared, then everyone split off into their places. From anyone coming outside of the trailer, it would appear as though there was only my group and Nyt's, but in reality, there were six more wolves waiting to pounce them.

I took a deep breath and let myself change, wincing as I tried to rush the process out of nervousness. I stayed silent now, approaching the door as quietly as possible. I rose to my toes to peer inside the trailer.

It was an average trailer, if you were a rich person. The floors and walls were polished. The stove looked high class, there was even a bathroom and a bedroom. In the bedroom, Jack was lying sprawled out with his back to Breece, who was curled up in a fetal position. Both of them had a good two feet between them.

Lying on the floor just in front of the door was a large, muscular Hunter with a shaved head. He was holding a shotgun in the crook of his arm with a hunting knife lying across his stomach, his hand resting on the handle. Just at his feet was another Hunter with a mop of dark hair, a trucker hat lying on his face as he slept, snoring into the hat.

And just beside him, completely cut off by the Hunters was Zaid.

My heart wrenched at the sight of him lying in the small, cramped cage under a large metal plate. He was completely naked, his long legs curled up against himself and his arms held against his chest.

When my eyes landed on his face, I froze when I realized he wasn't asleep. His eyes were partially opened, partially closed and staring into nothingness as he breathed. He looked like he was in some kind of trance.

I ground my teeth together and backed away before I decided to break the wall down to get to my mate inside.

I looked at my father, who nodded. I whipped around and slammed my fist into the side of the trailer, ducking down under the trailer, grimacing at the tight fit. I heard scrambling around and someone grumble.

"Ugh, son of a bitch. I was just asleep too." One of the Hunters moaned.

"Shut up and get your ass out there, Adam. It's probably a bat." The other one commanded.

"Why me? Why can't you do it? You're closer."

"I'll rip your intestines out and strangle you with them."

"On that lovely note, I think I'll go see if that was a bat out there." Adam decided and I heard shuffling around, footsteps clomping across the floor before the door opened. I waited, watching my group and Nyt's hide in the shadows of the forest as a pair of boots fell onto the ground outside.

He walked in front of the trailer, scanning it lazily.

"There's nothing out here, man... Oh, well, it looks like a fox set off on of them traps of yours, Scor. Damn! Thing is dinky! Well, it was dinky. Now it's just a bunch of little pieces. Can we eat it?" Adam asked, walking further away from the trailer as he neared one of the traps just on the edge of the clearing near a tree.

I heard scrambling in the trailer and a man's shadow leaned out.

"Don't go too far, you idiot," The other Hunter ordered, "You'll end up like that fox if you don't watch it."

"Oh, please. I remember where the traps are."

"Sure. You can't even remember your mother's birthday."

"That's a lie!"

"So why hasn't she called you in three years?"

"Uh, Alzheimer's?"

"Adam, your mom isn't that old. Come on, just get back here." The Hunter was growling. Adam swiftly ignored him and I watched as he started to come back, holding the remains of the poor fox that had fallen for the trap. However, a clump of it fell to the ground and I held my breath, gritting my teeth and narrowing my eyes as I prepared myself for what was to come next.

Adam bent down to pick it up, glancing over as our eyes met. His dark eyes widened and he shot back up.

"Uhm." Adam said.

"Uhm, what?" His partner demanded. I waited for him to shriek or alarm his partner, but to my dismay, he just sighed.

"Sorta feeling rotten about killing the little guy. He probably had a family. And a mortgage."

"And two more years to live. We did him a favor. Now quit wasting my time, Adam. Jack's awake now and he's bitching at me." The other Hunter snorted. Right as he finished, I heard Jack's voice from inside.

"You idiots! Quit making such a racket. I'm exhausted. I've been working all day and what have you two been doing? Arguing like a married couple! If you're going to hinder me, get outside and stay awake and guard from out there." Jack snarled.

"I'm staying in here. It's cold out there." The other Hunter replied.

"You can't leave me out here!" Adam gasped, suddenly sounding alarmed.

"And why is that?" Jack demanded.

"Uhm... Predators?"

"Oh wow, you're terrified of a couple of stupid bunny rabbits? And you call yourself a Hunter? Stay outside, Adam!" Jack barked. I watched Adam's boots shift as he kept spewing excuses. I glanced behind me to see Alek's group lying in wait to attack. I glanced over to see Ugo's group waiting. I turned back around, watching as Adam finally backed off with his partner coming out after him. As soon as Scorpio stepped foot out of the trailer, the first wave hit.

Nyt's group bounded out from behind the trees, moving fast. I listened as I heard one of the Hunters curse loudly. Adam was gasping and scrambling away, dodging an attack as he whirled around with a machete out. The other Hunter caught Thalia around the waist and slung her to the ground, only to have her get up again as the others circled.

"No!" Jack yelled. I heard the door slam shut and took my chance, scrambling out from under the trailer. While the Hunters were distracted by Nyt's group and mine, I flung the door open. I leapt onto the steps, watching as Jack tore the metal plate off the top of Zaid's cage before whirling to face me.

A nasty smirk came across his face.

"So. You're Scythe." He stated. I bared my teeth, clenching my fists.

"And you're the asshole who thinks he can play with other people."

"Some people call me Jack." Jack replied sweetly, then flashed me another of his disgusting smirks as he held the metal plate between us.

"Of course, I have another name for you," He drawled, making me frown, "Kibble." My eyes flashed when I heard a growl behind me. I whipped around to see Breece in wolf form, lunging at my throat. I caught him by the neck, swinging him around and slamming him into the countertop. He yelped, then tried to bite my throat, but I slung my fist into his muzzle. He yelped again and fell off the counter, struggling to regain his right mind.

I didn't give him a chance and grabbed the shotgun off the ground that the Hunter had left behind. I lifted it up, burying the barrel into Breece's ribs, pulling the trigger. The force of it sent me stumbling back as Breece practically screamed before slumping to the floor of the trailer. A pool of rich red blood formed on the tiled floor before I swung the shotgun to fire at Jack, but during my scuffle with Breece, he'd torn Zaid out of his the cage and was holding him in front of him.

"You bastard." I sneered, gripping the shotgun and refusing to put it down. I watched as Zaid struggled to stay balanced, but his legs were shaking, his feet wobbling and bending. He was breathing hard, tipping his head back in the crook of Jack's neck as Jack held an arm around his throat.

"If you kill me, you kill your mate as well." Jack announced.

"Let him go. He's not yours." I snapped. Jack scowled.

"And just what makes you think he's yours?" He demanded in irritation, holding Zaid tighter. Zaid made a choking sound, then tipped his head back further to suck in the smoky air inside the trailer, making him cough. I grimaced, then glared at Jack.

"That's none of your business. Let Zaid go." I commanded. Jack laughed.

"Is that all you came here to ask? If so, just leave. I'm claiming him as mine." He replied, nuzzling Zaid's throat and making me grit my teeth. Zaid cringed and seemed to try to struggle, but whatever was wrong with him was preventing him from doing anymore than weakly pulling at the grip on his throat.

"I've already claimed him." I snarled. Jack glared at me, his expression twisting in disgusted rage before it suddenly vanished and he smiled, pressing his lips to Zaid's throat as he trailed his hand down Zaid's side. I watched goose bumps form on Zaid's skin as he shivered at Jack's fingers against his bare skin.

"Then I'll claim him right now. Just for your viewing pleasure." Jack answered calmly, closing his eyes and taking Zaid's earlobe in his mouth, sucking and taking a rough bite of the shell. Zaid hissed past clenched teeth, squeezing his eyes shut before gasping, his eyes flying open as Jack cupped him between the legs.

"Stop touching him, goddamn it!" I barked, throwing the shotgun down. Jack peeked an eye open to watch the gun fall before he withdrew his hand away from Zaid's groin. Zaid panted past clenched teeth, digging his nails weakly into Jack's arm.

"Walk away, Scythe," Jack drawled, tracing his finger up and down Zaid's stomach gently, "Then you won't have to worry about protecting him anymore. After all, isn't this a hassle? When the other packs find out who he is, they'll be climbing all over him and you'll spend the rest of your life taking care of him."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I admitted bitterly. Jack knew something I didn't. And apparently he knew something Zaid didn't either because Zaid blinked in confusion, looking at me in a way that told me he had no idea what Jack was referring to.

"Don't be stupid," Jack snorted, "As his mate you should know his birthright, am I correct?"

"To inherit the Luna pack." I answered cautiously. Jack snorted a laugh. He laughed for almost two minutes straight before he hugged Zaid close to him.

"This is great. Oh, no, I can't tell you know. I rather keep you all guessing. It'll just make things so much more entertaining. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm handing Zaid over to you."

"I'll kill you."

"You'd kill me even if I did let him go."

"I'd kill you less painfully."

"Oh, so tempting, but no. Sorry. Take a number and buzz off." Jack responded smugly. I ground my teeth together. Forget it. I couldn't stay calm and listen to this psycho talk and hold onto what belonged to me.

Zaid was mine.

He. Will. Always. Be. Mine.

I lunged at Jack, who's eyes widened in surprise at my sudden attack. I immediately grabbed his arm, tearing it away from Zaid, who managed a weak gasp and hit the floor, curling up as he coughed for air. I shoved Jack back against a wall, watching him gape at me for a split second before he snarled.

He slashed his nails across my face. I could feel the sting of two deep scratches across my face, over my nose and upper lip, the bitter taste of blood falling into my mouth. I ignored the pain and slammed my head forward into Jack's.

"Ugh!" Jack groaned, clasping his hands over his forehead before he threw his arms around my torso, ramming me into the cupboards across the trailer near the bedroom. He grabbed a handful of my hair, slamming my head repeatedly into the glass of the cupboards. Pain exploded in my head, but I blinked past it to reach up, grabbing Jack's head and bringing it down on my knee.

He gave a strange cry, slumping to the floor. I swung my foot out and kicked him right in the face. He fell backwards down the stairs and out of the trailer onto the ground outside. He was breathing hard, his eyes raw with white hot rage.

"Just you wait, Scythe Rider, you sorry son of a bitch! You'll regret you ever stole my property!"

"Bite me!"

"Gladly!" Jack snarled, then caught me off guard as he changed into a wolf and darted past the several wolves that were mauling one of the Hunters. I noticed the other one, Adam, backed against a tree. I frowned, watching him stare at my father, who was snarling and growling at him.

"Don't kill that one," I yelled out to them, "Take him back alive! He'll have information on Jack, of that I have no doubt! I have Zaid anyway!" I watched the wolves share looks before nodding, some of them changing their forms to humans so they could grab ahold of Adam, who yelped at being grabbed so suddenly.

I whirled around and immediately went to Zaid, dropping to my knees beside him. He was breathing hard, gripping at himself as he shivered.

I quickly looked around and my eyes landed on the blanket tousled on the bed. I bolted to my feet, snatching the blanket off the bed, coming back over to Zaid. I draped the blanket over him, watching his tired eyes slide up to look at me. His lips moved, but I couldn't hear what he said.

"It's all right," I said softly, stroking his hair, "You're all right. You can sleep now, Zaid. I'm here. I've got you."

Zaid stared at me for a while longer, straining to stay awake before he sighed and slumped to the floor, his eyes closed. As soon as I knew he was asleep, I gritted my teeth and wedged my arms underneath him, rising to my feet. I ducked out of the trailer, seeing Acacia and Nyt as humans not too far from the trailer.

"Zaid!" Acacia gasped.

"He's alive," I announced to everyone, who breathed one big sigh of relief, "We need to get him to the Luna Plantation, however, to make sure he's all right. It should be all right if we all camp out there for the night, right?" Nyt and Acacia shared looks before nodding in approval.

Everyone agreed and began to head for the plantation. Adam was stumbling along behind us, gritting his teeth as Alek kept his hands bound with the rope used to hoist one of the net traps in the trees.

"You're not gonna kill me or sue me are you?" Adam asked, nervously glancing over his shoulder at the area where Scorpio was lying, dead. The larger Hunter was lying sprawled in the leaves, blood streaming from either side of his mouth down his face and his throat was torn open.

"We're debating." Alek snapped at him. Adam grimaced.

"It's not like I did it not purpose. Not to mention, Jack didn't say anything about tormenting the kid. I was just in this for the money." He complained.

"You tortured my nephew for money?" Lars challenged him, growling animalistically low in his throat as we walked through the woods. Adam groaned.

"That totally came out wrong. Look, let me explain-"

"No," Nyt snapped at him, "You will be silent. We are not letting you go. As wolves and as humans, we cannot let you get away with what you've done and we will do it in a way that we see fit."

"If it makes you feel better, we don't deal with lawyers." Kylan pointed out.

"We do it the good ol' fashioned way." Alek agreed with a wicked smirk, his teeth flashing in the moonlight. Adam winced.

"Uhm... A slap on the wrist?" He asked hopefully. Ivy came to walk beside him, grinning at him dangerously.

"When we're done with you, you'll wish we slapped your wrist." She mocked. Adam gulped audibly as Alek and Ivy laughed. I rolled my eyes at their mental torture of the Hunter before I gazed down at Zaid, who slept peacefully in my arms, wrapped in the blanket.

He suddenly felt smaller and fragile. And judging from the multiple red dots on his arms, I'd say he was stabbed with a needle quite a few times. I took a wild guess that he was drugged, which would explain his strange behavior and lack of retaliation.

As we moved, I still felt a nagging sensation at Jack's words before he escaped. The fact that he escaped alone was enough to have me growling in frustration, but at the same time, Jack knew something about Zaid that no one else did. How that was possible, I wouldn't know.

And whatever it was, it was dangerous.

"Nyt. I don't mean to be a brat, but... Actually, yes, I do," I drawled, watching Nyt glare at me and my father sigh, "But do you happen to know who's Zaid's real parents are? You know, the ones you kidnapped him from."

"We didn't kidnap him!" Acacia snarled.

"Or, sorry. Borrowed. You probably prefer borrow over steal, right?"

"Why you little-"

"Acacia, enough," Nyt commanded, then glared at me, "I told you. We found him. He was just lying there under a tree. We approached, assuming he was a dead pup. We were going to do the honor of blessing him, but he woke up when I nudged him. He was small for his age. Only a month at the oldest. He was whimpering from hunger and thirst. We took him to our home and that's it. We did not steal him."

"Who would leave a perfectly capable pup to die?" I demanded.

"It was seventeen years ago. There was a time when wolves were being wiped out in the southern states because of missing cattle. Wolves had to kill cattle to avoid starvation. No doubt they abandoned him because they couldn't feed him or maybe his pack simply died out." Acacia explained sharply.

I frowned. I was having a hard time believing that and I sensed there was a hole in their story, but I avoided the topic as we arrived at the plantation.

After locking Adam in one of the basement rooms, used as a panic room, we rushed Zaid up to his bedroom where we aid him on the bed. We draped thick blankets over him before getting a pitcher of water. We didn't crowd in his room and instead, went downstairs to discuss the matter we'd all been waiting for.

My mating with Zaid.

"No," Nyt said simply, "I forbid it. Zaid is our heir. Our pack is small and we need to add to our strength. Not to mention, and I mean this in all offense, I hate your son, Storm." My father glared at him, then looked at me and I rolled my eyes as I adjusted the leather pants I was given.

"Well, that's too bad. It's the law of nature to never interfer with mating," I answered smartly, "You really have no say in it."

"Mating is more than love," Nyt argued angrily, "It is the ability to produce a pack strong enough to keep the mates mended. A pack that is a show of their power and their love. It's impossible for you to be mated to my son."

"He's not your son." I replied icily. Nyt stiffened, then growled low in his throat, but my father smacked his hand on the table.

"That's enough, Nyt. Believe me, I'm not all cheery about the idea either, however, Scythe is right. We cannot alter what the Goddess has chosen for our packs. This was meant to be. It's a sign that we are to combine our packs." He explained calmly. Nyt glared at him.

"Never! I don't trust any of you mongrels." He sneered. My father glared back at him ten fold.

"We care not for your pack either, Nyt." He spat.

"Okay, okay," I said quickly, holding up my hands, "Now, you guys have hated each other for almost a full generation, but I'm sorta new to this whole rival thing. Why the hell do we hate each other anyway? I don't hate the Luna pack. I hate their pack leader, but Ivy showed his skills today when she helped us. She's a powerful she-wolf and she would make a perfect addition to the Ugo's and Alek's strengths. As for Lars, he was strong enough to pin that Hunter down within a second. His strength matches Kylan's speed and they made a great team out there. And even though I may not like you, Nyt, you, your mate, and my father worked great together when you pinned Adam down. So explain to me why we hate each other so much, because I'm not seeing it."

Everyone stared at me, then each other as if debating something before Nyt looked down at the ground, gritting his teeth.

"It's none of your business." He snapped.

"It is his business," My father said quietly, "Why don't you explain it to him, Nyt? After all, you may not seem like it, but you're the victim."

"Shut up." Nyt snarled.

"What's he talking about? I can't even imagine you being a victim of a car accident." I snorted. I was surprised to see Nyt's cheeks burn pink with shame as he looked away.

"It's nothing. This meeting is over. I refuse to let my son mate with a rakish ingrate like you, Scythe Rider." Without another word, he stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door shut behind him. Acacia winced, flashing a glare at my father before she bolted after her husband. The kitchen was plunged into silence. I gritted my teeth.

"I don't understand this. Explain it to me." I commanded. My father grimaced.

"It's not my place to talk about Nyt's past. It's his. Let him tell you when he's ready. For now, we'll wait until Zaid has healed before we leave. I'm sure we're welcomed here that long. I'm hoping." He added, looking at Lars and Ivy, who nodded.

My father sighed gratefully, the ushered the rest of us out as we mostly lounged in the living room. I went out to the porch, however, sitting there and running my hands through my hair in frustration.

Just when I thought everything was going to cool down.

And that bastard Jack got away.

I slammed my fist down on my knee angrily, glaring out into the woods.

You're not getting away with this, Jack Runningwolf. I'm going to rip you apart and make you wish you'd never stepped foot in Moonstone...