Chapter 4: The Dreams........wherever they came from, I think I could live with them.

As I knew would happen, he didn't come out of the shadows and reassure me that he would never leave me, and all that. What did I expect this stranger, who I didn't even know the name of, to be? Superman!

I closed my eyes, away from all the bright noon sunlight, in the woods, the trees providing a sense of protection. Even after what I had just endured last night.

I quickly fell into a deep dream filled sleep.

"Momma, please can we go, I'm scared," a little four year old girl said, looking worriedly up at her mother. The girl and her were in a meeting at the house the girl had grown up in, filled with tons of guys discussing politics of something the little girl couldn't fully understand. A fight had broken out between two of the guys.

"What do you mean, you let the secret go!" the older of the two roared, gesticulating madly with his hands. His face was beet red with anger, hands clenched into tight fists, looking ready to kill the younger one.

The younger one, looked about twenty, couldn't have been much older. "She wouldn't let my secret go for anything, she loves me!" he yelled back, but you could tell he was at a disadvantage, being shorter and not as muscled.

"LOVE! Love is what you betted the whole packs lives on!"

"Yes, and I love her the same, if running away from this so called pack is what it takes for us to be together then, dang it, that's what I'll do!" A woman near him looked shocked and tears welled up in her eyes.

"No, you can't leave Tyler, please!" she wailed at him, tugging uselessly on his arm.

He pulled his arm away gently, but firmly said, "If that's what it takes, mother, than I'll do it."

"Once the alpha gets a hold of you boy, you will be more than kicked out, and so will your precious little human mate!" the older fighter snarled, his eyes turning blacker the angrier he got.

"ENOUGH!" Another man yelled, he had just come in the door, but he had a sort of authority surrounding him, he walked in between the two arguing men. His hair was a deep brown, highlighted with caramel tones, his eyes a bright silver. The little girl who had been quietly watching the fight take place gave a tiny shriek, "Papa!" she tried to run to him, but her mother held her back with a firm hand placed on her shoulder. The man gave a sweet smile to the little girl, which she returned, but then turned back to the fighters.

"Now, gentlemen, I would expect better behavior in my absence, especially when there are woman and children around." Authority ringed his voice, even though he spoke calmly, you could tell that anyone would obey the command from the voice. "As for you Farn," he said looking pointedly at the older guy, "you may be second in command, but you have no right whatsoever to exile someone from the pack. That is my duty, whether I'm here or not. Tyler has chosen someone he loves dearly, and if I do remember correctly your wife that you have now was once human at a point, correct." Farn looked down, red tinged in his cheeks.

"Tyler, you may keep your human consort, but I will require that within the year she will be changed." The man told the younger fighter. A smile broke out on Tyler's face, "Oh, yes, alpha, she has already embraced my other side, and yearns for it. She will definitely agree to your terms."

The alpha nodded, pleased; "Now I deem this meeting officially over, now that this matter has been settled, for I want to have some time with my family." Nods and smiles came from the crowd in the living room and in a matter of minutes; it was empty, leaving only the woman, girl and the alpha.

The little girl ran into her fathers arms, as he picked her up and twirled her around, saying how much he had missed her while he was gone. Then with her still in his arms he went up and kissed her mother gently on the lips, "I've missed you too," he murmured against her lips, only making the little girl go into a fit of giggles.

"Oh, you think that is funny," the father said playfully, tickling the little girl, making her giggles go into a whole different pitch, like chimes against the wind.

The family all walked upstairs for it was late in the night, and the father had just gotten home from a rather long journey.

While tucking the little girl in she said sleepily, "I love you papa,"

He smiled down at her, "And I love you, always remember that," he bent down to kiss her on the forehead.

I woke up suddenly, a twig had snapped in the woods beside me, and I looked up to see little Jake trying to sneak up on me.

I ran up to him, swinging him around in the same fashion the father had to the little girl. He fell into a fit of giggles, and I carried him inside, content with the happiness the family in my dream had felt.