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THE MOON SHONE as bright as a torch when the clouds passed across the black sky, a handful of stars scattered across the inky canvas. The fog lifted, a new clarity falling over the forest when the soft moonlight illuminated the branches and the raindrops sparkled like fairy lights strung up in the trees. The glow crept over the snow drifts, the ice glistening when the trees wavered in the slightest breeze. There was no sign of the storm that had raged a few hours ago.

The minute hand ticked by impossibly slowly as though each second was an hour, the sound of the clock deafening. Adele watched as it hit ten and she listened to the nothingness around. No siren. There was no hunt. She stood and peered out of the kitchen window at the dark forest, the only light coming from the sky, and she turned around with her jaw set, her eyes moving from Caleb to Ainslie and back again.

"It's time to go," she said with a nod.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Ainslie asked with a wince.

"No. To be honest, it's never going to be safe. I mean, look at me." She laughed, though it was far from funny, and she swept a hand in front of her face. The bruise would be gone soon but it would take a lot longer for the slash across the bridge of her nose to fade.

"Should we wait?"

Adele shook her head. "We should go now. It's too risky during the day and we've put this off long enough because it's dangerous but it's always going to be dangerous. It's only going to get more dangerous the longer we wait." She tucked her hair behind her ears and her eyes fell on Caleb. "God, Caleb, I'm so sorry. You were right. We should have searched for him weeks ago. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok," he said. He didn't point out that for over a month, Reed had existed right at the forefront of his mind, his brother occupying every waking thought that wasn't spent on Katherine or Adele.

"Where's he most likely to be?" Ainslie asked. "What if he's not even in the woods anymore?"

"He will be," Caleb said without a moment's hesitation. "He's a leth; he relies on what he knows. He'll be here. I think he'll be at the point. He knows it's where he'd be safest."

"The point?" Adele tilted her head, racking her brains for a mental map of the woods. "Where's that?"

Caleb mimed a swooping motion with his hand. "The big hole," he said. "It's where we lived."

"The quarry?" she asked.

"I don't know. It's the big hole in the ground. It's very dangerous."

"That's the quarry," she said, taking a deep breath. She made a point of avoiding the quarry, a terrifying drop carved into the forest. Almost a hundred metres down, a couple of metres of murky water hid the jagged rocks at the bottom where her parents' bodies had been found more than twenty years ago. They hadn't been the first casualties the quarry had seen; they hadn't been the last.

"I've never been to the quarry," Ainslie said. "Isn't it really dangerous there? Mum said it's awful. They searched there when I went missing, though she said they only ever search the quarry for bodies. Not living people."

"That's why we stay there," Caleb said. "It's dangerous for daonna. We can hide there. Sometimes we're there when they hunt there but they don't see us. They wouldn't be able to get to us."

"Alright. Ok. Then that's where we'll go," Adele said as she tugged on her boots and her coat, throwing an extra layer to Ainslie. It was below freezing outside. She wrapped another scarf around her neck and from the pantry, she found a thick one that she passed to her friend. "You need to stay warm, Ains."

"I'm ok," she said, though she wound it around her neck and snuggled into the wool. "Thanks."

"It's late and cold. I don't want any more casualties," she said, grabbing a rifle from the cupboard. Ainslie spluttered, backing away from the gun.

"What's that for?"

"Protection," Adele said. "There's no knowing what's out there. Just because there's no hunt going on right now doesn't mean there's no-one out there."

"You're not a killer," Ainslie said. "You said you wouldn't stoop to Creighton's level. Don't bring a gun!"

She loaded the barrel, flicked on the safety catch, and slung it over her shoulder. "I'm not alone this time," she said. "I'm responsible for you two, so I'll protect you. This isn't me going to see my sister: this is us searching for a werewolf. With a werewolf. I'm bringing a gun."

"Adele..." Caleb put his hand on her elbow, his voice low. "Don't hurt anyone."

Her gaze met his, his eyes boring into her and his touch burning her up. "I'd sooner hurt them than let them hurt you," she said. When his hand dropped from her arm, she held it. "It's just a precaution. I'd rather go out prepared than for us to get caught out there with no back-up."

"Ok." He nodded, bowing his head, and he squeezed her hand. "Ok."

Letting go of him, she stuffed a handful of ammunition into the pocket of her coat and took a hat out of the cupboard. Pushing Caleb's hair off his face, she pulled the hat on down to his eyebrows and softly smiled up at him, her hand resting on his cheek and her feet firmly on the floor. Her lips couldn't reach his unless she stretched. She didn't need to when he bent his neck and touched his lips to her forehead.

Ainslie stood patiently by the door, absorbing the moment of domesticity with a smile as she pulled on her gloves, masking the fear that had settled into her bones. It grew a little stronger each day, but so did her desperation to see it through, to make it to the other side.

"Let's go," Adele said when she and Caleb broke apart. His hand still lingered over the small of her back, his stamp of security, and he followed so close that he almost tripped over her heels.

"What exactly are we doing?" Ainslie asked, trailing behind Caleb with her gloved hands tightly laced together. Adele came to a stop on the porch as she locked up the house.

"You don't have to come if you'd rather not, Ains. Feel free to stay here."

"No, I'm coming. But I want to know what we're doing. Where is the quarry?"

"About a mile away as the crow flies. More like four in the truck. It's not the easiest to reach, especially when the tracks are so snowy. We'll drive over. It'll take about twenty minutes in the truck," she said, holding the handle as she twisted the key and dropped it into her pocket. "Get your butts in the car."

Despite her layers, she shivered when the wind sliced her cheeks and angered every wound on her body. Her teeth began to chatter before she even reached the cabin of the truck, laying the locked gun at Caleb's feet in the back. He automatically got in the back seat every time. She hated that he felt he needed to, though it did endear her.

"You ok, Ains?" she asked as she brought the cold engine to life. It spluttered a couple of times before the familiar rumble kicked in and she carefully reversed out of her driveway. Ainslie nodded. It wasn't convincing.

"I'm a bit scared," she said. "It's dark. I really hate the dark."

Adele squeezed her knee. "It's ok, Ains. You can stay in the car; you don't have to do anything. Seriously. I don't want to upset you."

"You're not upsetting me," Ainslie said. "I have to do this. For Reed. I have to help Reed. He's my cousin. He's family. He looked for me when I went missing. I'm not going to wimp out."

"I know he'll appreciate it," Adele said. She offered her most comforting smile. "He's going to be so happy to see you, I'm sure. We're going to find him and we're going to help him, and we're going to get out of this godforsaken town. It's going to be ok."

Ainslie nodded, trying to let the words sink in. "It will be, won't it? It'll be ok?"

"It'll be ok," Caleb said. He reached forward to put his hand over hers. "Don't be scared. You're clever and brave – be that."

Her cheeks went pink at the compliment and her smile grew. Every word Caleb spoke was sincere. He was incapable of anything but honesty, each word the truth.

The trees began to part. Slowly, they gave way to the overwhelming clearing where the sky opened up and the ground fell away. Adele's stomach lurched. Ainslie gripped her hands tighter together when the quarry loomed ahead. The truck came to a stop on the edge of the forest, still shadowed by the trees, and when the engine died, so did the lights.

The lip of the quarry was plunged into darkness, the moon failing to brighten the ominous drop. Ainslie let out a quiet whimper as she slipped out of the passenger seat, gripping Caleb when he was the closest thing to her reach.

"This is terrifying," she whispered. "How did you live here?"

"It was safer than anywhere else," he said. He didn't whisper, his words echoing around the woods. "It's ok. Here." He gave her his hand, his strong grip a comfort. The darkness continued for a moment before Adele found her torch and switched it on. The strong beam cut through the night like a scythe through grass, illuminating the strip of land that led to the edge.

"Can you sense him?" Adele asked. "Like you could sense me?"

He shook his head. "No. He's a leth. It's different. The connection isn't so strong. It will take years for him to harness his powers. He's still a phreantas. He's a young leth. Much to learn."

"So how will we find him?" Ainslie's voice was tiny as she gripped Caleb as though her life depended on it. She had a feeling it did. "If you can't feel him, how do we find him?"

"We go to the point," he said. "If he is here, I know where he'll be. He's smart. He will have come back here."

"Know what you're doing?" Adele asked as she handed out a couple more torches and hoisted the strap of her rifle over her shoulder. When she found a hunting knife in the back of the truck, she carefully tucked it into her boot and shone her light around the clearing.

"Yes," Caleb said. "I know where to go." Switching on his light, he pointed it straight in front of himself and turned slightly to the right. "Over there, there's a ... I don't know how you call it. A way to get down."

"Down?" Ainslie asked. "We're going down? Into the quarry?"

"Not all the way. It's not safe for you to go all the way."

"But that's where he'll be?" Adele asked, following him when he began to lead the way. Ainslie let go of his hand to allow him to lead, falling into step with Adele. "He'll be at the bottom?"

"Yes. There are caves," he said. "It's safe down there. For us. Not for you. You are not going down there, Adele. It isn't safe for you and Ainslie."

Adele cast her eyes over the worn-down signs that littered the edge of the quarry. The wooden plaques were falling apart, some of the warnings decades old. Chipped paint ordered them to stay away, red crosses painted onto trees or carved into the trunks. The edge of the quarry was unprotected. There was no fence, no rail. Nothing to stop a slip of the foot becoming an untimely death.

It was hard to resist the urge to creep to the edge. The sadist in Adele was desperate to shuffle right to the cusp and look down, to take in the sickening drop that had seen the end of her parents. Whether it was werewolves or Keirs that had killed them, there was no way they would have survived the fall. The cliffs that rose out of the dark water were jagged; the rocks that lined the base were sharp. The quarry had claimed more lives than history dared to recall.

"Adele!" Ainslie hissed when she veered closer to the edge. "Get away from there!"

Swallowing a seed of dread, Adele stopped in her tracks to divert her sick fascination with the fall. There was no pleasure in the nausea that flooded her, but it was hard not to give in to the temptation. She reached out for Caleb's hand. Her own was shaking. When he took it, he pulled her towards the border of the forest, their path hugging the trees.

"Don't be stupid," Ainslie said. "If you fall, we're both screwed. Don't die."

"I won't," Adele said. A tremble found its way into her voice. Treading carefully through the soft snow that covered crisp, frozen leaves, she tightened one hand around her gun and stuck to Caleb's side. "Sorry," she added. It wasn't a word she had said much in her life, hardly at all before Caleb had ended up on her doorstep, and now it had become part of her daily vernacular though she couldn't tell whether she had more to be sorry for or if she had just learnt how to say it.

The spot Caleb had pointed out was a good two hundred metres away, if not more, but the route wasn't safe for the truck. At times, it narrowed to the point that they had to duck back into the forest to avoid dropping to their watery deaths.

"I don't get how you survive out here," Ainslie said, her fingers firmly clasped around Adele's elbow as they followed the narrow crack of light. "Don't you freeze?"

"It's cold," he said. "We stay in wolf form most of the time. It's easier. It's safer. We can blend in with the regular wolves." He looked over his shoulder at Ainslie. "You don't need to worry about Reed. He knows how to survive out here. He has done it for ... how long has it been?"

"Two years," Ainslie said. "More than two years. He wasn't even sixteen yet when he disappeared."

"Oh, God," Adele muttered. "It's so awful. But at least he's ok."

A tree shook. A bird flew away with a cry. Twigs crunched beneath their feet until they broke out of the woods and returned to the clearing, trudging through the snow towards the point where the ragged edge of the hole dipped a little, more of a pathway than a fall.

Another twig cracked. Caleb pulled Adele and Ainslie to a stop. The sound echoed again. It wasn't any of them. Adele held her breath. She could hear her heart beating in her ears as she turned around, hoping to see a deer or a wolf, or Reed.

A shot rang out. The crack of a bullet broke the peace. Ainslie shrieked, her nails digging into Adele's arm.

"Jesus Christ!" Adele yelled out, squinting into the pitch-black night. "Don't shoot! What the fuck? Who the fuck is out there?" She swept her torch around her. The light landed on a shadowy figure. She didn't have to see his face to know who it was from his arrogant stance, the sharpness in his shoulders. Caleb growled under his breath, putting his arm out in front of Ainslie and Adele, but she broke through.

"What the fuck are you shooting for?" she yelled, her rifle cocked and her finger resting on the trigger.

Creighton stepped forward, emerging out of the shadows. Ainslie caught her breath, both of her arms wrapped around Caleb's. Adele's grip on her gun didn't falter, pointed right at him. She moved her finger away from the trigger and narrowed her stare.

"You should be home with your daughter," she said. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"What the fuck are you doing out here?" he countered. His voice was measured. Though his shot hadn't been aimed at them, instead fired into the air, she was sure he wished he could have taken her out right there and then.

"We're stargazing," she said, pointing her gun up at the bright stars that twinkled in the cloudless sky. When the storm had fled, it had taken the clouds with it and the sky was clearer than it had been in weeks. "Don't fucking shoot us."

He let his rifle down to his side as he walked closer, directly in the beam of Caleb's light. "Who're you with?" Raising his gun, he pointed it first at Caleb and then at Ainslie. Caleb turned off his torch. Creighton laughed and found his own, shining it on their faces. "Well, if it isn't little Ainslie Fraser," he said with a sickening laugh. "Does your mummy know you're out here?"

"Yes," she said, her voice shaking as hard as she was.

"Are you sure about that?" He raised his eyebrows, his lip curling in a sickening snarl. "You're a good girl. What're you doing with this bitch?"

Ainslie whimpered, half hiding behind Caleb. "She's my best friend."

"Get the fuck away from us, Creighton," Adele said. Her aim didn't falter, pointed straight at him. She erased the quiver from her voice, determination taking over her fear. There wasn't time for fear. She couldn't afford to be afraid.

"And who's this?" Creighton ignored her, raising his gun at Caleb. "Got yourself a friend, have you?"

"Fuck off."

"Who are you?" He stared straight at Caleb. "Tell me your name."

"Caleb," he said, his voice low. Creighton laughed, low and dirty.

"And who the hell are you?" He turned back to Adele. "Never seen this one around town."

"Maybe because your head's stuck so far up your own ass that you don't see anything around you."

He stepped closer. He was only a couple of metres away. He lowered his gun, his cold stare fixed on Adele. She shone her torch in his face but he hardly squinted, looking her up and down and then Caleb. His eyes lingered on Ainslie for a moment.

"Who is he?" he asked again. He wasn't asking Adele. He was asking Ainslie, plucking her out as the weakest member of the pack. "You'd better tell me, sweetheart, or you'll be sorry."

"He's Adele's friend," she squeaked. "From Penlark. Don't hurt us. Please don't hurt us."

"Well, I think you should get out of the woods," he said, his eyes darting back to Adele. "It's not safe out here." There was a nauseating twist in his voice. "I'd hate for something to happen to you."

"Fuck you, Creighton. Leave us alone."

"I think I should take Ainslie home," he said. When he reached out to grab her arm, Caleb shoved him away, hard enough for him to stumble backwards and slip.

"Don't you dare touch her," he growled, looming over Creighton. He reached out one hand behind himself to hold Ainslie back, keeping her away from Creighton. "She's with us."

Creighton stood, dusting snow off his fur coat. "Ainslie. Come with me. I'm sure your mother's worried about you."

"No she isn't," she said. "I'm staying with Adele. She knows that."

Adele squared up to him, pressing the barrel of her rifle to his chest. "If you lay a hand on her again ... well, you know what I'm capable of, Creighton. You know how good a hunter I am. And we all know how dangerous the quarry is. I'm sure you don't want to end up at the bottom of it." She jabbed him with the gun, the slightest wince flickering across his face. "Leave us alone."

"I don't think you understand," Creighton said slowly. "If you want to live, I think you should leave. I'd hate for there to be an accident. Wouldn't you?" He picked up the gun he had dropped when he had fallen. "If you don't leave now, you never will. If you know what I mean."

"Adele," Ainslie whispered. "Let's just go."

"Good idea," he said. He flashed her a smile that curdled Adele's stomach. She dared not think what he might do if he took Ainslie back. "And Adele?"

She didn't answer. She took Ainslie's hand and turned to leave, pushing Caleb in front of her so she brought up the rear. Creighton didn't care that she didn't acknowledge his words. He spoke anyway, raising his voice so it rung out across the sunken quarry.

"Don't ever come back here," he said. "And if I ever see you in my house again, you'll be sorry."

She didn't react, pressing down the desperation to turn around and shoot a bullet through his brain. That would put an end to everything, but that wasn't her. She wasn't a killer. She couldn't turn herself into the person he accused her of being.

Another shot slashed the night. Ainslie muffled a scream, cowering against Caleb. Creighton laughed. He followed Adele, catching up to rest his hand on her shoulder, and he leant close to her ear. She froze when she felt his breath against her cheek. He pressed himself against her back, his fingers digging into her skin.

"You'd better be careful," he whispered. "Keep your fucking hands off my girls."

He pushed her away, turning on his heel and stalking back to the shadows he had come from. Adele steadied her footing and increased her pace, herding Caleb and Ainslie back to the car. Nobody dared to utter a word, silently hurrying back the way they had come, no closer to finding Reed.

Only once they were back in the truck did anyone make a sound. Ainslie burst into terrified tears, her shoulders shaking. Adele reached across the gap between the seats to grip her in a tight hug. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't say that it was fine, that everything was ok when it was the opposite, so she just shushed her, holding her close and letting her cry.

"That was bad," Caleb said, uttering the first words. "That was really bad."

"That was awful," Ainslie sobbed, dragging her gloves across her eyes. "Oh my goodness. That was terrifying."

Adele pressed her lips together and twisted the key in the ignition, the truck roaring to life. She met Caleb's eye in the rear view mirror. His eyes were dark, a million thoughts swirling in his stormy irises. She felt the anger and anguish pulsating off him so strongly that she couldn't bear to hold his gaze for too long.

He was right. That was bad. That was really bad. 

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phreantas (fray-ant-us): a newbie

turning point is at its highest rank ever! 33 in werewolf! that's so amazing, thank you so much to everyone who reads and votes and comments! i hope you enjoyed this chapter!

sorry for the slower updates recently - i wasn't feeling well pretty much all last week and it caught up to me the past few days but i'm feeling better now, save for a persistent earache. it's also hard to write such a dark book when i've been in a very festive mood the past couple of days! i meant to write this yesterday but instead, i watched christmas with the kranks and this afternoon i got sucked into a destiel vortex with soph for literally 2.5 hours