"Harley! Get back here!"

Unable to hold her laughter, Harley giggled into her tiny hand and crouched closer to the tree. Mathias would never find her at this rate. He headed the opposite way. Hide and seek just wasn't his thing.

She peeked around the tree. The noon summer sun hit her back even through the shade and made the backs of her knees sweat. Lucky for her she remained down wind. With her older brother's strong wolf nose, he'd find her in seconds if the wind was against her back.

Her pink shirt started to stick to her in places and she used the back of her wrist to wipe at the sweat under her bangs. The silver butterfly necklace her daddy gave her felt cool against her neck. Across her family's meadow, twigs snapped under the weight of a larger person. Jeez, Mathias trampled through these woods like a dinosaur. Didn't he know to be careful? No wonder no one else but Willie ever wanted to play with him.

At twelve, her big brother had finally shifted. After the first shift, most wolves become clumsy for a while before they get used to their new bodies. Her daddy said it wouldn't happen to her. "You're too smart and pretty for that, Harley." He'd told her. "My beautiful little genius."

She couldn't wait for the day when she finally shifted. Mommy said she'd have white and tan fur like her. And that she'd run fast. She really wanted that. That way, she could finally beat Mathias and Willie in a chase. Except she was only six. She had a long time to wait.

"Harley!" Mathias shouted. "Olly, olly oxen free, free, free!"

Aw, already? They only called that out when they wanted to give up the game. Mathias always gave up early! He was such a wimp.

Harley stepped out from behind the tree. He never checked out near the edge of the property line. Mathias was always too afraid to cross the line and get yelled at by mommy and daddy.

"Mathias!" She called out, spotting him a couple yards away. Dimly, she wondered how he could be over there when she so clearly heard him behind her before. "You always give up!"

Her brother jogged over to her. Halfway over, he froze. His focus locked on something behind her, fear spreading over his features.

It was probably a butterfly. Mathias hated butterflies. But she thought they were the prettiest of all the bugs with all their different colors. How could you hate them?

Harley stepped closer to him, crossing her little arms over her chest. Now she was going to have to be it, and Mathias never hid well.

From behind her, a bush rustled.

"H-harley." Mathias' eyes were wide, his face white, and he whimpered.

She turned around. It was probably some cute little animal that just wanted to play with them.

Her feet stopped. An animal stood there among the wildlife. But not a friendly one.

A black wolf crept from the bushes at the property line, leaning on its back paws. Its bright green and yellow eyes narrowed as it stalked closer. She stumbled backward, her foot catching on a tree root. Her butt hit the ground.

The wolf's nose scrunched as it extended its teeth and let out a long, deep, menacing growl. Goosebumps ran up and down her arms.

Harley scrambled to her feet. Their daddy warned them what to do when they saw a wolf that didn't want to be their friends. But she couldn't remember. She couldn't remember!

"Harley." Mathias whispered behind her. "Back up."

She followed her brother's command, backing up until her shoulder touched Mathias' stomach. "What do we do?"

Slowly, her brother stepped in front of her, his gangly body much taller than hers. He took a breath and straightened his shoulders, trying to make himself look bigger than the wolf.

The wolf paced closer. Sleek, dark fur glinted against the sun. It exhaled through its nose, cocking its head to the side.

The eyes, the eyes. They would haunt her for the rest of her life. There was a smartness about them. A mind behind the animal instincts.

What passed after that were tiny details she could barely piece together. The wolf surged forward. Her brother shoved her backward, screaming at her to "Run! Run, Harley!" His form shook with the upcoming change.

She fled. Tears leaked down her cheeks. From the distance, Mathias' scream got caught in a roar.

Her feet guided her to her house. Her parents were there. They would know what to do. Mommy and daddy always knew what to do.

Before she could get closer, her house burst apart in a mass of smoke and flames. The force sent her to the ground, all the hairs on her arms and legs standing straight.

Even as a small child, she knew she had to pick herself up. Had to keep going. So that's what she did. Except this time, she ran the other way. And ran. And ran.

Screams. Howls of agony. Her own labored breathing. Blood.

And then eventually...nothing.

~

The alarm buzzed on the night stand, belting out Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know". Harley jolted with a start, her heart galloping a mile a minute.

When she finally came back to herself after that dream, her breaths slowed. Not a dream, she reminded herself, a memory.

The watch on her wrist said 9:55am. A groan came from her mouth and she rubbed at her eyes.

It took five more minutes, but she finally got out of bed and headed down the hall for a shower. Downstairs she could hear the chatter and buzz of people alive and awake. The clatter of dishes being moved around in the sink told her breakfast had just finished. What kind of freaky people got up before ten on a Saturday morning?

She shook her head, stripping and jumping in the shower. Weirdos.

Thirteen years ago her parents and brother had been mauled and killed by a group of rouge wolves. It happened on a regular summer day, which still seemed wrong to her. Everything about the day was so normal. How could such a horrible occurrence go down when the sun shined and everyone was happy?

After the attack, Harley went to stay with her Aunt Tracy and her pack in Massachusetts for quite a while. Aunt Tracy and her mate, Uncle Eric, made it clear that she would be welcome to stay as long as she wanted-not that she really wanted to-but she knew that eventually she'd have to move back in with her old pack. It was where she was born, and it was where her loyalties lay.

And so she'd jumped on a plane and came here to Kensington, a medium sized town set in the middle of nowhere. Kensington was surrounded by trees on all sides and actually quite pretty. She could see why her kind would love the place. Moderate temperatures, set near the mountains, but not close enough to have to worry about any mudslides or avalanches, and far enough away from any big cities to rouse any suspicion.

Her plane came in around four thirty in the morning, so it was about five thirty before she actually arrived at the pack house. It would take a while to slowly work her mind into accepting the new environment. She told herself she could do that after the sun came up.

Natalie, the beta's mate, had been the one up at the ungodly hour to welcome and greet her and show her a room. Natalie's kindness almost seemed to be too much for Harley. She welcomed the nineteen year old with open arms, encouraging her to get some sleep and come down to meet up with the pack when she was ready.

Living in the pack house was like living in the house of a grandparent who had more than eight children. While only one family actually lived there, there would always be other people coming in to visit or stay for a few days.

In the Will Creek pack house, the alpha and beta resided with both of their families. Yet the home had originally been built with the idea that it would have to encompass visiting pack families as well as hold pack gatherings and parties. Besides the main families, all other pack members stayed in their own homes around the wooded town.

Before she'd jumped a plane to get there, she'd called and had a nice long talk to alpha Mark about her living arrangements. Though he was intimidating and somewhat hard to talk to on the phone, she'd gotten enough information to convince her it'd be a good idea to stay in the pack house until she fully decided she wanted to permanently stay with the Willow Creek pack.

"No pressure." Alpha Mark had said over the phone. "Pack house is always open."

After her shower, Harley blow dried her long brown hair into some form of organized chaos and pulled out her makeup bag to add some eyeliner to her eyes. She'd like to tell people that natural beauty just came to her, but that was never the case. What was something people put on when meeting the pack leaders for the first time after so many years?

In the end she slipped on a blue tee and her best pair of jeans. When she finally looked suitable enough for company, she glanced at herself in the mirror. It had been a rough last couple years for her, but now it was time to get herself into gear and start her own future.

The hallways directly outside her bedroom still caught her off guard. All the floors were lined with hardwood and the walls painted a careful beige. Pictures of pack members and landscapes hung and organized in modern frames. Keeping such a large expanse of household clean and put together seemed like a hard feat, but someone around here did a great job.

Down the hallway rested a set of stairs with iron railings and marble fixtures. It was only one set of many and paled in comparison to the foyer stairs.

Harley stepped carefully into what appeared to be the kitchen. The night before, she didn't take much time to go over the entire house (which was almost impossible in itself due to the enormity of the home) and had missed the opulence of the kitchen when she passed through. The kitchen was a large area set with black granite countertops, dark wooden cabinets, and top notch appliances. In the middle rested a long four chair island and sink. The room itself extended further, transitioning into a nice dining room with a long, extended table for a big group.

The second she entered the area she realized that already there were more people than she accounted for. Her eyes caught on Natalie, who grinned at her and gestured her over. Relieved, she rushed over to the woman.

"Good morning, Harley." She said politely, her hands wrist deep in water from the sink. "Why don't you go reacquaint yourself with the alpha, Mark?" She suggested, her voice hushed. "He's over at table with my mate, Oliver."

Harley nodded. It would be a good impression to self-introduce herself to the alpha and beta. "Okay, thanks."

"And grab some breakfast, too." Natalie urged.

Harley frowned at that. She'd never had someone fuss about her before. Yes, she'd stayed with her aunt and uncle, but they'd been...detached the entire time she stayed with them. She had eventually found out why-her mother and Tracy never really got along and eventually split ways. Harley must've reminded her aunt too much of her mother, and as such, didn't get much attention or consideration.

Near the head of the table, two men sat. The people mingling about had slowly edged away and out of the room, leaving only those cleaning up. Harley twisted her fingers and bit her lip as she came up to them. "Hi." She said, clearing her throat. Come on, Harley. You got this. "Alpha Mark, I'm Harley Pierce. Thank you for letting me stay here." She kept her head bowed slightly, in respect.

The alpha had grey hairs flirting at the edges of his dark hair and a strong jaw. Combined with the intensity of the aura around him, the intimidating factor almost became too much. Over the phone was hard enough. In person? Almost impossible.

Next to him, the beta was not much better. The biggest distinguishing feature about him was his crooked nose. She had no idea how Natalie could be married to someone so dominant.

However, when they looked back at her, only kindness and warmth spread through their features. "Harley," The alpha nodded to her. "I'm so glad you're back here with us. Welcome home."

Home? Did she really have a home after the first one blew up? She swallowed hard and inclined her head. "Thank you, Sir."

"Make yourself comfortable. We'll talk more details later, when you're more settled." He told her.

She repeated her gratitude. "May I?" She pointed to a chair next to them.

"Of course."

On the table rested a plate of bacon, a bowl of hash browns, and some orange juice. She helped herself, putting some food in her stomach for what would definitely be a big day.

The alpha and beta continued their conversation. "When does Jamie finish her semester?" The beta, Oliver asked.

"Next week." Alpha Mark replied with a sigh. "She's been all over me about switching colleges."

Oliver chuckled. "I can't imagine."

"I don't know if she's ready for that. She needs to work herself into the pack more." Alpha Mark snagged a piece of bacon from the plate. "Get a job, maybe."

"She'll have all summer to figure it out."

"I suppose so."

They trailed off into more conversation and it wasn't until Harley had finished eating and scooped up her plate that a familiar name came up.

"Any word on Will Grey?" Oliver asked.

The alpha leaned back in his chair. "He just cleaned up that group of rogues near the north of us and should be back in a couple days. Week at the most."

William Grey. Harley would know that name anywhere. When she was little she called him Willie, and only years later would she realize why he hated it so much. She snorted softly. Any twelve year old would get mad at being dubbed a male anatomy part.

Will Grey used to be her brother Mathias' best friend. The two were inseparable, joined at the hip. After the attack, it was Will's parents who offered to act as her guardian while they tracked down her aunt and uncle. Will's parents also offered to take her in permanently, but somehow that idea got shot down.

He probably didn't even remember her. One of the only few people in the pack she could accurately remember, and he most likely wiped her from his mind. The trauma of losing your best friend so young could do that. The idea that she could be so easily forgotten put a pang in her heart, one she chose to ignore.

"Will Grey?" Harley found herself speaking up. "What does he do?"

The alpha appeared surprised at her line of questioning, but answered it anyway. "Will is our lead rogue hunter. He takes care of any problems we have with rogue wolves and removes the threat."

"Oh." In other words, a killer.

"He's quite a magnificent kid." Oliver mused. "His parents are pretty proud."

"I'm sure they are." She mumbled.

"Every pack needs a rogue hunter." The alpha stated. "We got lucky with that one. One of the best in the area."

They went to other topics after that. When she finished eating, Harley snatched up her plate and took it to the sink to wash it.

"Honey, I can get that." Natalie smiled delicately at her. For how nice she was, Harley started to get frustrated with the way she talked to her. Like she was in a fragile state of mind. It happened a lot around her.

She'd spent a good chunk of her life running away from her past. The problem was, gossip and news traveled pretty fast. As a result, most of the packs around the area had heard about the attack. As a result, she could officially call herself infamous. The girl to survive a rogue attack. That kind of thing didn't happen often.

Consequently, most of the wolves she'd met treated her differently when she met and interacted with them. Not in a good way. Always in a gentle, somber way. Like she was so dainty and easily breakable that she couldn't handle the simplest things. Exhibit A: Natalie apparently thinking that she couldn't emotionally handle washing her own plate.

Instead of blowing up at her though, Harley shrugged. "It's okay. I've got it."

Natalie didn't say much after that. She let it go and continued to work in silence. Which was a relief.

Harley finished cleaning her mess and decided to explore the pack house for a little bit. It was around noon, with most of the pack members around the home either doing some type of chore or leisure activity. When she passed people, she remained polite, introducing herself to those she hadn't met. Most of the others just gave her a nod or looked at her oddly.

Jeez, she was just a new pack member. Did they usually stare at newcomers?

The sun beat down on the yard, giving off a bit of heat. Lucky for her, it wasn't too bad that she'd be sweating. She had hoped to keep herself somewhat together today to give off a decent first impression.

The pack house was a huge federal colonial style home set into the edge of forest land. Made of brick, the home expanded to form two separate wings and could most likely house an upwards of about forty to fifty people. The pack was much bigger than that but, like Harley's family, most of the pack members with a mate and/or children often opted to find their own housing. However, the pack and many other packs often allowed any friendly wolf in need of a stay a place to rest their head at night.

And how could they not want to? The pack house itself covered acres of land. The property line went far off into the distance. If that wasn't enough, the grounds were kept very prim with evenly cut grass in the front yard and an open pool in the backyard.

Harley took the time to familiarize herself with her new surroundings. She wasn't sure how long she'd be staying with the pack. That didn't mean she was going to trap herself in her room and ignore everyone else.

So she set off carefully into the forest to calm her curiosity about how far back the property line really went. If she could have transformed into wolf, she would have. She'd heard many tales about the glorious feeling of being able to embrace your animal and running free.

Truth was, Harley would probably never know what that feels like.

Immediately, she thrust that thought from her mind. The topic of her wolf would never be a happy, encouraging topic and as such, she avoided talking about it or even thinking about it when she could. Instead, she allowed her feet to lead her where they made and eventually she found herself deep into the back forest.

Near the edge of the pack house border rested a small creek that ran and bubbled with water. Harley set herself on the ground on a tiny patch of grass and crossed her legs.

The gentle movement and babbling of the clear creek water soothed her. For however hard these first couple of days would be here with her family's pack, she knew that at least she'd have a place to come back to.