Noelle could not fall asleep again after she’d woken up from her dream. Her heartbeat had returned to normal, but she still felt antsy. She walked into the living room and she could see that it was still dark outside. She peered into Edmund’s room and her parents’ room and everyone was sound asleep.

Taking a piece of paper, she wrote, “Had to get out for a bit to come up with a plan. I’ll be back soon. Please, don’t worry about me. Love, Noelle.”

She knew her father would be upset that she had not disclosed her location, but then again, she did not even know where she was going. There was just something tugging at her, and she knew she had to trust the instinct inside of her.

She walked out of the apartment and toward the road. Her feet carried her forward and the moment she tried to think about where she was going, it seemed like she didn’t know which direction to head. She closed her eyes and recalled the dream and she began walking again.

She wound up at a bus stop and waited there patiently for the next bus to come. As the driver pulled up, he opened the doors for her and she climbed inside. The driver smiled at her as she took her seat. She watched as the trees passed by her window in a blur of colors. She didn’t know where she was supposed to get off, but she assumed that she would just do it when the time was right.

The bus kept moving forward and stopped periodically, but no other people got on or off. It was only Noelle and the driver. The sun broke free from its resting place and bathed the earth with its luminous colors; a subtle suggestion for people to get moving.

The bus driver pulled up at the next stop and announced that this was the final stop before he headed back. Noelle stood up automatically and got off. She stood on the side of the road staring into the forest.

“Okay,” Noelle spoke to herself, “now what?”

She looked around, and in every direction, all she saw were trees. She decided to walk forward and it suddenly hit her that she could easily get lost in these woods and no one would ever know where she was. Still, she forced herself to move, driven by her intuition. She couldn’t explain it, but the further she walked into the forest, the closer she felt to finding Declan.

Beads of sweat formed gratuitously on her forehead as she marched on. She was aware that the wolf inside of her was begging her to set it free, to allow it to run, but she didn’t want to take that risk. The hike would have been pleasant had she been properly prepared with water and food.

Noelle came up to a river and knelt down to splash some of the cool water against her face. When she looked up, she noticed a woman sitting on the opposite bank, staring at her curiously. Noelle waved cautiously and the woman smiled at her. Knowing no other way to cross over to the other side, Noelle went into the water and started to swim. It was deeper than she imagined, and once she reached the middle, the current fought strong against her. Noelle wished that her body would just push forward a bit more, but the current started taking her away.

She started to panic as she kicked her legs in the water. She looked up and saw that the woman was no longer there. Noelle groaned as she could think of only one thing that might help her —she would have to transform.

As she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the transformation, she felt a hand on her arm pulling her forward. She opened her eyes and saw the woman there, pulling her. She was definitely strong and in a few swift motions, she was able to rescue Noelle from the current. The two of them swam to the other side where Noelle climbed on shore and laid there, trying to catch her breath.

“Not used to the current?” the woman asked, smiling down at Noelle. Noelle wanted to smile in return, but she was too exhausted. “Come with me,” the woman said calmly. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Noelle stood up from her spot shakily, and managed a small smile of thanks. It had been more than a close call for her.

“I’m Maria,” the woman announced.

“Noelle,” she said in response, extending her hand in greeting. Noelle noticed the woman’s eyes grow wider and she didn’t miss the slight hesitation before Maria shook her hand.

The two women walked the rest of the way in silence. Noelle wanted to believe that Maria was an honest person just trying to help her, but there was something inside of her that felt like there was more to the story. Maria pushed aside some branches and Noelle walked into a huge campground with tents scattered about. In the center, a large firepit stood, with small pillars of smoke still rising into the air.

People milled about not even taking notice of the soaking wet Noelle standing there. Maria took her hand and directed her to a small tent that was pushed further away than the rest. She lifted the flap and Noelle walked inside. It was much bigger inside than she would have thought. Maria looked through a few drawers and finally found what she was looking for. She handed Noelle a simple black tank top and a pair of faded jeans.

“Thank you,” Noelle said graciously.

Maria nodded, and told her that she would be right outside if she needed anything. As she changed from her wet clothes, Noelle wondered what kind of a place this was. Was this one of those communes that she had read about? Ones full of people who called themselves travelers? Noelle doubted that, because this place seemed permanent, as though it had been here for years and years. She slipped on the shirt and tied her hair back in a messy bun. She took one final look around the tent before emerging.

She almost ran into Maria who was standing guard at the door. Maria looked at her once over and nodded approvingly. Noelle felt a sort of uneasiness around her, almost like she was intimidated, which seemed ridiculous as she was a petite woman with wavy blonde hair —not exactly your worst nightmare come true.

“I’m assuming he didn’t know you were coming,” Maria said as they walked through the tents toward the center.

“Who?” Noelle asked, but before Maria could answer, she saw him.

Declan was sitting across the from the firepit, next to the other man that Noelle had dreamed about. She had to blink a few times to make sure that she was not seeing things. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach at the sight of him and she could feel that familiar heat rising up in her body.

Dear god, he is beautiful, Noelle thought to herself.

At this, Declan looked up and straight at Noelle standing there, causing her to flush all over. Maria looked at Noelle and laughed lightly.

“Come on,” she said to Noelle, pulling her by the hand toward the men.

“What are you doing here?” Declan asked in disbelief. He noticed her hair soaking wet and he had this overwhelming desire to embrace her and kiss her, but he resisted.

“Declan,” Noelle managed. She did not resist —she fell into his arms and the pair of them stood there holding onto each other for a long time. They had not even noticed that Dustin and Maria had left them to be alone.

“How did you find me?” Declan asked, finally pulling away from her.

“I had the strangest dream,” Noelle said. “I can’t even explain it. Declan, we have so much to talk about, you have no idea.”

He nodded in agreement. “Noelle, there’s something I need to tell you first.”

“What is it?” Noelle asked.

“I —I’m not really sure how to say this exactly, so I’m just going to say it, okay?” Noelle pulled her eyebrows together, concerned about the possibility of Declan’s admission. “I can’t transform into a werewolf anymore —I’m human.”

Noelle watched his lips as he spoke, and although she heard his words, she so wanted to kiss them. But she knew it would have to wait.

“I know,” she said quietly. “I’ve been with my family and the rest of the pack. I know that you’ve put Gabriel in charge as the alpha. Romi explained to us what happened that night of the ritual.”

Declan resumed his seat and pushed his hands through his hair. “I have to go back there.”

“Yes.” Noelle nodded. “You do. Your pack needs you.”

Declan offered her a sad smile and said, “Noelle, these people are in danger here.”

“Why? What’s going on? Who are they?”

“They are another wolf pack. The guy I was sitting with before —he was actually the one that turned me. I mean, the story is longer than that, but that’s the highlight, at least.”

Noelle bit her lip and Declan could sense that there was something she needed to share with him.

“What is it, Noelle?”

“Declan, I —I need to tell you something. And it’s hard for me to explain it, exactly.”

“Well, try,” Declan said as he leaned forward toward her. He took her hands in his and she smiled at him softly. Oh, how he had missed that smile and the curve of her lips and face. And those eyes…

“Declan, I know that you aren’t able to turn because of the elixir that Edmund gave to you. He kidnapped me —that’s why I was missing. I didn’t leave you, or my family.”

Declan’s face contorted with anger as he heard this and he started to say, “That slimy, son of a…”

Noelle held up her hand to quiet him down. “There’s more,” she said.

She proceeded to explain to Declan about her ancestry, and how Edmund had told her she was a hybrid wolf —at this Declan’s eyes grew wide in disbelief, but Noelle did not stop. She continued to explain to him that it was her blood that was needed to complete the elixir. She told him everything she had learned from Edmund and his family —she told him about the council rebels which Edmund claimed to work for, and how they had reached out to her. She concluded her tale by recounting the night of the ritual from her standpoint, and when she admitted to Declan that she had transformed into her wolf form, he grew completely still.

“So,” Declan said quietly, “you mean to tell me that you’re a wolf now?”

“Well, not exactly. I’m both, I guess. I’m human and wolf —my body is made up of both. But the thing is Declan, because of the hybrid status, apparently I am meant to be the alpha female.”

Declan looked at her for a while before responding. Suddenly, he understood how she had found him. She was not even here for him at all —she was here for the meeting of the alphas that Dustin had called yesterday.

Dustin walked up to them and he placed a hand on Declan’s shoulder. “Hey, I know you two have a lot to catch up on, but we should get going. The meeting will start soon.”

Without lifting his eyes from Noelle, Declan said, “She is coming with us.”

Dustin looked from Noelle to Declan and then back to Noelle. He studied her for a long time and a quizzical expression formed on his face.

“What are you?” he asked Noelle.

“I’m a hybrid,” she said quietly, afraid that others might hear her admission. Dustin’s eyes grew wide and he knelt on one knee before her.

“I’ve never met a hybrid before,” he said smiling at her.

“There’s not many of us around,” Noelle said. “Actually, just me if the facts are right.”

Dustin’s face grew dark as a thought crossed his mind, but he did not share it with the rest of them. Instead he said, “Okay, let’s get going.”

They walked into the woods and met up with Maria who was waiting for them. She glanced at Noelle, and her eyebrows indicated that she was surprised to see her there, but she made no comment about it.

The four of them walked in silence, each consumed by his or her own thoughts. Declan’s mind felt as if it might explode, but the one thought which seemed to prevail above them all was the idea that Noelle was now a werewolf, and he was not. He knew very well that there were bigger and more important concerns to deal with, but he could not shake that from his mind.

They finally reached the meeting area and found that they were the first ones there. “This is the same place from my dream,” Noelle whispered as though she immediately recognized the sacredness of the grounds.

Dustin nodded at her. “Yes, this is why you came,” he explained. “I called a meeting of all the alphas to discuss what has been going on. Of course, now we have an additional topic of concern.”

Noelle blushed at this as she was aware he was referring to her existence. “What has been going on?” Noelle asked, trying to divert the attention from her.

Maria spoke up this time, “There are hunters in our area and they have been growing in number, and using weapons which we cannot fight against. Last night, another member of our pack was killed.”

Noelle looked confused. “I don’t understand. There are no hunters in this area?” She looked at Declan as she spoke. She said, “My family were the only hunters.” At this, Dustin and Maria turned around swiftly.

“What did you just say?” Dustin asked, walking dangerously close to Noelle.

In that moment, Noelle realized it was probably not the best decision. It was silly to admit that she came from a family of hunters. But before anyone could say or do anything more, wolves emerged from every side of the meeting place. They entered the circle and changed into their human forms.

Dustin shook hands with each member and asked about their trip, but Noelle could tell from his body language that he was still riled up. Maria smiled and said hello from a distance. Declan sat by himself, away from everyone as he observed the scene before him, and then Noelle quietly joined. Declan noticed that Gabriel was not there amongst the alphas, and he secretly wondered whether he had received Dustin’s message.

Soon, the meeting was called to order, and all of the alphas sat down in their respective spots. Dustin began speaking, “I am glad to see so many familiar faces and I welcome the new ones.” At this, Dustin looked straight at Noelle. “It seems the world around us is changing drastically, and we must decide how to meet and overcome these new challenges.”

Dustin explained in detail about the surge of hunters in their area. He described the weapons that they had started using. Ones which involved silver. At this, many of the alphas grew uneasy.

“What can we do?” asked one of the older alphas who had traveled from Arizona.

“We should try to kill them all before they get bigger and more confident; before they start to spread to other areas.” Declan could feel Noelle wince as the woman across from her spoke up.

“What about a cure?” offered another woman who spoke quietly, and was much kinder looking. “Is there a cure that can save our pack if they are poisoned by silver?”

At this, Dustin looked at Declan and smiled sadly. “This brings me to my next point. We have an alpha among us who was ripped from his inner wolf.”

The alphas looked around at each other and there was a hushed gasp shared amongst them. Declan stood up from his spot and walked toward the center of the meeting place.

“My name is Declan and I was the alpha of my pack,” he started. “Let me rephrase that. I am the alpha of my pack, but in an effort to find a cure for silver, I was poisoned. Now, I am unable to transform into my wolf, although he is still in me. I can at times feel him, but I am not able to call him forward.”

The alphas stared at Declan, mesmerized as he spoke. They all felt for him and wanted to offer their condolences.

“I appreciate your sentiments,” Declan continued. “But those will not help me at this time. Does anyone have any information or knowledge of past incidents that might be able to help me?”

Most of the alphas shook their heads, no one had seen this happen before. But Declan noticed the kind, older lady sitting quietly as she contemplated something.

Declan walked up to her and asked, “What is it? Do you know something?”

She looked at him and offered a small smile. “There is a story around my parts of a similar occurrence. A witch once loved a wolf, but he betrayed her with another. Out of spite, the witch cursed him, making him unable to transform again. The man grew mad, unable to be human, unable to be wolf. He took his own life.”

The alphas listened to her story intently. Declan asked, “And this witch? Is she still alive?”

The woman nodded and quietly said, “I do not think she will ever die.”

Silence settled over the group of alphas. Everyone felt as though the entire world was against them —hunters killing them, witches cursing them, humans ignorant of their existence. To be a wolf in this age was proving a difficult feat —and to be an alpha, even more so.

Declan resumed his seat and Noelle watched him carefully as he considered the woman’s story. There could be a chance for him, still.

Dustin stood up again and coughed quietly, breaking the silence and directing everyone’s attention toward him again. “There is one additional matter which we should discuss,” Dustin said, his eyes lingering on Noelle. “And, I do believe that this could be related to the hunter issue.”

Noelle furrowed her eyebrow, unsure of what he meant by this. Dustin waved his hand to Noelle, ushering her to stand before the alphas. She hesitated at first, but Declan smiled at her reassuringly, so she joined Dustin in the center.

“This, ladies and gentlemen, is a hybrid wolf,” Dustin said proudly as though he had been the one who had created her.

The alphas began murmuring to each other, animatedly. It was clear that none of the wolves had ever believed a hybrid actually existed, and to see one live in the flesh was simply… unbelievable.

They began asking her questions, one speaking over one another. Noelle quickly became flustered by all the attention, and she looked up at Declan who was observing her intently.

“Noelle, you can sit back down,” Dustin offered in a moment of kindness. Noelle quickly walked back to Declan and sat next to him. If she was hoping for some sort of comfort from him, she was disappointed.

“Why do you say that she could be the source of the hunter problem?” the older man asked Dustin, once the group had settled down again.

“I believe,” Dustin said slowly, “that they are hunting not to kill all of us. I believe they are hunting to find one of us.”

All eyes turned to Noelle as he spoke, and she closed her eyes, praying not for the first time, that she could leave this place. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that only Declan was looking at her now.

“We’ll be okay,” he whispered in her ear. And as much as she wanted to believe him, she couldn’t let go of the dread building inside of her.

“She couldn’t explain it, but the further she walked into the forest, the closer she felt to finding Declan.”