Declan and Maria headed back to the campsite shortly after their blissful affair in the river. She joked with him and they talked together just like old friends. It was weird because a small piece of Declan wondered if they really did just have sex, or not.

They arrived back at the campsite just as the sun was beginning to set and Declan went to his tent to change into some clothes that Dustin had offered him earlier in the day. He pulled on a light gray, V-neck shirt, and some shorts that were one size too big. They hung low on his waist. Once he had finished changing, he walked back out to the center where everyone had gathered. The group that was on hunting duty was about to head out, but Declan watched as tears were shed and long embraces were held.

“Did someone die?” Declan asked Maria, laughing at his observation of the crowd.

“No,” Maria said somberly. “But someone very well might.”

Declan was struck by the stupidity of his joke and he wanted so badly to stuff those words back into his mouth. He noticed that Maria had changed as well, into a loose-fitting tank top and shorts.

“Are you going out tonight, too?” Declan asked, surprised at how much the thought of her leaving filled him with dread. She nodded and looked up at him and suddenly, he understood. “Is that why you took me to the river?”

“Hey, if I go out, I’d like to do it with a bang. Literally!” Maria smiled, but it was darkened by the looming possibilities out there, in the dark of the woods. Who knew what awaited them tonight?

“I wish I could go with you,” Declan said quietly.

He didn’t say it out of a need to protect Maria, because he knew very well that she was more than capable of handling herself. He said it out of a carnal desire to rejoin the active theory. The theory of the survival of the fittest.

Maria nodded, but said nothing in response. The moment passed, and without a word she left his side and called her group together. They all headed into the woods with a final wave to their loved ones. It did not escape Declan’s notice that Maria did not wave to anyone.

Dustin had stayed behind with the rest of the pack and they all worked feverishly to get the fire started. “Isn’t this a bad idea?” Declan asked Dustin as he helped throw more wood into the flames.

“What?” Dustin asked, not even looking at Declan.

“Building a fire right now? I mean, isn’t it like a beacon just announcing where we are to the hunters?”

“Maybe,” Dustin said thoughtfully. “But then again, they also have to consider their own safety when voluntarily walking into a den of wolves.” This notion made Declan smile. He may not be a violent person, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he quite enjoyed the power that came with causing others fear. The power of being a wolf.

Once the fire was built, the pack gathered around the flames and waited in silence. A chill fell over them that was completely unrelated to the weather. And they stood like that; waiting, listening, watching, and anticipating anything and everything.

* * *

Noelle laid in bed motionless. She was painfully aware of Edmund in the room next to hers and she didn’t want to make a sound to let him know that she was still awake. The contents of the letter played over and over in her mind.

What was the likelihood that they reached out now, after Edmund just happened to reveal them? Then again, maybe they found Noelle because of Edmund. There were so many possibilities floating around her mind, it was hard to keep them all straight.

But one thing was certain —Noelle felt threatened. She had no idea if they were reaching out to her because she was a hunter, or if somehow, they had learned that she was the hybrid. Did they want to use her or kill her? Would it even be safe to meet with them at all? She did not know the answers to these questions, but she did know that Edmund would have to help her whether he wanted to or not.

Noelle rolled to her side and closed her eyes. She squeezed them hard against the sudden rush of emotions that were overwhelming her —she longed to return to the days when life was simple and actions were not considered, only taken.

The decision weighed heavily on her as to whether or not she should give into the werewolf in her, or whether she should take the cure. On the one hand, she could just become a wolf and be rejoined with her family. On the other hand, what about Declan? It seemed as though fate had a vendetta against them from the start. Initially they could not be together because he was a werewolf, and she a hunter. And now, how the tables had turned. He was now human, and she a hybrid.

Why was life so unfair? Who made the rules to a game that Noelle was not even sure she wanted to play? She shook the thought from her mind —she was done wasting her time thinking about things which she could not change. From this moment forward, she was determined to focus only on things which were in her control.

She would need to try to find Declan. She would need to meet this mysterious Mr. Sanders. And, she would need to decide which life she wanted to live.

* * *

Declan stood by the side of the fire and stared into the flames. The tension within the pack was palpable, and it had infected him thoroughly as though these were his own members. He glanced over at Dustin and saw a small vein in the center of his forehead throbbing rhythmically as he concentrated.

“Why didn’t you go with them?” Declan asked him quietly. Dustin continued to watch the flames that danced with the breeze of the night air, and after a few moments, Declan decided that he hadn’t heard him.

To Declan’s surprise, Dustin responded saying, “Someone has to stay here to protect the majority of the pack. Maria goes out with the hunting group tonight. And tomorrow, I will go out with them. But one of the alphas needs to stay here. The pack needs to see us staying strong during this time.” Declan nodded as he understood the logic behind that. When he and Cassidy had been a team, although they had never faced any issues like this, they always separated in order to protect the pack as best they could.

Declan wondered about Gabriel and how he was adjusting to the role of Alpha. He also wondered whether Romi had stepped in as the alpha female, even though the ritual was incomplete. He had left his pack in such a state of disarray that he realized in the moment. He definitely needed to go back as soon as possible.

The leaves rustled in the wind and everyone turned to look in that direction. Declan had an idea. “Why don’t we do some sparring?” he said to Dustin. “Some of the members can let out their frustrations and the others can watch. And on top of that, we’ll be building up our strength.”

Dustin smiled at his suggestion and nodded. “That’s a really good idea.”

Dustin quickly called over all the pack members and they gathered around him. He announced that they would be holding a friendly sparring match while they waited for the hunting group to return. The members looked around at each other anxiously, and it was clear that they all wanted their turn.

Declan smiled inwardly, and he realized that for the first time in a long time, he seemed to make the right call. The members formed a circle and Dustin stepped in the middle first. He eyed the newest member that had ridiculed Declan earlier in the day and he called him forward. The boy looked petrified, but he stepped inside of the circle to accept the challenge.

“Ryan,” Dustin said loudly, so that the rest of the pack could hear him loud and clear, “you were taught an important lesson today from Declan. A lesson about respect and loyalty. Isn’t that right?” The boy nodded slowly, not entirely sure where this would lead.

“Good,” said Dustin. “Now, I think we are all curious to see how that might have ended up for you had you not chosen to walk away.” Dustin laughed and the boy swallowed the huge lump that had formed in his throat. “Are you ready?” Dustin asked. His face grew fierce and his skin rippled with anticipation. His inner wolf was scratching at the surface, clawing to get out.

The boy nodded once and he closed his eyes as his own skin started to shred and fall from his body. His deep brown hair emerged from beneath, and his coat was short and rough. He smiled ferociously, revealing his razor-sharp teeth from beneath his muzzle. Claws took the place of fingers, and his four paws hit the ground with a thud.

Dustin looked at the young boy’s form in admiration. He truly did love and appreciate all his members. Dustin leaned forward and his own skin peeled from his body, revealing a luminous white coat. Declan’s eyes opened wide —he had never seen a wolf of this color before. His coat was so bright, it was almost blinding. The stark contrast between his fur and the blackness of his lips only made him all the more frightening.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the boy ran toward Dustin. But he dodged out of the way so easily, it was as though he was liquid in form. Declan watched in amazement as the two wolves sparred. He had seen excellent fighting in his day, but nothing like this. Dustin did not ever attack the boy, called Ryan. Rather, he just melted from the place where the boy attacked. He was exhausting Ryan, and the boy’s moves were becoming less strategic and more, undeniably rash.

Ryan ran toward Dustin again, and right before he got to him, he lunged into the air in an attempt to slam into Dustin’s body. Dustin lifted his own front paws from the ground, and in one swift motion, he slapped Ryan down from mid-air. Ryan laid on his side on the ground, breathing erratically. He turned back into his human form and managed to pull himself up on his knees as he panted.

“One way to always ensure a victory,” Dustin said to the pack while still in his wolf form, “is to use your opponent’s strength against him. You can reserve your energy, and let them expend theirs. And when the moment is right, you attack. They will not be able to recover.”

Dustin turned back into his human form and walked over to Ryan, offering him his hand to stand up. Ryan locked hands with Dustin’s and Declan saw a transformation in the boy’s eyes. Gone was the haughty confidence, and in its place, Declan could swear he saw a seed of humility beginning to take root.

“Who’s next?” Dustin asked.

One woman with slightly greyed hair stepped into the group at the same time as a younger man, with muscles all the way to his neck. The woman smiled at him softly and they both changed into their wolf forms. The fight was over in minutes as the woman expertly swirled around the circle, causing the male wolf to trip multiple times. She slammed him to the ground and smiled at him in victory.

“Never underestimate your opponent!” Dustin yelled into the night air as the woman lifted the man from the ground. He smiled at her gratefully and the two of them walked from the center of the circle together. “Next!” yelled Dustin. But before any other members could step into the circle, they heard yelling from the edge of the camp. The members started looking around at one another to see who was screaming.

Declan closed his eyes and concentrated on the screams. He could tell it was coming from the east, and he took off running, followed closely by Dustin and a few other members. They did not have to run far to see who had been screaming.

“Help!” it was coming from Maria. She stood over the body of one the pack members and the group watched as his skin disintegrated from his body.

“Silver,” Declan whispered. The wolf was gone and there was nothing he could do at this point.

The others of the hunting group walked up slowly behind them and Maria returned to her human state. She looked up at Dustin and said, “There were more tonight. They are becoming a bigger group. What are we going to do, Dustin?”

He did not respond. He picked up what was left of the werewolf’s body and walked back to the camp in silence. The pack members began howling as soon as they saw what he was carrying. Declan’s own heart ached for this person he had never even met.

Maria walked behind him slowly in defeat. Dustin threw the remains into the fire and they all watched as the flames burned steadily on. The other pack members laid down the bodies of two small deer by the fire, but no one seemed that interested in eating anymore. Quietly, some of the members retreated into their own tents.

Dustin sat next to the fire and dragged his hands through his hair, tears visible in his eyes. Declan could not find any words to say that might offer comfort. Maria sat down next to Dustin in silence. Declan joined them, and the three of them, although not speaking, shared the same thought. What were they going to do?

* * *

Noelle slept in fits. She would wake up suddenly, drenched in sweat and then fall right back into the same dream.

She was standing in a forest, and suddenly, the trees would shift away from her and a small circular clearing would appear. On the edges of the circle, there were logs set up connecting to one another. In the center of the circle, there was a small stone.

As Noelle stepped closer to the stone, she heard a rustling behind her. Declan would step out from behind the trees and he looked at her, but he didn’t seem to notice her. Another man emerged from behind him and walked to the stone. He did not seem to see Noelle, either.

The man placed his forehead against the stone and started speaking. “Brothers and sisters, I am calling out to all of you as a cry for help. Our packs have been under siege from the hunters and we have lost many members. They have not only killed members, but have taken them away from us for reasons which we do not yet know. We have an alpha in great need of our help.”

Noelle’s eyes shot open again and she was breathing hard as though she had just been running for hours. The dream stuck with her this time, and she had this unfaltering feeling that she knew exactly where she would be able to find Declan.

“What were they going to do?”