"That was found on the porch. It has my name on it, Andrew." His voice shook slightly as he stared at the ribbon.

Alpha Lawrence let out a thundering growl at his blatant disrespect. The sound vibrated the air and made the Beta cower. "That is Alpha Lawrence to you!" His anger was tangible and Beta John once again pointed to the ribbon. Black for death. I wanted to smirk. Someone had finally had enough of Beta John, it was a pleasant thought. It made my day look up for a brief moment.

"There are more important things than that. Someone wants to kill me. That is a black ribbon with my name on it!" His voice held a higher pitch of fear and I watched as he started pacing. He looked scared as he ran his hands through his hair repeatedly. His eyes darted back and forth and I wanted to laugh.

"So?" Alpha Lawrence shrugged before he used a pen and flicked the black ribbon off of his schedule book. I wanted to laugh at the action as Beta John's eyes looked like they were trying to escape his head.

"So, what? Someone is threatening me. What are you going to do about it?" He stopped pacing and threw out his hands.

I turned my gaze to my Alpha. He was looking at Beta John, his entire demeanour was calm as he watched his Beta make a spectacle of himself. "Nothing." His mouth twitched slightly and I fought hard to keep the smile off of my own face. Beta John was receiving his comeuppance for his sins. He had a juvenile female abused to get back at Alpha Lawrence for his wounded pride. This punishment was long overdue.

"Nothing. You aren't going to do anything?" He sounded incredulous and Alpha Lawrence shook his head, turning the page of his book, tapping it with his pen. He scanned the paper, his gaze on it and not on his Beta. I watched him carefully, as I had said before, I did not presume to know what my Alpha was thinking but I knew he enjoyed this.

"Nope." He let out a sigh and scratched something out on the book before writing something down.

I turned my gaze and watched as Beta John's face went red. "Why?" He spat the word out and I flicked my gaze to Alpha Lawrence who set his pen down carefully and linked his fingers together before looking at Beta John with a rather cold expression.

"I receive death threats all the time, Beta. Only, I know who my enemies are and who my allies could be. I suggest you figure out which is which and prepare for who might be coming. If you are truly scared, stay inside for a few days." He waved his hand flippantly and I smirked at the gesture, knowing it would only anger the Beta. Stay inside. It was an insult to the man standing in front of him because only the untrained and weak stayed inside of the house when there was a threat.

"That is all you are going to say? Stay inside for a few days?" Beat John's voice screeched slightly. For a male who was supposed to be a great warrior it was damn near comical.

I lifted a hand and covered my mouth slightly, trying my hardest to hide my amusement. "It is just a ribbon, Beta John. There is nothing about a ribbon to be scared of." I looked at him and his gaze snapped to me.

His eyes narrowed in anger as he saw the smile I was trying so desperately to hide. "Watch your mouth-"

"Shut up, Beta. If you are that scared, hangout with the pups for the day or better yet, go to the basement and stay there. No one goes there." There was a strange iciness to Alpha Lawrence's tone that made me want to shiver.

I watched as Beta John flinched under it but he held himself tall and swallowed. "I need you to-"

"I do not answer to you, Beta. This threat means nothing. It is a ribbon. Just a fucking ribbon." Alpha Lawrence picked it up and froze slightly as he looked at the writing. I watched as a rather small, malicious smile crossed his face. "Oh, you have pissed off the wrong person, John Simmons. Pray that you have everything right with your god of choice because I cannot, nor will I, save you from who is coming." He locked gaze with the now pale faced Beta and I watched the interaction with interest.

"What?" Beta John's voice was quiet and Alpha Lawrence held the ribbon out, the name facing outwards. I looked at the strong but harsh lettering that spelled out Beta John's name in white.

"This is my brother's writing, Beta John. I cannot save you from him." The words were icy and I felt my heart beat harshly in my chest. Everyone knew of Alpha Lawrence's brother. The man who had given up his rightful title as Alpha after his mate had been killed in an attack. Many suspected that it had been planned that Jace was supposed to die and not his mate but something gone wrong with it. Jace Lawrence had been left alive with his son and after he left the title of Alpha to his younger brother he left and no one had seen him since.

"You have to do something!" Beta John sounded frantic and I watched as Alpha Lawrence shook his head, that same smile on his face as he set the ribbon down. Jace Lawrence was a brutal man if rumours were to be believed and the fact my Alpha was refusing to step in to help just further cemented the fact that he wasn't someone to mess with.

"What? What can I do, Beta? Jace wants you dead and there is nothing I can do to stop him. What did you do to piss him off? What did he find out? He has marked you for death and there is nothing you or I can do to stop it." A firm note of finality was in his tone and the smile disappeared. He was firm because everyone knew that what Jace Lawrence wanted, he got. If he wanted Beta John dead, there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.

"Put more warriors out, double the patrols. Do something!" John's arms waved wildly and I immediately thought of the ridiculous tube men that flailed around outside of mundane car dealerships. I bit back a laugh at the mental image and pressed my lips together tightly to prevent it from escaping.

"We are stretched thin as it is, Beta. There is nothing we can do. We can hope that he comes in easy and quietly. You can hope he will be able to listen to reason. I will not fight my brother for you because he will kill me." His eyes were cold and I could see his anger at the pursuance of the subject. To him the subject was closed but Beta John wasn't listening. Even I knew better than to push his patience. I could insult him and ignore him but I did not push on a subject he was unwilling to discuss.

John narrowed his eyes. "You-" Alpha Lawrence slammed his hands down on the desk with a loud bang and stood up. His rage seemed to fill the room and his brown eyes were icy.

"I am not willing to die for the man who gave the order to turn my daughter into an Omega! Take you punishment for the wrong you did my brother because you will have no help from me." He was trembling with rage and I looked at Beta John who opened and closed his mouth rapidly in shock.

"I suggest you hide with the Omegas. No one will think to look for you there." My tone was mocking and he glanced at me before he snapped his mouth shut. He looked between me and Alpha Lawrence slowly. He had finally realized he had no allies in the room. It was left to be found if those that were in the room were also his enemies.

"You don't know what happened." His voice trembled with anger and Alpha Lawrence growled low in his throat.

"I know enough, Beta John. Now get the fuck out of my office." At his words John rushed out, slamming the door behind him. The walls rattled from the force of it and I let out a chuckle.

"That takes care of that problem. Now I don't have to deal with him." I looked over at my Alpha and he shook his head, a frown etched onto his face. I rolled my eyes before letting my head fall back to stare at the ceiling.

"Jace isn't killing him for the Beta position. You can have it after he is dead." He sounded expectant, like he wanted me to enjoy the offer he was giving me but he and I both knew I would never take the position.

I hated his pack and putting me in a position of power would only enable me to abuse that power to make them suffer. And I would make them suffer. "I don't want it." I shrugged and I knew he was frustrated. I was the only person he could trust and I did not want him to trust me with that. He was surrounded by false friends and he needed me, which was the only reason I stayed.

"I'm ordering you to take it." He sounded almost petulant and I rolled my eyes, following the cracks in the ceiling with my gaze. He could not order me to take a position I did not want, especially the Beta one.

"You can't do that." I lifted my head and stared at him, narrowing my eyes slightly. He looked lost. "You said your brother was coming for him. Ask him that the fuck happened that day. Ask him why he wasn't there." I watched as anger slipped through his mask and he nodded before I let out a groan and sat in the chair properly. I rubbed at my face, scratching at my slight beard as I watched him slowly nod again.

"You are right. I need to know why." His voice cracked on the last word and I stood up and stretched. With his mind on his brother and away from me taking the Beta position I was more than happy to leave him to his thoughts.

"I have patrols to run. I'll be back in several hours. Mind-link me when your brother gets here so I can watch him rip Beta John part." I moved towards the door and Alpha Lawrence coughed slightly and I looked over my shoulder. He had a rather sad expression on his face.

"You never answered my question, Bennett, but I am going to say this. If you loved her then you are a better male than any one of them in this pack. If you loved her enough to try and stop her, then you are more of a male than me." He said it softly and I couldn't take the look in his eyes or what he said. I left the room quickly before I could say something stupid. I hated that he had put the thought into my head, I hated how it was all I could now think about. I preferred it when he was asking me to be Beta because it didn't make my heart clench with pain. I shook the thought away and focussed on his previous words.

Anyone else would have been ecstatic that their Alpha wanted them to take the position but I knew the added authority would only make it harder to go rogue. He may have thought I wouldn't do it but made my mind two years ago when I watched his daughter trudge bare foot through the snow. I wanted no part in a pack that did that to one of their own, that did that to her.

My wolf was pacing and restless. I rolled my shoulders and forced him to wait while I walked down the stairs and out the front door. The winter air was icy as I slowly stripped off my clothes and put them in a gunny sack I had grabbed from the pile by the door. I set it down and allowed the shift to move through me. I forced myself to shift slowly, my bones, snapped and shifted painfully under my skin until I was standing on four legs. I knew that if I allowed the shift to happen faster it wouldn't have been painful but I liked the pain. I embraced it because it reminded me I was alive. I shook out my fur and grabbed the gunny sack in my mouth and ran towards the tree line.

It didn't take me long to reach the edge of the trees and I moved to my usual tree and stashed the sack in the hollow under the roots. Every shifter had their own special cache for patrol and there were hundreds of regular pack ones hidden throughout the territory in case of emergencies. I shook again before I lowered my nose and breathed in deeply. My nose took in the regular scents of the forest and I started to search for abnormal scents in the air.

I allowed my wolf a bit more control as we searched large swaths of the forest. After the time I spent searching for Mary Mary, I knew the forest better than most of the pack members. I always made a large curving zig-zag pattern at the start of my patrol. It drove Beta John and his son, Lucas, crazy. They called it a waste of time but I knew it helped me get the right scents into my nose and helped my wolf become more attuned to his surroundings.

I reached the patrol meeting spot and hunkered down under a bush. If I remembered correctly, I had to deal with Lucas and several of his lackeys for patrol. They were late or was it I was early? I looked up at the sky and noticed a faint tinge of pink on the horizon. I was early.

After nearly half an hour I could hear wolves approaching and I allowed my wolf to sink further into the shadows. They were noisy, not even attempting to hide their approach. If I had been a rogue I would have been gone before they could have scented me. I had positioned myself downwind a habit I had picked up from my wolf's instincts, they never would have been able to scent me. I could have taken down two or three of them before they got over their shock at a surprise attack. It made me want to laugh.

They were useless.

I watched as four wolves came into the small clearing, they were yipping at one another like puppies and I resisted the urge to growl at their childish behaviour. That could be saved for other times. It was a patrol, a shifter needed to be on-guard at all time. Vigilant of their surroundings and always checking the air. A dark furred wolf lifted its head and let out a small growl. Lucas had noticed my supposed absence.

Bennett, it's time for patrol. Where are you? You are late. His voice was borderline aggressive in my head and I held back my wolf from growling at him. It was disrespectful to blame me for his apparent lack of brain cells. I waited several moments before sniffing the air slightly.

It is not my fault you are too distracted to notice where I am. I've been here out here for nearly forty-five minutes. I slid silently from my spot and the wolves were immediately on guard as if my sudden appearance had startled them. They relaxed slightly as I stretched and shook my head, letting the snow fall off of my fur. Stupid children, playing when they should be working. You are going to get yourselves killed. I ignored the raised hackles and bared teeth that appeared at my words.

Show some respect. Lucas lifted his head, trying to make his wolf appear more dominant but it made him look like a pup trying his hardest to impress a female. We were the same height but I had more bulk and he knew it.

You are not my superior, Lucas. As I am the top warrior, that technically makes me the superior one right now. Unless you want to challenge me to take the position? I tilted my head as I sat on my haunches. I gave him a wolfy grin and I could see the want in him. He wanted to challenge me, he wanted to take the position as top warrior.

Maybe I will. He lowered down, his gaze unwavering on me as he moved back and forth, trying to entice me to attack. I waited patiently for a few brief moments before I could feel Alpha Lawrence open the pack link.

Lucas Simmons, I do not want to go out there and tear Bennett off of your dead corpse. Do your fucking job and ignore the smart ass. Bennett, stop goading him on and ignore the immature dipshit. I don't need you taking out another patrol member. Beta John has his panties in a twist already. If he twists them anymore he's going to go full on operatic soprano on me. His words were two parts filled with authority, one part exasperated, and another part amused. I let my tongue hang out as the grin on my face grew wider. I watched as Lucas snarled at the insult and a deathly silence filled our heads. Did you just snarl at me? The words were low and dangerous and I laid down, the grin still firmly on my face. I rested my head on my paws and waited.

Bennett, did Lucas just fucking snarl at me, his Alpha? He was expecting a reply and I tilted my head slightly, looking at Lucas. He was cowering and I jumped to my feet. I knew where this was heading and so did the rest of the patrol.

I would enjoy this. I watched as the other three wolves backed away, their tails between their legs as they whimpered slightly. Yes, sir. I watched as Lucas went down to his belly and whimpered. A submissive gesture that I knew Alpha Lawrence would ignore. The disrespect had been done and he would need to firm up his position as Alpha with Lucas.

Teach him a lesson. The words were said almost lightly but filled with a strong order and I immediately let my hackles raise and my teeth bare in a threatening growl. As Alpha Lawrence was not here to punish Lucas for his disrespect I was chosen. I was always chosen and I enjoyed every instance of it.

With pleasure, Alpha Lawrence. I jumped on the smaller dark wolf and grabbed the back of his neck in my mouth, shaking him vigorously. He yelped as my teeth broke skin but I ignored it as I threw him to the side before jumping on him again. He scrambled to get away as I snarled and growled before grabbing at his front leg and biting down, forcing him onto his side. He snapped at my face frantically, trying to get me to release his leg but it only made me bite down harder. I knew that if I increased the pressure anymore his leg bone would snap like a twig.

Don't break any of his bones. There was a warning in Alpha Lawrence's voice and I released Lucas's leg before backing up and charging at him. He scrambled to his feet, trying to get away but his wounded leg made him slow. I slammed into him with enough force to send him tumbling, he yelped in pain at the action. I was on him once more, the snarling growls I let out were nearly deafening as I finally managed to pin him on his back.

I bit down on his throat, shaking him violently as he yelped, trying to claw at my belly with his back legs. He let out a high pitched whine before finally submitting. He went limp and I held him in that position for a moment longer, waiting. Lucas, next time you disrespect me, you won't have to worry about Bennett enforcing the punishment because I will go out there and beat you bloody myself. There was a dangerous and deadly edge to his voice and I bit down a bit more on Lucas's throat, enjoying the pain filled whine he let out before I released him. I snarled in his face as he tried to get up before I moved away. He whimpered and bared his throat to me as I stepped over his quivering form.

I didn't look back at him as I took off for my usual patrol area. I always patrolled the same five miles of the outer edge of the territory. It was next to one of the neutral highways rogues and other packs used to move from place to place. It was the only edge of our territory that was close to one. I patrolled it because from my patrol route I could plan my eventual escape from the pack. I knew where to go, which territories to stay away from and how far I would need to run every day to stay alive. All I needed to do was stay a step ahead of the people they would send after me.

I sniffed the air, something was off and it left me feeling uneasy as I started my patrol run. There weren't any tracks or any new scents but the uneasy feeling wouldn't leave me alone. Alpha, I haven't scented anything but something has me on edge. Watch yourself. I allowed my wolf to dash from tree to tree, taking in scents and information. I was missing something, I couldn't put my finger on it but it was there. I wasn't sure if Alpha Lawrence was in any danger but I needed to warn him anyway. I didn't wish for him to be hurt because Beta John would take his place and that would be a nightmare waiting to happen.

Thank you. I have the same feeling. Could just be my brother's message but I want you to watch yourself as well. Look at the neutral territory as well. See if you can see anything out of place but don't leave the territory. I need you close in case anything happens. He closed the connection and I understood what he meant. He needed me to be close enough to protect his back if shit hit the fan. As I was the only one he trusted, he needed to keep me where I could reach him if anything happened. I moved closer to the edge of the territory, looking at the neutral highway. I couldn't see anything out of place so I continued to do my run.

Nearly an hour and a half later and I still had yet to relax. Something had me on edge and I scented the air back where I started my patrol run and I froze. There were no scents as if something had come and taken them all away. I slowly moved ten feet to the left and sniffed, the normal scents were there and when I moved back to my original position they were all gone. My wolf was immediately tense as I figured out the exact dimensions of the scent blind spot.

It was eight feet across and it lead straight towards the pack house. I knew there were no scents but the entire thing reeked of magic. I knew of witching cloaks, a cloak that had been charmed to remove the scent of the wearer by an older witch. From how wide the path was it would have had to been nearly half a dozen people, if not more, that had moved towards the pack house. I was immediately on high alert.

Alpha Lawrence, we have intruders. I cannot scent them but they are here. I sniffed at the ground, following the scentless trail. I was trying to watch my back as I tried to find any scent possible to identify the intruders I knew were on the territory.

Okay. Thank you, Bennett. I'll have to punish Lucas and the others for missing them. This is why I like you on patrol. He shut the connection down and I focused my entire attention on watching my surroundings as I followed the wide path. I ran forwards a good fifty feet before sniffing the air once more.

I froze in place. The faint scent of flowers and honey teased my nose. I sneezed, trying to shake the phantom scent from my snout. I put my nose to the ground but the scent had disappeared. I felt suddenly apprehensive as I moved forward. I didn't know why I suddenly remembering her scent. I moved forward another ten feet when the faint scent appeared again, just a slight teasing of a scent but it made my heart race. I lowered my nose but the scent wasn't on the ground, it was if it floated in the air. I followed the quickly fading scent before it disappeared quickly.

Mary Mary was caught unwary.

I shook the words from my head as I searched for the scent again. I needed to find her scent. I ignored how similar this was to my nightmare.

But where did her body go?

I ignored the wariness I felt as I moved further down the wide trail before I caught a whiff of her scent. I followed it like a wolf possessed before I abruptly stopped once more as the trial ended.

With the icy snow and the harsh winds that blow.

I darted my eyes back and forth, my entire body stilling. I waited for an ambush and when I couldn't sense one I leapt forward. My feet pounded against the earth as I tried my hardest to catch the faint scent. I hadn't smelled her scent in over a year and I wondered why it was appearing now. She was haunting me even while awake and I hated how the guilt ate at me.

Now no one will ever know.

I caught the faintest whiff of it before it was gone, the brisk winter breeze blowing it away almost cruelly. The wild's words came from around me but I wondered if it was just inside of my head as I dashed forward, my heart was pounding against my ribcage as I caught small part of it that the wind hadn't taken. They were so small that a wolf that hadn't known the scent of the territory would have missed them completely.

You can search and you can look, boy, but you will never find what you seek.

The scent trailed disappeared completely and after several minutes of frantically searching I found myself nearing the edge of the forest. I froze, my heart clenching in my chest. Why was my mind playing tricks on me? Had I not been punished enough?

You will never find her.

The words echoed in my head with a cruel and cold laugh as I let out a whine. I was going crazy. I couldn't handle the nightmares or the dreams. I knew it was the house, I knew it was the forest. They reminded me of her. Everything I did brought her to my mind and I was going crazy. I needed to leave. I needed to get out.

Bennett, I need you right now. So cut the panic shit out. Alpha Lawrence's voice was sharp with apprehension and I shook myself out of my slight panic. He did not sound like himself as he said it and I quickly moved to my tree and shifted. I allowed the painful shifting to focus my mind, to keep the panic from getting worse. I yanked the sack out from its hiding place and started to pull my clothes on. The snow was icy underneath my feet and I cursed as I slipped my boots on, not bothering with my socks. Bennett. Now. There was a frantic tone in his voice and I cursed again as I pulled my button up shirt on. I started quickly walking across the field of snow that lay in front of the pack house. I kept my gaze down as I did up the buttons before rolling the sleeves up to my elbows. The wind nipped at my bare skin but I ignored it as I came closer to the house.

I looked up and slowed down when I saw a small figure sitting curled up on the wide steps. I drew closer and I frowned as I realized they were wearing a cloak. The memory of the wide trail of missing scents came to mind and I moved closer. I stopped a good twenty feet from them when the wind pushed against my back. I bit back an oath as the person stiffened, their head snapping up at my scent. The air left my lungs in a whoosh as beautiful grey eyes stared at me from an ethereal, almost impish face.

The eyes were wide with surprise before they turned to curiosity and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I felt like my world wasn't real because the person staring at me had died two years ago. She had died and so there was no way she was standing on that same porch she had stood on two years before. I could feel the intense pull towards her and I watched as she slowly stood up and moved down the two steps before a bare foot peeked out from beneath the cloak.

It hovered over the white snow for a moment and I shook my head. "Don't." My voice was straggled as I stared at her. Even if it wasn't real I would not let her cross the snow barefoot. Not again. Not for me. I looked at her beautiful face and she looked puzzled for a moment before I moved closer to her, my movements were jerky. I wasn't sure if she had come back to haunt me once more or if she was a hallucination that my mind had constructed from my guilt.

I stopped as my boots hit the front of the bottom step. She was small, even standing on the bottom step she had to look up at me slightly. I searched her gaze trying to figure out if she was real. Her grey eyes were innocent and held a warmth to them. I watched as her soft and full lips pulled into a small smile. I couldn't keep my gaze off of the fullness of her mouth. I felt my breathing increase and the fog from our breath mingled in the air between us. There was no way she was real. She couldn't be because I couldn't let go of my guilt that easy. This was another dream or nightmare, I couldn't tell at the moment but I knew I would wake up and she would be gone.

Alpha Lawrence's question slid into my mind. 'Did you love her?' as I looked down at her sweet, innocent face I found the answer. I had always known it but I hadn't allowed it to come forward because of the pain it would cause.

Did I love the female I had tried to make smile with every ounce of my being after I met her?

Did I love my Alpha's daughter in those sparse moments I had where I brought her objects of comfort?

Did I love the small female who I had watched cross the snow in bare feet and nothing but a nightgown?

Did I love the female I had mourned for so long and cherished my memories of?

Did I love the Omega who had been called Mary Mary?

Yes.

Yes, I did.