Chapter 11

Lauren

So there was something wrong in the pack Phoenix hadn't told me about, I'd have to ask her about that later. I was appalled by the amount of order they had within the pack. They were just teenagers, any other group with this amount of teenagers in one house would've destroyed it long ago. As I thought about that I remembered what Phoenix had said about how they never aged. *I wonder how old everyone here actually is?* I mused watching them walk out of the door one by one. Phoenix walked to me eyes shining with worry.

"I'll be gone only for a bit then we will have the rest of the night together." I hugged her one last time breathing in the foresty scent she carried with her. Cennady beckoned me over to sit with her. She was the only one of the pack I had yet to talk to.

"It's good to finally meet you. Phoenix's mind has been riddled with you in her thoughts, and I can see why." Her eyes were soft and light sparkled through them. "I remember how Blaze found me. It was quite the story. Would you like to hear it? We have time, the pack won't be back for at least an hour if not more." My eager expression must've given her the answer.

"I was on a hike by myself a few years ago in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Looking back I never knew why I went alone, I had quite few friends who I hiked with regularly. Something just...told me to go alone. It was the second day of the hike when it happened. I heard the scariest sound in my life; the call of a mountain lion. Immediately I looked around trying to find where it came from but my brain just wouldn't work - I was paralyzed by fear.

The mountain lion came up in front of me, just staring at me. Later I would find she was a mother protecting her territory and cubs. I had walked right into the middle of her den. At that moment I knew my life was over. I had nothing to defend myself nothing to attack it with. I began backing up but the lion looked at me as if daring me to move.

Suddenly I heard this howl. A huge russet colored wolf appeared behind me stared down this mountain lion. He was bigger than any wolf I had ever seen and even out sized the mountain lion in front of me. I don't think even the mountain lion knew what to do. Blaze launched himself at the lion and wisely the mountain lion ran. I thought I would be next when he turned at looked at me but something in his eyes told me otherwise. Then I watched as this wolf shifted into this beautiful man in front of me. The rest is history." She let out a tinkling laugh and Luke came over to sit on her lap. His bright blue eyes were full of hope and promise.

"Mommy guess what!" Cennady went to tickle him. "What my little Monkey?"

"Someday I'm gonna be with hunting wolves!" He said in between giggles. "Yes you are! Now go play with your sister and the others while I talk with Lauren, okay?" She turned back to me studying my face.

"You're worried about the threat Phoenix mentioned aren't you?" I nodded not wanting to jinx finding out about what was going on. Cennady sighed, outside I heard the paw steps of the patrolling wolves running the perimeter.

"It began with the two bodies we found in the woods. There was something wrong with them - and it wasn't because they were dead. It was because there was no scent, nothing disturbed, or anything out of place besides those bodies. The wolves have about a thousand times better senses than we do, and even in their second form, they could detect nothing. That's what worried everyone.

When you came the first night and Arielle put you to sleep something else happened that night. While the pack was out hunting, a strange - well weird thing happen. A dark..." She hesitated eyes flickering to the kids playing in the other room. "Figure if you will. Showed up closer to this house than anybody not apart of this pack has ever come without permission. Phoenix sprinted back feeling danger...danger to you." Cennady looked at me as if I knew why that was important.

"I keep forgetting, this is all new to you. A mate can sense when their other half is in danger or hurting; because Phoenix is so powerful, she can feel intent. She felt that this man had the worst intent to either the pack or you. When she got here, the thing spoke to her. It taunted her, telling her it was more powerful than she was. Telling her that if she didn't join it then our whole pack would suffer the consequences.

Then it -"

"MOMMY!" Luke came running in, his eyes wild and unfocused, breathing hard. "There's something coming, something bad. It's really bad mommy. It's coming to talk to our Alpha." He slumped over his breathing steadying as Cennady jumped to his side. Just at that moment the most eerie howl I ever heard went up next to the house.

I looked out the window to see all four of the wolves on guard duty growling, hackles raised looking at something in the darkness my eyes couldn't make out. Suddenly I felt Cennady pulling me.

"Get the kids and get upstairs. NOW!" Her harsh whisper broke though my trance like a whip. The three other kids had come to see what was going on, already heading upstairs. Cennady grabbed Luke and began to pull him upstairs after the other kids.

I looked out the window once more to see a huge white wolf appear blood staining it's mouth from a recent kill looking toward the darkness with it's lips pulled back and huge white canines exposed.