Prologue

‘Jackson, we have a situation.’ Aiden mind-link his alpha.

‘What’s going on, you need back-up?’ Jackson mind-linked back.

‘I don’t know, we got a human girl on our territory. She doesn’t look like a hiker, but she keeps going deeper into our territory. What should I do?’ Aiden says as he keeps his eyes on the girl. The human didn’t look like she was a hiker, she had on a black crop shirt cover with a long sleeve white shirt, that was paired with a short jean and some boots. She also only had a small leather backpack. The girl had long brown hair and soft blue eyes. She seemed so tiny in the massive woods. Her button nose went well with her round face. But nothing about her appearance made Aiden think that she had planned or had experience hiking before.

‘For now, just keep an eye on her. She probably just got bored and wanted to walk around. Just make sure she doesn’t get to close to the main pack house and that she leaves the territory safely. The last thing the pack needs are a bunch of humans on our land, looking for a lost girl.’ Jackson instructed Aiden. Aiden made sure to follow the girl, keeping his distance and watching her from a far. His paws hit the ground softly, leaving the girl unaware that she was being followed by a beast.

Aiden followed the girl for at least an hour as she walked deeper into the woods, with each minute that past she was getting closer to the border between the pack’s territory and the bloodsucker’s territory. She got to the waterfallthat leads into a river that separate the two territories and Aiden kept a close eye on her.

‘Where is the girl?’ Jackson's voice rang in Aiden’s head.

‘She reached the border between the two territories; I don’t know what she is planning to do. I hope that she will turn around soon and head back into the town’s direction.’ Aiden said as he tried to hide his massive wolf form behind the trees.

‘I’ll come and take over watch for you.’ Jackson said and cut the link. Aiden watch as the girl stood at the edge for a few minutes, a sad smile formed with her soft pink lips, but soon she finally turning to leave. She took a few steps away from the edge and then stopped once more. She turned back towards the waterfall, and she started to sprint. Aiden realized that she was about to jump off the edge. He run around the trees that concealed him and made his way towards the girl. She was too close to the edge, and he was too far away. He picked up his speed and made it just as the girl pushed herself of the ground. The fear of the girl killing herself, pushed Aiden even more. Aiden reached out with his muzzle and tried to bite down on her backpack, but he missed, and, in a panic, he bit down on the first thing he could. The next moment an ear-screeching scream could be heard echoing throughout the woods. Aiden quickly drew the girl back onto the solid ground. She cried out and rolled in pain as Aiden released her left wrist. The girl cruideled her wrist, spilling with blood, her screams died out as she passed out from the pain and the loss of blood. Aiden heart was racing in a panic. He had just bitten a human; he had just bitten a girl. He was so stunned that he couldn’t even move, he was only brought back to reality when he heard Jeremy yelling at him in his head.

‘What happened? What was that scream?’ Jackson’s voice rang out in his ears.

‘Aiden are you already? What happened’ More questions came flooding in and that’s when Aiden finally woke up from his trance.

‘I’m okay, but I did something really bad.’ Aiden said through the mind-link and turned away from the unconscious girl. He had just broken on of the wolves most sacred laws. 

‘What was that scream is the human okay?’ Jackson asked, the urgency in his voice was clear.

‘I … I … I did … something’ Aiden stammered, still not able to comprehend what he had just done.

‘What did you do, Aiden?’ Jackson’s voice was getting louder and louder each second that the suspense build. Aiden couldn’t even answer Jackson.

‘Wait where you are, I’ll be there in less than a minute.’ Jackson said and caught off the mind-link. Aiden shifted back into his human form and grabbed a pair of boxers that were stashed everywhere around the woods. Just as he pulled up his pants, Jackson stopped right next to him. Aiden silently handed him a pair of boxers; shock still present in his system.

“What happened?” Jackson asked, the authority clear in his voice. Jackson looked at the uncounscious girl and then turned to face Aiden once more. 

“She turned around, I thought she was about to leave but she stopped and then started to run to the edge.” Aiden began. He took a heavy breath in and run his hand over his short black hair. His muscles which were normal already prominent stood out even more with the tension it carried.

“I tried to stop her by catching her on her bag and I miss…” Aiden spoke again but stopped as he couldn’t finish the last part.

“So you bit her? You know what this means for a wolf, the elders, till force me to kill you. What were you thinking?" Jackson scoled Aiden. Aiden was only fourteen when he jioned the pack after his grandfater gave him away to them, so ever since then Jackson has viewed Aiden as his own. 

“I just wanted to stop her form killing herself, Jackson. I didn’t me to do it.” Aiden said.

“You know that doesn't matter, not to the elders. I know you wanted to do the right thing, but this ...” Jackson stopped his sentece and sighed in frustration. His anxiety was building up with each passing second.

“I tried to grab onto the bag and then I missed so a tried grab onto anything I can and I … I bit her.” Aiden said. His voice was heavy with regret because he knew that he had just broken pack law. It was clear to Aiden that a hundred different thoughts were running through his Alpha’s head. If it wasn’t so obvious in his facial expression, Aiden would still be able to feel it through the bond. 

“It doesn't matter that you wanted to do the right thing. There is nothing we can do now anyway, it's already done. We have to get the girl, back to the pack house and then will come up with a plan.” Jackson said. the domanice in his voice, showed his anger and fear for what's to come. Aiden nodded his head, listening to his alpha. Aiden and Jackson took a few steps to where the girl had passed out, but she was no longer there.

...

Breanna shot up from the chair she was sitting on and rushed through the open glass doors and stopped at the patio’s railing. She closed her eyes and listen more carefully to the voices that were carried in the wind. Her brothers, Eric and Nicholas came rushing to her side. 

“What is it, Brea?” Eric asked Breanna, but she looked down to her other brother that stood at the opening to the houe. It was clear to Eric and Nicholas that Brea and William were having a private conversation. 

"How sure are you, that you heard Layla's screams?" William asked out loud, after reading Brea's mind. 

"I'm sure, it was hers. I know it was Layla." Brea said. Nicholas and Eric looked at one another. The fear clear in both their eyes. Nicholas took Eric's hand as the tension filled his body. WIlliam jumped off the ground and onto the second floor patio, standing next to the rest of his family. 

"That can be true, Layla is still in seattle. We need to make sure of this." William said. Everyone could see the fear and stess in his eyes. 

"Nathaniel, Grace." William called for the rest of his family and walked back into the house and reached out for the phone on the dinning table.  He placed, layla's number in the phone and listen as it rang. A second went past, then another and another...

'Will.' Layla's weak voice was heard, but not from the phone. William turned his head and dropped the phone. 

'Will, I need you. I need your help ... please.' Layla's weak voice was heard in his mind. 

'Help me. i'm at the crossing.' Layla's voice continued in Williams's mind. At that moment, Grace and Nathaniel entered the living room. 

'Will, please.' Layla's voice, still weak and breathless, rang in William's, mind. 

"Layla." William said in a breahless voice, he run out of the house, to the pation and jumped over it, before landing on the wood's floor and started running to the territory's boarder. The rest of the family following him, without qeustion. 

...

"We need to call in the rest of the pack to help track down the girl. We need to make sure she doesn't go back into town. She'll be a danger to herself and the town's people. You go and look for her so long, while I gather the rest of the pack. " Jackson said. Aiden nodded without qeustion, before taking off and following the human's scent. 

Notes for the readers-----------

- Words in 'Single Italics' are words said through mind links.