Crosshairs (closed)

[Soliloquy]

While James was pleasantly surprised and impressed by Elise's choice to change without pressure, but Anthony was (not surprisingly) the first to speak up. He clapped his hands together and beamed at her.
 


"Well done, little wolf. See, girls got balls bigger than you, Robbie," he elbowed his brother with a laugh. Which caused a small bit of back and forth banter before James broke them up.
 


"Girls, you're both pretty. Now let's get going and show our lady wolf the way around our lands," he too had a grin on his face though. As much as the initial years had been rough learning to change, he now enjoyed his wolf form and found it liberating.
 


One by one the pack members took turns shifting while another would put their clothes into the sack. Marcus, of course, was private enough to leave the room and return once shifted into a relatively slender black wolf, his tail wagging at Elise before sitting beside her. The brothers, relatively lacking in shame, shifted right in the den, both a similar fur of reddish-brown and slightly difficult to tell apart by just looking.
 


James ushered his pack out the backdoor while still in human and holding the bag. Motioning for Elise, he helped her step into the straps of the bag, tightening it on her chest and shoulders. He dropped his clothes into the bag, securing the lid and giving her back a small pat as a signal she was good to go.
 


"Anthony left flank, Robert right. Marcus cover the rear. Elise, we're keeping you in the center. Try to keep up." He grinned, standing before them naked. Each wolf gave a bark in response. "Let's run." In a similar matter to his previous transformation, he had started running and changed while in motion. The other guys liked to call him flashy, but to him it felt appropriate. He led the way into the woods, the ground melting into his paws as he dodged trees, leaped over small boulders and roots, dirt stirring in his past. This was his Zion.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

The white wolf with her pristine fur waited patiently for the others to change. She had paced around the room with her nose to the floor, sniffing everything she could find until they were finished. Her nose was incredibly sensitive, and she found it hard to say idle when there were so many scents around. Trotting outside, it only became worse. The air hit her nose, and she lifted her head to sniff the wind. She could smell the trees, the dirt; the very earth itself. She could smell the rabbits down in their holes beneath the house, and a buck somewhere uphill.


Her fur bristled slightly at the urge to hunt, to track, but James's words filtered into her mind before she could take off. Marcus came up from behind her and gave a low growl, not threatening, but a means of telling Elise to move up a bit and get in center. She did so, and waited while James strapped the bag to her back. It was a weird weight distribution, but it was relatively light.


The two brown wolves nipped and pawed at each other in their form of rough housing. Anthony, the large of the two, was the first to move to position when James directed it. Once they were all ready, they took off. A symphony of short, excited barks could be heard as the large wolves raced into the woods.


The world blurred by Elise. Her eyes barely took it in, but her nose caught everything. She was the smallest of the bunch, but incredibly agile. She was able to hop left to right and over obstacles with expert precision. And damn was she fast. Robert and Anthony looked at each other from across the way and both had to kick their butts in gear to keep up. Marcus didn't have as difficult of a time. He moved with the same sort of grace that Elise did.


As they ran their territory, Elise surveyed everything. There were a few times when she would start to go astray in attempt to follow whatever scent had hit her nose, but one of the others always kept her in line. She was in the center of a very formidable pack, and not a single one of them was willing to let anything happen to her. When they finally started to slow down, arriving near the lakeside clearing that Elise had come to during her run, the wolves allowed a little bit of space to form between them.


Anthony was lapping up cold water from the lake and Robert tackled into him, knocking him into the waters with a big splash. Marcus seemed to simply be surveying the surroundings, and Elise of course had her nose to the ground again. She could smell the lingering scent of a fox that had been here not too long ago. She lifted her head, ears swiveling this way and that, and wondered if it had gotten far. Still, she didn't run off but kept with the pack as she knew she was supposed to. She showed a surprising amount of restraint, give how untamed her wolf was. She wondered how long that would last.

 

[Soliloquy]

The run was fast and exciting as James led the way, the warm nearly-afternoon sun weaving through tree branches and lighting the forest floor. He had known, mostly from his own experience, that once they were moving in their typical formation, a primal connection linked the four males together. While they weren't able to speak directly to each other, emotions, feelings, and intentions could be sensed by the others. Elise, newly introduced to the pack, seemed to pick up on the strongest of sense already, and the rest would come with due time.
 


As they arrived at the lake, James gave them a moment to rest, panting himself and letting the grass cool his stomach before crossing to Elise, nudging her shoulder with his head. He barked at the brothers playing, an order to stay and watch while he continued on with Elise and Marcus. Trotting toward the lake but then around the edge, he led her to a point, Marcus following in the rear as a sort of security and protection. Midway approximately on the width, James stopped and sat down. This was where their lands ended, as written in a treaty hundreds of years ago. Everything from the manor to where they had stopped was under their protection and control. No vampire was to ever be in their territory.
 


The points they had ran through were not the entire extent of their territory, this was merely the closest border. He began sniffing the ground, scents of recent visitors flooding to his mind. A small camping party had happened nearby, within the week, various wood creatures were within the next half mile, but then he froze. A new scent? As he picked it up, so did Marcus, both tensing from uneasiness. Another? No, it was impossible.
 


Suddenly James tore off back toward the lake, barking orders at Anthony and Robert. Their tour was being cut short, unexpectedly. Whether the wolf was directly on their land or across the border, it hadn't been noticed on the last round, confirmed by Marcus.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

The white wolf panted softly, but she didn't seem to be quite as winded as some of the others. Her endurance was admirable and probably a result of the fact that the wolf didn't get to run too often. She lifted her head and gave a soft grunt in response to James's urging. Her golden eyes looking this way and that, she ultimately followed him over to the edge of their territory.


Her sensitive nose caught all of the smells just as easily, including the unfamiliar wolf scent. Immediately, her hackles rose, and a low growl formed in her throat. It was one any of her companions' smell, and it caused some aggression to form in her. As was feared, she was only able to keep her self-control for so long.


A short howl was released as a sort of reaction to the overwhelming and foreign scent that offended her senses. She sniffed feverishly, following the scent back around the perimeter of the lake. It stopped and went right. Unable to control herself, Elise took off after the scent. Marcus caught sight of her as she ran, a white blur in the woods, and he let out a warning howl for James and the others before taking off after her.


Elise's mind was filled with the scent and nothing else. She became aware of only that as she ran as fast as her four legs could take her. The smell darted deeper inward, toward the manor, before taking a sharp turn out again. As she followed it, she grew closer and closer to the edge of their territory. Just as she was about to reach it, one of the two large brown wolves came darting out form another angle in front of her and skidded to a halt, stopping her in her tracks. he planted his front paws and dipped his head low, issuing a warning growl.


Elise whined feverishly and tried hopping left and right to get around the barrier, but by this time the others were there, too. She had no where else to go. Overcome with anxiety, she tilted her head back and let out a long, shrill howl. She turned several circles before finally losing her resolve and coming to a hit. Her nose was still up, sniffing intensely, but her pursuit had gone cold. She knew she wouldn't be able to continue after the scent, but she was still quite unsettled by it.


Robert, as Enforcer, looked to James for some sort of confirmation. When it was given, he headed outside of their boundaries to look around. As soon as he did so, Elise stood up again and whined incessantly until, after a few minutes Robert returned apparently with nothing to report.

 

[Soliloquy]

While the males were all up in hairs about the new found scent, it had been quite easy for Elise to slip away from them. James directed them in position to stop her while he collected himself. Roberts return with no information was even more offsetting. They had heard of Elise long before they caught scent of her or saw her, and now there was another wolf? This did not happen frequently as the wolf population had been dwindling over the past few decades. There hadn't been another wolf scent in nearly a year.
 


James shook his head to clear his thoughts, as he began jumping to all sorts of conclusions. What if it was some sort of a trap or attack of the vampires? It seemed highly unlikely that a rogue wolf would just happen to walk into their territory when all these other events had just happened. He grunted, trying to play it off, but his pack knew much better and while they continued on with their patrol, everyone was more cautious than normal; the brothers even behaved oddly enough.
 


Once their run had been completed, James led the way back toward the manor, their formation the same throughout the exploration. Once they were in the clearing that served as a yard, the males at sat waiting, expecting Elise to go change around a corner or in the house. Marcus, gentleman as he was, even sat facing the woods.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

After the initial shock wore off and everyone tried to return to some semblance of an orderly fashion, Elise found it would be next to impossible to follow that scent. They were all keeping a very close eye on her, having seeing how agitated she had been by everything. Robert watched her especially carefully. He knew what she was capable of. He had seen it yesterday when James had forced her to change. He still didn't trust her wolf, no matter how much improvement she appeared to be making. With all of the others there, that just gave her more people to attack. He simply could not have that.


Luckily, it never came to that. They were able it back to the manor with much interruption. The white wolf trotted off around the side of the house and went through the painful transformation back to her bipedal form. When it was complete, was on the ground on her hands and knees, sweating a bit from the effort and exhaustion of reeling the wolf back in. Pain vibrated up and down her body. The corners of her vision went dark as her mind threatened to give out on her. Just when she thought she had it handled, she turned to the side and vomited violently in some bushes. The taste of blood was on her tongue. It took her a little longer than expected, and everyone was probably wondering about her. Just as Robert was about to trot over and see what the hold up was, she appeared out from the side of the house, fully dressed.


Her cheeks were flushed, yet her face was pale at the same time. A thin layer of sweat shone on her forehead. Taking a deep breath, despite the pain in her throat, she walked over and set the open bag down in the middle of the four wolves. Marcus, who was standing nearby, placed his cold nose in her hand a moment. She looked down at him and offered up a smile.


"Suit up, boys."


She turned and headed inside and straight for a cup of coffee. Anything to get that metallic taste out of her mouth. She sat in the den with her coffee, waiting for the guys to finish up and head inside. Her mind was occupied on the foreign wolf that they had smelled in their territory. The thought still caused her to grow uneasy, but it was a little easier to handle in this form. She hoped that James had some answers.

 

[Soliloquy]

A small whine had come from James when Elise's return was delayed, his concern building and prompting Robert to go investigate. Seeing her emerged caused all four of them to wave their tales back in forth in a sign of relief.
 


Each of the males changed at their own individual pace. James, swift as always, was the first in a crouched position, grabbing his cargo shorts and shirt out. Marcus was next, while not as smooth as James, still a quick change back. The brother, large and bustling were slower, their human frames being larger possibly an explanation. Within minutes they joined her, dressed and already bustling with discussion about the unknown new scent. James was the last to join them back in the den, tossing a bottle of cold water at Elise.
 


"This is going to do you a lot more good," he offered, taking his normal position in the corner of a couch, Marcus to his right, nearest Elise. Robert sprawled over the one half of the couch while Anthony took it upon himself to drag the ottoman from it's normal place and sit facing James, winking at Elise in the process.
 


"As I was saying, we'll have to do patrols more often, just to be safe," James instructed, drinking from a second bottle of water he had grabbed for himself. "Whether they wandered in or it's the beginning of a threat, I want daily reports, particularly around the lake. And no solo patrols until I say so, just to be safe. We don't know if they're alone or have company, and it's best not to put ourselves in danger."
 


"I hadn't heard any news of new blood when I was up north," Anthony offered, although it wasn't very consoling. James' face scrunched in disapproval.


"Marcus, make some calls tonight. See if any hospitals have reported attacks that haven't made the news. Anyone who won't be staying here tonight should take extra precaution. If it is gathering information, we won't want to accidentally give any up."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Elise's mind was busy when the others came in. She was barely paying enough attention to catch the water bottle that was tossed her way, but she perked up at the last second and grabbed it with her free hand. She drank it, but not until after she had finished up with the coffee. She chewed on her inner cheek in deep thought. They hadn't had any problems with new blood, and then Elise showed up and now they suddenly had foreign wolves on their territory? It didn't feel right.


The wolf that had bitten her was, for all she knew, still alive and out there. She wasn't positive how all of that worked, but could it be possible that he was coming to finish the job or something? No, she told herself. That was insane.


"I'll look into it," Marcus said with a sage nod. "I'll be sure to check in with my contacts in neighboring territories as well. See if they have had any problems with mutts running about." He looked at Elise. "No offense."


"She's not a mutt anymore," Robert reminded Marcus.


But Elise could barely focus. Everything that was going on with her sister, then with the vampires, and now this seemed to weigh pretty heavily on her. It was a balancing act that she didn't know if she could handle in her current state. She wanted to flee the state; to cross over the border and see Anne. But she knew that was the most foolish thing she could possibly do. She had called the hospital to check in. That would have to be enough for now.


"There were no markers," Robert was saying. "It is like they literally just walked in, ran a few lines here and there, and ran back out. They left next to nothing behind."


"Perhaps just a rogue aimlessly meandering in," Marcus suggested. "They could have realized they were in pack territory and just headed back again."


"No," Elise finally spoke up. "Their pattern was very deliberate." She could remember it all perfectly. It was like the scent had burned a pattern in her mind. When she closed her eyes she could see it, like a lightning streak across the sky. "They zig-zagged their way in to make it look aimless, but where they stopped before turning back was very meaningful." She opened her eyes. "They were close enough to the manor to be able to smell us, and probably see us if anyone had been out while they were spying. Then, they darted off... fast... for the border. Whoever it was, and why ever they were doing it... they knew what they were doing."

 

[Soliloquy]

James watched his pack conversing, caught off guard with the others by Elise's sudden input. He nodded at the information she provided, storing it for later but beamed at her response. "Boys, say hello to our new tracker," he grinned.
 


"Fine as hell and a tracker," Anthony chimed in, "That's hot."
 


"Down," James scolded. "So we have a wolf who knows us and is smart enough to make a scout look like an accident. Hopefully we won't have our work cut out for us." His smile faded and his eyebrows knitted together as a frown. He returned his attention to Elise while stroking his chin.
 


"Do you need to go out again tonight? If at all possible I think you need to stay in," he gently urged, eyes falling down to her throat where the bruising was still evident.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Lavender eyes lifted to James as he made his little announcement. A tracker, hm? Elise smiled at the thought. It was kind of like being a cop again. She could definitely be okay with that. Her previous work accompanied by this new wolf certainly made her well-equipped for the job. Now, if she could actually return to the police force she'd be back to detective status in no time. Wishful thinking, though.


"Seriously?" Robert said, not at James's announcement, but at what Anthony said. "How has he not gotten a black eye yet?"


"From my understanding, he has yet to say that one colorful little word that resulted in you being knocked on your ass," Marcus remarked rather thoughtfully. He had a way of putting everything so eloquently.


"Eh... you have a point I suppose."


Elise opened her bottled water and drained it in just about one slug. She smashed the empty plastic up in her hand at James's inquiry of if she would be going out tonight. The sheer thought of Clay obviously still had her heated.


"I haven't heard from him yet," she said with an icy chill to her voice. "Doesn't mean I won't sooner or later, though."


Marcus noticed the way that James was looking at Elise's neck. They all had seen the bruising, and they all had come to know what had happened. And they were all pretty pissed about it. But, as bad as it sounded, it wasn't anything worth starting a war over.


"Well, we can simply hope that he will be distracted by his other nefarious deeds, I suppose." Marcus commented, offering a pat on Elise's leg. She offered up a weak smile in return. "I'm going to make some calls." Marcus said before standing up and heading out of the room.


"So what are we supposed to do? Just hang out and play board games all day?" Robert asked. The sheer thought of it had him bored already. He didn't know if James intended on keeping them all on lock down or just Elise.

 

[Soliloquy]

The Alpha could see the look of near-pain at the thought of being forced to stay in his Enforcer's eyes. He sipped his water, weighing his options. The other males had plenty of experiencing handling themselves over the years, however he had no idea what they were up against and what they had in mind. His mind made up, he gave Robert a half shrug.
 


"Whatever it is you normally do to keep yourselves out of trouble," he offered, tossing his empty bottle at Robert's head after securing the lid. Robert, of course, easily caught it, a less-than-pleased look on his face. "At least for tonight, bare with me and stick around?" They normally patrolled every three days or so, pinpointing the new wolf as recently in the area.
 


Anthony kicked at his brother's shin. "We could drag out the air soft guns again! Remember the last time, oh man we got Marcus so good."


"I said try to stay out of trouble," James groaned.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Robert let out a groan and leaned his head back. He looked up at the ceiling like an indignant child. He seemed to perk up at the mention of air soft guns, though. Elise looked at them both in disbelief. After a moment, she rolled her eyes. "And after you're done with that, you can play other age-appropriate games. Like the quiet game."


"Oh, ha.. ha..." Robert said sarcastically.


Elise stood up and headed for the kitchen. She tossed her empty water bottle in the trash and went digging around in the fridge for something to eat. She was starving. A donut and coffee definitely was not an ideal breakfast. The best she could find that would be quick and easy was some lunch meat. So, she took out the pack of sliced turkey and piled about eight pieces on a piece of bread.


As she ate, she looked outside. She could only hope that she wouldn't hear from Clay. If she did, she would have to leave and she had a feeling that wasn't a good thing to do right about now.


While Elise was in the kitchen, Marcus had returned to the den to update James on the calls he had made. There were no questionable hospital admissions in the surrounding area. which indicated that this wolf was probably not a newly turned one. This was even more concerning, and pointed more to the fact that whomever had come into their territory had done it very purposefully.

 

[Soliloquy]

"She's just jealous because we didn't ask her to play," scoffed Anthony as Elise had disappeared out into the kitchen.
 


James discussed the news with Marcus, nodding gravely. As much as he hated to act like a parent, it was going to be necessary it seemed. Standing up, he moved to the wall, using it as an anchor to crack his spine.
 


"Well, that settles it. Sorry fellas, but you're camping out here tonight." A chorus of groans responded along with other comments. "Hey, you all knew this was a possibility and it's not like it's the first time. Make calls, cancel any plans you had, you're stuck until we have a better idea of what's going on."
 


He half stepped into the kitchen, calling to Elise. "And you weren't even going to share?"

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

No one seemed too pleased about the situation, but of course nobody was going to object to it. Marcus was silently disappointed. He was the most independent of them all, and liked to be able to return to his own home once everything was said and done. He tried to lead a separate life as much as he could, but sometimes it was hard not to get pulled back into this one.


"Look on the bright side," Robert was saying as James walked off. "Maybe we can get Elise to play another 'age appropriate' game, like spin the bottle."


Marcus leveled his blue eyes on Robert "You realize those odds, don't you? That you would have a 75% chance of kissing one of us. 25% chance of kissing your own bro-"


"Okay, man. I get it. No spin the bottle." Robert made a face like he had a bad taste in his mouth. Marcus seemed pleased with himself and settled in on the sofa. Grabbing the remote, he turned the tv on to some news channel. More groans could be heard coming from the living room.


Elise had just about finished scarfing her sandwich down when James entered. She blushed a little at her own gluttony and swallowed her last bite. Using one slender finger to wipe at the corner of her mouth, she offered up a sheepish grin.


"I left... some... in the package."


She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the fridge. All of this... being around other people was quite foreign to her. She had been quite the loner for some time, and while the others seemed used to each other's company, she was not. This, among other reasons, was why she ended up disappearing to another room so frequently. She didn't quite feel like she belonged just yet.


Her eyes had fallen to the floor. She didn't really know what to say to James at the moment. She wasn't the greatest conversationalist all of the time. Shifting a bit, she finally looked up at him.


"So, uh... what now?"

 

[Soliloquy]

James grinned, settling himself on a stool, arms crossed over his chest. The others could be heard faintly from the den. It appeared the two brothers were doing their best to sweet talk Marcus into essentially anything else to watch.
 


"Well, assuming you're not going to eat the rest of the fridge," he teased her, "We wait for more news. In a couple hours, will probably send a couple of the guys out on another perimeter check to see if our friend has returned."
 


He cracked his neck, throwing his shoulders back. It was always uncomfortable for him shifting out of wolf to suddenly sit still. His body longed to continue running and exploring. Idling was such a waste of time.
 


"We don't exactly have protocol for this or anything," he apologized. "Is there anything you'd like to do? I'm pretty sure Rob and Tony will agree to anything. It's like having kids once they're cooped up."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

"If I do want to do anything, it's definitely not with Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum."


Elise stepped away from the fridge and took a couple paces around the kitchen. She walked a circle around where James sat, some of her wolfish mannerisms still showing through even in her human form. The urge to run was still within her, too, but it wouldn't be wise to do now. Especially with the day waning on. The night always brought a greater threat of danger.


"It isn't a new wolf that's in the territory," she stated, not needing confirmation. "Does the pack have any long-standing rivalries with any of the other packs? Anyone that might aim to hurt you for some reason?"


Elise could not let the matter drop. Her investigative skills along with her natural defensiveness made her unable to shake the matter. She also had a slight feeling that James was not telling her everything about the matter. Like there was some secret piece of history about the pack and how he came to be in charge of it. Any clue could potentially be important. Elise came to a stop behind James, standing there with her arms folded across her chest.


"I feel like there's something you're not telling me..."

 

[Soliloquy]

He watched her with intrigued eyes, quietly enjoying her as she worked. She seemed so engrossed in the idea she couldn't shake it loose. James was personally enthralled. As she paced around him, he held his hands up defensively.
 


"Whoa now, officer," he gestured for her to calm down. "I can assure you this is the first I've heard of this wolf. Do you think I could keep anything a secret from those three?" He jerked his thumb behind him, toward the doorway to the den.
 


"Other than the stone cold nasties, we keep to ourselves as long as everyone else does the same," he defended his pack. "There's no clan wars or rivalries with the nearest packs, I can assure you. In fact, we normally cooperate with each other if something like this arises."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

She eyed him carefully with those enchanting orbs of hers. She listened to his voice and watched his face as he talked. He seemed to be telling the truth. She didn't necessarily imply that he was hiding things from the others, but perhaps just her. She was new, after all, and she hadn't exactly given him a whole lot of reasons to trust her.


"Hm..."


Was all she responded with at first. So, even though she believed him, it was hard to tell from his point of view if she did or not. One of her hands snaked around to the back of her neck, where she rubbed the tender flesh. She was still a little sore from being shoved into the car with the force of a battering ram. Holding her fingers against her spine she rolled her neck a moment. She released her hand with a sigh


"Alright, so we have no idea what's going on. It can't be someone doing Clay's bidding. If he had any other wolves around, I would have known it. And even he isn't ballsy enough to send a spy into your territory."


I guess technically 'our' territory... she thought, but didn't voice it. Walking around to his left side, she absentmindedly picked a piece of lint off of his shoulder before flicking it away.


"So, what... we just wait to see if they come back? We can't stay just stay holed up in here until something happens. You should let me go out again, tonight." She hurriedly continued before her could interject. "I've got the best nose, and I'm the quickest. If any fresh trails come in, I could find them the fastest."

 

[Soliloquy]

He watched her, pausing after he had spoken to make sure he didn't know anything else. Himself and the three other males were all that was left of the wolf pack after the hell that was the last Alpha and his brother essentially losing their minds and running face first into vampire territory. There wasn't anyone left but them, and that bloody battle had tied itself up, with no loose ends.
 


He watched her movements, so curiously unpredictable. When she proposed she go out again, he shook his head, looking at her sternly.
 


"You're also the newest and least trained to handle yourself. If," he strongly stressed the word 'if', "I let you go out again, you sure as hell are not going alone, Elise. None of us are going alone, regardless of speed. It's too risky with so many unknown variables."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

"Easy there tiger," she placed a hand on his shoulder as he begun to get worked up. "I never said I would have to go alone. I'm sure Robert or Anthony would be more than willing to come with."


Feeling his sternness subsiding, Elise allowed her hand to fall away from his shoulder. She took a few steps away from him and took a deep breath. Exhaling, she ran her fingers through her long blonde mane and pushed it out of her face. She knew that there was no use continuing to debate with James about this, so she let the matter drop for now. Perhaps he would change his mind at some point. Wordlessly, she walked out of the kitchen.


Hours later, night had settled over the manor and a fire crackled in the hearth. Robert was snoring, sprawled out on the floor while Tony, from where he sat, tried to see how many paper balls he could throw into his brother's open mouth. Elise sat with Marcus on the couch, huddled together behind an open laptop. He had on his glasses, and he scrolled through some pack records and history he had transferred to electronic files.


"So Clay has been known to cause trouble before," Elise was saying.


"Precisely," Marcus said. He reached to his left to grab a small glass off of the table and take a sip of the scotch that was inside of it. He offered some to Elise, but she wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Shrugging, he replaced the glass. "He has made it very hard for all of the wolves to date to maintain treaties with him. He seems to have a thing for tearing them apart from the inside. Targeting blood relations. He has killed a sibling of every pack member up until ours. That is why we keep Anthony traveling frequently. Clay doesn't know that he and Robert are brothers."


This information caused Elise's stomach to drop. She thought of her sister. Granted, she was barely alive in the state that she was in now, but that wouldn't matter. If Clay ever laid a finger on Anne, it would drive Elise mad. To the point of breaking treaties, too.


"Man... that's..." She didn't finish her sentence, unable to find the word to properly describe it.


"That's enough for now." Marcus decided for her. He shut the laptop and set it on the ground in front of them. He then pardoned himself, stood up and took a nice long stretch before heading out of the room.


Elise curled her legs up beneath her and wrapped her arms around herself. She had since changed into a large, comfortable soft pink sweater and some jeans, but she still felt chilled to the bone. She turned her head to the side, rested her chin on her shoulder, and simply stared off into space.

 

[Soliloquy]

For the majority of the day James had kept to himself upstairs, music could be heard coming from his room whenever someone had approached. As night approached, he headed downstairs to see everyone looking relatively unproductive. This was his vicious pack of wolfs, he laughed to himself. He clicked his tongue to get Elise's attention.
 


"Too tired for a run?" he asked her, nodding toward the door. They hadn't been back to survey the area, but he had felt night would be the best time to do so again.
 


Anthony had stopped his project when he heard James' voice, but quickly returned when he realized the question wasn't directed at him.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

The blonde had been lost in thought, so it took her a second to realize that James was talking to her. She, like Anthony, thought that he was talking to the big guy. Upon turning her head to look at him, though, she realized that he was indeed directing his question at her. She nearly jumped off the catch.


"Yes!" She said eagerly. "I mean no. No, definitely not too tired."


She had a new found pep in her step as they made their way outside. The air was cold and biting, but she found it welcome. The wolf was eager. Even now, in her human skin, she could feel herself sniffing the air. Her sense of smell even as a human was superb. Standing out on the porch, bathing in moonlight, she turned to look at James as he closed the door behind her.


"What made you change your mind?" She asked as she began to peel off her sweater. "I mean, I'm glad you did... but I have to admit I'm surprised."


She placed the sweater on the banister of the porch. In just her bra, she shuddered as the cold air washed over her. She'd had a long, gold necklace with a feather charm on beneath her sweater, and she gingerly lifted it from around her neck. She placed it with her sweater and unbuttoned her pants while awaiting his response.

 

[Soliloquy]

James grinned at her eagerness, unable to hide his amusement. He walked out behind her, hands stuffed in the front pocket of his hooded sweater. He shrugged off her question.
 


"You're enthusiastic and it's courageous, I suppose," he offered, lifting his sweater over his head and leaving it on the chair he had been sitting on earlier that day. "It's really hard to get Anthony and Robert excited about anything that doesn't involve breasts or beer, if you hadn't noticed."
 


He finished undressing, standing with his back to her as he continued speaking, doing his best to give her some privacy out in the moonlight.
 


"I need you to listen to me out there, for both of our safety. If we run into something, you're to go immediately back here and get the others. Like you said, you're the fastest."
 


He didn't wait for a response from her, dropping to his wolf, waiting patiently on the porch, back to her. He looked almost like a large burly dog waiting to be let back into the house. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils and took in the night air, coated with the smell of the fireplace.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

"Okay," Elise nodded along. It was only a half-lie. If something happened, she would be hard pressed to just leave him there. Especially if something happened to him. As James was sure to have noticed, Elise's fight or flight response leaned heavily in favor of fight. Still, she wasn't planning doing anything that would put either of them at risk. She watched as he respectfully turned his back to her, so she did the same to him.


The whole nudity thing was a bridge Elise had burned a long time ago. She tried to be appropriate about it, but she was comfortable in her own skin and she knew that this was all just part of the deal with being a wolf. Now, if she were with either of the brothers right now it would have been a completely different story, but she knew that James was respectful so it made her a little less bothered about disrobing in front of him. Still, she tried to be relatively quick about it.


The Change took her, and it was just as painful this time as it had been the last two times. That part wasn't getting any easier. She didn't know if it ever would. At least the wolf was getting a little easier to control. While James's coloring allowed him to blend in a little more, Elise's was stark and obviously wolf. There would be no mistaking her for a dog if someone caught her standing outside their door, that was for sure. When she was finished, she took a sniff around her. Everything around the manor, at least in close proximity to it, seemed fine.


Leaping down from the porch, the white wolf shook from head to toe to loosen up a bit. She then followed her Alpha as he lead the way. She kept close to him, but would stop here or there to check out a smell. So far, they had all turned out to be nothing more than small, non-threatening animals, but she could never be too careful.

 

[Soliloquy]

James snaked through the trees at a trot, much slower than their journey out earlier had been. He didn't want to miss picking up a scent or track. Just short of the lake he froze, hearing a loud snap of a twig to their left. Hackles raised, he shifted off the path, body slinking low to the ground as he approached. Leaping to the sound, a buck look directly at him before tearing off into the woods.
 


He snorted in disapproval, shaking his fur and giving Elise a firm bark to discourage any chasing. They continued on to the edge of the lake, the star-filled night sky reflecting beautifully on the clear surface. He paused again, sniffing for anything. Nothing caught his attention, and he looked to Elise for confirmation.