The Clear Choice

The Clear Choice

The Clear Choice

Clary's POV

Standing. Staring. The invisible line in front of me separating me from my childhood pack and them. What could happen to me if I crossed this line almost made me want to put my tail inbetween my legs. Almost. This was my choice, and my whole packs.

Choose someone who they wouldn't be intimidated by, a wolf that could sneak under their noses and find out what we needed to know.

If I waited until I was ready to do this, I would be waiting forever.

My pack was the most well known pack across North America, for one reason only. Our blood hasn't been mixed with the humans, not once all these years. Because of our strong bloodline each wolf in our pack has a snow white, slivery coat, no patch of any color.

In the history of the Purum Pack, we have done some things that are looked down upon by other packs. We have ripped human mates away from their pureblooded partners and had many wars with packs.

My father, Alpha Kane, is a loyal strong man. Everyone who takes over needs to understand and keep the bloodline going.

My brother Zak is next inline and has yet to find his Mate, for his sake I'm hoping she isn't human.

I too have yet to find my Mate. My father has had me meet almost all of the shifted males in my pack, but none are him. My Mate, the one wolf that completes me and makes me question everything I've been brought up by. My father says its just someone to help keep the bloodline alive.

But me being who am and losing so much for the sake of being 'pure', hope that this Mate can save me. Save me from what the future holds for me, an arranged marriage.

When I heard that is what my parents were planning for me I wanted to scream out and find a way to show them I cant just be sold off to another male. My blood began to boil when I found out it was one of my packs ruthless, coldest men; Elijah Willis.

This is why I'm here. At this line that keeps me safe, the one line that makes every wolf turn around and head home. But not me. To show my parents that I'm no longer the little curly brown haired, innocent blue-eyed girl they had, I'm being a spy.

Most said it wouldn't work and that I am to be killed, that the Saltus Pack was not a merciful pack and would find out my true identity right away.

But yet here I am, looking down at the beautiful silky white fur that covers my paws. The sun was setting reflecting orange and purples across the sky. The forest was quiet just how I loved it when I needed time I think. But now was not the time to think.

It was time to run.

Chapter 1

Clary's POV

My breath was quick and sharp, just like my movements. My paws were hitting the ground with full force and my racing form was cutting through the crisp evening air.

I was now in the Saltus Pack's territory, while mine was disappearing behind me. I was running away from the shouts of my parents as they told me who to love and who was to make me happy.

They felt that leaving the pack for a short time would kick some sense into me and My Wolf. Mother said that living as a rouge and being in a lower rank in a new pack would make me appreciate what I had back at the Purum Pack.

I was also running into this forbidden land with orders from the Alpha, my father, on my mind; find out if they are going to make a move.

The Saltus Pack wants to bring us down along with some other traitorous packs. They say shifters live in fear that their mate will be a member of our pureblooded pack. We of course cant have that happen, seeing as we need to keep to strongest bloodline known to wolfkind pure and safe.

I was constantly sniffing the air to try and catch any scent of an unknown wolf. I was hoping that whoever I inevitably ran into would be merciful and not kill me on the spot.

Their Alpha, Alpha Marcus, was once a level-headed and strong leader. But once his Mate was brutally murdered out of the blue he slowly began to lose it.

Its rumored one of his sons is to take over soon and stay with the plan to take down my father and pack members.

My Wolf whimpered, not liking the risk we were taking treading on enemy land and running alone. I slowed down to a trot, tired yet still on high alert. My heart was racing and I knew if anyone at all was close by, they would hear it.

It was so silent in the Saltus Pack's woods, the trees so thick and ground matted with leaves and branches. You could hear a mouse in this silence and it was definitely not what I was expecting.

Suddenly like the crack of a whip, out of the cold dead silence; came a chorus of long howls. It sent shivers down my spine and shot fear through me like a jolt of electricity.

My Wolf took control and started to bound through the dense forest like a bullet. The reality of what I was doing hit me like a slap in the face. As I listened to the howls going closer, I deciphered that it was most likely a group of three or four wolves. All coming after me.

Then something I remembered I had to do through poked its way into my mind, my fur was pure white. They would immediately notice and rip my throat out noticing I was from the Purum Pack.

I could put up a pretty good fight seeing as I am from a line of pure Alpha blood, but I needed to join their pack, gain their trust.

My mind remembered what I thought of before I even came here, my plan to mask my fur.

The thundering sounds of paws and stench of multiple male wolves was closing in on my tiring form. I closed in on the thick puddle of mud I was focusing on with my piercing blue eyes.

My hind legs pushed me forward through the air as I flew towards the wet dirt.

I landed, coating my satin like white fur in pure mud. I huffed but instantly jumped up and curled my tail over my back in a threating stance. I bared my long polished teeth as six murderous eyes approached.

I was trespassing, and I was either about to pay the price or disguise my way into this traitorous pack.

Clary's POV

I blinked the mud running down my face out of my baby blue eyes as I continued to stare forward. The wolves approaching me varied in different shades of brown, from darkish tan to a chocolaty color. I quickly sniffed the air again, but found out none of these males were my Mate. Thank God.

Around my pack, I had to be good with scents seeing as it was one of the only ways to tell the different between the wolves, other than their distinctive eye colors.

I sighed inwardly, unsettled yet relived that the first wolves of this pack I encountered happened to not be my other half. There were three of them and they had slowed to a walk a short distance away from my mud-coated form. They were snarling because of my threating stance and raising the fur on their broad backs to appear larger. I knew I needed to think fast, they were beyond pissed.

Also, they were probably contacting their dear Alpha Marcus right now to tell them they've got the trespasser.

I needed to show them I meant no harm, even if I was almost snapping at their faces. My Wolf didn't like it, but I had to calm down an show some form of submission.

I slowly lowered my tail from off my back and put down my perked up ears. I was still on high alert in case they decided I wasn't worth their time.

One of them c****d their head to the side at my quick change of emotion. He thought he was going to have to put up a big fight along with his pack members, but here I was lowering my head towards the ground in respect.

If I was in my human form, I would be cringing at the fact that I was showing such respect to members of this pack. I could feel power radiating off one of them.

But he was definitely not an Alpha. Most likely a Beta of the pack. He was putting all his attention into what I was doing, probably never having seen a rouge act the way I was at the moment.

I could easily take out a Beta and two other wolves, with my untainted, strong blood pulsing through my heated veins; they would be finished in seconds.

I shook the thought of leaping at their throats out of my mind as I waited for them to speak. In my life, I've learned we're all entitled to our own secrets, and they would not figure out mine.

I had to be smart about every move I made and every word I said.

They all seemed to have glazed over expressions, telling me they were mind linking with someone. I was looking from one set of eyes to the next, probably looking like a lost puppy.

Then the sound I was dreading came from deep in their fur coated chests, growls of territorial wolves; wanting my blood on their paws. I made eye contact once more with the Beta, about to link and tell him I meant no harm and didn't want to fight.

Quicker than I thought possible, they all lunged at my bowing form; springing off their muscular hind legs.

I yelped outwardly and dodged the vicious jaws of the darkish tan wolf as he came at my left shoulder. Anger pulsed through me as I had to get up and run the opposite direction.

I was showing them respect, how dare they change their mind and attempt to kill me.. My Wolf wanted to teach them a lesson and turn around to show them how to treat a pure-blooded Alpha female; but I pushed her back and ran.

I was running to were I smelled more wolves, maybe not the best idea; but the ones behind wanted to rip me to pieces without a second thought.

My head was spinning, I had never ran this far this fast before. I was having a hard time concentrating on my pace and must have slowed down a considerable amount.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed one of my trackers closing in on my right side, fast.

Before I could react he rammed into my ribs sending me sideways in a cloud of dirt. I landed with him towering over me angrily with hints of pride in his penny colored eyes.

My Wolf hated that he caught us off guard. There was talk around many of my fellow pack members that the wolves around here were trained hard core, I had to get on their good side.

Instead of lunging at his exposed throat, I relaxed and went limp underneath him. Whether I liked it or not, I was here for a reason; and I owed it to myself to fulfill that reason. The dark brown wolf step away from my submissive form slowly.

I stayed on the ground not breaking eye contact with this strange wolf. First he wanted to tear me apart, and now he was backing away in disbelief.

In the distance I heard the other two racing towards us as I laid down in the grass and he stood next to me waiting for my next move.

I stood up and shook out my now brown fur, hoping there were no white patches showing through the thick mud. I jumped slightly when a voice entered my dizzy head.

"I was one more high speed chase through the woods away from killing you little rouge, before I got a pretty important message." His rugged voice echoed through my mind.

"Well good thing you didn't, now what message would be so important as to spare my life?" I replied back with my softest tone.

"I guess you should know, since its you he is talking about-" He began to explain before I cut him off in a demanding tone.

"Who is talking about me? I have never came across this pack in my life." I squinted my eyes at him, questioning his claims.

"It was-" He started to say but again was cut off.

Out of the nearest bushes, the two wolves who had been with the one I was linking with, lunged at my distracted and tired body.

My reflexes were in slow motion as my head turned.

One clamped its jaws around my left hind legs with every ounce of force he could, followed by his blood-thirsty friend. He jumped onto my back before taking a mouth full of my neck.

I saw red as I howled in pain. The howl vibrated through me, loud and constricted. My claws dug into the ground as I attempted to buck them off, only making my wounds worse.

The dark brown wolf barked loudly at his pack members and met my pleading light blue eyes. I was taken aback by what I saw.

He was angry, but not at me; the anger was directed towards my attackers.

I broke eye contact and fell to my earlier position, to the dry grass-covered ground. My blood was mixing with the mud on my once beautiful coat.

Right before I closed my shutting eyes, the teeth and claws were yanked off of me.

I yelped sharply, but couldn't make much noise in my current state.

The now somewhat familiar voice echoed in my mind of the dark brown wolf. His soothing tone, laced with bitterness towards my attackers, made me relax slightly.

"Don't worry, you're going to be safe now. He's going to keep you safe.." Safe? I was wounded worse then ever and passing out.

And who was this He that he kept bringing up...

The questions reeling around my mind seemed to drain more of my fading energy. I heard shuffling near by and the smell of more wolves approaching.

My Wolf whimpered before darkness took over my senses.

Clary's POV

The darkness that took over my whole body was now fading. I could now make out a faint glow, that I could see through my weak opening eyes.

I was still in my wolf form, much to my relief. Relived because I was sure I did not have the right clothes when the time would come to shift back. After all, I was surrounded by males and had yet to see a girl. I knew their Luna was dead, but some of the other males had to have Mates.

With my slight sense of smell, I could tell that about three other wolves had joined us, now that my senses were becoming useful again. My eyesight was still blurry, but the moonlight lit up the dense woods we were treating through.

Strong, tight arms were tucked under my neck and lower back, holding me with ease. My body felt so heavy, almost like lead; this feeling of uselessness was foreign to me and I didn't like it one bit. But the steady arms carrying me held me like I was nothing.

I prayed that I wouldn't be attacked again, I didn't know how much more I could take, or if I could even fight back at the moment.

But the chocolate colored wolf earlier said that he would keep me safe... Were they bringing me to him?

My eyes shut again, exhausted; slipping back into the unfamiliar darkness.

10 years ago

"Mother?"

The Luna, Lavina Albus, stood with her back facing her only daughter. Working in the office late at night was making her tiresome, but she was awaiting the return of her Mate, Alpha Kane; who had been running the borders.

"Yes, dear, what is it?" My mother replied while tuning to face me. Her eyes we almost identical to my marble blue ones. Her hair, also a similar color to mine, was tied in a loose bun atop her head.

"Why do you and father love each other so much? Some of my friends parents seem like they don't belong together..." My 7 year old self asked confused yet incredibly curious. I shuffled my nightgown clad body closer into the room.

"Fate has spared our feelings and gave your father and I a Mate that we can keep." She attempted to explain to her naïve, young daughter.

"Will I be able to keep my Mate?" I said with a tone laced with worry.

"Some of the wolves in our pack were not able too, they made a difficult sacrifice for our pack and bloodlines. I'm hoping you and your brother can find your other halves among our pack, but Fate always has its malicious ways." Lavina added on the last part of the sentence bitterly.

"What if my Mate isn't pure-blooded mother, what will happen to him?"

"That is to be talked about when you are of age, and understand the importance of your heritage. For now you need to get ready for bed." She smiled weakly at me as her strong hand gently lead me out of the office and up the grand stairs. My small bare feet made a pitter-patter noise as I walked along with my mother.

As I laid in bed, the thought of a Mate consumed my young mind. Turning on my side, my already long dark brown hair sprawled across my plush pillows. My eyes shut and body relaxed slipping into a deep sleep.

Present

Howling. Strong and sharp, echoing inside of my numb mind. My Wolf was letting out the longest and most powerful howl I have heard. I had a eerie feeling deep instead while the noise consumed me. The feeling was quickly replaced by a smell.

The most wonderful scent ever may I add. I realized I was now coming back to conciseness after being passed out for who knows how long.

But this scent, the scent that made my mind forget about anything but the smell of mint, freshly chopped wood and something entirely new. I attempted to move trying to get feeling back in my useless body. I needed to find the source of this smell.

"She's waking up Tobias..." A deep voice laced with curiosity spoke aloud.

My eyes shot open and I instantly felt no other need but to track the scent. My mouth opened and took in a crisp, cold breath of air. I sprung from the man's, whose name I guessed was Tobias, arms and landed with determination. My head spun back to him when he began to speak.

"I guess the wolfsbane wore off, she's like brand new." Tobias said with a smirk.

I instantly recognized his voice from earlier as the dark brown wolf who linked with me. He had a handsome face with short dark brown hair, like his wolf's fur. His penny colored eyes from before bore into my frantic blue ones.

I wobbled slightly, still smelling the scent that almost made me drool .Looking around me now , I saw six pairs of slightly glowing eyes. It was still night time and the moonlight casted beams around us as we stood in a clearing. They were all back to human form, except me of course. I scanned the shirtless group of Saltus Pack members.

"Y-You drugged me?" My voice stuttered as I searched everyone's expressions. I needed to find out why this smell was so over powering, what was wrong with me? Was it because I was drugged?

"Well Tobias suggested it, you wouldn't stop squirming and we needed to get you to relax. It worked pretty nicely actu-" A boy with shaggy black hair and sliver colored eyes started rambling. My mind, reeling with his continuous voice and my thoughts, drifted to the past.

Then it hit me. Something my old friend Karalyn once said.

"When you find him, your Mate, you're supposed to smell an intoxicating smell that takes over your senses. It nature's way of leading you to each other. It is quite amazing and romantic if you ask me..."

The words of my friend replayed like a broken record in my mind. He was here, in this pack; and My Wolf wanted him, that explained her unusual howling. It also gave reason to the smell flowing around me like invisible, addicting smoke.

"Hey? Still with us, rogue?" Tobias asked with confusion laced into his steady tone.

I snapped my eyes to his as My Wolf whimpered. I dug my claws into the ground trying to compose myself. He approached me with caution, still wary of me. I was currently freaking out after barging into their territory and running around like a scared pup.

"She can smell it too Toby, its true. Its her." One of the guys said breathlessly his words hanging in the air as I made connections in my cluttered mind.

Tobias walked up to me slowly putting a hand on the side of my mud-coated neck. My Wolf was jittery, telling me to leave these guys behind and go to the scent. His voice entered my mind as he explained what was going on.

"You know earlier, when I said I got a pretty important message?" He said as I nodded quickly. "Well you see, our Alpha to be, Issac, caught a scent. I think you know which scent. Yours. He told me not to hurt you and bring you too him." Everyone was quiet, awaiting my reaction.

I turned to him, my logical side said this was a very, very bad thing but of course My Wolf howled in joy and pushed me to run to Issac who claimed to be feeling the exact pull I was at the moment.

What I had just gotten myself into. Currently surrounded by rival pack members who were not hurting me but about to bring me to my Mate.

How am I going to get through this night? How I'm going to stay here as a spy when Issac is not only my Mate but next in line to be Alpha?

This choice I've made may turn out to be the worst of them all.

Clary's POV

The sharp snap of a branch brought me back from my drifting mind. One of the men in front of me had stepped on a fallen branch as we made our way through the thick forest. Looking around I was surround by the people I had grown up to despise.

They hadn't personally done anything to me, but they have been plotting against my father ever since I could remember.

I was numb, walking but not really moving my own legs. I tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of dried mud on my once flawless fur.

My hind legs were still healing, a sandy haired guy had apologized for injuring me so badly. I shook him off but appreciated how sincere this pack was. I sighed as I treaded on with a limp, thinking about what was to come.

The information I had just received was a lot to handle being the girl I was. What is to happen with Elijah? Wolves aren't suppose to have arrange marriages. That is what I have been telling myself ever since the day I found out I was to be his wife.

I cannot, and will definitely not, marry him now that My Wolf knows Issac exists.

Issac. His name was instantly tattooed into my mind. I wanted to shout it out and see him for myself, have him all to myself. Tobias had told me he was Issac's younger brother, and I wondered if they looked anything alike. I wondered if they had the same handsome face or touchable brown hair.

Literally shaking my head, I tried to stop all of these mind-consuming thoughts. I really needed to get a hold of myself, this feeling of need was foreign to me and I had yet to decide if I liked it or not.

I haven't had a lot of experience with boys. Elijah didn't count seeing as his attempt at affection was just dragging me around with him everywhere, me practically being connected to his side.

The thought that my Mate was part of this pack had occurred to me as I decided to make this journey to fulfill my orders. But I pushed it away, feeling like that would be highly unlikely and a huge inconvenience.

"Finding our Mate is most definitely not a huge inconvenience." My Wolf's love-struck voice responded to my thoughts. She had been rather quiet, mainly focused on getting to our Mate as soon as possible.

"Yeah, well, lets see what's about to happen. We were supposed to lay low but instead we are now making our way to Alpha Marcus himself..." I huffed in annoyance, I haven't heard her talk like this, she was so determined and passionate.

Being distracted by yet another noise near by I slowly lifted my heavy head. Much to my relief a girl about my age stepped out of the forest and up to Tobias. Sighing, I looking at her, she was a natural beauty.

Her caramel colored locks reached to her lower back flowing around her heart-shaped face. Her dark eyebrows reminded me of mine, but hers completed her look. The girl's light brown eyes met mine over Tobias' muscular shoulder. Her look was concentrated, but flickering at the sight of me.

"This is the girl? She looks like she's been through hell and back. How long has she been in wolf form Toby?" She asked, truly concerned. The moonlight showed me she was wearing a tank top and shorts, her bare feet unflinching on the prickly grass of the clearing.

"Ever since we found her, and I'm not sure how long before; she's pretty shaken up, Nina." Tobias ran a hand through his hair as he responded to the girl; whose name I now knew was Nina.

"Well first things first, she needs clothes. She isn't going to shift back around all of you, I should also probably get a look at her legs, I'm surprised she's walking..." Her concerned form brushed past Tobias towards me. I pricked up my ears and snapped my head to her.

They said they were ordered not to hurt me by Issac himself but these were still not my favorite people to be close to.

"Whoa, I just want to get a look; I can help you after all, seeing as I'm the pack doctor." She explained raising her hands in a 'I'm not going to hurt you' gesture.

I was taken aback by her statement, I haven't heard of a girl in her late teens being the pack doctor; it was just plain uncommon. My pack's doctor was old and very skilled, I was hoping she knew what she was doing. I needed to keep moving.

Unsure if it was me or My Wolf that was pushing me to keep walking with my serious injury, I let her check out my limping hind legs. One thing I knew was that I needed to get to Issac to see him, touch him, and take in his intoxicating scent.

"It should heal up soon, usually this would be a serious, prolonged injury for a wolf, but you're healing quite remarkably." She smirked as her reflective eyes met mine again " but you're not a regular wolf are you?" My light blue eyes widened in horror.

She knew, she definitely knew who I was. But how? They couldn't see my white fur, to them I looked to be a brown wolf. I was about to link with her to try to say something, but she cut me off.

"I can sense the power radiating off of you, you're from a Alpha bloodline, correct?" She c****d her head as she stood and walked over to Tobias and the others. The tension left my body as I realized she wasn't talking pure blood, just my clear Alpha strength.

They had been listening in to our conversation and all had looks of anticipation waiting to see if what she said was true. The clearing we were in was filled with an eerie glow from the moon. They stood on the matted down grass silently, wanting to know more about the mystery female rouge on their land.

I pawed the ground looking down, something I did when I was uncomfortable; scanning my mind for the story I was to make up about myself. I didn't want to lie, because if I lied to them, I would have to lie to Issac.

I didn't even know him, yet I didn't want to be traitorous towards him in any way.

But that was why I was here, My Wolf whimpered but I pushed her pack. I looked back up and stopped fidgeting.

"My family has been rouges ever since I was born, we lived without a pack not knowing our background. We were able to survive by winning almost every fight with other rouges. My parents put a reason to our power by guessing we had Alpha blood running through our veins." I linked with them and fed them the lie that seemed the most truthful.

"I mean all of you no harm, its just my family has now been killed of and I have no one. Im no good with a pack life, but I can adjust. I need to adjust since I have no where else to go. And h-he is here. Issac." I finished as my fake-worried voice hung in their minds. I really needed them to believe me.

Looks of pity and shock appeared on the Saltus pack members' faces. Some had disbelief flicker in their eyes, most likely not trusting a rouge. But it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"That's right, Issac is looking for you. What's your name?" Tobias asked me. I felt a rush of warmth and pride as he told me my Mate was on my trail, just like I was on his.

"Clary -" I stopped myself before I finished. They couldn't know my last name, it would give me away. I racked my brain for a new one. I looked down at my paws that used to be snow white.

"White. Clary White" I replied finally.

"Well Clary White, lets get you to where you are headed. And get you clothes. Here one second..." Nina said to me as she ran behind a large tree blocking our view of her.

Everyone was silent, some were looking at me with curiosity, some with confusion. I shifted on my weak legs, uncomfortable.

Shuffling near by caught our attention and I looked up, no longer seeing Nina. In her place was a caramel colored wolf, a pang of jealously hit me. Her silky fur almost glowed in the moonlight while mine was caked in mud. In her strong jaws she was holding the black tank top and denim shorts she had on earlier.

She trotted over to me and laid the clothing down near my feet. A wolfy grin crossed her face and she backed away towards the others, giving me time to shift back and change.

Gratefulness consumed my feelings, this pack has been everything but malicious and evil. Those were the traits my pack gave to them, but I was beginning to disagree.

Opening my mouth I gently picked up Nina's clothes and left the clearing. Walking with a slight limp I noticed the scent I had smelled earlier was faded for a little while. But not anymore. Stopping by a large tree out of sight, I let the clothing fall from my almost drooling mouth.

His scent was back and it was close. I didn't want the first time he saw me to be when I was covered in gross brown mud. I shifted feeling my bones go back to my fit and small human form. I turned around quickly facing the tree as I dressed, going dizzy from Issac's scent.

My Wolf yipped in my mind, making me jump. I wanted to scold her for scaring me as I buttoned up Nina's well-fitting dark shorts, but stood still as she spoke.

"Listen Clary..." Her soft-spoken words echoed in my head as I tucked a piece of long wavy hair behind my ear. Straitening my tank top with my other hand I gasped softly.

My heart was racing as I heard shouting from where Nina, Tobias and the others stood across the clearing. Many of the voices were unfamiliar but one stood out as My Wolf purred with lust.

A strong, commanding tone broke across the tension filled air. It sent shivers around my now human body and shot a warmth through me that settled in my core. It had to be him.

The steady, yet frantic voice reached my ears.

"Where is she."

Issac's POV

I needed to go faster, I had to reach her. I had to see if she was real, if this was really all happening.

My Wolf was beyond furious at the fact she was surround by the men my father sent after her. I was literally at war with myself, my emotions never being this reliable on one person, one girl. My Wolf urged me to be overjoyed that we had found her, but deep down something felt off.

I had informed my brother that I had caught her scent, but it was unlike any one I'd tracked before.

Seconds after Tobias informed me she had passed out I was bounding through our pack's thick forests at top speed. My feelings undecided, and instincts itching to take control.

Our pack's name, Saltus, means "woods" in Latin. We had earned the name from the enormous forest my pack had settled on years ago. All of the packs name's I know of translate into something that resembles them as a whole.

Like our pure-blooded, cruel next-door neighbors the Purum pack. Their name obviously translates into the one thing they cherish more then love, and Fate itself, "purity".

My Wolf's low growl made me realize I might loose all control around this girl I was making my way too. I told myself having a Mate was something that would never turn out well for me.

I had seen my father, a loyal and strong leader; crumble into the lifeless, stand-offish man he is today.

My mother was his everything, it made me confused as to how one person could mean so much. I knew I never wanted to have anything so important that could be taken away from me. I didn't want to have a weakness like him.

"We can keep her safe, she won't be a weakness Issac; Fate has showed us to her for a reason." My Wolf's low, animalistic voice sounded in my head.

I huffed aloud, knowing starting an argument with him was useless. He wanted her, and I was not about to question his current instincts.

Our Wolf's were made to want one another, nothing could change his mind on this. The only thing that usually changes our minds, is when your mate is one of them. A pure-blooded mate was just pure bad luck in our world these days.

Stamping out the fear that she may be one of the Purum pack members; Tobias linked me and announced she was a rouge all be herself. She had stumbled onto our land after her family was supposedly murdered.

I was brought out of my warring thoughts by my best friend, and third in command, Lucas. His dark caramel wolf barked sharply at my distracted form.

"We're getting close I can hear my sister and your brother with the others. They in the clearing near the border" Lucas' usual comical tone, was now laced with concentration. He made a perfect third in command and was a close friend of me and Tobias since birth.

Determined, I was leaping over fallen branches and dodging the rough trunks of the trees around me; speeding ahead of Lucas and the others.

It was no longer nighttime, the darkness slipping away just like all my coherent thoughts. I could see the sunlight beginning to leak through the trees. Its warmth making me relax, along with the familiarity of running though my packs protective, dense woods.

Closing my eyes, I lifted my nose and inhaled my Mate's mouth-watering scent. She smelt flowery, or like spring air after it rained, but something else was laced into it that was entirely her own.

My large dark gray and brown wolf stepped into the clearing everyone was gathered in. The breaking dawn was casting soft light around Tobias and Nina; who was in her wolf form. She was Lucas' twin sister and their coats were the same shade of tan.

Everyone's eyes met mine, probably knowing I was on my way. They also probably knew not to get in my way, seeing as I was attempting to reach my Mate.

The thought of her made me growl deeply, seeing as she was no were to be found. My pack members who came along with me, joined in wondering why the others let her go. The tension was thick, I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

"She didn't get away. We still have her Issac, she just needed to shift back." My younger brother explained as he stepped away from the others towards me. "Nina gave her some clothes-"

His continuous talk made my head spin and claws dig into the ground in annoyance. I shifted back, feeling that if I stayed in wolf form any longer, I would loose control.

I reached up and caught a pair of shorts one of my men threw to me. After putting them on I tried to even out my breathing but my wolf was still near the surface.

I could sense she was near by, but not near enough. I needed her close, I now wanted her more than anything. I ran a hand through my light brown hair, then met Tobias' cautious eyes.

I spoke, but it was my powerful, demanding Wolf's tone that broke through the now eerie air.

"Where is she."

Nina backed away from her brother and turned her head towards the other edge of the clearing. My other pack members that had gathered turned that way, waiting for her to emerge. Mimicking them, I turned as well; only to hear silence, and see dense forest ahead.

A slight fog had snuck its way into the clearing, settling close to the ground. Its ghostly presence sending chills down my already slightly shaking body. The muscles on my arms and back tensed as I heard her heartbeat.

My Wolf was nudging me to go to her, to see her for ourselves. He couldn't stand the anticipation. And neither could I. Brushing past everyone else, my bare feet made their way across the prickly grass of the clearing.

I came to a stop when I noticed a delicate, smooth hand peeking out from the side of a rough tree. The smell that surrounded me was intoxicating and made me step closer.

She was hiding from me, but why? I wanted to reach out a grab her hand, and show her she was safe with me. I could get over all the mental walls I built up for myself, just for her.

My Wolf growled in confusion, but I sensed he was annoyed with our hidden Mate.

I heard a soft gasp after I let the growl escape my lips. Listening closely I heard shuffling, and quick breathing coming from behind the tree.

Clary's POV

Oh cruel, twisted fate. Why did this have to be happening to me? I was so dumb, I couldn't hide from him; he was so close I could hear his rapid heart beat.

My blue eyes went glassy as I thought about what was about to happen, all because of the choice I made to come here for the sake of my pack.

Taking a deep breath I decided this was inevitable, we had to meet. I knew there was little to no chance I could ever be with him, that was the way it was with my kind. But he was unaware of my background, and I was going to do everything in my power to keep it that way.

My Wolf whimpered, urging me to come out of hiding and fall into the embrace of our Mate. My chest rose and fell while my back was pressed up against the sturdy tree. I was at war with my self, but made a decision.

Closing my eyes briefly, I took in a breath and turned; meeting the most beautiful, frantic eyes I've ever met.

Nina's POV

I was on high alert, waiting for something to happen; anything to happen. Issac had disappeared into the thick fog over to where Clary had gone to shift and change.

The cool air from the night started to warm up as the sun was breaking through the trees, reaching our bodies as we stood anxiously all together.

I was relived that our future Alpha had found the one girl that was to help lead our pack. Seeing as the way things were going with his father, Marcus; he would take over soon. And none of us wanted him to do it alone.

I had yet to see Clary in her human form, but she is witty, yet kind natured; which made me feel she was to make a great Luna along side Issac. What I really hoped was that she wouldn't reject him.

Issac can be pretty demanding, and hard to read at times; which makes him give off the of kind aura you don't want to mess with. His feelings towards having a Mate were pretty set and stone, he didn't think he needed one.

But as of a couple minutes ago, those feelings seemed to vanish into the foggy air around us.

My twin brother, Lucas, took a couple steps forward cautiously, towards where the forest started and the clearing ended; where Clary and Issac were.

I whimpered slightly hearing a low growl that I immediately identified as Issac's.

All my fellow pack members and I made our way over to where they were, the tension and curiosity pushing us to see what was going on.

As the fog cleared, almost like it was making a path, I made out two figures; standing mere inches apart. Their bare feet standing on the matted down dead grass, chests rising and falling in sync.

The had met, and from what I heard about Mates, it was like they were the only ones in this clearing.

Clary's POV

Perfection. Pure, untainted perfection; that was what I had seen with my glassy blue eyes the second I stepped out from behind the tree.

"Mate" My Wolf purred happily into my cluttered mind.

His dark green eyes once flickering with disbelief, now only contained lust and admiration. We had only just met, but there was no doubt what I was seeing right.

The edge of his dilated pupils were turning dark gray with happiness, mixing with the forest green. Imagining mine were turning a lighter shade of blue for the same reason, a slight shiver racked my body.

My Wolf howled at this moment, and I wasn't surprised. Issac was meeting our gaze, half naked and standing within touching distance of my shaking hands. His sculpted chest rose and fell with mine and we said nothing. With someone else, this situation might have been uncomfortable; but with him, I never wanted to look away.

I knew I probably looked like a mess right now, I had been running almost all night and really needed a shower. You could still make out the deep wound on my leg from earlier as well.

A slight blush rose up onto my cheek, giving color to my once pale and shocked face.

Issac's un-readable face made me nervous, but I felt warmth fill me once I noticed the corner of his perfect mouth was turning up into a slight smirk.

My widened eyes looked to his large hand as it was lifted to my long dark brown hair. A stray piece that had been blown forward, was tucked behind my ear.

I found myself leaning into his gentle touch, wanting to feel more of the amazing, foreign sparks that exploded from his finger tips brushing my ear.

Almost like being woken up from a dream, his voice that I had grown to love; broke through the prolonged silence between us.

"What is your name, love?" Issac said with curiosity, gradually getting closer to my breathless form.

"Clary. And your Issac." I said with the strongest voice I could muster given my current state. Many things were going on in my mind at the moment, and not being able to think clearly in his presence made me feel blinded.

His eyes now turned entirely ebony gray, locked onto mine again. A low growl sounded around us again coming from his muscular chest. He dropped his hands to my waist as I stood, unmoving; almost falling into him as leaned his head into the crook of my neck.

I felt a rust of pride noticing the reaction I got out of him, just by simply saying his name. Feeling unnatural, I moved from my stiff position and threaded my fingers through his soft light brown hair.

Unknowingly, I was backing up; my wobbling legs heading backwards towards the tree. I gasped loudly as made contact with rough bark, Issac still grazing his fingertips onto the skin exposed on my waist.

My lustful thoughts were thankfully interrupted by a handsome, younger guy standing in the distance with the others. His looks didn't come close to Issac's, he actually looked very similar to Nina; I guessed that they were most likely related.

He whistled loudly, his squinted brown eyes looking right at me and Issac's interlaced bodies.

Nina's wolf nudged him from behind and he stumbled forward, going silent. Some of the others chuckled lowly while Nina huffed in annoyance.

Noticing the sudden coldness from my Mate backing away, I sighed and straitened out Nina's tank top and looked down at my bare feet; suddenly uncomfortable with my situation.

Silence floated around the group again as Issac and Nina made eye contact, most likely mind linking with one another. His steady hand enveloped mine, but jealously crept up on my tired mind while admiring Nina's polished wolf.

Issac could never see mine, seeing my pure white wolf would give away who I was immediately. I felt panicky all of a sudden, I was in so deep with the Saltus Pack, and with him.

I had to fulfill my father's orders, for the sake of my pack and family. Who was I now, and how I wonder will my time here end?

I cant live a lie, but that was my intention the second I crossed that line over to their land. Living a lie was all that I could do for myself.

It would be better that way. Issac was the Alpha to be right? He would know what his father planned to do to mine. I looked down at his hand in mine, how mine was so small compared to his. I couldn't lie to him.

"Maybe he'd understand us..." My Wolf said hopefully, but her joyous tone had died down and was now laced with sorrow.

This pack wasn't forgiving to mine, thoughts clouded my head with all the things that might happen if they discovered I was not who I said.

Looking around, many of the men around me were gazing at my frightened form. Being under their cautious, judgmental gazes made me want to hide behind Issac's smooth muscular back.

As he turned back to me, I let out a deep breath I hadn't realized I was holding in.

Behind him Lucas and Nina were gone, they left without me even noticing their absence. Issac's brother was still here, but father away. In fact everyone was moving farther away. They were leaving the clearing.

I felt a tug on my hand that was interlaced with his, sparks erupting on my palm and making there way across my fragile body. I took a shaky breath of air as my head dropped.

Looking down, the fog seemed to swirl around at my feet making me go dizzy. I staggered backwards into the tree me and Issac had just been pressed up against. I let go of his hand and put it to my forehead, almost like it would calm my racing thoughts.

"Clary, hey, what's the matter. Are you hurt?" The near by voice of my Mate reached my ears and I could tell he was caught of guard.

Meeting his beautiful green eyes, I shook my heavy head slowly; glancing upward once again.

My sky blue eyes went glassy and turned my vision blurry. My eyesight was blotchy, but I could make out Issac's tan body coming up to mine quicker than I thought possible.

My Wolf whimpered in my mind, loving the touch of our Mate but on edge because of my panicky mood. I couldn't get control of my self, I wanted to go home. I wanted the ground to swallow me up and let me have time to think things through. The other side of my mind said stay and be with the one person I was destined to be with, Issac.

A tear threated to spill onto my check, blinking it back I reached up and rapped my arms around my Mate; needing the comfort only he could give.

He responded instantly by encasing my smaller body with his strong, tight arms. We were taking in each others scents, and I was calming down a considerable amount.

"I'm fine, I'm sorry" I said muffled into the smooth tan skin of his shoulder. His musky scent now fogging up my numb mind.

He pulled back slightly, his nose mere centimeters away from mine. His hot breath fanning onto my face. I loved being this close to him, but another part of my body wanted to duck under his arm and sprint back home. Pushing away that thought I hesitantly leaned my forehead onto his.

"You don't need to apologize, I know you've been through a lot" He said slowly "I want you to come back with me, Clary. Clary?" He sounded like he was going to say more, but stopped short once I closed my eyes and started to go limp in his arms.

My ears were ringing, and my vision was going in and out of focus. I sank down sensing the familiar feeling of blacking out coming back to haunt my exhausted body.

I felt my body being gently moved as Issac sank to his knees; me still wrapped tightly in his arms.

Issac's POV

My once calm heart was now racing against my broad chest as I held my precious Mate in my arms. She had passed out once again, which I took as a bad sign. My knees were sinking into the dirt while I attempted to hold up her unmoving body.

I linked quickly with Tobias who I hoped hadn't gone too far with the others.

"Toby get your ass back over here to this clearing, what ever you gave Clary made her pass out again-" I growled to him, My Wolf angry at our brother for harming her. But I was cut off before I could finish.

"Issac, what I drugged her with wore off." His familiar voice entered my panicking mind. "How ever she passed out, it wasn't because of it, I'm sure."

"I'm taking her back to Nina then, did they head back to father like I suggested?" I said, not wanting to see Clary so weak and injured anymore.

"Yes, they're here at the house, we'll be waiting for you two inside." Tobias stated. He's talking like he's annoyed, and it's ticking me off.

I sighed aloud, closing my eyes tightly then reopening them.

Looking down at Clary's face I felt a warmth that I hadn't felt in a long time. My life has been so cold after my mother died, but seeing her delicate features and touching her soft skin ignited feelings of safety and love. Two things that had been missing from me for a while.

Tucking my arm under her shoulder blades and the other beneath her legs, I lifted her effortlessly and was cautious of her wound.

Adjusting slightly I brought her head gently towards me; placing a kiss on her smooth forehead. I knew she couldn't hear me but I spoke as I turned towards the direction of the pack house. Venturing into the comforting dense forest.

"You'll be safe now Clary, I was wrong about everything I made Mates out to be in my mind. I could never let anything happen to you, or let you go..." I whispered knowing no one was around, but not caring if anyone else had been.

I thought I felt her stir slightly in my arms, but continued on; with my new found hope tucked tightly to my bare chest.

Clary's POV

The gentle sway of my now limp body wasn't the only thing I could sense as everything began to go black. I could make out the quick breaths of the one person I had started to feel myself fall for.

I faintly remembered the movement of my body being picked up and realized he had started to carry me out of the clearing.

I had no clue what was happening to my mind at the moment, or my useless body. I heard Issac growl lowly many times, guessing he was mind-linking and upset with what he had gotten as a response.

"You'll be safe now Clary, I was wrong about everything I made Mates out to be in my mind. I could never let anything happen to you, or let you go..." He said gently with so much feeling I wanted to be conscience so I could see his face and say what I wanted back.

I felt some feeling come back in my once heavy limbs, and shifted slightly in his protective arms; wishing my body wouldn't go back into the unfamiliar darkness.

Issac was set and stone about accepting me, but I had yet to come to a conclusion in my cluttered head. I would usually look to My Wolf when a problem arose. But at this moment, she was very quite in the back of my mind; I sensed her uneasy presence among her silence.

Unexpectedly, my weak body was placed on the forest floor gently; my Mate's hands sliding out from under my unmoving body. An eruption of warm sparks started were his fingertips once were on my cold skin.

I was laying on my back and I imagined if I was able to move or see at the moment I'd be looking up to the vast pine trees and morning sky.

My ears had stopped ringing a while back, so I listened to try and find out where Issac was; and what he was doing.

I heard shuffling close by, and the then sound of feet stopping distantly. I wanted to just let my body slip away, into the lingering darkness; but I wanted to know what was happening nearby.

My heart rate practically doubled and my palms started to sweat when I heard something. The sound was of clothing falling to the ground, Issac's shorts.

My Wolf became very alert once she realized what was standing a couple feet away from our half unconscious form. The same sense of panic from before set into my nerves, imagining the look of my Mate who was now wearing abouslutly nothing.

Listening with my now fading hearing, I heard a faint, quick snap of bones and a loud thud. Twigs snapped but the silence quickly returned.

Issac was in his wolf form now, and I realized I was relived that he was no longer stark naked next to me in the middle of a forest alone.

My Wolf huffed internally and went back to being silent. If I was awake and alert I most likely would've rolled my eyes and her hormonal behavior.

A sound close to me took my mind off of her, as I now struggled to hear or sense anything. Hot breath fanned across my paled face and a low whimper echoed off the trees around us.

He was standing above me, that much I could tell; his scent curling around my dizzying head. I wanted to reach up and touch the fur I could feel brushing up against my slightly exposed stomach.

A cold nose slipped under my back and heaved my dead-weight body onto his strong wolf's back. His front paws on the ground now lifted up, adjusting me safely so I wouldn't fall. He was going to run back with me draped over him; I only hoped he didn't go too fast, seeing as I was now terrified of falling and injuring myself further.

"Time to go home Clary..." Issac linked into my numbing mind, his steady masculine voice making my feeling protected.

Home? I guess this is my home now, they think I have no where else to go. But I do, I have the Purum Pack, waiting for me to return every once in a while to update them; and most importantly my father and family. It was hard to leave my brother Zak and my protective parents, they were my home. They say home is where the heart is; so if that's true, in Issac's arms is my home.

Tobias' POV

I paced slowly across the gravel covered area in front the giant mansion I called home. Looking up at it from the front I could see the multiple large, floor-to-ceiling windows and modern architect of the pack house. Looking to the left I tried to see thru the distant window of my father, Alpha Marcus', office. The dim light of his lamp illuminated the spacious room, I could see him at his desk tapping his leg nervously.

I too was pretty nervous, I think every wolf in the Saltus pack was. Our future Luna had crossed onto our land and was now mysteriously unconscious for the second time.

Kicking a small rock with my shoe, I sighed impatiently. Lucas and his sister were waiting inside, I told them Issac would be back asking for Nina; seeing as his beloved Mate needed to be checked out again.

Everyone was so trusting of this mystery rouge girl. She had told us her story, but somehow I had an strong untrusting feeling towards her. The reason to my feelings was most likely because of my mother's death. My Wolf told me Issac was blinded by the fact that Clary was his Mate, and was looking past the obvious threat.

She was an unknown, rouge wolf. Just like the ones that killed our mother, the Luna of our tightly bound pack.

I hoped what I was feeling was just me being paranoid, I needed to give her a chance; she would be a big part of mine and my brothers life from now on.

My sharp ears caught the sound of him approaching from the thick woods. Snapping my head up my penny colored eyes met Issac's wolf's green ones. As he got closer I noticed Clary unmoving, laid across his furry back.

I jogged lightly to them, reaching out my arms and steadying Clary's body; seeing her slip slightly from Issac moving back.

A deep, protective growl rippled around us as my brother warned me to back off. He was ticked off and by the looks of it; not very in control of his Wolf.

Scoffing comically, I backed away slowly and put my arms up defensively, looking at Issac's now ebony gray eyes. The crunch of gravel below my feet and blowing of the wind was now the only sounds around us.

A door slam came from behind me and quick foot steps raced down the pack house's sturdy steps.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lucas and Nina, joined by Rosaline; Nina's closest friend and a Peacekeeper of the Saltus pack. We needed people like Rosaline to help stop internal pack fights and maintain peace, thus the name Peacekeeper.

Issac quickly trotted over to Nina and bowed his large furry head to reveal Clary on his back. Nina narrowed her light eyes then spoke.

"Take her inside Issac, she really needs to rest and heal; she has been through so much." Her gentle. caring voice explained to my impatient brother.

"Here we'll help take her in." Lucas started, but practically flew backwards as Issac snapped his barred teeth at his outstretched hands.

"Yeah, lets just head in; he's got her" I stated, beginning to walk to the large wooden door of my family's home.

It was now late morning, almost reaching the afternoon. The pine trees surrounding us taking in the now risen sun, swaying in the breeze. Yesterday had been a normal day but now, things were going to be different. My brother had already began to act differently, that was plain to see.

With the others close behind, I trekked up the stairs. I opened the door and held it for all of them, not really paying attention as I gazed back over towards the forest. Things were going to change, fast.

Noticing the silence of being alone, I snapped out of my distracted thoughts. They were all inside while I was still holding the door open. Shaking my cluttered head I turned into the large entryway of the house.

Looking up the grand steps, I watched Issac's dark grey and brown tail disappear behind a corner of the stairs. He was taking her to his room so that she could rest like Nina suggested.

He now had someone to live for, someone to make him feel alive. She was also someone he could die for as well. Clary could be the best or worst thing for him; I had yet to decide to trust her.

Seeing him with her, watching the love in his once dreary eyes; made a small part of me wish Fate would show me too my Mate sometime soon.

Clary's POV

My breath was quick and heavy, struggling to take in the cold air around me. My giant paws swiftly maneuvered over any obstacle in my path while pounding across the ground.

The snow white fur of my wolf stood out in the dark black forest I was franticly racing through, going faster then any normal wolf could ever go. My piercing blue eyes searched my surroundings, all senses on high alert. I didn't dare come to a stop, feeling that what ever I was running from was dangerous.

I didn't know why I was running, or where I was. I just knew I had to get somewhere' to someone. My labored breathing created visible breath that clouded around my pounding head. I heard distant howls with my keen sense of hearing, but they sounded familiar, almost identical to ones I've heard all my life.

It was my pack, they were calling to me as I ran. Half of me said turn around, but the other half said to keep going on to my important, unknown destination.

I slowed down slightly but instantly regretted it.

A huge, almost unrealistically sized, white wolf pounced onto my winded form. We landed with a thud and I turned quickly, facing my attacker. Meeting his furious black eyes, I immediately identified him as my father. Alpha Kane of the Purum Pack, one of the strongest wolves alive, and he was hovering over me; clearly angry.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw many of my white-coated pack members gather; emerging from behind trees or leaping atop rocks to watch their Alpha and his daughter.

My father backed off me and behind him I saw my also blue-eyed mother accompanied by my older brother Zak.

We all looked out of place here in these woods, our pack resided in the tall mountains; camouflaged by the beautiful white snow. I stood up warily, not knowing what was going on, or if any of this was real.

Turning my head slightly, I almost growled in disgust. Elijah Willis, my 'husband to be' was standing mere inches away from me; his grey eyes looking at me like a piece of meat. Issac's green eyes made my heart melt to liquid, where as his grey ones made me freeze up and feel uncomfortable.

Ignoring the one man I despised the most, I turned back to my family; still utterly confused as to what was happening.

My mother's voice echoed in my head, her tone laced with disappointment.

"You, Clary Albus, have disgraced this pack by letting yourself start to fall for someone who isn't pure-blooded. It goes against everything we stand for, and you know that." She said as I felt a pang of hurt deep in my confused heart.

I wanted to apologize, but what for? For loving the one person that was made for me? I had looked past what Issac's father was planning, and looked past his un-pure blooded background. They may call me blinded, but they are the ones who don't see. They don't see that loving this boy is what can truly save me.

I have felt so much pain with my parents trying to decide who I loved. My closest friend had also died from trying to decide it for herself. Her Mate sending his pack after her for rejecting him of being unworthy to carry on her bloodline.

I squeezed my eyes shut then slowly reopened them. What I saw made whimper softly; my pack and family had all disappeared. What was happening? I wasn't familiar with this sense of un-control over my own mind.

A dark grey and brown wolf stepped out from behind a large pine nearby and I instantly felt a wave of relief wash over me.

Issac. He was here now, where ever here was. But the sense of relief left as quickly as it came once I realized the expression on his wolf's face. Betrayal.

Realization sunk into my mind after I grasped the fact the he was looking at me while I was in my wolf form. He could see who I truly was, and I was hopeless as I stood with my white fur on full display.

"No Issac, please, let me explain myself. You don't understand." I stated franticly, not believing what has happening.

"No I understand just fine Clary..." He spat, hate coating his voice while he turned and bounded away.

Pain that wasn't mine filled my tired and confused body, What was going on? This couldn't be real, I wanted to scream; I wanted to do anything that would release this hurtfulness building inside me.

Howling sorrowfully, I raised my head up high; begging my Mate to return. But I was rejoined by the people I wanted to see least at the moment.

The white wolves had returned, loads of them; narrowing in on my shaking wolf. They had the same look of betrayal in their eyes as Issac, and had their teeth barred and snapping.

I stopped howling and whimpered, before everything turned black.

---

My eyes sprung open and my body jolted upward, the quick movement making my head spin. Looking around to take in my surroundings, I saw I was sitting atop a bed placed in the center of a beautiful, modern looking bedroom.

Running my warm palms over the silky sheets, felt relief that I had control over my body; no longer half-unconscious.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to shake the memories of my latest dream from my head. I hadn't had a nightmare since I was a child, the unfamiliar feeling of waking up scared made me feel uneasy as I laded in the kind sized bed.

My Wolf was purring in my mind, taking in the scent that covered everything in this room, Issac. I looked around seeing clothes across the floor, photographs in frames, and a stack of books in the corner near the huge glass window.

Gasping softly I slipped out from underneath the sheets. The window started at the floor and stopped at the ceiling, dark blue drapes pushed to the sides of the clear glass.

I gazed outside, feeling my blue eyes go glassy at the sight of the snowcapped mountains in the distance. My pack was just beyond these dense woods, visible from the room which appeared to be on the third floor of this multilevel home.

Hearing footsteps in the hall outside Issac's door, I spun around at a quick speed.

Whipping my teary eyes, I got a hold of myself. I didn't want to look weak around this pack anymore. I took in a breath as the doorknob turned and my Mate's intoxicating smell hit me full on.

He looked mouthwatering in his tight fitting white shirt and dark shorts, the muscles of his chest and arms visible to my prying eyes.

The green eyes I had come to adore, looked to the bed; then moved over to me after realizing I was no longer in it. I opened my mouth slightly, a soft gasp escaping; still not used to meeting his intense gaze.

It stayed quiet as his eyes quickly shifted over my body, still dressed in Nina's tank top and shorts. A blush creped onto my face as I realized I really needed to wash up and change.

Issac was suddenly in front of me, after only three long strides. I loved to be close to my Mate, but after my dream moments ago, I had a lot to think about when it came to being with him.

"It's good to see you up and moving. You gave us all a pretty big scare back in the woods." He said, his voice making my stomach do somersaults.

Looking up at him I saw admiration in his eyes. A rush of gratefulness filled my heart as I remembered he was the one to carry me out of the forest, My Wolf was very fond of his strong sense of protectiveness; and I had to agree with her.

"Its good to be up, I have no clue what happened to me..." I stated, adding on the last part of my sentence softly.

"Nina said you most likely went into some form of shock, or you were just plain exhausted."

I shook my head slowly, knowing my body probably did go in to shock; given everything that happened this morning.

Lacing my fingers together nervously, I glanced back towards the window. I turned and stood close to the large square of glass. Noticing it was late in the afternoon outside, I wondered how long I had been passed out in his bed.

While looking through the glass I felt Issac's gaze burning into me from behind.

Feeling strong, muscular arms rap around me from behind; I found myself leaning back into his steady embrace. Sparks scattered across my body where ever his touch reached.

His warm mouth made all my coherent thoughts turn to nothing as he leaned towards my ear.

"I'm so happy I found you." He whispered, emotion laced into his strong tone.

He turned me around quickly and cupped my checks with large hands. I felt weak in the knees and knew I was in so deep with everything at the moment.

I felt like I was at war with my self. Thinking about what my parents said about how much of disgrace it is the taint the pure-blooded line.

Throughout my life, I had found out this was a horribly common situation with our pack. Finding our mate, only to be taken away from them because of their background. My family knew that others lived in fear that their mate would be one of us, but we kept the lineage pure out of pride.

Meeting Issac's gaze, I saw relief mixed in with all his other emotions. I felt a pang of regret as I knew he saw me as one of his kind, and not the pure-blooded monsters he had grown up to despise.

"You're all I could've hoped for, Clary. You aren't one of them" He said as he held my face in his steady hands.

My Wolf howled in my mind, in sadness or admiration, I couldn't tell. I knew he didn't realize what he was saying, I was one of them, and it would kill both of us when he found out.

Clary's POV

Steam swirled around me as the hot water ran down my skin, I was attempting to wash away all the dirt and grime I had picked up last night; and also trying to clear my head.

I usually went to outside and relaxed among my pack's long stretch of mountain ranges to clear my head, but tonight the shower would have to do. Although I didn't want to, I felt a pang of homesickness in my confused heart.

I leaned my head forward, the hot skin of my forehead cooling on the tiles of the huge shower wall. The water ran down my back as I tried to think of what I was to do once I inevitably walked downstairs.

Issac had opened up straight away to me, the moments before my shower proved that. I was probably a big mystery to him and his pack, seeing as all I had was a sappy background story and confused mind.

Sighing, I decided I was finished showering, turning off the scalding water and stepping out into the cold room.

I grabbed the towel that Issac had gotten for me and rapped it around myelf, gazing into the fogged up mirror above the sink. Lifting a hand, while holding the towel with the other, I whipped away the condensation and stared at my reflection.

The blue eyed, brown haired girl in front of me looked the same as before. But then again nothing was the same, everything that could change, had changed for me. My pack, my life, my choices.

Narrowing my eyes at myself I chewed the inside of my cheek, one of the many nervous habits I had.

All I knew this morning when I woke, is there isn't going back; no amount of nightmares haunting my head, or longing for home can stop what has begun.

Realizing I had probably been in the shower for well over an hour, I slipped on a new pair of Nina's clothes she had lent me. The loose fitting white tank top and shorts fit perfectly, but I knew I had to get some of my own clothes soon enough.

Opening the door slowly I walked into the darkening bedroom. It was now early evening, the sun setting across the clouded sky. While combing my fingers through my hair, I walked towards the window once again.

My Wolf was a little on edge being here still, but was soothed by the scent that was around us in the room. Once I had gotten in the shower, I noticed the only soap to use was Issac's strong smelling body wash. Feeling embarrassed for using it, I was now relaxed by the scent that coated my skin as I stood alone.

Taking one last glance at the mountains in the distance outside, I spun around towards the door. My feet were silent across the carpeted floor as I made my way down the long hallway. Using my sharp hearing I heard a door slam down the steps and the racing thuds of a heartbeat.

Sighing, I listened a little longer before making the journey downstairs. I heard other heartbeats and quiet murmurs of bickering voices.

"Calm down, father just has to meet the girl first. You know how he is with outsiders." said Tobias as I recognized his strong tone.

"I realize that, but he doesn't have to jump to conclusions and accuse my Mate; she couldn't harm us all by herself." Issac stated back, aggravation clear in his voice.

A jolt of nerves struck me as I realized I had to meet the Alpha, Issac's father; the man my pack wanted to see fall over in his grave. I didn't know if I could put up a good enough act, but I knew I had too; that was what a good spy did.

You see, my father was the one to kill Alpha Marcus' Mate.

The Purum pack needed a cover up to stop the fact that a war would start if they were to discover the murderer of their beloved Luna.

Chasing a small group of rouges to the scene of the crime, my father and his men bounded away with nothing but a scratch; leaving the Saltus pack crumbling.

The story never got around my pack, but I had found out about it the same way I was listening now into Tobias' and Issac's conversation. Eavesdropping was a pretty bad habit of mine, but I couldn't help myself with my advanced hearing and intense curiosity.

The fact that the Saltus pack stood strong and Alpha Marcus didn't step down confused my father deeply. The confusion resulted into the need for a spy, which is where I stepped into the story.

Looking down at my bare feet, I realized the conversation had gone silent. Three others had joined the room, a thick silence settling in the air.

I prayed that the steps weren't loud and creaky, not wanting to make noise and draw attention to myself as I made my way down. Once I stood at the base of the steps I turned my head to the right to see a dim light coming from a room nearby.

I walked slowly and cautiously as it was still silent, My Wolf now pacing in my mind in anticipation of seeing our Mate.

Turning the corner I noticed five people gathered in a very beautifully decorated kitchen. The marble of the counter tops was dark brown and the cherry wood of the cabinets matched the table that I noticed Lucas, Nina and another blonde haired girl sitting at.

But what really caught my attention was the one person closest to me, leaning again the marble island; his muscles tense and fingers white from gripping the cold stone.

I could see his back muscles through his white shirt and noticed the distressed look of his brown hair; almost like he had run his finger through it many times. My Wolf was placing lustful thoughts into my head, but I pushed them away; needing to be serious and focused.

Looking over Issac's tight shoulder, I met the brown eyes of his brother; Tobias.

A small, almost forced-looking, smile crept onto his unreadable face as he looked back at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the others at the table were focused on me as well. I felt a jolt of embarrassment as I wrapped my head around the fact that they watched me ogling at Issac's body.

As my Mate lifted his head, he noticed everyone looking behind him. Spinning around quickly he was the last to meet my gaze as now everyone in the room was looking to me.

Lucas cleared his throat loudly and smirked as Issac and I broke our intense eye contact. Looking to him now, I held back a laugh as Nina made a face at him and hit him across the back of the head.

Out of curiosity my eyes shifted to the other girl, the blonde. She had her hair tied up in a messy bun and was now tracing patterns in the wood of the table.

As Tobias' voice filled the tense kitchen, her dark brown eyes looked up.

"Clary, this is Rosaline, Rosaline, this is Clary." Tobias said, introducing us as he backed away from the marble island.

She smiled at me, the corners of her lips moving into a small grin. Her eyes flickered slightly with an unreadable emotion but I brushed it off as I smiled back.

"Nice to meet you, its comforting to see more girls around here than just Nina." I said.

She nodded quickly before going back to tracing patterns on the table. It didn't click in my mind at how a quiet girl like her could be friends with such an energetic girl like Nina.

"Well Clary, now that you are conscious and cleaned up; I think there is someone these brothers would like you to meet." Nina interjected as I took my eyes away from Rosaline.

I looked back over to Issac, who now had Tobias standing next to him warily; they were waiting for me to follow them.

This was it, this was the man I came here to meet and learn about; Alpha Marcus. I knew instantly who she was talking about since it was customary for outsiders to meet the Alpha.

But that wasn't the only reason I was to come face to face with the man my father despised; he had to meet me seeing as I had turned out to be his oldest son's Mate.

My Wolf whimpered not liking the fact that we were planning to infiltrate our Mate's pack, but I responded to her with a only half-hearted reply.

'He has been turning other packs on ours, rallying other Alphas to stand behind him if he ever decided to take us down. People like him are the one's that killed our best friend for rejecting them; Karalyn would have done the same thing we are doing now to help save our pack before she was murdered...'

Thinking about my old friend, Karalyn, I felt a pang of sadness. Mates weren't supposed to want each other dead. My mind was swirling with thoughts of my pack, and the one I was in now, as I thought of all the deaths and broken hearts that came with being pure-blooded.

Issac's masculine voice spoke and my train of thoughts was interrupted as I listened to him.

"Our father is a good man at heart, he has just been through a lot. But from what I've heard, you have too." he said turning his head to meet my gaze, probably noticing my sudden nervousness.

Remembering I fed them the story that I was a rouge all on my own, I nodded my head slowly; not commentating on my Mate's words.

"We can meet him in his office, I told him we'd be in as soon as Clary came down." Tobias explained as he turned and left the kitchen.

"Okay, I guess ill see you all afterwards then?" I said, looking towards the other three at the table.

"Yeah, that is if Alpha Marcus likes you and doesn't instantly shun you like Toby has." Lucas responded comically, making Rosaline giggle softly and Nina look at me apologetically.

"You'll be fine, Clary. Go on, we'll be around." Nina said. I wondered if the fact that she was the pack doctor made everything she said seem so comforting and true.

I smiled weakly as I turned around to the door where Issac stood holding out his hand for me to take. Telling myself it would be suspicious if I didn't, I took his hand in mine. I saw his once tense muscles slowly relax and his expression lighten in my presence.

Once we were walking down the hallway, he leaned closer to me looking down at my smaller form; meeting his green eyes made a warm shiver travel down my back.

"You used my body wash didn't you, I can smell it all over you..." He said accusingly, pride laced into his voice as he squeezed my smaller hand.

My blue eyes widened while I looked away; I could feel my cheeks turning red as I remembered using it in the shower moments ago. Whiling laughing softly, I tilted my head up again to meet his eyes once more.

"I had to! I smelt like dirt and wet dog." I responded, a faint smile creping into my reddening face.

I saw a swirl of amusement in his green eyes as I smiled up at him. He pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it lightly, making sparks scatter across my skin.

"Yeah, we'll have to go get you some things of your own soon; like clothes and body wash. Even though I love that fact that you're covered in my scent at the moment." Issac said as we came to a stop in front of a big wooden door.

"I agree, I don't think Nina wants to share a closet with me forever." I stated lightly. Talking to him made me feel like I was worry-free and just a normal girl; something I hadn't felt ever.

Embarrassed by my thoughts I wondered where we were to get clothes. My pack had arranged for humans to deliver goods to our settlement in the mountains from a near by town.

I didn't know why since we hated them as a whole; but it was what worked for us. It was a topic that confused me, but I left it to my father.

Issac smiled down at me and I felt a warmth deep inside my chest. I knew walking past these doors would be the no turning back point, this was my choice and I had made it this far.

My heart was so confused, but eventually the part that wanted to protect my pack won, and I followed Issac as he led me forward past the door.

If you could check out my newest story Lover Of The Last id be so happy!

Clary's POV

Stepping into an Alpha's office was either a good thing, or a very bad thing. In this case I had yet to decide on how to look at things with the Saltus pack, but I knew I had to choose sooner rather than later.

Looking around with a fascinated gaze, I explored the office with my blue eyes warily. My feet felt cool on the hardwood floor, while I took in a scent of old books and papers. I also caught the sense of power that came off of the dark-haired man now getting up from his desk.

The dim lamp casted a eerie shadow on his face as he stood starting at us three.

The office had another large window on the far wall, with a view of the curvy gravel driveway and the dark pines nearby. My Wolf was pushing hateful thoughts into my mind as I met the hard gaze of the man who was plotting against our pack, our family. Noticing I was curling my hands into tight fists, I tried to relax and clear my head.

Once I took a much needed deep breath, I started to try and get a look at Alpha Marcus. He walked forward to us, eyebrows knitted and hands folded behind his large back. His features looked slightly handsome, but you could tell he hadn't gotten much sleep; the bags under his eyes noticeable in the lamp light.

He looked way more like Tobias then Issac. Marcus and his younger son had the same dark-brown, almost black, hair; they also shared the penny colored eyes.

A pang of sadness hit me when I thought of the fact that Issac probably got all of his looks from his mother. His forest green eyes, and light brown hair most likely reminded his father of her every time they looked at one another.

I had seen many wolves in my pack live on without their Mates, it changes them; but its possible. Looking at Marcus now I could see he was slowly letting himself go, he would step down soon; and his sons and his pack knew that.

"Father this is Clary, Clary this is me and Tobias' father; Alpha Marcus of the Saltus pack." Issac spoke into the prolonged silence.

Meeting his dull, light brown eyes; I forced a small smile onto my lips.

"Clary. Pretty name. It's a nickname, am I right?" Alpha Marcus asked. His tone was unreadable and made me nervous inside.

"Yes it is, my full first name is Clarissa." I responded. Not wanting to give away too much information about myself; I had already given them a fake last name.

He nodded slowly turning slightly away from me, now looking to his two sons. Issac was close to my side while Tobias had walked over to sit on the black leather couch to his left. Shifting my eyes inbetween my Mate and his father, I listened.

"You wish to grant her entrance into our pack." The voice I had began to distrust spoke to Issac.

"I do, she has no where to go; from what she said shes got no one left. And I really cant have her go anywhere else seeing as we're Ma-" Issac steadily explained before he was abruptly cut off.

"You're Mates. Fate has shown you to one another and now you cant get enough of the other, its wonderful feeling right; finally meeting that one person you can be happy with?" Marcus spat. I was taken aback by his words, this man was just who I thought he was; a heartless, empty soul.

Issac's jaw was clenched and I could see his muscles tense once again. Taking my eyes off the heated discussion, I looked to Tobias who was staring at his father.

I had no clue what to say, many emotions swirling in my mind at the moment. I didn't like the way he was speaking to Issac, I wanted to grab my Mate and pull him out of the room to get him away.

But the thought that he had most likely been through conversations with his father like this before, made me and My Wolf calm down slightly. No one knew the Alpha better then his sons, that I could tell.

"Father, you know what its like. You know what its like to have someone to complete you, you had mom. Clary is to me, as she was to you. Please understand and let her stay." Issac stated. Emotion was laced into his serious tone while he spoke. I knew the topic of their mother was probably hard, but he had made my heart melt at his words.

Looking to Issac, I saw him meet my gaze out of the corner of his eye. His tall form almost leveling out to his father while I stood, much shorter than the both of them.

Marcus backed away slightly, more toward Tobias on the couch. Turing his head to me again, his light brown eyes held a question.

"How do we know she is who she says she is?" Marcus stated, demand coating his tone.

I felt surge of anger as I heard his tone, if he knew who I was; he defiantly wont be speaking to me that way. A pure-blooded Alpha was strong, and well-respected; but they didn't know and I had a feeling even if they did, Marcus wouldn't care.

"I have no reason to lie to you, I don't even know any packs around here; my family has been rouges ever since I was born." I stated. My tone was strong, and I knew it was believable. The cautious looks that clouded Marcus' and Tobias' faces seemed to fade as they thought things through.

I could feel Issac's stare on me as I spoke, an invisible pull made me want to be closer to him; but I knew I had to keep my distance for my own good.

"Very well" Marcus spoke. "We shall see if you are worth trusting, my pack will keep a close eye on you...-"

"Clary." Issac said, his eyes narrowed at his father. I looked to him and saw his eyes were a lot darker than before, the gorgeous green disappearing into the gray.

Marcus turned, and nodded his head at his son. He folded his hands behind his back once more and slowly made his way back over to his desk. A slight look of amusement was apparent on his face at the sight of Issac losing it.

My Wolf was revealing in the fact that our Mate was upset over us being disrespected, she was pushing me to comfort him. But at the same time she wanted me to rip his father to shreds.

"Come on, we can leave now." Issac said. The tone of his voice now softer that he was speaking to me.

"I'll stay here." Tobias stated. I couldn't help but feel he was upset over something, but what I couldn't tell. He turned to the window, resting his head on the back of the couch; a empty look in his eyes.

Glancing up one more time to his father, I met his hard stare. This was someone I needed to get information from, the one I needed to deceive. I couldn't believe a pack could have someone like Marcus leading them, he was crumbling and I could tell.

"Thank you, Alpha." I spoke into the tense air. I felt unnatural using that title, and I instantly hated giving him the respect he didn't show me.

Feeling sparks travel up around my arm, I knew Issac was leading me out of the large office. My blue eyes wandered to his, they were still slightly darker; but were now more green seeing that I was fine.

My mind was spinning with feelings, one side with hate; the other with love.

I had yet to see if I could do this, stay unattached to my protective, new Mate; or bring him and his pack down.

Kane's POV

My piercing white coat flowed around me as I sat atop the gray rocks of our mountains. My huge paws unflinching on to the cold, hard stone beneath them. Looking out from my high view, I could see the ongoing woods in the distance.

I narrowed my charcoal colored eyes as I thought of the traitorous wolves that lived below. My teeth where itching to rip them apart and see their human-tainted blood spill across the ground. Pride filled me as I remembered my daughter was down there, tricking her way into their plans. We would bring them down, and I could feel the time was approaching.

Clary's POV

If one word could describe the feeling floating around in the air, it was; uncomfortable.

I was current sitting at the large dinning room table, the cold wood underneath me and delicate plates loaded with food in front of me. My fork was pushing the untouched meal around while I tried to work up some sort of apatite.

Giving up on eating, I glanced around at the others who were seated with me for the late dinner. Issac was to my right while Nina was to my left. Across from her was Lucas, joined by Rosaline.

After about ten more minutes of staying in the office with Marcus, Tobias had returned and sat along side Issac silently. Everyone was making small talk, most likely trying to settle the uneasiness.

The large glass windows behind me casted the sunset's light into the beautifully decorated dinning area. Every room in this house had a modern, neutral colored look to it that I had began to admire. I focused to my right, onto Issac as he discussed something with Lucas.

I knew he could tell I was staring, but I didn't seem to care. While I studied the way the orange light made his touchable hair look so soft, he shifted his muscular form to face me more.

Looking up I met his green eyes, and they held a questioning gaze.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I refocused on his face. His eyebrows were slightly raised, saying he had asked me something; and was waiting for an answer.

"I'm sorry...I just- what did you say?" I asked, clearly embarrassed. Everyone was now focused on me and Issac, Lucas' gaze held a hint of amusement.

"We were going to go for a run, me and Toby have to check the borders anyway, so we thought we could just all go." Issac explained. His tone held hopefulness.

"Yeah after everything that's been going on I could seriously use one." Nina interjected. She ate one last bite of her food before pushing away her plate and glancing back to me hopefully.

Panic had struck me, my throat went dry and I felt My Wolf whimper softly in the cloudiness of my mind. They couldn't see me in wolf form, I couldn't ever shift in front of their watchful eyes.

Seeing my pure white, silkily coat is the equivalent of admitting I was their neighboring enemy to their faces.

Thinking quick I responded "I've been running so much lately and still feel pretty poorly. You should all go run, I'll stay behind."

Issac's expectant look dropped from his chiseled features at my words. The others nodded and began to gather their plates and silverware to take to the kitchen. Tobias met my gaze briefly, with a look I couldn't read, before turning away and exiting through the door.

"I can stay behind with you if you need me too-" Issac attempted to reason with me. His eyes searching mine, hopefully believing me.

"No. Go run with your brother and the others, I'll be okay." I said quickly, hoping he would let it go; slightly nodding my head towards to door everyone had left out of

Holding my gaze a little longer, he finally pushed out of his chair and left to the kitchen in silence. I didn't like to disappoint him, but there was no way I could expose myself.

If I screwed up one thing and gave away my true identity, the war I was prolonging would break out in a heartbeat. But something in the back of my mind wanted me to be completely honest with Issac about myself, saying it was Fate that had showed us to each other for a reason.

Shaking the nudging thought to the back of my mind, I stood up. Grabbing my leftovers in silence, since everyone had left already.

I had to admit, I was uneasy being in this home with just Marcus down the hall and no one else. I decided to get fresh air even though I pretty much told everyone I was going to rest. After washing my plate in the sink, I left through a hallway I had not been through, hoping to find a way to the back.

My bare feet padded along the cool wood as I wandered throughout the expansive home.

Noticing glass double doors in a large back room, I made my way to them with a feeling of happiness that I was going to have alone time to clear my head.

I missed my mountainous territory as I stepped outside to the looming, dark woods. The scent of other wolves nearby entered my nose. I knew they were informed about me, but as I expected their scent grew fainter as I walked closer; most likely getting away from the mysterious new rouge.

I saw a pond at the edge of the large backyard, lined with different stones and glimmering in the sunset's now purple tainted light. A smile crept onto my lips while approaching the water, admiring the small oasis.

I lowed myself to the ground next the to pond, gazing into the reflective pool. Deciding to dip my toes in, I eased them into the cold water. Resting my body weight on my hands I looked up to the handful of stars that had begun to peak out in the evening sky.

Whilst closing my blue eyes, a breath left my tired body. I could feel my wavy, brown hair reach the top of hands as I leaned my head backwards slightly.

Using my incredibly sharp hearing I listened to the sounds of the forest in the unfamiliar land around me.

A delicate flutter of wings reached my ears as I heard a few birds take off from a nearby tree. The movement of the water made small lapping noises against the stones, while a breeze pushed the grass around in a swooshing sound.

Reopening my eyes I shifted my weight forward once more, leaning over my knees to see the clear. dark water. What looked back was my ripping reflection.

The brown hair cascaded around my delicate face, while my blue eyes held a faint glow in the darkness.

Looking back to the woods, I again saw a tiny sliver of mountain top in the distance. I would have to met up with my father and pack members soon, right along the border of the Saltus and Purum pack. To fulfill my orders of being a spy, I had to gather as much information as possible and report it back on certain days.

The tricky part was getting away without being suspicious; Alpha Marcus himself told me he was keeping an eye on me, along with his pack.

The now familiar jolt of sadness hit me once more as I thought about Issac and what I was doing to his father, and pack.

Moving my feet back and forth I huffed in frustration. My heart was literally split in two, one for my family and pack, and one my Mate and his.

I couldn't help but think that the only reason Marcus and his pack hated my father so much, was because of our ways to keep our bloodline pure. The hate my father told me he had for us had to be fueled by other factors as well.

"Our pack is just loyal to tradition he should accept that. Marcus also doesn't know our father killed his Mate. Whatever else he feels towards us was caused by something else..." My Wolf suggested. Her voice filling my head after being silent for so long.

"Which is one of the reason's why we are here, find out what he knows; and what he plans to do." I stated back.

"We also have anther reason to be here now as well." She added. I instantly knew what, or in this case; who, she was speaking about.

"Issac." I said inside my mind. He was the clarity in all this insanity, my remedy in this cluttered situation.

Shifted my feet around in the water one last time, then stood up slowly. I looked around and noticed the sun had gone all the way down in the sky, below the horizon.

A pounding noise seemed to get closer, and as I listened closer; I made it out to be the sound of paws thundering across the ground. My Wolf's felt excitement as our Mate drew closer, but I couldn't muster up the emotion.

I loved being with him, but every moment made me feel like I was digging myself further into my lie.

Hearing the sound of paws stop, I narrowed my eyes into the woods. Seeing Nina and Lucas' two tan wolves, Tobias' dark brown one, and Rosaline's dirty blonde wolf behind an opening in the trees. Lastly, I noticed Issac's huge dark grey and brown form.

As I walked a little closer to the edge of the woods, the others bounded away in another direction, leaving my Mate standing alone in the forest; with me spying in.

My eyes widened drastically and my hand flew up over my mouth as Issac shifted back into his human form, right in front of my watchful gaze.

Before I could catch a big glimpse, I turned away with intense speed, only seeing a quick look of muscles and bare skin in the dark.

My Wolf huffed in my mind, placing intimate thoughts into my embarrassed mind. A heat ran through me and settled in my core as my body ached for my Mate.

I took a deep breath of cold air to try and cool down my heated body. Issac's scent was now laced into the air as I stood still close to the edge of the forest.

"Clary. Why are you outside? I thought you weren't feeling well." Issac stated. His voice now out of the woods and closer to my uneasy body.

Remembering what I had told him and the others earlier I replied. "I was feeling better so I chose to come out and get some air." I didn't dare turn around, I had hoped he had gotten some shorts on, but if not I wasn't sure if I could control my sudden thoughts.

"Well that's good. I wish you could've ran with us tonight, but there will be other times." He said. His tone now lace with tiredness as the night took over.

I stayed where I was, my breath coming out quick and uneven. I knew I needed to get a hold of myself, but he was so close. My Wolf had guessed he was still unclothed, making her itching to turn around.

"Lucas gave my shorts, don't worry." Issac explained, his tone holding a hint of amusement that I rarely heard.

His scent made its way into my senses as I could tell he was right behind me. Hot breath on my neck not helping my instinctual pull to him lessen.

I lifted up a shaky hand to tucked a piece of dark hair behind my ear, fidgeting to try and keep my hands of his half naked body close by. Swallowing inside my almost dry mouth, I turned slowly to met a lust filled gaze.

The familiar green was now a dark grey, telling me the same thoughts in my head; where in his as well. The mating bond was puling us together, our wolf's not liking the limited contact with one another. In this moment it felt right, all coherent thoughts vanishing with my logical reasoning.

"You're so beautiful. I haven't told you that yet, but I thought it right when I saw you that morning in the clearing." He said. My tight muscles now loosing like rubber bands at his thoughtful words.

Elijah had never complimented me like that, he just said how hot it was that I was the Alpha's daughter and tell his friends how powerful we'd be. His words made me feel empty, but Issac's filled me up with new found emotions.

A smile crept onto my face as I lifted my hands to his face, which was covered in a small amount of stubble. Running my smooth fingertips across his skin, I noticed him close his eyes and lean into my touch.

An almost silent sigh escaped my lips as I spoke. "Why does this feel so right." I didn't quite mean to say my words aloud, but the thought had been pressing itself into my head all during this moment.

All my life I had been brought up to believe having a unpure-blooded Mate was a disappointment, but it was anything but that.

Knowing he had doubts about Mates as well I listened as he replied. "Because it is right. You came in my life when I needed you, and I came when you needed me as well.

Nodding my head quickly, I leaned my forehead onto his; each of his words holding solid truth. Our lips were mere inches apart, breath mixing in the cool evening air.

His arms, encircled around my small waist, tightened just enough to eliminate the shrinking space between us.

His lips crashed onto mine, leaving me breathless as sparks were emitted along my entire body. I responded by lacing my fingers into his touchable hair, reviling in the lust-filled moment.

I deepened the kiss, turning his head to the side slightly for better access, loving the taste of his mouth on mine. A deep growl vibrated through his chest, making a shiver travel all the way to my curling toes.

I was completely caught up in him, and he was the same; taking his lips off mine for a moment of air. I unlaced my fingers from his soft hair and traced them down his shoulders, onto his chest.

"You don't know what you do to me Clary..." Issac spoke. His tone with filled to the brink with lust, I was surprised he could speak.

A small breeze blew past us as we stood still in his backyard, the trees swaying in the cool wind. Past a break in the top of a few pine, I noticed the snowy mountains once more.

My Wolf purred in my head, taking my mind off my distant home. I realized her pleasure was because Issac had began to trail warm kisses down my throat. He was getting dangerously close to the area where my shoulder met my neck, making me panicky and My Wolf overjoyed.

Quickly twisting out of his strong hold, I backed away with intense speed.

His eyes were almost black with lust, making me gasp quietly. The color began to lighten back to a grey, then returned to its normal green. A pang of sadness hit me as I read the emotion in his eyes; regret.

"I'm so sorry, I got carried away- I just..." He stated. But I stopped him before he could try and justify his actions.

"No Issac, don't worry. I'm just not quite ready for that I guess. It's nothing you did." I said, hoping he would understand. This is crazy, why did I let that happen?

He nodded his head, looking down and running a hand through his tousled hair. "I need to get to sleep, lets go in."

"Of course." I replied after he took my hand in his like he always did, almost like he never wanted to let me go. And I had a feeling he wouldn't anytime soon.

Clary's POV

My eyelids fluttered open only to be met with surrounding sunlight as it shown through a nearby window; the room brightened by the sunrise.

Laying where I was, I turned onto my side noticing the bed I was in was empty.

A small sigh escaped my lips, while I took in my surroundings; a different large modern bedroom, like Issac's, with a bathroom attached.

Half of me was disappointed he wasn't by my side when I woke. I knew he mostly wouldn't be here, seeing as his room was the next one down; but I still slightly wondered if he would sneak in during the night. The other half of me though, was feeling relief after what had occurred last night.

I had kissed him. Most Mates would be delighted by the fact that they kissed their other half, but I couldn't muster up the emotion; knowing that every step I took with him was a step deeper into my lie.

Thinking about it, I remembered I had been here for a day; it was time to check in with my father.

I promised to mind link with him at certain times in my stay, and also met up with them deeper into my time here. Meeting them face to face would be tricky, seeing as Marcus and his pack was watching on high alert.

I thought about Issac and how I could maybe get to my family by using him in some way. The thought made My Wolf growl lowly in my now awake mind.

Her feelings were part of me, they mixed with my own making me felt a pang of sadness at the fact that my Mate had to be part of this pack.

If only he was like me; then it would be different. If only I didn't have an arraigned marriage awaiting me back home.

Shifting in the crisp white sheets, I got up out of the bed and walked over the full-length window.

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath slowly. I reached into my mind and felt my mental barrier I had put up being lifted. In order to focus I closed off telepathic contact with my pack, I left it up longer than I should've because of what I discovered when I came.

I knew my parents couldn't know about Issac, hiding away the fact I found him would be hard; seeing as of yesterday his scent was still covering me.

Limiting my contact with him made my already solemn mood worsen.

With my eyes still closed, a concentrated on linking with my father. I felt his presence in the back of my mind once my mental barrier was lifted. He was my father, and my Alpha; which was bad news for me. I had to keep all my thoughts on lock down so he couldn't read them too easily.

"Clary." A deep, familiar voice boomed inside my head. He seemed like he had been waiting for me, the sound of his urgent voice in my head told me he wanted to know what I had been up to.

"Hello father, I'm sorry I didn't contact earlier. Things have been- difficult, around here." I responded, my tone submissive and hopefully believable.

"Yes about that. I need you to be more serious about this, you know I could've sent someone else, someone with better communication skills." His voice responded back. I knew he was annoyed, his words not quite holding truth as they downgraded my inconvenient ways.

"I know. But I did get to met the Alpha last night. I've also became close his two sons. I know for sure that Marcus is failing in being a leader for this crumbling pack as well." I spoke into his mind.

"I knew he was, hopefully he will step down sooner rather than later. Anything new that you think I might not know?" My father spoke with a expectant voice.

His words always made me feel insignificant; always wanting more from those around him. I knew he was curious, seeing as this was the first time our kind has gotten this close with another pack; but I still felt a pang of annoyance.

"His son Tobias is really stand-offish, which he probably gets from Marcus.. But nothing to interesting. I can tell they have a fear of outsiders, they're keeping a close eye on me." I replied.

"Yes, I think I have a thought in my head as to why they fear trespassers." He said maliciously. The memory of when I heard about him and his men murdering my Mate's mother snuck its way into my mind. "But what about the other son. What's his name...-"

"Issac." I gave him his name. The name of my Mate that I didn't want involved in an of this. But of course he had to be, he was to take my father's worst enemie's place as Alpha in the near future.

"Ah yes. Issac. He is to replace Marcus. Hopefully he is up for the challenge. I know his father has rallied many Alpha's behind him that are to help his son once he takes over." He responded. I almost detected amusement in his voice as he spoke of Issac. Almost like he thought he was a joke.

"Father, I have a question." I blurted out hastily. The thought had been ebbing away in my mind and I wanted answers. I knew I should stay on topic but I had a mind that wandered, most likely because I was trying to steer clear of Issac.

"Yes, Clary. What is it?" My father's commanding voice replied.

"I want to know. Is there anything else, other than the fact the Saltus pack hates us for what we do to un-pure blooded Mates, that would make Marcus dislike you and the pack?" I spoke.

My tone was questionable as I tried to keep it strong. My Wolf was ticked off by the fact our father was making a joke of our Mate earlier, but I pushed her aside; focusing on the more important topics.

Silence. I waited for my father to responded back. I could feel his mental presence in the back of my mind; I hoped he wasn't picking through my thoughts, seeing as I had been thinking about Issac moments ago.

"There are things you do not quite understand, Clary. Marcus is a hateful man, trying to turn others against us. During your stay in this pack you might discover things, things you're not supposed to. But I know you'll be loyal. You are my daughter, a pureblooded Alpha, you deserve to take down what threatens your existence". My father said.

I could sense uneasiness in his words; almost like he was hoping I didn't find out whatever he was speaking of. I knew there was more to this story.

A pang of pride filled my chest as he spoke of our bloodline, and my duty to help my pack.

It quickly left though, seeing as I had felt a tight bond with the Saltus pack, seeing as there future Alpha was my Mate. I couldn't be their Luna, it just wasn't possible for me. I didn't want to be doing this to them, but it was already done.

"I must go now, Clary. Please stay on top of your orders, and contact me or any of my men in the next couple of days." He stated. Most likely having other duties to attend too. "And also, I was told by Elijah to ask for you too link with him after you contacted me."

My eyes grew wide at the thought of speaking to him came upon my cluttered mind. That was the last thing I wanted to do at the moment. I couldn't even imagine what we'd speak about. That we missed each other? I didn't miss him one bit.

"Y-yes I will. I'll speak to you soon, hopefully with more information." I managed to string together a reply before I felt him shut me out.

Running a hand through my tousled hair, I groaned in frustration. I was in so deep.

Issac's POV

After finishing off my water I crushed up the weak plastic in my hand, throwing the trash into the garbage above my brothers ducked head.

"I'm going upstairs." I spoke, bored by our prolonged silence. Tobias had been out of his own for the past couple of hours, it was bizarre; but I didn't quite want to get involved. I had my own priorities.

"To check on Clary for the fiftieth time?" A comical voice chimed into our lack of a conversation. Lucas had walked in, a t-shirt slipping over his head and onto his body while he dressed mid-walk.

Shifting my weight towards him, I tossed a sharp glare his way. They didn't know what it was like having a Mate, of course they would tease me about it.

His hands flew up in a defensive gesture once he met my annoyed expression. I began to turn away before looking back once again at my brother. He was looking down still, his face unreadable.

Sighing, I shuffled my feet out of the kitchen and to the staircase nearby.

Listening carefully, I could hear Clary's light breathing and steady heartbeat once I reached the top step. I gave her the spare room next to mine late last night. Even though it took everything in me not to bring her into my bed, I respected her wishes and slept alone.

My green eyes looked to the door handle as I approached her door. I listened again, realizing she was now awake. Excitement filled my chest and My Wolf was itching to get closer to her like usual.

I raised my hand to the door and knocked with my knuckles twice.

I heard a small gasp, then bare feet shuffling on carpet. The door knob turned and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was keeping in. She was standing in front of me in Nina's pajamas, short cotton bottoms and a loose fitting V-neck.

I smiled lightly at her sleepy form, wishing I had woke up next to her.

She returned the smile, but I could see a flicker of an emotion in her eyes. I tried to catch it but she covered it up. A questionable gaze hiding her unreadable expression.

"Do you know where Nina is?" She asked. Her tone was weird, I couldn't quite figure out this girl. I wanted to know more about her, but it seemed merely impossible to get to close with her.

The question caught me off guard. I felt a pang of rejection, feeling like I wasn't the person she wanted to be around at the moment.

My Wolf was agitated that she had quickly dismissed our presence; but I was just glad Clary asked about a girl and not another guy, that would have set him off. I quickly racked my brain for a reply.

"I just saw Lucas come in, I think they were helping Rosaline and some others with a conflict down near the clearing." I replied. "Seems like people are getting uneasy about- something."

I knew that people were scared of having a rogue staying in the pack house. I obliviously had yet to announce she was my Mate to the whole pack.

I tried to think of why she needed to see Nina, she could come to me for anything she needed. I wanted her to be open with me as I was with her.

"Alright, well I can go look for her then-" She stated hastily.

I was growing more confused with her actions as we stood in her doorway; she attempted to slip under my arm to the hallway but I wrapped them around her waist quickly. She yelped, not expecting me to pick her up as I dropped our bodies onto the nearby bed with inhuman speed.

"Well, I don't approve of you walking around outside in nothing but these reveling clothes." I mumbled into her dark hair that had sprawled out across the white pillows.

"They're just- uh. They're pajamas." She spoke, her words stuttering slowly. She was shifting under me, her smaller form breathless as I ran a hand down her side; coming close to the bear skin show above her shorts.

A smirk crept onto my face as I heard her now unsteady breathing, fan out across my shoulder. I was resting all my weight on my arms, not wanting to crush her.

Being lost in the moment, her scent swirling around me as I trailed my nose down her heated neck; I was caught off guard once I was suddenly flipped onto my back. I felt slightly colder once her body was moved away from mine.

The bed I was in was now empty as I lifted my self up onto my elbows. Clary was on the opposite side of the room, near the door. Her expression was panicky, focused on my confused gaze.

It happened so fast I didn't even realize; she had pushed my heavy body to the side and raced out of the bed all the way to the door, and it only took her mere seconds.

Nina must have been right about her Alpha blood, but that was pretty extraordinary.

"I'm sorry. I just- ill go find Nina now." She managed to say to me before she turned and left me there. Alone. Confused. And a with another jolt of rejection stirring in my heart.

Clary's POV

The cold wind wrapped around my exposed legs after I quickly exited the pack house. Standing there I felt so out of place. And out of my mind.

I had brushed past Tobias on my way out, even though he had a look saying he wanted to speak with me; I just had to leave. This pack had been the complete opposite of what I imagined in my naïve mind.

They had been more accepting than I thought, but my mind put reason to their actions by saying they were kind because of who I was to their future Alpha. I was Issac's Mate and they couldn't just through me back into the woods.

Fixing my windblown hair hastily, I walked quickly into the thick tress; a worn down path catching my attention. I followed it while smelling the air surrounding my pajama clad body, unfazed by the cold because of the natural body heat radiating off my skin.

As my bare feet crunched along the forest floor, the recent events swirling in my head.

My Wolf was on top of the world when Issac was with us; I had to admit I would be too if it wasn't for the obvious complications. She would revel in the intimacy while I panicked.

Panicked because the closer we are, they worse it is going to be when he discovers the truth.

And also, the apparent reason I couldn't have his scent all over me while meeting up with my pack in secret. Whenever that was to happen, I could lie all I wanted, but if another wolf's scent was all over me, I wouldn't get to far.

A small gasp escaped my lips once a sharp snap of a branch sounded to my left.

I turned my head in the direction of the noise, my eyes landing on a small group of dark-colored wolves. To my surprise they were almost as huge as the ones in my pack. In my mind, other shifters wouldn't come close to the size of us, seeing as they were weaker; no pure-blood running through their heated veins.

Their beady dark eyes narrowed at me, a wary look dancing in their expressions. The emotion they were giving off was sort of defensive; almost like they didn't like me wandering their woods alone.

I had to admit I looked very out of place, but their gazes made me feel even more unwanted.

One of them huffed aloud, nudging his head in the opposite direction. The others glanced at me one last time then trotted away after him; disappearing and blending into the coverage of the forest.

Having no clue where I was, or where I was going, I lifted up my head a took a deep breath. My sharp senses located Nina's flowery scent far away, it was crowded by the smell of others and I could also detect that Rosaline was with her as well.

After being half-conscious while Issac carried me away from the clearing, I was having trouble finding it once more. Also I hadn't been around them too much to get familiar with their scents; a normal wolf probably couldn't do it, but here I was now running towards them.

My enhanced sense of smell lead me throughout various parts of the forest. The woods of this territory were so thick and my previous path had now vanished, making it difficult.

Whenever I smelt another wolf that wasn't familiar, I attempt to go the opposite direction. I still had a slight fear of this pack being hostile towards me, even if they had no clue who I truly was.

After many hasty moments of trying to trek through the unfamiliar terrian, I made it to the edge of a clearing. I sighed aloud, wishing I could've just done the trip in wolf form; it would've been treacherous because she was used to mountainous terrain, but I knew it would've been faster.

My mind was focused on finding Nina but I had yet to figure out why I needed to go to her. Going to her was a distraction to get away from Issac sadly, and I hadn't quite thought it through.

My Wolf huffed in the back part of my mind, annoyed by my unorganized thoughts; and also because we were so far from where our Mate was.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by an uneasy feeling settling on my confused form.

The feeling was one you get when you feel numerous people staring at you; and looking up now I was meeting the gazes of about ten others, all focused on me. The clearing was more crowded then it had be when I was here last.

A shiver ran up my back at the memories of the previous events in this area; or maybe it was the fact that I was now the center of everyone's attention.

I caught Nina's eye. She was standing next to a dark-blonde wolf, Rosaline, and wore a look of confusion on her flawless face.

Looking away from her I noticed there was tension between the group, almost like half of them were angry with the other half. The men were shirtless and had clenched fists, the women had knitted eyebrows and crossed arms; their body language giving of a disagreeing emotion.

Remembering faintly back home having certain wolves, Peacekeepers, I pin pointed the fact that Rosaline was most likely one. She was standing in between everyone shifting her gaze from one half of the group to the other cautiously.

Nina sighed, in frustration or relief; I couldn't tell. Moving away from the rest, she began to walk quickly over to my awkward form as I stood silently.

"You probably should not be here at the moment, Clary" She spoke. The light eyes that matched Lucas' looked into mine.

Almost like a bucket of cold water was dumped on me, I felt realization washed over me at what I was doing. I had just raced miles into the woods in my pajamas to see someone I didn't really need to see, only to get away from the one guy who hated to watch me leave.

"Are you alright? You seem... off- why'd you come all the way out here?" Nina tried to get some words out of me, clearly confused with my sudden appearance.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt anything, I just uh- need another pair of clothes..." I quickly responded. I didn't want her to think anything suspicious of me. I came up with the fastest excuse, and it wasn't entirely false; I did need clothes from her.

Cocking her head slightly, she raised an eyebrow at me. I noticed beyond her that the others had started talking again, no longer staring at us; an occasional glance our way was thrown, but I was relived to no longer be the center of attention.

"Okay, I'm sure Issac could've grabbed you another pair; but I wont question it. Lets head back, I think I'm done here. These people are getting on my nerves." Nina stated.

I let out a breath, feeling more relaxed now that she wasn't questioning my actions. My mind reeled with thoughts on why she was annoyed with her pack members though. I couldn't form an idea as to why the group was fighting.

"If it's okay, could I ask what was going on back there?" I asked. We had began to exit the clearing, now out of earshot of the others.

"It was a disagreement, Rosaline deals with them all the time. She's one of our strongest Peacekeepers, she may not seem like it; but that girl has got some guts." Nina responded. Her expression told me she wasn't going to elaborate on why they had been fighting in the first place.

I nodded slowly. Memories of back home in the Purum pack flashed across my thoughts; when our Peacekeepers had to calm down fights between couples in arraigned marriages.

Not every wolf in my pack is so willing to give up their Mate and be with someone else, disagreements are usually inevitable. But like always our pride in our bloodline tops all.

"Clary? You still with me?" I heard Nina's voice sound to my right as we continued walking through the forest.

Snapping my head to her. I whipped my saddened look off my face and responded. "Yeah, I am. Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind at the moment." I spoke. I had no need to make my tone believable, everything I said was true; my mind had been constantly cluttered in the past forty-eight hours.

A sympathetic look floated across her face at my words. "I'm sure you do, I know I definitely would..." She replied, probably trying to put herself in my place. "What I was trying to ask you earlier was if you wanted to shift for the way home. It's much faster, as you probably know; it looks like you walked here."

My eyes widened as I looked down, away from her questioning eyes. Panic flooded my body at her words, but I had thought this one through.

"When I was with my family, we were always in wolf form. I sort of enjoying being human for once I guess." I responded "But you can go ahead, ill be fine."

We had stopped, Nina meeting gaze with a skeptical look. I'm sure she didn't want me to walk back all alone, but I needed her to know I wasn't going to shift anytime soon.

Her chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh. "Okay, you can meet me back at the house, ill grab you the clothes." Nina's usually energetic tone, was now laced with one of exhaustion.

She walked a little ahead of me, then turned; going behind the large trunk of a tree. Listening silently, I heard shuffling and a quick snap of bones.

Although I didn't want to admit it, I felt a pang of sadness enter my chest at the sight of her chestnut colored wolf coming out of hiding and bound away; clothing held tightly in her strong jaws. I wanted freedom, I wanted to be somewhere where I didn't have to lie with my every word.

Without noticing, I began to move my feet in the direction of the pack house; the last place I wanted to be.

I was lead to believe life was a sequence of agreeable events, that whatever happened I couldn't do anything to stop it. I loved my family and my pack, but where there is love there can be hate; they can exist side by side.

The dark hair fanning around my face acted as a curtain while I walked in silence; I could feel the presence of other shifters nearby, I could feel there distant stares. But my long wavy hair blocked them out while I just stared ahead.

Attempting to address all my thoughts, I remembered I had never contacted Elijah.

I sighed heavily, a strand of hair blowing back from my face, only to land back in its place. My stubborn ways were trying to put aside that fact that we needed to speak with him. When I've practically hated the idea of Elijah being with me; pushing it away and ignoring him became a pretty powerful habit.

Looking up now, I noticed the winding gravel driveway of the pack house. The rays of sunlight peaking through the trees made splatters of golden color across the forest floor and my still body.

I wondered what Issac would say once I walked in, would he even say anything at all?

I had hoped he would let it go, but I knew no guy would let his own Mate be as distant as I am. I know it cant be the same between us, like normal Mates, but that doesn't change the way I feel about him.

The thought of Elijah and Issac ever meeting pushed its way into my mind, it made me cringe thinking about them being in the same room; My Wolf whimpered at the thought of our Mate finding out about my arraigned marriage.

"That is a thought for another day, right now we need to change and stop being so suspicious with everything we do." I stated firmly to myself and My Wolf. Trying to comfort myself more than her.

As I walked up to the house I told myself, look ahead; not behind. Ahead at what is happening and not behind at things that have happened.

***

The next couple of weeks had sped by in what felt like a matter of days. I knew it was because the time to met up with my father was closing in, the meeting place set and day planned.

It was to happen in the middle of the night, right on the delicate border between our two packs. I planned to crawl through my bedroom window and go undetected. I tried to convince myself I was a good spy, but there was always and underlying emotion of sadness with my sneaky actions.

The trust between me and the Saltus packed had increased intensely, the defensive stares were now respective seeing as they now knew who I was; Issac's Mate.

Only after the first couple of days of me being her, he announced that when he took over I would hopefully be the one standing by his side as his Mate, their Alpha female.

My Wolf felt pride in being a Luna, but she knew our leadership of this pack could never be possible. Another thing that couldn't be possible was for Issac and I to mate; out of everything I've done in life, pushing him away was one of the hardest.

I was now staying in his room every night, his close body comforting; but distant. I had made up lie after lie trying to explain my reluctance to go any farther with him intimately.

And of course, it would make him fell like I was practically rejecting him. I knew deep down that I wanted him as much as he wanted me, but I was doing both of us a favor and keeping my distance.

He would look at me with his questioning green eyes, almost like they were daring me to explain my reluctance; but I always said things like 'I'm not ready' , or 'In the past things have turned out bad for me'. My shady answers only increased his annoyance and pushed him farther away.

On the other side of my stay her, I still had orders; orders that needed to be fulfilled. My supernaturally intensified hearing could pick up almost everything from Marcus' office if I was close enough.

I learned he had about three other packs, all in North America, rallied behind him for when Issac took over. Issac and his brother were in the office almost everyday; I couldn't help but feel like my Mate was in there just for some sort of distraction from me.

Marcus had said he was giving him full control of the pack in about a week, and after a couple of days they had a spine-chilling plan under their sleeves; war.

The war I knew was coming, but I pushed it down, burying it under my many thoughts. Tomorrow night I would met with my father, and if I chose to tell him this, he would make the first move and inevitably win.

As I sat near the backyard pond- the place I had grown to love - I shifted my feet in the water. I loved being outdoors but it made My Wolf itch to come out and run for once, seeing as she hasn't ever since we got here.

Sitting with my hair blowing and silence in the air, I felt peaceful. But my thoughts were anything but calm.

In the beginning of my stay here I thought there was another reason Marcus hated my pack, and my powerful father. The thought had slowly erased it's self since I couldn't find anything; nothing that would make him hate us so much.

I knew that he had no clue my father killed his Mate, he thought rouges were responsible for her untimely death. I also knew he despised us for the fact that we have arraigned marriages and rip apart Fate's plan for us by not mating with our true Mates.

But there was something else, I told myself, another thing he knew.

'There are things you do not quite understand, Clary. Marcus is a hateful man, trying to turn others against us. During your stay in this pack you might discover things, things you're not supposed to. But I know you'll be loyal. You are my daughter, a pureblooded Alpha, you deserve to take down what threatens your existence.'

My father's words echoed in my head, demanding to be remembered. There were things he said I might find out that I shouldn't. Yet I didn't discover anything too shocking, we already knew they were planning to make a move, we just needed to know when.

Things were about to change, and it was up to me if I wanted to put blood before love; or love before blood.

Clary's POV

The ink-black darkness of the bedroom made my body feel a slight chill while I laid atop the white sheets. The breeze coming through the half opened widow wasn't helping as I counted down the time in my head.

This was the night. The night that I was to meet up with my father, Alpha Kane, and his men; just on the border of our pack and this one.

I was currently sprawled out across the mattress, having gave up on sleep hours ago. The clock to my right glowed bright blue, the only light besides the moon inside the lonely room.

A couple days ago I had decided to distance myself, more than usual, from Issac. I couldn't have his scent all over me when I appeared before my father. Who knows what would happen to me if anyone from my pack found out I was keeping him a secret.

My Wolf was also distant from me, she had begun shutting me out ever since I chose to push away our Mate. Her constant whimpering made me feel horrible while I laid in silence, in the room farthest away from Issac's.

Bringing my hands to my face I let out a deep sigh. My cool fingers splayed across my face while I turned, peaking through them; I gazed at the nearby bright digital clock.

It's time was haunting me, hanging over my head like a lurking threat. I had no more minutes, hours or seconds left though. It was one in the morning and I had to be at the border.

Getting up I tightened my pony tail of dark, messy hair. My hands gripped the window and shoved it upwards, just enough for me to fit through, and just enough to make no sound.

I was depending on the fact that everyone was asleep and off guard, hopefully unaware of my sneaky motives.

Looking down I remembered I was on the third floor, c*****g my head to the side I evaluated my fall.

Taking in a deep lung full of air, a cloud of breath swirled around me once I breathed out. I sat my body onto the edge of the window and leaned forward slightly.

The weightlessness of free falling took over my senses, my stomach felt like I left in up on the windowsill as I dropped three stories.

Thinking quickly, I bent my legs to absorb to the impact. I landed soundlessly, a smirk growing onto my face as I looked at the ground, which was now below my feet.

I stood up to look around, making sure I was all alone in the backyard. The gurgle of the pond and rustle of the pines being the only noises.

I took of in a run, needing to reach the cover of the forest in order to shift into my now fully-awake Wolf.

She was in high alert once she realized the risk I was taking. I felt a small pang of relief in my chest at the fact that even though she was trying to ignore me, she still got concerned for our well being.

Going a far enough distance into the forest, I pulled my shirt up over my head and slipped out of my shorts. About a week into my stay here Rosaline and Nina had taken me to buy some things of my own. I agreed to go along, feeling bad for always taking Nina's clothes.

The pack obviously didn't have a deal with the human settlement nearby, like mine did for supplies. But driving out and getting away for a few hours was good for me.

Closing my eyes I tried to get My Wolf to respond, I had to shift for this journey and I was hoping she would get over her constant grudge for a few hours to do so.

It took longer than usual, having been almost a month since I last shifted. But I felt a sudden, familiar warmth, and a quick snap of bones; I felt my body bend forward and senses increase to those of an animal.

Opening my eyes, everything in view was sharp and focused; I could see everything even though darkness had long ago settled upon the woods.

The breeze that was moving the pine trees was now swirling through my snow-white coat of fur; sending a rush of calm over my anxious form.

I felt so out of place being in these woods, they weren't my home and had the complete opposite terrain of my mountainous pack's land. I couldn't help but think if I was someone else, a regular wolf like Issac, I could settle down her with him.

Huffing aloud, and picking up my clothes in my strong jaws, I pushed forward with my hind legs, bounding deeper into the forest; to where my father was awaiting my arrival.

Tobias' POV

A weak branch gave way beneath my paw, it's two halves flinging apart in a sharp snap.

My dark brown, almost black in the night, fur was whipped straight against me as I raced mindlessly throughout the forest.

I couldn't sleep. These last days have been full of tossing and turning, rest never settling upon my racing mind.

My father has been preparing me an Issac for weeks, so sure his plan will be foolproof. I can't help but feel like we have no chance, no matter how many Alphas we rally behind us.

Issac isn't as worried as myself, I can't help but be annoyed in how absorbed he is with Clary.

Clary. She was the oddest she-wolf I had met in my seventeen years of life. I'm sure many would agree, seeing as its so uncommon for a wolf to be so distant from their Mate without rejecting them.

She was also undoubtedly nosy, I sure she didn't mean too; but I always found her asking Issac about everything. And him being blinded by her so-called innocence, told her everything.

Dodging a large tree I weaved further in the dense woods, my destination unknown and my mind cluttered with thousands of thoughts.

Clary's POV

I revealed in the feeling of being in wolf form, knowing this would be one of very few times I could shift on this land. My claws ripped apart the damp soil beneath my paws as I ran faster than any normal wolf could, the untainted blood pulsing through me like fire.

I slowed my pace, sensing the invisible border was drawing near, I could see the forest floor began to turn more rocky, the mountains now in full view.

The snow-capped mountains of the Purum pack was all ours, the borders beginning as soon as the ground started to rise into the intimidating pointed rocks.

After glancing up at mountains, I turned to the forest once more; walking over to large tree nearby.

I opened my deadly jaws and let my clothing fall to the ground. Closing my eyes I felt a familiar shutter and snap of bones. My spine shortened and the white fur and sharp claws disappeared; all wolf characteristics vanishing as I stood up slowly.

After getting dressed quickly, I stepped out from before the trees. I took in a sharp breath once my eyes caught a glimpse of the familiar white fur, it's snow white color standing out from the darkness surrounding me.

Almost as if they came without sound, materializing like ghosts; my father and his men had shown up, posed on the rocks and staring directly at me.

What caught my eye was the fact that my brother Zak, was here as well. His large wolf stood next to my father's, but no one compared to the Alpha's wolf. My father's large paws and broad form stood at the front, a overpowering sense of dominance radiated from him.

The other two men I noticed to be Paul and Damon, the third and fourth in command. Their beady eyes started at me as if they were trying to solve a puzzle, but failing.

I couldn't help but be immensely relived that Elijah wasn't joining them. I had contacted him only a few times on my stay here and it was never an enjoyable conversation.

"I glad you came Clary, we have much to discuss." My father's voice rang inside my head, sending a shiver down my spine.

The cold rush that went down my back wasn't one I was familiar with, I was used to be confident and strong around my father; not cowardly and timid. A odd fear built up inside me as I thought about the decision I had made. It was something I had been do a lot lately, lie.

"Of course. First off, it is true, Alpha Marcus is planning to taken us down; staring with you." I replied to my father. My voice traveled to their pricked up ears along the chilling wind.

"Those disgusting, human-tainted wolves think they can-." Damon's voice entered the conversation, his anger clear after what I had reveled. I knew he was acting out because his pack and Alpha were being threatened but I couldn't help but want to scream at him from insulting the Saltus pack.

Pushing away my wrongful thoughts, I glanced to my brother as his voice boomed in my head.

"Damon. Cut it out. There's no need for that at the moment, we're here for information not bickering." Zak stated.

Taking in my brother, I couldn't help but realized I missed him. We were extremely close, him being older than I. I missed being in my pack, back home in the mountains. Reminiscing about home brought other memories as well, ones about Elijah, and my parents constant, watchful eyes.

Shaking my head I refocused on the task at hand. Feeding them the story I had conjured up in my devious mind. I had to buy Issac and his father more time before they went into what I called a suicide mission. I also knew I had to not give my father the go ahead to attack the Saltus pack, that would not end well.

"-I knew this was coming, it was just a matter of when." I heard the end of my fathers words as I began to listen once more.

"I don't know when they plan to attack, that detail has not been figured out yet, sadly." I spoke. My tone was balanced, but I struggled to betray my own father and his men. I told myself this wasn't betrayal, but a small part of my mind knew I wasn't strong enough to keep this up for long.

My father huffed aloud, a cloud of breath circling his giant head. Damon made a noise inbetween a growl and yelp, I could tell he was frustrated.

"Anything else." My brother responded finally. My father seemed upset and deep in thought as I stood before him; my smaller form trying to remain authoritive among the four massive wolves.

"Alpha Marcus keeps saying things like "Kane needs to be taken down for what he does." and "Kane doesn't know we found out.". It throws me off since I have no clue what he is taking about." I spoke softly, hoping I could get some answers.

My father's wolf went ridged, his mouth pulling back to reveal sharp pearly-white canines. He looked extremely frightening and I knew my fear was showing on my face.

The others, including my brother shifted their gazes to my father; confusion clear in their eyes.

"You don't think he means you murdering his Mate do you-" Paul's low voice sounded after the prolonged silence. But he was cut off quickly.

"No. He doesn't mean that, he doesn't know about that-" My fathers voice stopped short, his ears pricking up and eyes shifting to the forest behind me.

The known sound of paws on the forest floor sounded nearby. My ponytail whipped to the side as I snapped my head around instantly; more fear pulsing through my veins.

My father's terrifying look and stance grew as I knew he heard it too. The others backed away slowly, my brother looking to me as if I knew who was coming towards us; but I honestly had no clue.

Panic shot through me like bullet and I quickly stripped just as my father and his men turned to go up the mountains; the cold midnight air not effecting my heated skin.

I bent forward and listened to the dull snap of bones, claws and fur appearing while all my human characteristics were vanishing. Almost right when I landed on all fours, I bounded up the slight incline of gray rock ahead.

The others growled back at me, obviously disapproving of my actions. I growled back lowly and linked with them quickly; adrenaline running all my thoughts and motives.

"Hide me. Quickly, I'm not about to blow my cover or try and explain why I'm all the way out here." My words came rushing out, pleading with them as my father stood staring.

We climbed onto a part of the rock that jutted out, a wide ledge; I standing in the middle and the others surrounding me. My father took his eyes away from mine and glanced down the at the nearby forest. A low sound coming from his throat at what he saw.

"Would you look at that. It's our beloved Alpha Marcus' son." He stated. Fear erupted inside of me at his word, Issac? He cant be here, I would've have scented him; and why would he be at the border? Did he follow me?

A guilty sense of relief rushed over me at Zak's words. "Tobias, he's the younger of the two. What's he doing out here?"

"Who knows. Why don't we send a message to the Alpha by tearing him apart, shall we?" Damon's acidic voice spoke, making me feel uneasy.

I prayed that Tobias was alone, that no one else was coming. Knowing the wolves around me, they could kill him with the smack of their paw. My thoughts cluttered together made me more panicky as I sorted through them, trying to find a way to save my Mate's brother's ass.

"No we wait for him to leave." My father said his eyes, now off Tobias, were narrowed at me. "Once he's gone, Clary, you shift back and fulfill your orders by returning back the way you came."

Damon tore his murderous eyes off from down below, only to look up at us with a confused expression.

"Enough Damon. We're leaving." Paul's voice spoke his dark gray, almost black, eyes zeroing in on his packmember.

"Ill be in contact with you. Try and find out more, our pack is relying on you Clarissa. Don't let them down." My father spoke into my head. He used my full name when he meant business, when all the fatherly part of him was gone- the Alpha side taking control and ordering those around him.

I felt a pang of sadness deep in my chest. My pack, was relying on me and what ever I discovered.

Standing tall, I nodded confidently. My act played well, seeing as they bowed their heads quickly and raced up the side of the mountain; their skilled movements maneuvering up the rugged terrain.

I knew Tobias couldn't see me, but paranoia still engulfed my senses. His scent was nearby still, and now that I was focused I could tell it was drifting away. His presence was fading, and so was my fear.

My Wolf whimpered, and I couldn't blame her. We were in deep, with no way out in sight and a war creeping up from behind like a killer closing in on its victim.

Clary's POV

The cool, smooth leather from the couch I was sitting upon pressed against my skin; I was currently in the living room of the pack house, my legs pulled up to my chest and chin resting on my knees.

I stared down the hallway from my place on the couch, my eyes settling on the large doors at the end; the ones leading to Alpha Marcus' office. Behind the double doors was also his two sons, their 'important meeting' pretty much cleared out everyone, except me.

The silence around the large home was unsettling me, they had been small talking but now I could only hear steady breathing and uncomfortable shifts in movement. A slow intake of breath sounded and Tobias began to speak, his voice low and steady.

"I didn't sleep last night, I was out running borders when I saw them." He spoke

"Saw who?" A rush went over my skin sending scattered goosebumps over my body as Issac's voice replied.

"You know, them. I went close to their borders and they we literally right there." Tobias stated. The last part of his sentence he said threw clenched teeth, as if he hated saying the words out loud. "Kane himself was there and they we just- just standing there."

A animalistic growl sounded from behind the doors, I quickly identified it as Alpha Marcus'; his temper flaring up at the fact that the Purum pack had been so close last night.

"What did you do? Did they see you?" Issac snapped. Closing my eyes I could picture his forest green eyes swirling with gray, and the shaking of his hands as he clenched them into fists; the muscles on his arms becoming prominent.

Snapping back into the conversation I focused my enhanced hearing on the talking once more; trying to push down the nudging thoughts of my Mate.

"-And ran like hell back home." I caught the end of Tobias' sentence. "If they did see me, they didn't do anything about it."

"I'm assigning more border patrol nearest to the line of our pack and theirs for the time being, we cant have any interferences with the plan or unexpected ambushes." Alpha Marcus spoke lowly. His strong leadership qualities bursting through his current anger to help keep his people safe.

"There is one more thing, something that is pretty much the main reason I wanted to bring up this whole situation to you two for..." Tobias spoke. I had thought they were done talking after the Alpha's orders, but he kept speaking; his tone so quiet I had ease off the couch and tiptoed closer to the hallway.

"And that is?" Alpha Marcus spoke.

"Clary." Tobias spoke. I sucked in a quick breath, suddenly caught of guard and extra engaged into where this 'important meeting' was going.

A drawn out and low growl came from Issac, the name of his Mate coming out of his brother accusing mouth making him temperamental. I think everyone who spent more than a couple minutes in the same room as me and Tobias could tell how he felt about my presence. He thought I was one of the worst thing that happen to this pack.

"What do you mean, 'Clary'?" Issac spat. He said my name accusing, daring his brother to explain his reluctance to continue. Opening up the obvious wound that was me and Issac relationship was something really, only Tobias and Alpha Marcus tested. The act of questioning the Alpha-to-be was something no one, not even Nina, Rosaline, or Lucas ever did, or dared to do.

"I didn't see her, but she had definitely been there or was there that night. Her scent was so close I could've swore she-" Tobias started to justify his words, failing as Issac's roar of a voice interrupted his.

"You don't know what you're saying. She. Was. Here. Asleep. You were the one roaming around at the latest hours of the night, you probably were delusional, sleep-deprived-." Issac stated. My breath hitching in my throat as I listened to him defend me, even when he didn't have a clue as to what went on that night.

Alpha Marcus had been the one to cut him off, I shook my head at the fact no one was able to finish their sentences.

"Issac, that's enough. Your brother is just stating what he witnessed, no need to get over- defensive." Alpha Marcus spoke. My Wolf huffed in my head at his bitter words, she was enjoying being close to Issac but agitated that he was being snapped at.

A big sigh came from behind the doors before Issac spoke up again. "You don't even know her, you don't understand her...-"

"No one does!" Tobias spat. I jumped at his loud tone, the direction of this conversation making me extremely uneasy.

"I do. She's the one thing I thought I would never need, the other half I thought I knew I could live without. But I was wrong and so are all of you, you accuse her of things when she has done nothing. Nothing." Issac shouted. The voice of my Mate rang around the room, through the door and throughout my nerves; making me shiver at his words.

I wish I could say the same back, I wish I could tell him I needed him. But I never could, because if I did that would be the point of no return; and I couldn't go that far with someone I could never have.

The terrifying sound of the doorknob turning startled me, I snapped back into reality and noticed someone was leaving the office; and I was right outside the door.

Bolting down to hallway, at a speed I didn't even know I could reach, I leaped back to where I was on the couch. I cringed at the loud I made as I landedand tried to look casual; failing miserably.

I wanted to sink into the back of the couch and disappear after no other than Issac, rounded the corner and stormed into the living room. His expression, pissed, and hair sticking up at random angles, furious fingers running through them constantly.

He stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes found me sitting nearby. His hand was still in his hair, and his face was now clean of emotion; a blank stare meeting mine.

"Wh-hy are you still here. I thought everyone had left, I thought-" He tripped over his words, the aftermath of his fight in the office clearly taking a toll on his actions.

"I didn't feel up for a run." I saved him from his tumbling words, as I attempted to reason with him. I seriously hoped he didn't think anything of my secretive actions, Tobias obviously did. "So I stayed behind."

My fingers toyed with a button on my blue and white flannel, the awkwardness settling among us; pretty much like it always did when we were alone together.

"You know what. I'm sorry- I need to get out of here." He spat lowly. I was taken aback at his words and his tone; Issac had never been this bitter around me. I guess there's only so much someone can take before the snap.

Startled by his actions, I watched as he rushed out of the room quickly; the distant slam of the back doors boomed throughout the house. I jumped at the loud noise, my emotions scattered across my mind and hands shaking with anxiety.

I was still planted on the couch, even though I could hear Tobias now walking down the hallway; his footsteps growing louder as I sorted through my thoughts to try and do something, anything.

Making up my mind, I pushed myself off the couch hastily and left the room. I raced down the same hall I had just seen Issac storm through; my body moving for itself and My Wolf becoming very alert of my current actions.

Yanking open the door and racing down the steps, I entered the backyard. A crisp scent of pine and autumn air reaching my nose, the familiarity of the outdoors calming my upbeat heart.

Taking a deep breath, I instantly caught it; Issac scent, and it wasn't far.

Leaving the house behind, I raced past the pond and into the thick tress; one thing on my mind. I wanted to reach him and talk to him, but what I would say was still unclear to me. I guess the first rule to living a free life is to do the thing you're most afraid of.

Slowing down slightly, I looked off the trail and saw a split tree; the wood splintered and trunk broken with strong force. His scent was all over the place, it's presences making me slightly nervous as I drew closer.

Leaping over the falling branches of the tree, I started up my run again; hoping he would show up soon. A part of me was shouting to turn around and not forget every reason we were here for, to stay distant from everyone. But a stronger, more emotional part of me was pushing my legs forward to someone who clearly shouldn't be alone.

Digging my heels into the ground, my body stopped abruptly after catching the sound of a close by heartbeat.

My ponytail had been whipped around, and had fallen out due to my speed; my long hair now cascading down my back. I tucked a piece behind my ear as I stepped out onto the bank of a river, the lulling sound of rushing water mixing with the sway of pines.

A wide creek lined with rocky sand ran through the woods, small fish visible in it's clear waters. But I wasn't paying attention to its natural beauty, my sharp eyes were focused on Issac.

His back was facing me and he sat atop a fallen tree; his feet dangling and the knuckles on his hands white from gripping the rough bark. The large tree had fallen across the river, making a sort of bridge across it; green vines and dark moss grew from it giving off an old, natural look.

Issac was perched on the middle of it, his breathing now calm but his stance, ridged.

Without my consent, my legs began to walk towards him; a warm feeling in my chest blossoming at our closeness. Almost immediately I was at the end of tree trunk, facing him and now able to see the profile of his face.

The river rushed beneath him but he didn't seem to be out here to enjoy the nature; in fact his eyes were closed tightly.

Raising up my foot to get atop the tree, my old converse slipped slightly on the mossy bark. I cursed quietly before catching myself and regaining my balance.

I looked up and a pair of dark green eyes were already looking my way; a rush settling under my skin at the sight of him staring directly at me.

"Hi. Uhm- I just thought I'd come check and see if you were-" I began.

"Go back home, Clary." Issac stated lowly. His eyes leaving mine and looking straight; now absorbed on something in the distance.

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it after no words came to my mind. I probably looked extremely stupid, halfway on and halfway off the tree with my confused mouth gapping like a fish.

The wind swept through us, making me slightly unbalanced; but Issac stayed steady despite his position on the fallen log. The light brown hair atop his head growing messier in the forceful wind.

Pushing my own hair out of my face hastily, I straightened up and turned away. Emotions mixed around like a tornado inside my head, the decision I had made to come out here had proved to be a failure; the obvious fact the he didn't want me here set of a pang of sadness in my chest.

The gravely sand crunched under feet as I began to storm away, but suddenly I heard a low sigh from behind me. A normal wolf wouldn't have picked it up, but I heard it clear as day as I turned back to my Mate.

The sad sigh that left his lips made something click inside me, he didn't really want me to leave; he didn't want to be alone. My Wolf whimpered at his broken state and attempt to push me towards him once more.

"No." I spoke inside my head to her. "We can't."

"Please, Clary, we need each other. No amount of orders or commands should keep us apart." Her voice, sounding sort of like mine, replied in my mind. "It's not right what were putting him through..."

"Pure-bloods in the past have dealt with this sort of thing before, why can't we?" I pleaded with the only other being I could speak to my situation about. "Why is it so hard."

"Go." My Wolf pushed. One word, one syllable, was what put one foot in front of the other; the invisible pull of our bond leading me back to the end of the fallen tree.

Climbing atop it, now with more balance than before, I walked across it like a balance beam; a slight feeling of fear settling upon me as I looked at the rushing water below.

Finally reaching the spot where Issac was sitting, I lowered myself slowly and dangled my legs like him.

We were seated mere inched apart, our hands close and shoulders almost brushing. I swallowed my fear and turned my head towards him.

He had been watching me the whole time, his gaze burning holes through me and now straight into me as his eyes met mine. I thought of all my pack members back home who would look down upon me for not being strong enough resist the mating bond. Of course, laugh at the girl who loves to easily.

All I did was care. And maybe that made me weak in the long run; but for the time being it was making me strong. Strong enough to speak up and respond to the guy sitting next to me, waiting for an explanation for my actions.

"I don't want to go home." I spoke.

My hand lifted up off the rough bark of the tree, and settled atop his much larger one. The familiar heated sparks flowing through my fingertips, just like the water flowing beneath us.

Clary's POV

"I need answers, Clary." He spoke quietly. "You owe me that much."

The urge to stand up and race back to where I was for my own good popped into my head, but I quickly pushed it down; this moment more important then anything.

I kept my gaze forward, knowing that if I looked to Issac I wouldn't be able to speak. My elaborate lies had stacked, one on top of the other until they made a uneasy tower that was now starting to tip.

I knew I was walking a thin line in this pack, I had to over-analyze everything that came out of my mouth; but it was what I did best and why I was chosen.

I heard Issac shift next to me, obviously confused at our situation. I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear that fell into my eyes and watched the river below.

"My story is one that will take a while to tell." I speak as I focus on the warmth of our hands as they continue to touch. "I'm not even sure where to start."

I can feel his eyes on me, making this much harder. What if I say everything wrong? What if I loose the one thing that has kept me grounded while being here in this unfamiliar place?

Goosebumps rise on my skin at the cold winds, the bitter air from the nearby mountains has begun to move down towards the forest and winter is approaching.

Issac's hand moves off of mine and my heart sinks, he doesn't want to hear anything I have to say, my thoughts scream.

I'm instantly brought back by him moving closer and putting his hand behind my back and leaning slightly on my shocked form.

His shoulder dips down and I hesitantly rest my head upon it, the closeness of our bodies unfamiliar yet completely perfect. I knew what my pack would say if they saw us. Traitor. Weakling. Un-pure. The beady eyes and white coats of my nightmares are instantly erased once he speaks up once more.

"I'm here to listen, I mean that's what Mates do right? They're there for each other. Something we have to work on..." Issac states.

It's hard to read his voice and I still haven't looked at him, afraid of his expression.

I guess we both are confused with the concept of Mates, I didn't think we'd ever get around to trying to figure it out. But I didn't think a lot of things when I crossed that line to come here.

I nod slowly. "I know. I'm trying, really. There's just so many things you don't know, Issac, and-"

"Then tell me." He says. He isn't bitter about it or snappy like he just was with his brother and father, but I sigh and close my eyes anyway; the reality of our conversation buzzing in my head.

"I can." A familiar voice echoes from behind us. Making our peaceful moment shatter into a million pieces.

I move away from Issac but he keeps his hand in mine. I cant help but want to pull in out, the gesture unwelcome as whoever is behind us approaches.

Tobias. His penny colored eyes are rimmed with sleeplessness and his hands are shaking slightly. He looks like he's intoxicated but so does every angry, sleep-deprived werewolf. He came out of no where and I cant shake the uneasy feeling of him listening to me and Issac's talk.

"Toby. Leave." Issac snaps.

I note all of the tight muscles on his back and shoulders; wishing I could take away all the stress I've accidently caused in his life.

"No, not until you here me out brother, and you too. I've got a feeling you'll want to stick around." He states back. The second part of his sentence obliviously aimed at me.

I want to shift right here and now and take down Tobias, whatever he is implying is making me extremely nervous and I want to do anything to shut him up before he ruins something he knows nothing about.

I curl my hands into fists immediately once I realize claws have sprung out from my bottled up anger. But not before Issac catches a glimpse, his eyes widening and eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Looks like someone's got a temper." Tobias scoffs and I want to hit him across his smug face.

Everything was going perfect and he just had to stumble upon us; he was probably looking for us ever since Issac left.

"You should listen to Issac." I speak quietly. Afraid of my own voice.

Issac glances inbetween me and his brother, his mind struggling to make sense of the scene. I know this is what Tobias wants, but I'm not sure what he knows or is willing to say.

For his sake I hope he listens to us both and turns back the way he came.

Tobias growls lowly and narrows his eyes at me, an intimidating action; but all I can feel is pure anger. He has no right to disrespect me, I will tear him limb from limb-

My violent thoughts are cut short by the sound of Issac shifting into his wolf next to me, the un-sturdy branch we were once sitting upon; now snapping in half and crumbling into the river.

I quickly reacted, jumping into the water. But not before seeing my Mate's dark wolf push off of what was left of the branch and leap towards Tobias nearby.

I was under for only a matter of seconds before pushing up and breaking the surface, the cool water soaking my heavy clothes and making my hair cling to my face.

"Issac! Stop! You'll kill him!" I scream at the sight in front of me.

Issac had Tobias' wolf pinned to the ground his jaws clamped around his throat, only a little more pressure and his brother would be a goner.

I had caused this; the rift in their relationship was because of me, and now I had to do everything in my power to make sure they didn't kill one another. Literally.

My voice had caused Issac's ears to prick up and his death grip on his brother loosen, but he still had the upper hand; Tobias trapped underneath him and teeth sinking into his neck.

My Wolf growled in anticipation, wanting Issac to protect us and punish Tobias for threating and dishonoring us. But I was discussed by her thoughts, and silenced her. "You got me into this mess, I should've just went back home when he said too." I spat.

I ran out of the water, racing towards the rolling mass of fur; snarls and yelps sounding around the once quiet forest. Tobias took a bite out of Issac right shoulder and I wanted to shift right then and there and kill him myself.

Brushing off the injury, Issac, slightly limping, tackled his brother and rammed his wolf into a nearby tree trunk. I shuttered at the sound of bones snapping, but ran off the river bank and towards them.

I had to do something. Where was Rosaline? Wasn't she the one to deal with pack fights?

My anger grew as I saw Tobias swat at Issac full force, his giant paw making a cracking noise as it connected with his brothers face.

"Both of you! Stop!" I shouted. All of my anger, and all of my anxiety of seeing him hurt coated my harsh tone. I poured every once of authority into my cries as I yelled for them to stop.

It was like they had woken up out of a dream, their snarls whipped off their faces and bodies disentangling themselves from one another. The atmosphere had changed from pure anger, to silence.

I had no clue what was happening, one minute they were at each other's throats the next they were looking down the ground with weird expressions. Regret? Shame?

Standing sopping wet and confused, I waited for them to do something. I had not expected them to listen to me and just grow silent after all that.

Tobias lifted his head and glanced at me; pure hatred ragging behind his now dark eyes. I felt a shutter run through my body, I had never had someone look at me that way.

Before I could even look away from his glare, he turned and bounded back into the extensive forest. Leaving just me and Issac, back to where we had started. Silence.

The sight of his brown and gray wolf enchanted me, his black eyes were now returning to their normal green as he looked towards where his brother left.

I found myself not wanting him to go after his brother, I wanted him to stay here with me. The need to speak to him even greater than before.

He turned his head towards me, his expression chilling me to the bone. It was almost the same as his brother; anger and rage fueled together, making me want to fall to my knees.

I opened my mouth to speak quickly before he decided to leave me like his brother did. The faint green swirling in his eyes as he looked at me held so little, yet so my memories.

Our only kiss in the backyard that felt like years ago, after he called me beautiful and made me feel emotions I never thought I would.

If I lost him my only hope at love would be Elijah; but that would never be real. Not even close to what I feel with Issac.

"Don't follow me." He spoke into my mind.

I wanted to cry at his words, the impact of his statement halting my thoughts. I was never this emotional before I came here, but now only a few words can bring me too tears.

A flash of regret went off in his gaze before it was burned out by the anger. I shut my eyes right as he turned, listening but not wanting to watch him leave.

This was such a bad idea, I should've never thought I could speak to him or tell him anything. I need to stop caring. Stop caring about Issac, his pack, his brother and his father. All of them.

I came here for a reason and I owe it to myself to fulfill that reason what ever it takes, and as of right now that means shutting of my emotions.

I sink to the forest floor and kneel, the damp dirt covering my jeans. This is with out a doubt the hardest thing I've done. Convincing myself I don't care, when in all actuality I know with my entire being that I do.

Clary's POV

What am I even doing? My feet are racing across the ground pretty much without my consent as I grow closer and closer to wherever I'm following Issac and Tobias to. I should've just given up, Tobias has made enough connections in his head and opened his mouth to say far too much. I know know that he has blown my cover, letting every know who he thinks I am.

I told myself not to care, yet here I was racing back to them, even though I was specifically told not to follow.

My arms pump and my feet are barely touching the ground as I run. I could catch up if I could shift, but that would be the end of my hidden identity; and I cant help but hope I still have a chance at changing their minds.

A chorus of howls brings back ironic memories as I race across the Saltus pack territory. The noise vibrates off the trees and makes my ears ring painfully.

Among the chilling sound, my ears identify Issac's wolf; the howl being the most heartbreaking sound I'd ever heard.

This is my worst nightmare coming true all at once, and it didn't even happen the way I thought it would. I had planned to tell Issac everything. Not have Tobias come and rip my Mate away from me before I could even speak.

Breaking my panicky thoughts, the sounds of snarls and snapping teeth sounded close by and I halted quickly. Looking to my right, I glanced over to see non other than Nina and Lucas. Their dark stares and threating posture made my heart sink.

I made the connection in my racing head that Alpha Marcus must've mind-linked with his whole pack; informing them after listening to what his son had to say.

I decided to play dumb. Holding onto the sliver of hope they could still believe my lies. "Thank goodness, you guys. You have to help me get to the pack house. Tobias is telling nothing but lies-"

The forest vibrates with the growls from Nina, Lucas and the others with them, effectively cutting me off. Anger brewed up inside me at their disrespect, and I attempted to push it down, but I was loosing control.

"We won't be helping you to anywhere but the prison cells, you filthy spy." Lucas' icy voice spat, his tone shocking me. My eyes narrowed and I dug my feet into the ground in annoyance.

"Who did you think we'd believe? Our own Beta or a pure-blooded monst-" Nina started but didn't finish.

My Wolf had been royally pissed off and hearing those words pushed her way over the edge. Heat courses through my veins and I felt my thoughts go blank. I shifted instantly, my panicked self loosing all control as I landed on all fours.

Issac's POV

I lifted my head back down, slowly cutting off my broken howl. My Wolf was practically in full control and I didn't feel like trying anymore.

Tobias and my father stood next to me in the clearing near the pack house, more and more wolves joining us by the second. I couldn't believe the words being said around me, my whole mind was in denial.

My eyes, I'd imagine, we're completely black with pain and rage; heartbreak fresh in my chest and anger pumping through my viens.

I knew having a Mate would turn out this way for me, leaving my soul cold and shattered, just like my broken father. But this was unspeakable, Clary, a spy? And for the Purum Pack?

I knew she was an Alpha, a strong one, but I thought she had brown fur; at least that's what Tobias said the night we found her. I guess all of it was a lie.

After making all the connections it seemed clear as ever that it was true, but there was a sliver of me that wanted, prayed, that everyone was wrong.

My father's dark grey, almost black wolf stood staring at me in an emotion I couldn't read. Disgust? Rejection? I was too pissed to care.

"Alpha!" a shrill female voice sounded behind and I whipped around.

Even though I wasn't Alpha yet I still responded to it, causing my father to glare before addressing the girl, Rosaline, her blond hair blowing in the whipping wind.

"It's Lucas and Nina." She said breathlessly. "They just confirmed it, Clary is one of them."

My claws dug into the ground, my eyes squeezing shut. No. This was supposed to be a nightmare, an untrue devastation I was supposed to wake up from.

Tobias growls and raises his head up high, most likely basking in the fact that he was right.

"Then we find her." My father snarled.

I looked up at him through hooded, black eyes, my body to shocked to move. My wolf refusing to believe we've been betrayed.

"West border, she's shifted, and we don't know where she's headed." I hear Lucas' voice ringing in my head. They all seem oblivious to the fact that she's my Mate, she was their future Luna. Now they're hunting her like a rouge.

"She's going home, the b***h is running for her life like a-" Tobias roars.

I growl loudly and snap at him, pushing him over and then running across the clearing. My large body shoved others out of the way as I headed west. I couldn't listen to them anymore, I had to see for myself if the person I trusted the most was betraying me. And I had a feeling the truth would wound me beyond repair.

Clary's POV

I ran into this place, and now I'm running out. My time here was limited but I knew deep down I could never stay. Not when things were the way they are between us, secrets behind every closed door and the difference in the blood pumping through our veins.

"Father. I'm coming home." I spoke into my strengthening mind-link with him. The closer I got the more I felt my old pack's presence in my head.

I didn't get a response as I continued to push on his mental walls, needing him to hear me. Tears were forming in my eyes but I willed them to stop. I would remain strong even if all I wanted to do was give up and surrender.

I had gained some control back from My Wolf, she had wanted to respond to Issac's howl and I couldn't have her doing that.

As I pushed forward the ground became harder and the trees became less dense. The snowy, mountainous terrain of my pack grew nearer and nearer and my heart was literally yearly at the seems. I told myself this was for the best, for everyone. I should've never been sent in to this pack, it just made things more complicated.

I was so consumed with pitiful thoughts, my senses didn't pick up on the sound before it was too late. A wolf was gaining on me and before I knew it a quick, sharp pain in my back left leg caused me to jump and yelp in agony.

I stumbled awkwardly and was instantly leaped on, a huge form pining me down in the dirt. I was completely restrained and out of panic I contacted my father once more. "Send help. Please, they know about me. Where are you!" I plead into the mind-link, now able to connect with my whole pack. They needed to come, before its too late and my pure-blood is splattered across every tree of this forest.

I gained some composure over myself and realized my assailant hadn't ripped my throat out yet. The unwelcoming warmth and sparks across my body tell me who in fact is pining me down. Issac.

I turned my head a see his wolf hovering over me. He stares at me blankly, which I decide is worst then his previous angry glare. I want to run, I know I'm strong enough to push him off. But I'm in wolf form so my Wolf has the upper hand, and she doesn't want to leave him.

His eyes take in my white coat and he whimpers lowly, causing my heart to compress with guilt.

His hurt would normally transfer to my body if we had mated, our emotions mixing. But I just stared back, wishing things could've been different and also, praying that he didn't pin me down to attempt to kill me. We both know I would get away.

I heard high pitched barks, yelps and howls nearby; but they weren't the same as the Saltus Pack's cries of betrayal. They were colder and more malicious, it was my pack and they were coming to me.

Issac jumped off me, baring his teeth. He glanced at me and I tried to link with him but a sharp pain went off in my mind; making me clench my eyes shut in pain.

Alpha Marcus had cut me off completely, blocking my thoughts from his whole pack's. I opened my eyes, seeing realization cross Issac's features, he felt it too. I was no longer part of his mind-link.

"Clary, darling. Where are you." I shivered at the voice in my head. Elijah.

I didn't want to hurt any member of this pack, no matter what. I knew I was weak, foolish for pitying the un-pure wolves of our kind, but I couldn't let anything happen. Not right now, and most likely, not ever.

"Meet me at the west border, they haven't caught me yet." I responded to Elijah.

Quickly thinking I backed away a little, retracting my claws and digging them into the dirt. Salty tears brimmed my eyes as I focused on the damped ground, tracing out my thoughts as fast as I could

I heard a growl but didn't look up, I knew Issac was watching me with guarded confusion.

I finished and whipped around, not looking at the one wolf that might change my mind. I caught the scent of my family and pack members and raced towards them. I couldn't let then see Issac, they'd kill him for sure.

The thought of looking back pulled at my chest. I pictured seeing my Mate's eyes read the quick letters I left in the ground for him.

I hoped it was readable, seeing as they were probably my last words to him.

Some people are meant to fall in love. But not meant to be together.

Clary's POV

1 month later

My paws are numb as I wander across the cold gray stone under me, I'm walking aimlessly through the pack village; large white stone houses lining the makeshift streets we had made up in the mountains.

I'm losing myself and I know it, I just didn't know it would take so long. The Mate bond is pretty much non existent at this point and its killing me.

He probably feels nothing, he probably wants to forgot everything that happened.

"Clary." A few pack-members pass by, bowing their heads in respect while gazing at me suspiciously. I nodded back and kept walking, not caring what they thought of me wandering around. It wasn't like I felt welcome back home.

I had practically failed my job as a spy, the information I had gathered had been totally useless. I growled to myself and swatted at a rock, I hated the fact that I was now completely, and utterly alone.

"We have Elijah." My Wolf spat sarcastically.

I looked up and saw him with a group females, their eyes staring at him with lust and flirtatious glances, Elijah enjoying the whole situation. But I didn't feel anything, I wasn't going to be jealous, he could do what ever he wanted.

They were standing in front of the pack house, where I had accidentally wandered to.

My white coat blew forward, carrying my scent to them through the chilled wind. Elijah lifted his head and broke away from the others, then began walking over to me.

I told myself to be respectful, but that hadn't been my stronghold when it came to my confronting my arraigned fiancée .

"Where have you been?" He asked quietly. His grey eyes bore into mine and I glared at him. I looked quickly over his shoulder and watched the girls stare at me with jealously, their dark eyes watching us.

I scoffed lowly. "Doesn't matter, I'm going inside now." I stated into his thick head, he doesn't own me. Issac does. My heart sank in my chest at the thought of him.

Backing away from Elijah, I lowered myself to the ground slightly, springing forward and landing atop the roof of the pack house.

My window was open, the silk curtains fluttering in the wind slightly. I slipped through it, not looking back.

I shifted back, my spine shortening and fur and claws disappearing, and looked in the mirror next to me. My room was simple, not very personalized but it was mine.

Sighing I ran my fingers through my unruly hair, and huffed aloud when I gave up on the tangled mess. As I stared forward I tried to imagine Issac's mark on my porcelain skin.

My thin fingers brushed over the spot where my neck met my shoulders, wishing things could've been much different. But an easy life would never be possible for someone like me.

A soft whimper in my head told me to stop thinking about him, it would only bring pain. I wanted to think about Issac all the time, what he was doing, what had happened after I left?

A loud growl from My Wolf shut up my pitiful thoughts. I shook my head and shuffled over to my dresser to get a pair of dark jeans and an old sweater, pulling them on and closing the drawer.

The sound of feet hitting the floor made me jump, I opened my mouth to scream out in surprise; but I was instantly cut off by a large hand.

My eyes took in Elijah's grey one's as he stood in front of me, one hand over my mouth and the other behind my head. I narrowed my gaze at him and bit his finger, hard.

"Ow! Jeez, what the-" He stared.

"Get out of my room Elijah." I snapped. Did he really just follow me through my window? I need to start closing that thing.

"No. We have to talk." His rubbed his hand dramatically and I rolled my eyes. I knew we would have to talk sooner or later, but I was hoping for later.

Walking silently to the bed I sat indian style and picked at the knit blankets, waiting for him to speak up. I didn't quite want to be alone in my room with him, My Wolf hated the idea, but I had to hear what he wanted to say.

Elijah took in my silent form, probably not expecting me to be so obedient. His dark hair stood up, away from his forehead and his grey eyes were so similar to the cold stone of the mountains outside.

My bed dipped as he sat next to me, watching my fingers as they fidgeted with the loose strands in the blanket.

"Why did you put your hand on my mouth when you came in? Usually if someone wants to talk, they don't cover the others mouth." I whispered into the silent room.

"So you wouldn't yell for anyone." He said. I looked at him, eyebrows raised and slightly frightened. "You always call for someone, or make excuses when I try to talk to you, Clary."

It was true, I was avoiding him; well I was avoiding almost everyone at the moment.

"You don't seem to mind, you have plenty of other girls that aren't ignoring you." I mumble, noticing that I felt a small tinge of jealously towards the clingy females outside.

I heard him chuckle lowly, and I looked up again, slightly glaring.

"Where have you been, Clary?" He asked again, but this time I knew he wasn't talking about where I was physically. I was emotionally still back at the Saltus Pack, not here.

I looked up at the ceiling, blinking back tears. I wanted him to leave, he was making me upset and I didn't want his comfort. Even though it would be nice to be held, by anyone.

He looked slightly uncomfortable from the corner of my eye. Elijah and I had never quite know eachother well, we were just two pure-bloods thrown together and told we belonged to one another.

I jumped slightly at a hand coming and rubbing small circles on my back. My Wolf growled in my head, but I silenced her, needing some comfort.

"I'm here." I whispered, not trusting my voice. "I just don't know why." I added, knowing he wouldn't see my word's true meaning.

"What do you mean?" Elijah replied after trying to figure me out.

Why was I talking to him about all this? And why was he being so nice? My head throbbed with confusion and My Wolf's uneasiness.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't want to talk about me." I quickly recovered. "You came in here to talk about us, I know you did."

Elijah's features looked concerned for a second, but then it flickered away and dissolved, probably never being there. He shook his head and looked down.

"I did. Your father suggested that we you know, get more comfortable with eachother...And, well-" He trailed off and I knew he was uncomfortable.

I sort of wanted to laugh, he was always composed and brutal, never faltering around his friends or a group of girls. His confident walls were falling and I was kind of enjoying watching it.

"He wanted me to mark you." Elijah finally whispered.

I froze. My blue eyes widening considerably and mouth opening in shock. Did my father really say that to Elijah? My Wolf snapped and snarled not wanting him anywhere near us now.

Elijah's expression changed and he backed away from me, his back hitting the headboard and eyes staring at me in a weird way.

I felt a sharp pain in my lip, telling me my canines had came out. The bed sheets were ripping from my claws and I'd imagine my eyes were darkening in rage.

"Clary, come on now. You knew he would tell me to soon. Its been months since he put us together. Usually Mates mark eachother instantly-"

"We aren't Mates!" I spat at him. No. He wouldn't be coming near me at all and I don't care what my father said, I wasn't his.

His eyes narrowed and he started moving towards me, but I was still froze with rage. Thoughts of my father and what he said running through my head, paralyzing me.

"Yes we are." Elijah whispered in my ear, causing me to jump once I noticed how close he was to me. My hands moved to push him away but he caught them in one of his, a free hand coming to run down my throat and along my neck.

I growled lowly. "You are mine, you can't have anyone else anyway, Clary. Why do you push me away?" He spoke more loudly this time

"Because of Issac" I wanted to scream. I wanted my Mate so badly, I didn't want Elijah's cold hands on me, and I didn't want his mark on my skin.

I snatched my hands away and swatted at his face, his head had moved down slightly and his mouth was getting dangerously close to my neck.

Four claw marks were left on his cheek, the pale skin now bleeding with crimson. My Wolf huffed in triumph but started growling again when the wound began to heal before my eyes.

Elijah closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists. I would be scared, but I knew I was stronger then him, Alpha blood coursing through my heated veins.

"I push you away, because I don't want you. I don't want anyone." I struggled to say the last part of my sentence, knowing there was someone I desperately wanted.

A deep growl sounded around the room from Elijah. I wondered what the people in the pack house thought was going on in here, but I didn't care, I wanted to get my point across. I wasn't accepting him.

Before I could react, his body was on mine and my mouth was covered by his. My eyes widened in horror and I tired to wiggle out from underneath him.

My hips rubbed against his and I was disgusted at my position, but he was clearly enjoying himself. I pulled at his hair trying to get his face away from mine, earing a low growl that vibrated his whole chest.

My Wolf, fed up with Elijah's body on ours, took control and bit his low lip with sharp canines. I had bit him twice today, he needed to catch on that I didn't want him touching me.

Ripping his mouth away from me, I caught my breath and glared at him with pure anger. He better not do that again, ever.

I used my legs and kicked him off me, almost hitting him inbetween the legs, but he dodged my blow.

"Never do that again, Elijah, I mean it." I snapped. He was now standing up and I wanted nothing more for him to leave the way he came.

He whipped at his bloody lip and shrugged. "Whether you want it to or not, it will. You're mine Clary, start acting like it."

Before I could yell back, he jumped back out the window and disappeared. Why did I let him talk to me, or let him stay in my room? Of course that was going to happen.

I shuttered, feeling used and violated in my own skin. My Wolf who was usually strong, was quiet in my mind; probably shutting herself away after what just happened.

I don't know what he was thinking, if you hold on to someone that hard and force them into things, it doesn't make them love you. I hated him, and I don't think I'd ever love him.

Getting into the shower, I attempted to scrub away all traces of Elijah; feeling like I let Issac down by even smelling like him.

Issac. I imagined him being here with me, our bodies pressed together under the scalding water and lips not forceful, but passionate.

For the first time since I returned home, I let the tears fall.

Clary's POV

"We're leaving." Damon stated as his wife, Lira, Elijah, and I stalked through the pack kitchen, heading to the front door.

My mother glanced up at me with the same blue eyes I saw in the mirror, sharp and focused. She smiled at the sight of me and Elijah together, and I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon." I mumbled and lightly shoved Elijah forward, wanting to just get out of house of a few hours.

Damon placed a strong around across Lira's shoulder and she tensed but then relaxed after he shot her a weird look. They weren't really Mates, I thought sadly, they had been placed together like Elijah and I.

We were heading into the human settlement, a rainy and depressing town filled with mundane people. My pack despised humans, but I was actually fascinated by them.

Free will. No dominance over eachother. Choosing who you love. It sounded like a dream as my thoughts trailed to a human-life.

The door opened and snapped me out of my thoughts, we walked down the stone steps of the pack house and onto the pavement; Damon's black SUV parked and ready.

My eyes caught a group of wolves approaching, my father including. The massive white wolf that was dad, the Alpha, was quite noticeable, his black eyes looking to Elijah and I.

Elijah grabbed my hand a pulled me close, our stance one of a well mannered couple; the complete opposite of reality. My father's wolf almost looked to be smiling.

Figuring I should just play along so we could leave, I hastily kissed Elijah on the cheek; a gesture that was unfamiliar and surprised us both. My Wolf growled deep in my mind, but went eerily quite once again.

Elijah looked at me with a darkened expression, his grey eyes swirling with arousal and I scoffed lowly. It was just a kiss on the cheek, and it wasn't happening again.

I bowed my head to my father. Mentally high-fiving myself for avoiding a conversation with him-

"Clary, hurry back. I must speak with you." He stated into my head. Great.

"Fine." I mink-linked back hastily. What could he want to talk about? Is it about Issac's pack? I hope not. My wounded heart couldn't take the topic at the moment.

Lira and I climbed into the back seat, no one saying anything. I had a feeling this would be awkward, but I came anyway, seeing as I desperately needed a distraction.

I glanced over to the girl next to me who was my age, I had grown up with her but we never really talked. Lira had pale blond, almost white hair that was chopped to her shoulders; her fair skin and dark brown eyes added to her unique look and I envied her beauty.

I tugged at the white draw strings of my black hoodie as the car began to rock slightly as we drove out of the mountains.

The windows fogged up a bit from all of our supernatural body heat combining with the frigid temperatures outside. My finger began to trace patterns in the condensation mindlessly.

"Clary." I jumped. It was Lira but she was speaking to me through the mind-link personally.

Damon gave me a weird look from the overhead mirror and I scowled at him, I really didn't enjoy his company, or Elijah's for that matter. I think Lira would agree.

"What is it?" I responded into her head. She was looking out the window with a saddened expression.

"How long until you just forget?" She stated, her voice far away.

My heart leaped out of my chest, has she found her Mate too? Is she struggling to forget about them like me?

"Well- I, Uh-" I stammer weakly through our link. Wait how did she find her Mate, and how did she know that I had found mine as well-

"I mean, until you forget the fact that they aren't really yours." Lira's voice whispers. My Wolf sighs and goes back to being silent, no one could relate to us.

"You just have to accept it. You have to tell yourself this is what's best, and everyone around you wants what's best for you and the pack. Even if that all seems to be a lie." I responded finally.

Lira turned too me with a look of understanding, her dark eyes blurry yet focused, she was strong; sort of like Damon in a way. Maybe they could end up happy I thought to myself.

"But-" Lira's voice began to speak but was cut off when the car swerved out of nowhere; growls rippling around outside the vehicle and the tire's painfully loud screeching.

Then, all there was, was silence. I was gripping onto Elijah's seat and his hands were gripping the dashboard with white knuckles. Damon had a tight hold on the sterling wheel and a shocked expression.

"What hell was that." I whispered. The rocky terrain outside was empty but there were signs of paw-prints along the muddy road.

Our car was turned awkwardly on the path, like something had attempted to push it over the rocky ledge only a couple yards away from the main road. My Wolf growled loudly, frightening me.

"Saltus Pack." Elijah spat. He quickly opened the door and in a flash he was on all fours, his huge white wolf was barreling away; a warning howl sounding around us as we sat in shock.

Damon turned to Lira and I and sighed heavily, probably deciding whether or not to leave us or follow his pack member down the mountain side.

"Go, Lira and I, will go into town without you two." I stated with all the authority I could muster at the moment. Damon hesitated after looking to Lira. "Go Damon!" I shouted in my Alpha tone.

He bolted out the door, clothes shredding and body shifting in mid air as he leaped off a rock and raced after Elijah.

I clambered into the front seat and turned the key quickly. So much was happening right now, my fingers were shaking as I gripped the steering wheel.

I stomped onto the gas and drove down the path, definitely speeding. I was not a good driver, but I just needed to get out of there.

Lira had climbed into the front and now had her head in her hands. She looked so fragile and tired, and I had no clue what to do.

***

We had made it into the town, pulling up our hoods and keeping our heads down as we stood alone in the foggy parking lot.

Elijah had mind linked me and said two guys from the pack were going to met up with us in order to help us with the 'pack business' we needed to do in the human settlement.

The town was neutral ground, but the Purum Pack acted like it owned it; scaring away any rogue that tried to enter.

I kicked at the gravel with my converse mindlessly. Lira was silent and I didn't feel up for any conversation, my mood was permanently dampened for the day.

Another black SUV pulled up, two young men hoping out and glancing over at us. Our cars were the only ones in the extremely foggy lot.

"Paul" I nodded at the tall, sandy-blonde, then looked to his black haired friend "Kyle."

They lowered their head in respect. "Follow us." Paul stated, he seemed annoyed. He probably was upset he was missing out on the hunt up in the mountains. But this was important.

We have made negotiations with the humans for decades. They knew about us, and my father liked it that way; he knew they feared our kind.

Lira and I had never been on one of the 'pack business' trips into the town, but I decided today was the day.

The City Hall building appeared in front of us, coming out the fog like a marble-columned ghost. Our feet on the huge set of stairs were the only noise. It was quiet, way too quiet.

"This place is creepy, and I don't get creped out easily." Lira mumbled as Kyle opened the door.

We entered the City Hall and I noticed a woman at the desk in a black suit. Her eyes widened and she reached for the phone.

Paul moved with supernatural speed, up to the desk, and grabbed her hand. His dark eyes narrowing. What was going on?

My Wolf wanted me to go back home. Go back to were Issac's pack might be. I pushed her away though, the events in front of me too curious to ignore.

"Don't want to upset us now would you, love?" Paul snapped. "Just show us to the office and we'll be on our way."

Her eyes looked to Kyle, Lira and I. The human focused in on me, making me shift on my feet uncomfortably; her brown eyes were studding me and I wanted her to stop.

Paul tightened his grip, causing her to yell in pain. My eyes narrowed, why did he have to be like that?

"She better listen to him..." Kyle stated into the mind-link. Lira and I looked to him with confused expressions. This was weird.

"Right this way." The human spoke timidly. She stood and began to walk down a hallway after Paul released her.

"You two. Stay." Kyle spoke to Lira and I.

"I don't think so." I brushed past him and up to Paul and the scared woman. Lira looked to be in deep thought, her eyes pleading with me to stay behind.

I was going with them, whether she was or not. Lira sat on a chair and looked down at her hands, I guess she wasn't as assertive as I thought-

"Clary." Paul narrowed his eyes at me. The human was so anxious it was making me scared, but I stood tall and indicated for her to lead us to 'the office'.

"Let's just go. Alpha Kane needs us back." Kyle said.

I let out a breath, sort of thankful I was here and not at home. He could be there. I didn't know what he was doing, or why, but I knew I wasn't ready to see anyone from the Saltus pack. Not right now.

Nina's POV

"Toby!" I shouted. He looked up with his large brown head and snarled lowly. He was ridiculous. Challenging the order's of both his brother and the Alpha.

I narrowed my eyes, I didn't care if he was the Beta; a lot of us were fed up with his behavior and he just crossed the line.

"What were you thinking, man. That was practically a suicide mission. And when Issac finds out Clary was in the car-" My twin brother, Lucas snapped.

"He won't find out." Tobias responded through the mind-link. Of course Issac will find out; he has been keeping eyes and ears on that girl for the past month.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." A deep voice spoke from behind us. We were on the pack house driveway, Issac now emerging from the woods; extremely pissed.

"Why?" Issac shouted as he approached his brother. "Why'd you do that, Tobias." He said through clenched teeth. He was quite frightening we he needed to be, I thought.

Tobias' usually light eyes were now black. I looked to Lucas and he just stood of to the side like me, watching the two angry brothers.

"Because they don't deserve to live. I saw a chance and took it. Something you, haven't had the balls to do lately." Tobias spoke into all our minds.

I rolled my eyes, he was digging himself deeper and deeper into his own hole; sure what he did was clever, but it also was extremely stupid at the same time.

"You-" Issac looked like he was going to blow up at him. But he didn't. The veins in his neck were like corded ropes and I knew he was under a lot of stress.

"Toby, just leave. Go." Lucas finally said. I mentally praised my twin for saying what needed to happen, this pack had enough drama for today.

Tobias' wolf huffed loudly and bounded away, but not without bumping into Issac very purposefully.

Lucas looked to me and indicated by moving his eyes to the pack house then back to me, that we should head inside; leaving Issac to his thoughts.

I nodded, patting Issac on his bare shoulder and following my own brother inside. My Wolf felt pity for our future Alpha, he had been betrayed and our pack was looking to another generation without a Luna.

Not to mention we a date set for the day we were going to attack the Purum Pack. One week.

Issac's POV

After Nina and Lucas walked away to go inside, I let out a loud sigh; running my fingers through my messy hair. This day was too much.

I walked over to the side of the pack house, jumped up onto the one of the many balconies; and then from there, onto the flat roof.

Sinking to the ground, I rested my elbows on my knees and threaded my fingers back into my hair; remembering the feeling of Clary's delicate fingers running through them all those weeks ago.

In the distance I could see her home. The Purum Pack's mountains, frosted with snow as white as their coats.

My Wolf was pacing in my mind, he was constantly on edge and no longer trustworthy of really anyone. And after that little stunt Toby pulled today he was ticked off.

Tobias had gathered a group of angry pack members, mostly guy fighters and raced off past our borders and almost pushed a car, containing Clary, off a cliff.

My eyes went onto my knees as My Wolf growled in my mind, wanting me to tear my brother to shreds.

"You still always forget what she's done to us. To the pack. Why do you still want her? Why do I still want her..." I spoke out loud to him, his constant pacing and snapping making me bipolar.

"She is ours and I will always want her, you didn't even let her explain. And now it's too late." My Wolf snarled.

"Issac!" I heard a female voice shout. Clary? My heart leaped in my chest and My Wolf became alert and excited. Was she here? Did she come back-

I looked over the edge of the roof and wanted to turned back around right away in disappointment. It was only Nina.

"Issac, what the hell are you doing up there- you know what- it doesn't matter. Your father is demanding your presence. He says its time." She yelled up, the last part of her sentence making me uneasy.

It's time? For what? Surely he didn't mean time to start attacking, that was in a week and we still needed our backup packs to arrive.

I jumped, all three stories and landed in front of Nina. She narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out my expression but I kept my face blank.

"Time for what." I asked. My Wolf's demeanor seemed to change and something clicked, I think I knew what she was going to say.

"For you to take your position as Alpha."

Clary's POV

My eyes flickered around the human's office, curious and intrigueed by the grey-haired man sitting at the desk infront of us.

Paul and Kyle had grimaces on their face as he spoke, there eyes full of judgement and dispise. I rolled my eyes, he was human not a piece of dirt.

"I told your leader, or a- Alpha- that we would make a shipment soon for you up in the mountains. He didn't have to repeat history. Again." The middle-aged man spoke sternly, but I saw his shaking hands.

"Repeat history?" I say before Paul or Kyle could responded.

The human's mundane brown eyes met mine and he narrowed his eyebrows, just like the woman in the hall did; studying me. I didn't like it.

"She's never done this before, she's unaware of our tready." Paul stated, directing the sentence more at me than the man in the suit.

"You're right, I'm unaware of our 'tready'. Pretty awkward seeing as I'm Alpha Kane's daughter." I spat.

Paul tensed and Kyle sighed heavily, they were probably regretting taking me but I didn't care. The man behind the desk held back a smile, probably liking my snappy attitude when it wasn't directed at him.

"Fine." Paul raised his voice. "You want to know the treaty, Clary?" I narrowed my eyes at him, he was disrespecting me and he knew it, I just don't think he cared.

"Paul." Kyle spoke lowly, almost with caution.

The human looked extremely bothered by our bickering, and I could hear his heartbeat and the frantic tapping of his dress shoes on the marble floor.

"Might as well tell me, seeing as it sounds pretty damn important." I said. My head was reeling. Why didn't I know anything about my own pack? I probably knew more about Issac's-

"Her father limits this information to only us for a reason, Paul. Shut up before you say something you'll regret." Kyle's navy eyes burned holes in Paul, but he didn't even acknowledge his words.

Paul sort of reminded me of Tobias. Saying things that were theirs to say, and making up their own rules.

"Well, you know we live way up in those mountains, far from supplies and electricity." Paul stared, Kyle sighing heavily. I nodded for him to continue. "Ever wonder how we get all that?"

His dark eyes flickered to the human, who was looking down at the desk; silent.

"The humans?" I guessed. I had never thought about how our settlement had all its luxuries and necessities but I never questioned it, I just thought we did it ourselves.

"Precisely. But Mr. Mayor here thinks its okay to cut us off or refuse to help at times." Paul spoke, his tone coated in distaste. The man at the desk didn't dare to look up.

"Well, do we pay them?" I asked slowly. Paul's eyes flickered and he scowled.

"No, why would we? They should be grateful we let them live so close by and let them live with the knowledge that our kind exist." Paul snapped. My Wolf growled lowly, not liking his tone or his words for that matter.

"I can see why they refuse to help us." I retaliate. From behind me, I heard Kyle sigh again.

"Well, Clary. If they deny us what we request. We just kill them." Paul finally responds, his voice careless; as if that sentence didn't just change my entire life.

"What the hell!" I raise my voice. This is insane, he can't be serious. I refused to believe my pack would stoop that low just to get what they wanted.

"Clary-" Kyle places a hand on my arm, but I slap it off, disgusted by my own.

"Told you to wait with Lira in the lobby..." Paul leaned back in his chair, his eyes watching me. He probably knew I'd react like this, that sick bastard.

The gentle looking man behind the desk shifted uncomfortably, and I noticed how frightened he was. I felt so bad for the terrorized people of this town, if I had known-

Was this what Issac's father, Alpha Marcus, was speaking about? Kane needs to be taken down for what he does and Kane doesn't know we found out. It had to be.

"I guessing you're going to leave now. Too much for the little Clary, huh?" Paul mocked. Before he could add in a chuckle, I swatted at his face; my claws racking across his skin causing him to cry out.

My Wolf took control over my voice. "You're right, I am leaving." I growled at Paul.

I looked to the human, sympathy crashed into me like a dozen waves. "I promise no more of you people will die." My tone was much more pleasant when I spoke to him.

Paul's face was rushing with blood and I glanced over to Kyle, his gaze holding a steady glare at me.

"Better think with your head next time you're speaking to a pure-blooded Alpha." I snapped. Paul spit blood onto the ground and looked at me with a deadly gaze.

"An Alpha that associated with unpure-bloods. You're nothing like us and you know it." He continued. My hands curled into fists, he had no idea when to stop.

Kyle stood inbetween us. "Clary, go." He whispered. "Go home."

Go back home, Clary, those were the words Issac had told me all those weeks ago when I followed him into the forest. It seemed I just made things worse when I was present.

My Wolf whimpered at the thoughts of my Mate, so like usual, I buried them away. Giving one last glance at the despicable wolves in front of me, I turned and exited the office.

I began to jog through the chilly hallways, the perfection of everything was uncomfortable and I desperately wanted to leave.

Finally reaching the lobby, I noticed Lira still in the stiff wooden chair. Her head perked up at my presence and she sighed with relief.

"I'm sorry, I have to go back now. But they want you to stay and go back with them." I mumbled as I moved past her hastily.

"Okay?" Lira responded.

I could feel her gaze on my back as I pushed open the glass doors of the City Hall and descended the wide marble steps.

If she came then she would ask questions, which would make me think about what I just found out; and if I thought anymore about it I might break down, and I didn't know if I would be able to pull myself together.

I could see the parking lot grow near, the fog still present but not as thick. Noticing the obvious absence of humans, I guessed that maybe they knew we were coming into town and hid themselves away in fear.

My heart felt heavy at the idea of terrorizing them, the human settlement had done nothing but help us, and what do we do in return? We murder them.

Fumbling for the keys in my hoodie, I drew them out and opened the car door. After pulling out I racked my brain for the direction of how to get home.

The road began to turn from pavement to dirt, and dirt into rocky stone. I had successfully made it back to the path along the mountainside, the cliff just yards away from the car as I drove.

I was speeding again, a horrible habit of mine. But I needed to make it home and speak with my father about my new found knowledge.

Then, it all happened within the course of ten seconds. I turned a sharp corner and was met with a brown blur racing across the road.

I swerved, but not fast enough, the horrible noise of body hitting metal and a loud yelp of pain sounded and I squeezed my eyes shut; probably not the best idea seeing as my hands were still on the wheel.

Then there was silence. The car had stopped and I felt deja vu as I sat still and peered out into the foggy road, no one else in sight.

Hearing a loud whimper, I quickly opened the car door and jumped out. What the hell was going on?

My eyes searched the rocky path frantically, hoping I didn't really hit anything. My gaze settled on a crimson streak across the stone that lead off the cliff and my knees almost gave out.

What if I killed someone- no. It was just a deer or a bear, it was nothing. It had to be.

Glancing over the edge I gasped and instantly went down on my hands and knees in shock. It was a wolf, a brown one, and I knew exactly who it was.

Tobias. Panic had begun to course through my veins, I had killed him, my Mate's brother was dead-

Another loud whimper sounded and I sighed with relief, he was breathing and if I listened close enough I could hear the low beat of his heart. His body was on a ledge nearby and hadn't fallen too far.

"Tobias!" I whisper-shouted. I was praying in my head that the others didn't drive up here anytime soon. "Tobias!" My voice rose.

His light eyes, blinking away blood, opened at glanced up at me. I knew even if he got up he wouldn't be able to navigate up the mountain side like I could; he was in trouble and I was the only one here to help.

Pushing away all the hate I had for him, I swung my legs over the side of the cliff and gently lowered myself down. Grabbing ahold of jagged rocks, and never loosing my footing, I made it to the small ledge he had fallen onto.

"Why are you even out here." I mumbled as I assessed his wounds. Tobias growled lowly as I moved closer but remained still.

I could usually tell where the bleeding was coming from when it came to wolves from my pack, our white coats making it easy to see were the wound was. But with Tobias' dark brown fur it was nearly impossible.

Noticing a pair of shorts tied to his wolf's ankle, I untied it and placed it near him; turning my back to show him he should shift and change.

A low groan came and a snap of bones sounded around us. After a few more seconds I turned around again.

It wasn't as bad as I thought, but I was still pretty bad. Tobias had on his shorts and was standing with difficultly; my eyes flickered to the gapping foot-long wound on his thigh.

Bruises were forming and his chest was covered in smaller, less deep wounds. I felt a pang of guilt for hitting him with my car, but it didn't last long.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Tobias spoke, his voice was constricted and filled with pain. I couldn't be mad with him, not now.

Nodding, I ignore his blatant attitude. "You have to follow everything I do. Put your foot where mine is and grab onto what I do, got it?" I say.

Tobias grunted in response, probably not liking having to depend on me for survival. I reached out and began too climb back up the way I came down, checking back to make sure he was following.

After swinging myself up onto the ledge, I turned quickly. Tobias looked like he was going to be sick, his wounds still streaming with blood and his skin turning a sickly pale color.

"Here." I reach out my hand. He eyed it suspiciously before grabbing it and making me lift almost all his weight up and over the cliff-side.

We both fall onto our backs, side by side and take deep breaths; his much shallower than mine, almost too slow.

"We have to get you back, can you make it to the car?" I question, lifting myself up onto my elbows an glance down at his bloody leg again, its worse.

He opens one eye warily. "Why are you helping me?" Tobias' tone is uncertain and dripping with suspicion.

"I- Well-" I stop speaking. The clear sound of tires on the rocky path sound in the distance and I know Tobias can't hear it yet; the pure-blood running through my veins made my hearing several times better.

"Doesn't matter, we need to move. Now." I say sternly.

He eyes me cautiously for the hundredth time, and then starts getting up; too slow for my liking. I grab under his arms and help him up, then sling my arm around him for support as we limp to the beat up car.

Laying him across the backseat, my hands shake with nervousness that overwhelms every part of my body. How did I get myself into situations like this-

The car, probably caring Paul and the others, was getting closer by the second. After getting Tobias as comfortable as possible, I slammed the door, hopped into the drivers seat, and jammed the SUV into drive.

I navigated through the winding paths at top speed, checking the mirror every once an a while to make sure Tobias hadn't gone too still or bled himself out.

My Wolf was quiet in my head, but I knew she was interested in my situation; she knew where we were headed, and I could feel her excitement as my own.

The rocks changed into dirt roads, trees sprouting up along the sides of the paths as I sensed the change in territory; I had crossed the line.

I was digging myself a deeper hole with every mile I drove, but I didn't quite care at the moment.

"I don't know where they're meeting me- I, I need you to take me-." I heard Tobias mumble. I couldn't understand anything he was saying.

He was on the verge of passing out, I bet, and I tried to drive around ditches and holes so he wouldn't be jostled too bad.

"Clary." I slammed on the breaks. So much for not jostling him.

That voice, I knew that voice. It floated through my dreams at night and played inside my head throughout the day. The voice that could bring me to my knees or fill me with strength. I didn't know how, but Issac had mind-linked with me.

My Wolf became extremely alert at our Mate's voice inside my head. There could only be one explanation for how he was speaking to me.

Issac had taken over as Alpha and let me back into the Saltus Pack mind-links. It was overwhelming, feeling his presence in my head after his father had blocked me out.

"Tobias." I whisper.

All I get is a groan, he is in bad shape but I'm too distracted to drive. I want Issac to speak again, to hear him say my name again.

"Why'd you stop" Tobias slurred. I turned in my seat to look at his pale, pain-filled face.

"Why is your brother mind-linking me?" I say.

He closes his eyes and chuckles, but ends up coughing. "Looks like big brother took his spot as Alpha." Tobias sounds so distant. "Ask him to come get me."

I swallow the lump in my throat, and nod. This shouldn't be so hard, I should just be able to drop off Tobias then drive back to me pack and make up a story on why it took so long.

"Don't leave without responding to our Mate." My Wolf growls. I know she has missed him so sorely and I owe it to myself to at least find some closure.

"I have your brother." I speak into the mind-link slowly. That sounds threating, and weird. Gosh I just want to see him and talk to him about everything-

"Bring him to the middle of West Border. Drop him off and leave." Issac's voice finally says back. My heart drops, he sounds so distant and uncaring; the complete opposite of what I hoped for.

Slamming on the gas I drive down the dirt path through the woods once more. He only let me into the mind-link to order me around. My Wolf whimpered and I begged her shut up, not wanting to pity myself.

Against my will, tears filled my eyes. I just wanted to get home and away from this pack. Even though home was where my father was, it was better than here.

I slammed on the brakes once more, a group of wolves and people running out onto the path to stop my car; this pack needed to learn about jumping in front of moving vehicles.

Tobias groaned loudly again. "Is that them?"

I whipped my face clear of tears and glanced into the mirror, he had his eyes closed in pain and I could tell he was trying to heal himself.

"Yeah" My voice was not as strong as I wanted it, it was crushed and constrained; just like my heart. I unlocked the car door and hoped out.

My stomach dropped to my feet when I stepped out and glanced at the group of people and wolves. Lucas, Nina, Rosaline. They were all there along with a few others.

Breaking away my gaze from the people I considered friends, I yanked open the back door and motioned for them to take Tobias.

Lucas and another sandy-haired guy ran over and lifted him out, not speaking. The others behind him kept steady glares on me, watching every move I made.

Nina narrowed her eyes on me and spoke. "I don't know why you saved him. But, thank you." Her caramel eyes held an unreadable emotion, they all did.

"Of course I saved him." I slammed the car door shut, a little too harshly, and caused Rosaline to jump slightly.

Tobias had pasted out, his body was limply hanging on Lucas and the other guy as they propped up his dead weight.

You filthy spy. Pure-blooded monster. The words rang in my head almost like Lucas and Nina were speaking them right now, the memory of my last moments on this territory were burring me alive.

"It's alright. I'm leaving." I muttered. Noticing everyone's overwhelming gaze's follow me with caution, almost like I was a wild animal that could attack at any moment.

"Where are you." It was my father, and he sounded pissed. I tensed up and everyone around me growled or went in defense mode; what the hell?

"Car trouble, I'm on my way back though, nothing too bad." I responded quickly. I then reached for the door handle to leave-

"Clary." Lucas spoke in a weird voice. His usually comical tone was gone and he was all serious; it unsettled me.

"What?" I asked, not sure how much longer I could keep my tough walls up around my crumbling interior. Being here was killing me.

"We can't let you leave." Nina said. My Wolf growled, not liking that sentence and feeling extremely outnumbered by the group of wolves and people standing in our way.

"What do you mean 'I can't leave'? You all have made it pretty clear-" I started, feeling my exterior shell of strength begin to crack.

Growls from behind me sounded and I spun around. More wolves had appeared and panic began to settle in. Where was Issac? Did he order them to do this? I thought he wanted me to leave...

"Clary, why aren't you back. I need to speak with you." My father's impatient voice rang inside my head once more.

I bet he was panicking after he found out that I knew about my pack's disgusting treaty with the humans. Deep down, I never wanted to return back to the mountains and face him; and as of right now I didn't know if I was going to.

"I'm coming home. I-" I stopped sort.

Being distracted by fathers mind-link, Nina had moved closer and I hadn't even noticed. She now stood directly in front of me.

I began to back away, but ran into a wolf's chest, they had closed me in without me even knowing. I was so stupid for coming here, for helping my Mate's brother-

The wolf behind me shoved me forward and Nina grabbed me, I reacted quickly; growling and preparing to defend myself. But it was too late.

Whatever they had planned, they planned it well. Nina pulled a syringe out of her back pocket, a needle that made my blood run cold at the color; purple. It was wolfsbane.

My Wolf was about to make me shift and run, but our connection was instantly severed when Nina jammed the needle into my neck and pushed down on the plunger.

My limbs went limp and my eyes shut. Everything faded into heavy darkness.

Clary's POV

I cough and jolt wake, and body springing forward and eyes snapping open. I instantly squint because of the bright light, harsh on my sensitive eyes.

I'm in a room, a bedroom to be exact; and its familiarity is chilling me to the bone as I catch my breath and search around.

Issac's room. And I'm not alone in it. I clutch the white bed sheets as my eyes noticed a figure standing by the floor-to-celling window. Issac is staring directly at me, probably because of my noisy wake up.

My heart is free falling in my chest with longing, confusion, hope but also anger; a weird combination of emotions that I can't seem to grasp. Why am I here and what exactly happened?

Issac is leaning against the window, his head and shoulders balanced on the glass as he looks away from me. His hair is longer and he has a slight stubble; but he still looks ungodly perfect. I want to yell at him but I also want to calmly explain things. It's hard to figure out what I want.

"They weren't supposed to do that." He mutters quietly, and I of course heard him. "They didn't have any right to do what they did."

Memories come flooding back and I have deja vu of the last time I passed out on this pack's land and woke in my Mate's bed. I also gained back the memories of everything else; my pack's disgusting treaty with the humans, hitting Tobias with my car and driving him home.

And being ambushed. Despite my other overpowering emotions, I let only anger come out; a growl rippling through me and I jumped out of the bed to stand up and yell-

Issac seemed completely unfazed. He just shook his head and sighed; running a steady hand through his hair. He was acting so strange.

"Then why'd they do it?" I spoke after growling at him made no effect. My mind couldn't take being shut out by everyone anymore, I felt like everyone is hiding things and keeping me in the dark. It's killing me and so is being here with Issac.

"It was my father's rule to drug and imprison trespassers." Issac replied. "One I've been meaning to change, but I've only recently become Alpha ."

"So I'm just a trespasser." I hear my voice getting hysterical. My emotions want me to feel everything at once and My Wolf is whimpering. "It's not like I saved your brothers life or I'm your Mate or anything!" I'm shouting now.

Issac narrows his eyebrows at my words and leans off the window, taking a step towards me. My body wants to step away but My Wolf has more control at the moment and keeps my feet planted.

"Do you realize what you've done to my pack, do you blame them for what they did?" He says. The truth that he is now a full Alpha, the leader of my pack's enemy makes me shiver. "You were a spy, Clary, and you betrayed us."

A noise between a whimper and a sigh leave my lips. I did betray him and I can't say or do anything to make up for it.

"You knew. You knew about my pack's treaty, didn't you?" I mutter after his harsh words. I don't know how to respond to him so I ask the question that has been nagging at me.

He looks at me, confused as to why I changed the subject. I know he wants to talk about us, but I need other answers.

"Did you not know?" Issac questions. His emerald eyes stand out from the dark circles under his eyes and I notice the shaking in his hands; he is miserable.

"I just found out." I respond. "Is that why you want to take down my father and my whole pack?"

Issac looks away at the mention of my father, he has probably be trying to convince himself that I'm not who Tobias said I was, Alpha Kane's daughter, but I am.

"Issac look at me." I mumble, my voice is steady and I have no clue how.

He gazes at me again. "Yes, we knew. I thought you did too."

"Well I didn't, and now I'm not sure I can go back." The steadiness in my voice breaks away and I admit what I already knew; I couldn't be a part of that malicious 'pure-blooded' pack.

Issac is silent and I don't know how I wanted him to react, but his silence is tearing me apart. I notice both our hand are shaking and we are just looking at one another; trying to see past everything and understand the person in front of us. Isaac finally speaks.

"Why'd you do it? Why'd you come and here an- and make me feel like I could trust you and tell you everything, only to have my own brother tell me the truth." He says with a pleading voice.

"I thought I was helping my pack." I say to the ground, his gaze too intense for me to meet. I didn't expect him to ask me to explain, I only dreamed of him wanting to know the truth.

Issac grows silent again and I slowly look up. He isn't looking at me anymore, his eyes are glazed over and I can tell he is mind-linking with someone.

"We should leave." I whisper to My Wolf. She growls lowly and I sigh outwardly, I knew she wouldn't agree. But we are the same, and I know deep down I don't want to leave either.

"Clary." Issac snaps me out of my own mind.

"Yeah?" We are standing close but the days we spent apart from eachother are pushing us away; words never spoke now creating a barrier between two lovers locked out of love.

"I have a plan." He says. Issac looks nervous, and keeps looking away and creasing his eyebrows; the people mind-linking him obviously pissing him off.

"...And?" I asked after he continues to ignore me. I didn't know what to do from here and I wanted to know his plan, we obviously needed to create one sooner rather than later.

"You realize the Saltus pack is planning an attack against the Purum pack, correct?" Issac questions after I notice he probably put up a wall in his mind-link.

I nod. I shouldn't know that, but I do. Because I was a spy, I know this pack more than my own.

He sighs, but continues. "And you don't want to return to your old pack?"

"I don't know, my family are there my friends-" I stop. My father is a human-slaughtering monster and my whole family hid that from me. I have an engagement that I never want to return to and I have really no friends. At all. He is right.

"Yes, I don't belong there, Issac." I mutter. "That's the truth, no lies or spying or deception."

He is looking at me like he is trying to figure me out. I look back, blue eyes locking onto green.

"Then I want to ask you stay. But you can't return to them." He shocks me and I grow still at his words. "We'll watch you closely, closer than before."

I swallow but my mouth has gone dry. He is asking me to turn away from everything I've grown up with and join his pack; something a pure-blooded wolf has never done, leave the pack.

Issac is biting the inside of his bottom lip and watching me; an internal war probably going on inside of his head. To trust me or not to trust me.

"Why would you ask me to stay?" I asked. My Wolf is quiet but I can feel excitement building up inside her at Issac's words, we have been wishing our Mate would ask. Stay.

He takes a deep breath. "You can help us with this war, Clary."

My Wolf huffs and my features fall, I was hoping for some romantic speech about not wanting us to leave. He just wants us so he can take down my father. "Is that such a bad thing, though? Don't you want to stop what your pack does?" My Wolf speaks slowly.

"That's the reason you want me to stay?" I question while I look down at my hands. I want to pace around and yank at my hair so I can try and begin to figure out this man in front of me, but I stand still and try not to break.

"Yes." Issac responds. I listen for wavering emotion in his voice, but it is stern and sure; the tone of an Alpha.

I close my eyes and take a breath. "Alright. I will help."

The words tumble out and I thought I would regret them, but I don't. I keep betraying people, and I don't know when I'll stop. Maybe when people stop hiding things from me or when I can be healed by something; or someone.

"You sure?" Issac asks slowly. "I'm trusting you, in a way, and you don't want to make me regret it."

I gulp and nod my head. This is what I want, the clear choice, I tell myself. Stay here and fight for something worth fighting for or go home and be put back in the dark and forced into a marriage.

"Is your family trying to contact you?" Issac adds. He is leaning against the window again and the magnetic pull between is only making me want him close. He obliviously doesn't feel it I say to myself.

My mind is silent and I notice I have a mental barrier up from me to my pack. My Wolf growls as I try and lower it, and I realize she knows what would happen if I did. Where are you. We need to talk. Come home. The shouting inside my mind isn't what I need right now.

"I'm blocking them out. I know they'll just yell and scream at me." I speak to the window we both are looking out.

I feel him gaze at me sideways. Maybe he's thinking what I am, that me being here will be hard to hide or explain. His pack will be spectacle, just like they were when I first showed up, and my own pack will look here first of course.

"They'll come looking for me here, they aren't who you think they are. My father may be heartless at times but he won't let my disappearance go unnoticed." I mutter.

I look at the forest nearby and imagine being as free as the pines. Free to grow where you want and never loose your leaves; I feel like I'm loosing my leaves. Parts of me breaking away before I noticed they're shattered. Why can't I settle to be who I want and let my roots grow where they may?

Issac is silent and I look over at him, snapping out of my dreary thoughts. He is mind-linking with someone again, his distant look making me feel hollow.

"What happened when you hit my brother with your car?" He finally asks. "Did you just pick him up and drive him here?"

"Yeah after getting him back up the ledge, I left and drove down an unused path to get here." I reply. He has a plan and I watch him as he works it through in his mind.

"Maybe they think your hurt." Isaac says. I mull over what he is trying to say.

"There was a lot of blood." I add. "But the car is gone."

"But you were driving on stone so they can't trace tires." He whispers, mostly talking to himself as he try's to reach a conclusion.

"If I was hurt why would I drive away?" I ask. We are working together and it's a first, but were working together to find a lie to tell my pack when they come looking for me.

"Maybe you we're taken?" Isaac turns to me and suggests.

"Kidnapped." I mutter as meet his gaze, it's believable my mind tells me.

Isaac nods at our agreement but sighs quickly after. "My pack is pretty mad at me right now, same with my father."

I don't know how to reply, I've been such a burden to this pack and now I'm back, and Isaac is letting me stay. For different reasons then I want, but it'll take it.

"What about your brother is he alright?" I ask.

Isaac walks over to the bed, sits, and rests his head on his hands. "Tobias will be okay." Isaac nods. His leg is bobbing up and down as I watch him "I don't know if this is right."

I swallow again, he is struggling in his current position as Alpha and I can't blame him. His own Mate betrayed him and he has a war with a deadly pack on the rise.

"Hey." I walk over and bend down in front of him. "I don't know if it's right either, but we have to try."

Im not sure if I'm talking about betraying my own pack or his decisions anymore. Maybe I'm talking about us as Mates; my mind is clouding together everything.

He looks up at me as I'm kneeling in front of him, his eyes are swirling with uncertainty and I remember them from the last time I saw him. When I wrote him a message in the dirt. Some people are meant to fall in love, but not meant to be together.

Isaac leans forward slightly and I tense up, his expression changes and he shakes his head. I watch him stand up and I sigh as I stay in the ground.

"You can stay in the same room as before. But I'll have someone sleep with you." He says. "I have to go right now but Lucas is coming up to watch you"

I move to stand up and run my hands over the sheets of the bed, wishing I could sleep in here with him.

"Clary?" Isaac says after my prolonged silence. He should probably just leave.

"Hmm?" I look up.

"Do you trust me?" He asks. Isaac's voice is, for the first time, unsure and wavering; it makes me see past his tough exterior and I love it.

"With everything I have." I mutter. I look down at my hands, not wanting to watch him leave.

I notice when he is gone, but not because of the silence; but because of the overwhelming feeling of loneliness.

***

Thing are different here now. After Issac sent Lucas up to get me, he took me along with him to observe the pack's training. His icy glares tell me he completely disagrees with Isaac's choice of letting me stay; but no wolf would question their Alpha.

I hug myself as I walk behind him in the large clearing he led us to; one fit just right for training.

My eyes skirt around the dead grass and watch the young wolves combat training and the older wolves practicing strength and agility. They all work like a well oiled machine and it sort of scares me.

My pack grew up telling me they were inferior to us and had broken packs, and because of their human-tainted blood they could never really be true wolves. I've come to discover they were the complete wrong.

Lucas gestures for me to follow him, I do, and he leads me over to a large rock that sort of juts out into the clearing; a boulder shaped like a ledge.

"Sit and wait until I get orders of what to do with you." He says. My Wolf growls at his rudeness but I don't care right now. I'm busy reminiscing over how kind this pack was to me, now everything has changed.

"Ok." I crawl onto the rock and sit crossed-legged. The thought of lowering my mental wall to my pack pops into my mind; I can feel someone pushing from the other side but I deicide to ignore it.

I watch everyone near me, people bobbing, weaving and diving around the clearing. My pack had training like this but it wasn't as intense, we didn't think we needed to train.

Whisper's coming from bystanders of the training and glares casted my way made me sigh and look down at my hands, it was like I was put on a pedestal for everyone to judge. And I hated it.

"That's her, Kane's daughter." "She was a spy, spying on her own Mate, can you believe it?" "I thought pure-bloods would never venture outside they're perfect little mountain home." "Why is she back?"

I want to cover my ears after only sitting here for about two minutes. The Saltus pack hates me and their questions are clenching at my chest as my over-powerful hearing catches everything they say about me.

Gasps are heard all around me and a loud growl, or more like a roar, sounds in the clearing. I quickly stand up and my body goes in defensive mode.

My eyes widen and I watch as a huge black wolf barrels past every man and women here and comes straight towards me; Alpha Marcus. And he's pissed.

I let out a scream and run the opposite way, jumping off the boulder, landing in a crouch and sprinting away. My hair whips around me as I race through the woods and I hear another growl from Marcus.

The wind stings at my eyes and tears drip out of their corners; I'm not sure if I'm actually crying, but I know I'm scared.

A body comes from my side and tackles me, and I know I'm going to get hurt; Marcus hates my guts and will tear me apart no matter what Issac says.

I thrash and scream as I land in the dirt, kicking my legs and grabbing- skin? My eyes shoot open and I instantly calm down, Issac is hovering above me, not Marcus.

My hysterical mind settle down as he looks at my with worry, was he worried about me? No he wouldn't ever worry for the Mate that betrayed him.

Despite my thoughts, My Wolf makes me hold onto him tighter, my fingers digging into his upper arms, neither of us want to let him go. He leaves me for only a couple of minutes and his father attempts to murder me.

"Clary, let go." Issac says. His voice is strained and I look back at him trying read his expression; Why is he so hard to understand, Mates should be able to read eachother like an open book.

My hands drop and I sigh. Issac gets up and brushes himself off, then his eyes travel behind me and he grows still.

Getting into a sitting position I turn to follow his line of gaze, a shutter runs up my spine as my eyes met his father's. Alpha Marcus' wolf is standing, staring directly at us with a look of pure disgust.

My Wolf paces, uncomfortable under Marcus' gaze, his wolf is standing in a threating stance; his chest puffed out, tail curled over his back, and teeth showing in a low growl.

I spin around to Issac, and watch as he stares back at his father with the same expression; I feel like I'm in the middle of a deadly staring contest.

"I told you she was here and not to hurt her." Issac spat. He walks in front of me so I'm, thankfully, no longer in the middle.

"She doesn't deserve to live, Issac." His father snapped back into the mind-link. He sounds like Tobias.

I shrink behind Issac and grab at his T-shirt, using him as a shield from his fathers words as I try an comfort myself by touching him. Issac seems to relax, but I can almost feel awkwardness radiating off our close proximity.

"Look at her, she is cowardly and weak." Marcus kept going. My Wolf snapped at him in my head and I almost growled myself. "You do realize what she did, don't you?"

"Father, stop." Issac spoke sternly. "She is going to help us take down Kane, this is my choice to let her help. You aren't Alpha anymore."

I let go of Issac shirt and mull over what he just said. I'm really doing this, I'm really helping the people trying to overthrow my father and pack. "You know this is what you wanted to do right when you found out about the treaty." My Wolf interjected.

"It's true. I'm not going back." My words leave my mouth before I can stop them as I step out from behind Issac.

Images of my brother and I always competing to impress my parents, memories of my father cold-watchful eyes, and flashes of my mother always trying to fix me into the perfect daughter flooded into my brain.

I didn't belong there. Pure blood might run through my veins but I feel as though, given the chance, I would want to drain it all out just so I could be free.

This was it, helping Issac's pack. This was my freedom.

Clary's POV

I watched the white curtains flutter in the winter breeze as it came through my window; it was the middle of the night but I couldn't even consider sleep.

The room I was staying in at the pack house was smaller than Issac's, and it didn't have the large floor-to-ceiling windows that I loved. It was lonely and it brought back memories of my last stay here, ones I was trying for so long to forget.

My Wolf was anxious in my mind and I wasn't going to try and calm her down, it was useless.

I sat up and sighed. I knew there was a guard outside my door and this was probably not one of my brightest ideas. But, I desperately needed to get up and do something right now, I didn't care if it was midnight.

Getting up and adjusting my hoodie, I tiptoed over to the door and creaked it open. To my surprise my so-called guard was completely out cold, his soft snores telling me he pasted out a while ago.

The hallway was as dark as my bedroom but I maneuvered it with ease; even though I didn't have a specific destination. My mind wandered along with my feet as I walked through the deserted house.

"You're going to Issac's room." My Wolf spoke into my mind. Stopping sort, I noticed I was, indeed, only two doors away from Issac's now.

I stood and stared at the door, picturing what was behind it. My Mate tangled in the white sheets with messy bed-hair and no one by his side.

My feet moved before I could make a choice and my hand lifted to the doorknob, turning it and nudging the door open. Issac's scent hit me and my anxiousness instantly went away, My Wolf purring in contentment as I stepped inside the dark bedroom.

My heart ached and a small smile grew on my lips as I looked to the king-sized bed in the middle of the room.

Issac was laying on his stomach and had his head nestled in the crook of his arm, his back rising and falling with low breaths. The moonlight from his huge window reflected off his bare skin and my eyes traveled all over his body, noticing every shadow and muscle.

My Wolf whimpered. "Go to him." I shook my head, no, I couldn't do that. He wouldn't want me to I thought to myself, I had to leave, this was stupid-

Loud shouts and footsteps sounded and my thoughts were cut off. I moved faster than I thought possible back out into the hallway and opened another door to hide behind.

Relief washed over me as I noticed the bedroom was empty, I shut the door and leaned up against it; listening with my sharp hearing as thundering footsteps came racing up the stairs.

I smelled about three new people come into the hallway, pass my door and stop at Issac's. My heart was hammering I was cursing myself for coming to Issac's room. How many stupid choices can I make?

"Alpha!" That was Lucas.

"Purum Pack on our west border, they've crossed the line." Another voice shouted. I didn't recognize it.

I heard shuffling and then Issac spoke. "Just now?"

He sounded calm, but I detected disbelief in his tone. My Mate's husky sleep voice made me shiver but their words made me extremely nervous; what was my pack doing?

"Yes, Alpha, what do we do?" Lucas asked. They all sounded so panicked, but I don't blame them.

"Clary." Issac muttered but I heard my name clear as day as it left his lips. "They're looking for Clary."

"Just hand her over, they're pissed and on our land. Right now may I add." The man's voice I didn't recognize replied.

A loud growl sounded and a thump, like someone being pushed up against a wall, sounded and I gasped behind the door as I felt the shutter of the house from the force.

"I will not 'just hand over' my Mate, I'll deal with it." Issac snapped. "I already talked to you all about this, she isn't leaving and I have a plan that you should do best not to question."

Pride filled my chest and I closed my eyes in relief. I heard more shuffling and strained to hear more, I had to know what they were going to do; even if my mind was buzzing with admiration of Issac's protectiveness.

"How many are on our land?" Issac asked, his tone still clipped with annoyance.

"Four or five we're guessing." Lucas responded. They were in the hallway now, outside the door I was behind, and I put my hand over my mouth to silence my breathing.

"You two come with me, Lucas wake up and gather a dozen or so of our best fighters." Issac's voice went into serious mode as he barked orders. "Follow our scents and meet up with us."

"Right away." Lucas said. I heard his footsteps race away.

"Are we going to leave, Alpha?" The other guy's voice asked after a prolonged silence. I stood completely still and I'm sure I was turning blue from trying not to breath too deeply.

"Yes, I- I just." Issac's voice made me instantly go tense, he was right behind the door and I could tell he was staring at it in thought. "I thought someone else was up here, never mind. We have to go."

I listened to their footsteps bound down the steps and waited until I heard nothing but silence before I nudged open the bedroom door. Letting out a breath, I walked back to my room.

I curled up onto the sheets and made my body into a ball in the middle. The thought of following them popped into my mind but I was too exhausted. This was all too exhausting.

Clutching the blankets close to me, I imagined Issac's body laying here with me. Our bodies intertwined like they should be and our chest rising and falling sync.

My Wolf whimpered loudly at my thoughts and I instantly cleared my mind of the painful thoughts.

Even though my body ached for his touch and my hands strained to reach out to him, I shut my eyes and willed sleep to come.

***

"Nina!" A familiar voice screamed outside my door. Lucas. I jolted awake and ripped the sheets off my body. Panic exploded in my nerves and I strained to see in the dark bedroom as I rushed to the door.

"Nina, wake up!" Lucas shouted again, I heard more footsteps and a groggy voice respond.

"W-what is it, Lucas why are you shouting?" Nina's voiced joined her brothers.

I yanked open the door and looked down the hallway to the room where Nina was sleeping. A couple of pack members were standing in the hall, panic coating their features.

But their expressions weren't the only thing concerning me, they looked like death. Their faces were bloody and the clothes they wore were shredded and dirty.

"It's Issac, we need you. Now." Lucas came out of the room pushing along a now fully awake Nina. Their eyes, the same shade of hazel were full of fear.

"What about Issac." I finally say. My mind was absorbing everything in slow motion. Everyone's faces turned to me and I stared back, wanting to yell at them to tell me what was going on.

"Clary, it's best if you don't get involved-" Nina snapped.

I walked towards her. "You don't have a Mate, and you don't understand. If he's hurt he'll heal faster if I'm there."

"She's right." Tobias says and I just now notice he is there. The gash on his leg from my car has opened up again and I look away from his hard gaze.

"Fine. Whatever. We need to get to him, feel free to do what ever you want regardless of what anyone says, Clary, you always do." Nina bumps past me.

My Wolf snaps at Nina in my mind and then grows silent, but I know she's just as panicked as I. Our Mate is hurt, and I don't know how bad.

"He's hurt real bad." Lucas answers my internal question. "You can thank you father for that."

I gasp and my eyes widen after the second part of his sentence. Everyone brushes past me and I turn and follow without thinking, my mind now numb with concern. My father was the strongest wolf I knew and I had a feeling Issac was barely hanging on.

The hallways were an endless maze of twisting and turning after we went down the stairs. My eyes stayed on the back of Nina's head as I walked, I couldn't talk or stop. This is a nightmare becoming reality.

Finally, Lucas shoved open a set of double doors and entered a artificially-lit room with high ceilings. An infirmary. My sensitive eyes adjusted to the bright fluorescent lights and I let out a breath of disbelief.

About six of the beds were full with bloody bodies; limbs twisted at obviously wrong angles and clusters of families and friends around each bed.

"See what your pack does." A girl that was in the group the came to get Nina whispered behind me. That just made this all the more horrible, this is my pack's doing.

A small, strangled cry left my lips as I noticed the last bed, and familiar glimpse of brown hair. Issac.

Ripping away from the others, I ran to his bed that had his father beside it. As of this moment I didn't care what anyone in this room thought of me or who I was to any of them. My heart ached for my Mate's pain and I wasn't going to focus on anything else.

Issac looked better than the others, considering he was healing faster, but he still looked like he'd been to hell and back in one night. His flawless skin was ruined with bruises and slashes; his green eyes shut tightly.

"What happened to them?" I managed to choke out. Marcus glared at me with hooded eyes and Tobias, who just joined us, stood extremely tense.

"Alpha Kane and four of his men came onto our land looking for you. Issac gathered some of our fighters to tell them we didn't have you." My Mate's brother said. "Your daddy took it as a threat and attacked."

I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. I knew I should've followed them into the woods when I overheard what was going on. I should've given myself up and stopped this from happening.

Ignoring Alpha Marcus's low growl, I reached out and took Issac's bloody hand and knelt beside the bed.

I don't know how long I stayed there holding his hand and willing him to open his eyes and look at me but eventually Nina walked up to the bed looking drained. Most likely from healing the others.

My Wolf growled as she took his other hand and closed her eyes. I watched her closely along with the others as she takes a breath and squeezes his hand tightly.

Issac instantly bolts upright and takes in a loud deep breath, his green eyes quickly opening but then squinting because of the harsh light. Seeing him moving and alert floods my body with relief.

It seemed like the whole room let out a sigh of relief at Issac's awakening. Nina dropped Issac's hand, now looking more drained then ever after healing him; but I never let go. She looked at me with a quizzical look but I was to focused on Issac.

"Thank god." I heard Tobias sigh next to me. His eyes didn't have such a hostile gaze anymore, he looks vulnerable and relieved; it was such a different look on him.

My Wolf lost her tense mood and so did I; smiling up at Issac as he continued to take well needed breaths of air.

He looked over at me and it seemed like the background blurred away and everyone else's presence were irrelevant; just us and our eyes boring into eachother.

He had a cut on his eyebrow and a bruise on his cheek but he looked strong and perfect as I took in the fact that he and the others in the room had fought my father and came out alive.

"You're okay." I say. My words are more to myself then anyone else. He's okay.

A warmth that had been gone for so long blooms in my chest as he smiles down at me. Our hands still intertwined. I thought he wouldn't want to be anywhere near me when he woke, seeing as I was the reason he was hurt, but his gaze told me the opposite.

"Clary." Nina interrupted our moment and I snapped my gaze over to her. "Were you holding Issac's hand when I healed him?"

"Yes." I respond, my voice is quiet but I know everyone heard.

"No ones ever healed that fast because of me." Nina looked at her hands. "Do you have any pack doctors in your bloodline?" She asks another question.

I shake my head. "No." I shift to stand up as everyone watches. "I don't expect you to know this but all pure-bloods have healing abilities when it comes to their Mates."

I feel uneasy telling them one of my packs secrets but I no longer saw my allegiance towards any pure-bloods whatsoever. The people in this room were all I had left and they deserved to know everything.

"You're right, we didn't know that." Alpha Marcus said as he too stood up.

"I'm sorry for what my father did." The words tumble out of my mouth. I look down at my hands still laced with Issac's. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused your pack."

Silence. Everyone around my Mate's bed stands and looks at me without words. The only background noise is the people behind us and their hurt loved ones.

"I know an apology isn't going to heal these people or take back my betrayal. But I'd like to prove it to all of you by helping in the war you wish to have on Alpha Kane."

I realized that was the first time I called him that and not father. Alpha Kane. The murderous leader who runs a despicable excuse for a pack. I wanted to help, and I prayed with my entire being that they'd let me.

"I'd be insane if I let you go back home." Issac finally said. A smile grazed my lips at his words.

I looked away from his warm gaze, still unsure of how I should act with him around his family and pack members.

Looking up now, Nina had a slight smile and Lucas was rubbing her back lightly his eyes watching me without hatred. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Tobias looking at me as well, no sneer or glare grazing his features.

Finally my eyes locked on Issac's fathers. "I think it's best for everyone that you stay, Clary." Relief floods within me. "This is about more than what you've done, it's about what you can now do for us."

I nod. "Thank you."

I feel a squeeze on my hand and smile. I was here with my Mate he was safe and healing. I was here with a pack that just accepted me for the second time, despite what I've done.

And regardless of the war hanging over my head like a storm cloud, I felt happy.

***

After some time, almost everyone began to filter out of the infirmary. It was still early in the morning, too early for the sun to rise as I glanced out the small windows and saw dark purple sky. The lights were dimmed down inside so everyone could sleep.

Silence wafted through the room as I still sat next to Issac's bed, my hand still gripping his, not letting go once ever since I took it.

He was sleeping lightly now, letting himself heal after everyone left to go back to bed. I knew if I left I wouldn't be able to sleep in the slightest. So I stayed, pulling up a chair and not leaving his side.

Looking past him, I saw the row of other injured men; their Mate's stilling by their beds and giving soft caresses and whispering things to eachother. My heart ached to be like that with Issac.

Hearing him shift slightly next to me, I turned my attention off the other couples and back to him.

Seeing through the dimness of the room I noticed his eyes were open and he was looking at me; his chin was resting on his shoulder as I stared back; not sure as to what to say.

"Have you been here the whole time?" He whispers. His voice is hoarse from grogginess and sleep.

I nod sheepishly. "Mhm." He is crazy to think I would leave him here to be alone.

Issac chuckles lowly, a sad laugh as he turns to look at the ceiling. I notice he hasn't pulled his hand away from mine yet.

We are quiet for a little, him staring at the ceiling and thinking and me watching him as I put both my hands on his and just enjoying his closeness.

"I guess things are going to be different now." Issac finally whispers. I give him a questioning look. "With us I mean, this time it can be real."

My lips part in thought and I take in his words, does he mean what I think he does? I get a feeling of relief as well, he wants to start over. Start over with us.

"I didn't think you wanted anything to do with me." I whisper trying to keep our conversation between just us. "I thought you only wanted me here because I could help with the war."

As I spoke my sorrowful thoughts, he turned back to me, finally taking his eyes off the ceiling.

"I guess I can't blame you for thinking that." He says.

"You made it seem like you were done trying." I reply. I didn't think I would have this conversation with him, I thought there was no mending what I did.

He adjusts himself so he is resting on his elbows and his face contorts in pain as he winces, causing me to frown at him.

"Where does it hurt?" I quickly whisper, not being able to see him hiss in pain while I sit and watch.

Issac moves more, to my disliking, and slings his legs over the side of bed. I get up from my stiff wooden chair and sit next to him.

"I got it pretty bad here." I try and keep my eyes from wandering as he lifts his shirt and shows me a deep gash across his ribs.

I gasp quickly. "Oh, Issac." His tired green eyes look up to me with an expression I can't quite read.

"Here, hold still." I say. I feel him tense up as I place my hand on his bare chest, directly over the wound. I try an be as gentle as I can as I close my eyes and picture him healed and healthy, the gash gone and skin closed up.

Hearing a low gasp my eyes open and I look down at my hand. I remove it and underneath is smooth tanned skin, no wound visible.

"Clary, that's amazing." Issac says lowly and I hear a smile in his voice.

I remove my hand as he lets his shirt drop back over his chest. "It was nothing, think of it as a thank you for letting me stay."

I look up at him through my eyelashes and almost gasp at the look he is giving me; one of pure admiration, one I thought I'd never live to see again.

"Remember what you wrote to me in the ground the day that you left?" He whispers. Our faces are close enough that despite the dim light I can see every shade of green in his eyes.

"Some people are meant to fall in love but not meant to be together." I repeat the last words I thought I would tell him.

He nods. "I don't think that's true."

I raise my eyebrows. "Really?" I whisper mockingly as he disproves my words.

"I think everyone who is meant to fall in love, Mates, are meant to be together." He says and I notice the fact the he is moving closer. "That's why we have Mates. To fall in love and be together."

"You must've realized by now that the way things were in my pack was that Mates were only valuable if they were pure-blooded." I mutter.

"But you don't think that." He says. After noticing my look of disgust as I speak of my pack.

I shake my head. "You mean more to me than you should." I whisper.

I see him swallow and shift so he is facing me more. For the first time in hours he disconnects our interlocked hands, but instantly moves his own to hold my face gently.

"Forget them all, Clary. Forget what you've been told because it's all a lie." Issac whispers.

As he speaks to me everyone else in the room seems to become irrelevant. My pack's laws vanish and the idea of marrying Elijah or being with anyone else other then my true Mate disappear. The fact that I ever was part of a pack that tore apart Mates made me ashamed.

But when Issac whispered the truth to me, saying it was all a lie and blood didn't come before love I realized something. I was sent here, to his pack, to find him.

I met him so that, together, we could do something no one dared to do. Take down the Purum pack not just because of their murderous treaty with humans; but because of everything they stood for.

They took too much pride in their bloodline. It disgusted me. I didn't understand why people wanted to take us down before, I thought we were doing to right thing by preserving the werewolf bloodline. I was so wrong.

"I already have forgotten them." I mutter as he leans his forehead against mine. His scent is making me draw to him like a magnet and I meet his dark eyes with my own.

As soon as our eyes connect, so do our lips. I almost go limp in his arms as I lean into him not afraid if anyone sees.

The kiss is passionate and I pore all my pain and loneliness into it; I can almost feel his emotion leaking into me as he wraps his arms around me, his grip gentle yet urgent. This was nothing like kissing Elijah, I thought. This was pure bliss as the sparks erupted along my nerves and his mouth connected and disconnected with mine several times.

My fingers threaded through his tousled hair and I shush him comically as a low moan leaves his lips. We aren't alone and I don't want to wake anyone else up, that would be extremely awkward.

I gasp quietly as he lifts me with ease and moves back on the bed, placing me on top of him as he leans against the pillows. My legs move to either side of his hips and I blush slightly.

"Hmm." He hums admirably into my neck. "I missed that so much."

Memories of the last time we kissed, in the backyard in the dark, flooded into my mind. I was scared and confused at the time but the kiss still held the same euphoric feeling in it as right now.

"I missed you so much." I whispered into his ear as I lean on him, our bodies molding together perfectly like everyone said they would with your Mate.

Issac reaches up and slides his hands up my back and then into my hair; pulling my face away from his ear so he can see me.

"Stay with me until the sun comes up?" He mutters.

I nod. I'd stay with him, in his arms with my head leaning against his chest, forever if I could. But like all good things, this night would come to an end. Night turning to morning and we'd have a huge reality to face.

My hands slide across his bare arms and I watch the goosebumps rise at my touch. My eyes watch the sun peaking up and turn a dark purple sky to brilliant lilac orange as my head rests on his chest.

This is where I belonged, in my Mate's arms, and no one could tell me otherwise.

Alpha Kane's POV

I slam the door to my office shut behind with so much force I can feel the house shutter as it almost breaks off it's hinges. Fury is coursing through my veins and anything and everything in my way is currently being destroyed.

I know she's there. Clary. I know she is with them, the disgraceful Saltus pack; and they tried to fool me. Tired to make up a story about how they had no clue where she went. And that they were sorry for crossing the line and almost pushing Damon's car off a cliff.

They are a useless kind, the human-blood tainted wolves. I can't even imagine why my own daughter would want to be around them by choice. But, she was no longer my daughter.

I thought that she would be happier when she came back, more grateful of the pack she has.

Turns out I was wrong, and I don't take being wrong well. My hands curl into fists and I slam them into the desk in the middle of my office.

They were going to be extinguished, the Saltus pack, and every pack that they've called to help them.

I will attack sooner than planned, surprise them with the war they thought would be in a week. I rip out the battle plans from the top drawer and cross them out, my new murderous plan now taking over.

I have prepared my pack, everyone is fighting. Men, women and children. Once we are done with them, their kind will be extinct; then we'll move onto the humans. Humans, such a sad excuse for a race.

I smile down at my plan with blazing eyes. Once I tear that new Alpha to pieces, Issac, his pack will be lost. I should've finished him off tonight, but I let him return, near death, to send a message.

We're coming. And nothing can protect you. Not blood, family or love.

Clary's POV

"I have never seen anything like that before." Nina muttered while looking at Issac's completely healed wounds.

Everyone had come in this morning to tend to the injured, Nina, her twin, Tobias, Rosaline and some others were currently crowded around Issac's bed. I had reluctantly moved to a chair near the wall to give them space, my skin stills tingling from Issac's touch from when we laid together in the bed.

I looked at my hands in my lap and smiled softly as Nina, along with the others checked over their Alpha; although he didn't quite need checking up on anymore, he was back to his perfect self.

"Thank Clary, over there." Issac shot me a grateful smirk as he got up from the infirmary bed.

I stood up from my chair as well and smiled back. Everyone's gazes flickered in between Issac's and I's flirty exchange, causing me to look away with red cheeks.

"Issac." I heard Tobias say. "Can I talk to you in the hall quick?" My Mate's brother grabbed ahold of Issac's shoulder, his eyes holding an unreadable expression.

Issac looked at him warily. "Sure, one moment."

I grew tense as Issac walked over to me, his green eyes latching onto mine. The others had dispersed and were walking around to the other paitents, but Tobias kept a steady gaze on us.

"Go up to my room, I'll be there soon." Issac leaned and took ahold of my waist with one hand, his lips touching my ear as he whispered to me.

I just nodded in response, not able to form a sentence with the heat coursing through my viens.

I had no clue if I should be all coupley with him or not in front of everyone, I had disentangled my body from his before anyone came down this morning. But I knew the other men and their Mates who were here all night noticed us.

Noticing that I had just been standing there, Issac and his brother now gone, I shook my head and started towards the exit. I took one more look at the men in the beds and their caring pack members by their sides before turning my back.

Leaving the bright, sterile infirmary and walking into the dully-lit hall comforted me. Last night was all a blur and it was just now starting to slow down to a normal pace.

As I walked down the hall soundlessly, I noticed it was about mid-morning; the pines outside bathing in the rising sun. I could like I here, I thought to myself, this is so much calmer then blizzardy mountains and ragged rocks.

I stopped short when my ears caught the sound of deep, hushed voices coming from down an adjacent hallway.

Just keep walking, go to Issac's room like he asked. No more secret listening and spying, you're done with that, I tell myself.

Before I know it, my bare feet creep down the hall and I strain to listen as my old eavesdropping habit return.

"-You were right before to tell me, but now it's different. I know she isn't lying, back off." Issac's voice reaches my ears.

I should go. "I just don't see how your so quick to forgive her, I wouldn't" Tobias snaps back.

"Well you don't know her." Issac replies in that bitter voice I only hear him use with his brother and father.

"And you do?" Tobias starts. "Your a big piece in the game her father is playing, you should know that much from last night."

"A game he's loosing." Issac says strongly. "He wanted me hurt, almost kill me, but now I'm like brand new. And you know why? Because of Clary."

I really should stop listening. "So what, she'll become the Luna and everyone will be okay with it because you say so." Tobias finally responds.

This is so wrong, I shouldn't be listening in. "Well she isn't going home, I don't want her too." Issac says a little softer.

"You know what you told me before she came here?" Tobias whisper-shouted. "'I don't want a Mate, I don't want a weakness when I become Alpha.'"

Silence. I pray I don't make any noise and be found, I couldn't even processes words to explain myself. I knew Issac had harsh feelings towards Mates, but I didn't think they were that strong.

"That was the old him." My Wolf try's to comfort me. "Now that he's met us, he has changed his mind."

"I'm done talking to you about this." Issac replies and I scramble to collect myself to turn and leave.

But before I take off down the hall and back to stairs, I catch my Mate's last remark to his brother.

"Don't lecture me on Mates, brother, you don't understand the extents we'd go to for eachother."

***

Those words force a small smile onto my face as I bound up the steps and race down the hall. I make it to Issac's room in record time without anyone even noticing me speed through the halls.

It was the same as I saw it last night when I peeked inside at midnight. The bed sheets had been crumpled and the curtains were drawn.

I looked at the heavy blue fabric covering the huge widow and sighed with relief, I didn't want to have a view of my mountainous home right now.

Issac's words danced around in my mind and My Wolf was purring in the back of my head. A sound that had been absent for so long.

I jumped onto his oversized bed and landed face down, smiling into the pillows like a giddy little girl. The white sheets were soaked with Issac's scent and I couldn't imagine another place I'd want to be.

Definitely not back home with my pack, I don't think I ever wanted to return. I wanted to lay here for days, if only, I thought to myself.

A creek in the floorboards outside made my senses perk up, knowing that the only rooms around here were Issac's, his brother and his father's.

I closed my eyes tightly and buried my face back into the pillows, the smile refusing to leave my face. I can't remember the last time I was this calm and at ease with myself.

The door clicked open and then clicked shut slowly, I could almost feel Issac's eyes burning into my back.

The mattress dipped down at the end and I felt it shift my weight as he crawled up to lay next to me, it took all of my energy not to spring up and tackle him just to hold him close.

I peaked an eye open and was met with two green ones staring back. I couldn't help but notice the flawlessness of my Mate's face, no longer bruised and battered, but smooth and healed.

"Are you tired?" Issac mumbled. "You were up on and off last night."

I opened both of my blue eyes to look at him, wondering if I knew what he meant. Did he know?

"Yes, Clary, I know you came to my room last night." His eyes softened so much that I almost had to look away from the intensity of them.

But I kept my eyes on his as we laid side by side. "Sorry, I guess I don't really have an explanation for coming here." I trail of quietly.

My eyes follow his hand as it reaches up to caress my face slowly. "I wish you could be in here every night."

My throat goes dry and I grow stiff at his words. Issac was being so open, the compete opposite of what he was when I first returned. But, I wasn't complaining, in fact I scooted closer to his warm body.

"I'm not tired." I finally answer his first question.

He swallows and cups my cheek, I can't help but remember all the times I dreamed of being alone with him like this. Too many dreams to count.

"Me neither." Issac mutters. He should be after everything that happened to him last night, but because of me, he was here and fine. "Clary." He whispers.

"Hmm?" I close my eyes and lean into his touch.

"Can I kiss you?" I hear his voice closer now, and my body goes limp at the thought of his touch.

I don't even open my eyes, I just nod quickly and reach up my hands to thread them into his hair. He responses instantly, both of us not wanting to put this off any longer. The sensation that courses through me when his lips finally latch onto mine is euphoric. I pour all my longing, brokenness and desire into the kiss as I mold my mouth with his.

Issac's arms wrap around my back and I encircle his neck with my arms, my movements completely instinctive when it came to him. I feel my lungs burn with lack off oxygen, but I can't bring myself to break away. He is the first to catch a breath, pulling away painfully slow before moving to work on my jawline.

I sigh in contentment as he peppers kisses down my throat like he did all the weeks ago in the backyard. That moment seems a million miles away when he presses his body against mine.

A gasp leaves my lips as he reaches under my thin hoodie to take ahold of my hips. His strong grasp flipped us over gently so I'm straddling his waist and he is leaning against the headboard; just like in the infirmary.

Issac's mouth leaves my neck and travels back to my lips in and open-mouth kiss. Without even thinking, I open mine as well and his tongue instantly enters; I've never kissed someone like this but with him I don't care.

A wave of bravery comes over me and I pull away slowly, taking his bottom lip in between my teeth. A smile almost breaks out across my face from the look of surprise on his face, his dark green eyes almost going black.

"Mm." He shuts them and shakes his head. "Don't do that, a man only has so much self control."

My slightly shaky fingers run along his chest, wishing his t-shirt was gone. "Who says we need self control?" I ask lowly, not quite knowing where I'm going with this.

Issac groans and rubs his thumb across my hipbones absentmindedly. I'm only in cotton pajama shorts and a thin hoodie with nothing underneath; I wasn't sure how far I was willing to go, but I knew he was the only one I'd ever be with like this.

"Your right." He whispered mischievously and before I can react he flips us around again at a blinding speed so he's on top.

Issac's mouth connects with mine again and that ecstatic feeling returns. He groans loudly and reaches under me, pulling out the numerous pillows that scatter his bed and throwing them off to the side. I giggle against his mouth but he silences me instantly.

My Wolf is elated and is pushing for control, and from the sound and feel of it; so is Issac's. I feel on top of the world with every moan and sigh of passion that passes my Mates lips.

My eyes squeeze shut and I bite my lip instantly as Issac lays all his weight on me and his hipbones grind against mine painfully slow. His hands are still cupping my face while he runs his tongue along my bottom lip, causing me to melt underneath his warm body.

"Issac." I let his name slip past my lips. I get a low, animalistic growl in response; making more bravery wash over me once again.

I push us up to a sitting position and trace his chest with one finger as he watches me. My hands close around the dark fabric of his shirt and tug it upward over his head.

I glance up to his eyes and gasp quietly, they're completely charcoal colored, the iris engulfed in the color part of his eyes. My fingers move to hold his face, my thumbs tracing the smooth skin under my Mate's eyes. It feels so right to be sitting here with him, my legs wrapped around him and his arms gripping my back like he can't let go.

"I want to stay here, for good." I mutter.

Issac's desire filled gaze softens. "I couldn't imagine you anywhere else."

"Then don't." I say while placing my hands gentler then ever on his chest. I want to erase every bad thought in that beautiful mind of his, rid him of all his doubts and let him trust again.

Instead of a response he pressed our chests together and latches his lips to mine. We had been distant for so long that any amount of space between us now needed to be eliminated.

I would do anything for him, and judging by the words he said to his brother moments ago; he would do anything for me.

Clary's POV

My head rose and fell with Issac's breathing as my head laid on his bare chest, his arms holding me as close as possible while we slept. It was night time now, about midnight.

It hadn't even been a question of whether or not if I was going to sleep in Issac's room tonight, we both knew we'd end up together in the same bed after today.

The dark room was only lit up by the dull-blue light from a small digital clock and the moonlight casting in through the slightly covered window. I felt so at peace with everything, the both of us seeming to have forgotten everything conspiring around our packs when we were together.

I hugged Issac closer, our bare legs intertwined and sheets covering us in a cocoon of white silk and limbs. He was fast asleep while I was staring out the window, not really thinking of much; just enjoying my current position. I've had enough overthinking for a lifetime, I told myself.

Issac shifted underneath me in his sleep and I propped my chin up on his chest to look at him. His face was turned to the side and his hair was messy from exhaustion. I reached up a hand and combed some of it off his forehead with my fingers gently.

I giggled quietly when I literally felt him relax beneath me at my touch. I don't see how anyone could ever give up their Mate, for pure-blood or for anything.

Pushing up slightly I moved my head from his chest to the crook of his neck, placing a quick, soft kiss. My nose tickled when it scratched against his slight stubble and I reminded myself to tell him to shave, even if it did look quite handsome on him.

Relaxing again I wrapped my arms around him once more, letting myself doze off with my Mate. A luxury I never thought I could have.

***

When I woke up, we had swapped sleeping positions; Issac's head now resting above my chest with my body under his.

I could tell he was awake by his breathing, but he stayed perfectly still while I attempted to stretch out my sleepy limbs from underneath his dead weight. Trying to sit up, I felt him push us back down quickly; the smallest of smirks playing on his face.

"Mm." I protested. "Issac." I pulled at his arms, still heavy from sleep. He just hummed in response, still not moving or opening his eyes.

"We should probably get up." I said, giving up on pulling his arms and just letting my own fall beside me and onto the bed. The sun had leaked into the room and it was probably mid-morning, people were probably up and wondering were we were.

Issac groaned and wrapped his arms underneath my back tightly, shaking his head stubbornly into my stomach; obviously not getting up anytime soon.

A devious plan snuck its way into my head and I held back my smile as I trailed my fingers along his bare back slowly, feeling him tense up.

My hands threaded into his hair and pulled his head up slowly, his eyes now starting to open to see what I was doing. I rested his forehead against mine, and let my fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck slowly.

"Clary-" Issac started, his eyes already beginning to swirl with a dark grey.

I silenced him with my lips and slowly bean to pull my legs out from under him. He hummed softly into the kiss and tightened his hold on my waist.

I trailed my lips from his, to his cheek and then to his ear at a painful slow pace. Once I placed a kiss right below Issac ear, a huge devious grin spread across my face. I quickly bit his ear, hard.

The bite caused him to jump and loosen his grip on me enough for me to slip out.

My Wolf growled at my stupidity for hurting our Mate but I wanted to get up and it was just a nip on the ear; nothing he couldn't get over.

"Ow." Issac chuckled. He had his hand over his ear and a confused, sleepy expression; it was kind of hot and adorable at the same time. "You bit me."

I laughed and picked up one of the pillows on the floor. "You wouldn't let me up." I retaliated, throwing the pillow at him while still smiling deviously.

He groaned and flopped back onto the bed like the pillow that hit him was a hundred pounds, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"Come on." I walked over to the bed and climbed atop of him to sit on his hips. "Can't stay cooped up in your bedroom all day, trust me, I've tired." I pulled the pillow off his face and smiled at his disheveled hair all over the place.

"My brother keeps trying to mind-link with me." Issac shut his eyes in annoyance as he tried to block out Tobias and probably a lot of others. "I really don't want to talk to him."

I remembered the conversation I had overheard between them yesterday but didn't even think about bringing it up, Issac would know I was spying in if I did. I just gained his trust back and I don't want to make him regret it at all.

"Yeah he can be sort of an ass." I say while attempting to smooth out Issac's messy hair. "But family, is family."

"Not our family." My Wolf huffed, still extremely ticked off by my father and pack. "We don't need them." I slowly said to her. "Issac's our family now." That seemed to shut her up.

Issac chuckled. "Toby's just hard-headed." He said as he lifted himself up onto his elbows. "And sort of an ass." I bit my tongue to keep myself from laughing, a smile spreading across Issac's face.

"Let's just go downstairs." I placed my hands on his bare shoulders. "You can ignore everyone if you want, but I'm hungry."

"Mm." He sat up more so we were eye level. "Why don't you want to stay in here all day?" Issac wrapped his arms around my waist slyly and dipped his head down to give me a slow, yet heated kiss.

I hummed into the kiss but broke away after a couple of seconds. "It's not that I don't want to." I gave him a peck on the nose. "We just can't hide in here all day, and also you have duties to do." I ruffled up his bed-head hairdo and giggled at his fake pout.

"Fine." He sighed, securing my legs around his hips and getting up off the bed while still holding me. "But you need to get dressed, can't have you walking around in that."

I looked down at my outfit, panties and Issac's white shirt that reached down to my mid-thigh. A blush rose up on my face as he kissed my cheek and dropped me down onto my own two feet.

"Fine." I imitated him. "Be right back."

I heard him begin to protest, not wanting me to walk the hallways in nothing but panties and a shirt, but I was gone before he could finish a sentence.

I raced through the halls in almost a blur, not really wanting anyone to see me either. My speed was one uncompared to that of a normal wolf and I reached my room without even loosing my breath or seeing anyone.

Grabbing a pair of dark jeans and keeping Issac's shirt on, I changed and looked into the mirror. My long brown hair had grown slightly in the last couple of months, now reaching below my chest.

I smiled as I noticed the soft glow I had to my face, no longer pale with lifeless blue eyes, but alive and well. I didn't have makeup with me, and I wouldn't use it if I did; I never quite liked it.

Speeding back out the door, I blurred through the hallway's once more and ended back up in Issac's room. He now had on a black long sleeve shirt and jeans, his hair combed through with his fingers; sticking up and away from his forehead.

"Wearing my shirt for the day?" He grinned.

I nodded with a small smile. "Don't tease." I say while he walks up to me still smirking.

"Just like how I did when you used my body wash?" Issac whispered into my ear and I swatted at his chest. I remembered that day, that was so long ago. So much has changed since my first day here, I'm not even sure if I could say I knew that girl I once was.

"Exactly." I started to back out of the room, still watching him smile. "Now, let's go." I didn't check to see if he was following, I could feel his ever-present warmth as he trailed behind me.

"Let me talk to my father and brother if they're down there." He muttered as he caught up to me. "I know they'll be rude."

I could hear his annoyance towards his family, and as much as I felt sorry for him; at least he didn't have the extent of family problems I did.

"Okay." I grab his hand tentatively. "Just no hiding things from them, I've done enough lying for a lifetime."

I felt him stop, my body jerking backwards. I turned and saw Issac looking at me with a unreadable expression, his hand still in mine.

"Hey." He said softly, reaching up a hand to touch my check. "Why would I ever hide you away?"

"Because no one wants me to be Luna." I spoke my nagging thoughts. "And people like me- we just- this hasn't exactly been done before. You know, pure-bloods being with unpures."

Issac narrowed his eyes in thought. "But we're different." He squeezed my hand and I felt the wonderful sparks erupt. "We actually try instead of listening to what your pack says about Mates, doesn't matter if it's never been done. We're doing it."

I wanted to jump on him right then and there and never let him go, he just said all the right things. I opted to just giving him a long kiss on the cheek, showing him how much I appreciated his words.

Smiling I spoke again. "But we do needed to work on your father's view of us being together." I said. "I mean he tried to murder me the first day I was back."

"True." He pulled me flush against his chest and I felt so safe in his hold. "But now I'm Alpha. And no one's hurting you, or being rude to you like before."

"No drugging either." I added. A smile a crept onto my face from his reassuring words, I was so glad to have his protection.

"Aw, but don't you love being unconscious and waking up in my bed?" He mocked comically, his green eyes looking so light and alive.

I just scoffed and tugged at his hand once more. As we descended the large staircase I started thinking about what we'd be facing. I mean, we spent the night together last night and now were holding hands; I don't think we need to explain much.

The pack house was busier than usual when we came down, the large doors open to the chilly outdoors with wolves and people milling around.

Issac and I maneuvered through the small gathering; long stares and awkward silence filling the air. I just kept my grip on my Mate's hand and held my head high, not wanting to look weak around these people anymore.

Once we made it to the kitchen there were less people, and thankfully; lots of food. My stomach growled and I quickly tried to silence it with a cough.

"I have to speak to them alone first." Issac let go of my hand as he whispered into my ear. I knew exactly who them was, his father and brother.

"Of course." I nodded reassuringly, even if I didn't want to be left alone with his pack silently judging me with every glance.

"It won't be long, five minutes tops." Issac said. He pressed a long kiss to my temple and I blushed at my feet as I felt the few people in the kitchen watch.

Issac walked away to the doorway that lead back to the hall with the office in it; he stopped short then turned looking at his pack members milling around silently.

They all looked at their Alpha as he shifted his gaze around the room, a overpowering sense of authority washing off of him; I pieced it together that he was mind-linking with everyone. Most likely sending out a message not to terrorize me, I thought to myself.

I saw them bow their heads respectively and Issac quickly left, probably wanting to keep his promise of only taking five minutes.

Silently, I grabbed a plate and added food. No one talked to me but they stopped their judgmental glares and whispering, leaving me to eat in peace.

I glanced around, trying to find a familiar face, and my eyes landed on Lucas with some others; just down the hall near the entryway. He looked so much like Nina, their hazel-yellow eyes and tan hair that matched their wolves.

Before he could see me watching him, I looked back at my plate. My wolf was extremely antsy and she was rubbing off on me. Her anxiousness making me put away my dish hastily after I was done and walk to office before the awkward silence became unbearable.

I turned the corner quickly, almost falling backwards when I ran right into a hard chest. Tobias. His penny colored eyes looked down as me as I backed away slowly.

"Sorry." I muttered. "I was just going to see Issac and your father-"

"They're waiting for you, I came to get you." He explained, his tight jaw and narrowed eyes always making me feel like he was just naturally tense all the time.

"Oh." I looked over my shoulder and saw everyone silently listening. "Let's go then." I said a little too quickly. Guess it would take a little to get this pack to warm up to me again.

We walked down a familiar hallway leading to the office, an unsettling feeling rising in me like every time I went to this room. "Issac is Alpha now, it's his office; his rules. We'll be okay." My Wolf reassured me.

"I know, I just don't understand why Tobias came to get me." I said to her slowly. "Do you think Marcus is mad at Issac?"

"Guess we're about to find out." She quickly said as Tobias reached the large double doors and shoved them open without knocking.

The huge windows let in the bright sun, but the room was anything but warm. Issac and Marcus were at different sides of the room in one of their infamous stare downs.

Tobias sighed loudly. "Can you guys not be at each other's throats for a few moments." He scowled. "We have other important things to discuss."

Issac looked at me and visibly relaxed, reaching out his hand for me to take. Without hesitation, I left Tobias' side and hurried to take it. Issac's skin was hot and his eyes were fueled with an upset expression.

"Father here, doesn't think he gave the Alpha title to the right son." Issac said with the a similar tone Tobias had. His hand was tight on mine and he kept me by his side; staring down his farther once again. "Seems pretty important to me."

I looked at Marcus, his dark-circled brown eyes and unshaven face aiding to his constantly unstable look. I tucked myself further into Issac's side.

Tobias looked at his dad quickly. "What does he mean?" He said with a look of astonishment. "You wanted me to be Alpha?"

"Better then a misjudged, coward like your brother." Marcus sneered and My Wolf snapped at him in my mind, making me flinch. Issac visibly tensed and a growl erupted in the large study. "And not to mention he's expecting to have a pure-blood as our Luna."

He just didn't know when to stop, and you could see it on Tobias' face how much this conversation was long overdue. Marcus and Issac never quite got along, but rules were rules. The Alpha title goes to the first-born, no exceptions.

"How dare you question me." Issac let go of my hand and I watched him as he quickly closed the gap between him and his father. "Clary is the Luna this pack needs, we haven't had one since you let mother get killed. Tobias doesn't want to, and never will be Alpha. So I suggest you stop before you royally piss off My Wolf for insulting my Mate and title." He said strongly through clenched teeth.

I couldn't take me eyes off him, afraid of what he would do and sort of not able to focus on anything but my admiration for the way he defended himself and I. But I was shocked slightly by his harsh words, so was Tobias and Marcus; both of them staring at my Mate.

"Brother." Tobias grabbed his brother's shoulder, pulling him out of Marcus' face.

Marcus just stood there, looking empty. "We're done here."

"No." Issac ripped himself out of Tobias' arms. "We aren't. You need to understand, this war is coming and I have to prepare and organize-"

"Issac." I said loudly, causing him to turn quickly. "He's done, we can do what needs to be done at the moment without him."

Marcus met my gaze over Issac's shoulder, his dull eyes boring into mine. I saw so much loneliness and pain in those eyes, I had to look away.

"I'll be going then." Marcus turned and exited the office, closing the door behind him.

"That was uncalled for." Tobias stated while staring at the place his father just stood. "The thing about mom."

"I had to say something to get through to that head of his." Issac bit the inside of his lip, looking sort a guilty now that Marcus was gone.

"It wasn't his fault she was killed, Issac." Tobias said and I felt a knife in my heart being twisted. You're right, I thought, it was my father's fault she was killed. I couldn't bear the thought of saying that right now, maybe not even ever.

"I said it in the moment." Issac put both his hands on the back of his neck and looked at the ceiling, his biceps visible beneath his black shirt. "You know I didn't mean it."

I felt like I was intruding on their talk, standing on the other side of the room watching the two trying figure out what the hell just happened. Issac looked nothing like Tobias, maybe some small features; but all in all I knew my mate got all his looks from his mother. Probably a painful reminder every time Marcus looked at him.

"Yeah but did you see his face?" Tobias tried to get Issac's attention off the ceiling.

"He shouldn't have insulted Clary or questioned why I'm Alpha." Issac blew out a breath and let his arms drop to his sides. My Mate spun around and looked at me. "I'm sorry you had to be here for that."

His green eyes held guilt and still a hit of anger directed towards his father.

"It'll be okay" I sighed. "From what I've seen you father is a strong man."

I meant my words as I said them. When I heard of Marcus leading this pack without a Luna I was shocked that he would've been able to continue Mate-less but he did. And he raised two sons in the process.

Issac walked over to my side once more, running his fingertips over the bare skin of my arms as I stood still; feeling sort of awkward with Tobias watching.

"So. Are you two together now?" Tobias finally said and I met his gaze over Issac's shoulder.

Without hesitation Issac spoke first. "Yes, Clary is going to be Luna and isn't returning to the Purum Pack." He said with such finality that even I wouldn't question his words.

"I'm here to help." I stepped out of Issac's touch and looked directly at Tobias' wary expression. "And be by your brothers side."

"I still don't understand why you spyed on us." Tobias crossed his arms. "To sum it up, I don't understand you at all."

"I know you don't." I said slowly, really wanting to gain back not only Issac's trust, but his brother's as well. "But, I have no reason to go back home. I found out about Kane's treaty with the humans and I don't think I'll ever see him as my father again."

Issac continued to watch me as I tried to convince Tobias like I did him. I didn't want to betray them all those weeks ago, I was blinded by orders and fear; things I no longer have.

Tobias held my gaze, his eyes trying to tell if I was lying or not to him and his brother. He must've believed me, for when he looked at Issac and spoke, a small smile grazed his face.

"You two are what this pack needs." He said. "It'll be nice to have a Luna for once, especially one with knowledge against our enemy."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in and returned Tobias' smile gratefully. Issac spun around and looked at his brother, almost like he never thought he'd hear him say those words.

"And you'll be by our side too." Issac clapped Tobias on the shoulder. "Can't forget my little Beta brother."

I saw Tobias' smile grow and wondered why he wasn't like this more; happy and at ease. It bothered me to see him so tense and unhappy all the time.

"Thank you." I smiled. Things were finally starting to fall back together.

But I knew soon enough I would have to spill secrets and the war would crept closer. I could almost feel the chill of my father's presence as I stood in the sunlight of the window; the mountains viable beyond the trees.

As I watched my Mate and his brother smile, my warmth began to fade. I clutched Issac's hand and tried to bring myself back.

My Wolf whimpered in my head at the feeling of someone trying to push down the huge barrier I put up between me and my pack.

Like a sheet of shattering glass, the barrier was broken, a malicious voice dripping into my mind. Alpha Kane.

"Clary, Luna of the Unpures. Get ready to see your downfall before it's begun. We are coming and won't leave any wolf alive. You are no longer my daughter and I look forward to the day I see your white coat drenched in blood."

Issac's POV

I smiled at Tobias, glad that at least one other person in this pack was accepting of Clary and I. My brother an I have been at each others throats for so long I've almost forgotten what it was like not to be upset with him.

My little moment of relief was quickly extinguished when I heard a sharp intake of breath from behind me. A loud thud sounded and I spun around.

Clary was leaning her back against the desk with both her hands bracing her as she gasped for air.

Panic erupted inside me and I bolted to stand in front of her hysteric body, my hands coming to hold her face as her blue eyes shut tightly.

"Clary!" I exclaimed, extremely confused. She just shook her head frantically and griped the desk harder.

"What's going on?" Tobias questioned cautiously, coming to stand next to me as I held Clary's face gently.

Clary ripped out of my hold and I instantly felt cold as my hands dropped from her skin. She began to pace on the other side of the desk near the window, both her hands in her hair.

"Clary would you please tell me what's going on?" I wanted to shout, but I kept my voice calm enough to make her sigh and stop pacing.

"It's my father." She whispered, looking out the window. I knew she was watching the mountains in the distance.

"What-" Tobias started but I cut him off, suddenly, really wishing he wasn't here at the moment.

"What about him, Clary?" I said slowly, moving around the desk to be closer to her.

"He mind-linked me" She muttered, her eyes now open and frantic. "just now."

I reached out a placed a hand on the small of her back, running circles on the white T-shirt of mine she wore. Confusion laced my every thought, I was sure that she had put up a strong mental barrier between her mind and her pack's. How had her father gotten into her head?

Once again she stepped out of my touch and I felt my shoulders deflate. Clary began placing again and kept looking in between Tobias and I. She was scaring the hell out of me and I hated seeing her so distraught.

"He knows I'm here, Issac." She stated, looking at me finally. "And he knows we are together. I-I don't know how-"

"How could he possibly know any of that?" I said slowly, wanting to yell again but keeping my tone as calm as possible. She was already paralyzed with fear.

"Easy." Tobias added in, his smile gone and his arms crossed. "Your pack had more spies than just you." He said directly to my Mate.

I growled at him lowly but Clary just looked at him with an unreadable expressions. "I was the first spy, the only one." She said strongly. "But. As of right now I wouldn't be surprised if there were others."

My Wolf was extremely alert by here words and the fact that she looked on the verge of tears. More spies? Rage courses through my heated veins at the thought.

"Should've known not to trust you-" Tobias sneered and uncrossed his arms, shooting daggers at Clary with the look he was giving her.

"Toby. Leave, get out." I said strongly.

I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backwards; away from my hyperventilating Mate. I should've known he wouldn't be all trusting and smiling for long.

"It's you job to watch out for this pack you know!" Tobias ripped my hand off him. "Stop being so blind because of her." He pointed a finger at Clary.

"I'm not repeating myself." I c****d my head and narrowed my eyes at him. He is always quick to blame Clary when the spies, really, have nothing to do with her personally.

"You better clear your head before we loose this war." My brother reached for the door handle and yanked it. "As of now Kane has the upper hand."

The door slams shut but I don't flinch. He doesn't understand what it's like to have Mate like Clary and he doesn't know what it's like to be the Alpha everyone is looking to.

My skin burned with anger and I wanted to call my brother back inside the room just to punch him directly in the face.

"Issac." Clary whimpers from behind me.

All the pent up rage, pressure and confusion just rises and I can't get my fathers disapproving eyes out of my head. Or my mothers green ones. What would she think of me if she could see me now? I don't really remember, but my vision went red and I let out a loud yell; rearing back my arm to punch the wall.

My hand makes various snapping noises because of the concrete walling and I let out a frustrated groan; clutching my broken hand with my other. I deserved it though, I told myself.

Then all of a sudden, bringing me out of my white-hot rage, small arms came to wrap around my torso from behind. My body shook with retreating anger and I tired to focus on the press of Clary's body on mine.

Then, she let me go, and I tried to fight the pressurized anger wanting to push back to the surface. Clary moved to stand in between me and the rock-hard wall, her beautiful blue eyes were red and her face was worried.

"Give me your hand." She muttered, reaching out her own. Her voice was so steady despite everything, where as I don't think I could muster up a sentence without yelling. "Issac." She repeated.

Sighing I let go of my crumbled hand and held it out to her. The skin was bloody and smashed and I cringed at the horrid angles my fingers were twisted into.

"Oh, God." She tentatively took my broken hand and looked at me with concerned eyes. "Issac you've got to find other ways to let out your anger." She joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

The image of smashing my lips to hers and getting lost in her body played, letting my rage roll of my skin with her underneath me. I know that wasn't what she was talking about but I couldn't keep away my mind's wandering desires.

I flinched slightly when she took my silence as a sign to clamp both her hands around my smashed one. Clary closed her eyes lightly, just like in the infirmary.

My hand twitched as the bones began to snap back into place. I just watched her peaceful face as she concentrated on healing me, I truly didn't deserve her.

Clary pulled away and I sighed. Looking down at my hand, it was now fixed and bruise-free. I flexed it and felt no pain, if only she had been around for all the other times I smashed my hands on unbreakable objects.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked. My voice wasn't as steady as I would like it.

"I'm not the one who just tried to make a hole in a concrete wall." She smiled slightly and my stomach clenched in a familiar reaction to her light voice.

I held her gaze for a little before talking. "True." I said slowly. "But you are the one who's insane father just mind linked her to threaten her."

She swallows and lets go of my hand. "I don't even know how he did it." She said. "It was like he shattered the barrier I put up."

"Guess he's stronger than we all thought." I muttered.

"And he's always one step ahead of us." Clary shut her eyes tightly and shook her head, obviously trying to keep him out of her head by rebuilding her mental walls.

"Hey." I said. I reached out for her and tucked her head into the crook of my neck. "We aren't giving up. No matter how far ahead he is, we'll try and catch up."

"How are we even going to win?" She stammered into my chest. My heart fell at her hopeless tone.

I pulled her away slightly and looked her in her bloodshot eyes. "Not with thoughts like that." I tried to lighten the mood. "The packs helping us are coming soon and in case you haven't noticed, our pack is training nonstop."

I watched her lips turn up into a smile. "Our pack." She whispered while looking up at me with her head on my chest. "I like that."

"Good." I kissed her forehead. "I don't want you to be afraid, Clary. I've got you."

I tightened my grip on her and she nestled her head back into my neck, her lips pressing against my throat slightly. She wrapped her arms around my torso and I felt all the pressure taken of my shoulders.

"I've got you." I repeated into her ear slowly, my breath moving her hair slightly. I've never been so close and trusting with someone. It broke my heart when she betrayed me, I didn't think I'd be able to get over it. But now, with her in my arms, I knew she regretted it and never would go behind my back again.

"I'm going to help" She mumbled into my chest. "and tell you everything you need to know about my father and my pack so you can win this war."

I swayed us back and forth, so proud of her and so thankful that she returned to me.

"And I'm going to get you to trust me again." She lifted her head out of my neck and stood on her tiptoes, leaning her forehead against mine.

"Hm." I hummed. My rage and anger had dissolved and I felt calm with her in my arms. "I already do."

Then she kissed me. Her hands threading into my hair and her body stretching up on her toes to reach my height. The wonderful sparks erupted throughout my body staring at her lips on mine.

I used to never want to have a weakness, someone who I would die for. Old me saw having a Mate as a distraction and a inconvenience. But Clary came, and left, and than came back; changing me. I couldn't help but to keep letting her into my life.

She wasn't just here to help win this war against her father. She was here to win the war of my heart versus my head.

And my heart was winning.

Clary's POV

"We need to plan." I stated, tucking my legs underneath me. I was sat on the leather couch across from Issac who was ruffling through papers on his desk. "As in call Tobias back, and Lucas and Rosaline-"

"I don't want Tobias around." Issac huffed. He stopped his movements and met my gaze with an intense look.

"You need your Beta, your third in command and at least one Peacekeeper to help with all this, Issac." I said, staring back just as intensely. "We can't do this all by ourselves."'

I received a heavy groan in response and tried to stifle a laugh when he dropped his head onto the wooden surface of the desk dramatically. I knew if it was up to him, he would try do this all alone. But whether he wanted to admit it or not, he needed his family and pack members.

Issac lifted his head up and held his face in his palms, resting his elbows in the desk. "They're on their way." He mumbled into his hands.

Guessing that he had just mind-linked them, I sighed; not knowing if I could even hold a conversation with any of those four people right now.

Shaking my head at Issac's also obvious reluctance, I stood and walked to stand in front of his desk. He opened his eyes and looked at my from behind the fingers splayed over his face.

"But if Toby starts being an ass again I really am going to end up punching him instead of a wall." Issac stated, taking his hands from his face.

"Can't say he doesn't have it coming." I chuckled lightly, moving around the desk to stand on his side.

Issac watched me like he always does, like I'm something he thinks he's looking at for the first or last time. His green eyes travel with mine and his face is grazed with a look of pure admiration.

He shifts back in the chair and spreads open his toned arms. I quickly crawl into his lap even though the chair is hardly big enough for the both of us. I wrap my arms around his neck and he snakes his around my waist carefully.

I feel a press of lips on top of my head. "Mm." He mumbled into my hair. "You're warm."

He nudges my head with his own to burry it into my neck. I giggle loudly as I almost fall out off his lap. I grip onto his shirt and squeal as he nibbles on my ear teasingly.

"I still need to get you back from when you bit me this morning." He says into my ear mockingly, making my nerves go fuzzy with sparks.

"I'm too smart to let you get me back." I laughed into his shirt, fingers toying with his hair, still basking in the euphoric feeling of his body pressed against mine.

"Really?" Issac said into my ear again. "Well what if I-"

The door of the office opened loudly and I yelped in surprise, jumping in Issac's lap only to find myself fall backwards onto the dark-wood floor.

I landed on my butt with a thud after Issac's failed attempt at trying to catch me. His body slipped from his chair after mine and I covered my mouth to stop the laughter bubbling up inside me.

We had landed behind the large desk splayed on top of eachother and I grew embarrassed at the fact that others were waiting on the other side, clearly confused.

Issac grinned and lent over to press a quick kiss to my cheek, making my face grow pinker. He stood up and held out his hand to me but his eyes were looking towards the office doors.

The atmosphere in the room had gone from light to heavy once I took his hand cautiously and he pulled me up.

Tobias, Lucas, Nina and Rosaline all stood by the doors watching us. I swallowed nervously and met each of their narrowed gazes. My cheeks flushed slightly as Issac wrapped a strong arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"Thanks for coming so quickly." He said steadily, looking from person to person. "I need to speak with all of you."

I looked into Nina's yellow-hazel eyes, remembering the last time I saw her when she jabbed a needle into me; I had yet to decide to trust her.

"We already know you plan to keep Clary around." Nina stated, trying to keep her tone light even though I know she wanted to snap. I knew she wasn't dumb enough to backtalk her Alpha.

Tobias sighed lowly and I looked at him. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his attitude still pissed and jaw locked in permanent frustration.

"I do plan to, and you should do well to respect my decisions." Issac says. "But there's more, and I- well I need you guys. We need you." He tightened his grip on me with his last words.

They all exchanged glances and I prayed no one would upset Issac again, he already felt pressured enough and from the look on his face; he didn't ask for help a lot.

"What else is there?" Rosaline replied. Her dirty-blonde hair was tied behind her head in a pony-tail that swayed when she moved.

"Sit." Issac gestured to the couches and pulled me with him as he moved around the desk.

We sat on the couches, Issac next to me with Tobias on his other side. Across from us Nina sat in the middle with her twin brother on one side and Rosaline on the other.

"As you know, this war is getting dangerously close." Issac rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. "This is something that my father and others have been planning for years and now that its almost here, we need to make this perfect."

"When are the packs that your gathered to help us coming?" Nina asked, her eyes on Issac.

"Lacus pack is arriving tomorrow." Lucas said, one hand massaging the back of his neck. "I spoke to their Alpha this morning."

"Patet pack is coming within the next three days." Tobias finally spoke. I admired how organized Lucas and Tobias were, they seemed to take their positions seriously.

I recognized the packs they were speaking about. The Lacus pack was the closest, they lived beyond the forests near the great lakes; hence the name Lacus meaning lake. The Patet pack was far if I remembered, living in expansive fields far from other packs; their name, Patet, means plains.

Issac nodded slowly. "Clary is going to help us gain knowledge on pure-bloods." He said. "We have to learn all we can before going up against them."

They all looked to me, their hostile looks gone and the room grew less tense. I remembered back when I first got here, they all considered me friends; I really prayed I could rekindle the trust.

"Well." Nina watched me, her eyes for the first time in weeks gentle and hopeful. "Tell us what we need to know."

I smiled and felt a warmth in my chest. It took only moments for me to realize that it was a feeling of belonging. With the pure-bloods wasn't where I belonged, it was here.

Clary's POV

"So," Issac said from his spot on top of his large desk. "They've got heightened smell, hearing, and speed."

"Don't forget increased night vision and higher tolerance to silver." Lucas stated while rubbing his eyes.

"And," I said slowly, everyone looking at me like I couldn't possibly have anymore to say. "Pure-bloods with Alpha blood can command any wolf they please, even other Alphas.

Tobias let out a loud sigh, ruffing his hair in a stressed manor as he stood over by the bookshelves. Everyone had spread out around the room, looking for information in books and papers or from pacing non stop.

Nina was one who was still pacing. "So, Clary, you could command any of us to do anything right now?" She asked.

I nodded with my head rested on the back of the leather couch, I was the only one who had stayed in my original spot.

"She has done it before." Tobias stated from the corner. I lifted my head up and looked at him, not remembering if I ever had. "To me and Issac."

"When?" I asked warily.

"The day you left." Issac said quietly, almost under his breath. I turned to face him, still confused as to when I commanded any one of then.

"In the woods," Tobias finished for his brother. "Issac and I were fighting and you told us to stop. It was like I had no choice but to back off."

I remembered now. When I followed Issac into the woods to the river and was about to tell him everything. But his brother came and beat me too it, resulting in a brutal fight between him and my Mate. I vaguely remember yelling at them to stop and they did instantly. I had no clue I was doing it.

"I wasn't even aware I did it." I said slowly. "I'm sorry." I felt the need to apoligize, not liking that I commanded Issac to do something, even Tobias too.

"You should be glad you did." Issac looked to his brother in the corner. "Who knows what we'd have done to each other."

Tobias stayed silent. I remembered him slamming Issac's wolf up against a tree mercilessly and no longer felt ashamed for making then stop.

"Well." Nina said into the silence. "Is there anything else Clary?" She spoke to me like a friend, no bitterness left in her tone.

I looked to her a shook my head. "No, I would just have a suggestion though." I stated. "Every human you have in your pack must be protected. My pack despises them and up against pure-blooded wolves, they're defenseless."

I glanced over to Issac sitting cross-legged atop his desk and felt a rush a warmth from the look he was giving me. His green eyes bore into mine with admiration and I suddenly felt subconscious of all the eyes on us.

"I agree." Rosaline said strongly, her face slightly worried. "Perhaps the bunkers under the village?"

Issac nodded and finally broke his gaze from me to look at her. "That'll work. Don't worry, Rose, your Mate will be safe."

I glanced to her after making the connection, realizing I was completely unaware that she had a human Mate. I knew that some humans lived in this pack, and most likely the others that were coming would have many as well.

Rosaline seemed to relax slightly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she looked at the book she was holding again. "It says here that if any pure-blood tries to leave the Purum pack for a unpure-blood..." She trailed off.

I swallowed nervously and felt Issac's gaze on me like a burn on the back of my head. The room went quiet and I mentally begged Rosaline to put the book down and forget what she read.

"What does it say, Rose?" Nina spoke up after Rosaline went pale.

"It says that kind of treason is punishable by death, for both the pure and unpure-blood." She read off the page slowly, her dark eyes then looking at me with a look of astonishment.

"Your father wouldn't actually kill you would he?" Lucas asked, his light hair sticking up from running his hand through it one too many times.

Knowing one hundred percent that Alpha Kane would kill me without a second thought, I nodded. "I left them for Issac. And not to mention I'm helping you wage a war against him." I replied, still not looking at Issac.

"And you knew that would happen? That they wouldn't have a choice of whether or not to kill you if you stayed here?" I heard my Mate's voice and sank farther into the couch.

Again, I nodded. "I knew."

The room was quiet and I had wished Rosaline had never picked up that book full of my packs laws and rules. I meant to keep that bit of information to myself.

"I think we're done for today." Issac stated into the prolonged silence. "Everyone come here tomorrow when I call you, we'll most likely be joined by the Alpha of the Lacus pack. And, lastly, don't breath a word of what we've discussed."

After numerous mumbles of agreement head nods, I watched Tobias glance at his brother one more time before shutting the door. The office was empty of everyone but Issac and I.

"Let's go somewhere." Issac pushed himself off his desk, his feet landing on the hardwood floor with a dull thud.

I sat up straighter on the couch, and narrowed my eyes at him. "Where?" I asked.

His green eyes glimmered and he strode over to stand in front of me, holding out a hand for me to take. "Just come with me." He said, his tone unreadable.

Unable to say no, I let his larger hand envelop mine as he tugged me up from off the leather cushions. I would honestly follow him anywhere as long as his hand was in mine. We moved across the office and Issac swung open the door with his free hand, exiting the room and entering the abandoned hallway outside.

For some reason he stayed silent as we made our way through the pack house quickly, only nodding in response to his packmates. I had to jog to keep up with his long strides, but finally we made it to the backyard.

The grayish clouds overhead had left little room for the rays of lemon-yellow sunlight to seep through and the wind was slightly chilling.

I leaned into Issac's side, expecting him to lead us into the even colder forest. But he looks down at me with a smirk, his cheeks red from the wind, and turns back towards the house.

I watched as he let go of my thin hand and began to run, his body crouching midway, then leaping onto one of the many balconies of the pack house. After he landed, he jumped once more, finally reaching the flattop of the roof.

"You coming?" His voice booms through the silence as I watch him with a look of confusion. Eventually, my confusion grows into a smile. After seeing his hopeful face from atop the roof, I wanted to immediately join him.

"Better move!" I yell back up, planting my feet in position before eyeing the distance between myself and Issac. After shrugging his shoulders, he moves out of sight like I asked.

I suck in a deep breath and push off of my legs, the wind whipping my hair and whistling in my ears as jump with all my energy. My feet find solid ground and I steady myself, letting out my deep breath and adjusting my windblown hair.

A low whistle breaks the silence. "Did you just get up here in one jump?" Issac asks.

It's windier up on the roof and Issac's slightly-overgrown hair whips over his eyes slightly before he adjusts it. I close the distance between us and walk up to him.

"I did." I reply. "Now, why are we up here?"

The corner of Issac's mouth turns up in a smirk and he gestures for me to follow. His body starts to run again and jumps higher up on the roof, the modern shape of the house like giant blocks as we climb to the highest one.

Finally, I make it onto the last roof, Issac already laying splayed out on his back. He looks so peaceful and I sigh at the beauty of the moment. His chest rides and falls rhythmically and I remember a couple nights ago when I snuck into to room an saw him sleeping the same way.

"You brought me up here so you could take a nap?" I laughed, causing him to crack open an eye in my direction.

Issac pushes himself onto his elbows. "Nope." He smirks. "Lay down with me." He plops back down an shuts his eyes again not waiting for my reaction.

I groan and shake my head while chuckling, I didn't understand him but at the same time I needed to clear my cluttered head. I walked through to windy air to my Mate's side and

lowered myself onto the concrete.

"Close your eyes." Issac said with humor dripping in tone. He had his closed but, without even opening them, he knew I had mine wide open.

"They're closed." I replied after shutting them. I had yet to see a point in this but loved the feeling of being by Issac's side with nothing but the wind as background noise.

"Now turn off your other senses." Issac muttered. "Except hearing."

I moved closer to him, tucking my body into his side as his arm went around my shoulder. I did as I was told and tried to cut off all the smells around me, as the burning touch of Issac's skin on mine. I paid attention to nothing but to sound of his heart and the howl of the wind.

"Just listen." Issac whispered.

My ears became sensitive to every sound, and I was overwhelmed with everyone that reached my ears. Children laughing as bare feet crunched through dry grass. Happy barking between Mates, and paws thundering around below. In the back of my head I could sense all the conversations going on between the Saltus pack mind-link. I heard the faintest rustle of pines and the scampering of deer hooves in the distance.

"This is breathtaking." I whispered after doing nothing but listening. I remembered all the times I wished to be human and not have to live with my old pack's rules. Now I was beginning to appreciate my heightened senses, not being able to imagine a life without this sort of beauty.

"I know." Issac replied, his voice closer then before. I opened my eyes and turned to see him watching me, two green eyes burning into mine.

A blush bloomed on my cheeks and I began to let all the overbearing sounds slip away as I tuned them out.

"So, do you come up here and listen like this often?" I ask.

Issac swallowed but continued to watch my face carefully. "Not so often anymore." He says. "My mom used to show it to me, she always thought we shouldn't get too caught up in our demanding lives. She said you always had to take time to listen or you would forget to hear what's important."

My heart warmed considerably and I scooted closer to him. "I've never really thought about that." I said. "I guess what's important just can't be seen."

"You sound just like her." He smiled and I noticed his eyes we almost the exact same shade as the pine tree tips I could see from the roof. "She would've loved you."

My face reddened again and I leaned my forehead against his. My heart was pounding in my chest at the secret it was holding from him about his mothers death. But, I couldn't bring myself to ruin the moment.

Instead I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, the kiss saying more than words could ever. I pulled away after a few seconds and leaned my head back onto his arm, staring up at the clouds.

"Why didn't you tell me about what Rosaline said back there?" Issac finally spoke up. I frowned at the sky even though I knew he'd bring it up.

"You already have so much going on." I replied. "And it seemed to be a given that I was now on the wanted list for my pack."

I could feel his gaze as he looked at me instead of rolling clouds above. "I knew they wanted you." He said slowly. "I just didn't know your own family would kill you." His voice lowered in astonishment.

"Well they aren't much of a family to me." I said, closing my eyes. I hated talking about them because it caused me to think about the war and then I'd feel like breaking down. And these days Issac is the only thing holding the breaking pieces together.

I felt his head move mine as he tucked his face into the crook of my neck, causing me to shiver but keep my eyes closed. His hand came to hold my side and he traced circles on my stomach with his thumb slowly, causing me to focus on nothing but his soft touch. My head felt like it was being washed away of all my demanding thoughts and I practically went limp in his hold.

Issac chuckled and placed kisses along my throat, causing me to join in on his laughter. I buried my face in his hair as his head rested in my neck, inhaling his scent and feeling so at ease that I never wanted to return to reality.

"Hm." Issac hummed into my throat causing me to laugh again. "I have another question." His voice trailed off and I opened my eyes, pulling away slightly.

"Which is..." I drew out my reply, looking into his now serious face. Issac swallowed nervously and sat up, causing me to look up at him from my position in the ground.

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and looked forward. "I read something else down in the office." He said. "About your pack. It said something about arraigned marriages."

I sat up, eyes wide as he continued to look straight ahead. Our peaceful moment was floating away and I felt uneasy again. "What's your question." I said slowly, even though it was getting obvious.

"I just want to know." Issac replied, his voice no longer light but pained. "Are you engaged to someone?" His profile was tight, his jaw locked in anticipation.

I decided not to put this off any longer. "His name is Elijah." I said despite Issac's head dropping in a shaky sigh. "He's cold and cruel and I would never be with him. My father put us together but I distanced myself from him as much as possible, especially after I met you."

Issac looked at me finally, his face blank. I could tell that right when he read that piece of information he told himself it wasn't true, that I was completely his; but there were still things from my old pack coming back to haunt us.

"He's nothing to me." I cautiously reached up one hand to turn his face more towards me. "I've forgotten about my despicable arraigned marriage and so should you. I would never go back, you know that."

Issac nodded, his skin hot despite the whipping wind around us. "I just can't keep loosing things." He said with a wavering voice, one I've never heard.

"Hey." I whispered, lifting myself from the position at his side to crawl into his lap; my legs going to either side of his waist. "You couldn't loose me no matter what. We're going to make it through everything and stay by each others side. Okay?"

His arms slowly went around my back and he nodded in response, his lips tight and eyes deep in thought. I threaded my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, my palms feeling the steady thump on his pulse.

"Just know if that Elijah guy ever crosses my borders-" Issac starts.

"He probably will." I added in, knowing quite well that he'll follow my father anywhere like a puppy.

Issac gave me a testing look, and continued. "He's not getting anywhere near you." His voice was firm and he leaned his forehead against mine.

I couldn't help the smile that crawled onto my face as the wind blew onto my back, causing me to lean forward into Issac's hold. My heart felt warm again now that the heavy topic was discussed and settled. I shut my eyes and nodded, agreeing with staying as far away from my ex-fiancé as possible.

"I'm sorry I kept that from you." I whispered into his ear, wrapping my arms around his neck lazily.

"I'm just glad you're here with me, and not him." Issac replied, his hands running up and down my back; warming my skin in a way only he could.

A big gust of wind came by and blew my hair forward, creating a sort of curtain from the outside world and Issac and I. I laughed and watched him as he smiles back, my hair tickling his face as the wind pushes us together.

"Let's head back inside!" I shout because of the howling wind. He moves my legs off his waist and stands, holding out a hand for me to take. He pulls me up and immediately crouches, gesturing for me to jump atop his back.

I leap up and wrap my legs around his waist, his hands gripping under my thighs as I snake my arms around his neck once more. The grey clouds overhead have grown darker, no sunlight visible, and I could smell the heavy scent of oncoming rain.

I turned my head to the side, my cheek against Issac's back. My eyes immediately fell upon the white mountains, their peaks disappearing into the thick clouds. I imagined days like this back there when fog clogged the streets and our white coats blended in with everything.

The thoughts stung my mind, making me turn away from the sight of my old home. I closed my eyes and hugged Issac close, knowing he was my home.

Clary's POV

"Stay in there with the girls, I've got to talk to my father. Okay?" Issac whispered into my ear as we stood in an empty hallway inside. Nearby, I could hear Nina and Rosaline mindlessly chattering in the large pack house kitchen.

"Alright." I nodded and pushed some hair away from his face as he leaned against the wall in front of me. I knew talking to Marcus put him on edge, but he was still his son and Marcus would always be his father. Not much of the same could be said for my father, though.

Issac looked at me with appreciative stare, his green eyes as beautiful as ever as he smiled faintly. "Go on, he's waiting on you!" I laugh, tugging his body off the wall and shoving him lightly.

"Alright, alright." He put up his hands in a surrendering gesture and closed his eyes. "Not without a kiss." I held back a laugh as he puckered his lips and reached for me.

Laughing, I placed my hands on his cheeks and kiss him slowly; feeling his pulse on my palm and smiling when I felt his arms snake around my waist.

"Issac-" I started, not wanting to distract him any longer. But I was cut off when my back hit the walk lightly, making a small thud. Issac laughed into the kiss and pulled me as close as possible, so much so that my lungs pleasurably burned from lack of air.

The sound of our lips pulling apart followed by deep breaths filled the empty hallway and I could no longer hear Nina and Rosaline talking; I'd just hoped they weren't spying in on us.

"Okay, now I'm going." He pressed a quick kiss below my ear and ran his fingertips over the top of my arms before turning to leave, a smile etched on his flawless features.

Scoffing to myself with a smile, I pushed myself off the wall and straightened out my shirt. I walked down the hall and into the kitchen slowly and stopped short when I noticed Nina and Rosaline directly by the doorframe, their faces smug and eyes narrowed at me.

"I knew it." I crossed my arms and glared at them mockingly. Smiles began to form on their lips as they knew they'd been caught.

"You two are little spies!" I laughed, even though there was a sting in my words at the irony. Brushing it, off I smiled at them as they joined in my laughter.

"It's just exciting to watch you two." Nina said while walking past me to sit atop the counter. "Since my love life is non existent..." She trailed off with an exaggerated frown.

"Your Mate will come along." Rosaline tried at a smile and patted Nina on the knee. Her voice was soft, and held a hint of wariness that I'm sure all unpure-bloods had when talking about Mates. They just hoped it wasn't someone from my old pack.

"Hopefully sooner rather than later." Nina added in before the silence took over. I grabbed a water bottle from the counter and drank it, watching them as they exchanged glances.

"Maybe he'll be from the Lacus pack coming tomorrow?" I raised an eyebrow attempting to lighten the mood.

"Yeah!" Rosaline smiled at me and nodded. "They're supposed to be really hot, you know? Good swimmers too with all those lakes they live around."

Nina scoffed with a smile. "Maybe." She shrugged. "So, Clary, how are you and Issac?" Her voice was teasing yet soft and I was glad she was my friend again even if she was noisy.

I blushed, and looked down at my bare feet on the marble floor. "We're good." I replied. "Really good."

Rosaline pinched her lips together to stop her smile and Nina wiggled her eyebrows, making my face even more red.

"Have you guys talked about, you know-" Nina began but Rosaline covered her mouth with her hand quickly, cutting her off.

"Nina!" She snapped playfully, blonde hair falling from her ponytail and into her eyes. "Don't ask her about that, its personal!" Nina struggled free of her grasped and smiled deviously.

"No, really, it's fine." I laugh, moving to sit next to her on the countertop. "We haven't really talked, but it think we will soon. I mean I want to before this whole war breaks out."

Rosaline hummed in response. "It makes you so much closer." She smiles, probably thinking about her own Mate. "I can't wait for this pack to have a Luna." Her voice trailed off.

"Yeah, this pack has been too male-driven for my liking." Nina huffed, making me laugh and relax at the topic change. I never thought I'd be able to speak to anyone about my own love life, but these people are actually interested in what I'm feeling and doing. And it warmed my heart.

"Agreed." Rosaline nodded. "Want to go for a run?" She looked in between me and Nina on the counters expectantly.

"I'm in." I jumped down to the floor and stretched my arms above my head absentmindedly.

"Let's go." Nina pushed herself off the counter as well and gestured to the door.

"I'm going for a run with the girls." I said into Issac and I's mind link quickly as I headed out, loving that I could feel his presence in the back of my head.

"I'll come find you later." Issac replied almost instantly, his voice making me smile and receive smug looks from Rosaline and Nina. I had hoped his meeting with his father was going well and they could talk without snapping at one another.

I jumped from the steps with a bounce in my step and followed both girls into the nearby pine trees. The wind blew my hair around like it did on the roof and the sky was still a overbearing light grey. Once we were far enough into the woods we separated and stripped bare behind the trees.

I left my jeans and Issac's shirt in a pile near a log and shut my eyes. My veins erupted with warmth and I felt a shudder, a snap of bones and a bending in my spine before I was on all fours; my vision sharp and sense of smell so powerful I purred at the scent of Issac on his t-shirt nearby.

Stepping out of my hidden space, I looked up and was met with the tan and blonde wolves of Nina and Rosaline. Their eyes were locked on me as I grew closer, but they weren't harsh gazes or looks of disgust at my white coat; they were curious and watchful.

"Ready?" I questioned after being the center of attention became uncomfortable.

The wind curled around my body and blew my white fur into my eyes slightly but I saw their small nods and turned to face the denser part of the forest.

Pushing off with my hind legs, I bounded forward, the sound of paws following me making me smile. I had come to love these forests. My old mountaious home was rocky and dangerous, but this; this was peaceful and beautiful. A cluster of birds fluttered out of a pine tree as I bounded past it's branches. I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw Nina, her legs pumping and eyes determined as she ran next to me.

My Wolf, elated and content, lifted her head and let out a loud howl. My legs kept running at full speed but I shut my eyes and lost myself in the noise as Nina and Rosaline joined in, the vibrations of our howls bouncing off the tress and into the grey sky.

My heart leaped in my chest as continuous, distant howls joined in. My new pack. I remember when I first came here and the howls signaled my enemies. Now they signaled my family responding joyously.

I opened my eyes and cut off my howl but continued to run through the forest with Rosaline and Nina at my heels. I listened closely and heard the sound paws on dirt and before I knew it wolves were running in my wake, all different shades and sizes; their eyes watching me like I was their leader. And in a way, I guess I was.

I stick my nose up at the faintest scent, a sweet woodsy scent that I had become so drawn to. Issac. I turned my head and was met with green eyes and a beautiful dark grey and brown wolf. I was running with My Mate and my pack. A luxury I was sure I would never be able to have.

I lowered my nose but not before I caught another scent, a horrible smell that made my throat close up in shock. It was coppery and stale and my senses instantly identified it as blood.

Digging my paws in the ground, I stopped short. I knew the others didn't have a sense of smell like mine and most likely didn't catch the putrid stench that was now flooding my nose.

"Clary?" Issac had stopped almost right after me and ran to stand in front of me. "What is it?"

The others had stopped and I looked over my shoulder, dozens of eyes watching me and heads c****d at concerned angles. The air was dead silent and all I could focus on was the coppery scent.

"Blood." I stated back, the peace was gone and I felt everyone stiffen around us. Taking a couple steps forward I sniffed again, catching the location of the smell. "Something's wrong, very wrong." I linked to everyone.

Some of the wolves nudged the smaller ones, children, and gestured for them to return home. I wasted no time in glancing at Issac, our eyes locking in a understanding gaze, and then bounding towards the scent of trouble. He matched my pace and trusted my superior senses as I lead us through the forest, the pack border getting closer and closer.

I had to find out what was happening, but at the same time I wanted to run away the second I caught the scent. But I had to learn to be brave. Learn to be the leader this pack and Issac needed.

"I can smell it now." Issac said quickly into my head. "No..." His voice trailed off and he pushed himself faster. His legs were pumping at the same speed of mine, I noticed. He was running as fast as a pure-blood and he didn't even seem to be trying.

The scent of blood was overpowering and stinging my sensitive nose. I knew we were getting close. The border was only a couple meters ahead but nothing ahead of us seemed off at all.

Things seemed to be fine until my paws became soaked with warmth. I quickly stopped and looked down only to see the white fur on my paws slick with red. Issac stopped and looked down as well, whimpering when he noticed the blood covering his feet as well.

We were standing in a pool of blood and my mind was going dizzy with the stale smell. I staggered backwards, searching for signs of struggle or some sort of body; but there was nothing but blood.

"I can smell them, they were border patrol. Opal and Jack, they were supposed to be running the border together and I can smell them nearby." Issac whipped his head around franticly in search of his packmates.

I could smell them too, close, but no wolves but Issac and I were in sight. Then a sickening thought crept into my head and I swallowed in fear. Turning away from my panicking Mate, I lifted my head in the only direction left to look. Up.

I almost collapsed at the sight I was met with. Two bare branches of the large pines were dark with blood and impaled on the end of each branch was the body of a wolf. One gray and one light brown. Their bodies were limp, eyes glassy and staring forward at things they could no longer see. The wood had gone straight through their chests and the sharp ends dripped slowly, the blood adding to the puddle Issac and I were standing in.

"Clary what-" Issac's voice entered my numb mind but quickly cut off when he most likely followed my gaze upward to the horrible scene above us.

Then if all this couldn't get any worse, my mind-link between my old pack began to shake. I felt an intense pressure from the other side and knew I couldn't keep the wall up against it. My father was trying to talk to me and I didn't posses the power to keep him out of my throbbing head.

The wall shattered and I collapsed into the pool of blood. My white fur beginning stained with crimson as I slammed my eyes shut and willed the voice I knew was coming away.

"Enjoy the scene my men left for you Clarissa? Living in a forest filled with sharp branches can have it's advantages, even though I enjoy impalement more when it's on the rocks. You like being the Luna don't you? You could've been Luna here, you know? Could've taken over with your brother Zak. But no, you'd rather taint your bloodline with filth and I feel sorry for you. You are weak and so is your disgraceful pack. This war will end all of this. When we come out on top, you'll wish you would've made the clear choice to stay on the wining side. See you soon, Clarissa."

I opened my eyes once his voice stopped ringing in my head like a nonstop echo. I looked around and saw wolves and people surrounding the scene now, their eyes full of tears and faces contorted in grief and horror.

But through all the chaos I felt a head restingon my back, it's warmth spreading distant sparks across my numb nerves. Issac. My Mate and my anchor to reality.

Standing up, I felt his body slip off mine slowly. My fur was sticky with blood but I was breathing steadily despite everything.

"I heard him too, Clary." Issac's low, slightly cracking voice, wafted into my mind. "And he's wrong. You aren't weak, you're the strongest wolf I've met. And we won't loose because we have one thing he doesn't."

His green eyes were swirling and watching me and I gazed back. "And what's that?" I whispered into his head, not being able to react to anything at the moment; but feeling a distant warmth in my heart from his words.

"Love." He said like it was the most obvious statement in the world.

I looked around and saw the grief-stricken faces and crying men and women as they gazed upon their fallen packmates. I looked to the Mates nuzzling each other and finding console in the other's presence. My eyes hesitantly looked up again at the two wolves who had been slain trying to protect this pack.

I thought of Issac's word. Love. My father knew nothing of the word, when I was little I thought he loved my mother, but his affections were most likely just because she was pure-blooded like him and he didn't have to go to the hassle of an arranged marriage. He didn't love his children, Zac and I were his trophies.

He mercilessly slaughtered humans if they didn't do what he pleased. Kane would never know true loyalty and honor from his pack like Issac does. He won't ever know love like I do.

And as I finally look to Issac I see it. It was in his eyes and I was sure it was in mine as I blinked away the blood. Love.

Power doesn't win war. If you dig deep enough, love wins every battle.

And it would win this one.

Issac's POV

I gazed forward, my eyes focus on one girl; my girl, currently surrounded by my speechless pack.

She had looked so broken when she laid the growing pool of blood on the forest floor, but now she was standing and a expression so fierce on her features; it made me want to bow my head in respect.

Half of her stark white coat was tinted and dripping with crimson but she looked beautiful. In that dangerous sort of way that warriors are, and that's just what Clary was. A warrior.

"We need to get them down." Clary spoke into my mind, her eyes staying on mine because I knew she couldn't bear to look upwards again.

I nodded. "Everyone clear out! No need to stand around, go home and stay as far away from the borders as possible." I said into my pack's mind link sternly.

Heads nodded and wolves and people began bounding away into the trees. The air was so cold but the blood underneath me was still warm.

"You five." I nodded towards a group of my men that had been recently training near the opposite side of our territory and just joined the crowd. "Help retrieve Opal and Jack and bring the bodies to the Yard."

"The Yard?" Clary personally linked with me, her head c*****g to the side in confusion.

"It's where we bury our dead, it's about a mile from the pack house in the densest part of the forests." I answered.

I was pretty familiar with the Yard, having visited my mother serval times there alone, Tobias never joined me. Clary's eyes held sympathy, but I just walked up to her and nudged her shoulder, indicating that we should head back. There was nothing left to be done and I had been hit with a wave of exhaustion.

"Take me to the Yard." Clary's voice enters my head once more. Her blue eyes pleaded with me but I was flooded with hesitancy and her words. I had never taken anyone with me when I went, I had never wanted to.

"Issac?" She tried to snap me out of my nervous trance. I looked up and saw her face close to mine, blue eyes boring into green.

I nodded and leaned my forehead against hers for a few seconds. "Alright." I curtly said, I needed to get over myself it was only a grave. But it was my mother's grave and I had hardly ever talked to Clary about her, I wondered if she even knew what cause her untimely death.

"Let's go." I felt Clary move away from me and I got a chance to look around.

My men were climbing the huge trees, while others stayed on the ground waiting. My heart dropped once more as I caught a glimpse of Opal and Jack in the branches.

Sighing loudly, I pushed off my back legs and bounded into the forest, Clary right beside me within seconds. I looked at her out of the corner of my eyes. She was messy with blood and probably looked quite frightening to anyone we passed on our race through the forest.

Faster than I thought possible, we had passed the pack house; our paws ripping up the gravel on the driveway as we bounded through. We were drawing closer to the Yard and I was going numb, I don't even remember the last time I had came here.

"Is that it?" Clary's soothing voice flooded my head and I refocused on what was up ahead.

"It is." I slowed and watched as Clary copied me and glued herself to my side. The Yard had that kind of effect on people. It was like all the sunlight and beauty of the forest disappeared and you didn't feel like you belonged.

The branches seemed to bow in sorrow from all the dead bodies in the ground near their roots. Makeshift grave markers ranging from large stones to small wooden crosses littered the barren, dead-grass ground.

My paws left bloody footprints along side Clary's as we walked slowly side by side through the tense air. I had followed this path so many times and already had my eyes locked on the large black bolder in the middle of The Yard.

"Oh, Issac." Clary's sympathetic voice entered my head again and she slowed, her body freezing up. I looked away from my mother's grave and turned to my Mate.

Her blue eyes were dark and she had suddenly became very nervous-looking. I knew this place wasn't enjoyable to visit, but her Wolf's expression had almost grown into a look of guilt.

The cool, grim air came around and whipped our bloodied coats around us. She stood still, her eyes flickering from my mother's gravestone to me.

"Clary." I said soothingly into her head. "It's okay, I've been here so much and excepted her death. There's no need to pity me anymore, I've already received enough of that."

She ripped her eyes away from my mother's gravestone and looked upward towards the sky, most likely blinking away tears. I knew I shouldn't have brought her here, I thought to myself. I never wanted to be accompanied and know I knew why, I hated pity from others. Especially Clary.

"It's not pity." She said shakily into my head and I continued looking at her, growing confused. "Issac, I have to tell you something."

Clary's POV

My heart beated like a bird in a tiny cage and I could feel his eyes on me, stern and confused as I tried to gain composer over myself. I thought I could do this, see her grave, but it had proved to be too much.

I looked back at the black stone that marked where her body was buried and wanted to fall to the barren ground below me.

Talia Woods - "The moon is a loyal companion.It never leaves. It's always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it's a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be alive. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections" - May our brilliant Luna watch over us from above.

"What is it?" Issac had stayed standing a couple feet away from me, the warmth between us minutes ago now gone. My odd behavior was unsettling him, but my nerves wouldn't let me speak.

"I-I." My voice shook. I shouldn't say it. I should keep it to myself and let him live on thinking rouges killed her and not my own father. But I couldn't, I couldn't keep anything from him anymore.

"Clary." Issac narrowed his eyes in a concerned expression, his head leaning in and ears straining to listen to my stuttering mind-link.

"My father." I pushed out the words even though they cause my physical pain. "He planned the whole thing. Using his mind-link tricks, her lured your mother out to the west border and- and he killed her. His men rallied a stray group of rouges to the scene of the crime and made it look like they did it, but it was him. Issac, I'm so sorry, I-"

"That can't be true. No." He had begun to back away from me more and My Wolf whimpered aloud at his distance. We didn't want to hurt him, but I had agreed with myself to not hide anything from him anymore.

"I'm so sorry." I strained to say, feeling my eyes sting with tears even though he should be the one breaking down.

"Ever since she's died, I've been searching relentlessly for those rouges and now you're telling your father is responsible for my mother's death?" His voice was rough and low, and I felt like he was pouring pure bitterness all over me.

"You have to understand that-" I started, trying to reason with this new, angry side of Issac.

"No. I don't. I don't have to understand anything, you do." He cut me off. "You need to stop hurting the people around you Clary or you won't have anyone."

"How could I tell you this, when I've been told for years to keep it a secret?" I shouted into his head, getting angry at his words. "It pained me to keep this from you but I just told you, shouldn't that be enough?"

"You try so hard to stop your father, but he has a control over you that I don't know if you'll ever get rid of." He took a breath and huffed angrily at me, a cloud of white breath circling his head. "You're still scared of betraying him, and you always will be."

"That is not true." I straightened up even though his words were almost knocking me to the ground. "I'm going to war against him, for you."

"You know it's true." He said back. "He has raised you to be like him, to hurt other's and feel nothing." His Wolf began pacing, like he was at war with himself and his bitter words.

"Is that really how you feel?" I said with a flat voice. I hated feeling like this, and I hated seeing him so broken and unstable. I knew his mother was a touchy subject, and it would be hard to tell him the truth, but I didn't expect this.

"I can't talk to you right now, I need to go for a run." He stopped dead in his tracks and it was like history repeating it's self. "Don't follow me."

My mind flashed back to when he followed his brother into the woods all those weeks ago, just before he found out the truth of my spying, and said the exact same words.

I stayed silent and watched as his huge grey and brown wolf bolted away from me, weaved through the graves and vanished into the thick trees. The Yard felt even scarier and unsettling when he was gone and I suddenly became cold.

Looking towards Issac's mother's gravestone, I read the quote engraved in the shiny black stone once more. It's words seemed to convey that moon was just like the concept of Mates. A loyal companion, never leaving, knowing us in our light and dark moments and understanding.

But just like the moon, lovers were cratered with imperfections and could have a dark side they never wished to show.

Clary's POV

The Yard was dead silent, unlike the rest of the Saltus pack forest that was brimming with life and sound. A snap sounded from behind me and I whipped around, hoping it was Issac returning.

The five pack members assigned to take down Opal and Jack entered The Yard; carrying the two motionless wolves together carefully. My heart dropped to the dead earth below me and I was suddenly very aware of all their blood on my coat.

Whimpering loudly, I spun around and darted into the woods leaving the graves and the people my father had murdered behind. My skin was itchy with dried blood and my stomach was churning, wanting to empty itself out of disgust.

I could smell Issac's trail distinctly, but I swerved away from it; heading towards the sound of rushing water. My paws ripped up the damp earth and my white coat became even more dirty. Skidding to a halt on the river bank, I slipped on the gravely sand as I hastily made my to the cool river.

I splashed into the water and instantly submerged myself in the clear water. Coming up for air, I stood and watched as the current rushed around my legs and cleaned my fur of Opal and Jack's blood and everything else.

Shutting my eyes, I willed myself to get some composer over myself. The water pull away the mess on my coat, but not the consuming feeling of hopelessness.

My reflection mirrored back at me, wavering slightly with the current. My sharp blue eyes that had turned dark with sadness stared back solemnly. I broke the gaze and stared straight ahead, the log Issac and I had sat on weeks ago was in sight and my heart dropped even more. It snapped clearly in half from when he abruptly shifted and memories wedged themselves into every crevice of my mind; refusing to be ignored.

"If only we had done things differently..." I spoke softly into my head. My paws were numb from the freezing water but my legs stayed firmly planted.

"No matter what we couldn't have expected anything else." My Wolf's voice responded from the hollows of my mind, her tone full of hurt. "Our Mate being the enemy and our father being who he is."

Sighing loudly I waded out of the chilling water and onto the river bank. Shaking out my coat, I looked around at my surroundings. No other pack member was in sight and I felt even more alone.

"No one deserves to die like that." I whispered to her. "And especially not because of me and my choices."

"Then show him." She said instantly after me, her tone changed and laced with a certain new emotion. "Show your father he has no control over you or Fate. Prove him wrong and bring him down like we planned. Don't just give up, Clary."

Feeling a deep growl build in my chest, I felt myself push off my back legs and began to run in a certain direction; My Wolf's words ringing in my head. She wanted to prove Issac wrong, show him my father didn't have anything over us anymore. Her thoughts were overpowering and she was in control as we barreled through the forest.

"Where are we going..." I asked with curiosity, and a tinge of fear. She was racing towards the west border, the line between us and the Purum pack.

"We're making sure we win this war." My Wolf growled back, a surprising amount of courage in her voice. I know I should try and take control, but at the moment I felt like sitting back and letting her do what she wanted.

Without responding I let my eyes wander and take in the fact that we had reached the bottom of the slate gray mountains, the forest behind me. I felt an instant chill wash over my body as I crossed the border line; as if the cold in my bones was a warning.

"This is wrong, how is this helping-" I said to myself, hoping My Wolf would get the point and turn around back to safety; but her animalistic voice cut me off.

"I have a plan." She stated. "Now stay quiet, I need to concentrate, it's been a while since I climbed these mountains."

I trusted her instincts and sank further back into my mind, letting her take full control. I trusted her plan, but mostly because I knew whatever was driving her this hard shouldn't be ignored.

We leaped ledge to ledge, rocks crumbling underneath every step and falling to the stone ground far below. Heights had never bothered me, but after being on the low forest floor for so long, it was a drastic change.

My Wolf stopped short suddenly, on the edge of a cliff as if an invisible hand had yanked her backwards and halted all movement. "What is it?" I quickly asked.

"Listen." She snipped at me in a harsh whisper. I took back control of her senses and perked up my ears. The distinct howling of various wolves could be heard echoing off in the distance; wolves I couldn't recognize.

"Lacus pack?" I guessed. I couldn't see anything in the distance, even from my height, but dense forest.

"Most likely." My Wolf responded. "Too bad the Luna won't be around for their arrival." She added before taking back full control and jumping to the next cliff despite my instant protests.

"Issac is going to be even more mad..." I sighed but knew not even the topic of our Mate would turn her around.

The howls of the Lacus pack grew louder as they crossed onto the my pack's territory, but I eventually shut them out, knowing very well I needed to focus on what ever suicide misson My Wolf was trying to lead me to.

Issac's POV

My body was shaking as I stood and I hoped none of my pack mates or the arriving pack would notice. I forced my mind to stay focused and nerves to calm down but they just wouldn't. I hated being mad at Clary, hated that she hid something important from me and I hated not knowing where she was.

My eyes darted around the trees, looking for a sign of the Lacus pack arriving. Their howls were deafening and they'd be in sight soon enough. Tobias was standing beside me, and I knew well enough that spot should be where Clary stood.

Before I could think about her more, the space in front of me became filled with wolves. Flashes and blurs of wolves darted around us until they settled in a half circle; their Alpha poised in front. The Lacus pack family were all different shades of grey, some coming close to almost a dark blue-grey looking color. Their eyes were sharp colors of greens, teals and shocking blues.

The rest of the pack was little mine, all the coats different shades except white.

"Alpha Woods." A light, yet deep voice entered my head. Their Alpha, Luke; a light grey, huge wolf with eyes fleeced with yellows, greens and blues. His children stood behind him, their grey coats catching every shadow from the line trees.

"Alpha Stagnum." I replied, bowing my head like he had. A smaller, yet brave-looking dark grey wolf stood by his side. His Mate most likely, with eyes as blue as Clary's. But they weren't as soft and calming to look at.

"We're here to aid in the war you are planning on the Purum pack." Alpha Luke spoke with his soft voice. "My Mate, Silvia and I have agreed to your plans and wish to bring down the pure-bloods as well."

"We welcome and thank you for your help, our alliance is important if we are going up against Alpha Kane." I projected into everyone's minds, looking around at each wolf. "We can't have people backing out or people who aren't willing to take the risk of war."

"Maybe it was best that Clary wasn't here." My Wolf added into my head when I was finished, and I agreed. She was still sensitive to the topic of war and bringing down her old pack. I didn't know if I meant all I said to too her back at The Yard, but the news about my mother was paralyzing and made me lash out at her.

"We're all willing." A strong, female voice responded. Silvia. I looked at her and saw a look a pure courage etched on her wolf's face, her electric blue eyes sharp and focused.

"Very well." I stepped back slightly. "My brother, Tobias, will show you to your living quarters in the village." I looked over at my brother and we made eye contact. His eyes held questions, he knew something was up. I couldn't tell him about mom though, not right now.

The various wolves began to follow Tobias after he broke my gaze and stared towards the village. Alpha Luke and Silvia walked up to me after trailing behind their pack members. I stood up straighter.

"We were informed you had a Mate?" Luke said, or more of asked. His head c****d slightly and I tried to keep my composer. He knew I had a Mate, but he didn't know she was a pure-blood.

"She is on a run at the moment." I said, trying not to show that my voice was straining or I was making up my words as I went along. "The whole war idea isn't her thing."

I caught Silvia tense up and squint her eyes, obliviously disapproving. Luke just nodded, not noticing his Mate's behavior.

"Well, I look forward to meeting her." He said, his voice controlled and soft. I liked Luke, I just didn't know what his opinion of me would be when he found out about Clary. "When will the first meeting be?"

"As soon as the Alpha of the Patet pack arrives." I replied. My body itched to leave these people and run to find my Mate. I hated that she was running around alone thinking I was mad, and My Wolf was digging my claws into the ground at the thought of her being sad.

"Alright." Luke responded. "Well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon, Issac."

I bowed my head as a goodbye and as soon as he nudged Silvia forward and they bounded after their pack and my brother, I spun around and put my nose to the air; attempting to track Clary.

The cold air whipped my fur straight back and I sought out her scent desperately. I raced past some of my pack members, not being able to see anything but furry brown blurs.

I made it to a river, knowing very well she could've ended up here after I left her. Her scent was on the river bank and I barked sharply, wanting her to come out if she was hiding.

"Clary." I finally used the mind link, not caring if she was angry with me anymore. I just needed her voice in my head. I reached out and said her name again and finally got a response.

"I'm busy." Her Wolf snipped back and I instantly became confused. Her Wolf was obviously in full control and not in the mood for answering me.

"What's going on? Where are you?" I pleaded, not caring if I sounded desperate. I wanted to know Clary was alright, and I wanted to know what the hell her Wolf was doing.

"It's best if you stay back home." That was Clary's voice, more soft. "I'll be back soon, don't worry about me."

"Don't worry about you?" I replied, my tone baffled. "Can you at least tell me where you are?"

"I'll be back soon, I'm helping." Clary said back, he voice apologetic and soothing. "Now let me concentrate." Her Wolf added and I sighed in defeat. What did she mean she was helping? I began to walk home, my limbs sore from my frantic running only minutes before.

"Clary you better not be where I think you are." I added in, not wanting her Wolf to shut me out. I didn't get anything but silence in return; making me huff loudly at her stubbornness. If she wasn't here she had to have crossed the line back to the Purum pack. I played through various scenarios in my head of what she could be doing back there but came up with nothing.

"We're coming home." Clay finally said, her tone quiet and low. My head shot up and I stopped walking, my body was still but my long fur flew around in the wind.

"I'll meet you at the border." I quickly said.

"No." She replied quickly. "Go back to the house and I'll meet you there."

I stayed still in pure puzzlement. "Alright." I said back slowly, knowing very well I wasn't going home. "See you there."

Pushing off my hind legs, I began my steady sprint through the familiar forest; my mind set on the west border and my Mate. Branches snapped beneath me and leaves blew around in my wind as I ran relentlessly.

The forest floor became more rocky and eventually turned to pure grey stone. The ground began to rise into the jagged mountain as I crossed the line of my pack at the Purum's.

I shivered, feeling like ice had entered my veins. I couldn't remember ever actually crossing that line and entering this pack's boundaries. It seemed so cold and secluded, nothing like the comfort of the woods, and I wondered how anyone could live in these mountains.

My thoughts were cut short from a small rock falling from a ledge above, the stone bouncing then landing right by my paw. I looked up but couldn't see what had made it fall. Backing up a ways; I noticed two figures now in sight. Two pure white wolves were standing close on a ledge, obviously in a mental conversation.

I didn't have to look closely to see who it was, I could identify her small, yet powerful build anywhere. Clary had her back to me and as I focused my eyesight, I saw who she was with.

He looked just like his father, black eyes and sharp features. His white coat blew his scent over to me and I growled lowly. My heart didn't know whether to drop in betrayal or bleed with anger.

It was Zak, Clary's brother and the future Alpha of the Purum pack.

Clary's POV

"I'm trusting you." I said into my brothers mind with all the strength I could. My Wolf was insane for doing this, but if I really thought about it; this plan was the best we had. "Please don't let me down."

"I'm on your side, Clary." Zak responded, his wolf placing a paw over mine. I loved my brother so dearly and had missed him so much. He was only two years older, Issac's age. I knew I was making the right decision by seeking his help and was sure he would follow through on his part.

"All that's left is to convince Issac." I said after a pause in our conversation.

Zak looked out into the distance, towards my pack below. "How is it living there?" He asked quietly. He was so kind-hearted and out of everyone, he deserved a better life.

"I love it." I said. "They're nothing like we thought, Zak. Un-purebloods aren't weak and cowardly. They're some of the bravest wolves I've met."

Memories of when I first arrived came flooding in and I remembered being so shocked. I grew up to think the Purum pack wolves were bigger and faster. But as I studied Issac an some of his men, I found out I was far from right. My entire past life had been built upon lies, and I didn't want my brother to continue living like I had. I didn't want anyone to.

"That's why they'll win." Zak spoke into my head, his voice low and if I listened close enough it held traces of my fathers authoritative tone. "Because we've been waiting for the chance, Clary. Waiting for the right wolves to come along and stand up against father. And it's been you along. You're the one who's going to help us win."

"So there are others from home that'll help?" I asked tentatively. I didn't trust my old pack but thinking back to people like Lira, who held the same thoughts I did about purebloods, I grew confident Zak wasn't the only one on my side.

Zak nodded in reply. I looked down at our paws, his over mine. My heart was beating with gratitude for Zak, and certainty that this war was ours to win. I looked up at him once more, his head still turned towards the distance, and froze. Shock twisted through my veins as I looked over my brother's shoulder, completely frozen.

Down below, right on the border, was Issac. His gray and brown wolf was like a shadowy statue in the setting sun's light. His darkened eyes were staring directly at me, swirling with rage and betrayal; a look I had seen too many times.

Jumping away from Zak I ran to the edge of the ledge and attempted to reach out to him with my mind. "Issac, it's my brother! He's helping is and we can trust-"

"Clary, come down." He responded slowly, his voice scarily calm. My mother always said people were the worst when they were 'scary calm'. They're unpredictable and terrifying to approach. I could pick up on the clear anger in his tone and scolded My Wolf for getting us into this situation.

Without replying I swiftly hopped to the lower ledges beneath me, eventually making my way to the ground. I stood tall when I reached Issac, knowing I had done nothing wrong; even if it had looked like it.

"Cross back over." He said lowly. His eyes flickered to my feet, which were still on the slate gray ground of the Purum pack territory like his.

"Not until you let me and Zak explain." I replied. Issac narrowed his eyes in disbelief. He was standing completely still, his dark fur blowing around him as the wind whipped around us.

"Let you explain what exactly?" He growled into my head, his voice echoing off the walls of my mind. "That everything has been a lie again and you were never on my side?" His eyes were black now and sadness filled my every sense. He had thought I betrayed him again, which was the complete opposite of what I was doing.

"No, Issac, no." I took a step towards him but he flattened his ears and growled loudly. "That's far from the truth. Remember what I told you? I said I was helping, Zak is going to help."

I was going to wait to tell him about my brothers assistance in my plan, but now he's here I have no choice. Issac straightened up but kept his ears down in a cautious manner. I could feel him believing me and I willed every word I said to sound as truthful as possible.

"I wouldn't betray you." I stepped towards him again and this time he didn't move away. "Not again."

"Alpha Woods." My brother's voice entered my head, and I guessed Issac's too from his surprised reaction. Issac snapped his head to look behind me and I turned as well. Zak came to stand next to me, his eyes trained on my Mate after he lowered his head in respect.

Despite his lingering anger, Issac bowed his head in response. "Zak." His eyes flickered between us, waiting for an explanation or, from his rigged stance, waiting for my brother to attack.

"I know you don't trust him." I quickly said. "But he's with us. And he has to go back now, but we've already worked his part of the plan out. I can tell you everything as long just trust me."

Issac finally took his eyes off Zak. "Everything?" He said into my head, most likely cutting out my brother. "No lies, no secrecy?"

"Everything." I whispered back strongly, it hurt to see that he was still so unsure of everything I did. But I couldn't blame him.

"Clary." Zak said, his voice quick. "I have to leave, father won't stop linking with me asking where I am. But know I'll always leave my mind open to you and I'll be waiting."

"I love you." I replied, leaning my head into his neck in appreciation and as a goodbye. But I'd be seeing him soon. He leaned back and nuzzled me quickly before backing away, his dark eyes looking so much like my fathers. "Thank you." I added.

"Love you too, sister." He bowed his head and with the flick of his white tail he was already scaling the side of the mountain.

I took my eyes off my brother and turned around. Issac was walking away, his head low and body slowly crossing back over to our pack's territory. My heart dropped but I had clue of whether I should comfort him or give him space. My Wolf sighed at how her plan had ended up. It would still work, but the last person she meant to hurt was Issac.

Lowering my head as well, I slowly walked off the Purum pack's boundaries. Warmth enveloped me as I crossed the line but my heart still felt cold and lonely as I glanced up to see Issac walking far ahead.

I kept my eyes on him and tried to decide what to do. We had had a huge fight before all this, about his mother, and this just opened more emotional wounds. Our relationship of like a tightrope, and I was one step from falling off the edge; if I already hadn't.

My body stopped dead in its tracks when I noticed Issac had halted. We were several feet away from one another and the words left unsaid were pushing us even father apart.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" He whispered into my head. He didn't turn around, just stood still with his back to me.

I swallowed nervously. "I did it by myself because I knew you'd never let me go back there. I knew my plan wouldn't work if I didn't have Zak so I-"

He cut me off. "Not just that." Issac spoke slowly, his voice so solemn it made me scared. "About everything. About your spying. About your fiancée. About my own mother." He finally turned to look at me, his eyes still black. "You've kept me so in the dark, when I've told you everything about me. I'm trying so hard while you- you're not."

Heat pulsed through me and I identified it as anger. I felt sad from his words, but at the same time they made my blood boil. "I'm not trying?" I straightened up and replied. "I've given up everything for you, Issac. I can't stand the thought of hurting you, so I bottle everything up. I lie, and I keep secrets and I hate it but I'm trying to change from the way I grew up to be. I'm trying for you. And if you can't see that, I don't know what else to do..."

"We agreed to not have anymore secrets-" He replied quietly, his tone holding a hint of defeat.

"Meeting up with Zak wasn't going to be a secret." I started walking towards him and my heart lifted when he stayed put. "I was coming back to tell you, and you showed up when you said you'd be at the house." I wasn't going to bring up the fact that he lied to me, knowing he did it out of worry, but it did bug me that he disobeyed me as well.

His head dropped again, something him and his Wolf always did when ashamed or deeply saddened. Without thinking, I quickly closed the gap between us and nestled my head into his neck; his warmth and addicting scent covering me instantly.

He immediately responded by leaning into my embrace and letting out a sound between a whimper and a sigh.

"Let's go home." I pleaded. I couldn't take any more fighting or yelling and my head was hurting from using the mind-link so much. "Please."

I felt him nod and pulled away slowly. My heart lifted when I saw his green eyes instead of the charcoal black from before. I nudged my head forward, indicating for us to head back. I felt emotionally and physically drained, and wanted nothing more than to rest.

He took of into a slow run and I followed close behind, still giving him space. As we passed the pack's village I noticed blur's of grey fur all around and more stress pilled onto my shoulders. The Lactus pack was here and had yet to meet me.

"Tomorrow." Issac spoke into my head. I looked away from the village and saw him looking over at my worried face. Appreciation flooded my body and I sped up to be by his side.

The sun set extremely fast and by the time we reached the gravel drive of the pack house, a dark blue sky was hanging above us.

"I know I said I'd tell you everything but I'm about to pass out from exhaustion." I said quietly, not sure if he'd except my light tone or my request. Issac looked at me from over his shoulder, green eyes boring into mine.

"Agreed." He curtly said. He was distant but at the same time, standing as close to me as possible. I tried to read his expression but he turned, looking forward at the house.

"C'mon." I nudged him slightly, making him walk with me to the door. We made it inside and quickly went up the stairs, Issac ignoring everyone while I shot them apologetic looks.

We made it to his bedroom and before I could react, Issac shifted back to open the door; his body completely nude. I yelped and quickly slammed my eyes shut but not before catching a slight glimpse. Despite the situation my heart lifted when I heard him chuckle under his breath. When I sensed I was alone in the hallway, I peaked open my eyes.

"Are you coming in or no?" His voice carried out of the room and to my ears. I huffed lowly and entered, praying he was clothed but at the same time, hoping he wasn't.

I entered his room, and had to take control away from my Wolf momentarily so she wouldn't purr out loud. Issac wore black sweats to cover his lower half, the setting sun creeping through the gigantic window to give his bare torso a orange-shadowed looked. I ripped my eyes off him, knowing know wasn't the time for that at all.

An old t-shirt and baggy sweats were dropped in front of me as he made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him and leaving me alone again.

I quickly shifted back and plucked his shirt from the ground, slipping it over my sore body. I stretched out my limbs, standing on my tiptoes and feeling my bones ache with being upright again. My eyes gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window while I adjust to not being on all fours.

"Nice view." I heard a low voice from behind me and yelped in surprise. I quickly yanked the oversized shirt back down to cover my backside, my face heating up. Issac laughed under his breath again and I was glad he was feeling better, even if it cost me embarrassment. "It's alright, I'm not looking anymore." He spoke and I turned to see him with a hand over both his eyes.

"Hm, maybe I'll just leave the sweats off." I decided to play along, my tone mockingly seductive. "What do you think?"

"If it were my choice you'd be sleeping in nothing." He replied, a perfect smile now etched onto his face even though his eyes were covered. My plan to cheer him up had worked, but now obvious tension was in the air and I wasn't sure I wanted it to go away.

"Ok." I laughed quietly, staring at him to make sure his eyes were still closed. I swiftly grabbed the ends of his shirt and pulled it off over my head, immediately running to the safety of the bed covers.

"What-" He began and tore his hand away from his eyes. I snuggled into his huge bed, under several blankets; completely hidden expect for my face. "I didn't know you'd actually listen..." He trailed off, a smirk on his face as he watched me.

"Goodnight." I mumbled into the pillow, shutting my eyes and pulling the comforter over my head mockingly. I loved moments like these, when we were just a couple. Not pack leaders, not enemies, not fighting, just Mates.

"Not so fast." I heard his voice, muffled by the thick covers. I felt the bed dip down on his side and after a few seconds, the blankets were ripped away from my grasp.

I screamed playfully and managed to get at least one sheet to cover myself. "Issac!" I watched him as he threw his head back laughing, a beautiful sound that warmed my aching heart considerably. His green eyes seemed to light up the dim room and I joined in his laughing.

He moved to hover above me, one arm on each side of my head. "You can make me so angry." He mumbled with a smile on his face, completely contradicting his words. "But you make me so happy."

I made sure the sheet was covering my chest then placed my palms on his cheeks, cupping his face to look at me. My mood had completely changed and I mimicked his smile. "The feeling's mutual." I smiled slightly.

He leaned forwards quickly and pressed a chaste kissed to my lips. My fingers felt his pulse quicken and I was sure mine did the same. "Can we go to sleep now?" I asked softly, gazing up at his shadowed face.

Issac nodded. Pieces of his unruly hair feel into his eyes and I combed my fingers through it slowly, pushing it all back. He instantly closed his eyes and lowered himself to lay flat across me, his body atop mine. I didn't even mind that there was nothing but a sheet between his half-naked body and my bare one; with him, everything was comfortable.

Eventually he went completely limp and his breath evened out. My fingers threaded through his hair over and over again until my eyes fluttered shut, my arms dropping to wrap around his neck.

We fell asleep, a tangle of bare limbs and sheets. Momentarily forgetting the chaos yet to come.

Clary's POV

I woke up early the next morning because of the blinding sun flooding through the window. I knew immediately that I was alone in the bed, the sheets cold and the room feelings empty of Issac's warmth. Sitting up slowly I held the blankets close to my bare body and sighed.

I slipped out of the huge bed and quickly searched for clothes in the messy room. Noticing an old pair of my black leggings nearby I pulled them on and scanned the room for a top. My gaze landed on one of Issac's zip up hoodies and I put on the cozy, grey piece of clothing.

Knotting my hair into a bun atop my head, I walked out of the bedroom and listened for voices and searched for nearby familiar scents. I caught Tobias's scent across the hall in his room and Marcus's down the hall. As I moved closer to the stairs my heart leapt when I caught Issac's voice. He was talking in a serious, authoritative tone and the scents surrounding him we're unfamiliar.

I took the stairs down to the first floor and listened again, hearing the voices come from Issac's office. I wasn't sure if I was welcome in or not but i was guessing he was talking with the Lactus pack Alpha, the man I had yet to meet.

"Clary!" I stopped short and placed a handover my chest in surprise. Nina came up behind me in nothing but a huge t-shirt, probably just having shifted after a run.

"Put some clothes on." I laughed and smiled at my friend as she came to stand in front of me. Her long hair was messy but she still looked gorgeous as always. I remember when I first came her and was jealous of her natural beauty.

"I think this is acceptable." She grinned and look down at herself, tugging at the ratty shirt. She quickly looked back up and the humorous topic seemed to disappear. "But enough of my poor fashion choice, I meant to ask you if you're coming today."

I raised an eyebrow. "Coming where?"

Nina paused confusingly, as if she expected me to already know. "Down into town, to the human settlement. A few of us are going since we thought I'd be best to warn them of, you know..." She trailed off, not having to finish her sentence.

I thought about if for a second and wondered why no one had told me. "I understand, and I want to. But, I don't know if I am. Issac never said anything about it."

"He's going since he's the one who planned it. We're leaving after his meeting with the Alphas from the Lacus and Patet pack, they're in his office right now." Nina stated. My shoulders dropped after she told me and I think she noticed. I'd wish I had been woken up earlier or at least informed on some of what was happening today. Because right now, I felt completely left out.

"Well, I'm going to go talk to him." I replied, wanting to meet the new Alphas and have a chat with my Mate. Nina nodded and stepped out of my way, bowing her head as to say goodbye. I hoped I could go with her and the others downtown, even though my last experience there was quite horrible.

I followed the familiar hallways until the voice grew louder. The door to Issac's office came into view and I stepped to stand directly in front of it. As soon as I raised my hand to knock, the voice stopped and the door was pulled open, revealing five pairs of eyes all staring at me.

Issac held open the door, a hint of surprise on his face. I raised my eyebrows at him expectantly, hinting at him to invite me in so I could meet our allies.

He seemed to get his bearings, clearing his throat and turning to the four people behind us. "Everyone, this is Clary Albus. My Mate and the Luna of the Saltus pack." Issac said and reached out to placed his hand on the small of my back, guding me into the office.

My nerves rapidly increased when he said my full name, knowing the would instantly recognize my last name and who I was. Issac shut the door behind us and quickly looked to the two men and two women watching me closely.

The man to my right was tall and thin-faced but had a decent amount of muscle on him. He had the most interesting greenish-blue eyes and his longish black hair stood out against his pale white skin. I look to his Mate next to him, a slender brown-haired woman with blue eyes just as intriguing. I guessed they were from the Lacus pack, their bodies we'll build for swimming in the many lakes on their pack territory.

My gazed shifted to the other couple who looked completely different. The man was pure muscle and golden skin. His eyes were a shinning gold as well and he had his dark hair a ponytail. His Mate was gorgeous with her tanned skin and pin-straight black hair. they were from the Patet pack, from the great plains. I watched the strangers with entrancing curiosity and a tinge of fear. They were so different and I grew up thinking I'd never meet anyone outside of the Purum pack; and they knew that. They knew who I was.

Silence filled the room and Issac cleared his throat. I want him to say something; anything to get them to understand our complicated situation.

"Let me get this straight." The thin, brown-haired women stepped forward; her blue eyes filled with confusion. "She's one of them? Part of the pack we're supposed to attack?"

"No, well she was-" Issac began but was cut off.

"How is she here?" The tanned-skin man asked loudly, his voice making me flinch. "She's Kane's daughter!"

I took a step back and glared at the four strangers in front of me, wondering what to do and hoping me being here wouldn't change their minds. I had guessed Issac would at least give them some information on me but I guess he hadn't. Nervousness was clenching at my heart and I quickly opened my mouth to reply.

"I'm not his daughter anymore." I said sternly. "And like I've already explained to the Saltus pack, I hold no allegiance to him or the Purum pack anymore. I left because I disagree with all they stand for, and I left because I found my Mate." My voice trailed off and I noticed Issac in my peripheral vision, glancing over at me.

"Now, I'd like to be introduced to our allies." I took in a deep breath and held my head up high, tired of people judging me for where I came from and what my bloodline was. Issac cleared his throat again and nodded.

"Alpha Luke Stagnum of the Lacus pack, and his Mate, Silvia." He gestured towards the pale, bright-eyed couple how had noticeably settled down after my reply. I bowed my head slightly towards them then looked to the others.

"Alpha Amar Indus of the Patet pack and his Mate, Kira." Issac finished. I bowed to them slightly as well and then looked to my own Mate. He was messy haired and obviously hadn't shaved in a few days, but he still looked flawless. He was dressed like he was ready to leave, his hoodie underneath a brown leather jacket. I needed to talk to him alone, but didn't want to seem rude by dismissing the new pack leaders.

"Pleasure to meet you all." I gave them a small smile, hoping they would take my hint. "I want to thank you for your help and loyalty."

"Sorry for the miscommunication." Issac added, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was using his official, mature voice and rolled my eyes subtly; even though I loved it.

"We're sorry as well, Luna." Amar replied, his expression sincere. "We appreciate your bravery and look forward to fighting by your side."

"Same goes for us." Luke said softly, the atmosphere in the room completely changed. Although, when I looked to his right his Mate, Silvia, she had a unreadable look in her eyes and I quickly looked away.

"Well, now that we've discussed all we needed to today," Issac said. "I have an important task I need to address along with some of our pack members. Clary and my brother, Tobias, will run things while we're away. I'll be back within the hour, feel free to return to the villages."

They all nodded and bowed their heads in goodbye, exiting the office together. Once the door was shut I let out a deep breath and turned to finally talk to Issac.

Warm lips instantly covered mine and strong arms snaked around my waist, pulling me into a tight embrace. Inconvenient sparks erupted all across my body wherever his touched mine and I couldn't help but let all my tension go. My previous annoyance vanished and I felt like he could do anything to me and I would never get upset, which scared me deep down.

Issac finally pulled away slightly and my burning lungs filled back up with air. I had my hands hanging by my sides but instantly lifted them up to touch his face.

"You did that on purpose." I narrowed my eyes at him and pouted overdramatically. "You knew I was going to yell at you-"

Without letting me finish his green eyes lit up again and he silenced me with another kiss. I ended up laughing, not able to be annoyed with his interruptions. His mouth tasted so sweet on mine and as we breathed each other in, I felt so at peace. My lifelong fear of not belonging always went away when I was with him, knowing that by his side was where I was meant to be.

"Ok." He pulled his lips from mine and smiled. "I'm done. I just wanted to get rid of crummy mood of yours." His smirk made me melt, but I quickly gathered myself back together.

"I was in a crummy mood because of you." I c****d an eyebrow at him, stepping away slightly but not able to drop my small smile.

"Me?" He placed a hand on his chest, mockingly offended.

I nodded. "Didn't bother telling me you and the others were going downtown?" I watched him and waited, knowing I wasn't exactly mad; just left out. I was trying my hardest to be a part of this pack, a leader, but to do that I had to be informed on things.

Issac shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I didn't think you'd want to. I mean you grew up not allowed down there and last time you went a lot of bad stuff happened." I shrugged, but I could tell he felt bad. "I guess I just assumed it'd be best for you to stay behind, we're just informing them of the upcoming war anyways."

It made sense to me, but it didn't change my mind about going. I grew up to despise humans, but I never truly did; I'd always yearn to go visit the town where they lived. It was true that the previous time I visited turned out horribly, but it ended up leading me back to Issac.

"I don't care." I replied. "I'd still like to go."

He sighed and took a hand out of a pocket, rubbing the back of his neck in stress. "Alright. We're going to leave really soon, but you look like you're already ready." His voice trailed.

Feeling his hesitation, I stepped forward and pulled him back into a tight embrace. He smelled like his strong-scented body wash and the pine trees outside, an intoxicating combination. I buried my head into the crook of his neck and felt him relax.

"Thanks for looking out for me." I muttered into his skin. His fingers slowly traced circles into my back and I wished we could've been back in his bed upstairs, under the sheets and just closed off from the real world.

"I always will." I felt him rest his chin atop my head and take in a deep breath of air. "I never quite apologized though, Clary."

I pulled away slightly, looking up at him with my hands on his shoulders. "What do you mean?" I questioned, unsure of what he was talking about but pretty certain I had a clue.

"Yelling at you like that in The Yard." Issac looked down and pieces of his messy hair fell forward, hiding his face slightly. I knew when he said all those things to me it was because I'd hurt him by keeping the truth of his mother's death a secret. I had accepted it and knew he didn't mean them, but it warmed my heart to hear him say he was sorry.

"It was an understandable reaction. I shouldn't have kept something that from you." I placed my hands on his cheeks on lifted his head to have his eyes meet mine. "I'm sorry too."

He placed his hands over mine and nodded, the topic probably making him upset now. "I know you are. But we're okay now, no more secrets." Issac tried at a small smile and I returned it.

"No more." I replied, leaning my forehead against his.

"Now we should probably go, I want to try and be there as soon as possible so I don't have to be gone for too long." He pulled my hands away from his face gently and took hold of the drawstrings on the hoodie I was wearing. "Nice hoodie by the way." He pulled the strings jokingly and I laughed, swatting his hands away.

"Oh, shut it." I replied with a light laugh. I followed him out of the office, walking up to his side and talking his hand once we were in the hallway.

We made our way to the front door of the pack house, my eyes catching sight of many unfamiliar faces from the two visiting packs. Issac then turned the corner into the entry hall with me close behind. Four tough-looking pack members stood next to Nina, Lucas, Rosaline and a scrawny man I didn't recognize. The way the two were standing, I guessed he was Rosaline's Mate; which meant he was a human.

"Everyone ready?" Issac asked. Nods and agreements replied from everyone and he pulled me with him towards the door, his body seeming eager and a little tense now that we were leaving.

The drive went by extremely fast. With Nina, Rosaline, her Mate and I clustered in the back seat of the van with Lucas sat shotgun and Issac driving like a madman; I felt rattled. The last time I was in a car I almost went off a cliff and the bumpy, swerving ride wasn't helping my nerves.

Rosaline had introduced her Mate, Peter, and I found out I liked him quite a lot. He was tall and messy-haired, and extremely quiet. He'd watch everyone from behind his black-framed glasses, always fascinated by something and always glancing at Rosaline while she wasn't paying attention.

But once we were there, I felt the mood change. Everyone was serious and quiet, opening the car doors slowly and meeting up with the others across the parking lot in silence.

I looked around while we made our way to the City Hall; remembering my last visit to this small town. At least people were on the streets this time, speaking lowly and moving out of our path immediately. I felt a pang in my heart when I saw a mother pull her child away from us as we quickly crossed the street. They knew who we were and they we terrified. It broke my heart.

All ten of us turned the street corner leading to the City Hall and instantly froze up. Fear erupted inside of me at the sight before us and I had an instant instinct to run and save my own skin.

An entire squad of police, maybe even several squads, stood pointing their guns directly at us from behind multiple cop cars. The City Hall stood looming in the background, the mayor watching as all eyes were on us. I had never had a gun pointed at me in my life, and I knew deep down it couldn't kill me unless it was a shot to my heart or head.

"Put your hands where we can see them!" A older-looking officer yelled, his voice echoing all around his silent town. Each one of us followed his orders and raised our hands slowly, confusion and caution making us extremely alert. I wanted everyone to shift and get the hell out of here but I was too curious as to why they were holding us at gunpoint.

"And none of your shifting tricks." The same officer yelled, his voice slightly shaking.

My heart skipped a beat when Issac took a step forward, his hands still up. "We mean you no harm." His voice traveled down the street we were standing on. "You know us, we've never hurt you!"

"Lies!" A distant voice shouted, the mayor on top of the City Hall steps. "They're from the mountains, they're hear to kill me and this whole town. I'm sick of being under their control." Spit flew from his mouth and his face was red from anger. He thought we were from Alpha Kane's pack, sent to kill them like they always did.

"You couldn't be more wrong." Issac replied, his face serious and focused. "We're here to inform you-"

He was cut off abruptly and the next few seconds were all a blur. My vision was in slow motion. The piercing sound of a shotgun being fired rang out and made my ears ring. My eyes followed the source of the sound and saw a young officer rear back from the force of his gun. My eyes then moved to the bullet, whizzing through the air. It reflected sunlight for a brief moment, a flicker of silver and my heart stopped. The bullet was pure silver and it was heading straight for my Mate.

Before I could react and run towards him, his body whipped backwards from the piece of metal entering and exiting his chest. I saw him stagger backwards and drop, everything still moving like a nightmare.

Growls and ripping clothes sounded all around me as I fell to my knees next to Issac, a pool of blackened blood pooling across his t-shirt.

Clary

Issac was yelling at the top of his lungs, his back arching off the ground in pain. I could tell he had tried to shift right before the bullet hit him, his fangs and claws out and eyes pure black. I was filled with panic as I leaned over him, ripping off his jacket and his sweatshirt at lightning speed. I pressed the sweatshirt to the wound and applied pressure; making his screams pierce my ears once more.

I dared to take my eyes off of him for a split second to look up at what the others were doing. They had all shifted and were in the process of dodging bullets and attempting to relieve the cops of their weapons. I quickly looked back down to Issac who had stopped yelling in agony. His eyes were slammed shut and he was breathing heavily out of his nose, trying to heal himself.

I leaned over him more and took his hand with my free one, still applying pressure to his horrible wound. I shut my eyes tightly and willed every ounce of energy I had into him. I pictured the bullet wound right above his heart healed, and the black blood oozing from the silver gone. After he yelled out in pain again I opened my eyes only to see the amount of blood doubling and his skin pale white.

"We have to get him back!" I yelled to the others at the top of my lungs, protecting Issac's body with my own from the stray bullets still being shot.This trip wasn't worth it anymore, we had wanted to inform the humans of the war but it was only turning out to be a living nightmare. We were out numbered, but wolves always win against humans. Unless deadly silver bullets are involved.

"Stop!" I yelled again after no one heard and kept fighting blindly, trying to get close enough to a cop and disarm them. I couldn't take Issac back on my own and was beginning to panic. I looked down to Issac and felt tears flow right down my cheeks, he was unconscious and the pool of black blood around him was getting too big.

I quickly stood up and sucked in the deepest breath, trying not to shift right then and there. My Wolf took control over my voice and I mustered up all the authority I could. "Stop!" I yelled as strongly as I could, my piercing voice ricocheting off the concrete buildings.

Silence followed my command and guns stopped firing, every wolf's and human's eyes landing on me. "We need to leave now, Issac is dying!" I yelled shakily. If one more bullet went off I don't know if I could control myself.

My pack's eyes went to their Alpha laying in a pool of his own poisoned blood and the humans seemed in shock as to why they couldn't move or shoot anymore. "Help me take him home, now." I looked to each of my pack members and felt the slightest bit of relief when they reacted to my words and ran towards us.

Lucas and the fighters who came along crowed around my Mate. The four wolves placed their snouts under Issac's body and attempted to place his limp form atop Lucas back. Rosaline's Mate came running out from hiding in an alleyway, most likely put their by his Mate and helped to make sure Issac stayed steady.

I felt so angry and enraged that I completely ignored Nina and Rosaline when the tried to nudge me to follow them and the others. Instead, I turned to the confused, frozen humans still starring at me in fear as my pack left me alone. I had no clue they'd be forced to obey an Alpha's command like my pack, but I was beyond relieved when it worked.

"You don't even know who you just shot did you?" I yelled fiercely. "We wanted to help you and you put a silver bullet in my Mate's chest!" My body wouldn't stop shaking, I had never felt this sort of anger. And I'd never felt this much power over so many people.

"A war is coming, and we were going to protect you." I growled, knowing my fangs were out and my eyes were swirling black by the look of fear I received. "Now you'll have to defend yourselves."

I turned away, not wanting to give them anymore of my time. The others had probably made it to the cars by now. The panic about Issac that had diluted for a moment was now back full force and I began to run. I heard shuffling and shouting behind me but just wanted to turn the corner and never see these people again.

"Kill her before she leaves, she is Kane's daughter and she must die!" Someone screamed and I stopped short. I spun around and saw the mayor ripping a heavy-duty gun out of a cop's grasp.

Faster than I thought possible, he aimed it towards me and pulled the trigger. My reflexes caused me to move out of the way, but he was aiming for my chest. The silver bullet managed to rip through my arm, just below the shoulder. I felt nothing but white-hot pain for a split second and then I went numb, my body snapping forward and shifting in an animal.

Everything was black for about a minute. I heard the sickening sound of claws on flesh and the gargling screams of someone choking on blood. More bullets went off and sharp pains erupted all over my back.

The blackout vanished and I could see the clear, horrible scene in front of me. I was standing and starring at a crowd of cops who had run out of bullets. My eyes moved down from the fearful faces and saw blood splattered all over my white coat. But it wasn't all mine.

Below my paws laid the Mayor, his throat ripped out and his eyes open but unseeing. I whimpered loudly and stepped off his chest, feeling pain everywhere in my body. I must've been shot at least ten times. I felt panic swirl into my blinding pain and willed myself to run. I always ran.

As I slowly ran I felt every bullet wound like it was happening all over again. I shut my eyes and ran down the empty street, whimpering so loud I couldn't hear my own thoughts. I was a murderer. I was just like my father. My mind wouldn't let anything else but those sentences echo around in my mind.

I turned a corner, the parking lot filled with my packmates now in sight, and finally collapsed.

I saw Issac's body being laid into the back seat, and I strained to hear his low heartbeat from my distance. He had to survive, he couldn't leave me.

Panicked shouting erupted from everyone noticing me collapsed on the pavement. Lucas and Nina and two fighters came running up to my limp body and I looked up at them, blood trickling into my eyes.

The last thing I saw I had convinced myself was a trick my mind played, a hallucination. My eyes caught sight of two white wolves atop a roof of a nearby building. Their beady eyes watching the chaos unfold from above.

*

I didn't want to open my eyes. Every time I tried, the bright white light above me would attack my sharp eye sight and make my head throb.

I was on my stomach and not looking directly at the blinding light, but every where around me it was white. White sheets, white pillows and a big white room. I just wished they'd turn off the lights.

I kept my eyes shut but when I did I just saw white wolves and white mountains.

*

The lights were off and I was on my back the second time I woke up. I felt remarkably well and once I gained movement in all my limbs I pushed myself to a sitting position, my eyes still closed slightly. My head swayed for a little but I took in a deep breath to steady myself. The back of my eyes ached and the skin on my back was numb. I felt disgusting, even though my body was completely clean.

I sighed heavily and opened my eyes more, looking down the row of beds. It was dim all around me in the infirmary, like it had been the time I stayed with Issac, but all the beds were empty.

"You're awake." My head snapped to the end of my bed and I was met with the light eyes of my Mate's brother. "How do you feel?" Tobias mouth curved into the smallest smile and I felt confusion enter my mind at his expression.

"Shitty." I mumbled. My mind was numb and I felt thoughts pressing to be noticed, but I shoved them away.

"It's truly remarkable." Tobias stood up but kept his eyes on mine. "You were shot in the back twelve times by silver bullets, and yet you wake up practically healed."

I nodded and looked away, already knowing pure-bloods aren't affected by silver. I healed like they were just regular bullets.

"I know you're still feel lousy, but I've got to take you upstairs right now, doctors orders." Tobias offered me a hand. Confusion swirled around my brain and when I opened my mouth to reply, my throat felt too dry and scratched to speak.

"Yeah, you've probably lost your voice." Tobias muttered as he just took my hand himself and pulled me up. "You screamed for a good hour after you shifted back and drifted in an out of consciousness."

I pressed a hand to my throat in thought, memories just staring to surface. Finally the pressing thoughts broke past my mental barrier and I remembered it all. Memories stared flooding back to my mind and I was powerless to stop the emotional tidal wave coming down on me. Issac. The silver bullets. The Mayor. The white wolves on the roof.

"He's alive, Clary." Tobias stated as he began to walk, or drag, us towards the door. His voice was tired and low; exhausted. Relief had washed over me, but his words were so general. Was he fully or barely alive? Would I see his smiling face soon or a suffering, pain-filled one?

"T-take-" I forced out, feeling blood in the back of my throat. "Take me to him." I used the mind link instead of straining my throat. I clung onto Tobias's arm and ignored every thought in my head besides Issac's well-being.

"I am." He replied, pushing open the doors and leading us down the hallway. "But, it isn't good Clary. The poison from the bullet entered his blood stream and he's struggling. Nina says your healing is the only thing he's got left."

I stared to breath heavily, my nails digging into Tobias's arm. He didn't react to my panicked actions and as we climbed the stairs quickly, I caught Issac's scent. Letting go of his arm, I ran down the hall and shoved open the door I knew my Mate was behind.

My eyes watered in sadness as I took in the sight of him on the bed, tangled in the wet sheets. He was sweating from the poisonous fever racking his body. But the worst thing was his veins. They were black under his skin, confirming the silver in his system. The blackened bullet wound looked gruesome and beyond painful.

Nina sat near the end of the bed, her expression drained and energy low from trying to heal her Alpha. Marcus has been pacing the room, but stopped short when I had entered the room.

"Issac." I managed to get out as I bolted across the room and climbed into the bed. I knew what I had to do, and knew that this time I could make it work. Back when he'd first been shot, my healing abilities were useless because of my panicked state. I had to be calm for it to work.

Grabbing both his hands, I flinched slightly at the burning hot skin. I slammed my eyes shut, and laid my head against his bare chest, finding his slow heartbeat. I pictured the black veins gone and the fever broken. I pictured the wound from the bullet healed and every other part of him that had been hurt.

"C'mon." I whispered into his wet, burning skin. My energy was draining fast but I used all my strength and kept healing him.

Slowly, his body temperature lowered. His heartbeat quickened and I felt my head rise and fall consistently on his chest. Relief crashed over me once I lifted my head and looked at him. No more black veins littered his flawless skin. I let out a shakily breath when his dark green eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light.

"Issac." I said his name even though my throat hurt. I smiled, feeling tears slipping down my cheeks. My heart began to beat again when he smiled in response. I wrapped my arms around his neck, not caring if Nina and his family were watching us.

"You can't leave me." I whispered into his mind. He had responded to my embrace and encased me in his arms. I had felt so panicked and scared, and now I felt nothing but relief.

"I'm not going anywhere." Issac's words floated around in my head in our own personal mind link. My Wolf relaxed considerably from the sound of his voice. I had hated being a pure-blood my whole life but as of right now, I was beyond grateful for my healing abilities when it came to saving my Mate.

I helped him sit up, but kept my arms wrapped around his torso as I leaned against his warm body. Marcus came over, eyes red and expression relieved, and took his son's hand. I looked at Issac as he smiled slightly at his dad, something I'd never seen.

"You are so strong, just like your mother." Marcus said quickly, his lip trembling. The man was so lonely and broken, only having his sons to live for. I had hated him at first glance, but now I had come to admire him. The topic of Issac's mother still felt uncomfortable though, especially with Issac knowing the truth of her death.

"Thank you." Issac broke off my train of thought and I saw him squeeze his father's hand, sincerity in his expression. "Could I have a moment alone with Clary, please?" He added, letting go of his father's hand and looking to Nina and Tobias at the door.

"Of course." Marcus replied. He turned away and exited the room, Nina and Tobias following him and closing the door. Silence floated throughout the bedroom once we were alone.

"Water." I said into Issac's mind, gesturing towards the glass on the bedside table. He turned around and grabbed it, handing it to me while his dark eyes watched me intently. I knew what he was going to ask, and my heart was pounding. I drank the cold water quickly, my throat feeling a bit better.

I handed him the empty glass and he set it back on the table. Once he turned back around, he pulled me close again resting his forehead against mine gently.

"What happened back there, Clary?" He whispered, his breath moving my hair. His words made my heart drop and suddenly I was back at the City Hall with bullets ripping through me as I ripped out the Mayor's throat.

"I-I, I killed him, Issac." I forced out, knowing that keeping it a secret would only make it worse. "The Mayor." A small part of me had wanted to bottle it up and never tell anyone, but secrets had turned out to be my worst enemy. I had no clue how he'd react, but I trusted him so much; I knew I could tell him.

He had tensed up at my words but still held me tightly, our foreheads still touching. "Why?" He whispered. It was the first thing I knew he'd say if he didn't freak out, but I still didn't know how to reply.

I swallowed nervously, my hands now shaking. "He thought I was still one of them, part of Kane's pack. He thought I was a monster and shot me." I was crying now and I didn't think I could stop. "Everything went black and when I could see again I ran, like I always do."

"I'm just like him Issac. I'm just like my father." I let go of him and buried my face in my hands, not able to accept his comfort or watch his reaction.

"Hey." Issac grabbed my hands with his own and pulled them away, but I didn't dare look up at him. "I know you've got every reason to convince yourself you are just like him, but you're not. You hear me Clary, you are nothing like that man."

"The blood in your veins is the only thing you have in common with that monster." He continued. "But I know if you could, you would change that. Clary you just lost yourself for a moment, but now you're here and we're both alive."

I sniffled and finally plucked up the courage to look at him. His green eyes were filled with sincerity and concern and it warmed my aching heart. "Just help me get through this, please." I whispered, my throat hurting again. "I need to take him down." I added, knowing I couldn't live my life with the threat of my father stealing it away.

"I will." Issac nodded, reaching a hand up to wipe away a stray tear. "As long as you help me as well." He added with the smallest of smiles, lighting the mood. I nodded in reply, knowing I would do anything in my power to keep him alive and strong. I knew deep down we had the lower hand in this war, but we had something they didn't.

Pure-bloods had the strength they were born with. This pack had the strength they built up over time. And in the end that is what I decided would be our strongest weapon.

Kane's POV

"Alpha Woods is still alive, father. Spies on the borders have confirmed." My son said slowly, his jaw clenched tight and eyes looking down. He looked so much like me, but lacked my confidence and authority; something he'd have to acquire if he wanted to take over the greatest pack known to wolf-kind.

I growled lowly, and looked out into the distance. We were standing on one of the highest parts of the mountains, the air thin and cold around us. My eyes narrowed at the never ending forests below, the home of humans and half-bloods. It disgusted me to live so close to them, but that would change soon. Once they were dead and gone, my pack would spread beyond our mountains.

My Wolf was pacing in my mind, upset that our trap to kill Issac Woods and Clary hadn't worked. We had sent a note to the Mayor saying we were sending men to kill him; knowing that Issac would be visiting the human settlement that day. I heard the screams and gun shots from miles away, and was disappointed that they had survived.

"We still stick with the plan." I said, my voice low. "We attack tomorrow at sundown, and the Alphas will be my first targets. Make sure everyone is prepared, no one isn't fighting."

"But the children-" Zak started.

"All of those who have shifted are eligible to fight." I cut him off abruptly. "The rest can stay here and wait for our return." I hated when people questioned me, especially on things I've already covered.

Zak crossed his arms and nodded. He had been so distant after Clarissa had left us, and I didn't understand it. She was a traitor, one that we couldn't pity or try to save. I had chosen to ignore my son's distress, an focus on the up coming war.

"Also, the Mayor is dead." Zak added after a lengthy silence. "And Clary is the one who killed him."

A smile broke out on my face. "I guess my daughter isn't as cowardly as I thought." My voice trailed off, excited with the murderous genes I had passed onto her. It was time she realized killing the humans was the easy and effective option. But she had still left the pack, and for that I would never accept her.

Zak took in a deep breath and then exhaled, a white cloud of breath circling his face. "Get some rest son, you look tired, and I won't have tired warriors." I snapped at him.

"I don't think the kind of tired I am can be helped by rest." He replied, his dark brown hair blowing back from the wind. I didn't understand his words and after a few moments, he turned his back on me; walking back down towards the village.

I growled to myself, not caring for anyone but myself and the security of my pack. I had to kill every wolf that wasn't pure. I had to eradicate them so the powerful blood in my veins would never be tainted by humans or half-bloods. And I would start with my daughter and her Mate.

My claws were itching to kill and my teeth were desperate to sink into my enemies. And by sundown tomorrow, my desires would be fulfilled.

Clary's POV

"Sister, where are you." A familiar voice entered my head out of the blue and sent a shock of panic throughout my nerves. It was Zak. I had bolted straight up out of my sleep and now held a bed sheet close to me; my fingers clutching it tightly.

Issac napped soundlessly next to me, his chest rising and falling and arm draped across the spot on the bed where I'd just been. The room was darkening with the sunset, and when I looked at the digital clock it read four o'clock in the evening."I'm in the pack house. Zak, what is it?" I replied quickly, shutting my eyes so I could concentrate.

"It's going to happen. Soon." He said slowly, his voice strong yet wavering with sadness. My panic was replaced with the thump of realization of what he was saying. The plan my brother and I had created had to start. I had told the whole plan to Issac about an hour ago, while we were alone and curled close in his bed. I didn't predict we'd have to begin tonight, though. I knew this war was coming, I just didn't like thinking it could be this soon.

"When." I said slowly into his mind that was probably miles away. My voice was almost a whisper and I could practically feel my brother's uneasiness from our link.

"Tomorrow at sundown. Clary, you and Issac need to leave now and let everyone know about the plan." Zak desperatly added. I could feel tears burn the back of my eyes but I kept them back.

I took in a shaky breath. "Ok, ok. We're leaving within the hour." I replied, my heart pounding so hard in my chest it actually hurt. After all of this waiting and planning, it was finally time. My emotions refused to react, they were numb as I spun around and began to wake up my Mate.

"Be safe, Clary." Zak pleaded, his voice low. I felt him cut off the link right after his last words so I didn't reply.

"Issac." I said loudly in order to wake him up. I shook him not so lightly until his eyes peaked open and he groaned. My hands gripped his shoulders and I noticed a small, white scar in the shape of a bullet was imprinted onto his skin.

His green eyes instantly widened when he saw the distress on my face. "What is it, what's happened?" Issac desperately asked, eyes searching mine and a hand reaching up to cup my cheek.

"Zak. He mind-linked me, we have to leave now and begin the plan." I spoke quickly, knowing he would understand what I meant. I saw the same realization seep into his expression and raced off the bed, grabbing clothes for him and me.

"It's actually happening." He said lowly and I spun to face him. He was looking down, his mouth in a tight line. Issac shut his eyes tightly and stayed quiet for a minute. I guessed he was contacting the pack, passing on the information. I pulled two backpacks out from under the bed and stuffed them with clothes. Issac and I were leaving, it was the beginning of the plan. A key part that I hoped would stop the war. We'd travel to the opposite side of the Purum pack mountains, a place Zak and I discovered. It used to be inhabited by humans before my father, of course, slaughtered them all.

Issac and I were to stay in one of the abandoned houses, waiting until Zak gave us the signal to move into the pack house, where we'd find my father. And where we'd kill him. The death of my father would be a great loss for the Purum pack, and we were sure they'd crumble with out their beloved Alpha. I was hoping Issac and I's pack would accept the plan and keep everyone safe while we were gone. The children, the human Mates, elders, and some mothers would stay in the bunkers under The Yard in a far away clearing.

"I told them." Issca said, shooting up from the bed and took a nervous breath. He had been wary of the plan at first, not liking that my brother was involved. But since the other Alpha's and him couldn't think of a better action plan, he agreed.

"Let's go." I grabbed the backpacks and handed him one, both of us numb as we slung then onto our backs and exited the bedroom. The pack house was cold and I felt the instant tension throughout it, the information immediately changing the mood around us.

"Issac." A familiar voice shouted. Tobias and Marcus were running up the stairs towards Issac and I, their faces grave and holding a touch of panic. I felt like I was intruding on a personal moment as Issac flung his strong arms around his father and brother. Marcus's hand gripped the back of his son's neck, a grip of a proud father. My eyes watered but I quickly wiped them before they all broke apart from the giant embrace.

"I'll see you again." Issac pulled away from the two of them, his touch lingering like he didn't want to let go. "I promise." His voice was strong and sure, and I saw admiration dripping from Marcus's gaze. Things had changed between them and I was grateful.

"Brother." Issac placed a steady hand on Tobias' shoulder. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He tried at a smile and Tobias nodded, his eyes wet.

Issac let go of his family and reached for my hand which I instantly took. "Thank you for everything, you've done." I said, knowing that if I didn't I'd regret it. It sounded like a goodbye, which it sort of was, but I tried not to think about it that way.

"Thank you, Clary, without you we'd be fighting this war in vain." Marcus said, his hollow eyes surrounded by dark circles. He looked unreadable, but I could tell his words were coated in truth.

"See you soon." Issac said, patting his brother and father on the shoulder one last time before pulling me down the stairs behind them. We quickly descended them, the front door insight. I looked over my shoulder and met eyes with the two men at the top of the stairs. I saw nothing but strength looking back at me and my certainly of winning this war grew.

***

The sky above Issac and I was dark blue, dark-grey clouds rolling around; concealing the setting sun. We had walked a little ways into the woods, the familiar smell of pine and fresh air filling my senses. We were adjusting the straps of our backpacks so they'd fit on our backs when we shifted in silence. The air was so tense and thick, my stomach hurt.

"We can do this, Clary." Issac said after our deafening silence. His words helped calm my racing heart, but my nerves wouldn't settle.

"I know we can." I looked at him, my hair whipping around me in the cold wind. He looked beautiful, the evening light playing with the shadows on his face. His green eyes were dark, and mine probably matched his, and I knew deep down he was afraid. "But there's always the possibility of something going wrong."

He dropped his backpack on the pine needle-covered ground and came to stand in front of me. "Of course there is." He muttered. "And we're going to do everything we can to make sure it doesn't."

I nodded, not really able to reply. The wind swept past us again and made his longish hair messy. I lifted a hand and smoothed it down, feeling his face turned towards my touch. "Let's get going." He took my hand and squeezed it before letting it go.

I picked up my backpack and put it on, feeling awkward with it adjusted to fit a wolf. Quickly, I shifted and felt the pajamas the used to belong to Nina rip and fall to the forest floor. My body filled with warmth and I stretched my limbs, getting ready for all the running and climbing ahead.

Issac looked at me, our eyes leveled. He smiled softly, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He shifted into his huge dark-grey and brown wolf an shook out his fur. I walked up to him and rubbed my head against his neck, his closeness calming me down. There was no way I could being doing this alone.

I looked ahead a the seemingly never ending expansion of trees.

"Time to go." Issac said into my head, his voice so strong and soothing. I hated the idea of returning to my old pack, but this wasn't the moment to think.

This was the time to run.

Clary's POV

I had become incredibly familiar with the giant forest I was currently running through. Over the course of my time here, I had adjusted to dodging trees and getting pine needles stuck in my paws. I had grown up with harsh mountains and bitter cold, not warm and welcoming forests.

Issac was running slightly behind me, his legs pumping and claws ripping through the soft dirt like mine. We looked sort of ridiculous with backpacks on, but our plans were to not run into anyone.

Almost as if my thoughts were being proven wrong, I caught a familiar scent nearby. We were almost at the border and the smell of another wolf was all around me.

Digging my paws into to ground, I quickly stooped and turned to Issac. He ran past me slightly but quickly halted and shot me a look of concern. "What is it?" His voice entered my head, worry laced into his tone.

The trees casted shadows all around us, the sun almost set in the dark blue sky. Uneasiness flooded my senses as I tried to decide if we should change our course to get away from whoever I was smelling. Whoever it was they were on our territory and super close.

"There's someone close, someone from the Purum pack-" I answered. But I was cut off when a blur of movement erupted out of a grouping of bushes. Issac yelped loudly, and fell to the ground; a white wolf tackling him and wrestling him to the ground. I quickly bursted into action as I leapt forward, landing on who ever was attacking my Mate.

I could tell she was a girl, her body sleak and fast as she tried to fight both Issac and I. Issac managed to kick her off him, and I went with her, tumbling around on the forest floor in a ball of claws and white fur. I leaped backwards, putting distance between us. She swatted at me, making me rear back to dodge her sharp claws. A blur of dark fur moved behind her and Issac had her back leg in his jaws, making her howl in pain.

My ears rang but as I looked at her, I identified who she was. Her scent was familiar to me beacuse I grew up with her. Lira. The last person I saw before I returned to Issac all those days ago.

"Stop!" I yelled into Issac's head, making him perk up his ears and let go of his death grip on Lira's leg. It was slick with dark blood, but I could tell it was already healing.

I reached out to her with my mind. "Lira?" I said slowly, her dark eyes narrowing at me. I couldn't have her howling and attracting more of her pack members. "Lira, you have to let us go."

She quickly darted away from Issac, her eyes shooting daggers at him. "You're going to kill him aren't you? Your father." Lira said through our link, her voice low and unreadable. I remembered her and Zak always being close when we were growing up and wondered if he had let her know about the plan he made with Issac and I.

"This is what you want, right?" I pleaded with her. I really had no choice here, it was either convince her to let us go or kill her. And I don't think I could muster the courage to do the second. "You told me yourself, you wish you could forget about your true Mate. But if Issac and I win this war you'll be able to be with him, whoever he is. You can leave Damon."

I remembered that she was just like me. Placed into an arraigned marriage with some she could never love. I knew deep down, like a select few of the Purum pack, that she didn't care anything for the pureblood line. She just wanted freedom. We were so similar in so many ways. I put the pieces together that she was probably a spy patrolling our borders, forced to relay information back to Alpha Kane.

"I'm sorry I attacked you." She finally said, her ears flat on her head. Issac was watching her carefully, his dark eyes flickering between her and I. "I just- I want to believe I'm one of them. A pureblood. But I'm just not, I can't be a part of this anymore."

"Then let Issac and I go." I took a step towards her and Issac took one as well, his ears perked up and stance protective. "Let us go and we'll change everything."

Lira looked up at me, her black eyes full of regret and longing. "Please win this." She murmured into my head. "I can't live without him."

Confusion flooded my mind at her words. Had she found her true Mate? If she had, then she was experiencing the same thing I was. An internal battle between choosing love over loyalty to the pack. Whatever the circumstances, I would win this war not for just Issac and I but for everyone like us who was locked out of love because of their bloodline.

"We will." I replied, not wishing to ask her to go into to detail on her Mate and who he was. "She's letting us go." I said quickly into Issac's mind, seeing him relax considerably. I started to back away, towards the mountains again.

"You already have so many people on your side, Clary, remember that." Lira whispered into my head before turning and bounding away in a white blur, her leg completely healed.

Relief flooded throughout my body and I turned to Issac, his eyes wide and confused. He hadn't heard Lira and I's conversation and was probably wondering how I got her to let us go without a fight.

"We're okay, I know her and she is letting us go." I told him, beginning to walk in the direction of the mountains again.

"Are you sure?" Issac replied and I turned around, he was staring in the direction Lira had ran. His stance was uneasy and eyes were narrowed. "We can't afford anyone stopping us right now."

"I'm sure." I walked up to him and nudged him with my head. I would keep my senses on high alert now and we wouldn't stop until we got to the other side of the Purum pack mountain. There were many people I didn't want to encounter from this pack and I was grateful that it was only Lira we had bumped into. I couldn't help but think how different the situation would've been if I had been someone like Elijah or Paul.

"Then let's go." Issac relaxed considerably and nodded, probably deciding not to question it any farther; he wanted this to be over just as much as I did.

*

My back paw slipped underneath me as the ledge it was on broke free and tumbled down the mountain. Issac moved out of it's way and yelped as he stepped to the side and onto a sharp rock. We were currently making our way up the steepest part of the mountain, wind whipping us around and obstacles with every step.

My old pack had made trails and smooth places to travel throughout our mountainous home, but we couldn't take those if we didn't want to be caught. I knew my father would have fighters positioned everywhere, so I led Issac and I on the farthest route. My muscles were straining to push my body forward as we climbed at almost a ninety degree angle.

Issac trailed behind slightly in order to follow my exact moves. He was silent but I knew his body was aching in protest like mine. The grey and black rocks were cold and sharp, and some were slick with ice or snow. All around us was beginning to darken, daytime easing into nighttime.

I let out a loud sigh of relief when a large ledge came into view ahead, my vision still sharp even in the limited light from the setting sun. I sped up slightly and felt my paws being cut on the craggy rock. Issac whimpered behind me, making my heart leap with worry. Once I reached the ledge, I mustered up all the strength I had and leaped onto it. I landed with a thud and quickly stood to shake out my dirty fur.

Once I was steady, I turned and located Issac. He was close to the ledge but his limbs were shaking with fatigue, not able to leap onto it. I got as close to the edge as possible and leaned forward, opening my mouth and grabbing a hold of his backpack. As gently as I could, I pulled him up and over the side of the ledge. My head pounded with exhaustion but I managed to lift his whole body up with my jaws.

I crawled backwards, my belly on the ground and my mouth still clamped onto his backpack until we were far from the edge. Issac huffed out a sound of relief, the air around him turning white from his breath. I rolled onto my side and let my chest rise and fall in sync with his, the both of us healing and restoring energy. I had hoped and guessed we were almost to the top of the mountain.

"Thanks." Issac's soothing voice floated into my head. I looked at him but his green eyes were shut. I knew deep down he wasn't as strong as I was and never would be because of the blood that ran through his veins.

"We're here to help each other." I replied, not realizing how true the words were until I said them. I moved closer to him, the cold air making me uncomfortable. I nestled into his side, our bodies a combination of white and dark brown and grey fur. Our wolves were the size size and at the moment I had wished I was smaller and able to completely disappear into his side. Issac tucked my head into his neck and rested his own atop it, our wounds healing and lungs filling with much needed breath.

"I think we're almost to the top." I whispered to him, knowing that we couldn't stop to rest for too long. We had a plan that needed to be completed.

The wind whipped around us, our fur tangling in it's cold embrace. Issac lifted his head off mine and I opened my eyes to look at him. He was looking towards the horizon.

The sky had turned from dark blue to dark purple, red streaks breaking through the sky like veins. The setting sun was casting a fiery glow over everything and it was breath taking. The expansive forest of pines were half-lit with an orange light and in the distance you could see where the forest ended and the Great Plains began.

Issac slowly stood and detached himself from me. He walked to the edge of the ledge, his limbs no longer shaking with exhaustion. Another brisk wave of air blew over us, moving his fur in one direction as he stayed still. He looked beautiful right then and there, I thought to myself. The red glowing sun making him look dangerous and fragile at the same time.

"We're going to save them all, we will." Issac said to me, his voice strong as he looked out on all the humans and wolves waiting below. He really was a true Alpha, his heart loyal to his own. I stood up slowly and walked up to my Mate, leaning against him as we looked out at the miles and miles of land. "Just like we were meant to." He added.

My heart pounded with admiration and pride. We were finally doing what no one dared to do and breaking the purest bloodline known. I didn't feel sad at the fact that pure-bloods wouldn't exist anymore if we won this war, I felt relief.

"I wish I had your certainty. Your courage in the face of danger." I replied slowly, my voice small. "I want to be sure about so many things, but lately everything's been so uncertain."

Everything but you, I wanted to say but decided against it. Issac and I had been so closed off about where we really stand in our relationship. I knew we'd never leave each other, and that we cared about each other. But, I just couldn't read his deepest emotions like I wanted to. I wondered if he loved-

"You have so much courage, Clary, don't wish for something you already have." Issac spoke slowly like me. "You're probably the bravest she-wolf I know." He huffed out a sound that could be identified as a laugh if he wasn't in wolf form.

"You make me brave." I nuzzled him with my nose softly and felt him sigh lightly, his eyes closing. My touch helped him as much as his touch helped me.

"We need to make to the top and find a house to stay at." I said after a couple minutes, the sky now all dark red and orange. Tiny stars started to blink into existence and I knew we needed to make it to safety before it went pitch dark.

"Indeed." Issac muttered in reply, turning around to look up at what was left to climb. We were close to the top of the mountain, just a couple hundred feet until we could see over the other side. I turned around, my body instantly going colder without being close to Issac's, and began the short trek upward.

We climbed in silence, the only sounds around us being the howling wind and claws scratching rock. I thought of my brother at that moment, on the other side of the mountain, waiting to give us the signal to attack. I had looked up to him my whole life and tried to push away any second thoughts on his trustworthiness. There was no going back now, I thought as I maneuvered around the rocky landscape; my Mate right on my heals.

The ridge of the mountain became closer, covered in white snow that reflected the red sun. My paws slipped on the frozen ice but with years of experience, I placed my steps with caution and hoped Issac was following suit. Once we made it to the top, I let out a long breath that circled around me in the racing wind. I had never been this high up on the Purum pack mountains before, and as Issac came to stand next to me we both took in everything.

I looked away from the sun, and down the dark side of the mountain. The sky was already dark blue and black, bruised with nighttime. The mountain side dropped steadily downward, not nearly as steep as the side we just climbed. This side also was dotted with shadowy pine trees, their branches swaying in the harsh wind.

For miles and miles there was nothing but rolling hills and forest, dark rivers cutting through them like black veins. I couldn't help but realize how expansive the forest the Saltus pack could've been if the Purum pack mountains didn't slice through them. This was neutral land, just like the human settlement, but the purebloods acted like they owned it.

My heart pumped with sadness as my eyes skimmed over what looked like a small town of cottages. They were all wooden and built into the side of the mountain, probably made out of the pines seeing as tree stumps littered the mountain. The small homes were eerie and abandoned, making me shiver. No light came from their windows and silence floated through the air around them, reminding me that my father had been the one who got rid of the humans who lived here.

"Well, looks like this is the place Zak was talking about." I said quietly to Issac. I saw him nod slowly out of the corner of my eye, his gaze fixed on the creepy cottages as well. They weren't far and this side of the mountain was much easier to maneuver seeing as it was smoother and less rocky.

"Let's go to that one, it's closest." Issac spoke softly as he indicated with his head towards a small home made out of dark wood. I nodded in reply and began to make the short descent down the mountain. The snow crunched beneath my paws and I heard Issac's as well as he began to follow.

The snow abruptly ended, the mountain's grey rock surfacing. Immediately after I placed a paw onto it, I slipped and began to slide downward, not able to find purchase on the black ice that covered the ground. Issac, who was following close behind, took the same step as I and was swept off his feet with a loud yelp. We both were speeding down the side of the mountain, our claws useless on the thick ice as we continued to slide.

Everything was a blur around me and my heart was beating out of my chest in panic. I looked over at Issac who was scrambling to stop just like me, but he failing as well and our speed increased as we plummeted down the icy mountain.

I finally gave up and let my body slide down the icy slopes. Trees started whizzing by, blurs of dark wood and pine needles, and each time I tried to reach out and grab one. The once-distant cottages were growing closer and closer, and I was sure crashing into a wooden house at full speed would hurt like hell.

Wind whistled in my ears as I tried to spin my self forward in order to see clearer. A thin, yet sturdy pine tree was right in my path and I zeroed in on it, determined to stop myself. Immediately before I went sliding past it, I reached out with my jaws open and clamped them shut on the thin trunk of the tree. My body swung sideways and my neck throbbed from the forceful stop, but I was no longer mindlessly slipping down the mountain.

Everything was quiet around me, making a sting of panic go off in my chest. My sharp eyes scanned the dark area around me, looking for Issac frantically as my mouth was latched onto the tree tightly.

Relief coursed through my veins when I Identified a dark wolf half-on, half-off, a tree stump a couple hundred feet to my right. Issac's back paws were scrambling on the black ice to try and push himself up upon the stump. Once he was on it and standing, his eyes racked over the mountain just like mine had a moment ago; looking for me.

I gave out a high pitched bark that sounded weird with my mouth around the tree and his head snapped towards me. I could see his stance become less tense but his eyes were still swimming with worry.

"Are you hurt?" He said into my mind, his voice breathless and concerned. We were both surprised and shocked by the way out descent down this side of the mountain had turned out.

"I'm alright, you?" I replied. I could feel my jaw becoming sore and wished I had been smarter and chose another way to stop myself.

"A little beaten up, but at least I'm not hanging off a tree by my mouth." Issac spoke softly into my mind, his voice holding a hint of mockery. If he wasn't in wolf form I knew he'd be smiling.

"Ha ha," I said back."I wasn't thinking very well seeing as I was hurdling down a mountain covered in black ice a top speed."

"Clearly." Issac shook out his fur and dirt flew off of it in puffs of brown. I tired to look down the mountain out of the corner of my eye, seeing the cottage that Issac had chose earlier about two hundred feet away. It was all dark and far away from the others, an ink spill against the dark blue evening sky.

I decided there was no safe way to climb down this side of the mountain, it was all ice. My eyes strained to see the details of the cottage but they zeroed in a big window on it's side, just big enough.

"Race you to the house." I quickly said into Issac's head, already opening my mouth slightly. "Try not to miss it or you'll go all the way down!" I added with a laugh.

I let go of the tree, my paws already slipping on the slick ice. My body began to plummet down the smooth rock once more, faster this time, but I had more control. I heard Issac's wolf bark at me loudly before the sound of scrambling claws on ice followed.

I maneuvered around a pine tree and kicked off of it with my hind legs, increasing my speed. The house was dangerously close and I braced myself. Once I was close enough, I found enough balance to get my hind legs under me and push off; my speeding body heading straight for the thin glass of the window.

I slammed my eyes shut and felt my body smashed through the glass, my fur protecting me from most of the shards. It was quick, and I suddenly found myself tumbling into the cottage and landing with a thud on a hard mattress. Grey, dusty air floated around me from the impact and my head spun with adrenaline.

The sound of skidding claws and body racing down the ice outside woke me out of my daze and I scrambled out of the way, my limbs sore. A dark blur burst through the broken window, hitting away the loosing shards of glass my body had missed, and landed right where I had been.

"I win." I said proudly, watching Issac stumble onto his feet.

"That was an incredibly dangerous thing to do." His voice serious yet suppressing a hint of something unreadable. Issac stood up slowly and jumped off the creaky mattress, the white sheets on it old and unused.

"And yet you did it as well." I said, mentally smiling. I c****d my head to the side, eyeing him carefully. He was a shadow amongst the wooden wall as he came to stand near me. We were both standing in the small, dark cottage, surrounded by the old smell of wood and mildew.

"True." His wolf seemed to smile and I stepped forward to nuzzle his neck. He responded instantly and both our nerves were instantly calmed by the others touch.

"Looks like this is the place we're staying at tonight." I spoke quietly and stepped away from his warm body. I felt dirty and exhausted and as I looked down I noticed bloodstains across my white fur from my skin getting cut on the craggy rocks.

I looked to Issac and he nudged his head to something behind me. I turned around and took in the rest of the dark cottage. The mattress had been on the far side of the room and the cottage was just one big room. Dilapidated furniture and creaky wooden floors furnished the one room home, and something caught my eye in the corner.

A four-clawed, white bathtub was tucked into the corner of the cozy yet stuffed cottage. There was only two windows, one broken by us and the other near the small wooden door.

"Not what I imagined, but it'll do." Issac's voice floated around the room instead of inside my head and I spun around to look at him. He stood in human form, holding his backpack in just the right way where I didn't get an eyefull. He looked so handsome in this light, his shadowy, chiseled features illuminated in the rising moonlight.

"I'm going to take a bath." I said, trying to keep my mind from wandering. I knew it was just us, a bath and a bed and I had no clue what would happen. But I knew I was filthy from the journey and every bone in my body was sore.

I saw Issac's mouth curl up in a smirk, making my veins flood with warmth. "Alright." He said turning around and walking towards the bed.

"Alright." I replied back, trying not to let my eyes linger on all the skin he was showing. He had always been confident, where as I had never thought of ever having the chance to show my entire self to another person I love. I never thought I'd be able to be with the one I was destined to love-

I cut off my thought, surprised by the emotions and feelings I had just admitted to myself. Was I really in love?

I turned around and looked towards my Mate once more. Issac had put on a pair a shorts and was cross-legged on the mattress, a cellphone pressed to his ear. I hadn't even noticed he had pulled it out of his backpack and was having a conversation.

"Everyone's calm at the moment, they all knew this was coming it was just a matter of time." Marcus's voice could be heard on the other end. "I'm happy to hear you and Clary are safe at the house, call me or your brother tomorrow."

Issac let out a breath he seemed to be holding in, as if being far away from his pack was physically hurting him. It must've been, I thought to myself. This was his first time crossing the border and leaving his family and packmates behind. I remembered when that had been me, putting everything behind you for something else.

"Thank you, I will." Issac muttered, even though there was no chance of me not hearing him. "I'll see you all soon, okay?"

"I pray every moment that you do, my son." Marcus's reply was hard to hear on the other end of the line, his voice strained. The phone clicked, signaling him hanging up. The small, dark cottage became cold with silence but I didn't look away from Issac.

As he lifted his head and looked out the broken window, a gust of wind came through it and ruffled his disheveled hair. His eyes gazed into the night as if they could look past the huge mountain surrounding us and straight to his pack and family on the other side.

And right then and there, in this crumbling wooden cottage, I'd decided I was in love with him.

Tobias's POV

"Take a break, Tobias, all we have to do is wait. We have all our fighters in position and humans and children in the bunker." Luke said, his green-blue eyes staring at me with concern. His wife Silvia, the Lacus pack Luna, was standing behind him with arms crossed.

My eyes flickered to the other pack Alpha, Amar. His muscular arms were tense as he leaned against the office window and out into the inky sky outside. His golden eyes moved to look at me with the same concerned look as Luke and I sighed. "Alright." I breathed out. "Just keep your mind links open and don't-"

"Tobias." Luke spoke again, his voice stern. The dim lamps in the office reflected off everyone eerily, shadows casted all around our tense forms. Luke's fatherly instincts were rubbing off on me and I didn't like it. I had a father. Even if he was mentally unstable and almost always no where to be found.

"See you in the morning." I muttered and spun around, walking to the door. I looked towards the couch where Amar's son, the Beta of the Patet pack, was lounging. He was built tall and muscular like his father but had the fragile and exotic look of his mother. I didn't know his name but he was the same age as me and I couldn't help but relate to him.

As soon as I closed the office door behind me I let out a long breath, puffing out my cheeks and combing my fingers through my hair. I began to walk down the empty, dark hall; thinking about everything.

My father had contacted me saying Issac and Clary were safe in a cottage on the other side of the mountain. I felt relieved at the news, but nothing could calm my racing nerves. Every thought I had centered around the up coming war and I couldn't concentrate.

Rushing through the maze of hallways my skin inched with warmth and my teeth ached because of my fangs coming out. My breathing was heavy and I finally bursted through the back door, instantly leaping forward and shifting.

My lack of sleep and constant anxiety was building up and I desperately needed a run. The stars above me swam in the dark blue sky and the pine trees ahead reached up towards them, familiar and calming. My brown fur whipped straight to my body as I ran through the woods, breathing in the smells and leaping off fallen trees.

I caught many unfamiliar scents from the other packs. Ones that smelled of lake water and sand, the Lacus pack, and ones that smelled of dry grass and sunlight, the Patet pack. I was almost at the border, about to turn around, when my nose twitched with an entirely new scent. It was everywhere and it was hypnotizing.

My Wolf stopped dead in his tracks and stared forward, taking huge lung-fulls of the intoxicating smell. The scent was like fresh rain and honey, and something unfamiliar. It was close and I couldn't stop myself when I began to take steps forward. Darkness surrounded me but my vision was sharpened by determination.

Suddenly, like a ghost out of the mist, a blur of movement caught my eye. In the midst of the black forest my eyes zeroed in on a pale girl standing halfway out from behind a tree. She was beautiful and she was staring at me.

Her scent was the one I was following, but it held a hint of something dangerous. Something I always smelled on Clary.

She was from the Purum pack, my mind screamed at me.

My body froze up as I tried to take in everything about her. Her white-blonde hair was chopped to her shoulders and her eyes were such a dark brown, they were almost black. The girls skin was pale and porcelain like Clary's had been when she lived in the mountains. She was as beautiful looking as she was dangerous and I had no clue what to do.

My Wolf was pushing me towards her but I kept my paws dug into the dirt, not moving. We were staring each other down, unable to take action. A whimper built up in my chest, my Wolf pleading with me to go to her, and I began to back away. I didn't trust myself and fear ran through my every nerve.

The girl frowned at me, but before my eyes could watch her anymore, I turned and darted away.

Away from my Mate and away from the enemy.

***

"There he is!" Nina's voice yelled from above and I looked up. I was in the driveway of the pack house, my body tense and shaken. My eyes scanned the roof of the huge house until they landed on two figures, Nina and Lucas. "Come up here!" Her voice yelled again, so familiar and sweet.

I had always had a small crush on her but she was my best friend's twin and not my Mate, so I never acted on it. And now I definitely couldn't have any romantic thoughts about her, not after what had just happened.

The girl from the woods' scent still swam around in my mind and her face flashed across my vision every time I blinked. "I'll be up in a moment." I said back into both their minds, tired and distracted.

I ran inside into the entryway and instantly leaped up to the second floor balcony, not taking the stairs. I rushed into my room and shifted back, my veins cooling down and spine straightening out with a crack. I grabbed an old hoodie and shorts and slipped them on, walking to my bedroom's balcony and opening the doors.

The winter air hit me hard and blew back my short hair as I jumped upward, climbing to the roof. Once I made it the the flat top where Nina and Lucas were, I let out a small sigh and stuffed my hands into the pocket of my hoodie.

"Care to join us as we fulfill our boring job of being look-outs?" Lucas cracked a smile my way, his chestnut hair ruffled by the wind. I always liked his bright personality, but at the moment it couldn't cheer me up.

"Sure." I replied, sitting next to them. they had laid out blankets and pillows on the roof of the pack house and were eating a bag of chips as if this was a normal night.

Nina looked at me out if the corner of her hazel eyes, assessing my mood.

"I'm just nervous, okay?" I said quickly to her before she could open her mouth and bombard me with questions I couldn't answer.

"Okay." She said, the corner of her mouth going up in a smirk. Her and her brother looked so alike with their tan hair and sly, green-brown eyes.

"What do ya' think Issac and Clary 're doing in that cottage?" Lucas said through a mouth full of chips. He swallowed and continued. "They're all alone on the deserted side of the mountain." He smiled crookedly.

"Well if they're doing what I'm thinking, then it's about time." Nina replied pulling the hood of her sweatshirt over her head. "I've never seen Mates wait that long to, well-you know." She trailed off.

I scoffed softly at her words, a smile creeping onto my face. We were talking about my brother's s*x life and it made me laugh at how nonexistent it was. If him and Clary were doing what we all guessed they were, then good for him. I felt a pang in my chest at the though of Issac being with his Mate, seeing as mine was a mystery.

I brushed away the thought of the pale, beautiful girl before Lucas and Nina would ask about my distant mood.

"Yeah, they're a weird couple," Lucas breathed out. "but they're going to save us all if this plan of theirs works."

"Didn't Clary say her brother was involved?" Nina questioned, the wind blowing passed us and bring the sharp smell of pine trees with it.

I nodded. "Issac takes so many risks, trusting all those pure-bloods." I muttered. If I was in his place, I don't know if I could put as much faith as he is into the enemy.

"I believe some of them are like us." Lucas said quietly. He had the ability to change moods so quickly. Comical to serious in a split second.

"What do you mean." I asked, hugging myself in my hoodie and feeling oddly cold all of a sudden.

"Some of those wolves living up in those mountains don't want to be pure-bloods." Lucas replied. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and noticed him gazing at the Purum pack mountains in the distance. "They want to be free."

"Clary can't be the only one who disagrees with her father." Nina added, her voice even softer and quieter then her twin's.

I thought about my Mate in the woods and how still and quiet she was. I thought about how she didn't attack me or look at me like I was dirt like most of the Purum pack wolves would've.

"Well we're setting them all free." I quickly added, my voice low. "We're winning this war and changing everything."

"I sure hope you're right." Nina spoke with a distant voice as she pulled her legs up rested her chin on her knees.

I looked out towards the snow-capped mountains in the distance. The navy nighttime sky making them dark and ghostly. I thought of my brother and his Mate and how they're were there waiting while we were here doing the same.

It was a waiting game. And once the time was up I didn't know what would happen.

Clary's POV

"Come take a bath with me." I whispered as I smiled lightly. I peaked over the edge of the bathtub, the water just beginning to fill up. My hair, an unruly mess, was tied in a loose bun atop my head.

I was surprised when clean, semi-warm water began to leek out of the old faucet and into the large bath, thankful I could clean off the dirt and blood from my skin.

My eyes were watching Issac's as he turned his head to me, green eyes swirling with numerous emotions. He had been silent, still sitting atop the mattress, as I shifted back and plopped down in the tub completely bare.

The cottage was lightless and shadowed and gave me confidence, seeing as my body was practically hidden in the dark water of the bath. The moonlight was peaking through the cracks in the wooden walls and through the broken window we smashed.

"I have an idea." Issac replied, scooting off the dingy mattress and crawling to his backpack nearby. I watched intently as he rummaged through it and pulled out a pack of matches. I raised my eyebrows at him as he smiled at me, confused by his excitement.

Issac stood up and walked to a small fireplace I hadn't even noticed, seeing as it was hidden behind an old, worn dresser. His arms gripped the heavy piece of furniture and pushed it out of the way, the muscles prominent under his skin. I watched his every move, my senses were acting weird and my Wolf was purring in the back of my mind.

He took a match out of the packet and swiped it across the side, a small flame illuminating his side of the room. Issac tossed it into the fireplace, old, half-burnt wood still inside, and watched as it came to life. Orange light ignited the small home, shadows casted everywhere and dancing with the moving flames.

Issac turned to look at me, his face half lit and bare chest catching every shadow perfectly. I sank lower into the warm water, only my eyes peering over the edge of the tub at him. The room was quiet, but no words needed to be said.

He walked painfully slow over to where I was and reached over to turn the faucet off, the calming rush of water halting and leaving the cottage dead quiet except the crackle of the fire. I curled up onto one end of the bath and rested my chin on the edge of the tub, my eyes following Issac.

He crouched in front of me, his green eyes so dark and captivating. A warm hand came up to brush against my cheek and I felt warmth flow through every nerve of my body. I reached out a wet hand and ran in up the side of his neck, threading it into his hair gently.

"Are you going to join me or not?" I whispered, my voice low and somewhat unfamiliar. My mood was ever changing and I couldn't pin down one certain emotion, I was feeling everything and nothing at the moment and just wanted Issac close.

He smiled softy, his fingers tracing down my cheekbones, across my chin and down the hollow of my throat. I shivered and knew he noticed. "Make room." Issac said, his voice was intoxicating and put an even bigger smile on my face.

I turned to face the faucet again, watching the clear water ripple and reflect the dim, orange light from the fire. Issac crawled into the tub, his sweatpants forgotten on the floor. He sunk into the bath, the water reaching mid-chest on him. I was lower in the tub, the water tickling my shoulders.

"Nice isn't it?" I smiled, skimming my hands along the surface of the water. Issac rested his arms along the sides of the tub, stretching his legs out to go on either side of me. I hugged my knees and rested my chin on them as we stared at one another.

"Mhm." He nodded slowly, his eyes narrow because of his small smile. The fire's light was playing with the black shadows on his face and he looked gorgeous, if that was the right way to put it. I felt pulled to him but sat still on my side of the tub.

"It's been crazy hasn't it." My voice started, calm and sort of disconnected. "Us." I gestured to the both of us. We had always been so focused on what was going on around us that we'd never take time to figure things out. I knew I loved him and when I looked into his eyes, I had hope that he could see that.

"I guess Fate didn't want us to have it easy." Issac replied his face relaxing as he took a breath and looked towards the fireplace. I stared at him, feeling like he wasn't done talking. "But I don't like easy. Easy is simple and boring, you don't change anything easily. It's been hard but it's been hard for a reason. We're meant to change everything, it's why we found each other."

I stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about his words. He said just the right things and his thoughts seemed to be just like mine, our minds always on the same page. I had never had anyone like that. Someone to back me up, someone who understands things like I do. I guess that's what love was. An understanding of two souls.

"There's just been so much pain." I whispered into my skin. I wanted to swim across the tub and just sit in Issac's arms, but I also wanted to talk about us. What we were and where we stand.

"Pain changes you." Issac replied, his eyes sill gazing into the fire. "I've changed so much I don't think I'd recognize who I was months ago."

"Me too." I said softly, running my hands across my shins absentmindedly. I thought about how things would be if Issac hadn't came into my life and lit that fire in my chest that hasn't died since. I would probably be married to Elijah and forced to fight along side my father in this war.

"But it'll be over soon." Issac said, his voice quiet but strong. Whether he meant us winning or loosing, his words were true.

"Just promise me one thing." I looked towards him and he turned his gaze away from the fire and back to me. He nodded minutely, his eyes studying me. "You won't leave me." I whispered. I couldn't imagine a life without Issac and didn't want to. He couldn't leave me just like I would try my hardest not to let myself leave him.

Issac opened his mouth slightly and I heard his heart beat thump slowly in his chest. He took his arms off the sides of the tub and reached out for me, his eyes burning into mine.

I couldn't stop myself from uncurling myself from my little ball of limbs and swim into his warm embrace. He enveloped me in a tight hug as I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. I felt his lips press against my ear and closed my eyes.

"I'll never leave you, Clary." His voice, barely a whisper, made me shiver and clutch him tighter to me. His body was warm and safe and I felt like no matter what happened to me, this moment was all that mattered. Issac's arms were laced around my back, holding me against him like I was everything.

"Promise." I muttered, my mouth just above his shoulder.

"I promise." He replied instantly and I felt my heart bleed with content. I felt those three words in the back of my mind, pressing to be said but pushed them away, still nervous. I ran my fingers through the hair on the back of his head slowly, each of us enjoying the other's touch.

After what could've been a couple minutes or an hour, I moved out the tight embrace and rested myself between his legs; my back to his chest. Issac rested his chin on my shoulder and his hands skimmed up and down my sides absentmindedly.

I reached out and rubbed the small amounts of dried blood and dirt off my legs and arms, the both of us quiet. Once my skin was smooth and clean, I leaned back, resting the back of my head on Issac's shoulder as his was on mine.

"Are you tired?" He whispered into the skin on the side of my neck. My heart was thumping irregularly in my chest and I had hoped he didn't notice. Despite our long and treacherous trip here, I was wide awake.

I shook my head. "No."

"Hm, me neither." Issac muttered, his sentence trailing off as he pressed his lips to the skin where my neck and shoulder connected. Fire was blazing through my veins and my mind was numb to everything but his touch. Issac's lips moved up along my jaw, each kiss like a scalding, pleasurable burn.

His arms, holding my sides suddenly moved to turn me around; my legs going to either side of his waist as he turned me to face him. Pieces of my hair that were coming out of the sloppy bun I had put it in were falling into vision. Issac reached up two hands and tucked them behind my ears, his palms resting on the pulse at my throat.

I felt those three words in my mind again, begging to be said. Our faces were so close and our eyes were piecing into one another. The world outside this cottage didn't matter. The war, my father and the blood in my veins didn't matter for the first time in my life, and I had Issac to thank for that.

"I love you." I whispered, my voice quiet but strong. I knew I wanted to say those words and once I did I felt like I was free. My fingers traces up his chest slowly, feeling goosebumps rise under my touch. The words I had just said floated through the room and I watched his eyes widen and lips part in reaction.

I swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling the sharp realization that maybe he didn't feel the same way. I began to pull away from him, turning my face away. I didn't feel free anymore I felt embarrassed and cold.

Before I could get far, two strong hands gripped the sides of my waist and pulled me back to where I was. I opened my mouth in protest but they were instantly covered by Issac's.

I felt sparks jump across my skin and fire race through my veins and pump into my heart. My body went limp and his hands on the side of my face were the only thing keeping me steady. The kiss was so deep and passionate I felt undeserving of it, like every movement of our mouths couldn't possibility be meant for me.

But it was for me. Every touch and caress and sound he made was for me and I forget about my embarrassment and kissed him back, hoping he would feel what I was.

We broke apart, our lungs burning. Issac held my face and made sure our eyes were alined, blue staring into green. "I love you." He finally said. My chest rose with the tiny breath I took in, the air around me disappearing.

"I've loved you the moment I heard you say your name. I've loved you whenever you'd touch me or look at me. I've loved you even when you were gone, perhaps that made me love you more. But, Clary, I'll never stop loving you." Issac said, his tone so strong and sincere I felt tears in my eyes. "Even if you broke my heart into a million, scattered pieces, those pieces would still love you. And it scared me to death, but now that I know you love me too, I'm not scared anymore."

I blinked away my tears, wanting this to be a happy moment. I smiled at Issac, my face lighting up with the words he just told me. "You don't know how long I've been wanting to hear that." I whispered back, resting my forehead on his.

His hands came up to hold my chin, his thumb running along my bottom lip. I barely blinked as I awaited his next move, his green eyes burning into me with such an intense gaze. My blood was hot in my veins and I could hear it rushing in my ears.

Issac's hand tilt my chin up slightly, bringing his lips to mine painfully slow. The kiss was slow and gentle, every contained emotion now spilling onto our lips desperately. His body under mine was all warmth and muscle, so familiar and safe.

The water rippled and splashed around us as Issac changed our position and slid my back up against the opposite end on the tub, our lips still connected. My chest was tight and burning from lack of air but I didn't want to stop kissing him. I wanted to stay stuck in this moment and not return to the cold, outside world.

Eventually, our lips broke apart, chests rising and falling with each breath. Issac hovered over me, his slightly long hair falling into his eyes. I reached up and combed it back with my fingers, causing him to laugh softly. I looked up at him, my heart beating so fast along with his.

"Where would I be without you." I muttered, mostly to myself. It was something I thought about often, a life without ever meeting Issac. It was a life I didn't want to live and a life I was eternally grateful I didn't have to.

Issac's lips tugged up into a smile as he went to bury his head into the crook of my neck, his lips kissing the sensitive skin and making me laugh. I felt his lips stay in one place, kissing and caressing the area where my neck met my shoulder. The place where his Mark should be. I stopped laughing and took in a shaky breath, my hands running up his arms and resting on his shoulders.

"Issac." I whispered. He looked up at me, his eyes dark and swirling with such an intense look I froze. I swallowed nervously, reaching up to his face and running my thumbs over the smooth skin under his eyes.

Quicker than I thought possible, he grabbed my legs and wrapped them around his waist. I yelped in surprise, but hastily snaked my arms around his neck as he stood up with me in his arms, the water running off our skin.

Issac was silent as he stepped out of the bathtub and onto the wooden floor of the cottage, my body clinging to his. Water droplets fell off our bodies as he walked us towards the old mattress. My body hit the cold sheets, but the warmth of his body was there instantly hovering over me.

His eyes were still dark and I imagined mine were the same. The mattress underneath me creaked as Issac leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine forcefully. I curled my toes and tried to ignore the cold wind blowing on us from the nearby broken window.

I smiled against his mouth, placing my hands on his chest and pushing him backwards. He sat upright, looking down at me with a look that ignited my veins and caused goosebumps to spread across my skin. I crawled to sit in his lap, my legs going to either side of him like in the tub.

My lips instantly went to his shoulder, just above his collarbone, peppering kisses across the wet skin slowly. I felt him throw his head back, most likely bitting his lip, and smiled. My teeth ran across the skin, teasing him like he did to me in the bath.

I felt his head come and rest on my shoulder, my lips still dancing across the soft skin of his shoulder. I felt my breath grow faster, both our chests touching every time they rose. Issac's lips touched my neck once more, his kissing desperate and loving.

Our hands ran across each other, trying to memorize and discover every part of the other person. I felt a quick, sharp pain in my mouth indicating my canines had came out. My body jumped slightly when I felt a prick of teeth on my own shoulder, showing that the same thing had happened to Issac.

Before I could react, a white hot pain shot through me, staring from my shoulder. There was a strong yet pleasurable pressure on the area between my neck and shoulder and my pulse raced with surprise. It was as if the world suddenly disappeared and everything was a blur around me. Warmth erupted in my heart and was pumped into every vein, making my skin sweat and my breathing difficult.

With hardly any control over myself, I leaned forward and latched my mouth onto Issac's shoulder, my teeth instantly sinking into the skin. I felt him tense up and hold me tighter, our bodies pressed against one another as our heads were buried in each other's necks.

I felt blood trickle down my shoulder and down my chest slowly. I tasted Issac's blood in my mouth, coppery and burning hot. My body was on fire and I felt like I needed to dunk myself in ice water to ever get back to a normal temperature.

Agonizingly slow, Issac opened his mouth and his teeth were pulled out of my skin. I copied him and looked down at my Mark on his skin. The area was dark red with blood and I could see the small round shape of my mouth imprinted on his tan skin. I had no clue what was supposed to happen after you Marked someone, but I reached up and ran my fingers across the inflamed skin; my healing abilities making it close up and turn into a dark red scar.

"Clary." Issac said all of a sudden, his voice odd and detached. I quickly looked up to him, my neck sore.

My chest leapt with worry at the sight of him. His mouth was dark red with my blood, some of it trickling down the corner of his mouth. But that's not what frightened me. His eyes were a bright, baby blue; just like mine. They looked odd and unnatural on him, and my head throbbed with confusion.

"I feel weird." He whispered, his eyes blinking but not changing back to their normal green. I grabbed his face and held it close to mine, studying what could possibly be going on. His eyes were the exact shade of blue mine were, there was no doubt.

"What the hell-" I began but his body jerked suddenly, his head falling back and eyes rolling into the back if his head to show just the whites of his eyes. I opened my mouth to scream, but it was all over in a matter of seconds. His face came to be in front of me again, his eyes dark green and back to normal.

"Issac-" I said, but he seem oblivious to what just happened, a small smile on his handsome face as he gazed at me. He leaned forward, his lips touching mine softly. I couldn't get the image of him with my eyes out of my head, it was all too quick and frightening.

"Now we're one." His lips whispered onto mine and I tasted my own blood on his lips. I had a feeling he had no clue what had just happened to him. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, feeling our bond tighten and the link between our thoughts and feelings strengthen.

I also felt incredibly drained, like all the energy I had had been sucked out of me in the past couple of minutes. I felt Issac's weariness too, his limbs heavy and tried as they held me close on his lap.

I slowly fell backwards onto the bed, my back hitting the mattress softly. My eyelids were heavy and my shoulder ached so much that it was now numb. I felt Issac leaned forward, his body moving to lay beside me. I heard the ruffle of the thin bed sheets as he pulled them up over us.

My body drifted off into unconsciousness with Issac's lips pressed against his Mark on my skin and the image of him with my blue eyes and my pureblood running through his veins.

Clary's POV

My eyes blinked open, my vision adjusting to the dark cabin. My head was no longer heavy with exhaustion and my body was rested and awake. I felt a warm weight across my stomach and looked down to see Issac's arm slung over it protectively.

I blushed slightly at the fact we were both completely bare and pushed his arm off gently. It was early in the morning, the time when the sun was just beginning to leak into the dark sky. I sat up and leaned off the bed slowly, not waking Issac. My eyes caught sight of his backpack and opened it to grab a white tshirt.

My feet then padded over to my own backpack on the dark wood of the floor. I pulled open the zipper and slowly took out the heavy quilt that I stuffed inside the day before. I reached to the bottom and pulled out a pair of underwear, quickly slipping them up my legs and around my hips. I dropped my bag, grabbing and wrapping the warm blanket around myself.

I turned around and let my eyes land on my Mate sound asleep on the old, dusty mattress. The skin on his neck was visible and I blushed once more as I saw my Mark imprinted onto the tan skin. It was dark red and right above his collarbones.

My hand went up to my own neck, brushing against the now extremely sensitive skin. I flinched as my fingers pressed against Issac's Mark, my nerves igniting. I held in a laugh when Issac stirred in his sleep, his neck twitching in response to me touching his Mark on my skin.

I turned around, my eyes landing on the shattered window in the wall near the bed. Cold gusts of air passed through it, but my skin was warm and unaffected by the temperature.

Carefully, I climbed out of it, struggling to keep the wool blanket wrapped around me. I balanced on the window frame, slowly turning around to face the roof. My feet stepped on a piece of broken glass still on the window and I yelped quietly, looking down with my teeth clenched in pain. I shook out my throbbing foot, already feeling it heal, and slid my body atop the roof of the cottage.

Not so gracefully, I managed to heave myself into a sitting position upon slightly slanted roof. I slowly moved to the middle,wanting to be on the other side to see the sunrise. Once I had a good view, I crossed my legs and wrapped the large blanket all around my body, the wool smelling like pine trees and dewy leaves. It smelled like home.

My eyes scanned out across the land in front of me, past the other cottages and onto the expansive forest ahead. The sky was dark purple, but on the horizon I could see the beginning of day, red and orange and beautiful. I felt so content at that moment, but I knew my mind was just holding everything back; the realization of what would happen today becoming more evident as the sun rose.

I ignored the giant, looming mountain behind me and everyone who lived on it for that moment. I forgot everything, even the boy sleeping under the roof beneath me, and just let myself enjoy the breathtaking view. The red-orange light began to grow bigger, the sky becoming painted with warm colors. The stars were fading away, and the sun's bright glow appeared on the horizon.

I prayed the warm light would melt all the black ice that covered this side of the mountain, seeing as Issac and I needed to make another journey across it.

Pine trees caught the morning light and my lips parted in awe as I watched everything unfold. I felt warmth creep up the mountain side, the sun rising higher and lighting up the frozen ground. I let out a sigh of contentment, my breath white in the winter air.

"Ouch." My head snapped around, my ears quickly identifying the owner of the voice. My eyes landed on Issac's face, only his head and hands visible as he stood on the window frame like I had. He looked up, his face lighting up when he saw me.

"Glass." He said, reaching down out of my sight but still holding onto the roof with one hand.

I heard a sharp intake of breath then his head appeared once more. Issac held up his hand, a bloody piece of glass held in his fingers awkwardly. I laughed, my chest blossoming with admiration for the boy in front of me.

Issac heaved himself onto the roof and it groaned in protest; I prayed it could hold both of us. He was shirtless and had black boxer shorts hanging low on his hips, my eyes wandering all over his body as he climbed up to be by me.

"Good morning." I said once he sat beside me, my voice soft from just waking up. I opened my arms widely, inviting him to snuggle in the giant blanket with me. He smiled at his shirt on my body and quickly ducked under the blanket to wrap it around himself.

"Good morning." Issac replied, his lips on my ear and his voice so raspy from sleep that my nerves ignited with warmth. We leaned against each other, the wind blowing around us and the sunlight creeping up towards our dark cottage. Issac buried his nose in my hair and I laughed softly, the moment becoming even better now that he was here.

"Watch the sunrise!" I laughed, reaching up and pushing his face out of my hair gently. His lips grazed my Mark and I had to slam my mouth shut to contain the sound that almost passed my lips.

Issac laughed lightly, his eyes flickering to me then back to the horizon. The sun was pretty much risen now, its blinding, orange light covering the whole forest and mountain before it. I peaked at Issac out of the corner of my eye, watching his flawless face drink in the sunlight. His green eyes looked so bright and alive.

I looked forward again, my mind wandering back to last night. Issac's eyes had shifted to a light, bright blue after he Marked me; the same shade as mine. It was terrifying and I shoved the thought away quickly, knowing he would sense something was wrong if I continued to think about it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I muttered about the view, getting my mind off the events of last night. So many good things happened, and yet I was terrified something was wrong.

"It is." Issac replied, but when I turned to look at him once more, he wasn't looking at the sunrise; he was looking at me. Warmth erputed in my chest and I felt my lips whipser the words I had said to him last night for the first time."I love you." I spoke softly.

Our faces were so close that I could see the flecks of dark brown around his iris's and I was sure he could see every freckle on my nose and cheeks. His lips curled into a smile, his eyes squinting from it.

"And I love you." He breathed out, the words so new to us yet so right. We were two people thrown into the messiest situation, and yet here we were; deciding to work it out together. I imagined us sometime in the future, living together in a small house with a view, being the leaders of a free pack.

I sighed sadly and looked away from Issac, knowing that that couldn't be possible if today went wrong. My future, Issac's future and our pack's future depended on the downfall of the Purum pack.

"I can't stop thinking about it." I muttered. My mind wouldn't let me drift away from the thought of the upcoming war and it was driving me crazy. I couldn't go a few minutes without the paralyzing fear of loosing swelling up in my chest.

A warm touch ran up my back, Issac's hand slipping under my shirt and massaging my tense muscles. I closed my eyes and leaned into his side, placing my head on his shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him close, wishing we could just live out the rest of our lives her in this old cottage.

"Then let's not." Issac said, breaking the silence. I looked up at him confused, my chin resting on his shoulder. His eyes were darker and I pulled back slightly, my mind catching on to what he was implying.

Faster then I thought possible I was carefully scooped up in his arms and maneuvered off the roof. Issac dropped down to the ground below on two feet, my body clutching tight to his. He gently helped me through the broken window we used to get outside. Once I was through, he followed suit.

Almost instantly my lips were covered by his. My eyes dropped shut and I felt my body relax considerably, his touch making my stress nonexistent. I wished I could always feel this way; light and free. I hadn't even known I was being walked backwards until the back of my legs hit the mattress and I lost my balance.

My body fell back onto the bed, a quiet laugh escaping my lips as it creaked loudly. The mattress groaned even louder as Issac jumped onto it, his body falling next to mine as he joined in my laughter. I scampered up onto my feet and began jumping wildly, Issac almost falling off the springy bed.

His laughter echoed around the small home as he pushed himself up and began to jump with me; his eyes light with the huge smile on his face.

Our childish moment was cut short when a loud, crashing sound erupted from underneath us. I screamed in surprise as the bed frame fell apart and collapsed onto the wooden floor, the mattress falling with it. Issac and I lost our balance and went down together, the bed hitting the floor with a loud thud.

I couldn't help myself from bursting out laughing at the terrified expression on Issac's face. I was sprawled across his bare chest, our legs tangled together as he held me close.

"We broke the bed." I said in a mockingly seductive voice, wiggling my eyebrows at him. He laughed and sat up with me on his lap, running his hands up and down my sides.

"Guess this place is older than I thought." He chuckled, looking past me and at the mattress that we were on that was now on the floor.

While he was distracted I looked closely at the Mark on his shoulder and studied it. It looked normal, I thought to myself, no explanation of what happened last night evident. I wondered if there was anything I didn't know about Marking. Was your Mate's eye color supposed to change to yours and then back without them knowing? Did mine change to green like Issac's?

"Still thinking about it?" Issac's lips pressed against my ear and I tensed up. I knew he was talking about the war, not last night. Although, his lips trailed down my jaw and hovered right above my Mark, making me squirm in his tight hold.

I shook my head in response. And grabbed his face from out of my neck, pulling it up so I could look him in the eyes. "Are you feeling okay?" I asked quietly.

His eyebrows raised in surprise. "Yeah?" He answer tentatively. "Are you?" He asked right after, his eyes watching me closely.

I gave him a small smile, convincing myself he'd be fine and what happened was nothing . "Never better." I muttered and leaned my forehead onto his. I just wanted to forget all the confusing things, even if it was just for a few hours. I just wanted to be with Issac and to be as close to him as two people could be.

I pressed my lips to his and felt him instantly respond, my veins igniting with warmth and happiness. I placed my hands on his shoulders and felt him groan as my finger pressed against his Mark above his collarbones.

Issac flipped us over and hovered above me, his eyes now swirling a darker shade of green. The musty, half-lit cottage we were in seemed to disappear as the amount of clothing between us vanished and it was just the two of us; a tangle of naked limbs and white sheets. I never wanted to be like this with anyone else, I knew Issac was it for me. My Wolf was so content in the back of my mind, the feeling of doing this with Issac making her euphoric.

After several hours and after the cottage had become fully lit with sunlight, we pulled away; our skin sweaty and our breathing so quick I thought it'd never go back to normal. I felt so loved and so special as Issac rested his head in the crook of my neck, his warm body on top of mine.

Our chests rose and fell in sync and I closed my eyes, whispering again to the only boy in this world that I fully loved. "I love you."

Six Years Ago

Clary's POV

My bare feet raced across the stone streets under them, my dark hair whipping out behind me. Various white wolves growled at me as I shot in between them, pumping my arms and legs as fast as I could.

I tried to contain my smile as I stayed in the lead, ahead of my brother in the race between just us two. We ran through the our large stone village in the mountains, concrete and marble homes bulit into the slate grey stone. The sky was clouded and morning had just begun. I had woke up as soon as the mountain caught the first sliver of sunlight.

My fifteen year old brother Zak had woken up as well, a mischievous grin on his face as he challenged me to a race before I could even push myself out of bed.

So here I was, in a white night gown and bare feet; racing on the streets my pack had made. They were plagued with ghostly fog and everything was grey. Wind whipped around my body and I couldn't wait for the day I would be able to shift, only four more years.

Out of the corner of my eye Zak came into view, his short hair messy from sleep and dark grey eyes focused on our race. I tried to increase my speed, running on the balls of my feet and pumping my arms steadily.

Despite my efforts, he got in front of me and smiled over his shoulder. I frowned to myself and willed myself to go faster, not wanting to lose. I never wanted to lose when it came to competition.

I felt my feet get cut up on the sharp rocks beneath me but didn't care. The road we were on had a wall of grey mountain on one side and the drop off of the cliff on the other. I looked to my right and saw nothing but expansive whtie fog for miles below; the tops on pine trees peaking out in the white, rising sunlight.

My eyes watered from the freezing wind but I blinked away the salty tears. I looked away from the forest in the distance and down at my small feet, concentrating on my speed.

Before I knew it, my tiny, twelve year old body collided with another; making the two of us fall forward. I landed atop my brother, splayed out on his back while he groaned beneath me in pain.

I slowly lifted my head to see why he had stopped and a pair of black boots came into view. A familiar scent filled my nose and my skin chilled. I slowly looked up, my eyes peaking out from under their lashes at my father.

He stood above us, dressed in all black with his hands intertwined behind his back. His face was pale and stern, just like always; black eyes piercing right through you. I quickly scrambled off Zak and stood up, dusting up my ripped nightgown. Zak stumbled into a standing position next to me. We both kept our heads low out of respect, treating the man in front of us as more of a Alpha than a father.

We were stood on a path meant for cars and trucks, a bend that went around the mountain just ahead of us; my father blocking it.

"We're sorry." Zak said, his voice not as shaky as mine would've been if I had spoken. The wind blew around the three of us and brought an unfamiliar scent with it. It smelled like copper, like blood; but not the kind of blood that ran through my veins.

"Go home, this isn't a place to play." My father said, his voice like ice. It was so low and unwelcoming it made it impossible to be comfortable around him. The way he said 'play' was as if it were a swear word.

"We just wanted to run on the roads-" I began.

"Did you not hear what I said, Clarssia?" He looked to me and I shyed away, breaking eye contact and looking down. I knew he'd be mad at my cowardliness but I didn't care.

"We'll go home." Zak said, his voice normal and strong. He was able to keep eye contact with our father and not want to crawl into a hole and never come out. He placed a hand on my shoulder and turned us around, leading us back home.

I sighed and brushed his hand off and walked faster then him, anger filling chest. I hated not being able to run around with my brother. Stuff like that was only for training, I could never do anything without a purpose. Fun was almost looked down upon here and I hated it.

I peaked over my shoulder, my blue eyes watering. My father was gone but bloody boot tracks curled around the bend in the road and disaperred out of sight.

Kane's POV

I sighed at the sight in front of me and thanked my Wolf for bringing me out of my rage for a second to warn me my children were close by.

I pulled my hands out from behind my back and reached into my pocket to grab a rag. I slowly cleaned my hands of the dark blood that covered them, my eyes taking in everything as I did.

The loading dock to drop off supplies from the human settlement looked like a war scene. Human blood was pooled across the stone ground and the stench of death was prominent in the winter air.

I couldn't have my children seeing a scene like this, not yet. I drilled into their heads that the humans and halfbloods were the enemy but they didn't have to know I had already begun my eradication of them. They disgusted me and had brought me the wrong supplies today, thus resulting in me slaughtering them.

I left one alive to return to the town and let them know what had happened, despite the overbearing urge to rip his throat out.

"Come to the north loading dock, I have a mess that needs cleaning." I mind linked with a few of my packs fighters; not wishing to be around this much tainted blood any longer.

"Right away, Alpha." They responded one by one. I turned by back and began to walk back to the pack house, my mind now buzzing with the idea of the war I had wanted to start for years.

I had a special plan for my daughter, Clarissa. She was nothing like me but I knew deep down she had the same hunger for control and power like I did. She would be useful in my plan when she was of age to infiltrate the Saltus pack.

My wife, Lavina, had praised the idea; probably wanting Clary to learn to appreciate her status her in this pack by acting as a rouge wolf to spy.

My son Zak was growing up well too, I pondered. But he lacked the brute-ness and authority to take over this pack. I had to toughen him up before another male got interested in the position and tried to challenge him.

I looked over my shoulder out to the horizon and narrowed my eyes. The fog had cleared slightly, showing the expansive forest below and the large village of the Saltus pack in the distance.

A growl grew in my throat and I wanted nothing more then to race down there and take out Alpha Marcus like I had with his wife. My Wolf also itched to kill his sons so they'd have no one left to lead them.

I would destroy any pack and it's Alpha that decided to help them and any human the tried to protect. It was my duty and my destiny to win and be the leader of the strongest pack in history.

And I wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who got in my way, even my own children.

Present Day

Zak's POV

"Father." I said lowly, my hands intertwined behind my back as I stood in his office. My eyes watched his every move as he moved back and forth, placing pins and scribbling with marker on a huge bulletin board.

Sketched faces of men, women and wolves scattered the wall and my eyes flickered to the one of my sister.

A tack was on her forehead, holding the red ribbon that connected her to Issac's sketch on the other side of the board. The whole thing was a bright red spider web of planning and identities.

My skin crawled when I saw the Alphas of the Patet and Lacus pack, knowing his targets were only increasing. I glanced at the bottom, under Issac and his brother, a saw their father. Beside him was a blurry sketch of women with light brown hair and green eyes; her face was crossed out wtih a giant red X.

"Father." I said again, loudly this time in order to break him out of his trance.

He turned his back slowly and stopped pacing. His eyes were black and I could see small grey hair's in the stubble across his sharp jaw. He was stressed about this war but he won't dare admit it.

"Zak." He spoke slowly. "Where's your mother?"

"Training with some of the fighters down in the village." I said, trying to keep my voice normal. I walk up to his desk and tried to slow my heartbeat so I would give myself away.

"Hm." He said in response, probably confused by my behavior and annoyed with the distraction from his board of people he planned to kill.

"There something I need to tell you." I said sternly, slowly walking towards one of the windows of the large office. The morning had just began and everything was foggy; dark clouds above signaling a chance of rain.

"Can it wait?" My father huffed, his voice cold. "I have plans to make and only a few hours before I initiate them."

I sighed and looked over my shoulder at him with a blank stare. "Clary is going to meet us at the north loading dock in an hour. She never betrayed us and had only faked it in order to get closer to the Saltus pack and Issac Woods." I stated, my voice surprisingly unwavering. "She has vital information and will be coming back to join us to help finish this once and for all."

My father's face had taken on an expression of what I could only detected as astonishment. "My how she has fooled us all..." His voice trailed off.

"She was never on their side." I added. "She had to make it believable that she had betrayed her old pack to be with Issac; but she never stopped being a spy." I grinned, hoping it was convincing enough.

"She's meeting us at the north loading dock?" He questioned back instantly. His emotions were unreadble and I felt sort of uneasy at his eagerness. I thought getting him alone would be the hardest part but it had proved effortless.

"Yes." I replied quikly. I prayed my voice was normal sounding; my father could read anyone like a book but I had hoped he trusted his only son enough to not interrigate me too much. "Very soon." I added; knowing Clary and Issac must be headed up the mountain as we spoke.

"Let's go then." He dropped the tacks and red ribbon onto his hardwood desk and begant to walk out; his eyes burning with something I couldn't identify.

I followed close behind, trying not to let the gulit of the fact I was leading my father to his death eat away at me too much.

***

"She could've let me in on her plan." My father huffed out, his breath white in the winter air. We were at the north loading dock; a ghostly place with just the two of us.

Fog swirled around at our feet and the direction I knew Clary and Issac would come from was clouded with it ahead; blinding us from seeing down the road.

I remembered talking her through how to get here; come up over the mountain, find the north access road and follow it up to the loading dock. One side of us was the drop off of the mountain, a metal guardrail lining it. The other side was the loading dock built into the side of the mountain, empty without trucks.

My nerves were sparking with anxiety and I tried to stand as still as possible as we waited. "She just told me, I should've let you know, but I thought it would be better this way."

My father looked down at his watch and narrowed his dark eyes. My heart began to thump more quickly in my chest and I tried to calm myself.

"We have your scents, we're close." My sister's familiar voice floated through our mind link and I tensed up, hoping my fatter didn't notice.

"I sure hope this works." Another, lower, voice entered the link and I identified it as Issac's.

"It will." I replied to them, more for my own assurance.

"Father." A voice from within the fog ahead echoed around us. Clary. Her silhouette materialized and I saw her features coming into focus. Her hair was down and she wore a tight dark jacket zipped to her throat, probably concealing Issac's mark, and black jeans. She looked different and the same as she walked towards us.

"My little girl," Father muttered. "always the way I knew she was. You have the same desire for power and victory as I do. The same desire that lead you to choose the winning side of this war."

I saw her expression falter slightly, but she regained it quickly; our father probably not even catching it in the blinded pride her was feeling.

"Yes." Clary replied, her voice strong. But I knew better, this was probably going to be the hardest thing she did. At least she got to see him proud of her for a moment, even if it was all a lie.

I slyly looked up to a ledge in the mountain, mostly concealed by fog and directly above my father. The shadow of Issac's wolf was evident and I wanted nothing more then to close my eyes and pray for this to be over quickly.

Issac's scent was hardly reconizable; I guessed they used the old trick of taking on your Mate's scent after they marked you. It only worked for a few hours; but they only needed seconds.

"I'm sorry." Clary whispered once she was standing in front of us.

Her words were the trigger and Issac was the gun as I heard from up above the sound of him launching himself off the ledge.

I felt my body grow hot as I shifted and turned on my father; helping Issac take down the man that would end this war.

Clary's POV

Everything was moving in fast forward. A blur of white and dark fur and the sounds of snapping jaws. My heart was skipping beats and I felt so disconnected from all that was happening.

I knew deep down my father's death would hurt. Of course it would. But as Issac leapt off that ledge, his eyes ferrel and mouth open in a fierce growl; my heart dropped to the stone ground below me.

Zak looked so much like our father as I walked up, almost like I was looking at Alpha Kane at a younger age. I wondered what my father had been like when he was my age. Was he this scared and confused about this pure-blooded life we were to live? Or did he feel confident and proud like almost everyone around me had been in my life?

Everyone, even the hardest and coldest of people, are born into this world as soft as the wind; and that's just the reality of life.

I had told myself I would close my eyes as Zak and Issac did what we had planned to do. I couldn't watch my father die, even if he would enjoy watching if I was. My eyes were sealed shut but all of a sudden, the loud, piercing sound of Zak yelping filled the air.

I quickly opened my eyes and saw my brother's wolf's head smack onto the stone ground, leaving him unconscious and sprawled out on his side. The bitter wind came and whipped around his white fur and my eyes slowly trailed back over to my father, my body in shock.

The giant white wolf that haunted my nightmares was stood above Issac's dark brown and grey one, his huge paws crushing into his neck. A strangled cry left my lips and I held myself back from running towards them; knowing my father could kill me in a split second. I listened closely and heard the racing heartbeat of my Mate, my Wolf relaxing slightly.

"You fools." My father's now horribly cold voice snuck into my mind. I felt a chill creep up my spine and wanted nothing more then for him to let Issac go.

"I knew you'd try to pull something like this, Clarissa, but I never thought you'd get your brother involved. Too bad I know his weaknesses's." He spoke, his black, soulless eyes leaving mine. They flickered to his son lying near him, unphased. "This shows how little you care about people getting hurt."

My eyes flickered back over to Zak as well and my heart bled with sadness. He just wanted the same thing I did; freedom.

"You're wrong." I replied. I knew I had to be careful with my words, Issac's life was in my hands and one wrong move and his throat would be slit. "I care too much. I keep things inside and lie just to keep people happy. I care so much about everyone around me I almost didn't want to kill you. But I have to, father. What you're doing is wrong and I won't live like this anymore."

My words spilled out and the bottled up thoughts I've been wanting to say were finally coming out. It was like last night with Issac all over again, my body aching to tell someone everything in my mind. Tears burned my eyes and my head throbbed with panic.

"Too bad you didn't succeed." Kane replied, his voice rising slightly. His wolf almost seemed to be smiling. "This war will happen and everyone on your side will perish. It's inevitable, pure-bloods are the superior kind and always will be."

I shook my head, "Look I know-"

"Enough, Clary!" He screamed into my mind and I flinched. "You can't win this war! Do you know why?" His voice was cutting me with it's sharpness. I didn't want to reply.My Wolf kept whimpering at the sight of our father hurting Issac as he got more angry.

"Because deep down you don't know what your willing to sacrifice. You don't know what you're willing to loose while fighting this war." Kane growled, his teeth showing. "But I do."

In a flash my father's Wolf had Issac pined up against the stone wall of the mountain nearby, his eyes black and teeth barred. Issac was trying hard not to fight back but I could see his eyes burning with pure hatred.

"Stop!" I yelled, my voice cracking. My Wolf wanted to shift and tackle our father off our Mate but I knew it would be in vain. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision; this isn't how I thought things would go.

"Pure silver." My father's Wolf turned it's head to look at me, holding Issac up against the wall with one paw and showing me the other. With fear pulsing through my veins I looked towards his claws and my heart sank.

The inch long nails were coated in liquid silver. My mind flashed back to the time Issac took a silver bullet through his chest; the memories of his nightmarish screams and black, poisoned veins entering my mind. I stared at my father, so many emotions running through me that I couldn't even feel any one of them. I prayed he wouldn't do what I thought he was.

I began to run forward, my bones shaking and my vision spotting black again like it had when I killed the Mayor.

My world stopped as Kane's wolf seemed to smile in my direction before turning back to Issac. Before I could even take a step, he raised his paw and brought it down; the horrible sound of claws ripping flesh reaching my ears. Issac yelped loudly and my ears rang with the sound.

"No!" I screamed into the monster that was my father's mind.

I shifted right then and there and used all my strength to shove Kane off Issac, my claws and teeth itching to rip him apart. My attack was unexpected but my father quickly regained balance, his wolf growling so loudly my ears began to ring painfully. I felt for the connection between Issac and I and knew he was still alive, that was all the conformation I needed. My anger was fueling my fighting and I lunged forward, my jaws aiming for my father's throat.

A huge paw came up before I could even get close and swatted my face, hard. I felt the sting of four sharp cuts on my Wolf's face but shook it off; glaring at my father. I growled deeply and lunged at him once more, my rage taking over. Yet again, before I could latch my jaws onto a part of him, my father was already ahead of me.

His mouth clamped onto my shoulder and bit down, probably trying to aim for my throat.

I howled in pain, my vision going white for a few seconds in blinding pain. I prayed for Zak to wake up and help me. Whimpering loudly, I tried snapping at my father, his death grip ripping deeper into my skin as I struggled. Panic began to set in as I realized what was happening. Kane could be already calling his fighters to come help finish us all off. This war had just begun and I was already at the mercy of my father with the probability of Issac dying nearby.

I closed my eyes and howled sadly, the loud sound echoing off the mountains. Despair coursed through my veins and I wondered what would happen if I'd just let my father win. My Wolf growled at my thoughts and tried to free herself from Kane's jaws once more, only resulting in more pain.

My father shoved me down, my legs buckling in on themselves as he bit harder into my skin. My neck was exposed to him and as he dug his teeth out of my shoulder his black eyes went right to it.

He was going to kill me. He was going to murder his own daughter.

A blur a dark fur flashed past my vision and my father's Wolf was tackled off me. I quickly scampered up onto my feet, blood pooling out of my shoulder and dripping out of the cuts on my face.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I saw Issac's wolf shoving my father away, his back facing me. I was filled with awestruck fear and entrancing fascination as they began to circle one another, Issac's Wolf's face finally coming into view. My eyes widened as they saw his.

Issac's eyes were an icy blue once more, just like mine. They were just how they were last night after he Marked me, the same shade.

His now blue eyes looked so unusual against the dark brown and grey fur of his Wolf. As I looked to his throat, the wound from my father's claws seemed to had healed. The silver hadn't effected him at all.

Issac growled lowly and his ears flatted against his head, his blue eyes wide and frightening. I had no clue how it was possible but my mind seemed to be putting the pieces together.

My father, frozen with confusion and disbelief stopped circling my Mate and huffed out deep breaths; white air materializing around his huge head. Kane cautiously barred his teeth at Issac as if he was unsure of this whole situation. When my father killed someone, he wanted them to stay dead.

Distant howling sounded and Issac and I perked up our ears. An icy chill crept down my spine as I recognized them as them as Purum members; including Elijah's deep and cold howl. I barked sharply at Issac and began to turn to run away.

"Don't forget Zak!" I shouted into Issac's mind as he started to follow. His Wolf quickly nudged my brother onto his back, the white wolf limp and draped across him. My father began to run after us, his eyes full of evil. I acted impulsively, knowing Issac would follow, and jumped over the guardrail of the access road. My stomach went up into my throat and I was airborne for a few seconds before my body hit the side of the mountain and began to slide.

I regained balance on the rocky mountainside and took a few moments to get my feet under me. Issac was right behind me, his Wolf struggling to keep Zak on his back as we descended the steep rock. It was easier going down then up, I thought, as gravity took over and we began to race down the mountain.

"The plan failed!" I mind linked with the Saltus pack, hoping they were prepared. "Kane is still alive and a full on attack could happen at any moment. Be ready!"

I felt the slightest bit of relief as the ground became less rocky, soon sloping down into soft dirt. Warmth filled my veins as we crossed the border and left the Purum pack behind. Adrenaline was pounding in my heart and I was on high alert. The safety of the huge pine trees enveloped me and I embraced the flat land after being in the mountains for so long.

Issac and I didn't stop until the ground below us became the gravelly driveway of the pack house. Wolves were stationed all around it, their bodies shadowed by the dark weather above us. It was cold and the charcoal colored, rolling clouds signaled a storm. The fighters let us past and I nudged the front door open, feeling Issac right at my heals.

Zak slid off Issac's back as he lowered him off. His body was limp as it laid on the hardwood floor. I listened closely for his heartbeat and felt relief at its slow but steady beat. I instantly wanted to talk to Issac about what had happened, how had he survived my father's attack? I gazed into his eyes but they were a familiar dark green.

A rush of pack members came into the entryway and looked to Issac and I; instantly extinguishing all possibilities of us having a talk.

"The war has begun." Issac said into the pack link. Everyone looked pale and quiet, but as my eyes found familiar faces, Nina, Lucas, Rosaline and Tobias; I saw an overwhelming amount of courage.

"Where's father?" Issac said, his eyes looking directly at his brother.

"He's front line at the west border." Tobias replied, his brown eyes rimmed with dark circles. I looked to Lucas and saw his lips in a tight line, no trace of the comical boy I knew. Rosaline looked sleep deprived and her fair hair was messy. My eyes finally flickered to Nina who looked like she was going to be sick.

"Nina are you okay?" My Wolf said into her mind and stepped forward. She slowly began to walk forward and sank to the ground next to my brother's wolf's limp body. Everyone watched as she placed her hands on his temples and lifted his head onto her lap. Nina shut her eyes and within seconds my brothers eyes blinked open.

Zak quickly stood up, her hands dropping off him. His dark grey eyes flickered around the room before settling on Nina.

I knew that look, even if he was in wolf form, I knew what was happening. Their eyes connected and I remember back months ago when the same thing had happened with Issac and I.

They were Mates.

Lira's POV

I ran down my front steps, my bare feet stinging on the cold stone of my pack village. The icy fog up high in the mountains made everything seem eerie and haunted as my eyes scanned over the scene in front of me.

Everyone was leaving their homes, many of them shifting into their white wolves. I saw my fiancé Damon run past, shifting mid leap and growling at others to follow. Mother's locked their doors and ran to join the crowds as they left their un-shifted children hidden inside. Alpha Kane's words rang in my head, his voice making my chest hurt with the rapid beat of my heart.

"Everyone fights, this war will be the downfall of the un-pures. Shift and begin invading the Saltus pack from the north and south borders since they'll be expecting us at the west one." His growling tone has echoed through the whole packs mind's. "Leave the Wood's family and my children to me. Fight strongly my fellow pure-bloods, this war is ours."

I knew his daughter Clary well, and I knew she had betrayed us for her Mate, the Alpha of the Saltus pack. I just didn't know our next Alpha, Kane's son Zak, had become involved as well with changing sides. My allegiance was something I was at war with myself in trying to decide seeing as my heart, like Clary's had been, was torn.

I ran into the crowd of wolves and people, everything quiet and tense.

We had never been at war, we always stayed up safe in our mountains, our generations of Alphas telling us to never get close to un-pures. I had only left the safety of the Purum pack to visit the human settlement on strict orders or to run slightly past our borders to spy on the Saltus pack. A job that had caused me to stumble upon my Mate.

My gaze roamed out into the distance, the Saltus pack visible down below. My Mate was down there and my Wolf longed to be with him no matter what we were told. He knew I existed, but he too was probably just as lost.

Everything had suddenly gone into full swing and it was like the ominous clock of this war had ticked for the last time. I watched helplessly as the Purum pack had began to descend the mountain, giant white wolves pooling down the slate grey rock. I couldn't see through the thick, dense forests but I knew the Saltus pack was waiting for us.

But time was up and soon the perfect, snow-white coats of my pack would be stained with the blood of innocents.

Clary's POV

"Nina." I slowly walked up to my friend. The room had become chaotic, Issac barking orders through the mind link at everyone as Zak and Nina sat motionless in the middle of the large entryway, silent and staring. I was practically the only one who had noticed what was happening between them. "This is my brother, Zak, he's on our side. But you already knew that."

Nina slowly nodded as she stayed kneeling in front of Zak who's Wolf was beginning to stand.

"She's my Mate, Clary..." My brother said into my mind. They hadn't taken their eyes off of each other and I felt sort of awkward as I stood close to them.

"Clary." Another masculine voice entered my mind and I looked up, seeing Issac come stand near the three of us. His eyes were dark and I was sure I was the only one who saw it, but they were swirling with the smallest amount of fear. "We can't stay in here."

"Alpha Woods." Luke, the Alpha of the Lacus pack stepped out of the crowd and joined us as well, his turquoise eyes bright. His mate Sierra was right behind him, her long, dark hair cascading down her back in messy waves. Amar and Kira, the Alpha and Luna from the Patet pack, came up as well with uncertainty in their golden eyes.

"My office, quickly." Issac said into a mind link that probably just between the six of us. But, as I turned to follow them all; Zak trailed along as well with Nina glued to his side.

Amar yanked open the office door down the hall and we all entered; the air so tense you could taste it. Issac leaped atop his desk, probably not liking having everyone look down at him when he was in Wolf form as he spoke.

"Our borders have been infiltrated but no attacks have been initiated. The Purum pack is on the north and south borders and all our fighters and trackers are stationed and in position." He began, his voice taking on all the authority it could muster in this situation. "Keep track of you pack members and lead them well, we have triple the numbers but they have twice the strength."

I walked up to the desk and lifted my head high to add on. "Alpha Kane is still alive and at the moment he's our biggest target." I said and everyone's eyes were on me. "Take him down and this war might be ours."

"Remember what you're fighting for." Issac said and my chest blossomed with admiration. I looked up to him and his green eyes fused with mine. Freedom. I looked toward Nina and Zak, her small hand resting on his back as he leaned on her. I thought about all the wolves who might go to attack the enemy during this war and find their Mates. I thought about all the suffering and all the trapped souls this war would release if we won.

"We'll be waiting for your orders, Issac." Luke said, bowing his head. Him and his Mate turned and left the room.

"It's an honor to fight on your side." Amar added on, his gold eyes so dramatic against his dark skin. His Mate, Kira and him bowed to us as well and followed the others out.

As soon as they left, I looked towards my brother and instantly ran up to him, nuzzling my face into his neck. After a few moments, he pulled away. "See you soon, sister." He said slowly into my mind. I prayed he was right. Zak backed away after nodding to Issac behind me and left, Nina shooting me look as if to say 'this isn't goodbye' with her hazel eyes.

The door slammed shut and then it was just Issac and I.

I shifted back into human form, knowing very well I didn't want to start this war without kissing Issac. I turned around and grabbed a blanket off the couch, wrapping myself in it silently. Issac had shifted back as well, his back facing me and he started out the large window into the distance. I walked up to him and instantly incased him in a tight embrace, the blanket going around him as well.

We inhaled eah each other's scent and I felt my heart warm in my chest as he tucked his face into my neck, his lips pressing against my Mark.

"Issac how are you alive." I muttered. I ran my fingertips up and down his back and then threaded them into the longish hair at the nape of his neck that had begun to curl. A trait most likely from his mother.

I felt his shrug. "I have no clue." His voice was muffled into my skin. I wanted to stay like this, I didn't want to leave this room and face the war that had finally come.

"But I do know this." He pulled away. "I know I have to be quick. I don't know what happened back there with your father but it clearly wasn't normal. I saw my eyes in the reflection in a puddle on the ground and they weren't my eyes, Clary, they were yours."

"I know." I whispered, running my fingers across his collarbones. "I don't know how it's possible but you have everything I do now. Extremely enhanced pureblooded senses, tolerance to silver and rapid healing- I don't get it."

His eyes flickered to the window next to us, wolves lining up and some racing into the forest to take their positions. This was all becoming too real too fast.

"We have no time." Issac breathed out, his hands gripping my waist with shaking fingers. His breath was ragged and he looked scared.

"I'm scared too." I grabbed his face and brought it to look at mine again. "But were greater then the fear in our hearts. We can change everything as long as we stay focused and strong, okay?"

Issac swallowed nervously. "How will I ever convince myself I deserve you." He whispered, his words less of a question for me and more for himself. My cheeks heated up and I rested my forehead on his.

"You deserve everything, Issac." I replied. "And I love you." The words had never been more true then now as they tumbled past my shaking lips.

"I love you." He muttered against my mouth almost instantly. "And we're going to be together after all of this. Dead or alive."

I nodded furiously, knowing this war could end up being a suicide mission for everyone on our side. But if we never fight were never going to be free.

"Let's go."I spoke softly, pushing my fear into the back of my mind and letting courage course through my veins. Issac's lips crashed to mine and his touch ignited the fire sparking in my chest. He had kindled me, the heap of ashes that I used to be, into a raging fire. His touch was like nothing I'd ever experienced and it gave me the strength to do anything.

We broke apart, our eyes blazing. "Let's go." Issac repeated. I nodded and felt his touch slip away as he began to exit the room. I followed close behind, the pack house empty and silent; the peaceful atmosphere gone.

Before I knew it, Issac and I were racing through the open entry way and out the front door. We shifted at the same time, our wolves leaping down the front steps and landing in a full out sprint.

"You get the north border and I'll go to the south." Issac said into my mind as we raced past other, less experienced, wolves who were stationed near the heart of the Saltus pack territory.

I came to a stop, my paw digging into the soft dirt. My eyes found Issac's as he came to stand in front of me. I wanted to say something I just didn't know what. Issac was always better with words.

"Lead our pack well, Clary." Issac spoke lowly, his green eyes so familiar in all this chaos. Green like the pine trees that surrounded us; that color had become home for me.

"I will." I replied, knowing this is what I was meant to do. "We'll see each other soon, okay?" I whispered softly into his mind. I took the two steps forward in order to nuzzle his face with mine. Before I could let his touch keep me there any longer, I broke away.

"Okay." Issac said strongly, his dark wolf standing tall. I slowly turned, meaning to run to the north border like I was supposed to, but stopped.

I extended my claws and traced words into the ground for the man I loved. It had sort of become our thing, something I had done when I thought it was the last time I'd see him when I left.

I had no clue if these were our last moments and as I left behind my words in the dirt, my heart drummed with courage and the longing to return to the embrace of my Mate.

My words I left him rang in my mind.

You saved me. Now let me save you.

***

The ultimate stillness. The bone-chilling silence. The crooked limbs of tall pines and shadowed land below iron-gray rain clouds. The white ghosts of wolves dancing around our borders in the distance, waiting for their Alpha's orders.

I was at the front line, an army of wolves standing tall behind me. My eyes gazed forward and I felt the presence of Amar and Kira as they flanked me. Nina and Zak stood tall off to my right, their ears perked in focus. Three packs against one. A war over blood that would only end in pools of it.

My lungs filled with cold air, my mouth tasting the metallic scent of an incoming storm. I continued to stare forward feeling everyone behind me do the same. I prayed the humans were safe and tucked away in the town only a few miles away. They didn't need to be involved in all this. None of us did.

Like the thunder clap of a storm, the howls of the Purum pack began to resonate all around. My heart reacted instantly and began to race inside my chest, burning energy now running through my veins.

I lifted my head and let out the loudest, strongest howl I ever have; the chilling sound vibrating through my throat and mixing with the Purum pack's icy howls.

My ears listened closely for the signal. Through my noise and the noise of the enemy racing towards us I heard Issac's Wolf. He was responding to me and when our howls fused together it was like the world stopped.

My paws began to carry me across the land below me, my body fueled with adrenaline. I kept howling as I ran and listened to the thundering sound everyone following me; the overwhelming realization that I was leading hundreds of wolves hitting me hard.

There was now only about a couple hundred yards left between us and the Purum pack. I pushed myself to go faster and suddenly I was a child again; racing my brother and urging myself to run until I couldn't anymore. I had lived years as someone I could never be and now I was making sure no one else had to.

Everything was a dull hum. My senses were shared more than ever but I was numb to everything around me. I don't know when the two packs met, light mixing with dark, but we were now a mass of claws, teeth and fur. I made sure to pay attention to the mind link between Issac and I and the one I had with my family. The Saltus pack mindlink was throbbing in my head as its members began to be killed.

I was someone else. It was like the city hall when I killed the Mayor all over again, my vision spotting as I lunged at anything with white fur and aimed to kill. The wolves were trying to hurt my pack and others; pissing off my Wolf beyond comprehension. Not to mention every one of them represented the generations of pure-blooded wolves that killed and destroyed wolves like the ones fighting beside me.

I pushed a male wolf who was probably only a couple years older than I up against a tree, my claws digging into his shoulder and fusing crimson with white. He lashed back at me, his dark brown eyes almost black and his teeth aiming for my throat. Effortlessly I swatted at his exposed throat and watched him crumble to the ground with a thud. My whole pack knew my scent and many were choosing me as a target; probably wanting to be the one to bring me to my father.

In the breif moment of not being attacked, I looked around at my surroundings. We were in a large clearing scattered with pine trees one side leading to the dense forest of the Saltus pack and the other stretching on to the Great Plains. The dead grass below my feet matched the misty grey clouds up ahead and if I looked far enough I saw storm clouds brewing; white lighting flashing occasionally.

I looked over my shoulder, my eyes rapidly scanning the area for my friends and brother. I caught sight of Nina assisting Zak in taking down two white wolves; her tan wolf trying to stay as close to his huge white one as possible.

I raced towards them to help but stopped as three Purum pack members raced past me, each of them jumping on Kira who was standing nearby. Her dark-golden wolf's eyes were blazing gold as she tried to fight the three white wolves off her. I bounded toward them, throwing myself atop the four of them and ripping the three wolves off her. She quickly backed away, her back legs pretty injured.

A rush of relief washed over me as her Mate, Amar, raced over and helped me take down her three attackers.

I was in the process of crushing one of their throats with my jaws when I looked up and saw an old friend. Her white wolf was lean but muscular and her eyes were ebony black. Her actions caught my attention. She was racing through the c*****e of the war, not engaging in any attacks and jumping out of the way of any wolf that tried to challenge her.

Lira.

I felt the wolf below me go still and quickly let it go so I could follow her.

It was a horrible scene to run through. We had the numbers but not the strength and my heart broke every time I moved around the body of one of our wolves. My paws were warm and wet with pure and unpure blood and I fought back tears as I began to close in on Lira.

She looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with me, quickly digging her paws into the ground to stop.

"I'm on your side." Her familiar voice entered my mind. I felt some weight come off my shoulders at her words. If she wanted to fight for us there had to be others. But I was still confused.

"Why are you running, then? We need you to help." I replied back quickly. My heart was racing and I didn't like standing still. Howls and barks resonated all across the forest and every pain-filled sound from my pack made something inside me snap.

"I have to find him." She said blatantly, as if I'd know who she was speaking of. Our wolves were two white ghosts in the middle of an empty forest, out of place.

"Him?" I asked, my mind beginning to make connections. "Lira, did you find your Mate?

She nodded. "He's at the other border, I have his scent. I've seen him before, Clary, and he's seen me." Her Wolf looked strained, as if not running to her Mate was physically hurting her. I knew the feeling.

"C'mon." I said quickly, deciding to accompany her to the other side of my packs territory so she wouldn't be slaughtered. "What does he look like?" I asked as we raced through the pine trees. The fog was still slightly present and the dark, stormy sky was helping made the whole atmosphere eerie and frightening.

"Ive only seen his Wolf." Lira replied. "Dark brown fur and eyes like pennies. And he defenitly has Alpha blood"

My heart dropped and I wanted to stop in my tracks. I kept speed with her in order to not give away the connection I just made. Her Mate was Tobias, it had to be. If I was right I had a pretty clear predication he wasn't planning on accepting Lira.

"That sounds like Issac's brother." I managed to say indifferently. We were close to the south border and I could hear the chaos up ahead. The trees were thinning out like on the other border and I could make out a couple of our pack's fighters nearby.

Lira was silent next to me and I ran a little father ahead, signaling for her to follow me.

"Issac, are you with Tobais?" I quickly linked with him, hoping I didn't throw him off if he was fighting.

"Yes." A curt reply echoed in my mind and I lifted my head to catch his scent. He wasn't far and I began to run again with Lira on my heels. I felt uneasy running through the battle once more without interfering. Wolves threw themselves in my path but I dodged them making sure my friend did as well. She wasn't protected from my pack like I was.

Up ahead, the brown and grey wolf I had come to love came into view; his coat slick with blood that wasn't his. I saw he was fighting with his brother, the two of them against two Purum pack members.

The bigger of the two white wolves lunged at Tobias, it's black eyes feral and soulless. Issac was held up with the other wolf, struggling to finish him off. I looked over a Lira, about to ask her to help but she was no longer there.

A white blur bolted towards Tobias and his attacker and quickly separated them. I heard a sharp snap and saw Lira's wolf standing above the white one that had tried to kill her Mate. Issac slipped off the wolf he was fighting as well, it's jaw slack and eyes lifeless.

It was a moment of silence between the four of us, Tobias and Lira engaged in a fiery stare down. I quickly looked to Issac his eyes flashed blue, his body healing, and then changed back to their normal dark green. He looked between his brother and Lira, probably recognizing her scent from when we meet her on the Saltus pack border days ago when she was spying.

"She's his Mate isn't she." Issac linked with me, his voice heavy and low. His wolf looked at me and I nodded slowly.

A deep growl snapped us out of our little moment, making us all look towards the owner of the noise. My heart sank.

Damon and Elijah's huge white wolves crawled out of fog, streaked with blood. Both Lira and I's arraigned husbands had found us and their eyes were set on Issac and Tobias.

Clary' POV

The wind whipped around the six of us as we stood at the edge of the forest, tangling our fur in its bitterness. We were statues among the chaos of the war, all of us in a spine-chilling stare down.

Slowly, I walked into the open space between Elijah and Damon and the rest of us. Lira followed as we stood in the middle of our future and our past.

"Guess your foolish plan to kill your father failed." Elijah sickening voice crept into my head. I knew he was speaking only directly to me, the others hadn't reacted.

"Nothing's changed, we still fight." I growled back, my head high. I didn't feel like shrinking down under his cold stare anymore, I didn't care about him at all. I just wanted to see his head detached from his shoulders.

"Looks like you've found your pathetic excuse for a Mate." Damon's voice entered the conversation, low and malicious. I once thought maybe him and Lira could work; I couldn't have been more wrong.

His giant white wolf gestured toward Tobias who growled lowly. I didn't want there to be a fight, mostly because I knew the odds might not be in our favor. But Lira and I were only prolonging the inevitable.

"Not as pathetic as yourself." Lira retorted, her black eyes sharp and shooting knives at Damon.

The storm clouds rolled above us, creating shadows across the land and our still bodies as we remained unmoved. The war had become background noise but the reality of what was going on came in waves, crushing my brittle heart.

"Who are these two." Issac's soothing, low voice slipped into my head. He sounded protective, but his tone held a hint of fear. He was probably putting the pieces together in his mind.

"The name's Elijah." Elijah's voice crept into Issac and I's link. His dark eyes peered past me and latch onto Issac's in a hostile gaze. I had guessed that was all that needed to be said.

Before I knew it, a sound between a roar and a growl erupted behind me. Issac barreled past Lira and I; his eyes ablaze with hatred and his teeth barred in a fierce snarl.

I didn't even get to react before Tobias followed suit, a brown blur leaping at Damon with claws extended.

Alpha Kane's POV

My veins were filled with excitement, drumming against my skin and warming my body. I could see almost everything from where I was standing, untouched on my mountain with nothing but the sweet sound of war below.

A storm was coming. I could smell it in the air and see it in the black, rolling clouds. The wet mud would mix with the unpure blood that needed to be eradicated. My Wolf paced back and forth, edgy beyond comprehension as I watched the war unfurl below. We wanted to interfere so badly.

But I was now king without his best solider; my own son now fighting for the other side. It made me weaker, but not weak enough to give up.

"Kane." A voice came from my right and I whipped my head around. A slender, white white wolf with eyes like just like her daughter's approached slowly. My wife, Lavina, the quietest, strongest shewolf I knew.

"Is it true." Her familiar voice crept into my mind. My Wolf let her presence and tone sooth us. "Is Zak with her now?"

I growled lowly, my anger consuming me once more. Our own children had chose the one side I had raised them to never choose. "Yes." My Wolf took over my voice and sounded more animalistic than human.

I watched her from the corner of my eye, she didn't even flinch. I could tell her the worst news and she wouldn't blink. It's one of the reasons I loved her; to be Mated to a man like me in a life like this, you can't be sensitive.

"Coward." I heard her Wolf spit under her breath. "They do realize they cannot win. This war is in vain and to make matters worse we're spilling pure blood." She said louder.

I let out a heavy breath, my veins hot with rage. The war down below had become a one big noise and was ringing in my ears. "It needs to be done. This day will go down in our history as the day unpure's realized their place and fate. They don't belong in this world and must die."

"I just don't know what we did wrong." Lavina replied quietly after a prolonged silence, she was taking in my words.

"If anything our children will set an example." I said into her mind, my voice still slightly not my own.

I looked over at her once more, taking my eyes off the chaos. Her eyes brought me solace but now they also brought the reminder of my daughter. The icy blue stare she gave me was questioning.

"They will set an example that anyone who chooses to leave our side, no matter who they are, will be slaughtered like the filth they side with." I said proudly, returning her fiery gaze.

"I shall rely the message." She held her head high and My Wolf bathed in the pride of seeing our Mate so loyal. I was enterally grateful I had been born with a pure-blooded Mate.

"Go." I gestured to the path nearby that lead back down the mountain. Lavina held my gaze a few seconds longer before swiftly turning and racing back down the way she came.

I peered back over to the horizon, my paws standing only a few feet from the drop off of the mountain-face. Heights never bothered me, but My Wolf knew to keep his distance from the serval hundred foot drop nearby.

The urge to follow my Mate and fight swept over me once more like a giant wave, the desire to kill unbearable.

But I soothed the powerful feeling with the idea that in the end, my children would come to me.

Issac's POV

I was thrown back into the blur of fighting. Before I had been lunging left and right, taking down any target that came at me; but now I just had one. One wolf that thought Clary was his and that wolves like me didn't deserve to live.

I felt the now familiar feeling of Clary's blood rush through my veins and give me everything I'd grown up thinking I'd never have. Pureblood.

My senses seems to sky rocket and I was as aware of my strength as I was of my speed. Alpha blood and pureblood fused together, making me stronger than I could comprehend.

I leaped forward, my eyes catching Elijah's grey ones briefly before we collided. A constant, murderous growl was emanating from both our chests as we wrestled furiously. I ended up on top, both our coats sticking together with blood. I lifted my paw high and swatted him straight down the side of his face, blinding his right eye. A pain-filled sound between a howl and a roar echoed in my ears.

Elijah's back legs quickly bucked me off before I could take advantage of his injury. I was thrown backwards, my body instantly colliding with someone who was running towards me; Clary.

I felt the rush of sparks explode under my skin, but a new feeling had arose as well. It was as if the blood in my veins recognized her and made me stronger. Her eyes were dark and I could see them scanning me for serious injury.

I reluctantly pulled away from her, not liking that my back was facing my enemy.

I stood and spun back around toward Elijah, his friend Damon now by his side.

My heart skipped a beat when I glanced

over to see Tobias lying on his side, Clary's friend's white wolf trying to get him to stand.

He looked too still, my mind panicked, but as I listened harder I could make out his heartbeat.

"What's going on." The horrible voice I now knew was Elijah's spat into my mind. His whole face was bloody and he could only open one eye. "Why are your eyes like Clary's, why are you so powerful?"

He looked like he was trying to be tough but his stand betrayed him as his tail was low and his bloody fur bristled with fear.

"Don't tell him." Clary's voice floated through our link quickly. My eyes flickered towards her and if looks could kill, Elijah would've been a dead man.

"I guess you'll never know." I shot back, tilting my head at the two of them. They embodied all I hated in this world, wolves who thought their blood made them superior. A man who thought my Mate was his.

As if Clary's mind and my own were connected we lunged forward at the same time. Elijah and Damon reacted quickly and jumped out of the way, but not before Clary yanked Damon's back leg causing him to fall.

I saw her wrestle him to the ground before I felt a sharp pain in the middle of my back, Elijah.

I ran in circles, trying to buck him off but his teeth shredded my back even more. With my vision spotted with anger and pain, I reared up and pushed myself to fall backward; crushing Elijah beneath me hard.

I heard the splintering of his ribs and quickly shook him of, my back throbbing but already healing with the help of Clary's blood. I turned towards him, a bloody, white-furred mess in a heap on the grey grass.

"You don't deserve her." His voice floated trough my head and I stopped in my tracks. "She's the strongest, purest shewolf in this world and you're tainting her. This war it won't save you, nothing can save us, were a doomed species. Always striving for power."

He sounded delirious and his voice wheezed as if one of his broken ribs had punctured his lungs. He couldn't fight me physically so he was attacking me mentally.

"I don't know what happened to you, but you don't deserve to have the same powers as me. And Clary knows that, she knows deep down you're weak." My heart felt as if a hand was squeezing the life out of it, all my deepest fears were being spoken.

And to make things worse, a man how barely knew me figured out what I feared most in a matter of minutes as he laid dying.

"We're all doomed. Proud creatures who'll only end up like the humans. Killing each other because of our differences." The truth in his words stung like a silver bullet and I couldn't take it anymore. Everything around me had become a blur of noise and movements.

"She'll never be yours." Elijah's voice laughed into my mind and growled ferociously. His one un-wounded eye was black with pain and watching me, waiting to see what I'd do and enjoying the pain he was putting me through.

I stopped letting myself listen to him, and broke through the emotional barrier he had just caused me to hide behind.

My mouth opened wide and didn't close until it was around his throat.

He didn't make a sound and it was as if my heightened senses were mocking me when I heard him take his last breath. I thought I thought I would feel relief after killing my Mate's ex-fiancée, but I felt as if I was just trying to destroy the words he was saying; denial consuming me.

A yelp from behind me sounded and snapped me back into reality. I spun quickly and just caught Lira lunging forward to rip out Damon's throat as Clary held him.

His white wolf went limp and became even more soaked in blood as his body collapsed when Clary let him go. My heart was pounding and it's sound blurred together with the chaos of war around us.

I quickly ran over towards my brother, and nudged him with my nose; urging him to get up and be okay. His dark brown fur was wet with blood but as his eyes flickered open and he began to stand, I knew most of it wasn't his.

"Issac!" A relaxingly familiar voice entered my mind, Lucas. I perked up my ears and spun around as I heard the sound of someone running towards me. My eyes latched onto my best friend's hazel ones as his tan wolf came into view, his figure bounding out of the fog.

"What is it." I asked him with concern, instantly seeing the distraught on his wolf's face as his eyes switched been Tobias and I.

He caught his breath, as if he'd been running forever. I could feel Lira and Clary come to stand next to the three of us. "A group of p-purebloods." He stammered. "They're headed to the human settlement."

Issac's POV

"Stay here and fight." I said rapidly into my brother's mind, his dark wolf's eyes latched onto mine. He nodded quickly, the mutual understanding that this could be the last time we see each other present in the air. You could see it in Clary's eyes as well as they flickered towards Lira and my brother. This was what happened in war.

"Go" Tobias replied, his wolf moving away towards the chaos in the distance. Lira followed him and before I knew it they were gone, disappearing into the blur of brutality. I didn't take the time to linger and neither did Clary or Lucas as we bounded back into the forest; the human settlement far away.

I could practically feel my eyes shift to an icy blue as I channeled the pureblood inside me. I choose the quickest route I knew to the human settlement and stayed away from the fight. Clary was right beside me, Lucas trailing slightly as his tan wolf's eyes flickered with fear.

Finally, nestled beyond our boundaries and in the shadow of the mountains, the human settlement came into view. The ground became flatter and the trees thinned out, revealing highways and back roads.

I was breathing heavily, clouds of white breath encasing my head. Thunder clapped in the distance and caused Lucas to jump slightly, this storm that was coming would only make things harder.

The three of us began to race down the empty highway leading into town, an eerie feeling gripping us all.

A sound I had become familiar with went through me like an electric shock, eliminating the cold silence. The howls of pure bloods, many of them, raining all around and echoing off the distant buildings and homes. I bark sharply, urging everyone to run faster. Human screams and chaos had broken out and the small quiet town was under attack. All because of our kind and our war.

"Send reinforcements to the human settlement, immediately." I linked with some of my men. "Send only a few and make sure no Purum pack members follow you, they're under attack by several already."

I received a chorus of replies and agreements and then focused back to what was happening, we had reached the city limits and were still sprinting full on; the sounds of attacks pulling us like moths to a flame. The town was deserted on the outskirts but as we crept closer to the heart of it, it was brimming with chaos.

The humans were in a state of utter panic, running around with guns and climbing atop roofs. I looked to my right and saw a car on fire, a giant white wolf limping next to it with half its fur burned off. I growled deeply and took advantage of the situation.

The wolf, a muscular female, had her head low and her eyes locked on young man who had fallen nearby. The man was my age, and as I inspected him more I saw his leg was scorched like the white wolf's body. He had tried to blow up a car to kill her. But it had backfired and as the human yelled in pain on the ground from trying to stand, the pureblood closed in on him; her charred skin already healing.

I ran towards the two of them, rage blindingly senses. My body collided with the shewolf and for a second she was too surprised to fight back; that's all I needed. I clamped my jaws around the back of her neck and rolled forward; swinging her body forcefully. I heard a sharp snap and then her body slammed into the concrete; dark eyes rolling into the back of her head.

I quickly pulled myself away and stood up, spinning around to the human. He was pushed up against the curb, still trying to stand. His dirty face had tear tracks running down them and his messy hair was blowing in the heat-wind from the burning car.

"Please don't kill me..." He cried, his fingers gripping the pavement in pain. His eyes watched me like I was a monster, unpredictable and frightening.

I felt a presence come up behind me, Clary. Her scent calmed me down but my heart was still breaking from the slight of the young man. He was a clear representation of the brutality werewolves had brought upon humans.

I lowered my head and kept eye contact with him, walking slowly. I was about a foot away from him when I heard his breathing even out and his heart rate decrease. I wanted him to trust me.

I nudged my head to the alleyway behind him, a well hidden place he could be safe with his injury. His eyes followed my gesture and nodded quickly, finally getting himself to stand. He had almost reached the alley before he turned back around to Clary and I.

"You're not all bad." He whispered his eyes flickering to Clary, as if he was having a revelation. I felt my heart lurch.

The young human was right and as he lowered himself to the ground and hid, I remembered something that made me want to collapse on the spot.

"Why do the bad wolves live on the mountains, mother?" My small, ten year-old self asked quietly as my mother and I laid on top of the roof of the pack house.

"They're not all bad, Issac." She whispered back. "but they're born to become bad which makes the nice ones a miracle. You'll stumble upon a miracle one day."

Tobias' POV

I ran full force into the pureblood wolf that was charging at me, standing on my hind legs and putting all my energy into getting him on the ground. I could feel the strength radiating off him, his muscles overpowering me in seconds.

I hit the ground hard, the back of my head slamming against the rough ground. My vision swam with black spot for a few seconds but I quickly regained composure, not wanting the enemy to take advantage. He was bigger then me, his light grey eyes small in his big head, more muscle than speed. He was clumsy, relying more on his brute strength then fighting tactics.

His huge white wolf stood above me and was lunging to snap at my exposed throat, panic shot through me like a bullet and I reacted. Moving my back legs, I racked them down his stomach; dark blood instantly spilling across my body. I moved out of the way of his jaws and his face smacked into the ground. I wanted to laugh but didn't have time to be distracted as he growled demonically, his body rolling off waves of hatred towards me.

Using my speed and his fury as a advantage, I quickly latched my jaws onto the side of his neck; missing his throat by inches. I pulled myself out from underneath him, my brown coat dripping in his blood.

His rage-filled howl echoed around us and blended with the rest of the sounds of war. Sharp barks, tearing skin, the swoosh of paws as they flew through the air and howls of pain all became a roar of chaos.

I gaged as blood trickled into my mouth, the metallic warmth sliding down my throat. I dug my teeth deeper into his skin as he tried to shake me off, resulting in more blood in my mouth.

With a final, strong swing, my jaws became too weak and I was flung sideways; my body hitting the ground hard once more. I whimpered quietly, not wanting him to know I was hurt, as I stood up. His injuries were worse but they were already healing at a rapid pace and I hated him for it. I hated this war and I hated the one difference between this wolf and I; no matter how hard I fought he'd probably win because I was born without something he was.

I felt my stomach turn uneasily after swallowing so much of this wolf's blood. I began to feel so small as he got closer and began circling me. This was like a cat and a mouse; a predator toying with its prey before it killed it.

The giant white wolf jumped at me finally, my body reacting poorly because of my negative thoughts. I wasn't going to beat him and I knew it.

His jaws went for my throat and I scampered out of the way only slightly, his teeth latching onto my upper left leg. I howled and opened my eyes to look for help; my last resort. Lira, her beautiful wolf far away, was battling three other wolves; all men. My heart bled with pain as they taunted her like my attacker had. I wanted to run to save her but I was loosing my own fight.

Then, like a electrical shock through my veins, body body went stiff. I felt my head throw back and my eyes roll into the black of my head. Heat and power fused together inside me and I was stricken with fear as to what was happening. My body became loose again and my eyes went back to normal; but things had changed.

I could see farther than ever before. I could hear each individual breath of every wolf nearby. I could smell the bitter scent of blood on Lira far away. My senses were overwhelming and new, almost like they were suddenly heightened. But what really surprised me was the strength I had. All my injuries were forgotten as I growled deeply and swatted my paw at the wolf latched onto my shoulder, his body falling away instantly.

I was baffled by the change of my body. I dodged ever counterattack from the wolf I had just ben loosing too, our strength now leveled. His eyes latched onto mine and I chuckled at the fear they held.

"You have my eyes..." He growled furiously into my mind. I stopped in my tracks, power like never before rolling off me in waves as I stood in confusion. My mind swam with red once more, all the hatred I had for his wolf in front of me returning. My emotions were uncontrollable, like usual, and I reacted, lunging at him unexpectantly.

I clammed my jaws around his throat and pushed until he fell backwards. Once he was down and under me I twisted my head and felt his neck snap sharply.

I disentangled myself from his limp body, my heart beating faster then ever before. His light grey eyes were staring forward but no longer seeing anything, like the glass eyes of a stuffed animal. My mouth tasted horrible, like blood and death.

All around me I could sense everything; even the chaotic energy in the cold wind. I spun around, my mind instantly thinking of Lira now that my attacker was dead. My eyes, satisfyingly sharp, scanned the battle for her little wolf.

As soon as I caught her scent, I began to run towards it. She was everything I didn't wanted and yet everything I've needed. Her beauty never masked her danger; they fused together to create the regal, perfect shewolf I had come to adore.

I finally reached her after dodging several attempted attacks on my way. She had managed to kill one of the three wolves she was fighting. Her black eyes were panicky but as they landed on mine, they swam with reassurance.

Both our coats were stained with dark blood, hers fresh and my dried. Most of the blood on her white coat was hers and growled deeply.

In a blur of fangs, fur and claws I had the other two wolves who had been fighting my Mate lying lifeless on the dead grass. I turned back around to her and suddenly felt the empty space between us. Since we'd meet, we hadn't touched once. I knew her voice and she knew mine when we mindlinked earlier but I had yet to feel the sparks on my skin from her touch.

Before I could react, her smaller wolf ran up to me and buried her head into my chest. Pleasurable spark erupted across my body and I nuzzled her back, wanting to feel her close. Her presence was like nothing i'd ever experienced and I loved it.

Her white coat didn't scare me, she was different and she was like Clary; a Purum pack member wanting nothing to do with the blood in their veins.

Agonizing slow, Lira pulled away and her brown-black eyes connected with mine once more. She flinched and began to back away instantly and my mind screamed at me that I had done something wrong.

"What is it?" I quickly asked, her white wolf looking extremely concerned. The shadows of clouds rolling above us caused the atmosphere to feel heavy and cold, not to mention the war still going on around us.

"Your eyes aren't your own." She muttered into my mind, her sweet voice scared. "They're light grey."

Clary's POV

I bounded down the town street, not even having to consciously dodge the horribly aimed gun shots directed at me. These humans didn't know how to kill us, they didn't know how to be in a war like this. I felt Lucas hot on my trail as we leapt atop cars and turned various corners, trying to hunt down the Purum pack members that were here.

Issac had separated from us moments ago, his wolf's expression distant and unreadable, to go meet up with the reinforcements he called for. My stomach throbbed with worry and my heart raced from being far from him; none of this was easy.

A loud crash sounded to my left and I quickly skidded to a halt, looking down the street near me. It lead to the small plaza in front of the City Hall and I instantly raced down it, my fur stiff with dried blood and eyes sharp with determination. The horrible feeling that had been in the air only got worse as Lucas and I moved forward.

"Holy shit..." Lucas murmured into my mind as we turned the corner. I growled deeply and made sure we stayed hidden behind the building as we looked on. I felt the fur on my back of my neck rise, the scene in front of us was overwhelming.

Humans were running and yelling, blood soaking their clothes and hair. White wolves rampaged through them all, tearing apart homes and crawling up the marble steps of the City Hall. My eyes instantly identified Paul, one of my fathers men who had came down here with Lira and I several weeks ago and told me about the disgusting treaty between our pack and the human settlement. I hated his guts and my Wolf instantly growled at the sight of him nearby.

The City Hall's windows were shattered, orange flames blazing out of them fiercely. Black smoke was rising out of them, mingling with the foggy air and floating up to the storm clouds above. My chest was tight with sadness but sore from the angry, rapid beating of my heart. This was all so wrong and I knew the Purum pack had no motive here but to kill and destroy. Murder and destruction just because they could; it was appalling.

"We can't take all of them." Lucas' voice entered my head and I could hear the evident fear in his tone. We hugged the side of a building, just our heads peaking out at the chaos ahead.

"Issac where are you?" I pleaded into my Mate's mind. This had to be stopped but I knew running out their with just Lucas would be unwise; there had to be about ten or twelve purebloods.

"Almost there, are you hurt?" He instantly replied, his voice calming me only slightly.

"We're fine, just hurry to the City Hall." I responded and huffed out a shaky breath. I turned and locked eyes with Lucas's hazel ones, he was strong but a little on the small side; he couldn't win against a pureblood. Annoyance was racing through my veins and I wanted nothing more than to bolt out there and stop the m******e that was happening. I couldn't just stand by and wait for Issac, people were dying. Innocent people.

"Stay here and wait for him, I'm going." I quickly said to Lucas, praying he would be smart and stay hidden. His Wolf looked shocked he lunged to stop me but I was already turned and running; leaving his bewildered, tan wolf behind.

It felt unnatural to be running on concrete and my stomach turned with nausea at the warm wetness of blood on my paws. My vision narrowed in on Paul, his huge wolf standing atop the marble steps of City Hall; his white fur dirtied with black smoke and blood. I growled deeply when our eyes connected, channeling all my strength into getting to him.

The wind was knocked out of me when a heavy force rammed into my side and I felt sharp pains prick all over as my ribs cracked. My body went flying with my attacker and collided with the ground, every bone in my body jolting with the pain of the fall. Anger consumed my senses and I swatted with my good arm at whoever had tackled me. It was one of Paul's friends, his wolf wolf also bloody and rough-looking.

I tried to push myself upward to clasp my jaws around his neck but my ribs, splintered and broken, prevented almost all my movement. Running out here was a bad decision, I thought to myself, I was outnumbered and now brutally injured.

Paul's friend, his dark brown eyes sinister and mocking, latched his jaws onto the back of my neck, like a mother would a pup, and began to drag me towards the steps of the City Hall.

I fought back, every movement shooting white hot pain up my spine and blinding my vision with spots. I felt my body slide over something and then fall back to the ground and as I looked backwards I felt bile rise up in my throat at the sight of a human body splayed out on the street; the person was unrecognizable from all the bite marks and slashes.

I lifted my head, feeling the wolf who was dragging me's teeth sink deeper, and let out a distress howl. I willed my body to heal faster but knew that breaking every rib in your chest wouldn't be something that'd heal in minutes. My howl echoed around the town and I prayed Issac was close. I also prayed Lucas would stay tucked away around the corner until help arrived.

My howl was cut short once Paul's friend unlatched his hold on my neck and tossed my limp body onto the stairs of the City Hall. Hitting the marble awkwardly didn't help my healing and caused me to be disoriented for a second. I quickly scrambled to regan my composure, ignoring the blinding pain from my ribs and the throbbing of every aching muscle.

I glanced up, my eyelashes sticky with blood, and my eyes connected with Paul's once more. Pure hatred erupted in my chest and made the pain easier to ignore. I wonder if he knew Elijah and Damon, two of his closes friends, were dead. I hope he did. I hope he could feel the pain he caused, even if it was only a fraction of it.

"Clary." His voice crept into my mind and I wanted to scream at it to get out. I laid still on the marble steps as he stood a few steps above me on the space before the doors of the City Hall. I willed my bones to mend back together and my bruises and cuts to heal; I needed strength and hoped Paul was stupid enough to let me gain it. I just had to stall him.

"I'm not going to ask you why you're doing this. I already know it's because you're a coward and will kill something that can't even put up a fight, just to make yourself feel better." I replied with a flat voice. Paul's white wolf shifted his weight, unsettled by my words. His dark eyes narrowed and I saw the hair on the back of his neck raise, his temper rising.

"Why do you defend them, Clary?" He replied his voice so low and sardonic, he was so heartless like Elijah; a man who could've been so much more if he hadn't been brainwashed by my father. He saw murdering humans as cleansing our world, and he was willing to take out anyone who disagreed. I defend humans because I knew, despite everything, that it was wrong not to.

"You know what it feels like to control them, to have them at your command. I've seen you. You crave control and you could've had it if you were smart." His wolf walked down the few steps between us so that he was now towering over me. The dark clouds and the white, stone roof of the City Hall rose behind him; white marble contrasting with black-grey sky. I rethought his words and my heart sunk.

"That day when Issac was shot..." I muttered, events connecting in my mind.

"Who do you think tipped of the humans you were coming for a visit? Who do you think told them to use silver bullets?" Paul's eyes were swirling with enjoyment as he watched me put the lives together. I remembered that day, passing out in the pavement and seeing the image of white wolfs on a roof nearby flash across my vision before I passed out from pain.

"You saw me command all those police..." I began to slip down the steps, my paws trying to find footing on the bloody marble. "You saw me kill the mayor."

"You're just like us Clary." Paul's wolf seemed to laugh at mine as he watched me sink into my myself with denial. I shouldn't have let him speak, I should've gotten over my pain and attacked him as soon as I was laid down at his feet.

"No, I'm not- I'm better." I let the words tumble out as I winced, my ribs cracking into place as they healed slowly. Where was Issac? I needed him.

"Now you sound like us." Paul's wolf jumped so he was at the base of the steps, a couple feet from my weak body as I finally halted on the last step. I ached with anger and anxiety and wanted nothing more than to run away. Running was what I did.

"You're no better then the rest of us." His dark eyes had never left mine and I felt so small under their furious stare. I hated the feeling of being inferior. It was in my blood. I couldn't change what I was born with but I could choose what I did with it. I let Paul's disrespectful glare fuel my dying flame. I thought of his friends breaking my bones and dragging me like a pup across the ground. I thought of all my old pack members trying to attack me today and I thought of people trying to harm Issac. My Alpha blood roared in my ears and I felts every injury I had cease to exsist.

I sprang forward like a bullet, My Wolf angered beyond comprehension at all the disrespect and brutality I had let slip by us. I tackled Paul to the cold, hard ground and pinned him down. I didn't need saving, I said to myself, I could do it myself.

Paul's eyes were blazing with fear and surprise; the last emotion that would cross his face. I swatted at his face and felt my paws slice near his open mouth; his bottom jaw ripped clear off and went flying through the smokey air only to land at the feet of his friend nearby. I shot him the most furious look I could muster and growled deeply, my ears flat on my head.

His friend, looking at Paul's detached jaw at his paws, whimpered loudly and spun around; quickly bounding away down the nearest alley and vanishing with a flick of a white tail.

I stepped off Paul's lifeless body and let my head roll back once more. I called to Issac, the hot breath of my howl being absorbed into the cold air. My senses stayed alert and I heard the sound of racing paws all around me, more purebloods.

I cut my howl short knowing Issac had to have heard it and posed myself to fight. I flatted my ears to my head and puffed out my chest; my tail curling over my back. Ten white wolves were circling me, many of them trying to hide the fact that they were shaking. My body radiated authority and power and their Wolf's couldn't deny it. Many of them kept glancing at Paul's dead wolf nearby, they probably looked to him and we're now confused after he had been killed.

One brave wolf made the first move, a large female with piercing silver eyes, and lunged at my front legs.

I sprang into action and jumped over her body, landing behind her with a fierce growl. She turned around quickly; her eyes swirling with anger and flecks of fear. I lifted my paw and slashed at her face, my claws ripping straight across her eyes. She was blinded and with a sharp yelp she fell to the ground, her paws covering her bloody face.

I looked away from her, knowing I had to keep my focus on the rest of the wolves still surrounding me. They had forgotten about the humans for a moment and I was determined to keep them focused on me. My eyes flickered around the little town square we were in and felt relief wash over me at the fact that almost all the humans had ran and left.

I knew I couldn't command these wolves, I wasn't their true Alpha. I could only command humans and halfbloods. But the authority I had, small as it was, was evident and I would use it.

I stood tall once more, my claws retracted and chest puffed out, and snarled at the nine remaining purebloods. They disgusted me I glowered at each one of them; trying to channel that deadly look my father gave me before he tried to kill me only hours ago.

The wolf closes to me, a smaller yet extremely fast male, raced towards me with the same expression; his dark eyes blazing with determination. I twisted myself to move out of his way but he was a white blur of fangs and claws and ended up latching himself into my right hind leg. I yelped sharply, feeling my skin tear with a huge gash.

The other wolves took this opportunity to spring into action. My heart raced and I felt my blood turn white hot with the energy of fighting, I wasn't going down without a fight.

I turned to the mass of white wolves running at me, all different shapes and sizes and all covered in human blood. I prepared myself to give all my energy into getting out of this alive.

Then, right before the first wolf reached me, the group of once all white fur was tainted with the dark blood-wet coats of my packmembers. I felt a rush of sparks dance across my aching nerves as Issac jumped at me, his bigger wolf ripping the small pureblood that had his teeth sunk into my back leg off with the swat of his paw. I scrambled to try to gain composure over myself and felt my leg throb with pain.

Warm, pleasurable heat ereputed all through my body when Issac wolf nuzzled his head into my neck. I responded instantly and pushed my body up against his, never wanting him to leave my side again. He pulled away slightly and our eyes connected. His beautiful dark green eyes were flickering between their normal color and the sky blue color of the pureblood still in his veins.

"Great timing." My voice slipped into his mind I saw his wolf huff out a small laugh, his hot breath encircling his head in the bitter air. My heart was still racing and my leg was almost fully healed. The adrenaline from this war made it impossible to stand still and I knew Issac felt it to.

We turned to help fight and it was a good thing too. Issac had brought only six men, but with Lucas him and I we were even against the purebloods; but like always they had the upperhand because of their blood.

Two of our wolves were already dead, their wolves bleeding out on the pavement. Anger erupted in my chest and I sprang into action with Issac following.

A dark grey female nearby was loosing her fight against the pureblooded male who had gone after her. She limped backwards, her bloody wolf pressing itself against the side of the brick building behind her as the pureblood, his eyes a dark yellow color zeroed in. She growled deeply, her ears flat and paw raised to swat at her opponent; but her eyes swam with misery and defeat. She knew she couldn't win and it broke my heart.

I raced the serval yards between them and me and closed in on the pureblood. My body landed atop his and I bit into the back of his neck; my ears ringing when he yelped loudly. He tried to throw me off but only worsened his wounds.

Then all of a sudden, his body went limp and fell to the street with a thud. I clambered off his back and saw the small dark-grey shewolf wiggle herself out from underneath him. Her muzzle was wet with his blood and I noticed she had ripped his throat clean out.

My heart skipped a beat when something weird happen. Her eyes light grey and normal, flickered to the dark yellow color of her attacker. Her wolf shivered and my mind couldn't help but remember Issac, with my blood on his lips with his eyes flickering between his color and mine.

A sharp, familiar yelp sounded behind me and the shewolf in front of me was forgotten. It was Issac's wolf and I spun around quickly to try and find him in the chaos. Thunder clapped ahead and made me jump, an eerie, unsettling feeling settling over the town.

My heart dropped when my eyes found Issac. He was pressed up against the hood of a car on the other side of the town square, two huge purebloods attacking him from all angles. I growled ferociously and raced towards them, my veins hot with anger and determination.

A tan blur came into my line of sight a few yards ahead, it was Lucas who was racing toward them as well.

Something then, from a small alley, caught my eye. The small reflective shine from a metal device made me look down the narrow pathway between two buildings nearby. Two humans held what looked like a remote control and were looking directly at the car Issac and the purebloods were fighting on.

Pieces fell together in my head and I remembered the man who Issac and I saw when we came to the human settlement. He had blown up a car to try to kill a pureblood who was attacking him. The humans had made their cars into improvised explosive devices and my Mate was splayed across one.

"Issac, Lucas! Get away from that car now, it's going to blow!" I screamed into their minds frantically. I realized, despite my words, that I hadn't stopped running towards them and forced myself to stop. I barked loudly trying to get their attention, Issac was loosing his fight and couldn't get up; the purebloods shoving his body back down onto the car every time he tried to run. Lucas had almost reached them and I wanted to know why he hadn't turned around, he had to have heard me.

My eyes flickered towards the humans in the alley once more and my heart dropped. The dark-haired male had his finger right above a red button and was lowering it.

I began to run towards them and it was like when Issac got shot all over again. Life went into slow motion and it felt like I was running through water and would never make it the hundred yards between the humans who were going to kill my Mate and me.

I heard several barks and yelps from the car nearby but only focused on stopping the bomb. But I was too late. I was always too late.

Everything froze when the man fingers jammed into the button.

My body was thrown to the ground, my fur whipping back from the blast of hot heat. My ears rang loudly and made my head throb with the sound. I slammed my eyes shut. Everything was red and orange.

After what could've been hours or seconds, I opened my eyes. With my ears still ringing I began to stand; noticing I had no injuries expect the soreness of the fall. The pavement was charred black and all you could hear was the howling wind and the whimpers of wolves.

I looked down the alley and the two humans were gone. My eyes scanned over the town square and saw everyone was down, some, who were closer, not moving or breathing.

My chest felt empty and sore and with all the energy I could muster I felt for the connection between Issac and I in my mind; knowing my world could fall apart at any second.

I felt my heart began to race when Issac's presence was still in my head. He was alive and my emotions of confusion and relief clashed.

I pushed myself to run towards the burning, black cloud of smoke that was the car nearby. I reached it instantly wanted to fall back to the ground, my eyes burning from the smoke and with tears. The scene in front of me broke my heart and I wanted nothing more then to have rewound time and found a way to have made sure this wouldn't have happened.

Lucas's wolf, almost unrecognizable because of the blood and soot that littered his tan coat, was laying too still on the black, burnt remains of the car.

A sound nearby made me look up quickly. My was vision blurry with tears but a large grey and brown form crept out of behind the corner of an alley. I blinked and let the tears fall and saw Issac's wolf approach me.

Small, tiny drops of frozen rain began to drop from the sky and land all around; the clouds ironically opening and letting the storm fall upon us.

"He saved me." Issac's voice, so small and broken entered my head and I felt like my tears would never stop. "He pushed me out of the way and I scrambled into the corner like a coward."

My gaze left Issac's and looked to Lucas once more. He had saved his Alpha but it has costed him his life.

I didn't know who to blame, I didn't want to blame anyone. My heart was aching with sadness as I saw Lucas with his eyes still open, his hazel iris's just like Nina's.

The thunder boomed above and the storm grew more intense, it's dark clouds hanging over Issac and I as we stood in silence. Our tears mixing with the rain.

Zak's POV

I shoved the dead white wolf draped across my body off my chest with my front paws, letting out a shaky breath. My body felt cold from the frozen rain but my insides were blazing hot with the adrenaline of fighting. I stood up, blood dripping off the tips of my fur with the rain water. It had gotten significantly darker in the past hour or so, a huge grey-black cloud hanging itself above the mountains and forest. I looked forward into the chaos with disgust.

The ground had turned to mud and wolves were sliding and slipping trying to take each other down. The constant noises of snarling, barking and howling had became one omniscient roar of sound. My breathing was heavy as my eyes scanned the muddy and bloodstained coats of the wolves near me, looking for a specific light-tan one.

When my sharp eyes found her my heart raced faster than ever before; my feet carried me to her quicker than I thought possible. Fear and anxiety consumed me at the sight of her mud-soaked wolf curled up near a tree on the edge of the fighting. Her lovely, bright eyes had become black and scary and my wolf didn't know what to do.

I stood above her, my heart pounding and ears sharp to make sure no one attacked us. Something was wrong, very wrong and being in the middle of a war made it catastrophically worse.

"Nina, what is it." I nuzzled my face into her neck softly, urging her to speak to me. I hardly knew her but she was my Mate; I felt as if her soul and mine had known each other for a very long time. She scampered away from my touch and sunk deeper into the muddy ground, almost as if she wanted it to swallow her up.

Her wolf was shaking uncontrollably and I was terrified. Her eyes, blazing with something I didn't understand, locked onto mine. "My brother." Her small, unsteady voice entered my mind.

"You have a brother?" I lowered myself to the ground, hoping our muddy fur would camouflage us from the war currently going on only yards away. I never let my eyes leave hers but her gaze was flickering and distant; she was desperately mind linking with someone important.

"Is he hurt?" I asked another question, my voice low and steady even though my heart was almost racing out of my chest.

"He's my twin and he's dead." Nina's wolf sunk into itself, curling into a muddy ball of fur and slamming her eyes shut. Soft whimpers came from her body and my body froze. I didn't know how to handle this situation, but my wolf screamed at me to comfort her somehow.

I wrapped myself around her, my wolf about twice her size, and tucked her head under mine. I closed my eyes and tried to heal her brokenness. Her small form shook and shivered, sadness and despair consuming her. I didn't know all that happened but I knew if I lost Clary, my own sibling, I'd be heartbroken. Not to mention her brother and her were twins, which meant they were pretty much connected like Mates and could feel each others pain and emotions.

"Nina, I'm here." I whispered into her mind. "I'm here and it's going to be alright." I opened my eyes for a brief moment and looked out onto the battlefield once more. I instantly lifted my head off her's out of shock, my mouth hanging opening in denial.

In the small amount of time I had been distracted by Nina, something had changed; something big.

White, muddy wolves were backing out of their fights and racing away. They were tearing themselves away from their enemy and bounding back towards the mountains. Clary's pack and the two other pack's members were left dazed and confused as their attackers backed off and turn to run away. I stood up, unable to believe what I was seeing.

The Purum pack was retreating.

Clary's POV

"She's not replying to me anymore." I sighed loudly as I mind linked with Issac. Nina had shut me out after I told her Lucas's fate. I felt as though my heart just had the life squeezed out of it, my chest heavy with dread and sorrow. The air was freezing and rain pleated Issac and I as we stayed in the towns square alone. The explosion hadn't killed everyone, and after a few mintues the surviving purebloods struggled to their feet and raced away. All of Issac's men had died but one wolf.

He was a dark grey, almost black male and was one of Issac's best men. The entire right side of his body had been blown apart and scorched by the bomb, but he was still breathing. Issac put him out of his misery with a quick swipe to the throat; cutting off his ragged, wet breathing for good.

I looked over at Issac. We were sitting on the white steps of the City Hall, our heads low and rain water running the blood and dirt off our coats. The fires inside the building and on the cars had gone out; only black smoke remaining. Issac's shoulder blades stood straight up as he hung his head low with his eyes shut. His best friend had just gave his life up for him.

"He died with honor, Issac," I spoke to him again after he didn't reply. "neither of us could've stopped him."

"I shouldn't've even let myself get trapped like that." He spoke back, he sounded so different, so small. I wanted to touch him, to comfort him, but I knew he'd back away from affection right now.

"You can't go back." I said, I lifted my head to look out ahead. No human or wolf was in sight. Just the huge storm that draped itself across the land and the burned town. "And you can't let it consume you. He's dead and this war will still go on without him. You just have to decide if you're going to let his sacrifice be worthwhile."

Issac mirrored me and lifted his head. "I won't let him die in vain." He said, his voice sounding more normal and strong. My words seemed a bit harsh, but when it came to Issac I decided to be nothing but honest.

"Then let's go." I started to descend the marble steps and felt his wolf follow. My paws crunched onto the blackened pavement, bone fragments and pieces of buildings littering the streets. The wind howled and the rain fell everywhere; I couldn't quite feel the cold but I knew it was there; my supernatural heat always keeping me from experiencing the bitter cold.

"Clary, Issac." A low, familiar voice slipped into my head and made me stop. Issac came to a halt as well, his ears perking up from being flat against his head.

"Zak." I replied to my brother.

"Something's happening. Something's happened." His voice was rapid and desperate after my response.

"Go on." I said calmly, even though my voice wanted to shake. My heart rate sky rocketed. Please don't let anyone else be dead, I begged.

"They're retreating, the purebloods. They are all but gone on the north border and Issac's brother says they've all left on the south end as well." Zak elaborated, and I could hear the confusion in his voice. My mind throbbed with disbelief. After all the planning and strength we've put into this, have we finally won? My thoughts screamed at me that something was wrong.

Issac's eyes met mine, their beautiful green color growing dark. He was lost like I was, we didn't think it'd be this easy. His eyes glazed over for a second, mink linking with others.

"It's confirmed," He added to the conversation between my brother and I. "my men say there's no one left to fight and they've all returned to the mountains."

"No one follow the purebloods! Stay in position and stay in the forest." Issac sent out a pack message, and I felt a chorus of agreeing replies from the Saltus pack link and the other connected to it. I had no clue what we were going to do but we needed to have them cooperate and not attack while we figured things out.

"What do you think this means? Have we won?" I spoke to Issac and Zak once more. We had become a triangle of planning in these past couple of days, always coming back to eachother when things went wrong.

"No I don't think so. We'd get confirmation from Kane if that was what was happening." Zak's voice replied. He seemed very unsettled and disturbed. He was probably with Nina, unable to comfort her from her grief while all this was happening.

"I've got an idea." Issac finally said. I looked to him, standing in the rain with white breath weaving around his sopping wet form. "But it only involves Clary, Lira, my brother and I. Zak watch over my pack with my father and gather everyone back at the pack house." I flinched at how demanding Issac sounded, my brother hated to be bossed around. But I knew Issac didn't even realize and Zak would get over it. There were more important things to do than to fight over who was Alpha in this situation.

"Ok." Zak relied curtly. I pictured him shaking his head and getting to work, I prayed him and the others would be alright and this wasn't a trap.

"What are we doing?" I walked up to my Mate and locked eyes with him. I wanted so badly for all this to be over.

"We're meeting up with my brother and Lira and we're going to your father." He said as if he just suggested a simple, easy task. My heart dropped but I quickly put myself back together and raised my head like he was; trying to mirror his strength.

"They aren't killing more of our own. And this is ending now." Issac narrowed his eyes and I saw a blazing fire. He was a fire no one meant to light, but now that he was alive and burning; he was indescribably strong. My soul ignited with his and my mind replayed his words. He hadn't said 'his own' when he spoke of the halfbloods, he said 'our own'; knowing that deep down we were all the same no matter the blood in our veins.

"Come on" He said lightly to me, making sure I was following when he began to race away from the towns square. This time the journey from the human settlement seemed longer, as if time had slowed down to torture me. It was dryer under the canopy of the tall pines, but Issac and I's paws still left prints in the muddy ground. Before I knew it a brown and a white wolf came into view, Lira and Tobias. They were stagnant against the sway of the trees and their coats were stained like Issac and I's with blood and dirt.

I ran up to Lira and felt my heart lurch at the sight of her, we weren't that close but we were both from the same home and our roots would be forever tangled. We nuzzled heads and then I looked back to Issac and Tobias.

Tobias' wolf was shaking it's head with sadness, his light brown eyes growing black with dread. Issac had told him about Lucas.

I slowly walked towards the two of them, Lira following. I motioned for her to comfort him and she immediately tucked herself into his side, trying to lift his head that was hung in sorrow. I leaned on Issac and felt him lean back, his chest sighing slightly.

"We need to know what were doing." I said to all three of them but my question was mostly directed at Issac who had the plan.

"We're going to try and find out why they retreated and go from there." He began. "The ultimate goal is to find Kane and take him down..."

His voice continued and changed into the one of a leader, the leader he was born to be. I watched him as he told us what we were to do and felt a heat build in my chest.

This was it. This would be over within the hour with either us or my father dead.

Clary's POV

"Just follow every move Lira and I make." I explained quickly, looking down on Issac and Tobias struggling to make their way up the side of the mountain. I watched as Issac landed awkwardly on a rock ledge and yelped when part of it gave way. You have to live in the mountains your whole life to know how to maneuver them, I thought to myself.

"We're almost to the trail. From there we can find their scents and track them." Lira said after me. I glanced back up at her wolf and saw her waiting on another ledge, the rain dripping off her steadily. The rocks were slick with cold water and made everything more difficult. Not to mention my muscles were sore and my fur was filthy.

Finally after what seemed like too long, the four of us has managed to get to the trails leading to the Purum pack village. We ran, but with caution. The scents of the purebloods was strong and we stayed close and low to the ground as we made our way up the mountain.

The trails my old pack had made began to get steeper, meaning we were reaching the edge of our settlement. My wolf shivered at the proximity of our old home. But this time there would be no Elijah to greet me. Deep down my heart felt sadness for him, but mostly for the part of him that I never saw. A part of him that could've been different if he had had a different life. I knew that was true for a lot of purebloods.

They were all who they were because of this place tucked away in the mountains. This place that would crumble on this night if Issac's plan worked.

"Slow down." I muttered to everyone. "This is where they might be." We reached the end of the trail, it's dark path reaching out into the streets of the Purum pack village. Large stone and marble houses, some built into the side of the mountain, came into view before us. It was dead quiet, our breath and the harsh rain were the only noises and it terrified me.

"Their scents lead that way." Tobias' dark brown wolf gestured his head down a road that I knew lead to the pack house. That's where they had to be.

"In here, quickly." I said, running up to an ajar door of dark home and nudging it open. The wood creaked and I slipped inside, the other three following close by. Our coats dripped all over and we were filthy with rain, dirt and dried blood.

I looked around the large home and shivered. It was spacious, dark and very unpersonalized; the opposite of the Saltus pack's cozy wooden cottages. These stone walls felt like a cage and I wanted to leave as soon as I stepped inside.

"Alright." Issac spoke up. "Toby, Lira, you two aren't going to like this plan all too much."

Their two wolves gave him blank stares, urging him to explain. I think I had an idea of what he was going to say.

Issac's dark wolf seemed to sigh. "I can take on Clary's scent because I've recently Marked her; it keeps me hidden. Toby, you and Lira are going to the pack house where they seem to have all gathered and find out what's going on."

Lira's wolf shifted her weight uncomfortably. Tobias just stood still. I looked to Issac and his eyes flickered to me, asking me to finish what he was trying to say.

"To blend in, you two have to Mark each other." I just said the words, knowing we were wasting time being awkward. It wasn't like they couldn't redo it later on, I thought.

The house was silent and Lira and Tobias' eyes were going anywhere but each other's. I huffed out a deep breath. "Issac and I need to find Kane, you two need to do this. Please." I added.

Tobias' light eyes finally glanced at Lira, her wolf seemed smaller than his when in all reality she was stronger. I turned around and motioned for Issac to follow me into the next room. My paws left wet prints all over the floor and my coat was still dripping.

Issac and I found a bedroom and I immediately jumped onto the perfect bed. I rolled around in it, mud, blood and rain water spattering the walls and sheets. I stood on all four and shook out my fur crazily, completely ruining the once spotless room. A familiar laugh filled the room and I noticed Issac had shifted back.

He was pulling on a pair of dark jeans he found and buttoning them up as he watched me. I jumped off the bed and nuzzled my head into his chest, his hand coming to rub my neck. I mirrored him and shifted back, feeling my body snap back into place. I found a black top and jeans and quickly slipped them on, they were a few sizes too big but I couldn't bring myself to mind.

Issac was waiting for me, leaning on one shoulder in the doorway. His bare skin was filthy and wet but it didn't stop me from walking up to him and grabbing him in a tight embrace. His strong arms wrapped around my back and pressed me to his warm body. I could stay like this forever, I thought.

A crack of thunder shook the house and caused me to jump, my nerves still in high alert. Issac laughed. "We should get going." His tone was calm, but there was a measurable trace of fear that it held; the voice of someone unsure of what was to come.

I looked into his ivy colored eyes. "You think they've done it?" I lowered my voice, gesturing my head towards the front room where Lira and Tobias were.

"Well we gave them enough time." He cracked a small smile. I placed a hand on his cheek and ran my thumb across his lips, wanting to keep the image of him happy burned into my mind. Issac took my hand and he kissed the palm. I felt my cheek grow warm; my heart still flipped at his every action.

We made our way to the front door and were met with Lira and Tobias holding hands waiting for us. They had found clothes as well; Lira wearing a sweater almost as white as he hair and Tobias wearing a grey hoodie. My eyes flickered to their now Marked necks only briefly and I sighed with relief.

"Keep your links open and don't talk to anyone. Your goal is to find out about why they retreated, our goal is to find Kane." Issac spoke fast, his green eyes swirling. I took his hand and looked at his tan fingers wrapped with my pale ones.

"We'll meet back up soon." Tobias said. Lira nodded and let go of his hand for a moment to give me a hug. It seemed like a goodbye hug and made my stomach turn with sadness but I returned it.

"See you soon." I said to them both, giving them the smallest of smiles. They opened the door and ran out, the storm swallowing them up. I tried to watch them for as long as possible but they turned a street corner towards the pack house and were gone.

"Let's go." I said after the silence of the house and the rain became too much. "I think I know where my father is."

We leave the house and run, our mind set on one thing and one thing only.

Tobias' POV

Someone is shouting. I have become overwhelmed with the amount of purebloods and keep my hand grasped firmly around Lira as she leads me. I'm crowded by people I've been raised to think we're the enemy and yet they pay me no attention; Lira scent completely masking me. My neck throbs from her Mark and my wolf has yet to decided if he's satisfied with the hasty way we did it. I keep my hood up and keep my head down, my eyes roaming over all the faces around me.

I can see the pack house, a huge marble mansion built into the mountain. The dark clouds in the sky hang above it and pour frozen rain all over us. A woman with long, pinned straight brown hair is standing in front of it, yelling. My eyes zero in on her and I see the same pale blue eyes as Clary. It was her mother, Lavina Albus.

"There's something we can do about it right?" Someone from up in the front of the crowd yells. Lighting flashes and I can feel the hair on my arms stand up from the electricity; I wasn't used to being this high above the ground and away from the safety of the forest floor.

"All we know is the enemy has found a way to absorb our powers! The un-pures are displaying strength and senses that only we possess, something is off and it's causing us to loose this war!" Lavina shouts in reply. She is all ferocity and strength; something Clary has traces off. But her mother is terrifying, the kind of that power radiates off her makes you want to run away. Clary's strength makes you want to stay and fight.

"We're loosing?" A different man's voice yells this time and everyone seems to become more chaotic.

"What's she talking about?" Lira asks, leaning into me, her lips close to my ear. "Are we really winning?"

I look around. Their numbers are way smaller than when they started. Everyone is fully healed but their eyes hold traces of exhaustion; the purebloods never planned to loose. I thought over what Lavina was saying, how un-pures had become more powerful. I remembered the pureblood I almost lost to earlier before I bit him and swallowed his blood. My heart hammered in my chest, I had absorbed all his heightened senses and strength. Not to mention my eyes had changed to be the exact same as his. Something was happening, something no one could explain.

I let out a shaky breath. If there was no different between purebloods and unpures, this war would be ours in a heartbeat. My eyes flickered back up to Lavina, everyone was shouting and asking her questions. Where was her Mate? Where was the Alpha when his pack was in a state of panic?

"I think we might be." I replied, squeezing Lira's hand. The words felt like they were setting me free. I stood there, the only unpure blooded wolf in a sea of purebloods, holding onto the chance that everything could change.

"Father." I pressed the link between my father and I. "We're going to win this war."

Issac's POV

"Have you heard from your father at all during all this?" Clary asks me. We slowed our running, our white breath encircling our faces in the cold weather. I pondered her question as we jogged, I hadn't.

"No." I replied, my voice faltering. I knew I shouldn't worry, I'd feel it if something bad happened to him, but his silence in my head was becoming deafening now that I was paying attention. I pushed at his link between him and I and got no response. He was blocking me out.

A hand slapped itself across my chest and brought me out of my head. I looked down and saw Clary holding me back, her arm extended across my chest and body still. She brought a finger to her lips and I froze in place, watching her.

We were on the backroads of the mountain, the ones that curled around the peaks and reached the highest ledges. I felt like we had been running for almost an hour, trying to find the right peak Kane was on. Clary said there was one he favored.

The air was thin and it felt as if I was inside the storm cloud itself as we were assaulted with rain and wind. We were about to round a corner, but Clary had stopped us.

"He's up there." Her soft, low voice snuck into my head like I knew it would. I couldn't catch Kane's scent yet but I reached inside myself and channeled Clary's pureblood. I sniffed the air once more and there it was, Kane's scent of danger and death; a smell that made my wet skin crawl.

"I'm never going to get used to that." Clary's voice added and I looked to her. Her eyes were gazing at me perplexedly and I knew mine had changed to her blue ones. We still couldn't explain it but if I could use it to my advantage, I would.

The wide path began to narrow as we turned the corner, dark stone lining both sides of us like cannon. My eyes wandered up the rocks, everything had seemed to loose color when you came up here, I thought to myself. It was all grey, black and white in the mountains.

"Stay back here." I stopped short when Clary spoke. Her back was to me and I watched the rain water fall off the tips of her dark hair. Her soft skin looked so out of place in this harsh environment and I wanted nothing more than to grab her hand and take her away from what she was about to face.

I knew better than to argue with her. She began to take a step forward but I quickly grabbed her hand and spun her around silently, bringing her lips to mine. I cradled her cheek with one hand and tried to pour all the strength I had in me into her. Her small form leaned into me, running her hands up my bare chest before breaking away.

Her eyes were so big and brilliant as they looked at me, I'd never get used to them giving that look of admiration she saves only for me. Before I loose self control and pull her towards me once more, I motion for her to leave me.

She walks to the end of the path and turns and is gone. I listen but nothing happens.

With her scent protecting me from being detected, I press myself up against the rock and get as close as possible. My long, wet hair falls into my eyes and I push it away. I strain my senses to pick up on anything but all I hear are two heartbeats and slow breathing.

I trust her. I am to leave her alone with Kane until I have a reason to reveal myself. I try to imagine what they're talking about and try to imagine how this will end and I cannot.

I could kill him, I thought to myself. I'm practically a pureblooded Alpha now that Clary's blood flows through my veins. I wondered how long her blood would stay in my system and if what happened to us had happened to others.

Suddenly, a new, distant sound is detected by my sharp ears. I snap my head around to look back down the pathway we came up here on. It's empty but I can hear the definite sound of a wolf racing up this way.

I sniff the air and my heart drops. It's my father's scent I catch.

I'm stuck between running to him and stopping him and leaving Clary. She was strong but I couldn't leave her alone with Kane, not when she was depending on me to be there if need be. I clenched my fists and heaved out a quiet, stress-filled breath. I press against my mind link between my father and I and want to scream; he's still blocking me out. What is he doing?

"Father's here and he's about to screw Clary and I's plan up. We're on the highest peak of the northern part of the mountain, try and stop him." I quickly link with Tobias, my voice desperate. Lighting cracks across the sky, leaving a white scar etched in the black clouds for only a moment. My body shakes from anxiety and I try and focus.

My father is getting closer, I can hear his wolf's racing heart. Clary and Kane are still silent and it is driving me insane, this waiting game they're playing can't last forever. What ever they're talking about, it must just be Clary or him stalling the inevitable.

As if on cue, I hear a low growl come from Clary's chest. I'm as close to them as I can get but I feel so far, unable to be by her side tears me apart. Rain water gets in my eyes and I quickly rub them, my nerves so jittery I can't stand staying still. I imagine Clary's small body standing next to her huge monster of a father and want nothing more then for her to run. But Clary doesn't run.

My father is close now, so close I can hear his claws on the wet stone. My nose picks up Tobias and Lira's scents as well but their not going to catch him; they're too far behind. I press my father's link one more time without any luck.

I look back down the dark path that Clary and I came from. Lighting flashes again and my father's black wolf comes into sight. My heart hammers in my chest and I want to scream at him to turn around. I push off the wall and stand in his way, my wet hair sticking to my face and my body stiff with anxiety and fear.

His huge wolf continues to run towards me. In seconds he's in front of me. I look into his small, black eyes and see nothing but anger and determination. There was no way I could stop him and I was proven right when he barreled past me.

"No!" I yell, racing after him. We round the corner together and I try to keep my balance on the wet ground. His black wolf stops short and I do the same as we take in the scene in from of us.

Kane is sitting peacefully on the edge of the ledge, his white wolf watching us with hooded eyes. Clary is standing a couple feet away from him, unharmed. My heart leaps at her proximity to the drop-off of the ledge. The fall had to be at least a hundred feet; unsurvivable by any wolf, pure of unpure.

Everything slows and I feel as if I'm watching everything unfold from miles away. My father barks loudly, the sound shattering the silence. He lunges forward, his huge black paws reaching for Kane. Clary yells and jumps between them and my mind cannot process a thing.

Clary's blue eyes latch onto mine. I am frozen.

She is swept away in a blur of white and black fur. The three bodies fall off the ledge in a matter of seconds and I am the only one left.

Wind howls. Rain falls everywhere and I can feel myself begin to run forward, towards the edge. Someone shouts behind me and grabs a hold of my arm, yanking me backwards. I let out a strangled cry and thunder claps above me.

I fall to the ground. No, I say to myself, no. I keep watching the edge of the ledge, begging a small pale hand to appear, it had to. She couldn't be gone that quickly. My whole world couldn't possibly vanish that fast before my eyes.

A strong hand grips my arm and I begin to scream. Lighting flashes and thunder roars and I yell for Clary. I yell at my father. I struggle against whos holding me and try to get the hand to let me go.

"Let me go!" I yell over and over again.

Let me follow her, I think to myself. Let me follow her because surely I could not go on after this. I feel my body sink into itself and my voice break. She was just swept away, my mind screams, swept away like a leaf on the wind. I'm falling apart and my heightened senses seem to be mocking me when I can hear the sound of bodies hitting the rocks below.

Clary's POV

Everything was a warm white. There was no sky, ground, walls or horizons; just glowing white and a humming silence. I was floating in it but felt as if there was solid ground under my feet. I felt safe yet my chest was cold with an emotion I couldn't place.

I was wearing a long white dress, it's fabric touching my skin but I couldn't feel it. Everything felt odd and a sense of panic began to bud in my mind. Where was I?

"Clarissa Albus." A deep ghost of a voice floated through my head and made me jump. "Daughter of Kane and Lavina. Pureblooded Alpha and Mate to Issac Woods." My heart was hammering and I spun around multiple times trying to find the voice's owner. I couldn't remember how I got here. All I could remember was falling. Falling and then waking up here.

"Where am I?" I yelled into the whiteness. My voice sounded different as if I was hearing it from far away. I kept spinning in circles trying to find a way out of this infinite sea of silence and white.

I spun around one last time and almost screamed at what had appeared.

Four white wolves had materialized out of no where. They were beautiful and I knew exactly who they were. The four pureblooded werewolves that started our species. I learned of them when I was little.

They were the purest and strongest wolves and my eyes flickered to each of there's. I knew one of them was the one who started this all and fell in love with a human, leaving his or her pack and starting the race of halfbloods. We all knew about that wolf but never spoke of them.

They each had a different eye color. Black, brown, yellow and grey. I looked at the black-eyed one and saw my reflection in it's shinning pupils.

"Where am I." I repeated.

"Where ever you'd like to think you are, Clarissa." A different, higher pitched voice echoed in my mind and I felt a shiver run up my spine. Their voices were so strong and pure and it felt as if my mind was too much of a mundane place for it to be. The magnificence of their presence was causing me to be paralyzed.

"What happened?" I questioned softly. I felt my hands begin to shake. Their eight eyes continued to burn holes in me. None of them were blinking.

"We have some things to show you." Another powerful voice entered my head and I straightened up. "Some things that will help you decide."

"Decide what?" I immediately asked. My voice was still odd, as if it were echoing far away from me. Confusion had officially washed over my entire body and I couldn't process a thing. I just wanted to get out of here.

"Where to go." A softer voice floated into my head after my question.

I didn't reply, I just twisted my fingers together trying to hide the shaking and stood in front of the four white wolves; utterly confused and increasingly panicked.

Then something breathtaking happened. The purebloods vanished. I take a step and that's when the white on every side explodes into color, sound and life. The warmth disappeared and I was in a familiar place. The Saltus pack house.

My feet found the dirt ground and I steadied myself. I was in the backyard by the gurgling pond and pine trees rose up behind me like dark green statues, their branches swaying in the wind. Something felt different though, I thought.

I was left standing barefooted in my white dress alone, my eyes gazing at the pack house. Everything felt cold and the sun was sinking below the horizon in the distance.

Then I heard a little boy's laugh. It was a wonderful sound and my heart flipped in my chest as its owner came into view.

A small child, his brown hair messy and long, ran out into the backyard; the setting sun casting shadows in his green eyes. Issac, my mind said, that's Issac.

Issac laughed and raced towards me. I smiled and almost began to say something but his tiny body ran straight through me as if I was smoke. He couldn't see me. I was about to turn and watch him but another person was coming out to the backyard as well.

My heart lurched when a women came into view. I knew immediately who it was.

Her hair was a light brown and curly and her eyes were like the pine trees. She was young and beautiful and she was Issac's mother. She began to race down the steps with a smile on her face, chasing after her son. I moved out of her way, not liking the feeling of people passing through me, and watched her.

She was faster than Issac and scooped up his small form, their laughter fused together and I felt my chest tighten.

They began to talk and Issac's face twisted into a frown. His mother set him down and whispered something in his ear. He smiled, nodded and then raced back into the pack house; out of sight.

I turned back towards his mother only to see she had shifted. I examined her beautiful dark grey wolf and how it was the same shade was on Issac's coat today.

She turned and ran into the forest and for a moment I panicked. Do I follow her?

"Follow her." A familiar, deep voice rang in my mind and jolted me into action. I began to race after Issac's mother, my body disappearing into the woods.

She was just going for a causal run and I began to grow bored of following her racing wolf. She was fast and moved like a grey bullet; something Issac inherited.

The sky was now dark and she began to slow down; but her decreasing speed wasn't because she was tired. I studied her body language and knew she smelled something, her wolf was low and cautious and her ears were perked.

Then, like ghosts from the shadows, white wolves surrounded her and I felt a scream build up in my throat. I couldn't make a sound. She was being attacked and I had to watch as her small, beautiful wolf became bruised and bloodied by purebloods.

I fell to my knees but I couldn't feel the warmth of the earth or the wind blowing the trees. I watched as the wolves backed off and Issac's mother laid in the dirt. She was wet with blood but breathing.

My father appeared. In all his brutal glory and dark strength. His small eyes looked at wolf his men had attacked with indifference and I wanted to scream again.

But then everything's changed. Issac's mother sprang back into action, her eyes bright and feral. She was radiating power and lunged directly at Kane. My eyes watched frantically and I clenched my fists in surprise. She seemed different, stronger, and her eyes were black.

The moment was short lived and within a matter of three seconds Kane had his mouth around her throat. I couldn't hear a thing but I knew when her breathing stopped.

Her once breathtaking wolf collapsed into a heap of bloody fur in the dirt.

Pure anger and confusion were the only emotions I was feeling. I wanted to yell that them all but I couldn't make any sound.

"How did that just happen..." A dark voice echoed in the silence. It was one of my father's men. I was part of their mind link but they couldn't see me just like Issac and his mother couldn't. I was a ghost who had to watch from the shadows.

One of the white wolves shook out his fur. He had had an injury from Issac's mother but it was obviously healed now.

"She bit my shoulder." The healed wolf replied.

"She swallowed your blood." My father added. His voice was the same, younger, but still cold as ice. He was was staring at Issac's mother's wolf with an unreadable expression.

"What does that mean?" Another voice entered the link and asked. They were all standing still on the edge of the forest, their white fur whipping around in the wind.

"It means, for a moment, she was pureblooded." My father responded. I don't think I've ever heard him so bewildered. His voice was low and distant and his wolf began to pace. "It means that halfbloods can become just like us if they swallow our pure blood. It means we're in danger."

My heart dropped. All of my questions had just been answered. Issac's eyes changing when he Marked me. The shewolf's eyes changing at the human settlement when she killed a pureblood. The Purum pack retreating. It all made sense. These lifetimes of fighting over blood and power had been in vain. If Issac's mother had survived we could've known.

Unpures can become purebloods if they ingest pureblood; if only for a moment. My pulse was beating fast under my skin as I thought of how much this changes. This changes everything, my mind screamed, and your father knew all about it.

Howls began to ring all around and my heart bled with sorrow at the distress cries from the Saltus pack. Sadness overwhelmed me and I began to feel tears leak from my eyes uncontrollably. My father barked orders at his men and they raced away.

I knew how this story ended. My father would chase rouge wolves to the scene of the crime and no one would know the truth of Issac's mother's death until I came along.

I curled up into a ball and began to shake. Why was I seeing this? What was happening?

A brightness from beyond my eyelids caused me to blink my eyes open and look up. I glared forward at the four white wolves, my face wet with salty tear. We were back in the infinite whiteness, Issac's dead mother long gone. I was speechless.

"Now you know the truth." One of the wolves' powerful voices breathed into my cluttered mind. I hugged myself and sat up slightly. My head hurt from the bright white everywhere. White space and white wolves.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" I muttered. My hair fell into my face slightly but I didn't move it. I felt tired and weak. I felt like giving up. I felt like slipping away into this warm, endless white around me.

"You're suppose to choose whether or not you want to go back, Clarissa." Another voice replied with sincerity. I felt my body begin to rock slightly. The wolves were so still and watchful, like white marble statues who's eyes held so much power and knowledge.

I shivered. "I'm dead aren't I?" My voice floated through the void of white, the words making my body tense with sadness. I looked down and slammed my eyes shut. I told myself not to break down but the urge to was pushing at my heart, a tidal wave of emotion that would drown me when I let it flow.

"Not yet." A soothing voice whispered. I looked up to the wolves again but they were gone. I didn't move I just let the infinite white burn my tired eyes.

"Clary." My body jolted at the sound of voice behind me.

I would know that voice anywhere, it's lowness and beauty so intoxicating. I stood up and spun around and once I did the whiteness exploded into something else again. A bright clearing.

Yellow light was everywhere and tall grass swayed in the wind in a nearby meadow. This time I could feel the heat of the sun and the crisp air weave through my hair.

I looked towards the meadow and my eyes latched onto the green ones I loved.

Issac was watching me with a smile and I returned it. I took in his tall form, his long hair unruly and messy. He began to laugh peacefully and I felt my body warm with the sound.

He leaned forward and shifted into his magnificent wolf; it's dark brown and grey fur glimmering in the sunlight. This scene was pure and warm, not like the other cold and dark one.

His wolf began to race around and that's when I noticed he was chasing something in the tall grass. I took a step forward, trying to see clearer.

My hand raised to cover my mouth when a wolf pup raced out of the meadow and into the clearing. It was so little and full of life and something in my heart pulled.

Your son, my mind said.

His tiny form walked towards me. His fur was white, grey and brown; a mix between my pureblooded, snow white coat and Issac's. He was breathtaking and something that this world has never seen. His eyes latched onto mine and they were blue with a ring of his father's green around the pupil. He was a perfect mix of Issac and I and I loved him immediately.

"You have a future." A deep, powerful voice slipped into my head. I felt tears in my eyes once more. Isaac came up to the pup and nuzzled him, his wolf already so protective of his son.

I took another step forward but the life and sound vanished, the endless white returning. But this time I felt like I didn't belong here, I didn't want to slip into the infinite light anymore.

I wanted to go home.

The four wolves appeared one last time. An understanding shinning in all of their eyes and I smiled.

"Thank you, Clarissa, for your strength and courage. You've change the course of our species history and you will be remembered always. You've fought for what is right and you have had short but successful life." One of their voices echoed in my mind. "Do you wish to move on or return?"

I didn't even consider it. "I want to return." I said strongly. My voice was mine again, not distant and sad. "I still have a life for myself back there even if many parts of it are broken. I'm not ready to die."

"Very well." One last voice floated through my head, its sound fleeting and quiet. The endless white on every side began to dull and the wolves vanished into it. Everything was fading and my body felt warm and calm. I watched everything shift color as I slipped.

White, grey then black.

Issac's POV

I'm in between being awake and being in a deep sleep. Everything's been a heavy, loud blur and I haven't said a word. I'm on someone's bed but I don't know who's or where.

I don't dream, when I close my eyes my mind drifts only to darkness. I try and feel for the connection between Clary's mind and mine but it's like trying to grasp for a hand in pitch black darkness, only to find out it's not there anymore.

I roll over and slam my eyes shut tighter. I feel the presence of others around me but I don't make any attempt to get up and face reality.

It's a crushing feeling that I can't ignore if I wanted to. The sadness of her absence has become debilitating and all I can hear is my wolf howling and my mind screaming she's gone, Clary's gone.

*

My brother got me to get up. I had blacked-out on the ledge in the mountains and Lira and him half carried, half dragged my body to an empty house in the Purum pack village. It had stopped raining and but the atmosphere was wet with sorrow and silence.

Lira wouldn't stop crying but I didn't have to energy to yell at her to stop. We left the empty house adn began to walk back home.

Clary's, my father's and Kane's bodies had been taken to the Saltus pack house and I wanted nothing more then to stay far away from that place. The thought of seeing her body stunned my heart with misery. I couldn't look at the girl I loved only to have a pale corpse with unseeing eyes return the gaze.

The Purum pack mountains were quiet and every white wolf we passed didn't attack, they just stared. The three of us learned that after Kane went off the ledge, his most loyal followers began to burn down my pack's forest.

They didn't get far because the rain extinguished the angry flames but once they knew they had lost this war, they ran. They ran like cowards and the ones that had chosen to stay would now become part of the Saltus, Lactus or Patet pack. The rest would be rouges. Pureblooded rouges, that's something that I would never think possible.

I couldn't lift my head. I could barely get my feet to carry me down the paths that lead off this mountain I had came to hate. I felt the tears wanting to fill my eyes and the screams that wanted to leave my throat, but I stayed as silent and emotionless as a statue.

"Oh-" A sad noise left Lira's lips as we finally reached the border of the Saltus and Purum pack border. I looked up and had to bite my lip and clench my fists in order to not fall apart.

My home. My forest who's roots were practically the veins under my skin and who's paths and shadows I knew better then myself. It was smoking and had patches of scorched land, the pines black and still carrying small flames. They only destroyed small portions but it was like a stab in the heart seeing the beautiful forest blemished by the brutality of this war.

I wanted to keep fighting. I wanted to kill more purebloods and loose myself in the chaos of an attack, I wanted to feel something other than this painful, paralyzing sorrow and dread.

But there was no one around but Tobias, Lira and I. I could smell others nearby but of course they had felt the dead of their Luna and knew not to approach me.

"We can replant them." My brother said after no one replied, his sad brown eyes gazing at the blackened pine trees. He came to stand beside me, his lips tight and eyebrows low. I didn't look him in the eyes, I just kept my silence.

Maybe I could run from this, be on my own. I could leave behind everything that would remind me of her and break away from what would become of this broken home. But my chest tightened at the thought of becoming someone who wouldn't remember her. I couldn't do it.

"We won, Issac." Tobias spoke into the dull silence, his words lost in the chilling wind. The brutal rainstorm had left behind ugly grey, clouds; the setting sun invisible. The small amounts of remaining black smoke swirled into the darkness of the shadows casted all across the Saltus pack territory.

I knew we had won. I knew everything would change and that I would be expected to step up and lead. I could feel all the deaths of the Saltus pack throbbing in my mind and I could hear the crying of Mates, parents and children. I could hear Nina's wolf crying over Lucas.

This new life was becoming less and less appealing.

I didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve anything after I let my father run out onto that ledge. Not after I let Clary be swept off the black, wet rocks to fall. She wasn't meant to be in between her father and mine. She wasn't meant to have such a violent end.

Lira let out a soft cry behind me and I suddenly wished I could let myself go like she was. I was never one to let myself feel. My emotions were a thing I'd never let consume me until Clary came along.

But this miserable sadness from the hole she left in my chest was becoming too much. I could feel the overwhelming self-hate and anger rising but I only let myself feel the blankness of her absence.

I felt nothing as I stared at the dark forest with my brother and his Mate. I wanted to let my wolf take over and let myself slip away into nothing. It was all I could do-

My body suddenly lurched forward with the pain of a head-splitting headache. I slammed my hands onto my temples, trying to suppress the pain, but it only increased. It felt as if my brain was being stitched with thousands of needles.

"Issac!" My brother yelled. My senses were blurred by confusion and pain and his voice was a distant echo.

"What's happening, what's wrong?" Lira's voice fused with his frantically. I fell into the dirt and felt the world spin. But as the pain began to vanish, a sense of warm emotion was flooding my senses.

Then, the misery in my head was gone as if it was never there. I instantly stood up because of the joy that now fueled my body, my limbs shaking and eyes wide.

I reached into my mind and there it was, Clary's wolf. Her mind was connected to mine once more and the feeling was indescribable and unexplainable. Somehow, someway, she was back.

I caught her scent and that's when I began to run.

I felt my body push one foot in front of the other with purpose. I felt raw emotion pump through every vein and I let myself feel it this time. The forest seemed brighter and the dark shadows seemed to disappear as I ran past them.

I sniffed the air once more and felt my wolf begin to howl with elation. Clary's wolf howled back in my mind.

Before I knew it she was only a couple yards away, her small body clad in ripped, bloody clothes bounding towards me. Then she was in my arms and holding her felt like looking into the sun; overwhelmingly beautiful even though my eyes burned with tears. Her arms went around my neck and I wrapped mine around her torso, breathing in her scent. Her small hand came up to thread into my hair and I let out a heavy breath.

We fell to our knees, our embrace never breaking. I felt her tears on my shoulder and watched as my own slipped down my cheeks and onto her shirt. I was home.

"Clary." I breathed into the side of her neck. She wrapped her legs around my hips and pushed herself closer me. I ran my hands up and down her back, trying to tell myself that she was real and she wasn't lying under a sheet in the pack house morgue.

I let myself release every emotion I was feeling. I smiled widely as she pulled away slightly and our eyes met, blue and green gazes holding nothing but love. I cupped her cheeks with the palms of my hands and felt the warmth under her skin. She was alive. The pale, marble blue of her eyes was something I thought I'd never see again and I couldn't look away.

She crashed her lips onto mine and I pulled her closer once more. I would never let her slip away again, I would never allow myself to let her leave my life. Her mouth moved against mine and every movement held so much emotion. I couldn't comprehend how much I loved her.

We broke apart but my lips still tried to stay as close to hers as possible.

"How," I whispered to her. "how are you alive, Clary?" She had asked me the same question before, I thought to myself.

"My father. His wolf grabbed me and wrapped his body around mine. He broke my fall and I almost didn't make it, but I did. I survived, Issac. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." She replied breathlessly. Her words baffled me and my eyes searched her wet ones ceaselessly.

"But you were dead, Clary, I could feel it." I muttered, my hands resting under her ears so I could feel her pulse, it was rapid but all that mattered was that it was there.

"But I came back." She said onto my lips and I almost came undone at her actions and words. I wanted to take her back to that cabin in the mountain, away from everyone and loose myself in her touch and words. I believed whatever she said as long as she was here now. I would trust her till the end of my life.

"You came back." I breathed. I pressed my lips to hers once more and the forest vanished. The pack I would have to face slipped my mind. My father's funeral that I would have to attend disappeared. The alliances with purebloods we'd have to form were gone and all that mattered was Clary in my arms.

I wasn't a wolf. I wasn't an Alpha. I was a boy who had almost lost his girl.

Everything would be alright now that she had returned. Everything was about to change and I was no longer afraid to face it now that her hand would be in mine as I faced it.

Clary's POV

White sheets billowed all around and I was buried in a sea of thin fabric and lemon-yellow sunlight. I laughed into the mattress and felt a warm rush of emotion as I laid in Issac and I's king sized bed. Soft wind blew around us from the huge windows being open, the summer air carrying our laughter gently.

My hands found his body in the waves of sheets and I cuddled close to him, our bare skin tan from the frequent sun. Freckles had bloomed on our cheeks and Issac's eyes got greener. I had my hair chopped my hair to my shoulders and Issac's had become a curly mess. I heard his laugh and it made me smile into his strong shoulder as I wrapped myself around him.

Everything was perfect. I moved my body to sit on his stomach and grabbed one of the numerous white sheets to wrap around my bare torso. He laid splayed out beneath me with his arms stretched out to his sides, a beautiful sense of calm in his eyes. I leaned forward and kissed his cheek softy.

His hands slid up my thighs and up around to my back, his touch electrifying. My fingertips traced up his flat chest and rested on his jaw, my Wolf purring contentedly in my mind.

I yelped with a laugh as Issac flipped us over, his eyes swirling as he hovered above me. Our lips met and every kiss was like the first one we shared in the pack house backyard. That day our mouths were unsure and our minds were timid of the feelings we had for each other. Now, I held him close and revealed in the fact that he was mine and we had made it through together. I wasn't scared of anything anymore and every time I touched him, my fingers were confident and strong.

My fingers threaded into his soft hair and I sighed into his mouth. It was early but not early enough for us to get out of bed yet.

This new life was extraordinary. I was the leader that I always wanted to be and had Issac by my side.

The Saltus pack was now the biggest pack in North America, its size increased by the Purum pack merge and from the Lacus and Patet wolves that had stayed here when they found their Mates during the war. There were less rogues these days now that there was a place everyone could belong.

The Purum pack mountains had become ours and we had extended our territory to the abandoned cabins on its opposite side. We were making future plans to expand even further.

Surprisingly many of the purebloods didn't stay up in their distant home, and before I knew it I was adjusting myself to seeing so many white wolves in the forest.

My mother stayed up in the mountains and I'd visit her every once in a while but we were never that close. Also, she was just a hard shell of the powerful she-wolf she used to be now that my father was gone.

We had lost many, but we are greater than what we have lost in the end. We are a stronger species and made a treaty to stay away from the humans. The closest human settlement had become abandoned after the war and I was unsure as to where the next one was.

I lost myself in Issac's touch and his body pressed up against mind once I thought of all the people we lost. It was a crushing feeling that I didn't like.

Nina had changed so much and the light behind her eyes would probably be extinguished if it weren't for my brother. They had become so close and I couldn't think of a better person for Zak than Nina.

Lucas's funeral was attended separately by the whole pack because of his sacrifice for his Alpha. The whole thing was so hard and Issac didn't speak the whole day of it.

Issac's father's funeral wasn't so much as sad as it was calming. A wolf should die soon after it's Mate does, but Marcus held on for years. He was a strong leader, but it was his time. He had been the one to kill Kane in the end. I shouldn't've been in the middle of them.

It was something I kept to myself, the things my father told me when it was just him and I on that ledge in the storm.

He told me he knew I'd be the one to start this war, he saw a fire in my soul the day I was born. But he had chose me to be the spy. He had chose me to start all this. When I think of the things the four first purebloods showed me when I was between life and death, my father made more sense to me.

He wanted this to end this way. He knew of the secret that unpures could become purebloods easily, and he kept his secret until he died. I still don't know exactly where I went when I fell off that cliff. But I do remember my father's huge wolf wrapping himself around my small body as everything became a black blur of silence. I knew I had been pronounced dead for about an hour but somehow I was given the choice to return and I wasn't going to waste it. I had a future and it was here.

I sighed as Issac's arms held me close. I did what we always did on the roof and shut off all my senses except hearing.

The pack house echoed with life. Pups were running around as a result of all the new Mated wolves. I could here Lira and Tobias down the hall in their room, laughing at a joke I didn't catch. They were so different and yet they balanced each other perfectly; something Toby really needed. I listened harder and heard the summer breeze stir the pines and the birds. The hum of conversation in the Saltus pack mind link was alive and happy, not throbbing and dark like after all the deaths of the war.

I found my brothers voice and zeroed in on it. He was in the backyard with Nina, talking to her as they laid in the grass. She was quiet these days but she smiled and it reached her eyes.

I found Rosaline's sweet voice and she was with her human Mate, Peter, in the kitchen downstairs. I smiled as my ears picked up a tiny heartbeat in her stomach.

I heard wolves howling, racing, and barking; the happy noises fusing together and making my Wolf content with the prosperity of our pack.

I sat up in the large bed, Issac's body following mine as I sat in his lap. His lips pressed against my shoulder as I gazed out the window. The curtains were lifted away by the soft wind and I smiled at the view.

My eyes traveled over the healthy green forest and the patches of land that would grow the trees we replanted after they were burned. The sky was a sea-bright blue and it went on forever, cloudless and warm.

My gaze latched onto the grey mountains in the distance and I smiled.

I had been running my whole life. Running from a life I couldn't live. I had ran past the border and into the heart of the man I now loved more than anything.

I was done running. I would stay and live with the fact that in the end, I had made the clear choice and saved those who needed saving.

Including myself.

THE END

A/N

Ahhhhhhh it's over...

This has been such an experience for me and I can't thank you all enough for the reaction I got and the readers who've been there through every chapter. you rock.

There are thoughts on a sequel... but I have another story idea I want to start and I don't know what I'll do!! Comment your input!!

Thanks again, you're all so lovely and I hope you enjoyed reading TCC, I loved writing it (:

Until next time,

-Carolyn