"I love you."

A slow smile spread acros her face and she leaned closer to him. His warmth was all she needed when she woke in the morning. He rested his chin on her head and took her in. Her eyes fell closed and she relaxed as his hand slid along her spine.

"Kara!"

Her eyes flew open again and she found herself lying in a dark place. A humming filled her head and she tried moving but found her body useless. Pain radiated from her side and she couldn't feel her legs. Her vision grew darker and she fell back into the darkness.

Feeling the loneliness devouring her, she opend her eyes and felt the cold in her body threaten to choke her. Resting her hand on the side that had ached in her dream, she found it tender but not murdering her. Sitting up, she drew her knees up to her and took a deep breath. Her hand caught the chain resting around her neck and she took a deep breath. She tried to find that distant touch in her thoughts but found it missing still and she swung out of bed.

A warm skin kept her feet from growing cold from the cold stone floor as she crossed the room. She looked around her room and studied the changes she had made over the last six months. She had purchased some skins for temperature regulation and the hollow shelves in the walls now held books and candles. She had added some carvings around the top of the walls and her fire pit had been enhanced for more thermal production. She spotted the mirror above the fire pit and stared at her reflection for a moment.

She had let her hair grow longer and it had lighten to a strawberry blonde shade with all her afternoons spent in the sunlight. Her face had grown sharper from the few hours of sleep and she focused on her old scar. It was the only part of her that had yet to begin changing. She knew it was never going to disappear but had hoped it would at least fade. Softly she traced it with her fingers and lowered her hand to her side.

"Kara?"

Looking over her shoulder, she took a deep breath and stepped out of her bedroom. She found Rafe sitting in the middle of the room waiting for her. He had his ears cocked to the side and she smirked. His tail began wagging and she ruffled his head. After all this time he still preferred his wolf form and she didn't blame him. He had been raised a wolf, not a human, and the adjustment to the second life was still hard.

"Did you just get up?"

She shot him a look and said "I needed the sleep."

He laid down and asked "Didn't sleep well again?"

"It's usual."

She left him in the room to take her morning bath and knew he would wait for as long as she needed. The morning bath allowed her to ease the remants of her nightmares from her body and she would swim a few laps to keep her muscles sharp. She made a dozen laps before she left her hot spring and dried off. The clothes for the day she had brought in the night before and dressed in a pair of her old faded jeans and a black t-shirt. The chain rested against her skin as a cool reminder that she wasn't as alone as she felt and she caught hold of it for a second.

When she left her bathing chamber, Rafe rose and followed her out into the hall. Her guard for the week followed them down the hall in his wolf form and she held her breath. She had felt the tension developing over the last few months among all the males and she knew why. It had been almost half a year since Joseph's departure and the men were growing restless around her. She knew she had come into age for claiming a few years ago but her protector made sure they left her alone.

To keep the situation tolerable, she didn't speak to the males unless she absolutely had to and had taken up some companionship with the other females in the place. Camille had become close to her and treated her more like a daughter than the next leader. Other females that had taken up residence in the nearby city due to the housing limit here, had become close friends with her and she visited them once a week.

"Hunting this morning?"

She glanced back at her guard and nodded. He fell quiet but she felt his eyes linger on her as they descended the temple steps. Other guards watched them approach as hers stopped at the exit. Rafe stared back at them as she shifted and they left the place alone. She needed the time without a protector to keep from feeling encaged and Leon had agreed to it as long as she didn't do anything to get hurt. Rafe glanced back at her as she let her thoughts roll onward and she pushed them aside when he smirked.

They took off in a trot into the forest to enjoy a morning hunt and she left his side when she caught a scent. Tracking the animal down and killing it had become easy over the last few months and she knew it was because of the idea Joseph had given her. It was easier for her to take a life when she knew she had to work for it. She relaxed by the stream, eating her breakfast, and waited for Rafe. When her meat was gone, she took a drink from the stream and lifted her head.

Uneasiness rolled off her and she looked around the place. She could feel someone or someones watching her and she searched for Rafe.

Rafe

He came into view quickly and she knew he hadn't picked up on the danger yet. His quick, happy approach stopped and his ears went straight up.

Move!

He took off in a walk to let her catch up and they walked quickly to put space between them and the predators. A twig snapped behind them and she stopped. She couldn't find their location but she could feel the danger they represented. Rafe looked back at her and she pushed him onward.

Go

Not leaving you behind

Her growl and nudge forced him to obey. He was supposed to protect her while they hunted but she couldn't let anything happen to him. She owed that to Camille and herself. A gun went off and she felt something strike her in the mid of her spine. She stumbled and hit the ground hard. Rafe stopped running and came back to her.

Go!

I can't leave you behind!

She snapped at his feet and sent him running for help. The others would come when he showed up and she just had to wait for him to be far enough away. When she knew it was okay, she stood up and ran back the other direction. She heard barking set in behind her as dogs began hunting her down and her vision began spotting as she crossed the stream. Her pulse was racing and she lost balance when she ran over a few twigs.

She hit the ground hard again and tried standing. Her back legs wouldn't respond properly and she crawled into the shadows of some nearby trees. Her head fell onto the ground and she fought to get her breathing under control. She closed her eyes and tried to focus when everything felt like it was slipping away. The barking ceased and she opened her eyes just as two dogs show themselves.

They stared down at her and she tried shifting her weight but couldn't move an inch of her limbs. One dog sat in front of her and studied the scar running down her face.

If you lie still they will not harm you

Her eyes narrowed and she watched the other dog look behind them. The humans came into sight and she watched the dogs scatter away. One man knelt out of her reach and looked at her.

"You better be worth it."

"You want us to track down the one that got away?"

The man shook his head and said "We'll take her."

"Her?"

"This one is either important or the male is. Either way we have what we came for. Load her up."

The second man chuckled and she watched him pull out a muzzle as the first man chained the dogs. They waited as the closest man settled next to her and lean in to put the restraint on. She sank her fangs into his closest hand and he howled. His boot struck her side and she felt the blow drive the last of her breath out.

"Damn animal."

"Stop messing around. We need to get moving."

Her vision began slipping as the muzzle was applied and she barely registered being put into a truck. The dark place made the inward plea to sleep harder to ignore but she coudn't afford to lose her form. Resting her eyes again, she prayed she would be able to keep her form as she lost herself into the sea of darkness.

"Run!"

Paws raced through the temple as flames pursued them and she looked over her shoulder. A large black wolf held back the men as they turned a corner and ended up cornered in the courtyard. She looked up at the trellis and back at the entrance. The grown wolf beside her stepped in her way as one man walked into sight. He laughed and raised his gun.

The gunshot brought her out of the nightmare and she looked around in darkness. Her body ached and she found her back legs unresponsive still. Numbness had claimed her lower back and she felt the vehicle stop. The engine humming stopped and she watched the doors open. The sunlight hurt her eyes and she focused on the man climbing in.

He pulled out a small dagger and a jar as he knelt in front of her. She tried moving out of his reach but failed to avoid the puncture to her side. The blade cut beneath her ribs and she closed her eyes as the pain amplified her side pain from the kick.

"Now we'll see who you really are."

The man left her and shut the doors again. She laid her head to the side and slowly opened her eyes. There had to be a way to get out of here before she lost the ability to hold her form. It took all the strength she still had to hold her form and not reveal her human form. If they saw who she was they would target the location of her home until they found everyone else. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Joseph

Just thinking his name made it a little better and provided a little stength. She couldn't afford to fail but every inch of her ached and pleaded to be released from the transformation. She knew she could heal a little if she shifted back to her human form but it was the absolute last option to take.