Fire roared everywhere and wolves were thrown to the ground one by one. The flames rose into the dark sky and she looked to her side. Joseph was standing on a dead body and staring to his right. She made out the human form with a weapon aimed at him and she tried to warn him but something exploded. She hit the ground and tried to clear her senses.

The bullet ripped through his chest and he charged the man. His teeth ripped into the man's throat and she stood up as he took up post on the new dead body. His black eyes met hers and she closed hers. When she opened them she stood in her home and heard the banging on the door. Looking around the room, she ran to the door and tried pulling it open.

"Dad don't!"

The explosion woke her and she opened her eyes with a jerk. Hearing a fire crackling behind her, she looked at the rock cover and rolled onto her back. Looking at the flames, she watched them move like normal flames and not ones effected by her nightmares. She ran a hand through her hair and looked at her human hand. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and felt her side protest.

"You need to stay down."

The feminine voice drew her attention and she watched a woman with almost snow white hair approach. A bowl of something hot was placed beside her and she studied the woman. She had dark brown eyes, almost coal black, and her skin was dark.

"Eat this and get some more rest."

"Where am I?"

"Safe."

She took the bowl in her hands and tried the soup. The heat spread through her system like a flame being ignited and it eased the pain the cool atmosphere left. She ate the soup without a sound and kept her gaze on the woman across the room. As she finished, another woman came in with red hair and she put her dish down. The two spoke quietly amongst one another and looked back at her.

The red head approached with a solemn look on her face and knelt beside her. She examined the bandaged wound on her side and looked up at her with black eyes.

"You're beginning to heal. The drugs must finally be wearing off."

Kara remained quiet as the woman left her and she let out a silent breath. They didn't set her nerves off but she didn't like being in a strange place. Closing her eyes, she pulled her hand up to the collar of her shirt and pulled out the chain. She had lost track of how long it had been since she had been able to hold it and feel the warmth it left in her palm. Her mind reached for him, praying she hadn't dreamed her rescue, and she felt him coming.

She opened her eyes and found the two watching her. Their gazes were fixed on the chain around her neck and she lowered it below the safety of her shirt. The place seemed to crackle with power as more than just one presence approached. The massive waves of strength ripped through her like tidal waves and she tightened her jaw. Watching the entrance, she saw six black wolves enter and all them set their black gazes on her.

She didn't move and let them try to read her. Their strength was overwhelming in combination and she took a calming breath to keep from wanting to escape it. One black wolf approached and stopped by her leg.

You're awake

Her eyes settled on his and he leaned closer. She felt his breath brush her face and her eyes narrowed.

"Back off."

He let out a low growl at her rebuke and she held his gaze. His attitude was for her to submit out of gratitude to them but she didn't know who they were and didn't give into strangers' wants.

His teeth began to show and she heard the growl in her head. Looking up, she saw him stand in the entrance in his wolf form and meet this wolf's gaze. The imposer didn't back down and he came closer. Their growls and bare teeth set her nerves on edge and she watched them circle one another. The black wolf swatted at him and he pinned him to the ground.

I said to let no harm come to her

I was just studying her

Touch her and I'll kill you

The wolf tried rolling free but Joseph held him pinned at the throat and his growl echoed in the silent room. The other wolves stared without any emotion evident as if they were just made of stone and she watched Joseph finally step back. The wolf rolled onto his feet and moved to the others. He came to her and settled beside her. One black wolf stepped forward and shift.

"You should know we wouldn't let anything happen to her."

He snarled but didn't respond. The man looked at her with similar features to the man protecting her and she glanced back at the women across the room. The one with white hair was smirking and the red head was shaking her head.

"You cannot blame him Zeke. Griffon challenged him."

Zeke looked back at her and said "He was protecting us. We don't know anything about our visitor here. Just her protector."

Griffon snorted as he shifted and said "That runt would've lost."

Kara felt the tension building in the wolf beside her at the ridicule and she remained quiet. Angel shook her head and walked up to Zeke.

"You are encouraging his behavior?"

Zeke shook his head and said "No I am not."

Griffon stared back at him and they watched Joseph shift. He sat with his back to them and looked at her. She seemed better after the length of time she rested and he knew it was time to get going.

Don't let them know who you are or what you capable of

She didn't acknowledge the order to keep their communication unnoticable but he knew she would obey. She wasn't able to hide the need to get going from him any more than he wanted it himself. The red head approached and knelt beside them.

"You have Leon's eyes."

Angel came closer and said "And the blonde hair."

She felt their closeness not as intimidating as Griffon's and she glanced back at Joseph. He was watching their actions but keeping still.

Angel met his gaze and smiled "At least introduce us Brother."

His eyes narrowed and he growled "We are not family."

Griffon snarled at the remark and stepped closer. Joseph rose silently and held his ground. Zeke stepped between them and stared back at Joseph.

"Your opinion is your opinion. Like it or not, we are siblings."

"I have no family."

Griffon pushed against Zeke's restraint and two other wolves shifted to aid their eldest sibling. Zeke let them move Griffon back and turned his full attention onto Joseph.

"Blood is blood."

Joseph's black gaze became dark and lethal and he said with a dark tone "Family doesn't try and kill you."

He looked back at Kara and she took his offered hand. He pulled her up to her feet carefully and she followed him out of the lair. She remained quiet as they walked until he stopped at an outcrop that over looked the lands below.

"Are you okay?"

He looked back at her and said "I'm not the one that was nearly killed."

"Reunions with your past are hell."

Her gaze lingered on his but he saw the distant light in them. She was still shaking off the effects of all the nightmares she slept through after he broke her free.

"How long have we been here?"

"A couple weeks."

She looked away and asked "Why didn't you go home?"

"Like I could."

Smirking, she looked at him and said "You're terrified of Leon."

He shook his head and said "More like Emily."

Her eyes narrowed in on him and she asked "You found her?"

"Where you told me she would be."

Looking away, she took a calming breath and tried to not let the buried emotions come back. She didn't want to face the distrust she felt for her own mother at the moment. Right now she just wanted to savor her freedom and see what those men did to her.

"Joseph?"

They looked over their shoulders and watched the red head approach and Griffon. The two males stared at each other with distrust and Kara held the sister's gaze.

"Griffon."

The man sighed and said "I'm sorry. I should have obeyed your request."

He didn't respond and the woman held her hand out to Kara to introduce herself. Slowly she took it and met the woman's black gaze.

"My name is Gabriella, but they all call me Gabby."

Kara shook her hand and said "Kara."

"That's a beautiful name. How do you know our baby brother?"

His growl was all she needed to release the woman's hand and she looked back at him. He was determined to keep her identity from them but she couldn't figure out why. Griffon stepped slightly in front of Gabriella and held his gaze.

"It is an innocent question. Allow her to answer it or answer it yourself."

"The last question I answered to any of you was when you almost killed me."

"We were naive back then. We grew up."

"Your grief for a father you all say you loved caused you to try and kill the last being to ever see him alive?"

Griffon growled and Gabriella sighed "We shouldn't have done that. Leon made sure we paid for it."

"Not well enough."

"What do you want us to do to get you to accept our apology and let us try to be your family?"

Joseph's gaze darkened and he growled "Leave us alone."

Griffon matched his gaze and Kara took a deep breath. She hated finding out things about other people this way and it made it extremely hard when it was about Joseph. His past was never something she thought about and she knew she should have. He is twenty years older than her but he is the most important person in her life and the shady history of his life would eventually be revealed when he was ready, not like this. Her hand caught his arm and he pulled his gaze away from his brother.

Please

He allowed her to walk around the other two and they moved down the mountain side further. The sunset fell on them as they came down to a shady green patch halfway down the mountain. She sat down by the base of a trunk and he stood beside her.

"I know you're curious."

She drew her knees up against her and wrapped her arms around them. He was right but she was also understanding on keeping your past locked away for self preservation.

"I won't ask."

He took a seat beside her and slowly took a calming breath. Too much had been revealed about his life and now he had no right to keep the rest from her.

"We all share the same father. Eath of us have a different mother. Maximus was the leader of our pack and the head of our blood line like Leon. The difference between the two was that my father's ancestors had always been able to transform into animals. They were secret members of the human population that ran in the wilderness most of their lives for the longest time. When the world was changed from all the radiation exposure the power lying in our blood line grew into something dangerous.

My father had just become the leader when Leon was the sole leader of your blood line. They had formed a friendship but agreed to stay apart because of appearances. Most people then didn't trust my father because of how must darkness as they called it he possessed. Our pack was established here years ago when my father met Zeke's mother."

She looked up at him and asked "Why did he have so many?"

"He didn't find his mate until after he had twelve offsprings. My mother didn't belong to this bloodline."

Kara looked away and said "She was one of us."

He nodded and said "She was one of the only prue breds left in that blood line. Your mother and her were it."

"I'm not related to her am I?"

He chuckled and said "No. Rafe is."

She looked back at him and heard "He is my cousin. Camille was her half sister."

"How did she die?"

He took a deep breath and said "The same government found us at the temple. I had been born there and was being raised for when my time came to serve Leon. They murdered my father while he bought us time to get away but had a trap laid in the woods for us. My mother was murdered but it wasn't like any human that murdered her."

"They ripped her throat out."

His eyes landed on her and she said "I've seen it."

He looked away and said "After that, they drugged me and took me back to the capitol. Leon found me after they had done some genetic testings and DNA enhancements to learn what I was capable of. He got me out of there and took me to my father's pack."

"They attacked you."

"Leon heard what they had attempted and got me out barely alive. He brought me to his family and I was given a second family if I chose it. I stayed with them until I was able to live on my own and then I left. I set up a range of different places to settle down at night but kept my service tied to Leon out of gratitude."

Kara took a deep breath and looked at him. He slowly caught her gaze and she saw the alert flash in his eyes. He shoved her down beneath him just as the gun shot echoed around them. She felt his body flinch and she watched him sit up. His eyes had grown lethal and she saw the stain spreading against his black shirt.

"Joseph."

"Stay down."

He caught her hand as he rose to his feet and kept her inches behind him. He felt the power surrounding them and knew the pack was settling in. They had picked up on the danger and he looked around.

"Hand her over and we won't shoot you again."

His snarl was menacing and she spotted the swarm of men coming out of hiding. The leader held his gaze and they stared at each other.

"Let us take her and everyone walks away breathing."

Kara caught the leader glancing at her and a man behind him raised his gun higher. She tightened her hold on his hand and she felt the second shot jerk through his stomach. His knee buckled and she caught him as he went down.

"He'll fire again."

Joseph kept his gaze on the man as she assessed the wounds and he felt her skin warm against his. Growls eminated from behind them and he knew the pack was preparing to strike.

"She isn't going anywhere."

The man waved his hand and the gun was lowered. He chuckled and looked back at the two.

"I know those bullets can't kill you but the toxin they were crafted in will supress your bloodline enough to leave both of you defenseless and you won't be able to stop us from taking your ward and murdering the others."

He tried pushing himself up but the pain left him motionless and bathed in agony. Zeke stepped up in front of them and lowered his head. Griffon and Angel met her sides and she felt the slow steady power coming from her hands. She looked down at Joseph and he caught her gaze briefly. The unbearable pain was flowing into her and she could feel some of the menacing power disappearing.

"Kara, leave them and let's go."

She looked back at the leader and heard "We got your blood work back. We've been hunting for you for a long time."

A low growl met her ear and she watched the pack flex anxious muscles. The leader sighed and signaled his sniper. The man leveled his barrel with Angel and fired. The wolf went down with a cry and Zeke let out a deadly growl.

Angel!

She left her wolf form and rested a hand on the bullet wound in her side. Kara took a deep breath and tried to find the woman's mind.

Angel, focus on me.

Her hands remained on the wounds on Joseph but she focused on connecting with Angel. The woman turned her eyes on her and she felt the connection solidify.

Keep your mind with mine. Focus on me. It will get you passed the pain.

Angel let out a slight nod and closed her eyes.

I'm okay Zeke.

His growl lowered but he kept his eyes on the shooter. The leader stared back at Kara and met her gaze.

"Ready to go? Her life is lost but if we go, your protector won't die."

Joseph's growl grew silent and she felt him sit up. The pain was slowly beginning to lessen and she could see the leader unimpressed. The man glanced at his sniper and they watched the man change ammo.

"This one was designed just for you, Joseph."

He leveled a warning stare with the man as the gun was aligned with him and she felt the pack step in the way. Zeke moved in the path and lowered his head. Gabby and Griffon flanked him to hide the three from further harm.

"Stand down. I'll have him shoot and the drugs will kill you."

The growling continued and she heard the low conversation between the pack members.

Keep her safe

Stay down. We can protect both of you.

This isn't your fight

You are family and she is keeping my mate with us. I cannot afford for anything to happen to either of you

Her head felt like it was going to explode with hatred and worry. She focused her gaze back on the leader and saw him signal the sniper to fire. Jumping over the pack, she stood on all four black legs and her yellow eyes stared at the man. The sniper froze and the leader stepped back. Her fangs flashed and she lowered her head.

"That is a suprise."

"No one else is going to be harmed because of me."

The leader signaled for the man to lower his gun and she lifted her head. She could feel the power eminating from within and watched all the soldiers step back.

"This war ends now."

The man nodded and said "You're right. No reason to involve others. This is personal."

Her eyes narrowed and she watched the man remove a gun. The uneasiness pounded her from all the wolves behind her and she flexed her paws. The leader removed the safety and looked back at her.

"When I take you in, I will finally be able to ease the loss of my father for my mother."

Her growl left him chilled to the bone and she watched the gun be aligned with her head. She closed her eyes and let the power inside transfer. The gun clattered onto the ground and he let out a cry of pain. He caught his hand and she opened her eyes. He stared back at her and she snarled.

"You bitch."

Her large paws pinned him beneath her and she stared down into his pale face. His men stared in horror as the large black panther held him prisoner. Her yellow eyes stared down at him and she felt his resentment to her disappear quickly.

"You win. Let us go and we'll leave you alone."

He tried squirming free and her paw pinned his throat. His skin became white as the breath was taken with his throat crushing beneath her weight. His hands caught at her leg and she pressed harder. When he grew still, she slammed her paw against his head, ripping the side of his face open. Her gaze lifted and settled on the terrified men.

They dropped their weapons and she let her eyes flashed. Each body burst into flames in seconds and she turned back to the pack. They stood frozen in place and she walked through them to reach Angel. She was staring at her with awe as she shifted into her human form and settled her hands on the wound. Using the energy flowering like lava inside her, she caterized the wound and stopped the bleeding.

"Thank you."

She smirked and walked over to Joseph. He stared at her as she held out her hand and he stood up. The pain was radiating through him but he needed to inspect her. She could feel the annoyance in him and knew he didn't agree with her actions.

"At least they didn't hurt you."

"Thanks to you."

He took a deep breath and said "That was foolish."

She held his black gaze and sighed "I told you I can defend myself just as well as you."

He felt the words die on his tongue when he saw the pack circling around them. Zeke approached her from the side and shifted to his human form. He stared down into her hazel eyes and knelt before her.

"I never pledged my loyalty to your grandfather but I give it to you."

She watched all of them kneel, including Griffon, and glanced back at Joseph. He was studying them, judging their actions and looked back at her.

"I think it's time to head home."