Alpha...

Angelo's

My heart beat in my chest thrums through my body as I spot the cabin up ahead. She isn't there, but she's not far, it's like I can feel her. I stand beside Conan as his eyes run across the forest. From this high up you can see everything.

I change, quickly and seamlessly between forms. I have no care for my body or what the other pack mates think of it. The gear that Conan provided gives me enough protection. Conan changes with me.

"He's close" He says

"Yes" I agree. I pause, my eyes gliding along the rocky cliff face.

"I have an idea of where he took her. I think a cave. Shelter from the storm but open enough that should he need to he can simply walk out. Close to the earth, secluded, and I'd imagine there are many up here. It will be hard to check them all."

"We wont need to. There are only a few caves up here that are big enough and high enough up for Sylas's needs." He tells me, his eyes sliding left.

"The biggest is just a little lower down, a twenty minute run to your left, the second is a little smaller but higher up and at least half an hour away. The third is a way past the one to your left and further down, I doubt he'd have chosen that one, it's far too small and open." He informs me.

"So we split into three groups, send each one to a different cave. He has to be in one of them, right?"

"We need to wait for the rest of the pack to get here and then we'll split. It's our best option" He tells me. I nod in agreement, my chest heaving in big lungful's of air to feed my screaming muscles.

"How far behind are they?" I ask anxiously.

"Not far. Ten minutes, maybe less, Come, lets go inside" He takes my hand, his body standing before me as he leads me past the few we came with and into the cabin. It's not much warmer but there's no bitter wind and icy rain punishing my body which I consider a vast improvement.

"Doesn't seem like the same place" I say quietly as I glance around at the dark cabin, empty looking and void. Void of what I'm not sure but it held an emptiness now that chilled me more than the rain ever could.  Our love seat abandoned in the darkest corner, shrouded in shadow and tired looking, as though everything it was had simply shrunk.

Conan looks over his shoulder at me from the fireplace where he's desperately trying to start a fire. His face solemn and sad." I never wanted you to have a bad memory of this place. I wanted it to be somewhere we could escape to ." He drops the wood to the floor and strides over to me. He looks magnificent, dripping wet and sculptured to perfection. I reach out for him, my hands sliding across his chest and round his neck as I pull myself up against him.

"I don't need to escape when I'm with you" I promise, my lips brushing across his softly. He groans deep in his chest and pulls me closer. His hand cups my jaw as he claims my lips, kissing me ferociously as though it's the last kiss he'll ever have.

"I need you." He tells me. My heart warms at his words.

"Conan I-"

"No" He interrupts, his thumb against my lips. "If the worst happens, I need you to stay with me, you can't just disappear."

"What are you trying to say?" I real back. "You think we won't save her?"

"No" He says with conviction. "I'm saying that if there is nothing we can do, if we lose her, if he gets away then I need you to stay here with me. I need you to understand that it isn't your fault. What happened to your family wasn't your fault. You can't keep carrying around this guilt with you, I can see it in your eyes every time you look at Rowan, like it's your fault that her mother and father aren't there but it's not your fault Jen."

My mouth opens in shock but nothing will come out. His thumb slides away. " I don't " I deny. My head shaking slowly back and forth but it feels like a lie.

"I just- I pause, looking away from Conan's clear gaze- I just wanted to keep her safe. It was my one responsibility and I blew it. I blew it." I whisper.

"Jenna you protected her the best you could, you supported her. You did everything you could and she knows you love her. She knows your coming for her" He's so sure, his voice so steady and strong that I find myself leaning back into him.

"I hope so" I murmur against his chest.

The sound of the pack running through the sloshy wet mud stir us. The cabin door opens and Jason walks in, he's covered in mud, only a pair of trousers on and a dagger strapped to his thigh.

"We're ready to move. I heard we're going in three groups?" He questions.

"We're searching the caves" Conan replies simply. He kisses me on the forehead and heads toward Jason.

"I need three strong groups, I doubt he'll be in the eastern caves but I want them checked. Your one of my strongest fighters, I want you to get a group together, head east."

Jason nods, his hand sliding to his dagger. "I want Theo to lead the second group, head north, check out the cave up there, I'll lead the third group to the cave in the west."

"Angelo's cave" Jason say grimly.

"One in the same"

"Angelo's cave?" I ask.

Jason grimaces. "A Witch used to live up there a long time ago, did a lot of s*** up there that no one needs to know about. Killed a lot of werewolves. They'd gone into hiding by then, it was rare you ever saw one. Angelo was a case of the boy who cried wolf. Young and stupid, no one believed him, thought he was winding everyone up, making trouble, you know?"

"What happened in the end?" I ask.

"He died. The pack went looking for him and found the witch, scared her away for good."

"They didn't kill her?" Jason gripped my shoulder and squeezed.

"We'll kill the son of a b****"He tells me fiercely. I smile, grateful, but my bottom lip is shaking and I have to bite it to stop the tears.

"We better go" Conan tells us both. I nod, moving quickly so that the rain will cover the tears I couldn't hold back.

As the pack reassembles and reorganises I look to the west where I know we will be heading. Somehow I know she's there. I imagine her cold, her big hazel eyes watery and her cheeks red and sore. I imagine her in pain, confused and scared. Another Christmas in the cold.

The trees sway violently below me and the rain pummels the rock face above me. The wind is blowing west. If she is in that direction we won't be able to smell her or him until were close enough to see them. I sigh, my eyes on the dark grey clouds swirling above me, it feels like the odds have been stacked against us.