*Two days after the events of the previous chapter*

*5/13/90*

"I can't believe we're doing this.” There was no hiding the glee on Rose's face and the mocking laugh in her voice. Her eyes glittered as Brianna buried her face in her journal, trying to distract herself from Rose's teasing. "I knew there was a 'lewd' side to you. I just knew it!"

"Oh, shut up," Brianna snapped, her cheeks bright red. "I'm doing this for Emma. Her books were ruined when the raid happened. I just thought she'd be more comfortable if she could read something. She's probably scared and will need something familiar once we get her back."

This sobered Rose's smirk, though only slightly. "It's nice that you're doing this…but my mom would be mocking you too, so I'm gonna live up to what she'd expect of me."

Brianna rolled her eyes. "If you insist on being immature about it…." She pointed forward. "Okay, it is at the next crossroad."

They traveled a few miles from Castell Henllys early that morning. Brianna knew about a secret meeting point concerning a trader who carried stock that wasn't considered appropriate in polite society. This included books that would make the templegoers of Castell Henllys turn pale with shock.

The two rounded a corner, and a bright, orange-covered wagon immediately appeared. It was parked near the trees in the grass, overlooking the various paths that the crossroads took, in a perfect position to catch the eye of any travelers. A chestnut horse grazed placidly, in stark contrast to the hat-wearing albino man, who jumped up as they approached.

"Well, well! I wouldn't have expected to see my best customer coming by this early! Welcome to Williams Wares, the best things your traditional markets will never sell. It's been a while, hasn't it, Brianna!" The man had a light, easygoing voice that barely concealed the calculating look in his dark eyes.

Brianna smiled, nodding at her longtime friend. William had saved Brianna from a crowd of albino haters once. The thirty-year-old man was like a father figure to Brianna in many ways. He had even introduced Brianna to a growing movement dedicated to protecting albino rights worldwide. Still, they eventually left the movement when the tactics used to push equality became a little violent.... to put it nicely. But that’s a story for another day.

"Hello, William," Brianna said. "I assume you still carry your 'special novels,' right?"

William's eyes twinkled. "Well, well. I see that little Brianna still can't get enough material a bit outside the small-town experience, eh?" He completely disregarded Brianna's outraged sputtering and Rose's loud snort of amusement as he set a large box down with a grunt. "Here ya go, Brianna. What's your pleasure?" William asked, waving his hand at the box.

"They're for a friend of mine," Brianna said quickly. However, William's wide smirk told her she should have kept quiet.

"Ah. A friend. I gotcha," William said with an exaggerated wink. "Don't worry, Brianna. What the customer buys is the customer's business. We, merchants, don't gossip,” his smirk grew ever so slightly. “Much.”

The makeup Brianna used to hide her albino identity failed to hide the redness growing upon her face. ”Rose,” she muttered. "Please tell William that we're buying these for your mother." There was a pause. “Rose!”

Rose, who had been eying William, blinked and turned to Brianna. "Huh? Oh, what do you mean?" Rose's eyes shined mischievously. "I thought you said something about expanding your library."

"Rose!" Brianna snapped.

Rose burst out laughing. "Sorry, sorry! Maidens, you should see your face right now.”

William was chuckling quietly. "Hope this doesn't keep you from returning in the future, Brianna. I just like messing with people sometimes."

Rose smiled back at William and held out her hand. "Well, I'm Rose. Still a merchant, I see."

William took Rose's hand and leaned in to kiss it, shooting Rose a flirtatious wink. He stood back up, looking at both girls. "Yes, but not for long. I am slowly working my way to London. I've finally saved up enough money to open my very own shop. It's a dream come true!"

"What!?" Brianna was heartbroken. "Where can I get my favorite books and games from now? You're the only person I know that sells what I like."

William ruffled Brianna's hair. "Oh, don't get yourself down. Your adventures with your clan take you to many great and wonderful places. You'll find another merchant and maybe even run into me someday."

During the exchange, Rose had been sifting through the books, barely keeping from verbally expressing her disapproval of some titles. Then, she found one that she recognized. It was bound with cheap black leather. The words ‘The Bonds that Bind Us Together’ were printed on the spine. "Brianna, you think my mom will like this?"

Brianna nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure Emma will love it."

"Emma? I heard she was killed in a werewolf raid. She didn't come by on the day she usually does, so…." Williams' eyes were troubled, and his mouth was drawn in a sad line.

"Yeah, she is" Rose said. She didn't have to fake the sadness in her voice.

"Ah…" William took off his hat and bowed his head. "That's just terrible to hear. She was rough around the edges but still a good woman. Had a good eye for merchandise. Nearly put me to shame."

Rose shifted. Part of her wanted to share the secret of Emma's whereabouts with the merchant. Even though she didn't know him well, she hated the sadness on his face.

"Thank you," she smiled at the merchant. After a moment of silence, she held out the book. "How much for this one?"

William put on his hat and eyed the book. "That'll be three silvers," he paused, biting his lip before adding: "And take another one on me."

Rose blinked. "Are you sure?" Books, even trashy ones like these, were valuable. Printing, binding, and writing out all of the pages took forever. Even ones made in the main cities where machinery was used to speed up the process, books still cost more than most would first think.

William nodded. "Yeah. Think of it as a consolation present. Emma was a valued customer, after all. I hope you, your 'friend,' or whoever reads it thinks of her while reading. Those words were directed toward Brianna. He paused. "Well, maybe not while reading…."

Rose was snickering loudly, though she bit her lip when Brianna glared at her. "What? It was funny."

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"You are impossible," Brianna shook her head before taking another book from the box. It was called: 'Knights in the Night.' The title was so horrible she had to force herself not to roll her eyes. "I'll take this one.” She gave William three silver pieces and put both books in her satchel. "Thank you for all the great years of shopping from your wagon, William."

William pat Brianna's head. "Don't feel bad, Brianna. We both knew that this day would come. I hope you two have a safe place to hide these little devils. Your poor clan would die if they saw those on your nightstands."

"Ugh… William…" Brianna groaned, not bothering to retaliate. Instead, she focused on trying to hide her reddening face from Rose.

"Anyway, I hope to see you, ladies, again," William bowed courteously after placing the box back into the wagon.. "I'll be here for the rest of the week."

"Oh, we'll be back," Rose said before Brianna could reply. She was giving William a sideways glance as she spoke. Her smile widened when the man blushed and looked away with a coy smirk.

As the two walked down the path back to town, Brianna berated Rose. “Honestly, could you have been more blatant with your flirting?”

"Hey, he totally liked me!" Rose protested. "You saw him looking at me."

"Of course, he looked at you. You were a customer," Brianna rolled her eyes. Normally, she would have lectured her friend the rest of the way home, but she decided to let it go this time. "She's probably stressed about the rescue tonight. If making eyes at a merchant helps, I suppose it's harmless enough," she thought.

Any other person would be completely terrified about going into uncharted werewolf territory. Brianna wasn't an average person. Years of work behind enemy lines made her used to taking out high-ranking targets or providing cover for her group. "I guess maybe I am just used to tackling suicide missions," she thought with a slight chuckle.

"So…" Rose said, grinning widely. "Think you'll sneak a peek at those books before giving them to mom?”

Brianna didn't say anything. She just swung her heavy, book-filled satchel around to hit Rose in the stomach, causing the larger girl to let out a satisfying "Oof!"

~o0o~

Hunter, Mason, Garrett, and Jade walked back into town carrying several freshly killed rabbits. This was an actual hunt, not a meeting with Ellora and Coraline. Rose had spoken to Ellora, exchanging details concerning where they'd meet that night. It was decided that both parties would do well to rest throughout the day.

Though Hunter was disappointed that he wouldn't see Coraline and Ellora, he understood. Still, with Emma's rescue looming so close, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. Besides his worries concerning the rescue, he was also considering how things would go afterward.

Emma would join Ember's pack and continue to live with Coraline and Ellora. Would the meetings stop then? Seeing Coraline and Ellora was a big risk for the humans and the werewolves involved. Would it just be safer to let the werewolves live their lives while the humans returned to theirs?

Probably, but Hunter had a feeling that that wouldn't happen. Rose wouldn't stop wanting to see their sister. Hunter didn't want this to end. Not only did he want to keep seeing Coraline, but he really wanted to get to know Ellora better. The fact that they had been reunited after so many years couldn't be a coincidence. And there had been Ellora's dream of bringing the humans and werewolves together. When Hunter thought about it, he almost smiled.

"No," he thought. "We won't just stop seeing each other. We'll figure something out.”

"Whatcha thinking about, Hunter?" Mason asked, looking down at him.

"I’m just…thinking everything about tonight," Hunter muttered, shrugging a shoulder. Maybe later, once they saved Emma, he'd tell the others what Ellora had told him. Would they like the idea or just find it crazy?

"Yeah, me too," Mason thought of Brianna as he spoke, green eyes shining with worry. Brianna would disguise her scent and go into the territory after Coraline. Coraline would sneak into the denning area and get Emma out. At the same time, Brianna, armed with her rifle and some vials, would provide backup against pursuers. Half of the group would provide a distraction further south of where Coraline and Brianna would enter. The other half would wait for the two to return with Emma, ready to fight any pursuers.

Hunter patted Mason's shoulder. "Don't worry, Mason. I know Brianna will do fine. And we'll be ready to back her up if things get dicey."

The four talked a bit more as they went to the town center to give their kills to communal kitchens, which fed the homes that didn't have someone to put food on the table. They kept three to make stew. They split off to rest at their respective destinations. Hunter went to the practice field. Mason went to take a walk by the nearby river. Garrett and Jade went home together.

Jade was quiet while she helped Garrett clean and dress the meat. Once the pot bubbled, Garrett sat beside her on her bed and looped an arm around her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Not really," Jade sighed, hugging him around the middle. “I have a bad feeling about tonight. I don't know what it is, but I know something will happen. Let's talk with Hunter and try to call this thing off.

Garrett rested his head on top of Jade's. "It'll be fine. We are the Dead Rabbits Clan. We always complete our mission."

"Promise?"

Though he should have said there was no way to promise such a thing, Garrett found himself unable to do so when he looked at those wide, earnest turquoise eyes. Instead, he hugged her closer, shutting his eyes and sighing. Sometimes, he wondered if Jade even knew how much of an effect she had on him. She could destroy any fears or doubts in his mind with a cheerful hug. Ever since they were little, she had been his rock. Yet, she often talked as if he constantly supported her. "We'll get through this.”

~o0o~

Coraline curled beside a sleeping Ellora, staring at the cave entrance. There was little to do now, and she knew that her friend was tired from spending most of the night checking to ensure Steven hadn't tried to escape. Apparently, the omega wolf tried to run once. However, a slash to the shoulder and a very long session with her alpha stare mellowed him down. Ellora had been incredibly tired afterward and fell asleep with a terrible headache.

Throughout the night, it had occurred to Ellora that releasing Steven after rescuing Emma would not be an option. He knew too much, and if he told Scar that wolves from Ember's pack were allied with humans, it could provoke a war between the packs.

Coraline mulled over her friend's panicked realization and sighed. A few weeks ago, killing a werewolf would have been easy. Now, however, she wasn't sure if she could do it. If one attacked her, she'd kill in self-defense, which wasn't like killing a Shadow or a wild animal. Steven was a person, just as much as she was. Killing him just to keep a secret felt so wrong.

A rustle outside caused her to sit up just in time to see Lightning peek his head into the den. His eyes met hers. "Follow me."

Coraline frowned a little, thinking back to a few nights ago.

Lightning seemed to read her gaze. "Don't worry. I learned my lesson. Ember wants to see you. Alone," he added when Coraline started to reach for Ellora.

"Alone?" Coraline blinked. "Why -?"

"Just follow me," Lightning ducked back out of the den.

Once he was gone, Ellora opened one eye. "Go ahead, Coraline. Let me know what happens."

Coraline nodded. "Got it." She crawled out of the cave and followed Lightning. He led her around the dens until they reached the largest one set right in the face of the mountain's base. Ember was sitting at the entrance, impassively watching the rest of the territory. Sage was nearby.

Ember looked up as Coraline approached and beckoned the girl to sit down. "Hello, Coraline," she murmured once the younger girl was seated. "How are you adjusting to your new abilities."

"Uh, very well," Coraline replied. "Thank you, Leader." She glanced around, suddenly aware that she was the only one wearing clothes. That was still one aspect of werewolf culture she hadn't grown used to.

"I have called you here to discuss your position in the pack, both now and later," Ember continued, staring at Coraline with her intimidating, gold eyes. "You are aware there aren't many alphas in this pack."

Coraline nodded slowly. "Yeah. There's you, Ellora, me, and…uh…." She frowned. She couldn’t think of any others.

"There are three others. You will meet them later," Ember said brusquely. "It is important that the alphas of a pack remain united. Otherwise, it can't function. Do you understand?"

"Sure," Coraline replied. "We need to provide strong leadership for the betas and omegas.”

"Exactly," a hint of a smile appeared on Ember's face. "Then, we understand each other."

Coraline swallowed before asking: "Um, Leader? Why didn't you want Ellora here, too? I know she wants a united pack."

The smile vanished from Ember's face. "What Ellora truly wants remains to be seen. I will only say this: You can have a very good life here if you learn your place," she stood. "You will be on the hunt tonight. That is all."

Coraline barely kept the panic from her eyes. "Oh, uh, tonight?"

Ember raised an eyebrow. "Did you have something else planned? Something more important than feeding your pack?”

There was no way to refuse without letting on to their secret. Coraline's shoulders slumped, and she shook her head. "No, Leader."

"Good," Ember started to walk toward the other dens before pausing. "Tell Ellora that she is to be on the hunt as well."

Coraline nearly fainted on the spot. Forcing her face to keep a neutral expression, she nodded and stood, allowing Sage to escort her back to the den. She waited several minutes before speaking to Ellora once she was sure Sage or Lightning wasn't listening outside.

"This is bad, Ellora!" she hissed. "Who will save my mom now? We can't postpone for another night! Not with Steven where he is!"

Ellora closed her eyes and squeezed her hands together, taking several deep breaths to calm herself. They couldn't avoid the hunt. "We can't avoid it. But the whole pack won't be on this hunt. Some will remain here." A plan formed in her mind. "We have to go on the hunt. There's no way to avoid it."

"Then, what-?" Coraline started to say.

"Ember suspects us," Ellora continued. "At the very least, she doesn't want us out of her sight. We can't help Emma." She looked at Coraline's distraught face and smiled soothingly. "All hope isn't lost, Coraline. However, we must share our secret with others to keep it from Ember."

A small smile came to her face as she left her den with Coraline not far behind.

This was the first time she had to use stealth to move through the denning area. The very thought was enough to bring an ugly feeling to Ellor’s chest. She was becoming more and more of an outsider in her pack as the days passed. How much longer until she would even be allowed to sleep in the denning area?

The conversation she had with Bandit surfaced in her thoughts again. Ember seemed hellbent on separating Ellora from the rest of the pack.

She shook her head before any other thoughts could surface. Now was not the time for that.

A few minutes later, the two were in Bandit's den. Bandit was sitting cross-legged, a piece of cloth thrown over his waist for the sake of Coraline's comfort. He looked at them, frowning at their tense silence.

"So," he urged, glancing between them with some wariness. "What did you two want to talk to me about?"