*A few hours after the events of the previous chapter*

*5/13/90*

"Where are they?" Rose hissed, staring at the sky. "I was very clear about the time.”

"Maybe they got held up.” Hunter was leaning against a tree, trying very hard not to go over all the scenarios in his head. Of course, it happened anyway. What if Ellora and Coraline had been caught? What if there was a surprise raid on Castell Henllys? What if Scar killed Mom and left her corpse on the border?!"

"Hunter, you're shaking," Jade cut in gently, touching her friend's shoulder.

Hunter took a deep breath and let it out. "Right. Sorry. Thanks, Jade.”

Just when it looked like Rose's head was going to explode, rustling in the trees signaled the approach of someone. The group tensed instinctively.

Brianna narrowed her eyes as the sound drew closer. "There's two of them, but one looks built like a man," she murmured.

The others drew their weapons, ready to attack whatever came through. All was silent except for ragged breaths and frantic heartbeats.

Then, a voice called out. "You! Humans? Don't throw any Crystals, okay? I'm Bandit. I'm friends with Ellora. I got a transformed wolf with me. Drop your weapons, and we'll come out."

The humans looked warily at each other. "Do you think we can trust him?" Mason muttered.

"Coraline mentioned Bandit," Rose replied. "She said he was one of the nicer pack members,” she looked at the moon and sighed. "And I don't think we should waste any more time.” She dropped her axe. The others reluctantly followed suit. "Okay, come on out. Try anything funny, and you're dead."

A moment later, a blond, naked man stepped out of the trees. His eyes darted left to right nervously as he looked at each of the humans in turn. "Okay. My friend is coming out now."

A medium-sized werewolf emerged from the trees: smaller than Ellora but bigger than Coraline. Its fur color was dark red, while its eyes were mixed with a few shades of blue. Its ears were flat with nervousness.

"That's Scarlet," Bandit said, gesturing to the dark red wolf behind him. "Sorry if I seem nervous. This is all a bit crazy, still.”

"Where are Coraline and Ellora?" Rose cut in. She was red in the face, and her eyes were fixed on a nearby tree so she wouldn't have to look at Bandit's nude form. At least Coraline and Ellora have the decency to wear clothing!

"Ember made them go on a hunt," Bandit said. "Ellora thinks she suspects something. Don't worry, though. She filled me in on the plan. Garrett will watch your prisoner. Scarlet will go with Jade to make the distraction down south, and I will go save the girl. We also got the stuff for scent masking,” his nose wrinkled. "Sweet Luna, it's nasty. Ellora's lucky I'm such a good friend."

Scarlet stepped out of the shadows, revealing that she was carrying a large wooden bucket in one paw. She set it down, snout wrinkled with disgust.

"Honestly," Bandit continued. "I wanted to see this for myself. I still can't believe that there are humans crazy enough to talk to us."

"Steven called us crazy, too," Brianna muttered. "Maybe we are."

"Can we please get on with this?" Rose asked. "We're losing time chatting here! Bandit, if you know the plan, please transform. Brianna, get that stuff on you."

Brianna grimaced as she caught a whiff of the bucket. "Do I want to know what's in there?"

"No," Bandit said flatly. "Deer dung is one of the cleanest ingredients. Just don't ask. Scarlet, help her out."

Scarlet's ears flattened, and she whined.

"Scarlet, now!"

The red wolf sighed before dipping a paw into the bucket. It came out brown. She walked over to Brianna and started smearing the foul-smelling mixture on her clothes, making a series of comical faces.

Bandit, meanwhile, hunched down and allowed the change to take him. He eagerly drank in the moon's light, feeling the familiar prickling of growing fur and the sensation of a tail growing. He shook himself as the transformation ended, grimacing as his sensitive nose caught the scent of the mixture.

The others watched his transformation with a mixture of revulsion and curiosity. There was something odd, grotesquely beautiful about seeing someone change into such a different form. He was slightly larger than Scarlet, with light yellow fur streaked with brown as he started smearing the mixture on it.

"Is it a good idea to use such a strong-smelling substance?" Hunter asked. “Won’t it alert any nearby werewolves of what’s happening?”

"Ellora told me that the smell mellows when it dries," Rose explained. "But it continues to mask the scent of the person wearing it."

Once Brianna and Bandit had a lot of disgusting goo covering them, the group split off, with Jade and Scarlet going south to create a distraction. Hunter, Mason, and Rose went with Brianna and Bandit to the vulnerable spot on the border. Several glances were exchanged between humans and these unfamiliar werewolves. Some distance was kept between the two species.

When the main group reached the border, they stopped. The humans drew their weapons, and Bandit tensed, perking his ears. Everyone gave Brianna encouragement nods. Mason gave her a fist bump, ignoring the scent-disguising mixture's slimy texture.

Remembering something, Hunter reached into his pocket, pulling out some of the cloth scraps with the clan symbol. They had only scattered them during one night, so plenty remained. He held it out to Bandit. "Give her this. She'll recognize the design."

Bandit nodded, taking the scrap of cloth between his teeth.

Contrary to expectation, no one spoke. They exchanged silent glances before stepping back. Bandit disappeared into the trees, followed closely by Brianna.

Bandit's mind was buzzing like a swarm of angry hornets. He still couldn't believe what just occurred. He just met a group of humans, they hadn't killed him, and now he was going to help them free a total stranger from the most dangerous pack in the area. He would have blamed Ellora's alpha stare, but he knew she hadn't used it once when asking for help. Even if she had, the influence of a stare only lasted as long as eye contact was kept. In the end, he had to chalk it up to morbid curiosity. Ellora's story about meeting with humans and planning a crazy rescue was so insane had to be a part of it.

"If I get killed playing the hero, I will haunt Ellora for the rest of her life!" He promised himself with a silent huff through his teeth. The cloth in his mouth tickled his chin.

As he walked, Bandit allowed his beta powers to activate. Beta wolves comprised most packs and were often the main forces during hunts and raids. As a result, their powers allowed them to smell and hear for miles further than any alpha, luna, or omega. An extra sense also told them when other living things entered a certain radius. It was invaluable when avoiding enemies and hunting prey. It often served to quickly end border skirmishes.

Stolen novel; please report.

Bandit felt he was much better suited for this mission than Coraline. "Never send an alpha to do a beta’s job,” he thought with a small degree of smugness.

A few uneventful minutes passed, during which the mixture in his fur had dried, allowing his keen nose to smell his surroundings with little trouble. His ears did not hold still for a minute, twitching at the slightest noise and swiveling to catch anything he might have missed. A few wolves were in the vicinity, but none were close enough to worry about.

Occasionally, he would sense something behind him and instinctively stiffen, only to remember the dark-haired human following at a distance. He almost laughed at the irony of being relieved to hear a human was behind him.

One of the nearer wolves started walking in his direction. He ducked behind a tree, hoping the human would stop coming forward. Thankfully, it seemed the human followed suit and was hiding nearby. A werewolf emerged a minute later. Her muscles were loose, and she looked completely unconcerned. It was a reasonable distance into the territory, so she would normally have a good reason to feel at ease. Even if she was a beta, she wouldn't be using her powers at that moment.

Bandit waited, holding his breath as she passed. She yawned, scratched behind an ear, and continued on her way. There was no sound from where the human likely was.

After waiting another minute, Bandit continued. His nose twitched as the scent of wolves drew closer. He was nearing the denning area. Now comes the hard part: looking for Emma person.

Even Coraline didn't know what she looked like as a wolf. He had a good description of her human form, but what if she was a wolf right then? He wasn't about to search through the entire denning area. She would be out of luck if he didn't see her quickly. They'd have to try another night.

He could feel the trees thinning out and moved more slowly, going from tree to tree and listening for the sound of any approaching feet. Finally, he was able to peer through a gap at a clearing. Several makeshift wooden dens were set up. Some were holes in the sides of hills. He found himself feeling happy about his nice cave.

An experimental sniff told him that most of the wolves in the denning area were transformed. There was only the slightest hint of human skin. He decided to try moving closer to that. Scar's pack was supposedly crazy about their wolf forms, turning into them every night, even if they were sleeping. Someone who wasn't transformed was definitely to investigate.

Bandit circled the clearing, trying to see anything that might provide a hunch while also minding the scents of the nearby wolves. Even with his beta powers, if he was detected, there would be no way to get away before someone jumped him. The scent grew stronger as he went around one side, so he started looking for a blond-haired woman.

Rounding another tree nearly caused him to stumble right into her. She was a mere few feet away.

For a moment, Bandit froze. A fierce combination of shock, sadness, and rage shot through him. He’s never seen such a sad-looking person in his life. Her blue eyes were downcased and dull. Her face was streaked with dirt and tears. Her long, blond hair was tangled and matted. She was curled up, eyes open as she stared into the trees. She hugged herself as if she was trying to hide her naked form.

"No werewolf should be that ashamed," he thought. Even Coraline, who was uncomfortable with nudity, didn't have this degree of shame and loathing in her demeanor. Then, a harder look nearly caused Bandit to growl out loud: A thick rope was tied around Emma's neck, the other end attached to a nearby tree. Bandit's previous plans to retreat if things got tough vanished. He would be leaving the territory with this sad-eyed girl, no matter what.

He stepped forward, snorting softly to announce his presence to her.

Emma immediately sat up, her back stiff. Her eyes narrowed defiantly. "You're dead if you try anything," she hissed. Her voice was raspy as if she hadn't had anything to drink in hours. Bandit was very impressed with this girl already. She had clearly been through hell, but the fierceness in her eyes was almost sharp, as focused, as piercing as an alpha stare.

Bandit took the cloth out of his mouth and held it toward her, allowing a shaft of moonlight to hit it so she could see the Dead Rabbit symbol painted on it. He saw the girl's eyes widen as she took it.

Just as quickly, however, her expression became closed. "Yeah, I know the border patrols have been finding those. What's that got to do with me?"

Bandit groaned, placing the cloth on the ground. "Who does she even think I am? Why is she so defensive? What does she have to lose?" He tried moving closer, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. He rumbled softly in his throat, pointing at the rope and making a slashing motion with his claws.

Emma blinked, tilting her head, before letting out a sigh. "If this is another mind game…."

"She thinks I'm one of Scar's wolves!" Bandit realized. He shook his head rapidly, taking another step forward.

Suddenly, he detected two of the nearby wolves running toward his location. He had no time to react before something heavy hit him from behind. He felt clawed hands pressing his face into the ground. A low growl rumbled in his ear. He twitched, snarling angrily. "I'm dead," he thought. "I'm dead. This is what I get for being a hero."

His heart sank as the second werewolf appeared in his vision. She was a small beast with bright blue eyes and fur the color of a sunrise. She was growling at him while glancing at Emma. He sensed concern in her demeanor above all things. Just as he felt fangs closing around his neck, Emma held up a hand.

"Wait!" she whispered, glancing around before looking at the wolf on Bandit's back. "Flint, do you know him?"

Bandit felt the weight on top of him shift. At the same time, he saw Emma's defiant glare vanish. "I can't believe… Let him go."

There was a pause. Then, the weight left Bandit's back. He huffed as he stood, spinning around to see a larger male werewolf glaring suspiciously at him. The wolf has gray fur with streaks of black. A bunch of fresh-looking gashes covered his body.

Bandit nodded once to the wolf and turned to Emma. To his surprise, Emma scratched the male wolf behind the ears, which he immensely enjoyed. Emma, for the first time, was smiling.

Bandit quickly ran to her side, crouching down and huffing quietly, offering to let her on his back.

She shook her head. “I am not leaving. Someone needs to keep Scar behaved.” She gestured to her two wolfish friends. “Take them with you. They’ve wanted to leave for a long time. Now is as good a time as ever.”

Bandit shook her head in frustration, and to her surprise, so did the other two wolves.

Emma hugged both their muzzles with watery eyes. “You’ve both been so kind to me, and I will never forget what you both did for me. But I have a duty here now. These wolves need me to look out for them.” She pushed her two friends away, tears falling from her eyes. “Now get out of here.”

Bandit took a step forward, still not wanting to leave the girl. He hesitated when Emma pointed to the dens. “Don’t worry. I am here of my own free will. Now leave. NOW. Don’t make me call the guards.

Bandit glanced between the gray and pink wolves. He tilted his head in confusion. The gray one shook his head and motioned toward the trees. There would be time to talk later. Now, they needed to move.

They went into the trees, moving quietly for a few minutes before breaking into a run. This was the most dangerous part of the plan getting out, especially now that these wolves were here to complicate things. "Well, they'd better help fight off any pursuers," he thought grimly.

Some sound from the side signaled the approach of the human. Thinking quickly, Bandit moved to intercept the pink wolf, who was just starting to lunge toward the trees. Brianna came out with her rifle but stopped at Bandit's growl. He shook his head swiftly, motioning to the border where the others were waiting.

Brianna nodded and stepped back. An alarm howl echoed from the denning area. Brianna readied her weapon. “Go. I’ll cover you.”

Bandit nodded, returning toward the border and running as fast as possible. The sound of his two unexpected companions thundered on either side of him. He sniffed as the scent of humans drew close. He saw the other two wolves baring their fangs and barked sharply. When they looked at him, he shook his head and motioned for them to slow down. Though clearly reluctant to listen to him, they obeyed. He ran ahead, breaking through the stopping in front of the waiting humans.

There was a pause as thick as fog. Then, Rose let out a wordless cry, falling to her knees.

Hunter gritted his teeth. Anger was practically seeping out of his pours. He gripped his bandaged arm, which was pulsating painfully.

"Mom!" Rose sobbed. "I can't believe you're-!" Her voice turned acidic. "I swear, I'll kill him!"

"Later, Rose," Hunter said softly, trying to keep himself together. “We can’t risk drawing Shadows while Brianna is still out there.”

The other two wolves emerged, and Mason charged them.

Bandit stood between Mason and the two wolves, motioning to the humans that they weren't enemies.

Hunter broke away from the group and toward the trees, frowning in worry. His fists were clenched at his sides. It took every ounce of self-control to keep running into the trees to find his friend.

Scarlet walked over to Bandit, nudging his shoulder with her paw and grinning as he met her gaze. Bandit sighed, allowing his friend's omega powers to calm him down.

Everyone else glanced toward the trees, waiting to hear Brianna's footsteps. When she finally slipped from the brambles a few yards away, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, she said, dusting herself off. “I had to run around a bit to confuse them. They should have run north before realizing they had lost me. Now, can we get out of here?"

Bandit nodded. The humans didn't fully understand the powers that betas had. It would not take long for the pursuers to realize where everyone had gone. Emma's two friends were already edging toward the trees.

The large, mismatched group walked deeper into the woods. When it became clear that Brianna was exhausted from her mission, Mason and Jade helped her stand. She smiled thankfully as they walked.

When everyone felt that they were a safe distance from Scar’s territory, they sat down to rest.

Hunter knelt next to Brianna. "Are you okay? Do you need any food?”

Brianna shook her head, smiling thankfully. "No.”

Rose glanced at the two new wolves. “Bandit, can you please explain what happened? Who are these two? Where is mom? I know you found her.”

Bandit changed back into his human form. “The woman is gone. Mentally gone.” He gestured to the two new wolves sitting away from the group. “These two wanted to escape with her, but she refused. She sent them off, saying she chose to stay.”

Rose punched the nearest tree. “We were too late. What is the point? Even if we manage to rescue mom in the future, we failed. We took too long. Scar won.”

“Well, I'll tell you now that Ember won't let three of Scar's wolves into her pack! So, something has to be done with them,” Bandit said, clearly done with this eventful night.

The gray and pink wolves growled at the mention of Ember's name.

“From how it sounds, they were trying to look out for mom,” Hunter continued, looking at the wolf duo. “And they haven't lured anymore of Scar’s wolves over to us. I think they are trustworthy.”

Rose shakes her head slowly. "If this keeps up, we'll have more werewolf friends than human friends,” she held out her hand. "I'm Rose. Thanks for trying to help my mom. It means a lot to us."

The wolves, Flint and Sunset, looked at Rose's hand but made no move to take it. Sunset sniffed it cautiously before backing away again. Neither one looked inclined to change into their human forms.

Bandit sighed. "Okay, how about this? You guys can take these two to the wastelands. Let Steven go, and the three can decide what to do."

The two new werewolves perked up at the mention of Steven's name. Sunset's ears twitched, and she yipped softly.

After some more talking, everyone agreed to Bandit's idea. The group split in two, Bandit and Scarlet returning to the pack, the humans taking Flint and Sunset to the wastelands.

There was still a lot of confusion and mistrust between multiple parties. There would be much explaining to do and several stories to share. The moon was low in the sky, and the air had an electric feeling. If the groups had been closer to the border, they might have heard an enraged roar echoing through the trees. In that moment of relief and exhaustion, it was probably best that they didn't.