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

*5/19/90*

The moon had just risen, and the denning area of Ember's pack was full of activity. People in their daytime forms talked in whispers. The names Ellora and Coraline came up more than once. Others, who chose to turn to their wolf forms, came in and out of the area, sniffed the boundaries, and played with friends.

Scarlet watched from the entrance to her and Bandit’s den as three young male wolves bounded past. The three wolves were goofing off, as they did a lot when not needed for a hunt.

Bandit sat nearby. He watched Ember out of the corner of his eye. He wore an old, tattered pair of pants he had found in his den and an open jacket. He, like Scarlet, who had on a skirt and a torn tank top, had gotten used to wearing clothes thanks to Coraline’s discomfort with nudity. Still, he hadn’t seen the purpose of wearing a tight, constraining shirt. His mind was on more than just clothes, however. He wanted to ensure Scarlet was as comfortable as possible now that Coraline and Ellora were missing.

The taste of paper still lingered in Scarlet's mouth from earlier that day when she found a note at the drop site. It was difficult to make out most of the words, but she still understood the message thanks to the few lessons Coraline gave her in human words. She had been relieved that Ellora, Coraline, and the wolves from Scar's pack were safe. Following Bandit's advice, she ate the note right after reading it. They weren't sure whether Ember could read but didn't want to take any chances.

"You know, we could transform and try goofing off a little with the others," Bandit suggested.

"Not tonight," Scarlet replied. “Right now, it is smarter to keep low and act as if we’re defeated.”

"Yeah, but it is still easier to run to them in our wolf forms, and sitting here all day will only make us stiff and slow us down,” Bandit glanced around to make sure no one was listening. After Ellora and Coraline’s fight, Ember and her inner circle had become vigilant in keeping tabs on the pack members, particularly Scarlet and Bandit. "We'll need to wait for an opening, and us being in human form will only slow us down."

"And what if we leave during the day?" Scarlet protested. "Honestly, that might end up being the best choice. Besides, you know that Ember ordered us not to transform unless instructed. We’ll ruin any chances of escape if we anger her now.”

"Even so, do you really want to spend the final moment in the pack you grew up denying the moon's gift?" Bandit shook his head. "That's no way to live."

"Believe me, I know," Scarlet sighed. "I know that once leaving, we will be gone for good. We will never see our friends again, never sleep in our den again, never drink from the same stream again, but I cherish the safety of you and me over one last burst of fun."

"I’m sorry. This must be difficult for you," Bandit placed a hand on her shoulder in the act of comfort. He wanted to hug her, but he held back. It was still spring, and they couldn't afford to get distracted by their basic instincts.

"Maybe we can do something fun once we find a new place to live? Scarlet said thoughtfully.

“A smooth smirk came to Bandit’s face. “Well…”

“Except that.”

Bandit groaned slightly before thinking of something. “Why don't we do a group howl with Ellora and the others on the next full moon? Those are always fun."

"That sounds like fun…." Scarlet smiled slightly as she stared at the ground. "Yeah. I would really like that."

"Okay." Bandit grinned. “Well, that's something, at least,” he thought before speaking out loud. "Let me know if you decide to do it early. Just don’t make me wait long."

"Thank you, Bandit," Scarlet said, allowing herself to return Bandit's smile. "I…I really do appreciate you. I hope you know that."

Bandit's face flushed. "Hey, you forget that I am your mate. I would fail at my job if I didn’t look out for you.”

Scarlet hesitated before saying: "You don't have to come with me. You’ve built more of a life here than I ever have in my whole life. I don’t want to take you away from that."

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Bandit cut in. "First of all, we’ve been together through thick and thin, and that is not about to end now. Second, will I let you have this big adventure without me? Since we're friends with Ellora, Ember will be on my case, which quickly gets annoying. I'd rather go with you and see where things take us. It's pretty exciting when you think about it."

Unable to argue with that, Scarlet just nodded. "I wanted to make sure,” she looked at the pack. Ember was in her wolf form, pacing around in agitation. This had to be rough for her. She had just lost two pack members and was about to lose two more. "Maybe she was right to worry about Ellora. I guess my theories had some sense of truth after all," Scarlet murmured, half to herself.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Yeah, I guess you were right all along," Bandit sighed. "Ellora doesn't want to believe she's special, but she is. She's someone who can lead others effortlessly. She may not be smarter than Ember, but she's way nicer and more charismatic. She's also a good fighter. Someone like that is easy to be loyal to."

"I can definitely see that,” though Scarlet hadn’t been as close to Ellora as Bandot was, she had easily seen why Coraline had become so close to her so quickly. Though an alpha and physically intimidating, she was incredibly gentle and naturally good-hearted. She alone was enough to turn the Temple's stance on werewolves.

Honestly, she was looking forward to leaving. Even though Ember's pack was safe for now, at least from threats like Scar and Shadows, she knew it was only a matter of time before things got ugly. She could feel it in her bones. Could it be Scar to ruin the safety of this place? After all, he had attacked an entire town guarded by Huntsmen to kidnap Emma because he liked her. Even though the pack was in a well-defended position, that wouldn’t stop him from one day destroying this place. A fortress under siege can only last for so long.

Her only regret was leaving her friends in this pack behind. Having Ellora, Bandit, and Coraline around would be a comfort, but she would never fill the void left by those she had known since she was just a pup.

Honestly, she might even miss these strange humans as well. They had proven to be true and kind people, shining as incredible individuals despite their upbringings. “Maybe we can come back someday,” she thought. “If things get better….”

In the meantime, she sat back and watched the three wolves continue their game, wondering if she and Bandit would manage to escape before Ember caught onto them.

~o0o~

Flint and Summer moved slowly and silently through the trees. Flint's beta powers were at their full potential while Summer rested hers. This arrangement was common when they hunted together. It conserved their energy and allowed them to be much stealthier.

There were some rabbits nearby. Further off was a human who was asleep. Flint guessed this person was the traveling merchant who marked the map.

Pausing near a bush, he waited before lashing out with his forepaw and grabbing a rabbit from the undergrowth. With a firm shake, he killed the small creature and placed it in a satchel the humans had given him. They received several items from the humans during their last visit, including clothes that only Ellora and Coraline regularly wore. Bags, medicine, and some valuable items like candy. It was still strange to receive gifts from beings who were supposed to be their enemies. People who have killed unknown numbers of werewolves.

Flint kept thinking back to the moment when Hunter healed him. Not only had he found a way to keep werewolves safe from the effects of Crystals, but he had shown genuine concern and regret for causing the initial injury. Flint never would have thought that such empathy could exist in a Huntsman. His arm still stung, but he was grateful it wasn't much worse. In a way, he was almost grateful for the experience.

He was jolted from his thoughts when something new appeared in the radius of his beta powers. A group of humans was moving through the woods.

Summer tilted her head at him but waited patiently for him to tell her what he was sensing.

Flint's ears flattened. These weren't Huntsmen. They hadn't come from Castell Henllys. They were approaching the spot where the human trader slept and were fanning out.

A few days ago, this would have meant nothing to him. Humans had battles, atrocities, and interactions, and werewolves had theirs. There was no point in involving oneself in something likely to get them killed.

Now, however, with the kindness of his human friends in his mind and the stories of their interactions with the trader fresh in his memory, Flint found himself wanting to do something incredibly stupid. He communicated his desires to Summer.

Summer, to his surprise, flashed her fangs in a feral grin. Her tail started wagging, and she bobbed her head eagerly. With that decided, the two moved in the direction of the trader, hoping that this act of heroism wouldn't be their undoing. Briefly, they considered calling for the others, but the pack was just on the edge of Flint's power radius and probably wouldn't get there in time. Besides, two betas were more than a match for some dumb bandits.

They broke into a run as the bandits drew closer to the sleeping trader. The sound of a muffled scream urged them to move even faster.

The clearing by the crossroads was in a state of utter chaos. The horse was whinnying fearfully, trying to break away from the cart. One bandit was on the ground, clutching a wound on his side. In the cart, a man beat three others with a cane that seemed to double as a club.

Flint snarled, lunging toward the injured bandit. A swift bite to the stunned human's throat was enough to finish him off.

"Werewolves!" One of the others shouted. "Run for it!"

Summer pounced on one, snapping his neck with her forepaws. One of them foolishly tried to stab her with a knife, but a slash to the chest with her claws sent him running. She knew better than to bite unless she was going in for the kill. They didn't need people like this turning into werewolves, after all.

Noticing that the bandits were retreating, Flint glanced toward Summer, wagging his tail hopefully.

Smirking, Summer nodded. It was time for a little chase. They ran into the trees after the humans. Flint paused to look at the trader.

The trader looked toward Flint, eyes wide with shock. Rather than push his luck, Flint turned away and bounded after Summer.

Summer was using her beta powers since it was about time for Flint to have a break. She could sense five marauders still alive ahead of them. Putting on a burst of speed, she caught up to the slowest one and snatched him with her claws, pulling him into the trees.

Less than an hour was all they needed to track down and kill the remaining bandits. Flint smirked. “Well, that's a few less evil beings in the world,” he thought proudly.

Summer turned into her daytime form and started rifling through the pockets of one of them. "There are some coins," she muttered. "Ooh. This is a nice dagger. Could be useful during the day."

Flint nodded. Once his mate was done with her looting, he crouched down, allowing her onto his back. It was about time to rejoin the others. With all the racket caused, there would be little left to hunt that night.

As they returned, he couldn't help but wonder about the trader. Had the man realized that the werewolves had meant to save him, or had he been too scared to tell one way from the other? Either way, Flint felt surprisingly good.

“It's amazing how wrong Scar has been all this time,” he mused. “If only there was a way to tell everyone from both packs what we've found,” he sighed quietly. There was no point in wondering about the packs they had left behind. Now, they had to worry about themselves. With that in mind, he pushed his other thoughts aside and focused on returning safely to their new, small pack.

~o0o~

Flint left alone the following night, holding a small cloth sack in his jaws. The sound of clinking coins punctuated every step, causing his ears to flatten in irritation.

After encountering the bandits, Flint and Summer explained everything to the others. After some discussion, it was agreed that the coins should go to William and that the dagger and food would stay with the pack. Flint had volunteered to deliver the money, insisting he didn't need anyone going with him. He wanted to do this on his own.

His beta powers didn't detect anything out of the ordinary nearby. As he drew closer to where the wagon was parked, he froze. The trader was awake over there. “Not surprising since he was just almost robbed,” he thought.

Did he leave the money there and hope the trader would find it later? No, he stepped out of the trees and into the clearing.

The man, William, was sitting on the steps of his wagon, a crossbow resting across his lap. He turned his head in Flint's direction and froze.

Flint's ears twitched but didn't move otherwise. His eyes rested on the crossbow. When William made no move to fire it, he took one step forward.

William picked up the bow and pointed it at the werewolf, but he lowered it, a stunned look coming to his face when he saw the small bag.

Slowly, Flint bent his head, placed the bag on the ground, and backed away. As soon as he was in the trees, he turned and bolted toward home, panting heavily. That night, he would need a long rest and eat a nice, fat rabbit.