*Val* I'd been out at the main checkpoint of our territory for hours already. The men had gone over every second of last night's patrol with me numerous times. No one noticed any odd scents or movements during the feast. It wasn't until morning that they discovered anything was off.We'd doubled the patrol since one of the guards was injured, so there shouldn't have been any gaps in security and no way for someone to sneak anywhere near our land. I couldn't make sense of what I was looking at. Blocking the trail we used to drive in and out of town, was a line of newly planted saplings. It would have taken time to plant them and it would have been loud. That wasn't the strangest part. Placed neatly beside the central tree was a large bouquet of white, five-petaled flowers wrapped in a silver, silky material. It looked like an offering of some kind. It was starting to feel like some kind of conspiracy was unfolding. I didn't want to entertain the idea that one of our own could

*Estelle* I was running through a cold river. My paws were numb, but I kept moving. Time was running out. I could feel that he was right behind me. If I didn't find a safe place soon it would be too late. The smell of burning wood made it impossible to track his scent. There was no way to know if I'd lost him without stopping and checking behind me. I couldn't risk it. I had to press on. My lungs were burning from the effort. I must have been running for miles by now. My mind was disorganized, I couldn't focus on anything but the need to find safety. I jumped out of the river and kept running. My paws hit concrete and I hesitated. If I went into the city it would be harder for him to find me, but I would have no help. I heard something crashing through the foliage behind me and I ran. Suddenly, I was jolted from my slumber. I sat up quickly and blinked my eyes. There was sunlight streaming through the window and it disoriented me. I had just been running. No, that was a dre

*Estelle* I woke with Gabe's arms around me. It was rapidly becoming my favorite way to wake up. I nuzzled close to his chest and smiled. Val and I had nearly made it through all of the family registries and still had no luck finding any reference to a red wolf. It was disheartening. I was starting to feel like I was wasting everyone's time. Val had remained optimistic, but I was pretty sure he was just being nice. I owed Lucky a fruit arrangement or something. She'd lost so much time with Val because of me. When I'd finally gone to bed last night I could hear Gabe's meeting still going in full swing. I had tried to stay awake and wait for him, but I must have fallen asleep. Gabe's arms tightened around me and he shifted slightly. "It's early," he said without opening his eyes. I wondered what time he'd finally been able to come to bed. "Sorry," I whispered. "I wasn't trying to wake you. How was the meeting?" "Frustrating," he grumbled. "It's impossible to get anywher

*Estelle* I'd hardly seen Gabe in days. He'd been so busy dealing with the other packs that he'd missed dinner every night this week. Besides that, he was trying to figure out the security issues at the border so he was up early every morning. Most days I was asleep before he came to bed and he was gone by the time I woke up. I wasn't convinced that he actually made it to bed every night. The biggest obstacle in the relations with the other packs seemed to be Charles. He'd inserted himself into every meeting, not matter how mundane. Based on what Val had told me about him, Charles should have been an asset to the meetings, but Gabe was frustrated by the way things had stalled out. He just couldn't seem to make any progress and he was becoming increasingly irritated by it. If that wasn't enough to ruin my mood, Isolde had been a constant presence in the house. It seemed like she was lurking in every doorway, as if she were waiting for something to happen. I had no idea what it

*Estelle* I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt so awful about anything in my life. Gabe was so upset with me that he hadn't come to bed last night. I'd waited up for him for hours. I couldn't blame him, really. He'd basically proposed to me and I just stared at him like an idiot. I wanted to find him and apologize, but I was afraid that I'd freeze up again. I was terrified of being the Luna, but I was more scared of losing Gabe. Mama Iida had comforted me the best she could after Gabe stormed out. She was kind about the situation, but it was clear that she was disappointed in me. I was too. I don't know why it was so hard for me to find my voice. All I had to do was tell him the truth; I wanted to be his Luna but I was afraid I'd mess it up. Gabe would understand that. He'd been forced to become the Alpha before he was ready. Then again, maybe he'd think I was being a baby since he'd been so much younger than me when he took on those responsibilities. It was all so mu