I don't know how much time passed before I woke up. The light was beginning to fade again so I could only just make out the faint outlines of the tall trees swaying as somebody carried me bridal style.

Tall trees.

Tall pine trees unlike the bushier elder ones on pack territory.

The air was crisp and fresh smelling- no sign of the sickly smell of fallen elderberries slowly rotting amongst the crunchy autumn leaves.

"Gale?" I whispered quietly as my vision cleared a little more and I was able to make out the face.

"You're safe now Robyn. I've got you," he replied in his usual soothing yet husky tone as everything began to flood back. The ambush, the kiss, the separation, the tranquilliser. Everything.

So how was I back in Gale's arms?

"What happened?" I asked. "The last thing I remember was Atlas holding that foul rag over my mouth and entirely losing my grip on reality."

"You've been out for days Robyn. The same sedative kept me gone for hours so I can only imagine the effect it had on you. I found Fern and Atlas with you not long after actually, but they aren't a risk anymore don't worry. Neither are the others." Gale explained a slight pang of guilt at the back of his throat.

"You didn't..." I began before trailing off.

"Kill them?" Gale finished. "No, they'll make a full recovery, but not any time soon. They were threatening to hurt you and I did warn them beforehand."

"I'm not blaming you, Gale. I'm sure you only did it because you had to," I said as Gale put me down on a fallen tree trunk before sitting beside me.

"But in that moment I got so close to completely losing all sense of restraint and killing them both. I had this anger, this blood boiling hateful rage for my own brothers. In a way I'm glad they used that wretched chloroform so that you didn't have to see it because I would have terrified you witless," he told me with his eyes fixated on his hands in utter disbelief.

"Gale, listen to me," I said placing a hand gently on his cheek and turning his face to me. "You care for me don't you?"

"More than you could ever imagine," he replied a meek, but honest smile tugging at his lips.

"Then you were protecting something you care deeply about. I'm not surprised that you lost yourself for a fleeting moment. You were acting on instinct and you, an Alpha, of all people should know that you can't control instinct," I said in what I hoped was a comforting tone. "You are just like the wind."

"How so?" he asked. "I may be named after it but what more than that?"

"You are fresh and gentle but also powerful and not to be reckoned with. They tried and you gave them the storm they deserved. I would never criticise you, Gale Rivers, so long as I would never criticise the nature of the wind."

He smiled and placed his hand on top of mine.

Without even thinking about it I leant into his lips- like I said: you can't control instinct.

 Gale placed one hand behind my neck and the other so that his thumb was resting at the corner of my mouth. He pulled me closer to him so that the warmth from our two bodies became one.

"Can we pretend that was our first kiss? It was much more favourable than the last we shared," Gale said his hands still cupping my face.

I nodded.

"Can I ask a question though?" I said looking around at the unfamiliar species trees and surroundings.

"Fire away."

"Where the bloody hell are we?"