"We should have someone else here to back you up at all times. If you ask Allen, he would probably be more than happy to keep close." I said to Nicole after taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

She went into the small kitchen and grabbed a roll of paper towel and rubbing alcohol. After soaking a few sheets in the strong disinfectant, she started wiping off the surface of her table. "The only thing that scared me about that demon is the idea that she may have placed a curse on my teacup."

"Nicole..." I sighed. There was always a risk that my sister would disregard every word that came out of my mouth. Her hearing was unparalleled, but her desire to actually listen to what she heard was much less impressive. "I'm serious. I know that you are strong and fierce and as deadly as any Beta, but you have a larger target on your back than anyone else. If you have to keep that sign up with your name in big gold letters outside, at least have someone around to fight with you at all times."

She finished wiping the tabletop and then started cleaning off the seat where the demon had sat. Her expression was too relaxed to be natural and it worried me. "While I would like to have someone around more often, Allen and I are...spending time apart." Her eyes didn't meet mine when she said that and her voice was full of restraint. My sister wasn't really the type to restrain herself in any way, so I knew something was wrong.

"What happened? Did he try to do something to you?" I asked, but then thought better of it. "Or rather, what did you to do him? Is he alright?"

Her head shot up immediately and she stood up straight. "Nothing! I did nothing wrong!" I met her eyes and stared into her soul to uncover the truth. Doubt and a sliver of guilt finally broke through to the surface. "Well, I didn't do anything that should have hurt him. I just...asked him to marry me," she said and looked back down to the table she'd rubbed spotless.

My jaw literally dropped and I had to will it to shut. "You proposed to him? As in with a ring and everything?"

"Yes. I got down on one knee and said those four magic words. I expected him to smile and possibly start crying or tearing up a bit like they do in movies. Instead...I don't know, he just seemed upset. I don't get why," I could hear the genuine confusion in her voice now and knew that this information was not public.

"Nicole. The man is the one who does the proposing. It wasn't fair of you to try taking that away from him. He probably took that as you saying he isn't the man in the relationship," I said sternly.

My sister recoiled and glared furiously at me when I finished talking. Her eyes widened with so much indignation that someone might think that I just shot her favorite animal. "What the hell does that mean, Hunter? Which one is 'the man' in your relationship? Are you and Jake going to take turns proposing just to satisfy your egos?"

I realized I may have instigated a she-wolf's pride and fury. "That is not what I meant," I tried to deescalate the situation.

"I know what you meant, Hunter. If Allen can't handle a little bit of change, then forget him! I can handle my own safety, little brother. So why don't you go play with your new Alpha friends. Now!" she growled when I opened my mouth to protest and I was reminded that this was her home. I couldn't stay if she didn't want me here.

I walked out onto the balcony and shifted down into a wolf. I took a few running steps forward before leaping over the edge and soaring over the crowd on the street below. I braced myself and landed easily. I started bounding away as the camera flashes intensified behind me.

The demons have invaded my town. The Lycans have confiscated my forest. My family have distanced themselves from me more with every encounter. Over the last year, I've felt a change in my life taking root and growing steadily. As I ran aimlessly through the streets of Viridian, the clouds covered the sky and the sun sank below the horizon.

I ran without thinking because I knew there was no point in thinking about things that I couldn't control. I ran without knowing what would happen when I got tired or fell asleep. I forced myself to run, hoping that my body would continue to listen to me and only me.

My eyes were shut tight and my heart was beating wildly. My fur was slick with sweat and all four of my legs were straining from my out of control sprint. I crashed into something, a few things actually along the way, but I barreled straight through without slowing down or stopping.

STOP!

Jake's voice screamed in my head and it was as if all of my sanity came crashing back into my head. My eyes opened wide and I came skidding to a halt on a street near the edge of town. There was no one in sight and the area was free of people or traffic.

Where are you going? Jake's mind called out.

I have no idea...

I'm on my way to your home. I'll spend the night if you get there before I do. His thoughts held a bit of a challenge in them.

If only I hadn't been so careless with my running, I could have realized where I was and turned back sooner. As it was, I had come too close to the edge of town and ended up in the worst place possible. Jake would have to wait.

Where do you guys think Hunter ended up? Leave a comment with your thoughts on what happened in this chapter :)