50: Ada's POV

"Well, Nikolai. I haven't seen you since you were a pup," a velvety voice worked it's way down my spine, sending goosebumps over my entire body, "And Ada, darling. How *convenient* that you're together," Phoenix shifted, growling ferociously and sending spit flying from his mouth, "Now, now, Alpha Prince of the Divine Earth. It's rude to shift when someone can't communicate with your wolf," shadows swept from the ground behind me, swirling around the paws of Phoenix's wolf. There was a small cry from his wolf and then they shifted back, his expression contorted in agony. The voice continued on, "I can't say I'm surprised to find the two princes here. But to bring your surrogate along?" a cluck of the unknown guests tongue, "Downright shameful to put her in harms way."

Nik's voice was clipped and his face had shifted to an expression of cold indifference, "I can only assume that we have the pleasure of meeting the great Fane Rosu."

My skin prickled with a hidden current of electricity. Sahara was now fully alert, growling in the back of my mind. I forced my body to turn to face the presece behind me, my eyes widening. It was definitely the man I'd met when I was younger. Though his hair was different-- a stark white instead of the dark black I remembered. Before I could form any words, the man bowed, "Why, yes, your highness. It is me."

"I believe we should be bowing to you," Nik arched an eyebrow, but made no move to bow at the waist as Fane straightened, "After all, you are a King and we are simply princes."

A wide, and oddly warm, grin spread across the man's pale face, "I expect no such formality," his eyes, a red and black swirl, narrowed on me as he sniffed the air, "Tell me, Ada. How are you to be the destined surrogate if you are actually their mate?"

It was a question I had been pondering for days. But I wasn't about to let him know that. My voice was surprisingly even, "Are you here to kill us?"

He stepped back as if I'd struck him. His hand went to his chest as he sucked in a breath, his thick accent drawing out each word, "I would never. After all, I *am* your Uncle Finn and *his*," he motioned at Nik, "mentor of sorts. Or rather, I will be."

"You've partnered with the people of this pack to overthrow our father," Phoenix spoke boldly, rolling his shoulders back despite his still-pale face.

"Have I?" Finn arched an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side, "Or have I allied myself with your enemy to gain your favor. What's that saying? An enemy of an enemy or whatever."

"I believe it's a friend of my enemy is also an enemy," I said quietly, my eyes roaming over the tall and slender man in front of me, "Uncle? By blood."

Finn bowed his head, "Not by blood, Ada. It's a rather long story that I am afraid we don't have time for at this current moment," he began to dissipate into shadow, "You must leave. Now. Trust that me not killing you is an offering of peace. I will be at Oberon Castle in six days time. Be there and we will speak."

His body had disappeared long before his voice had finished. I glanced at Nik and at Phoenix, both of whom had their eyes glued to the spot he had been in. It was Nik who spoke first, raking his eyes over the distant forest, "I don't think we should doubt his warning. Let's move. *Now.*"

He cloaked us in shadow as we moved through the forest rapidly, not daring to shift for fear of making to much noise. A mere minute had passed when we saw them. An entire squad of wolves, shifted and racing in the direction we'd just come from, breezed past us as if we weren't there. I didn't so much as breathe as they went by, Nik only giving a signal to pause just seconds before they were beside us. What was a patrol doing this far toward the base of the mountains? The mountains themselves were more than well-guarded and protected. They would have to be tipped off to a location in order to be this far from the happenings of anything. That treehouse had remained a secret escape since I was a young girl. It was off the patrol radars and rotations.

Unless they followed someone. Perhaps Fane Rosu, Finn, had not expected to run into us. Maybe he'd been running from this patrol. Maybe we'd caught him just as offguard as he'd caught us. I was about to whisper something to Nik, but when my eyes met his onyx ones, he held a finger to his mouth. Behind him, another wolf neared. It sniffed loudly at the base of the tree nearest to where Phoenix stood. I watched the wolf's eyes scour the area, passing right over us. It huffed once, twice. A stiff breeze blew past us and it sniffed again.

It raised his head... and howled. The three of us moved in unison, feet pounding against the forest floor as we took of in a direction away from the patrol that had just passed us and the wolf that had signalled. We ran for what felt like miles, still not daring to take the time or risk to shift into wolf form. Phoenix and Nik would occasionally glance back at me to ensure I was keeping pace. My lungs burned like fire, my muscles screaming with every step. I didn't dare to look back and see if the patrol was following us, not when I could see the distance between the two princes and I lengthening.

The sun was sinking beyond the horizon, cloaking the area in darkness. It wasn't until not a drop of sunlight remained that Nik halted and held up a hand. I bent over, clutching my knees as I gasped for wicked, stinging breaths. Phoenix spun, pausing to look in every direction. Darius voice boomed in my mind, the first time in days, *The train will be at the station in three hours time. You will return without me at once. Stay hidden until you board the train. Depart quietly.*

Leaving? We hadn't covered even a fraction of the pack's territory. Surely one patrol didn't mean the end of this exploration. And without Darius? Jealousy burned in my stomach. How convenient that we should leave without him. Give him plenty of time with his new lover, Elizabeth Jane. Nausea roiled. He would send me and his brothers back to his fathers cold, unfeeling castle, just to get a few more stolen moments with his future wife. He had made his choice then. And so would I.