SIXTEEN | CHOCOLATE

The next day, after school, I find myself standing at the edge of a property. My car's parked according to the directions Caly had written in the invitation, next to a little market. I followed the path behind the store right up to the invisible border. I can smell pine - like an air freshener exploded in a straight line - all the way around the Azure Pack's territory. I don't dare try to cross it. Luckily, I don't have to wait long.

"Hey, birthday girl," I smile at her as she jogs over. "Guess you sensed me coming." I note, nodding at the boarder around the territory I can sense.

"Yeah, it's a gift." She grimaces a bit, but twists the expression back into a smile. "You have permission to come in for a bit if that's what you're worried about." She adds.

"Oh, no, that's..." I'm about to lie to her. About to say no right to her face, but stop. "I'm not a loner. My Pack would know if I stepped foot in your Pack's territory." I finally admit. She nods slowly, then looks over she shoulder. Like she senses someone else coming.

"I can ask my dad for a cloaking agent if that's all that's stopping you." She offers hopefully. "He's the Alpha." She explains after a second.

"Oh." I stare at her, surprised I didn't guess it when I met the others. It makes sense if I think about it. That would mean Zane's in line for Alpha after his father...if they follow familial tradition like the Reiniers. "I, um," I hesitate to say yes. I'm so curious about their Pack.

"Please? Just a few minutes?" She's begging. I wince.

"Fine." I take a deep breath and allow myself a 'few minutes'.

"Annnd," She tips one side of her face up, like she's listening to something, then her smile goes from hundred to thousand wattage. "Come on in." She offers me a hand.

I stare at it for along moment before reaching to take it. Like her brothers' it's calloused over her knuckles. They're fighters, this Pack. I smile at the familiarity of the Pack's signature pine and woodsy scent as I cross the territory line. Once I'm over the boundary Caly releases my hand and takes an experimental sniff in my direction. She nods to herself.

"What do I smell like?" I ask curiously. The usual scent for the Reinier Pack, the one I associate with them at least, is the sea. Salt and sea air. I don't know if I still smell like them.

"Normally? Apple pie." Caly shrugs, turning to lead me down the paved road. "Right now, it's more piney and cinnamon. The masking agent is the pine in our Pack's scent."

"Apple pie?" I try not to laugh at the interpretation.

"Yeah, like apple and spices. There's also a little salt.... Like a salted caramel apple pie" She seems to be thinking about it as we walk. I can't help but stifle a giggle.

"You're making me hungry." I tell her, shaking my head. *Apple pie... Interesting*.

"How about me?" She asks, like it's the most normal thing in the world. "What do I smell like?"

"Pine and," I sniff a little closer to her. "Hm..."

"*Hm*'s not a thing." She points out with a dry smile.

"I'm not good at describing scents I'm not familiar with." I explain, rolling my eyes. *She's a lot like her brother.*..

"Caly," *Speak of the devil*. I look up to see Zane coming down the path with Yuri. They have matching conical hats on their heads. I clap a hand over my mouth at the sight of their matching shirts. My eyes tear with the effort of keeping in the hysterical laughter I feel bubbling up inside.

"It's a stipulation they had to agree to for the party. You like?" Caly asks me as the two guys scowl at her. The shirts are bright pink with gaudy rhinestones spelling out *Caly's Boys*. They also have face paint, *cat* face paint. Whiskers and those little spots and all.

"I think I love you." I can't stop laughing. She nods smugly. "You're my new favorite person." I announce once I can breathe again. Zane scowls at me, glaring between the two of us now.

"That's what Misha said. I'll take it as a compliment." Caly nods to herself. "Now, let's go." She claps her hands twice and the two guys make growling sounds as they grudgingly pick the birthday girl up from the ground.

"Oh, God, I wish I brought my camera!" I can't help but laugh again. Caly beams at me from her makeshift throne.

"If you give me your number I can forward you the pictures Mom got earlier-"

"I swear, Cal-" Zane begins at the same time Yuri says, "You better not-" I laugh some more, my side aching as I walk alongside them. I keep looking over at the three and giggling as we walk past the thick trees that line the territory. As soon as we pass them, my laughter dies and I freeze in place.

The Reinier Pack was made up of pureblood Wolven, mostly family or extended family. We had allies with other Packs in the country as well as over seas so breeding was never an issue. New blood, always pure blood, would come into the Pack all the time, but you could always see the descendants because of the red in our hair or the blue in the main line's eyes.

Standing at the edge of a large gathering of diverse people, I'm stunned into silence. Humans, Wolven, and scents I don't know the names of. Species I've never seen before. All intermingling peacefully, chatting and getting along. All smelling like pine... All part of the Azure Pack.

"Scarlett?" Caly's voice snaps me back. I'm taking cautious steps back, eyes wide, a whirlwind of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. *How can this be real? How is this possible? How are they so peaceful and calm?* It's possible to coexist with other species. But if it is possible and Grandmother still never accepted me, what does that say about my old Pack? My family? Mom's still running around trying to find somewhere for us to be, somewhere we'd be accepted, and now...

"Red?" Zane's voice is there, but only just registering as the world starts going crimson-

"Scarlett, so glad you could make it," Mr. Hale's suddenly in front of me, his eyes are different. Deep green, not jade. I blink rapidly, wondering if I'm seeing things. "Cake?" The crazy in my head has died out. I'm suddenly very calm.

"Cake?" I look down at the plate he's offering to me. I stare at the decedent looking square of chocolate on the plate, a plastic fork sticking out of it. I take it without thinking and look at my teacher again. His eyes are jade again. I frown. *Maybe I'm suffering from low blood sugar?* I pick up the fork and heft a chunk of cake into my mouth. Chocolatey richness explodes over my tongue, moist and spongy with a zing in the frosting. I groan in pleasure.

"Good?" Mr. Hale asks, smiling. I note he has a half eaten slice of cake on his own plate. I nod - probably with more gusto than needed.

"Does this have coffee in the frosting?" I ask Caly, my stomach growling even as I saw the words.

"Espresso," She grins and nods exuberantly. *When was the last time I had coffee? I think I've died and gone to heaven.* My eyes flutter shut as I chew.

"A fellow addict, I see." Yuri frowns at me, disgust all over his face. And a mix of worry. I all but inhale another mouthful before Mr. Hale steps back and puts a cool hand on my back, leading me towards the people milling around.

"There's plenty to go around, Scarlett." He tells me, chuckling as I keep eating while we walk behind Caly and her Boys. "I do hope you're eating well." He adds when I scrape at the rest of the crumbs and frosting with my fork.

"I am." I grumble, frowning at him. *Why does everyone think I'm a starving hobo?*

"You're looking a little worn out." He notes, frowning back at me with worry in his eyes. It's familiar look.

"Zane got me groceries the other day. My kitchen's well stocked." I tell him without meaning to. Zane's back stiffens ahead and Yuri mumbles something to him. Mr. Hale gives the two an amused look.

"I see. Well, you can always shop at Lia's. It's a grocery store run by the Alpha's wife, Sandra. She masks the receipts so Hunter's can't track Wolven who shop there." Mr. Hale tells me. I look at Caly and Zane, surprised neither mentioned that before.

"Oh, I don't think that's necessary-" *Maybe there's a reason they never brought it up?*

"We insist." Caly calls from her perch. "Right, Z?" She pokes her brother's face. He turns to snap at her finger with his teeth and she lets out a yelp, almost falling over. I rush forward to help steady her, but miss and end up leaning on Zane instead. My hand brushes his neck and the world falls away-

-*The youngest girl is a teen, just barely. The marks of a Tracker for the elite squad scale up the side of her left jaw, her silvery hair is straight, cut in an asymmetrical sort of bob, gold highlights masking the soft red I know would be there in it's place. Her eyes, like mine, like our Grandmother's, are a deep, burning sapphire that halt my breath.*

"*Ivy?" I stare at the young girl before me. When I left, she was six, barely able to shift, and now. The teen sneers at me, her gaze going icy as she looks over me.*

*"Scarlett." She spits the name out like Ry had, hard and acidic. I cringe as her anger shudders through the bond, stinging my heart like a slap to the face. My hands ball into fists at my side as I fight the crippling tightening of her wrath.* She's not a Tracker, then, but an Enforcer. A fighter, and killer.

"Focus, *Ivy." Paris snaps at our youngest cousin and turns her nearly identical face to mine. "We've come to take you back, Scarlett. Grandmother wishes to give your punishment personally." She says icily, addressing me by my human name, making her words as cold and devoid of emotion as her face is. "By force if needed." She glances over my shoulder. I catch the sounds of even footsteps and three other, more clumsy pairs closing in.** Dammit.

*"That won't be necessary." I say quietly, so only they can hear it. I can't keep running. And I most definitely can't put my new friends in danger. I close my eyes for a second, restraining the fear inside as I take a step towards my cousins. An all-consuming wave of control ripples through the bond, gripping my body in a vice of continuous movement. I can't stop myself from taking the next step, then the the next. The fear I buried rears up and consumes me as I try to fight the control over my body, the Pack bond growing stronger by the second*.

"Red, stop!" *Blue yells before I can take another step. My entire body tenses at the sound of his voice, the void I was mentally stepping into closes and falls away. Ivy lets out a hiss of anger. My eyes snap open and I meet Paris' cerulean gaze. Our eyes hold for a long minute. Bewilderment is evident in her otherwise expressionless face, the control the bond of our Pack has over me is dwindling. And I know she knows why*.

*"Wisty?" Her voice is soft, surprised, and a little worried. And for a second, it's like I never left. Like the Pack never tried to kill me. Like we're best friends*.

"*I'm sorry, Parri," I breathe in response, back peddling before Ivy can react. Blue is suddenly beside me, pulling me behind him and facing off against my cousins.*

*"You're trespassing." He growls at the girls, his voice only just audible. Barely controlled rage is making his entire body shake and his muscled are literally shuddering under his skin. He's maybe five seconds away from shifting. I press a hand to his shoulder, trying to soothe him, but the gesture only seems to make him tenser. "Leave now*."

"*Or what?" Paris sneers at Blue, her lip curling up to flash him her now sharpening canines*.

*"You're shielding a fugitive of the Reinier Pack, Alpha. Release her into our custody immediately, or face the consequences." Ivy narrows her eyes at Blue, using a formal, yet authoritative tone that has my head aching. It's a formal request, but also a warning*.

*"Z, we need to go, now." Yuri's voice calls from behind us. I hear his footsteps falter and the other two beside him. I recognize the patterns, and also a different pair. The air fills with salt and I wince. So not just Paris and Ivy. It's the entire elite squad*.

*"Blue, you guys need to go." I warn Blue softly, squeezing his shoulder. He wraps an arm around me, keeping me behind him, secured at his side.*

*"Not without you." He growls.*

*"Alright, it seems you don't want to cooperate." Paris says, shaking her head. "Squad, plan B." It's all the warning we get before they spring at us. Both girls stay in human forms, but by their fluidity and coordination of their movements, I know what's coming next. I pull away from Blue, leaving him to fight Ivy while breaking Paris' focus and forcing the more experienced of the two to follow me.*

"*Red*-" Smack. *Blue get's a punch to his gut for his trouble, but quickly returns his attention to my younger cousin and blocks her next strikes. Yuri growls somewhere behind me and to the left. Quick footsteps follow after his heavier ones, fast and self-assured, but with a slight falter. Ryker.*

*"Z, we need to go, now." Yuri calls over the next succession of thuds and shuffling. My attention is quickly drawn back to my own fighter as pain explodes across my right side and the air's knocked from my lungs. I only just avoid the next blow, aimed at my face. My arm aches as the power behind her kick ricochets through me. I grit my teeth and feel my knees begin to buckle.*

*"Focus, Scarlett." Paris sneers at me, then switches her expression back to a blank slate before righting herself. In a blur of movement, too fast for me to follow, she's there, then gone. My body gets thrown against the nearest wall, head connecting against something solid. "Mommy never taught you to fight, did she?" Paris' form blurs as I look up at her, my ears ringing. "What a shame." She pulls her arm back, about to deliver another blow, when she's thrown back*.

*"Get away from her," Blue is suddenly facing off with Paris. I blink, almost missing the speed at which the two dive at each other, murder in their eyes. In terms of strength, Paris is at a disadvantage, but Blue isn't as fast as my mirror image of a cousin. I do notice he avoids hitting her face, though. Huh.*

*"Yuri!" Misha's voice suddenly cries out in fear, directing my eyes over to the teen fighting with a dark figure. Her face is a mask of terror, a heap of a body lays behind her, face bloodied and glasses cracked on his young face. Cole. He's out cold, barely breathing if the uneven rasping sounds he's making can be described as* breathing.

*The man she's facing off with has his sandy-blonde hair tied up in a pony tail at the base of his skull, scars visible all over his skin. Various marks trail up and down his arms in thick ink, they merge into the mark of the Pack's Trackers, scraping up his jaw and merging with his five o'clock shadow. Ice trickles through my veins at the too-wide smile stretching his lips into a terrifying Cheshire-cat grin. His cerulean eyes are empty, too wide, too cold to be human as he delivers blow after blow. Craven.*

*Misha is only just keeping up with him. That's what it looks like, but I know different. Craven is toying with her. Each strike she blocks exposes more and more of her other side. As if to prove my point, Craven suddenly jerks back and moves like smoke before reappearing at Misha's exposed right side. Bright red blooms in three long gashes from her hip to shoulder*.

"*Misha!" I can't seem to scream loud enough as the sweet girl falls to her knees, her eyes wide and glassy. I struggle to get up, trying to get to the two Azures now at the complete mercy of my deranged cousin. "Craven, don't you dare!" I scream as the man grabs both bleeding Azure by their necks, holding them like chickens about to be slaughtered.*

"*Tut-tut, cousin," He looks down at me, the glee of his smile even more terrifying than it was the first time I saw it. "If only you didn't put up such a fight, we could have avoided all this." I think quickly, seeing the two struggling to breathe, even as their other wounds are sluggishly healing. They'll live if I can just give them some time. An idea sparks in my head*.

*"Craven, you psycho-" I hiss, getting to my feet only to be thrown back again. This time, Craven's hand is wrapped around my throat*.

*"Psycho, huh?" He grins at me, his eyes brighter, nearly glowing an eerie electric color. I fight the shudder coursing down my spine. "Is that the best you got?" His grin widens, stretching his mouth so grotesquely it could be comical...if his eye weren't screaming murder*.

*"Craven, I see your Grandmother hasn't put you down yet." Mr. Hale says coolly beside my insane cousin. His eyes are an icy, yet acidic evergreen shade that makes my head throb. Craven pales, actually blanches, before releasing me and turning to face the man*.

"*You disgusting creature," Craven hisses at Mr. Hale, backing up a whole foot. Mr. Hale gives him an icy smile*.

*"You four should leave before my subordinate gets here. Although, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again." He tells him, taking a slow, even step towards him. A muscle in Craven's face twitches and I swear, for a split second, I actually see fear in his cerulean eyes*.

*"We're here for the pup and we're not leaving without her." Craven regains some of the composure he'd lost, his smile reappearing. Mr. Hale frowns, narrowing his eyes at my cousin before putting himself between us*.

*"Can you stand?" Mr. Hale asks me, keeping his eyes on Craven. I nod, not sure I can make a sound. "Gather the others, Ritska will be along shortly to help me take care of this situation. But you need to get the pups back to their territory before they loose too much blood." He warns and allows me a quick glance. His eyes search mine for a brief moment, and again, I'm struck with a sense of familiarity. "Go quickly."

*Craven's form shudders in place*.

*"Mr. Hale!" I try to warn him, but Craven moves like lightning. Mr. Hale's head whips to the side, jerking at an awkward angle. I let out a scream of horror as my English teacher's eyes go wide, then glaze over. He falls to the ground, Craven behind him- *

"-Scarlett?" Mr. Hale gently shakes me as the vision fades. I swallow, clasping my shaking hands. I'm sitting on the ground, just off the path on the porch of one of the cabins. The sounds of the Azure Pack are more distant than before, though I can see some people milling just around the edges of the cabin. "Scarlett?" I blink and look up into Mr. Hale's jade green eyes.

"Sorry, I spaced out a bit." I rasp, my throat feeling rough. He's alive. For now.

"Fifteen minutes." Mr. Hale corrects, shaking his head and glancing over his shoulder. Blue- *Zane* - is standing with Yuri and Caly, his eyes wide and horror stricken until they meet mine. Our eyes lock and I feel a wave of *emptiness* smash all over me. It's like getting smacked with a brick wall. I rip my eyes from his and clutch my head as something pounds on the inside of my skull. "I'll take you to you house." Mr. Hale says abruptly, helping me to my feet.

"Red-" Blue- Zane - growls as we pass, his hand shooting out to grip me by my upper arm. His eyes are dark and stormy, confused and hurt by what we saw.

"Scarlett needs to get some rest, Mr. Azure." Mr. Hale replies icily for me, easily prying Blue's hand off me. "You two can converse another day." He adds, steering me back down the path towards the territory boarder.