breaks Mo

ring the st

te Y

e studied her face, she looked sad, pale and tired. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair knowing that it was probably his fault she looked like that. Setting the photographs aside, he started to read the file. It was incredibly detailed, Annie Lovell was the second eldest child of Bertrand and Isabelle, both deceased, born in Yorkshire on July 17th 1978, attended the local school along with her siblings Jacques and Amelie. Left at 18 with top grades, at 20 went to Lancaster University to study history, graduated with first class honours aged 23. Trained as a teacher as the University of Cumbria and then returned to Lancaster to complete her Masters' degree in history two years later, followed by a Phd. Lectures in History at Lancaster University, lives alone, unmarried, bought a house in 2005, has ten years left on the mortgage, no records with D.V.L.A so no car. At the end of the report, ther

ld drive down to Lancashire and finally talk to this woman. Hugh sent a text to Lennox and Lyall telling them

t her

n L

dad, stay

it to me

e was going to do, sighing he went down for breakfast, the quicker he got hi

ect her, accept her? What if she rejected him, what would he do then? He knew it was possible to survive losing a mate but was rejection different from losing a mate? He sat there a while longer mulling his options over and came to the conclusion that it would be easier if wolves could just meet each with alcohol and bad judgment like the humans did. Actually, he thought, that it might not be a bad idea to invite her out for a drink or dinner rather than intruding in to her house. He looked across at Annie's street and counted along the houses to work out which was hers. It was past seven in the evening and was already dark. In all the other houses lights were on with signs of the occupants getting on

otel rooms, he found a Travel Lodge but he hated those places. The beds were always too small and usually had a shower he could barely stand up in. He scrolled on and found a place just off the town centre, originally a gentleman's club, now a bar which served food and had rooms. The photos of the rooms looked fine so he checked for availability and booked a double room. This done he leant back in his car seat and prepared him

er, we must love her,

pulled the car out of the

rstang Town

abine's superior eyesight, sense of smell and strength was going to make this hike more difficult for Annie. Guided by the light on her phone, she followed the route finder up increasing steep and winding paths. Had she had Sabine, Annie could have done this journey in half the time but now with her normal human abi

hadn't been so sleep deprived courtesy of the handsome stranger, but even being so tired and with many rest stops, by nine o'clock

ircle. Annie mused that it was probably a good thing the ancient wolves had cremated their dead as imagine the shock of the humans who discovered this place in 1898 if they had excavated a full werewolf skeleton. The funny thing about history was the way historic events were interpreted and shaped by modern human thinking. Many years ago while researching her personal family history, Annie realised that werewolves had not always been hidden from the human world. She had read many old documents where it was clear that the author was describing her kind and they lived side by side with humans. She knew that the land the Lunar Meadows Pack lived on was gifted to them by William the Conqueror for their military service during the Battle of Hastings. He probably knew that some of his soldiers were wolves as he gave t

er knees, said a silent prayer to the Goddess asking for her divine assistance with Sabine and then closed her eyes to search for inner beast, just like she did as a young teenager to encourage her first shift. She slowed her breathing and cleared her mind before beginning her internal search allowing nothing to distract her, the vibrations around her grew a

PLEASE W

e had no idea how long she had been out, she tried to remember a strange dream she had but it was dissolving, splitt

e,"she sobbed,

you do, wh

ke the one at home, the Goddess he

ng, how long

"smiled Annie, overjoyed t

rd a voice saying something...something like...I'm not sure

ything after the man

t know who he is or where he is from so I doubt we will see him again so don't wor

ay morning. Annie dug her fleece and jacket out of her rucksack and put them back on before they got on the bus, there weren't many humans around but the weather was dull and the grey clouds, heavy with rain hung low in the sky. Traffic was quiet so it didn't take long to get back home and Annie was already planning her day. She should have been exhausted but she felt awake, elated and alive. They arrived home at 08:30 and as Annie approached her front door she thought she caught a scent, as soon as she thought she could sm

it but Knox was getting harder to control where Annie was concerned. Hugh gathered some work he could do in the car in case he had to wait once more, grabbed his phone and keys and headed out to his car. By 07:50 Hugh was back

ack accountant. It was an exalted position and one Hugh had relished. It made him part of the highest echelon in Reiver society, he had lived a charmed and comfortable life and as well as using his skills to make the pack rich, he had used them to further feather his own nest. Finance was something that came easily to him, ju

phs, her face had some colour and she definitely looked happier, less tired. He watched as she rummaged in her rucksack, unable to find whatever she was looking for, she dropped the bag to the floor, stooping down to search further. He watched in fascination at the fluidity of her movements, she was elegant, even in her hiking gear. Suddenly

r, claim he

nute, I need to know exact

atience. "Hurry." wa

er door. For Goddess's sake, he was a fucking Reiver, scared of nothing he told himself, get

hand on the handle a scent hit her nose almost stopping her breathing and causing her heart to hammer in her chest. Cedar and sandalwood, the man...the handsome stranger was on the other side of her door. Her heart fell, she had only just got Sabine back and now he was here to reject her, Sabine couldn't, shouldn't have to take any more hurt. Annie was rooted to the spot, crippled with anxiety and indeci

what do we do, I can't lose you again

now Annie, we'll get through this, open the

the door or shall I have my wolf break

rt open at the neck, perfect hair swept back off his perfect face. Annie's breath hitched in her throat, she scanned his features and frowned slightly, he looked nervous, just for a second but then it wa

er face passive, she would

accent sent butterflies to Annie's stomach. Sabine, her interest piqued at his new turn of

't what she expected him to say, "Just

o put his finger on what it was about her that he found so attractive. She looked so natural, he noticed with interest that her blue eyes had turned black meaning her wolf was present, pale skin, no make-up, bare feet. She was just fucking

hat again."said H

pain. Sabine whimpered in her head and Annie was starting to get angry. What gave this man, however handsome, however alluring his scent might be, the right to run away from her leaving her in agony and almost killing her wolf, then have the fucking nerve to somehow f

throw you over his shoulder, take you back home and claim you as his own and it's getting harder to control him, so I honestly think lunch is the better option for you." Hugh gave her what he hoped was a winni

the way he was looking at her now were such polar opposites, it made no sense. Something had changed but she had no idea what it was plus di

solve crumbling, not helped

day, say seven, I'm staying at The

d feel Sabine's excitement,

then."he smiled, e

t into the sitting room in a daze. Chewing on her sandwich robotically, she pondered over what had just happened. Had she really just agreed to go on a date with her mate, had that really just

bly come back and smash the door down, throw you in his fa

ighed Annie, r