Zoey stood standing with the key in hand, waving it my face on the small thread where it hung around someone's neck. "How the hell did you get that?" I asked, walking out the packhouse.

"Oh, did a little flirting with one of the warriors downstairs. I might have promised him a kiss."

"You harlot," I shoved her while she giggled. "You better watch it; if Lonato is your mate and he finds out you have been smooching up with the warriors, he might kill them." Zoey's face fell, touching her lips.

"You don't think he would, do you?"

"Heck, if I know, they are Wolves. I know my mates would cut out their tongue and make an omega clean the floor with it." The warrior that stood at the door waved at her; she was too nervous about waving back, just gave a shy smile and handed me the key.

"Careful out there, I've asked Soren to go with you," Zoey waved over to Soren, who was already shifted.

"You really want Lonato to kill everyone, don't you?" I shook my head. "Soren is already asking for a whooping pretending to be your beau. Now you have him breaking the rules to help me find Dimitri?" Zoey shrugged.

"His idea, he said he couldn't let you go out alone. You don't have the senses like they do." I rolled my eyes, yet again for the millionth time.

"Alright, see you at dawn, Z." Zoey walked back to her home in the middle of the square while I glanced over at Soren. "I'd ride you, but I think my mates would kill me." Soren's wolf shook his head, hissing; I'm guessing it was a laugh.

"Pervert, I mean like ride you through the forest!" Soren continued to hiss as I began my sprint through the woods. I wasn't near as fast as a Wolf, but I could hold my own. Soren stayed by my side the entire run showing me the boundary lines.

Stopping at a stream, he lapped up the water. My lungs were burning after running for over two hours. I had never had this much stamina before this, but I would keep going to find Dimitri. There was no way I would rest at home while one of my mates was out there.

The territory border was on the other side of the stream; my feet hit the cool water as I began to walk through it. Soren whined behind me, trying to come across until his head ducked lower. "Are you under some command or something?" His Wolf nodded, I continued to look ahead.

"Can I command you to cross?" He shook his head. Hmm, guess since I wasn't the official Luna yet, I didn't have any say. "You stay here; I'm just going to look around; I won't go far." Just then, a warm breeze flew past me. Soren growled, pawing into the stream.

"I'll be fine," I whispered, finally stepping foot onto the embankment. My bare feet didn't feel sore; the Earth beneath me was warm, a fire that spread through my body. The leaves that crunched under my feet not making as much sound. The only sound that could be heard was the wind rocking the leaves to sleep.

My heart picked up, feeling a breeze far too warm for comfort. The hair next to my ear moved slightly too fast for it to be a typical breeze. Crouching quickly, I flipped forward, going into a roll; a hand grabbed my wrist, causing me to fall backward. It was faster than Liz when she tried to jump me using her Wolf.

Using my basic defense skills, I rolled my wrist; still unable to see my perpetrator since he was behind me, I pulled my wrist free. Using my body's weight, I lurched forward, using my legs to go around me, kicking whoever stood still to groan in pain. Ha, a male.

Toppling to the ground, holding his balls, I pulled out a small knife from my legging's pocket, putting my knee to his neck. The blade grazed his high cheekbone. My breath clouded the air around us while I huffed in annoyance. "Seraphina," a velvet voice pierced my ears.

The steam of my breath cleared, a ruddy red beard, along with green eyes, struck me. Freckles on his entire body, his chest riddled with scars, my grip loosened, unable to understand what lay before me. He felt oddly familiar, though my eyes had never laid on him before. My chest heaved heavily, feeling the warmth from this man.

The hat he wore was leather, filled with black furs to keep the cold at bay. My instincts had me rip it from his head to find pointed ears. "Gods," I whispered.

"It's alright, Seraphina," his hands went up near his head, showing he had no weapon; my knee continued to push him to the ground while I tried to understand. Was he a Fairy? An Elf? The man chuckled, reaching up with one of his fingers to touch my cheek.

My body didn't flinch; it felt the warmth of his hand. "Your body knows your kin; Elves can feel it when paired with the soil." The soil around us let off a light glow, not enough to gather any enemy's attention. My feet dug into the ground seeking more of its warmth.

I could feel this man's emotions. His happiness, worry, regret while his finger traced my cheeks. "You have your mother's spirit. Selfless and a fighter." Gasping, I lifted my knee from his chest, stumbling backward.

"Are you the Elven warrior from her story?" He sat up, covered in dirt. His knees came up while his forearms rested pleasantly.

"I do not know what stories she told you, but there is one truth I want to give: I am your father, and I am here to protect both you and my mate, your mother."

Chapter Forty

Seraphina

"M-mymother?"Myvoicecracked; the whimpers from the other side of the stream became cracks, growls, and finally heavy breaths.

"Seraphina, you are in some deep shit," Soren spoke behind me. My ‘father’ stood up from the ground, towering over me, staring at Soren, who was entirely in the nude. Were all Werewolves hung? Good gracious. I turned, blushing; seeing his indecency, my father immediately pulled me to his chest to keep me from looking.

His touch didn't feel strange at all; I felt connected to him. The light was still glowing beneath our feet. The only difference was that I was barefoot, and he was not. Could he feel the soil warming beneath him as well? When I wore shoes, I didn't feel the heat of the ground or have the glow that my father did while wearing his moccasin-like boots.

"Who are you?" My father's voice hung in the air like the fog settling in the wood.