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This chapter isn't very long, but I'll make up for it, I promise!

Chapter 12

I was in my office when I heard the basement door slam and light, fast footsteps telling me that Rose was running. I quickly got up and ran after her only to find her in the middle of the fastest Change I had ever seen. She seemed to be human one moment and wolf the next. Snarls were ripping themselves out of her throat and she seemed to be talking to herself as she paced but her words came out as yips and grunts. I heard Clay running after her and the amazed look on his face that she was already a wolf told me that our Rose was becoming more and more special as the days went on. I instructed him to stay inside in case our prisoner decided to break loose. I slowly undressed, not wanting to alarm Rose but she was too busy barking at herself. She stopped her mumbling when she heard me grunt in pain from the Change. She seemed to be fighting with herself if whether she wanted to growl or whimper.

I shook off the lingering pain and trotted over towards her. It had been quite a long time since I was in wolf form with another member of my pack since we tended to Change only once or twice a week. We were our strongest as a wolf but we are in our weakest during the transformation so we hardly ever actually fight as wolf. I couldn't hear what she was thinking but her more primitive wolf mind sensed that I was friend but also an Alpha so she was wary. I nudged her muzzle with my own and encouraged her to run with me. I had forgotten how fast she was as she sprinted ahead of me but she realized that I couldn't keep up and slowed down for me.

We explored for a while before I steered us to a creek that cut through the property. She gazed at her wolf reflection for the very first time and I guess she thought she was pretty because she kept turning her face in different angles to keep looking at herself. I chuffed, the closest I could get to a laugh and stepped into the water, distorting her reflection. I lowered my head to drink at the water and she followed my lead.

While my head was lowered to the water, I could see the healing bite mark on her front left leg. All of a sudden she jerks her head up and her ears flicker. She heads off, her feet uplifting dirt as she ran incredibly fast so much so that I struggled to keep up. We reached the clearing and two things were happening at once; the first was that our prisoner was free and Clay was struggling to keep him in a headlock, the second was that the Alpha Council was here. Shit.

Rose was stalking towards Anzo and Clay suddenly let him out of the headlock. A growl effortlessly left her muzzle and she was off, running and then pouncing on Anzo, her razor sharp teeth tearing into his jugular. He was trying to throw her off, his acid burnt hands trying to find leverage on her wolf form but he could not find any as she clawed and dug her teeth down even more, her snarl making his face vibrate. Anzo slumped to the ground but Rose bit down again and held it for several moments before shaking her head, ripping her mouth from his throat. She kicked his body three times just to make sure he was dead before she gave any attention to the other werewolves on our property.

She calmly trotted to my side, blood still dripping down her muzzle as she licked her teeth clean. Clay, thankfully, came to our aid since we were unable to speak. "Gentleman, please join us inside while they change back."

"I had heard that another female had joined your pack, and I must say that she is truly stunning." The new Russian Alpha, Konstantin said. Rose's upper lip upturned into a scowl but she thankfully did not snarl.

"Gentleman." Elena said, getting their attention again as she motioned them to come inside the house.

Once everyone was inside and I was sufficiently aware of our privacy, I began to change back and Rose followed my lead. She had shred her clothes when she shifted but I gave her my button down shirt to put on while I slipped on my pants and undershirt. We took the backway into the house so she could quickly put on some pants while we figured out why the Alpha Council was here. Rose pulled on a pair of leggings and took my hand as we descended the stairs and entered the family room.

"What brings you gentlemen here today?" I asked.

"We heard that you had a new pack member, a female, and we wished to meet her." Konstantin said.

"Well here she is." Rose muttered, her jaw clenched and her gaze strong as he spoke about her as if she was not in the room.

"Stunning. What a magnificent creature." He told her.

"I think you may have me confused for an artifact from a museum, sir, for I am not on display to be gazed at." I wanted to hiss at her to shut up because she was close to angering another Alpha but I also wanted to congratulate her on having courage to insult Konstantin.

Konstantin gave her a crooked grin before looking my way. "How lucky you are, my friend, to have obtained the not just the first but also the second female werewolf in our entire history. Is there something special about this land that is producing so many women with the capability to survive the bite? I assure you that we have not had so much luck in Russia."

"Maybe you're trying too hard, my friend. Nick found Rose when she was crossing through the property when she was barely five days into this life."

"And the man that she killed earlier?" Tristan, the British Alpha, asked.

"The man that bit me." Rose clarified. "Again, I am right here."

"It is a shame that he is dead, perhaps we could have tested his blood, to see if there was something special about him that produced a viable female werewolf." Ronaldo, the Brazilian Alpha, commented which caused Rose to hiss.

"The man killed countless women before he bit me. He has murdered dozens of innocent women and yet you are upset that he is dead. There is nothing special about him. A little tip about dealing with abusive men- do not praise them in front of their victim, in fact do not praise them at all."

The man gave her a quick, disingenuous grin. "Of course."

"Are you sure you want her, Ronaldo?" Konstantin asked with a chuckle.

Rose's body tensed for a fight as she growled. "Excuse me? Want me? I'm not sure if you are aware but I am not for sale." Her body was vibrating, wanting to change and I could have sworn I saw her canines extend, ready to tear out his throat.

"Is that why you are here, Konstantin?" I demanded. "To try and take a member of my pack?"

"Persuade is the word I would use." He insisted.

Rose jerked forward but Elena had been watching her with a careful eye and lunged towards her to keep her from attacking an Alpha. She was whispering into Rose's ear to calm down and together they eventually went upstairs to keep Marsten company.

"I do not appreciate you showing up to my home unannounced and trying to take a member of my pack, Konstantin." I growled, my Alpha-ness slipping underneath the tone of my voice, mildly threatening him.

"You have two rare gems in your possession, surely you could spare one?" Ronaldo asked.

"Absolutely not!" I growled. "She is mine!"

"She is stunning, beautiful, and courageous, all the makings of an Alpha. Can you imagine the offspring two Alphas could have! Pureblooded werewolves! Can you imagine it?" Ronaldo continued.

"If you do not get off of my property and leave this foolish plan behind you then-"

"Then what, Jeremy?" Konstantin asked, his voice low and threatening. "Surely you were not about to threaten the Alpha Council? After all, you have been the subject of several of our meetings. There is no shame in saying that you are keeping her for yourself to make your pack appear stronger, more rare, or perhaps you are keeping her to make little pups of your own. Either way, there is no shame in telling us." Konstantin gave me a large grin, his dark eyes glistening with mirth and trickery.

"She is a part of my pack, mine to protect and provide for. I will not hand her over to you, her or any other member of my pack for that matter. You may not be so loyal to your pack but I am to mine."

"Be careful there, old friend, there is no need to insult my leadership skills." Konstantin told me.

"Really? Because you are insulting mine by even entertaining the thought that I would abandon a member of my pack and hand her over to another."

"Do not be difficult, Jeremy. Nothing has to be done today." He assured me.

"Nothing is going to be done, period." I hissed. "She is mine. If you push me any further on this matter then I am going to have to take action, Konstantin, and you don't want to do that with 'two rare gems' in my possession." I briefly noticed Rose in the yard behind the Alpha Council. She made eye contact with me for the briefest of moments and I knew she wanted to instill a morsel of awe and terror in their hearts. "But don't ask me, ask her yourself if she would like to go with you." I motioned with my arm that she was behind them and they turned around.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told that asshole that bit me just an hour before I tore his throat out—You are not going to take this family from me, you can fuck yourself for thinking so." And with that she gave it a running start and mid-lunge, her body was traded for that of a wolf, all teeth and snarls. The Alpha Council took a collective step back in surprise as she advanced on them, her body coiled to pounce at any moment.

"Try and take her now." Clay quipped.

The Alphas and Rose slowly traded places and Rose stood before me as she growled at the other Alphas to leave. And leave they did. They slowly backed away, not making any sudden movements as they walked to their vehicles.

Thank you again for reading!

Until next time!