Through the clouds of sleep, there was a voice calling my name. I don't know who it was, or why they wanted me, but I wasn't happy that I was being disturbed.

"Ailia..."

I groaned when the voice grew closer and curled further into my bed.

"Ailia..."

My hand flew out to swat away the enemy, successfully landing on target. I smirked, snickering to myself as they let out a shout of surprise.

"Tulip..."

Oh, wait, that was Asra.

Well... He knew better than to disturb my precious sleep.

"Tulip, we are here. Wake up."

"No." I groaned, pulling my blanket over my head.

Something snagged on it, and I tried to heave it to no avail. An unknown force snatched it out of my grip and I shouted a complaint.

"We are at Evermore. Wake the fuck up."

My eyes peeked open just a slither to find out where the heck my blanket went. The first thing I saw was a dark forest and, as I looked around, the dull glow of a radio glaring back in my face. Next thing was the hulking figure of a male in the driver's seat holding my blanket. I reached for it, a soft groan escaping me as I tried to get it. To my dismay, he snatched away it, but then it came hurtling toward me, anyway.

Smacking me in the face, my eyes squeezed shut as Asra chuckled. "Wake up."

"No!" I grunted, trying to grab it.

He launched it at me again, and I now realised it was a jumper. Asra's jumper, not a blanket. He took the jumper again, and it hung in the air, threatening me when I didn't move.

"Fine, fine! I am awake!" I hissed, sitting upright.

Just when I thought he would honour the truce, the jumper came flying back into my face again. I grimaced as it fell into my lap, glaring daggers at Asra from across the car. He smirked at me, the darkness of the car making him look devilish.

"Good evening, Tulip." He grinned, shirtless.

Through narrowed eyes, I stared at him. I could see his amusement as I clenched my jaw in annoyance, so I launched the jumper at him to get payback. His stupid fast reflexes caught it before it could make contact and I shouted, my hands flying with protest.

"Could you not give me the satisfaction of letting it hit you in the face?"

"Nope." He smirked, pulling it over his head.

"Not once?" I huffed. "For waking me up?"

"Nope." He laughed, now fully dressed. "We arrived, so you had to wake up."

"But I was so comfy and warm." I pouted, looking beyond the window. "It looks cold out there."

"It's time to get out." He shrugged, opening his door.

I shivered as a cool breeze washed over me, eager to get warm again. Reaching around for my discarded coat, I pulled it on, glad I left it on the backseat and not in the boot. Before I could even zip it, my door was swiftly pulled open, and I jumped with alarm.

"Hey!" I yelled. "I wasn't ready."

Asra smirked, reaching in to grab me around the waist. My hands fell to his arms, gripping on for life as he hauled me out of the car. He set me on my feet, going as far to pat me on the head.

"I am not a child."

"You sure act like one." He teased.

Meeting his eye, I glared at him. His grin broadened before he took hold of my chin and bent down to capture my lips with his. I tried to be annoyed at him, I truly did, but his lips were so soft and warm and his breath was so fresh and minty.

Did he sneak chewing gum into the car?

"Yes, I did," He answered as he pulled away.

"Were you just in my head again?" I frowned.

He poked my cheek. "You didn't notice?"

"I was rather busy kissing you." I rolled my eyes.

Asra softly chuckled before tucking me into his side. I vaguely heard more car doors shutting ahead of us as Asra turned us around. The three others came into view, all equally wearing little clothing. Everett wore a t-shirt, Riley a jumper, but Caleb was bare chested! I truly envied them and their magical abilities. Perhaps being a werewolf wouldn't be so bad.

Asra's grip tightened on my waist as they came to a stop before us.

"How damn slow did you drive?" Caleb started, crossing his arms. "We've been waiting for twenty minutes."

"Ailia was asleep."

"And? Does that affect your driving ability?" He snorted.

"Yes. It does." Asra quipped, and I blushed when Caleb smirked at me. "Enough of that. Have you scouted the area yet?"

"Yes, we have, Alpha." Everett interrupted. "There is a wall surrounding the entire town, but it is only ten feet high."

Only?

Did he just say only ten feet? I could never scale that wall, despite how eager I was to see what was on the other side.

"We can jump it." Caleb shrugged. "Easily."

"Jump?" My eyes widened. "I don't know what gazelle you think I am, but I can barely jump one foot!"

Caleb's face lit up into a grin. "That's nothing we cannot sort out."

"What, you gonna throw me?" I sassed.

Asra chuckled. "Perhaps."

Scoffing, I pinched his side. "What's the plan?"

"Everett and Riley will transform; Caleb and I will stay human. We will walk to the wall. They will scout the area and find the house we need."

"My mother's house?" I wondered.

"Yes. To put it simply, we will track the house, climb the border around it and sneak into the house. Caleb and Riley will stay behind and monitor the surrounding areas." Asra explained.

"Okay. How far is the wall?" I wondered, looking around the dark forest.

I knew once they turned the car off, I would not see a thing. The moon was bright though, a full moon approaching in a few days' time, but it did little for my weak eyesight. Swallowing, I glanced up at Asra as I waited for his answer.

"You will have to trust us," He implied. "There is no light until we reach the border."

"Yeah, there are fire lights along the wall." I nodded. "I remember having to light them sometimes."

Now I think about it. Why? Why were there lights on the wall by people's homes?

If Asra noticed me deep in thought, he didn't comment.

"Exactly. Until then, it is nothing but the moon." He agreed.

"H-how am I supposed to see without falling?" I stammered. "It's dark and dense in there..."

"There was another option..." Caleb shrugged.

"Option?"

"You ride Asra's wolf."

"Sorry, what?" I blinked. "Ride his wolf? Like a horse?"

"I'm glad you think so highly of me, Tulip," Asra snickered.

I elbowed him, and he barked a laugh. "How would that work?"

"I shift, you climb on, and hold on." Asra shrugged. "We can make the wall in five minutes on four paws."

"And by two feet?"

"It's about fifteen to twenty." Caleb answered.

"Oh..." I muttered, dropping my gaze.

Staring at my shoes, I contemplated my next move. I still wasn't a fan of wolves. Although I have experienced Asra's wolf in person, the thought of climbing atop of him was definitely not it.

"Have you ridden a horse before?" Caleb wondered.

"No..." I shook my head.

"Well, good. It's nothing like that, anyway." He smirked.

Huffing, I crossed my arms. I knew that riding his wolf would be faster, and save me a lot of fear and tripping hazards in the dark. I just hoped I wouldn't fall off.

"Okay, fine. I will... give it a go."

"Great!" Asra grinned, squeezing me.

"Let's get this over with." I muttered.

They all took a step away, creating a distance between themselves. Swallowing nervously, I pressed myself into the truck. Asra was the closest to me, but didn't shift yet. His hand rested on my hips as two of the men before me removed their clothes to shift. I had to look away, uncomfortable with the snapping and cracking of their bones as they turned into their other form.

When it fell quiet, I peeked up to see if they were done. Thankfully, they were. Where Caleb stood was now a dark-coloured wolf with dark brown eyes. Riley, the male I had seen before, was quiet as he lowered himself onto his belly and whined softly, his fur the same light sand as his human hair.

They were rather familiar to their human sides, their eyes just darker in the moonlight.

"I will turn off the truck once you shift, Alpha." Everett muttered.

Asra was next, removing his clothes until he was nude, before bundling them into a ball. Then finally, his bones snapped and my eyes became transfixed on the ground once more. Silence echoed until I felt a large, wet nose press into my cheek. I found Asra beside me, his head lowered as he tried to appear none-threatening. I patted him with a sigh, feeling the familiar softness of his ears.

He grumbled, turning around and lowering himself to the floor. I eyed him with unease, debating on my choice in transportation. When he shot me a look of impatience, I shook off my fear and stepped closer. Slowly, I raised my leg and placed it on his waist. I slid across the smooth fur until my feet no longer touched the floor.

His warmth seeped into my thighs, and I shakily brought my hands to rest on his shoulders. I felt him grumble; the vibrations rocking my core. As he rose to his full height, I shrieked and dug my ankles into his sides. My grip increased, fingers locking into the shaggy fur around his neck as he jostled me.

I soon became distracted when the door opened on the other side of the truck.

"Alpha says hold on tight." Everett grunted.

"No shit." I whispered.

Asra barked a laugh, the movement shaking me on his back.

Everett didn't laugh, his smooth composure barely affected. "I'm turning the truck off now."

"Okay." I breathed, nerves clutching at my stomach.

Riley and Caleb were sitting on their hind, their heads up and ears straight as they watched me. Neither of them looked away, and once the lights turned off and it plunged me into darkness, all I saw was the glint of moonlight in their dark eyes.

I shivered at the creepy feeling, my eyes struggling to make out any further shapes. Riley's wolf was the most prominent, the others shrouded in the shadows. Hopefully, my eyes adjust more as we continue through the trees.

Pressing myself into Asra's fur, I grabbed onto him tighter when he let out a sharp bark. How could they fucking see?

Looking up, I found the moon amongst the trees. I knew we were in a clearing; in the middle of a dirt road. I could no longer see the trucks, just a faint red light blinking on the dashboard that I assumed was an alarm. I heard keys clank as Everett placed them somewhere before another snapping of bones filled the air.

The four wolves communicated through growls whilst I just sat contemplating my life choices. When Asra turned to me to nibble my calf, I knew I had to hold on. He walked, my body swaying with his movements. The others copied his pace, falling into the background as we jogged. My thighs clenched around Asra, my body tensing as we got faster. My breath quickened, and I squeezed my eyes shut, lowering my chest and face into his fur.

I could hear the faint crunching of leaves beyond the whooshing in my ears. Asra's body was surprisingly smooth as he ran and at that realisation, I peeked my eyes open.

Darkness surrounded me as I raised my head. I could see the outline of my hands in his fur, lit up by the bright moonlight. Squinting, I sat up straighter, looking around the best I could.

It was magnificent. The chilly breeze was sharp against my cheeks, but the adrenaline fuelled by riding a damn werewolf was strong enough to combat it.

Asra was breathing loudly, but he never missed a breath or a step at his pace. I found it thrilling. The speed we were going was surely nothing compared to a full run, but I have never been so... free. It felt like I was flying, like I could rule the night.

A soft laugh escaped me as my hair whipped around my face, my coat hood billowing behind me. I enjoyed the carefree feeling for a few minutes, happily surprised at the outcome. I think I may have to ride Asra more often.

He suddenly barked softly, muffled by the clothes in his jowls, and I tightened my grip on his fur as the pace slowed. The pack slowed to a gentle jog, their paws heavier in the dirt, until they finally came to a stop. I looked around, squinting to see where we were.

To my right, a faint, large blockage of brick greeted me. I swallowed, recognising the dull orange and grey brickwork of my childhood village. On the other side of this wall, was everything I had learnt to endure. My pain, my past, my family... Both happy and sad, my life had existed beyond this wall for the past eighteen years. It had all been a facade, a life I never wanted.

Asra's fur bristled, his muscles tensing and rocking beneath me as he growled. He lowered himself to the ground, and I took it as my hint to climb from his fur. I missed his warmth the moment I was standing, huddling my arms around myself as the chilly breeze swept over me.

His wolf transformed, fur morphing to skin and paws turning to hands. I grimaced, quickly avoiding looking at him once more. Someone else shifted, and once they were standing, the forest fell quiet.

"You okay?" Asra breathed.

I looked at him again, nodding a smile. "Yeah."

He grinned, pulling his clothes back on. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

I wondered if his clothes were wet. Carrying them in their mouth surely had disadvantages. No shoes, for one.

"I did not enjoy it." I scoffed at his cockiness.

"Okay, Tulip." He smirked, teasing me. "We ready?"

Caleb nodded, stepping forward so he was beside us. They both looked at me, but I locked my gaze on the wall. My nerves were eating away at my stomach, filling my lungs with oxygen and not letting go.

This was it.

My sister's fate was about to be in our hands.