Reiver

Hugh's panic was off the scale. What had started out as a perfectly normal day had in the blink of an eye descended into a nightmare. His mate was missing. How could she be missing? They lived on the most secure pack territory in the United Kingdom. Aisling had never even been off the pack lands in all her twenty four years so the fact she was missing was inconceivable, he tried constantly to reach her through the mind link but to no avail. When the pack nursery called to say that Aisling hadn't picked the pups up, he hadn't panicked initially, maybe she just got held up somewhere.

When he couldn't reach her he had gone to pick the children up himself. Lyall, his daughter was only three years old, she was happily playing on the floor but his son Lennox was five and much older than his years, his little brow was furrowed with concern as Hugh walked through the door.

Hugh took the children home and left them in the care of their nanny while he searched the house for her. He called her friends and her family but no one had seen her and by six in the evening search parties had been formed by the rest of the pack to find her. Hugh's panic was now stratospheric, he shifted into his wolf form and searched for her for hours blinded by the all consuming and desperate need to be with his mate. Wolf matings created a strong unbreakable life- long bond and wolves that lost their mate often never recovered from the loss and would grieve for the rest of their lives. Running the valleys and glens he was constantly sniffing the air trying to catch her scent until he was almost out of his mind with worry and exhaustion.

Aisling was found in the early hours of the morning by one of the tracker teams, her dismembered limbs scattered around the trail she liked to run. As an exhausted Hugh ran toward their location he heard the mournful howls of the trackers and searchers, howls that spread throughout the pack at the collective grief at losing one of their own. As he approached the scene his stomach lurched at the unmistakable stench of rogues mixed in with blood and Aisling's scent. There was another scent which filled him with horror, sex, he could smell sex. Fuck, they had raped her, his beautiful mate.

Hugh's anger grew until it burned white hot, nothing could stop him now. He ran with the trackers as they traced the rogues to a glen on the edge of the territory where he stalked towards them growling, his anger and grief taking over. The trackers stood back, afraid to interfere as Hugh tore each rogue limb from limb until the grass was slick with blood and entrails. He ripped, bit and tore, not even giving them a chance to defend themselves. A few tried to run but Hugh chased them down and showed no mercy, he ripped their throats as they tried pathetic attempts to beg for their lives, he disembowelled and decapitated them with his strong jaws and claws until there was nothing left to do but lift his head towards the moon and let out a long pain filled howl, his heart broken.

For the next week or so Hugh spoke to or saw no one, not even his children. Sat in his office, covered in the blood and stench of the rogues he drank himself into a stupor until he puked and then started the process again. He saw the darkest depths of his soul, paralysed by his grief, no longer wanting to exist in a world where his mate was dead. But still, how no matter how far he fell into the black hole of depression, no tears would come. In his desolation he considered the ways in which he could end his misery, shifters possess rapid healing so slashing his wrists wouldn't work, he would heal before he had the chance to bleed to death. He thought about taking an overdose, but with his wolf's fast metabolism his body would burn out any narcotics before they did any damage to his organs. The only thing that could really hurt a werewolf was wolfsbane and while he was considering where he could get some, there was a knock at his office door. He totally ignored it, he didn't want to see anyone. The knocking sounded again, louder this time and Hugh responded by throwing his whiskey glass at the door, shattering the crystal into a thousand shards.

Without him giving permission the door opened and his valet, Charles, entered the room.

"GET THE FUCK OUT"screamed Hugh through his drunken haze.

Charles stood in front of Hugh's desk unblinking, not at all fazed by the outburst.

"Your children need you."he stated calmly, and with that he turned and left the room leaving the door open.

Hugh sat in stunned silence. Since losing his mate had he even thought about his children once, he was so wrapped up in his own grief he hadn't given them or anyone else a second thought. The nanny walked through the open door with Lyall on her hip and leading Lennox by the hand as she gave Hugh a frightened glance. Both she and Charles were taking a chance here, never had either of them stepped out of line, done anything without permission or challenged their master, they were omegas and they knew their place.

"I need you to persuade Lennox to eat,"explained Charles calmly as he carried a plate of sandwiches into the room, "He's not eaten in a week." he said as placed the plate on Hugh's desk. Hugh looked at his son, he'd obviously been crying and he looked tired and pale, his eyes mirroring his own pain. Tears pricked Hugh's eyes as his son let go of his nanny's hand and silently walked around the desk, climbed onto his father's lap and buried his face in his chest. Hugh instinctively wrapped his arms around his small son, his eyes closed as the dam finally broke and tears streaked down his face. Lennox didn't move as Hugh hugged him tighter his grief crashing over him as Charles and the nanny left quietly leaving father and son to start the grieving process together. Hugh had no idea how long they sat there consoling each other but eventually he pulled back, looking down at his son.

"You hungry?" he asked gently, his voice croaky from crying. Lennox just shook his head.

"I'll make a deal with you, I'll eat a sandwich if you will."

Lennox nodded so Hugh reached forward, grabbing a small triangle shaped sandwich off the plate and putting it into his son's little hands. Lennox looked at Hugh, waiting for him to get one for himself. Hugh reached over and grabbed one taking a bite. Without taking his eyes off his father, Lennox lifted his sandwich to his mouth and took a small bite, each time Hugh took a bite, Lennox followed and they continued this way in silence until the plate was finished.

The door opened and Hugh looked up to see Charles entering with a cup of coffee in one hand and a glass of juice in the other. He saw pure relief flood Charles' face as he eyed the empty plate, placing the drinks on the desk, he collected the plate and Hugh saw tears brimming in his valet's eyes as he left the room.

Lennox watched as Hugh picked up the coffee and took a sip, then after a moment, Lennox picked up his juice and started to drink. Once the drinks were finished, Lennox touched his finger to Hugh's face, wiping some of the grime off.

"I guess I need a need a shower huh?"

Lennox nodded.

"Let's go and get cleaned up." he said standing and carrying his son out of the room.

Chapter 1

"For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the

Wolf is the Pack."

Rudyard Kipling

22 years later

Annie ran through the train station, swerving around the Friday rush hour commuters and school children as fast as she could. Trust her to be late, although to be fair, it had been a hell of a week at work with Fresher's week and all and she hadn't counted on her taxi finding itself in gridlocked traffic navigating the small Northern town where she had lived for the past twenty years or so. Jumping out of the taxi, Annie saw the train already idling in the station. Dashing along the platform, trying to find her carriage, her inner wolf's voice encouraged her to move faster.

"Hurry Annie.....wait it's this one, you've run past....go back."her wolf urged in her head.

Annie skidded to a stop and turned about. Scuttling back to the carriage she'd just passed, she jumped on board and dumped her bags on the luggage rack. Checking the seat number on her ticket, she proceeded down the carriage until she found her seat. Luckily no one was sat in the other seats yet so she shuffled sideways into hers by the window, plonked herself down and gave a long sigh of relief. Soon the train filled up and Annie found herself surrounded by travellers heading to the airport with multiple suitcases and revellers travelling for a night out in Manchester.

"I'm looking forward to this trip"her wolf commented. She could sense her wolf's excitement but the feeling wasn't rubbing off on Annie. While she still felt part of the oldest wolf pack in Northern England, the Lunar Meadows Pack which dated back to Norman times, she had lived outside it for so long she no longer felt the pull to return. She had left when she was 20 years old when she could no longer stand the pitying stares, the stares that said'poor Annie Lovell, her parents must be devastated'. Not that any of it had been her doing, but it continued to make her feel like a failure. Still, she loved her family and tried to visit a couple of times a year so it wasn't like she had gone rogue or anything, it was just... uncomfortable for her to be there. Annie had left, worked her way through university, teacher training college, and at forty- two, was now a senior lecturer in Ancient History. Even if she said so herself, she had made a pretty good life for herself in the human world, she had bought a house, had many friends and enjoyed an active social life. Humans were much more private about their personal lives, nobody in the human world batted an eyelid at an unmarked or unmarried childless forty-two-year-old and that was just how Annie liked it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the blowing of a whistle, doors being slammed shut and the lurch of the train as it pulled out of the station.

Once the train had left the urban sprawl and was wending its way through the green countryside, Annie continued her musings. At least they were only staying in her home town for one night she thought to herself, as Saturday morning she, her sister Amelie and brother Jacques, along with some of their pack would be driving up to the Scottish Highlands for her niece's wedding. This wedding was a big deal, Amelie's daughter Aimeé was marrying into the mighty Reiver Pack, the largest pack in Scotland. Packs from all over the country would be there but no one outside her own pack would know her, she would be just like any other wolf and hopefully, there wouldn't be any awkward questions like... 'Why are you forty- two, childless and not yet marked?'

'It's going to be fine Annie." soothed her wolf, sensing Annie's apprehension.

'You get to wear a nice dress, eat great food and drink expensive wine... she joked, everyone knew how rich the Reivers were.

'Thanks Sabine' she answered sardonically, suppressing a smile. That was the thing about being a Were in the human world, you had to be careful not to give yourself away. No reacting to conversations you were having with your wolf in your head or losing your temper and shifting into your wolf form the middle of the supermarket for example. There was no room for mistakes, it was a fine balance of skills which Annie had honed to a tee.

'Promise me we can go for a run in the hills before we come home?'begged Sabine, 'It's been a while'.

'Sure we can, and you're right, it's been far too long since we really stretched our legs.' smiled Annie

Forty minutes later, Annie was lumbering off the train with her luggage at Manchester, navigating across the vast station to make her connection with the little local train which would carry her across the Yorkshire moors, back to the home she barely knew anymore. When she alighted at the station, Jacques was there to meet her with a big smile and an even bigger bear hug.

"Good to see you little sis"he grinned

"You too big brother"grinned Annie pulling him in to another hug. Jacques was forty- four, over six feet tall with the same chocolate brown hair as herself. Like Annie, he didn't look his age, looking about thirty with no sign of greying or thinning of his hair. His physique didn't give his true age away either, he was as toned, strong and as fit as he had ever been.

Jacques loaded Annie's bags into his car and they began the 30-minute drive to the house. Whilst winding round the country lanes Jacques filled Annie in on all the wedding news. Aimeè, he told her, was already in Scotland, having been there since meeting her mate at the Moon Festival Ball a few months ago. Jacques' teenage daughters were also in Scotland as they were to be bridesmaids, so they had a free evening at Amelie and Patric's to have a drink and catch up. Once they had arrived and had hugs all round, it turned out to be a wonderful evening full of laughter and love. Annie's siblings had never judged her for the decisions she had made or the life she chose to lead, they simply loved her, as she loved them.

"So glad you could come."Amelie whispered in Annie's ear as they hugged before turning in.

"Of course I came, I wouldn't have missed this for the world."whispered Annie returning Amelie's hug.

Annie and her sister were very alike in looks but that's where the similarity ended. Annie was tougher than her sister, Amelie was a sensitive soul who had suffered the most when their parents died. Even once she had found her mate, Amelie had continued to live in the family home, persuading Patric to move in rather than moving to his town as was the norm. Their parents were aged and needed looking after especially their father and Amelie had felt she couldn't leave them. Annie's mother had been in her late thirties when she met her father, and her father had been almost fifty. They had spent all of their adult lives looking for each other, both of them thinking they would never meet their mate. Consequently, they had pups later in life, three in quick succession.

"See you all tomorrow." Annie called to everyone and a chorus of 'goodnights' followed her up the stairs leaving her with a warm feeling of belonging, something she hadn't felt in a while.

Annie awoke in her childhood bedroom to the scream of her phone alarm. Hitting the off button, she took in her old room. Amelie had re- decorated it since their father died some twelve years past. Until then, her parents had kept it just as it was, perhaps in the hope of Annie's return. However, whilst sad to see her go, Annie knew her parents understood why she had chosen to leave.

She sat up, her head throbbing from the copious amounts of wine her brother, sister and their respective mates had drunk the night before. They probably should have had an earlier night, but it had been an age since they were last all together and it had felt good to talk and to be part of the family again. As for the rest of the pack, well, she would have to wait and see. Not every pack member was going to the wedding, Annie's family were obviously going as the family of the bride, the Alpha of Lunar Meadows, Henri and his Luna Betina, their children, also the pack's Beta and Delta and their respective mates and children would also be in attendance. Annie glanced at the dress she had hung on the wardrobe the night before and smiled, she loved this dress with its matching shoes and bag. Midnight blue satin halter neck, which came to just below her knee, stilettos and clutch bag, which totally complimented her pale complexion. The toner she had put on her long brown hair earlier in the week had given her highlights which would look lovely when her hair was piled on top of her head in a classic style. As Annie climbed in the shower she realised for the first time that she was really looking forward to this wedding.

'About time.' said a sleepy Sabine in her head.

By 7 am, they were on the road in Patric's people people carrier. The Alpha and his family led the way with the Beta, Delta and their families following in their vehicles with Annie's family bringing up the rear. While watching the countryside flash by, Annie began mulling over what she knew about the Reiver Pack. She had never been to their territory herself as she hadn't gone to the Moon Festival Ball this year. The Moon Festival was a major event in the werewolf calendar, a chance to give thanks to the Moon Goddess for their continued survival and prosperity. Each year a different pack would host the Festival Ball and this year had been the turn of the Reiver Pack. While many un-mated wolves used the Ball as an opportunity to try to find their mates, it was also a time to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, establish alliances and generally do business. Annie had missed the Ball this year (and most other years if she was honest), so had never met anyone from the Reivers but she knew of their reputation.

The Reiver Pack were originally known as The Border Reivers, as they lived on the border between England and Scotland, and the old Scottish word 'reive' meant to rob or plunder. The pack consisted of both Scottish and English wolves and they raided on both sides of the border with no regard for the nationality of their victims. There was certainly much written about them in human history books, but what Annie found perplexing was that not one single human seemed to have realised that the Reivers were wolves, no mention of them being extremely tall, muscular, vicious or violent, the things humans usually noticed about werewolves when seeing them in their human form. Human historians simply attributed their behaviour to the lawlessness of the border region allowing the wolves to keep the true nature of their species well hidden.

Reivers raided in family or Clan packs where blood ties were unbreakable and loyalty to the pack was everything. They had a blatant disregard for authority and would delight in outwitting the armies of both sides. Their success and growing numbers inevitably led to feuds between the Reivers themselves, leading to what the humans called Clan Wars. It seemed the Reivers were bloodier and more vicious with each other than they were with their human counterparts with murder, arson and pillaging common in raids upon each other. Their demise came with James VI accession to the throne in 1603 and the union of England and Scotland. Little mercy was shown to the troublesome and lawless Reivers and many relocated to the Highlands, the last part of Scotland to be brought to heel by the English. The Reivers remain there to this day and continue to grow and is the strongest, richest pack in Great Britain. It was not clear how they had become so wealthy but Annie had her suspicions that the source of their wealth was not entirely legal. Though they still feuded with neighbouring packs, they had successfully remained hidden from the human world.

Annie wondered if her niece knew exactly what she was letting herself in for marrying into this warrior pack. Aimeè had accepted the mate bond so she must be happy with the Goddesses' choice for her. Annie knew all too well that mate bonds while allegedly absolute, were most definitely not, although to reject a mate bond had serious consequences for both involved. Given the reputation of the Reivers, had Aimeè felt unable to reject this wolf even if she wanted to, worried that a rejection could start a feud with the most feared pack in Scotland? There was no way her little pack could possibly defend itself against the Reivers, her pack was small, only a couple of thousand members. Though all the warriors both male and female trained to protect the community and ran patrol like any other pack, in reality it had been at least one hundred years since any of her members had any reason to fight. No one had tried to take over the Lunar Meadows Pack as there was little to gain from a forest, a patch of land and a few towns in the middle of nowhere in North Yorkshire. Lunar Meadows territory was a pinprick in the landscape compared to other packs, so generally, they were just left alone.

"Annie, this is the last food and toilet stop before we get to the Reiver territory" Jacques voice cut into her thoughts.

"Yeah hang on, I'm coming"Annie replied snapping out of her reverie and climbing out of the vehicle.

"Well, I guess we will be there soon and we will find out for ourselves." said Sabine

"That we will." replied Annie, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach.

Ye are Blood of my Blood and

Bone of my Bone.

I give ye my Body, that we Two might be one.

Celtic wedding ceremony.

Patric followed the lead cars through the enormous iron gates which marked the entrance to the Reiver pack house. They were accompanied by six Reivers in wolf form, three on either side of their little convoy. The wolves had stood across the road blocking the way about half a mile before the start of the territory. Alpha Henri had left his vehicle to talk to them and they had been alongside the cars ever since. Werewolves can be wary about attacks from other packs or rogues, lone wolves with no pack, but this display of strength seemed excessive to Annie. They had been driving through the territory for over an hour before reaching the gates and according to Patric, they still had a mile or so to go.

"This pack's territory is something else." remarked Sabine.

Annie could feel Sabine's anticipation at a good run as soon as they entered Reiver territory. She had to admit, the scenery was stunning. The grey and purple hills sloped down to reach the dark green conifer forests, eventually flattening out to lush green meadows at the bottom of the valleys. The air smelt so clean, and so pure. Annie reflected that she had spent far too much time either inside the university, in the town or with her head in a book. The colours of the landscape seemed to shimmer and shift with the changes in the light as the clouds scudded across the sky. The thought of running through these valleys had Sabine quivering with excitement as she took in the views through Annie's eyes.

Arriving at the pack house, the beauty of it almost took Annie's breath away. Alpha Henri went to meet the wolves who had come out to greet them, their feet crunching on the gravel of the driveway.

"This isn't a pack house, it's a mansion." she silently said to Sabine. Her wolf was already in love with the place, urging her on to look inside.

"Patience Sabine, we can't just go walking in, it's rude, and these are Reivers after all." she playfully chided.

"Let Alpha Henri make the introductions first." She added, rolling her eyes as Sabine snorted with impatience.

The grounds themselves were stunning, topiary bushes and well-manicured lawns stretched for a least a mile. Annie could hear running water so there must be a brook or fountain somewhere. The house itself was a sprawling grey stone building which had the air of a fortress. There were towers with tiny windows poking up from the grey slate roof and actual battlements. To her right, Annie could see preparations for the night's ceremony underway. A huge marquee had been erected on the lawn and it was being decorated with garlands of wood anemone and heather. Gold chairs were being arranged inside and carpets rolled out to make a walkway between the house and marquee.

"This is going to be a beautiful wedding."sighed Sabine.

"We will be shown to our rooms now."said Alpha Henri through the mind link.

Annie almost jumped out of her skin. It had been a while since anyone had mind linked her. Living without the mind link for so long she had kind of got used to not having it, it almost felt like an intrusion into her private place. Trying to cover how flustered she felt, she took her bags from Patric as he lifted them out of the car and followed her family up the stone steps that led into the mansion. The hallway was old fashioned but beautiful, oak panelling with the heads of stags adorning the walls. It culminated in the most dominant feature, a huge oak staircase carpeted in deep red which swept upwards past giant oil paintings. Annie studied them as they climbed to the first floor. There was a mixture of landscapes, still life and portraits of Reivers in both human and wolf form. Some looked really old, depicting what she thought were probably some of the original Reiver raids, others were more recent, some of the Alpha's ancestors perhaps. Her attention was drawn to a giant of a man stood at the top of the stairs waiting for them. He wore a black suit, white shirt and red tie, all looking bespoke and very expensive. Even his shoes were perfectly shined and with his fair hair swept back almost 1940s style her first impression was that he was incredibly handsome.

"Welcome"he boomed, his Scots accent thick and strong as they reached the landing at the top of the stairs. "Great to see you all again.." he abruptly stopped, his eyes firmly locked on Annie.

Annie took a sharp breath in. Why did she feel scared? The Alpha waves coming from him were intense, almost crushing. Sabine sent soothing vibes to help Annie control her face and breathing.

"Everyone except you though, I don't believe we have met before." he boomed, his eyes narrowing.

Alpha Henri turned and gestured for Annie to walk forward. Annie stepped forward to stand by her Alpha trying to look calm and confident whilst her insides churned.

"If I may Alpha Armstrong,"Alpha Henri started "This is Annie Lovell, sister of the mother of the bride so aunt to the bride herself."

Alpha Armstrong then did something that took Annie, Sabine and everyone else completely by surprise. His arm snapped forward, grabbing Annie's face with a tight grip, tilting her head from side to side so he could get a clear view of her neck. Annie winced.

"Stay calm Annie,"warned Alpha Henri through the mind link, the stress clear in his voice, "Please do not fight back, we are not here to start a war."

As fast as he grabbed her, Alpha Armstrong let go.

"You are unmarked." he announced, stating the obvious.

"Yes, I've been unlucky."Annie was surprised how calm she sounded, though her insides were in turmoil.

Annie felt Sabine's hurt, yes, after all this time it still hurt her wolf to think about what happened.

"How old are you?" he frowned.

"I'm forty- two Alpha Armstrong." replied Annie, sincerely hoping he would just leave it there for Sabine's sake.

"A real-life maiden aunt then I see,"he remarked. "I hope your rooms are to your liking, if you need anything please just ask my omegas, they are at your disposal."

With that, Alpha Armstrong shook hands with Alpha Henri and strode off taking his overpowering aura with him.

"Wanker!"Sabine spat, fur bristling.

Annie was visibly shaken, but what else could she have done? Alpha Armstrong was the biggest wolf she had ever seen. This pack was known for their volatility and no one wanted to fight a Reiver. She thought the male wolves from her own pack were big, but he made Alpha Henri look small in comparison. Amelie laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You alright Annie?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." replied Annie shakily.

"No we are fucking not," spat Sabine "How fucking dare he, and where was our Alpha when we needed him, just standing there while a member of his pack was manhandled and humiliated."

"Please calm down Sabine. Remember, Alpha Henri is probably too young to remember what happened to us. Also, we don't want to start a fight, ok? Come on I'm fine, we're fine."Annie soothed. Sabine huffed and took herself off to the back of her mind.

"You did well there."said Alpha Henri, letting out a breath.

Annie nodded managing a weak smile at her Alpha while taking a deep breath.

"Your rooms are this way."said an omega who seemed to appear out of nowhere and be completely un-phased by the actions of his Alpha.

Annie was shown to a room next to Amelie and Patric with Jacques and Claire next to them. Annie put her bags on the bed and went to close the door, she needed a moment to herself. Sitting on a chair by the door she put her head in her hands and allowed herself a few tears. She knew from experience that it was dangerous to allow grief and humiliation take over completely, so she took a few deep shaky breaths.

"Come on, you've felt worse than this, been through worse than this,"she told herself. "That's enough self- pity for one day, pull yourself together."she said out loud as she stood.

"You OK Sabine?"she asked her wolf, but there was nothing. Annie could sense her curled up at the back of her mind. She needed a little more time. Annie understood, she would give her all the time she needed.

With a steadying sigh, Annie took in her surroundings. Her room was quite beautiful. The white walls contrasted with the dark antique furniture, the curtains were thick and luxurious as was the grey carpet. The bedding on the double bed was a perfect white and on a little table by the bed, were tea and coffee making facilities. She walked towards an oak door, upon opening it, found a surprisingly modern en-suite bathroom with a roll top bath, separate shower and a huge reproduction Victorian washbasin. The walls were tiled in grey and the floor in white. On one shelf there were fluffy white towels along with an enticing array of bath and shower products.

"Wow," thought Annie, "Just wow".

After hanging her dress up, Annie took a hot shower, donned the fluffy white robe she found on the back of the bathroom door and lay down on the bed. She didn't realise she had dozed off until a gentle knock on the door roused her with a start. It was Amelie asking if Annie wanted to go and see Aimeè with her. Throwing on a wrap around dress and some stilettos, Annie pulled a brush through her hair and joined her sister in the hallway. Once again, the omega appeared out of nowhere and gestured to them to follow him down the long corridor. After a few minutes of twists and turns, going through many heavy oak doors, Annie was completely disorientated. How anyone found their way around this place was a complete mystery to her.

The omega finally stopped in front of a set of double oak doors, he knocked once and upon receiving a reply swung the doors inwards and gestured Annie and Amelie to enter.

"Mum!" squealed Aimeè, "Aunt Annie! Come in, come in."

Aimeè held her mum in a long embrace and then turned to Annie.

"I'm so glad you could come."smiled Aimeè.

"Of course I came."replied Annie pulling her niece into a hug.

"Anyone would think you had a habit of avoiding these things."snarked Sabine.

"Shut it!"grinned Annie to her wolf, glad she was back.

Aimeè radiated happiness, lighting up the room and Annie breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Aimeè was happy, she was happy.

"Where is your groom?"asked Annie looking round.

"I can't see him until the wedding,"gushed Aimeè, "It's bad luck you know."

Annie and Amelie spent a few hours with Aimeè and Jacques's daughters Gabrielle and Marie until it was time to go and get ready for the ceremony. Upon leaving the room, the omega once more reappeared and showed them back to their rooms.

Annie slipped on her dress and shoes, applied a little light make-up and made her way to Amelie's room for help with her hair. Amelie was apparently trying to strangle Patric with his tie, at least according to Patric. Once Patric was suitably attired, Amelie pinned Annie's hair up leaving thin strands hanging down which she gently curled with a pair of curling tongs. Annie then helped Amelie into her'Mother of the Bride' dress, the colours matching Patric's tie. There was a knock at the door and the omega came in carrying a tray of Champagne which he left on the table for them before leaving. While they raised a toast to the bride and groom Annie noticed that Amelie was already quite tearful. Annie imagined that your only child marrying and leaving home would be a big wrench for the parents.

Before long it was time to go and be seated for the ceremony and once again the omega appeared as if from nowhere, he was starting to creep Annie out a bit if she was honest. Omegas were the children of werewolves who had no wolf themselves. While it wasn't particularly unusual to have a few omegas in a pack, the Reivers seemed to have more than their fair share but Annie supposed that being such a large pack there would be more than she was used to seeing. Just like in any other pack they were used as house- keepers, cooks or in fact anything that resulted in the smooth running of the pack house. Their omega led them down the beautiful staircase and out into the garden, over the carpet walkway and into the vast marquee. He showed them to their seats at the front and after checking they didn't need anything, silently disappeared.

The marquee gradually filled up and Annie found herself people watching. The family sat on the other side of the aisle must belong to the groom. Annie didn't know much about Aimeè's husband to be, except he was called Ben Johnstone and he was the nephew of the Reiver Beta, a huge wolf called Beta Maxwell. She studied the Reiver women carefully. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting but it wasn't this. While she didn't think they would all be wearing Scottish tweed or Argyll sweaters, she didn't think they would be so showy. They were all very flashy, wearing expensive clothes, all designer by the looks of them, lots of make- up, jewellery dripping off every possible place, everything about them screamed 'wealth'. The men all wore tartan kilts, the different colours and patterns denoting their clan and Annie noticed that each family sat together, not mixing even though they were from the same pack. They were a proud people. An almost palpable arrogance hung in the air and once again, Annie found herself wondering how Aimeè was going to fit in, a sweet girl from a very small pack.

Just then, the omega appeared.

"Blimey." thought Annie to Sabine, "I swear he comes up out of the floor."

She felt Sabine huffing with laughter in her head as the omega motioned to Patric that it was time to walk his daughter down the aisle. He gave Amelie a quick hug before nervously walking to the back of the marquee to meet Aimeè.

Everyone stood up and turned to the entrance as the music started, all eager to see the bride walk in. Aimeè's fiancée went to stand at the front, ready to meet his bride as Aimeè and Patric swept down the aisle to gasps of appreciation. Aimeè looked radiant in her ivory vintage lace gown. The colour in her cheeks was slightly raised but her eyes shone. She never once took her eyes from her fiancée and his eyes never left hers. Annie, in that moment, realised what a true mate bond should look like. This was it, right here, this man, this fearsome Reiver would never hurt her, never abandon her, he would always love and care for her, forever. She started to feel quite emotional, realising what she had missed out on but knowing that she couldn't change it. Sabine was also hurting, their emotions connected as always. She heard Amelie stifle a sob and, pushing her own emotions down she placed a hand on her sister's arm, giving it a little squeeze. Patric walked his daughter to his 'soon to be son in law' and placed her hand in his before walking back to his wife, a tear in his eye.

The ceremony was a cross between a human wedding, a traditional hand fasting and a werewolf blood- bonding, where the hands are tied together to cement the joining of two people before the palms of the bride and groom were cut, their hands pressed together to mix their blood, joining them as one. Aimeè and Ben stared into each other's eyes as they recited their vows and exchanged rings. The official then took a rope and carried out the aged tradition of tying their hands together. The ceremony was recited in Gaelic, then repeated in English, and it was the most beautiful wedding Annie had ever seen but it all seemed to be over so quickly. Before Annie knew it, their palms were cut and pressed together, the groom was then invited to kiss the bride and the congregation erupted into applause as traditional pipe music played in the background. The newly joined Mr and Mrs Johnstone walked back down the aisle, both beaming and everyone was invited to join them for drinks on the lawn so the marquee could be rearranged for the reception.

Amelie and Patric walked to the garden chatting with Ben's parents. Ben's mother was as tearful as Amelie and they were talking animatedly about how wonderful everyone looked and how well it had gone. Annie trailed behind them, smiling at her family's happiness. The omega appeared by her side and handed her a glass of champagne and as she sipped her drink, she looked around at the guests, everyone looked much more relaxed than before, were they expecting trouble? Security was tight, Annie didn't know if the Reivers were just naturally cautious or they were expecting some sort of attack, maybe from a rival clan, or rogues perhaps? Surely not even the most desperate of rogues would attack a pack of this size, would they? She glanced towards the tree line and could see wolves patrolling, and she cast her mind back to the wolf escort they received earlier that day. She made a mental note to ask the omega if taking a run in the hills in the morning would be safe or not.

Jacques appeared at her side, sliding an arm around her shoulders to give her a quick squeeze.

"You OK?" he asked, not meeting her eye.

"Yeah, I'm fine."she replied, sliding an arm around his waist to squeeze him back.

He kissed her on the top of her head and took her to join Claire and his daughters. That's what she loved about her family. They took care of her without making an issue of things. They knew she and Sabine would find today hard, but they just let her get on with it, whilst quietly supporting her and she loved them for it.

In the calm deep waters of the mind,

the wolf waits.

Unknown author.

The evening reception was also a beautiful well organised affair. Everything was planned with military precision, Annie and Ben's family were seated at an enormous table as family of the bride and groom next to the table that was reserved for the Alpha's, Beta's, and their respective families. All the other guests were seated with their clansmen/women at huge round tables that were scattered around the marquee. The food was local fare and delicious, a choice of beef, boar or locally caught salmon. Dessert was a delicate dark and white chocolate mousse with gold powder sprinkled over the top. Bottles of wine were constantly replaced as soon they became empty by more omegas who seemed to float around effortlessly carrying more plates than Annie had ever seen one person carry. Patric stood up to make his speech and although clearly nervous, he carried himself wonderfully, controlling his emotions to give an impassioned speech about how he would miss her, but he could see how happy his little girl was and he could see how well she would be looked after by her new husband and his pack. He finished by thanking the Reiver Pack for their hospitality on behalf of all Annie's family, for welcoming them onto their territory and for making them feel very much at home. Annie hugged Amelie who was smiling and crying at the same time.

The first dance was announced and as tradition dictated, the bride and groom started the dancing and were joined by Amelie and Patric, Ben's parents, Alpha Henri and Luna Betina, Alpha Armstrong, his Luna and then finally, everyone else. Jacques danced with Claire and then he dragged Annie onto the floor despite her protestations. Sabine was laughing at Annie's reluctance, she had never been one for dancing and her shoes were not helping with her balance. Then she danced with Patric for a song as Amelie went to sit back down. Annie knew she had done that so she could dance with Patric, it wouldn't do to dance with a mated wolf that was not from her family, werewolves are known for their incredible jealousy over their mates and as Alpha Henri had said, they were not here to start a war. Patric went to dance with Aimeè, so Annie made her way back the table and leaning over Amelie's shoulder she made a suggestion.

"Would you like a sneaky whiskey?"she whispered in her sister's ear. Amelie grinned her affirmative reply so Annie set off to find their omega. He was found by the drinks table so Annie asked him for the whiskey.

"I'm sure there's a nice bottle of single malt around the back,"he grinned, "I'll be right back." He disappeared behind the bar in a flash.

Annie's shoes were starting to hurt her feet, checking no one could see her she slipped them off and revelled in the feeling of the soft plush flooring under her feet. The omega came back with two glasses of amber liquid in crystal glasses and handed them to her with a smile. Annie had to tuck one shoe under each arm to carry them, she thanked the omega and started to make her way back to the table at the other end of the vast marquee. Just as she was walking past the entrance, a breeze blew through the opening and a scent hit her like a wave, crashing over and engulfing her, it was like nothing she had ever smelt and it stopped her in her tracks. Cedar and sandalwood....the scent was musky and incredibly male. Sabine's reaction nearly knocked her off balance, as she jumped to back of Annie's mind and lay there cowering.

Regaining control of herself and keeping her face impassive, Annie slowly scanned the people around her to see who the scent belonged to. She locked eyes with a handsome man who stood in the entrance of the marquee buttoning up his jacket. He was tall, muscular, with dark hair, slightly greying at the sides. It was cut noticeably short on the sides, longer on top and swept back off his forehead. His suit was pristine, black pinstripe with a white shirt open at the neck, no tie. The suit looked bespoke, and it crossed Annie's mind that he filled it nicely.

"Mate." whispered Sabine, Annie could feel her shaking and Sabine's fear became Annie's fear.

"What? He can't be, please Goddess, not again."prayed Annie, her breath stuck in her throat. She was paralysed, unable to move, she couldn't have run if she had wanted to.

He stared at Annie as Annie stared back for about ten seconds, then his face crumpled into horror, then disgust and then finally panic. He stared for a second longer then turned and left the tent at speed. Annie felt something inside herself snap as she just stood there, staring at the space where the man had been feeling crushed, her heart shattering. She slowly looked around wondering if anyone else had seen what just happened. No one seemed to have noticed so she slowly continued her walk, numb with shock. Putting Amelie's glass down in front of her with shaky hands, Annie walked to her seat and sat down, not sure how long she could hold her composure. Dropping her shoes on the floor she took some deep breaths to calm herself. Sabine remained at the back of her mind, Annie called to her but she was unreachable for the moment.

"Annie, what's wrong?"demanded Amelie.

"Nothing, I'm fine, I'm just hot, I got a bit dizzy that's all."

Amelie looked at her with concern. "Do you want to get some air?"asked Amelie getting up.

"No, no...I'm fine."replied Annie faking a smile, motioning her sister to sit.

The last place Annie wanted to go was in the same direction the man went so she spent the next hour trying to breathe slowly to calm herself. She kept trying to reach her wolf without success, Sabine was broken and Annie was not sure she could recover this time. Why did this keep happening to her? It wasn't fair, she'd done nothing wrong, why would the Goddess do this to her again?

Annie spent the rest of the reception faking smiles while she felt like she was slowly dying inside. The turmoil in her head and heart was like a storm, threatening to overwhelm her, dragging her into the maelstrom before dashing her to pieces on the ground. Annie knew she needed to keep her head above the water, not allowing the crushing grief to pull her under until she drowned. She had done this before, she could do it again.

"We've been through worse, and we came through it,"she said to her wolf. "We will survive, we will survive."she repeated like a mantra, trying to hold back the tears and keep her breathing steady.

Jacques came over and asked her to dance, not taking no for answer he once again pulled her onto the dance floor. As soon as they started to dance, Jacques knew something was wrong. Annie started to hyperventilate, the tears she had been holding back were pricking her eyes threatening to overflow, she couldn't tread water any longer and she felt like she was going under.

"What's happened Annie?"he asked gently.

She couldn't hold back any longer.

"It's happened again Jac, I need to go home."she whispered.

Jacques looked at her in shock, he knew that look, he had seen it before. How could this keep happening to his lovely sister, she deserved none of this. He had a quick word with Claire and Amelie, collected Annie's shoes and whisked her out of the marquee. He was angry, really angry Annie could tell. She shot glances in all directions as they exited the marquee in case the man was still out there. Thankfully, she couldn't spot or smell him anywhere as she scurried back across the lawn to the pack house. When they reached her room Annie's composure failed her, like a dam breaking the tears came in a colossal flood. Jacques looked like he wanted to kill somebody, his eyes were black, his wolf pushing him to violence.

"Did he reject you, do you know who he is?"spat Jacques, fighting to control his wolf.

Annie, unable to speak or breathe properly just shook her head, through the sobs she managed to tell him what happened.

"I need to leave Jac, I need to go home."Annie sobbed.

Jacques started to look up train times on his phone.

"There's nothing until tomorrow morning,"he sighed after a few minutes. I will drive you to the station myself first thing, ok?"

Annie nodded, starting to regain control of her emotions as Jacques pulled her into a hug.

"If he hasn't rejected you the pull will only grow stronger, do you think you can handle that again? said Jacques as an after- thought. It was one thing getting her away from this idiot, but another thing to make it worse for her.

"It will be easier to deal with if I know for sure I won't see him again."Annie nodded.

"Ok, will you be ok if I go back to Claire and the girls, there are a lot of unmated wolves sniffing around my daughters tonight. I can stay if you want?"he said hesitatingly.

"No go, I'll be fine, thank you for everything Jac."Annie forced a smile unsure if she was doing the right thing, running away, again.

Hugh Crozier Saturday 22.00

Hugh knew he was going to miss this wedding even though he had promised his daughter he would make it, unfortunately Alpha Armstrong was a tough taskmaster. An investment deal in the lowlands needed signing that day and as the pack's accountant, he had no choice but to drive to the city and back to seal the deal. He pulled over when he heard his phone buzzing, damn, three missed calls from his daughter. He sent her a quick text to say he was half an hour away and set off again deciding to go straight there instead of calling home to get changed. Hugh mused it would be nice to see what the money he had released for this wedding had been spent on. Ben Johnson was a member of the Beta's family, part of the top tier of Reiver society so therefore he was entitled to have his wedding paid for out of pack funds. Alpha Armstrong had instructed him to release £20,000 for the wedding and so he had.

He could see the wolves running patrol in the woods as he neared the Reiver territory, they would recognise his car so he didn't expect to be stopped. He swung through the gates and gunned his car up the drive, swinging into the first parking slot he could find behind the pack house. He jumped out of the car trying to smooth his wrinkled shirt and grabbed his suit jacket from the back seat. He slipped his jacket on as he hurried around the side of the pack house buttoning it up as he reached the entrance to the marquee. He stepped inside scanning the crowd looking for his daughter when the most wonderful intoxicating scent he had ever encountered hit his nose, washing over him and bringing him to a standstill. All sounds or any sense of his surroundings left him as he scanned the marquee trying to find the source of the alluring scent. His wolf, Knox was on high alert, pushing Hugh to find the source quickly. Hugh closed his eyes and let his nose do the tracking, he slowly opened his eyes and found them locked on a woman in a dark blue dress, bare footed with a shoe under each arm and a drink in each hand. Her brown hair trailed around her face softening her features. She stared at him blankly, her soft blue eyes locked on his, her expression flat with no recognition registering on her face.

"Mate, MATE, MATE!"yelled Knox in his head.

Hugh was vaguely aware of Knox running around and jumping up and down with excitement, but Hugh was horror struck. He felt his face drop, this could not be happening, he wasn't ready for this, he would never be ready for this, what would his children think? No, NO! He would not allow this. Hugh started to panic, his breathing shallow, he felt like he was suffocating. He dragged his eyes away from those beautiful blue orbs and rushed out of the marquee. Knox was screaming at him trying to force him back but Hugh for once was stronger.

"She is our mate, go back, we must claim her, Hugh no, stop go back."

Knox pleaded, but Hugh couldn't breathe and that he needed to get away. He had a choice, car or pack house, he decided on the car as at least he could drive away from that scent. He fumbled with his keys trying to unlock the car, he threw himself in the driver's seat slamming the door behind him. He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white, eyes closed, desperately trying to breathe. He became aware that Knox was still screaming at him but Hugh pushed him to the back of his mind. He silently apologised to Knox, but he needed quiet, he needed to think. After calming himself he managed to get the keys in the ignition when a knock on the car window made him jump out of his skin. It wasn't often anyone got the drop on him and he turned dreading he was going to see the women with the blue eyes, he huffed a sigh of relief when he saw his daughter Lyall's concerned face looking at him through the window. She motioned him to wind the window down, he briefly considered driving off, he really didn't want to have this conversation right now but that would only leave him more explaining to do. He took a deep breath and reluctantly he pressed the window button with no idea what he was going to say to his daughter.

"Dad, I saw you come in and then run out, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I need to....I need to..."he couldn't think, speak, he felt like he was drowning, "I need to go." With that he turned the key and sped off, leaving Lyall standing alone, mouth agape. Hugh drove as fast as he dared out of the pack house pointing the car towards his own property. The country lanes flew past while he stared straight ahead, hands gripping the wheel. Knox was still howling but Hugh ignored him gunning the car even faster.

Three miles from the pack house was the surprisingly modern house that Hugh owned, the house he had brought his children up in, the one he had built when he had met their mother. Not only did he take care of the pack's finances, but he had also done the same with his own and he had done very well out of it too. He skidded into the driveway, abandoning the car at the front of the house with the car door left open. His valet met him at the door and opened his mouth to speak but Hugh just handed him the car keys as he strode past, mounted the stairs two at a time and kept walking until he reached his office. Once inside he locked the door behind him, walked directly to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a large single malt. After knocking it back in one swallow, he poured another before moving to his desk, taking the bottle with him and sinking down into his chair, still shaking. Knox was still howling so Hugh shut him off completely, promising himself he would apologise to him tomorrow when he could think more clearly. He felt someone trying to mind link him but he ignored it then he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, pulling it out he had even more missed calls from Lyall, two from Lennox his son, and a text message.

Hey dad, you ok?

Please call me.

Hugh put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. How was he going to deal with this? The guilt of his lost mate was already eating him from the inside out, he had made a promise to himself that she was his one and only, and for the sake of his pups, that was a promise he wanted to keep. Knocking the second drink back and pouring another he picked up his phone. He was in no shape to speak to anyone so he decided to text Lennox back as if anything, it would stop him and his sister turning up here tonight. He lit the screen up and clicked on Lennox's text to reply.

I'm fine.

I'll speak to you tomorrow.

Hugh pressed send and then switched his phone off. He needed to think. Leaning forward in his seat with his elbows on his knees he pressed his fingers to his temples. He wondered why he ran when he had never retreated from anything, ever. He should have rejected her there and then, this pull to her was only going to grow stronger until he did. Hugh was conflicted, he was very aware that the Goddess rarely gave second chances and as Reivers were followers of the old religion, he was brought up to believe in the absoluteness of the mate bond. But why now, after all this time did the Goddess have to do this to him, what if his children saw this as some sort of betrayal to their mother, did they even remember their mother? Hugh sank another whiskey. Knox pushed an image of the beautiful women into his head, he could even smell her scent, apple blossom and summer meadows.

"For the love of the Goddess."he groaned out loud, sinking another drink.