“Christian! Christian! Come here! Quick!”

Christian ran out of their bungalow, his hands caked in flour and eggs. He even had some of the mixture smeared on his face and in his hair. Amelia couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the sight. She should know better by now than to trust him in the kitchen. Yet, he kept insisting he could learn. The tomato sauce on the ceiling said otherwise.

“What is it? What’s wrong?!” Christian panted, his heart beating erratically in his chest.

His brown eyes searched the yard looking for his favorite little girl, running around on her thin little legs. Amelia stood in the middle of the yard, smiling brightly as she watched a small pup bouncing around the yard, chewing on stuffed plushies.

Christian frowned. When did they get a puppy and where was his niece? Emery was never not within Amelia’s line of sight. So, where had the precocious toddler run off to?

“Mia, where’s Emery?” Christian asked.

Amelia pointed to the pup. The tiny ball of fluff had silver white fur with a black stripe running down the length of her spine all the way to the tip of her tail. Her little teeth were tearing into a teddy bear, gnawing off its ears. The small pup finally noticed him. Her silver eyes widened at the sight of Christian. The bear fell from her mouth before she bounded over to him, leaping through the air and into his arms. A small pink tongue ravaged his face, licking off the flour mixture.

“Isn’t she amazing?!” Amelia couldn’t help the squeal that escaped her throat. Her daughter never ceased to amaze her.

Christian pulled the puppy away from him, forcing her to withdraw her tongue. The little pup yiped in his arms, panting heavily, her small tall wagging, shaking her whole body. He looked from the pup to Amelia and back.

“Emery?” Christian spoke softly to the pup.

The small wolf barked in response, squirming in his grasp. He carefully put the pup back on the ground. The second her paws struck the earth she took off, running for her mother, circling her feet, jumping up on her hind legs.

“She’s only three! How is this even possible?” Christian stammered, his mind racing.

Amelia couldn’t stop smiling at her pup. It wasn’t unheard of for a pup to shift between age eight and ten. Her and her twin were considered extremely young when they experienced their first shift at age six, but three years old was astonishing.

“I don’t know. One second she was playing, the next she was chewing on all her toys,” she shrugged. “Isn’t she stunning? She says her wolf’s name is Hailey.”

Christian’s eyebrows raised. “She can mind link you already?”

“Yes, she’s very excited to talk to her wolf. She says she finally has a friend,” Amelia’s eyes darkened, her face falling, no longer sparked with enthusiasm.

This was their sixth home in four years, currently residing in a small town outside of Mexico City. The rogues had managed to track them down to each hideout, constantly keeping them on their toes, ready to run at a moment's notice. Which meant no stability, no friends, no ties. Nothing to hold them back.

Christian couldn’t help but wrap his arm around her shoulder, giving her a firm squeeze. Amelia leaned into his tall frame, taking comfort from the gesture.

Even though she was hesitant to let him come and follow her around the world, constantly on the run, she was deeply moved and appreciative of his unfailing support. On more than one occasion they barely escaped with their lives, especially when they had a baby to consider, but Christian never waivered, never gave up. He was always pushing her to stay strong, to hold on just a bit longer. Without him, she was sure she’d be dead or captured by now.

Amelia whipped her head to the side. Rey stirred within her mind as they caught a faint scent blowing towards them in the breeze.

“Rogues,” Amelia whispered.

Christian straightened beside her. His body went rigid, glancing around at their surroundings on high alert.

“How far?” he asked her.

“Ten minutes,” she bent down, beckoning for her daughter to come. “Come on baby, it’s time to go.”

“She can’t shift back, Mia. The first shift lasts a few days as she gets the hang of it,” he reminded her.

“Fuck,” Amelia hissed loudly.

He was right. The first shift lasted a few days as the pup got used to the breach of mind and body. Their wolf, taking the time to become accustomed to their human side. It usually took anywhere from three to five days before a pup shifted back to their human form. Given that Emery had only just shifted, meant that she would stay in her wolf skin for a couple days at least, leaving her no other options.

She watched as Christian ran into the house to grab their go pack. The one bag they always kept at the ready with their forged travel papers and money in different currencies. The scent on the wind was getting stronger, more distinct, which only meant one thing. They were getting closer.

Amelia stripped out of her clothes, leaving herself as bare as when she first came into the world. Emery noticed her mother taking off her clothes and trotted over to her, her little head cocked to the side. Rey came forward as they shifted into her large, silver wolf.

Come on baby, it’s time to go. Amelia linked her daughter.

Are we going for a run? Emery hopped up and down on her four little legs.

Yes baby, we’re going for a run. It’s time to find a new home.

Without warning, Amelia picked Emery up by the scruff, holding her firmly between her teeth. Emery’s little body curled in on itself, her tail tucked between her legs as she dangled from her mother’s jaws. Christian came running outside, already shifted into his chocolate brown wolf, a backpack hanging from his mouth.

Not waiting for a signal, Amelia took off in the opposite direction of the rogue’s scent. Rey pushed her paws hard against the soft earth. Christian was right on her left flank, keeping up with her long and powerful gait.

Emery curled up tighter on herself, swinging wildly from her mother’s jaws. Amelia leaped over a fallen tree causing her pup to whimper at the sudden jolt. Instinctively, she growled at her daughter, warning her to keep quiet.

Her daughter's whimpering turned into a sharp yipe, causing her to stop in her tracks. Her voice sounded more mature and as if she was in pain.

Amelia blinked her eyes hard. She was no longer looking through the eyes of her wolf, but through her human ones. Her fingers flexed at her sides indicating she was in fact human and not running through the woods on all fours. In fact, she was standing in the clearing behind the London pack house, which resembled more of a castle than an actual house. The carved stone haunted the space, towering over them, intimidating anyone daring to look at its foundation.

Looking around the clearing she finally found the source of the cry that snapped her out of her memories. Emery was laying on the ground near the base of the tree line. Her body was bare. Streaks of dirt coated her skin and her hair resembled more of a bird's nest, filled with leaves and twigs.

Amelia observed her daughter, closing the distance between them. As she got closer, she didn’t notice any serious damage. If it was anyone else, something definitely would have been broken, but Emery had been falling out of trees since she could walk.