She leaned against the mantel, legs crossed as she lightly tapped her leather boots together. Her grey skin glowed prettily in the low firelight and Kyle thought it looked as if she might start giving warmth herself too. 

“If they're not up by morning, I suggest we try and make contact with the goblins.” Robyn said, nervously playing with her horns, knowing the reaction her words would have.

“No way in hell,” Gareth frowned, “Those crazy freaks did this to the twins, and you want us to ask them for help?”

“She has a point,” Devon said, running a hand over his buzzed short black hair, “If anyone would know what to do, it's them.”

Robyn nodded, meeting Devon's black eyes with her own uncanny fully black eyes. She pushed away from the mantel and walked to the center of the room, slowly turning to look at all her packmates.

“Wolfsbane is horrible,” She said softly, “It's even worse than whatever you're thinking, and because it's so unpredictable we don't know how much time we have left to find a cure.”

“But what if we don't need it,” Katie finally spoke up from the couch in the corner, pushing her wire frame glasses up the bridge of her button nose, “When I took it I was fine after a few hours. That stupid crap didn't even give me any super strength.”

Katie toyed with her long brownish blond hair and winced, pulling her black hoodie further down over her face as she remembered the struggle she went through before joining the pack. She had been a member of one of the top ranked werewolf packs in the county and she escaped due to their harsh and inhumane rules. Katie rarely ever spoke about her time in the pack, but from what Kyle could tell it must have been horrible enough for her to willingly take wolfsbane in order to escape. 

It wasn't uncommon for werewolf pack alphas to abuse weaker packmates under the pretense of it being for the benefit of the pack, and as pack leaders no one dared challenge them. The pack Gareth had fled from with his twin sisters was similar, having had a sick tradition of making the pups fight to first blood for entertainment. 

There were worse stories travelling around, as the system set up to protect werewolves by providing comfort and strength in numbers, became horribly twisted by the greed of the alphas in power. So many werewolves just put up with the abusive ways, as belonging to a pack not only provided necessary protection but also meant that they would not be cast out into the wild to fend for themselves. 

The world was cruel to all non-humans and dealing with it alone made it that much worse.

Kyle and Robyn were the ones who found Katie after she had made it out, having been horrifically injured and barely breathing. If it hadn't been for Robyn and all the treatment methods she'd learned from the goblins, Katie wouldn't be alive. 

Even as she was barely holding onto her life, the wolfsbane had somehow kept her alive by constantly inducing adrenaline and accelerating her werewolf healing. Just another crazy side effect that was unexplained and uncommon.

“You were a special case though,” Kyle shook his head as he turned to Katie, “What happened with you is unlikely to happen with the pups, and I am not willing to bet on it.”

“Yeah,” Gareth nodded, “But still, do we really have to go to those things for help?”

Robyn tried not to react but Kyle caught her flinching. He knew that she wanted to say something in her defense but at the same time she didn't want anything she said to cause another scuffle in the pack. Anastasia straightened her back and growled softly at the buff redhead. There was nothing she wanted more than to slam his freckled face into the rug after the way he had hurt her girlfriend earlier.

“Watch what you say,” Kyle warned, trying to keep the peace but also not willing to take any more negative remarks even remotely aimed at his best friend. “What we need to do right now is figure out the best cause of action and I agree with Robyn, we go to the goblins.”

The pack accepted Kyle's words, and even though they had their reservations, they knew he was right. The goblins were the only ones who grew, sold and traded wolfsbane, so not only would they have a cure but they also would know who could have given it to the twins. 

Whoever was to blame would have hell to pay, Kyle swore. There was no way could he let them live.

“I will go alone,” Robyn met Kyle's honey brown eyes, “It would be too dangerous for any full blooded werewolf to step foot in a goblin tribe.”

Kyle was already shaking his head, “No,” He said firmly. “We can't send you into enemy territory alone.”

“So want to send a werewolf straight to the people actively poisoning them?” Robyn glared at him.

“No one ever goes anywhere alone.” Kyle said, reciting the first law of his pack. 

The others nodded and said, “The pack is family and family means no one is alone.”

“We need to change that stupid cringey motto,” Devon said, rolling his eyes as a blush creeped up on his dark brown cheeks.

Katie laughed and threw a cushion at him, “You came up with it though.” She grinned widely, blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Yeah,” Devon nodded, grinning back at her, “But I was fourteen back then! Who would take anything a fourteen year old says seriously?”

Robyn smirked as a blush slowly crept up Kyle's neck. When he started this pack three years ago, Devon was one of the first members he had recruited. Kyle remembered trying so hard to get the agitated werefox to trust him, and after a few months of constant arguments the two of them had became inseparable. Close enough that Kyle immediately agreed to the sweet motto the teen had come up with, regardless of how cringe it was.

As much as it embarrassed Devon to say it, he felt a slight pride that he had come up with the motto the pack lived by. It made him feel more mature somehow, and the seventeen year old wanted nothing more than to be seen as an adult in the eyes of his packmates. Devon knew that he still had a long way to go but maybe if he volunteered to go with Robyn they would let him. He straightened his back, mentally preparing himself to argue his case, but before he could say anything Anastasia beat him to it.

“Uhm,” Anastasia said, “I'll go.”

“No.” Robyn frowned at her girlfriend.

“But—”   

“I said no.” Robyn crossed her arms as she cut off Anastasia.

Anastasia glared at Robyn and then turned to Kyle, her eyes pleading with him to back her up. Kyle sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, and even though he didn't want to get in the middle of a lover's spat, he knew that among the packmates Anastasia was the best choice to join Robyn. The werewitch had wolf blood just like the rest of them, but because she was half witch she couldn't shift, and this made her immune to wolfsbane.

Truthfully even if she hadn't volunteered Kyle would have asked her to go with Robyn.

“Anastasia goes with,” Kyle said, and Robyn quickly turned to him as if to argue further. The look on his face stopped her and she realised he wasn't going to change his mind.

“Wolfsbane won't affect her,” Kyle elaborated, “Of everyone in the pack, she is the only one who would be safe from it.”

Even though she hated to admit it, Robyn knew he was right. That didn't mean she was okay with it, and it took everything in her to bite her words back. Anastasia avoided her gaze and Robyn felt herself going crazy. 

How could she just decide that by herself without saying anything to me, Robyn thought, I told her beforehand that I was going to suggest finding the goblins, so why didn't she tell me then?

Robyn's stomach twisted at the slight betrayal and even though she knew it wasn't Anastasia's intention, she couldn't help but feel hurt. 

“The closest tribe is about half a day's ride if we take the car.” Robyn said, begrudgingly accepting the situation. 

This is not about my feelings, she told herself, it's about the pups and we need to save them.

“You'll leave at dawn,” Kyle said, “We can't afford to waste any time.”

“We will get the cure and be back by nightfall.” Anastasia squared her shoulders as she looked towards the twins bedroom.

Gareth stood up and held her hand, “Please,” He begged, “You have to save my sisters.”

Anastasia nodded clasping his hands tightly, any anger she felt towards the hot-headed alpha melting away with the warmth of his large hands. Even though the way he acted still annoyed her, she knew that it wasn't out of malice but rather his worry for his sisters. They were werewolves and nothing mattered more to the pack than protecting the pups. It was just in their blood. 

Anastasia could feel Gareth's worry heavy in the air, and she knew that it was taking everything in him not to immediately run straight to the goblin tribe. Gareth wanted nothing more than to find a way to save his sisters but he also could not bear to leave their side. 

If anything happened to them while he was away, if they succumbed to the wolfsbane, he would never forgive himself. It was this thought alone that held him back from demanding to go with them. Gareth had faith that his packmates would do whatever it took to save the twins. 

Trust and respect, he thought to himself, reciting the second law of the pack.

“Good luck.” Steven said, patting Robyn on the shoulder as he left the room. 

His light blond hair glowed in the firelight as he walked towards Benny's room. Kyle knew Steven was probably worried sick for his little brother, but he still thought it was odd that Steven hadn't said anything at all during the meeting. He was usually the most vocal packmate about his opinions, and Kyle had expected him to say something about Robyn's plan.

With Steven's exit the rest of the pack slowly left the living room, each saying a few words of encouragement to their packmates who were leaving at dawn. Kyle, Anastasia, and Robyn remained and sat by the fireplace ironing out the plan for the trip to the goblins through the night. Kyle wanted make sure he covered all his bases, there was no way he was letting them leave tomorrow without making sure they would both return safely.

Even though he had seemed resolute in front of the pack, he still feared for the worst and it took everything in him not to tell them to stay here while he went in their stead. Kyle knew it would be stupid to enter the goblin tribe by himself, especially not with the way he was itching for a fight.

With everything that happened with Steven cheating and lying to him, as well as the twins getting hurt and taking wolfsbane, his anger was running red hot and he just wanted to satiate his extreme bloodlust. As leader of the pack he felt a burning hot rage that anyone would dare to hurt his pack, would dare to hurt the pups.

Whoever is behind this better pray to all the gods that I never find them, Kyle swore.

© babystarubyrose