---Max' POV---

The human village laid quiet into the distance, ignorant to the world outside of it. The scents out here in the forest were faint at the very best and I huffed, jumping with some effort over a fallen tree as my ears pricked up.

There was plenty of activity in the forest though; Scientists and researchers where looking around, looking proudly at the older paw prints they found.

I could hear them going on and on about the size and depth of the print, how one of the prints was barely there and seemed to be dragged instead of pushed, showing a clear sign that Kyle had been in this area before.

Kyle...

At the thought of my former mate, my ears swiveled and pressed against my head, wolf growling deeply in anger. Anger that was solely directed towards me.

My mind went to the last serious seizure I had due to my wolf, a seizure which scared my family to death. It had taken so long that they had called the pack doctor, who had dosed me with several sedatives before I was dragged under.

When I had awoken, it was to heavy doses of medication and a sense of lethargy, along with an underlining urgency to go out and find Kyle.

But, what will I do when I do find him? IF I find him... My paws curled before I jumped on a rock, sniffing at the stones before following my nose to where Kyle's scent was the strongest in the area.

It was still an old scent, fading away in the cool winter air. Denser when I managed to dip underneath an old rotten log that looked seconds away from splitting open.

The little den was sparingly decorated with pine branches and clusters of leaves, providing some cushioning against the cold winter soil.

My wolf instantly shoved my subconscious to the side, dipping down into the den to curl up in the branches, rolling around in Kyle's scent.

It wanted to coat himself in it, no matter how faint it was. Soft whimpers accompanied with content growls slipped from his throat, sniffing around until Kyle's scent was clinging to our fur.

How long would he have lived here?

My stomach dropped at the thought, eyes flickering through the clearing. From what I had seen from Kyle's form as it had flitted across the screen in the blink of an eye, he had been heavily injured on his hind leg.

People in the town had even openly remarked on their surprise that he had lived as long as he did. They had seen his injuries much closer, hind leg coiled up, seemingly unable to fully relax and the paw dragging over the floor instead of supporting any weight.

The reason of his injury was painfully obvious, as I , or rather my wolf had gone back to the enforcers and asked them to share their memories of what they had done to Kyle.

They had done so with great reluctance but after a snapped command from the Luna, they had complied.

An entire pack in an uproar because of a simple misunderstanding that ruined more than one life.

The Luna was anything but happy. She had always insisted in Kyle's innocence, told everyone willing to listen how Kyle had brought in the pup he was charged with, how he had saved the Luna and pups from harm, pushing the rogue away from the shelter so it couldn't cause a bloodbath within.

But her pleas were unheard, as the Alpha assumed Kyle had done so to give himself an alibi, garnering favor with the Luna to cover his betrayal. It was only after the truth was revealed that the pack had realized their failure.

How could they follow their Alpha pair if they ignored one of them? It was obvious from their past behavior that the pack didn't trust its Luna, and she no longer trusted them.

It would take a while before that trust was rebuilt, if it was ever rebuilt. There was a high chance that the pack would slowly disband, families dispersing to join distant relatives at other packs.

A huff escaped my wolf, a momentary spark of sadness jolting through my body. There wasn't a single sign that showed that Kyle had been here recently. The scents that lingered were faint at best, fading quickly, especially with all the human activity that disturbed the forest.

Pushing up on my paws, I shook out the remainder of the pine needles that clung to my fur before sighing. I had already gone around town, asking what they knew of the wolf and if they had any idea where it went but those questions all ended with the same result.

Nobody knew where Kyle had gone of to. He just... disappeared.

Pain tore through my body at a possible reason for his disappearance but my wolf snapped its teeth with a snarl, refusing to even contemplate Kyle laying somewhere in the bitter cold. Unmoving...

Dying...

"Now you care? Back then when you basically sentenced him to death, you didn't give a damn, was even happy the link broke." My wolf snarled venomously, adding guilt to the pain in a sickening mixture that robbed me of air and made my paws stagger and trip.

I know... but I also knew I couldn't change the past. What was done, is done but I could hope that Kyle was still alive, that I could apologize for my part in his misery.

My wolf snorted heavily at the thought before pushing for control, circling around town to see if there were more tracks of Kyle on the other side.

There were some, along with old signs of blood. What surprised me though was that all tracks and scents ended right outside a pack's border.

I sniffed around, whimpering as the inner wolf contemplated of what happened. Had Kyle died here? Had the pack found his body and gotten rid of it? Or had they stumbled on him when he was alive and showed him the kindness my pack had robbed from him?

Swallowing heavily, I approached the border before howling lowly, shifting and getting dressed when an answering howl resounded.

Several wolves came charging through the snow, facial expressions warry though relaxing when they noticed I was alone and in human form.

One of them shifted out of view, keeping a fair distance as he eyed me warily. "What is your purpose here? We didn't receive any notifications that we'd have a visitor."

Clearing my throat a few times, I spoke, "I'm trying to find a pack-... former pack member. I wanted to see... if they're doing alright."

The man frowned slightly, eyes glazing over as he undoubtedly contacted his Alpha to ask what he should do in this case.

I let out a sigh of relief when he motioned me in, the wolves around us relaxing slightly, though they still formed a loose circle around me as I shifted and followed them further into their territory.

None of these wolves smelled like Kyle, nor did I detect a hint of his scent the closer we got to the pack house. Honestly I didn't know what to expect. Didn't know what I was hoping for.

Perhaps some closure, knowing what happened to him, an opportunity to explain myself, to beg for his forgiveness?

All I knew was that I had this urge, this driving instinct to go and find him, to look at him with my own two eyes and make sure he was doing alright.

---Kyle's POV---

My teeth bared in a silent snarl, ears pricking up as I listened to the paws thundering through the brush nearby.

They weren't even trying to be subtle, making as much noise as possible as they charged past. Undoubtedly it was a border patrol doing their usual perimeter check but I knew enough from packs and border patrols to know a thing or two.

Patrols are always done quietly. It was easier, better to be able to catch people off guard, especially if they were doing something that they weren't supposed to be doing.

But this patrol, I heard their approach long before they got near enough to smell them. Could hear the exact moment where their formerly quiet gate had changed to a thunderous stampede.

And I knew exactly why they did it too.

Perhaps they had been ordered to do so by their Alpha, perhaps they were vindictive little pricks, bullies that picked on the weak.

The little pup that squirmed and yelped as she hid in the thicker fur of my stomach would surely been seen as a weaker creature. And the huffs, snarls and deep thuds of heavy paws were doing exactly what the patrol was aiming for.

Scaring the little pup so she wouldn't leave the house.

My anger and dislike for this pack grew, fur bristling in my nape as I snarled lowly. Picking on a child because of something as mundane as bloodlines?

The growl that rumbled through my throat came to a quick halt as a little head pressed against my chin. Trembling all over her body, I sighed before picking Ellie up by her scruff, already starting to plan ahead as I ventured downstairs and gently placed her down before shifting.

"Hey Ellie. I know that you're scared of the pack but we also need to go to the store for some food and water. How about I take you with me and you can pick something out as a treat, huh? The pack wouldn't hurt you while I'm around."

The pup seemed hesitant and extremely nervous at the prospect of being close to the pack in any shape or form. But her little belly growled insistently, begging for more sustenance to keep up with her growth.

Her wolf made the decision for her and seconds later, we were slowly walking in the direction of the pack. It was with quite some effort though, as the pup was practically tripping me up by walking underneath me, pressing as close to me as she could whilst trembling at the slightest sound her sensitive ears picked up.

But, I could also see this as progress. Clearly both Ellie and her wolf trusted me and my intentions to not harm her in any shape or form, as she had slept while I had stayed near in my most dangerous form.

Yet, it would take a while before she was willing to come with me to a foreign territory and a foreign pack. The promise of food and shelter wouldn't sway her to leave everything she knew behind without a prospect of returning home.

Home...

What exactly is home?

My ears flattened against my skull for a moment, taking a deep breath to relax before the little pup would pick up on my tension and stress out.

I guess there were plenty of things I too neededto figure out for myself.