Chapter 2

Trees whiz past me as my wolf pushes us to run faster. I don't even know how long I've been running, but I do know that I crossed our border a while ago. I have memorized all of the surrounding packs years ago, but I don't know nutreal territory as well as I should. Looking around I try and find any marking or indicators on where the hell I am but I don't see any. I slow down to try and catch any scent of a pack nearby so I can find my way back, but there is no trace of anything.

I don't want to shift back because I have no clothes. The reminents of my torn dress are I'm sure still laying in our backyard where I shifted. Worry starts to build in my stomach as I realize that my family's no doubt worried about me. As much as I don't want to I have to go back so they know I'm okay.

I trot towards the sound of running water. Maybe I can identify it and work back from there. A small stream surrounded by thick tress is the source of the noise. I huff out frustrated because there is no way that I'll be able to figure out where I am anytime soon. I'm just going to have to run until I find a nearby pack or I can figure out where I am.

* * *

The sun set an hour ago and still have no clue where I am. I'm hungry and it's starting to get cold. I need to try and find somewhere to hunker down for the night. I may not be in danger from other animals, but that doesn't mean there aren't rogues out. I know all rogues aren't bad, but that doesn't mean the cruel and merciless ones aren't out there.

I make my way to the denser part of the trees hoping that no one will be able to spot me under the brush. Suddenly a twig snaps behind me and whip around to see a teenager standing there with his arms up. I bare my teeth growling out, warning him to not come any closer. He may not be in his wolf form, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous.

"I just want to help you. Are you lost?" His voice is soft but stern reminding me of the way an Alpha or Beta talks. He's way to young to be either of those so it confuses me. I still don't trust him enough to shift back, plus the fact I don't have any clothes to change into doesn't help. He stands there not moving just watching me. His eyes widen in understanding as he holds up a finger running off.

"Sorry I should have realized that earlier." He comes waking back through the trees holding out a shirt. I stare at it for a second before looking back up at him. This inky black hair almost shines blue in the moonlight, but his eyes are a warm hazel that for some reason comfort me. I mull it over for a few more seconds before deciding it's my best option at this point. I crawl forward to show him I'm not going to attack and take the shirt in my mouth. Turning around I walk behind a think bush shifting back to my skin and throwing the large shirt over my head. It's large enough that it could be a dress falling just above my knees.

"Thank you." I mumble as I walk back to where he is now sitting on a large rock. He gives me a small smile patting the spot next to him. I stay where I am though a few feet in front of him, and cross my arms waiting for him to say something.

"You're welcome. Do you want to talk about it?" I furrow my eyebrows at his question. How does he know something happened? Well other than the fact I'm lost, but I could have been lying about that, he wouldn't know. He must see my confusion because he further elaborates. "You have makeup running down your cheeks." He points to his own cheek as if I don't know what a cheek is. I reach up wiping my under eyes trying to rub away any reminders of this mornings events.  "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it I understand."

I just want to get home, but at the same time the thought of seeing Asher again makes bile rise in my throat. Maybe talking to this kid will help sort it all out in my head. I huff climbing up onto the rock next to him still leaving a safe amount of space between us just in case.

"It's my birthday today." I look up at the stars trying to blink back the tears.

"Happy birthday." He whispers making me realize I don't even know his name, but than again he doesn't know mine either. He intrigues me. I know he is still a teenager by his youthful looks, but it's rare for rogues to be alone at such a young age. It's not impossible though.

"What's you name?" I turn my head to face him. He chuckles slightly giving me a warm smile.

"I was waiting to see how long it would take you to ask. It's Jasper." He blushes slightly probably from embarrassment. Maybe he doesn't like his own name I'm not sure.

"Tessa." I stick my hand out to shake his. He gives me a curious look but takes my hand none the less. "You were right." I tell him and now he looks really confused. "I'm lost." I elaborate, and he nods finally understanding.

"I can help. Where do you need to go?" His tone changes slightly almost in a professional sense. It only causes my curiosity to spike. He's very mature for his age especially if he is a rouge like I believe.

"Dark Mountains Pack." I look down at my hands feeing shameful that I can't even find my way home. Jasper nods his head pulling out a compass.

"To get to there you need to head West. Although if you don't want to we can help you." He sounds empathetic and it doesn't click until he looks at my cheeks do I realize he thinks I running from someone. It warms my heart that he's willing to help a complete stranger out of a possible hostile situation.

"If I told you why I was crying you would think I'm pathetic." I wave off his hardened look.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" He offers. Do I want to spill my entire life story to some random teenage boy I met in the woods? It's not like I have anything better to do right now anyway.

"How old are you anyway?" I lift an eyebrow questioning him. He looks a little frustrated by my question based on the way he squirms in his seat and huffs.

"Fourteen." He mummers so quietly I almost don't hear him. I bite back my smile.

"I turned eighteen today." He whips his head in my direction with wide eyes. "Let's just say the person who I thought was my mate turned out not to be." I fiddle with my fingers realizing how silly and trivial it sounds out loud. "Now he's happily mated and I'm well.." I lift my arms up motioning to our surroundings before letting them fall back onto my thighs.

"I'm sorry." He gives me a sympathetic look, but I shake my head.

"It's fine it sounds so minuscule now that I say it out loud. I mean how stupid was I." I laugh humorlessly. He frowns slightly shaking his head.

"No, you have the right to be upset. Just because someone else might find your situation a walk in the park doesn't make it any less important." For such a young kid Jasper seems very mature. I've held back the question this long, but I'm dying to know the answer.

"Are you a rogue?" I turn to look him in the eye, but he squirms in his seat suddenly going rigid. I've definitely hit a nerve. "It's okay, that was rude of me to ask." I cringe at the awkward silence that follows.

"Yeah I am." He whispers so quietly that I almost don't catch it. It warms my heart that he trusts me enough to be honest with me even though we just met.

"Cool." I smile for the first time today. Rogues have always had a bad representation, but I've always been taught that they aren't all bad. He seems taken aback by my response. "My aunt was rogue for a long time when she was about your age actually." He nods understanding, but still seems a bit uneasy. "If you need help or a place to stay I can help you." He shakes his head chuckling.

"Thanks for the offer but trust me I'll be just fine." He brushes off my offer casually. It makes me even more curious to learn more about him, but I need to get home soon.

"I need to get back home before my family gets even more worried about me. Thank you so much for the clothes and helping with directions." I hop off the rock brushing the dirt off my hands before turning back to him.

"If you ever need help don't hesitate to find me." I give him a reassuring smile, which he returns. I'm about to turn and head back when he jumps off the boulder walking over to me. He hands me a gold chain with a matching circular pendant at the end. He turns it around opening a clasp that was hidden on the side, revealing a compass inside.

"Use this to help keep you in the right direction." I smile up and him and pull the lanky teen into a hug. We may have only met, but he is more compassionate and caring than a majority of people that I know. "Also if you ever need help or anything don't hesitate to come find me too." I tighten my hold onto the compass taking a few steps back towards the forrest.

"I don't want to say goodbye, so how about until next time." I wave to him turning around running off towards the direction of home. I feel terrible for being gone so long, but I never intended to get lost this deep into the forrest. At this point if I run by a pack I might ask them to contact my dads to let them know I'm okay. There is no doubt that there is already a search party out looking for me so I'm hoping that I won't get lost a second time. Especially now that Jasper has given me his compass.

The night air only gets colder as time passes, but I don't want to shift because I won't be able to keep track that I'm still going in the right direction. Goosebumps rise as I feel eyes staring at the back of my head making me whip my head around to check my surroundings. Although I don't see anyone I still have that dark feeling swirling in my stomach. I pick up my pace slightly not wanting whoever is watching to realize I'm aware of their presence. The part that freaks me out is I can't smell them. Wolves whether they are part of a pack or not have a very distinct smell to them, and it's extremely weird and troubling to have no scent.

I keep my eyes pealed for any pack marking or familiar landmarks to let me know I'm close. It only takes a couple minutes to see the creek adjacent to The Crescent Pack. I leap shifting mid air and taking off towards the path that I know will lead me right home. Pushing myself to run faster than I have ever ran before causes my lungs to burn. Luckily whatever or whomever was stalking me doesn't follow as I slow down only slightly to catch my breath. Today has reminded me how much I regret not training with my dads and Della when they offered for the past few years.

The sun starts to break the horrizen between the trees as I'm almost home. Exhaustion is starting to take over my eyes feeing heavier with every step. I shift back just as I cross our pack line stumbling to the forrest floor my legs giving out from under me. My panting is the only sound I hear for a few moments as I try to gain the energy to stand back up but fail miserably. I curl up to try and cover myself since my shirt was shredded when I shifted, but I clutch Jaspers compass to my chest thankful it didn't fall out of my mouth when I was running in my wolf form.

"Oh my god Tessa!" Really Moon Goddess? You had to send the last person I want to see right now to find me out here.

I growl out as his hands come in contact with my skin. His touch used to be comforting and calming, but now it just angers and disgusts me. I open my eyes to try and push my way up so I can get away from him. Apparently not learning his lesson the first time he moves to help me up. I push Asher away with much more strength than I even knew I had. He goes fly a foot or two away landing on the ground with a loud thud.

"Don't touch me!" I snap at him. His once warm blue eyes widen in shock and fear. I must look like a mess with my frazzled state and tired eyes. I take a few steps swaying until I fall to my knees again. I huff out in frustration at my stupid jello legs.

"Tessa!" Ryder's screaming resonates throughout the trees surrounding the area making me cringe. Not because the volume but the terror and worry in his tone makes me feel guilty. He drops to his knees skidding the rest of the way to me clutching my face in his hands. My lip wobbles as he looks my face over with tears running down his cheeks. "Are you okay? What hurts?" He lifts my arm turning it to look for any injuries and I shake my head not trusting my voice at this second. Thankfully he takes off his sweater slipping it over my head and pulling it down to cover me.

"I didn't mean to. I got lost." I stutter out my teeth chattering from not only the cold morning air but also the left over adrenaline from my anger a minute ago. Ryder pulls me into his chest pressing down my hair as I cry into his shoulder. The events of the last twenty four hours hitting me like a train overwhelming me. He lifts me up standing up in the process and starts to lead us home. "I'm sorry." I whisper out sleep starting to take over.

"Oh my god." I hear Fletcher's rapid footsteps sprinting in our direction.

"She's okay." Ryder breathes out as Fletcher stops in front of us. I peel my eyes open to see him cover his mouth trying to hold back a sob. I whimper our as guilt keeps hitting me in waves. Ryder hands me over to Fletcher to help calm him down and assure him I'm okay. I grasp his shirt in my hands letting the tears fall freely at this point.

They don't hesitate to run back to our house carrying me the entire way. Ryder holds the door open for Fletcher and I letting us go in first. The familiar smell of our home brings me great comfort and relief. Fletcher sets me down on the couch kneeling down next to me and pushing the hair away from my face

"Did anyone hurt you?" He holds my eyes the whole time looking for any reaction that would indicate an answer.

"No. I just ran so far I got lost. I'm sorry." My lip starts wobbling again, my emotions going crazy due to lack of sleep. He kisses my crown pulling back.

"It's okay. You're safe now." He rubs my arms attempting to warm me up. I shift slightly and he catches sight of Jaspers compass. "What's that?" He questions, not in ancusitory manner but genuinely curious. I open it to show him.

"I met a boy who helped me find my way back. He gave me this to help." I explain hopping they won't be too mad. They both enstiled stranger danger into me when I was young because I was always very curious child. "His name was Jasper." I look up to the doorway where Ryder's watching us both with relief clear on his face.

"Was he rogue?" Ryder finally speaks up.

"Yes. I offered to help him if he needed a place to stay, but he said he was fine. There was no one else that I saw with him, and he was only like fourteen." I rant slightly, finally able to process our interaction. The more I think about it the more I worry for him all alone out there.

"I'll have Elijah look into it." Fletcher tells Ryder. Elijah has been a family friend for as long as I can remember, and a fellow Alpha. I know he focuses on keeping neutral territory violence free, and has connections.

"Don't do anything to him." The athority in my voice even scares myself. Ryder raises his eyebrow at my small out burst while Fletcher's eyes widen. Ryder walks into the room sitting on the other end of the couch turning to me.

"Is Jasper your mate?" He uses his soft caring voice making me cringe. It makes me feel as though I'm five again. I shake my head with certainty.

"No, but he wasn't doing anything wrong and I don't want people sticking their noses into his business." I sit up straighter so they know I'm being serious, but it doesn't last long as my head gets tired and I lay it back against the couch cushion.

The front door burst open smacking against the wall in the process. Della and Aidan come rushing into the room looking around frantically. Della spots me first rushing over pulling me into a hug.

"Don't ever do that again." She growls out. I chuckle at her mom voice nodding my head. She looks me over grimacing at my dirty appearance. "Let's get you into the shower before you pass out." She doesn't wait for any objections pulling me up and helping me up the stairs to my room. She sets clothes on the counter while I turn the shower on testing the temperature with my hand.

"Can you grab me a snack to eat before I fall asleep?" I know that once I fall asleep I won't wake up for a long time. She nods leaving the bathroom closing the door behind her. I jump in the shower scrubbing all the dirt, grass, and mud off of me as fast as I can. My hair is a mess so I quickly shampoo and condition it so it won't be tangled when I wake up. Steam has filled the room by the time I shut the water off wrapping a fluffy white towel around me. Slipping on the simple pajamas I leave the bathroom to see Della walking in holding a bowl of blueberries and two bottles of water.

"I'll brush your hair while you eat so you can get to sleep faster." Della hands me the bowl setting the waters on my nightstand. I sit down on the edge of the bed handing her my hairbrush. She plops down behind me starting to detangle the knots in my hair. "So how did you enjoy your day as a rogue?" She asks as I eat a handful of blueberries.

"It sucked." She snorts at my response. "I didn't even last a few hours before I got lost." She snickers from behind me and I shoot her a glare over my shoulder. "Thank goddess I ran into Jasper or else I would probably still be out there." She pauses her brushing.

"Jasper?" She sounds confused making me remember she wasn't there when I told my dads what happened.

"He was a teenager out there who helped me find my way back home." I reach over to where I set down the compass, grabbing it I hand it to her and she opens it looking it over. "He gave that to me so I wouldn't get lost again on my way back." I grab the water gulping down at least half of it.

"That was nice. You said he was a boy, did he have anyone else with him?" I shake my head finishing my water.

"No, but I offered him help. He said he was fine and if I ever need help that I can always go to him. He was really nice for being a rogue." She nods lost in thought. I feel bad because she's probably reliving her years as a rogue and that can't be easy.

"Well you should get some sleep." She hands the compass back to me taking the empty bowl from me and kissing my temple. "Good night." She whispers making her way to my door. "Well I guess good morning." She winks before shutting the door behind her. I barely rest my head on my pillow before I'm out like a light.

*********

Song: Rosyln by Bon Iver and St. Vincent

I hope you are all liking the story so far! I always include a song in each chapter because I know some people like that, and than by the end of the book there is a full playlist. I would love to hear any theories on what you think is going to happen in this book. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and if you did don't forget to vote and comment! Until next time.

~Stella Gordon