LUKAS

TWO

Anastasia's POV

"Was this part of a plan or something?" I question Lukas as we walk through the dark woods. He doesn't say anything for a while. "What happened at the house, yes. But now there is no plan to follow... Beatrice was planning to take your powers and kill you." He explains, stepping over a branch. It was night now and the moon was our only source of light.

"Why hasn't she done it already?" I question him. We weaved through about five trees before he answered me.

"You have to wait until the person is of the proper age and training for the best results. One can only perform this process on the night of a full moon." He says, I couldn't see his face because he was several steps ahead of me.

"So I was just falling into place with her evil plans?" I ask him, trying to catch up with him. He was walking normally while I was practically jogging to keep up. "Yep."

A few minutes later, my legs were getting tired of this long trip. I usually had Beatrice teleport me back, but today I refused on the offer. "Hey... I thought you and Bella- or Beatrice were equally powerful. Couldn't you have just made a portal to the castle?" I inquire, jogging to catch up with him.

"She's slightly more powerful than I am but I could still win a fight against her if it came down to it. And to answer your question, I can't create a portal while blocking one." I hugged my coat tighter around me. Even my werewolf genes were no match for this winter. "Beatrice is trying to reach us already?"

"How many questions will you ask? And yes, I wouldn't be surprised if Beatrice noticed our absence the second we left."

"Sorry." I say, looking down at my feet. Sometimes you have to shut it, Anastasia! This wasn't the first time people have told me that I ask too many questions.

A second later a felt a hand under my chin, lifting my head so that my eyes met his. "You can ask as many questions as you want." He says. I found myself beginning to stare into his gray eyes so I lifted my head away from his gentle touch. "Let's go." I say, trying to get rid of the butterflies.

I needed to focus on helping my mom.

We starting walking again, this time in complete silence. Lukas let me lead the was this time as well.

"Here it is." I say, stopping when we reached my pack territory. "I'll be back within-" I was about to walk back into my territory when I was pulled back. "What was that for?" Lukas only looked at me like I was crazy.

"I have to disguise your scent...Make it seem like you are not there." he says. I nod and watch as he works his magic.

When he was done, he opened his eyes back up and relaxed his facial muscles. "You have to hurry and run to the castle so that no one sees you. Be quiet when looking, or someone will hear you. Understand?" His eyes were wide as he explained it to me, only making the situation even more serious.

"You're not coming with me?" He shakes his head and begins to push my into my territory. "Someone will notice the second I enter the grounds. You are part of the pack so it will be less suspicious." I nod and walk into my territory.

Following Lukas' instructions, I run to the castle as fast as I could. The snow was deep so my run looked like a hop. In the distance I could hear Lukas' laughter. I'd smack him later, right now I had to make it to the door and worry about how I can manage to not track snow down the halls.

As soon as I reached the door, I shook my shoes to get rid of the snow before heading in. I quickly ran down the halls as quietly as I could. I would check the office first then I'll look elsewhere. I'll probably find the most information there in the office.