Who do you belong to, Baby?

Phoenix stopped in front the last tree that held her mark, a warning to any rogue that to mess with the pack these lands belonged to would be messing with her. The Gilded Moon was a small pack, but had still helped her and given her shelter when she needed it. She in return had taught them to fight, buffed up their security, and left a threat in rogue symbols all around their boundary line.

Placing the old wooden ladder against the trunk, she climbed up and began to deepen the threatening lines from last year before turning to the lines of hope below. This was a pack who offered second chances. Rogues who had lost their pack to war or attack, or had run from abuse or neglect could start over here. Those lines needed deepening, too, so she set to work.

When the Gilded Moon wolves had helped her, they'd almost been too small to be considered a true pack. But with her council, their open minds, and kind hearts; eighteen rouges had found a home. And, after a six months trial, shed their rogue status forever.

While she had found and helped six such packs expand and survive the same way, this was her favorite and her first. They had wanted her to stay and when she said she couldn't, they had built her a tiny home away from the rest for whenever she chose to use it. And had given her a ring with their symbol on it, claiming her as an honorary member. She hadn't explained why that ring had sent her into a fit of laugher. Only thanked them warmly and, in return, gave the Alpha her charm.

She was rarely here. And often, if she was, it was only to used her tiny home for a night before moving on, without anyone in the pack knowing. She tried not to visit any one area too often. She wanted them to be safe if she did need to stay. And this was a place she liked to come when she needed to heal.

She swallowed and leaned her head against the bark. Both she and her best friend, Warren, had just pulled a hard job. And while they were one step closer, it was frustrating how far away they were from actually achieving their goal. Deciding that they were becoming reckless in their actions, they had agreed to take a break and recenter. He had gone north to the snow. She had gone to friends who asked no questions. Sighing, she climbed down the wooden ladder and froze as words drifted to her on the wind.

"I don't care! I'm not one day going to go to the Mood Goddess with this on my soul."

"I'm not going to do it!"

Soft footed and against the wind, she crept closer. Peering around a tree her eyes widened, the two wolves weren't rogues. Both blond and tall, they had the undercurrent of belonging to a pack. She breathed deep and began to shake as she identified their base scent. Copper and ash. They were of the Lunar Crater pack. One of the most vicious and greedy packs in North America. And one of the most powerful because of those two traits. Her muscles clenched in a need to get away, but training and common sense kept her still.

"Let's just leave it here. Let our brethren, the wolves have it. It's death won't be on us then. It'll be fate!" the taller of the two said with a sneer that tightened a scar across his cheek.

Phoenix's eyes widened and she looked down at the large basket at their feet. What were they supposed to kill that caused Lunar Crater warriors to balk?

"Sure!" said the one with eyes so light blue that they appeared not to have a color from a distance. "It'll do the job. Come on. Our flight leaves in an hour. And you know what he said about missing it." He loped off.

The scared one looked worried, but without another word, hurried after him.

Phoenix waited. She was good at that. Being patient had saved her more times than any fighting trick she knew. They didn't come back. And when she judged enough time to have passed that they wouldn't be able to come back without missing their flight, she slowly approached the basket. Opening it, her eyes widened in shock and her mouth formed an "oh".

The most beautiful baby she'd ever seen slept in front of her. Golden curls brushed against a high forehead. Dark brows furrowed a little as he dreamed. And dark, long eyelashes rested against round cheeks. A tiny, rose-colored, bow-shaped mouth made little movements. She breathed in deep. Male, but too young yet to have a baseline scent. She gazed at him in awe. "Who do you belong to, Baby? Why do the Lunar Craters want you dead?"

Quickly picking up the basket, she began to run back to her home, then stopped. Placing it back on the ground, she pulled a tiny plastic bag out of the small pocket of her jeans. Opening it, she sprinkled the mixed herbs over him and said a few words in Latin, sighing with relief as his smell and werewolf aura went away. She turned and dashed home. Placing him on the floor, she packed her stuff. Glad she hadn't told anyone she was here yet. She paused as a thought occurred and she closed her eyes in pain.

Clenching her jaw, she pulled out her phone. The Alpha of the Gilded Moon pack, whose lands she was on, answered on the second ring.

"Phoenix. What's wrong? Are you coming to stay?"

"Ivan. You trust me, right?" She unclenched her jaw with an effort, waiting for him to respond.

"You know I do."

"I need you to get your whole pack off this property by tomorrow night and I need you to take your boundary lines down."

"You want me to give up all claims to my lands?" he asked in disbelief.

"There's a pack two states over that will take you in if I ask them. I need you to go there," she continued as if he hadn't interrupted. "And I need you and your pack to tell no one where you're from or why you left. I need you to make it an Alpha order so they can't, even by mistake."

"Phoenix, what happened?"

"The Lunar Craters," he gasped at the name, "left something just outside your Packlands that I took. And if they find out," she swallowed, "When they find out, they will come here looking for someone to blame. I don't want that to be your pack. Take everything with you. Make everything looked like it's been abandoned for a while. Mix some flour and ash together and add a layer of dust to every surface of area of every building you leave behind."

"Phoenix, what did they leave?"

Phoenix couldn't stop a sob. "I have to save what they left. Even if it means displacing you. I'll find you better lands then these. I promise. Ivan, I'm so sorry."

There was a long silence. "You believe whatever it is to be worth what you're asking me to do?"

"It is."

There was a long silence, then a deep sigh. "I said I trusted you and I won't risk my pack to keep land. Land is replaceable. We'll be gone."

Phoenix smiled, again impressed with his outlook on life. "Ivan, I have to burn that little house you made me down to the ground. I'm sorry and I hate it, but I do. Just pack and leave. Don't come here. Don't let anyone come here. I'll keep the fire under control. But it has to be ash before I go. That way they'll know who has what they left and they won't come looking for you. I am so sorry, Ivan."

He laughed suddenly. "Whatever it is you found, if it was just outside my lands, one of us could have found it, picked it up, and brought it home. Then where would we be if the Lunar Craters came calling? You might have saved us again. You probably did. You're still a Gilded Moon and I still thank the Goddess for sending you to us. I was only an Alpha for a while. So this won't be too hard on me. Hey, this will be a vacation. Us Alpha's never get them, you know. Maybe I'll start a fad. But whatever happens, stop apologizing." He put a tiny bit of power behind that word.

Phoenix smile. "Yes, Alpha. I thank the Goddess for your pack as well. Stay safe. I'll text you the address and directions as soon as I talk to her."

"A female Alpha?"

"Rare, but not unheard of."

"True. Goodbye Phoenix."

"Goodbye."

Phoenix called a different number. And listened to the rings. She was about to give up when an out-of-breath voice answered.

"You don't ever call me and the one time you do, I'm in the shower. Seriously, I can't believe I almost missed you! Hey girl! Whatcha need?"

Phoenix laughed. "It good to hear your voice, Charlie."

Charlie laughed back. "Whatcha need, Phoenix? As much as I love ya, I know you. And you don't call unless it's an emergency. Emails, letters, texts, those you send just to say hi. But calling? Nope. Tell me."

Phoenix nodded and gave a detailed explanation of what had just occurred, the only thing she left out was what she'd picked up.

"Those fudging Lunar Craters need someone to put them down. Of course they can come. And I'll figure out what to tell my pack. I know you're not gonna tell me what you picked up. But when you can, I want to know. Even if we're both ancient. Even if I'm on my deathbed. Hufflepuff, especially if I'm on my deathbed. Promise."

"I promise, Charlie. Take care of them. They're good people."

"Oh, I will. They're mine now. And no one messes with what's mine." Her words ended with a growl. Phoenix smiled at the Alpha possessiveness Charlie so rarely showed. "Take care of yourself, Phoenix. Sounds like you're playing with fire again. Got to go get everything ready. Love ya, girl!" And the line clicked off.

Phoenix laughed, quickly texted the address to Ivan, and turned to look at the little home he had made for her. She took everything the pack had added to make it special. Even popping the pack symbol someone had carved over the front door off and packing it.

Then she called another number.

First ring. "You're calling? What's wrong?" a soft voice asked.

"Eevi. A lot that I can't explain right now. But I need to erase some symbols I just spent an hour or so carving into trees. And I need to make land, a Packhouse and the little houses on it look like they've been abandoned for a long time. There will be flour and ash sprinkled over all the buildings' inside surfaces. And one I'll make ashes before I go. Plus, I need the land claim to appear old and outdated in the books."

"Oh, dear. That's quite a spell." There was a long pause. "Where you are now? The Gilded Moon pack?

"Yes."

"You'll have to let me do it. It's beyond you."

"Would you? Thank you! The pack will be out by tomorrow night. Could you cast the spell the night after, just to be safe? Make sure to get rid of all smells. And could you even maybe change the baseline scent of the land?"

"Whatever your protecting them from must be terrible."

"Lunar Craters"

"Oh. You'll tell me later?"

"Over tea."

"There won't be a trace left."

"Thank you."

"Take care of yourself, Little One."

"Always."

At her car she check on the baby. Still sleeping. She turned and grabbed another combination of herbs, a wooden cup, and a gold lighter. Walking back into the house, she filled the cup with water and poured the herbs into it, mixing them with her finger. She watched the water turn orange. She took it like a shot of whiskey, fast and with a burn. Feeling the warming sensation fill her, she took a deep breath and lit the lighter. Fire exploded around her. The heat and rage of it moving her hair and cloths. She knew if anyone was watching she'd look like the flames themselves. She stood still as her tiny home burned, hot, fast, and completely. She clicked the lighter closed and the heat left the ashes at her feet. And she stood clean and cold in the middle of it, a wooden cup in one hand and a gold lighter in the other. She smiled and headed to her car, leaving two footprints in unburned wood.

She didn't look back as she pointed the nose of her car towards a safe place, eight hours south.