#11

Snow walked Sable to Inigo's camera room the next morning, explaining his plan about Kenyan's pack. He wanted her to understand what was going to happen and the consequences if the alpha found out. She seemed to like his plan until he got to the part about the cavern. She shook her head, begging him to not place one there. He raised a brow at her and told her that if she was taken, they would see her and be able to find her easily without searching. Sable still begged him to not use a camera there, so he dropped it, thinking of another plan that she might agree to.

Inigo let them into his room and Sable blinked at all the screens lighting up the space. She saw how none of the cameras were in any bedrooms or private areas, noticed too how there were cameras on the border. Inigo smiled at her and offered a chair. She sat as Snow stood beside her. Inigo showed her how the cameras worked, where they'd set them up, and how they connected to his computers.

She found the demonstration fascinating and caught onto another piece of equipment on Inigo's desk. "What is that?" she asked, pointing to it. It looked like a bug.

Inigo grabbed it and held it up. "It's also a camera." He found a remote, set the camera on the ground, then pressed a button. The camera began to crawl away. "Watch," he said, pointing to a screen on the left. Sable watched as the hallway outside the room could be seen from a very low vantage point. Inigo pressed another button, and she saw the view begin to rise, as if the camera was flying.

"This is another idea," Snow said as she watched. "We would enter the pack and let a few these guys out, let them roam. Inigo could watch here and send any warnings to me through the link."

Sable shook her head. "No. It's too easy to catch or crush under foot."

Inigo grinned. "The idea with this is that while the bug is crushed, the memory saves on my computer. We lose nothing. The other thing about these is that they can multiply." He brought up a chart with a dot. "Have you ever heard of a hydra monster?"

"No."

"It's a dragon creature with many heads." he clicked something and many dots came up. "If you slice one head off, two more grow in it's place." He clicked again. Dots littered the screen. "You have to take out the main head, or the heart of the dragon in order to kill it. It's the same with this. The main camera bug will be my computer. Take out my computer, the bugs all die. However, take out a bug, and two more replace it"

"How?"

"Cloning. The bugs might be robotic, but have the instinct all species do to reproduce to save their kind. I implanted it when I made them."

Sable nodded. "I like it."

Inigo grinned. "I thought you might. Now, here's the other trick." He pressed a button and the camera bug flew to a wall and sat there for a while until someone came by, then it swooped down into the person's shirt and did something. Inigo pressed a key on the keyboard and sound came on.

"While we may go to war, I do not think Turk will allow the use of firearms."

"You know as well as I do that others are going to use firearms whether Turk allows it or not."

Inigo shut the audio off and the bug came back to the room and flew onto his desk. He pressed a button on the remote and the bug shut down. He turned and said, "Anytime one sees a moving thing, it flies over and finds a spot secure enough, then poops a tiny microphone strong enough to hear a whisper from a few feet away. The only problem is that these microphones aren't waterproof."

"But that's fine because there will always be a bug around to replace the mic," said Snow.

Inigo shrugged. "The bugs, like all creatures, need fuel. Theirs is sunlight. As long as they have plenty of sunlight, they will be able to poop and move."

"Cool," Sable whispered.

"One more thing," Inigo said. He grabbed another small device and handed it to her. "This isn't as cool as my bugs, but this will help us keep an eye on you or Snow. It's a simple camera that looks like a button. We can see where you are and hear everything you are saying or the person near you is saying. It is waterproof and can easily be transferred to other clothing. The problem is that it can't multiply and I can't save the memory to my computer. Once it's dead, there's nothing I can do to save it or replace it quickly."

"You are wearing one," Snow said in her ear. "If we're separated, I want Inigo to see you."

She looked up at him with a raised brow. "I will wear one if you do."

He smiled. "I wouldn't dream of going without."

Inigo snorted, but they each took one button camera and left. Inigo would turn it on once they were heading to Kenyan's pack. Until then, they'd save it.

Snow set his camera on his desk and turned to Sable, who was peering at hers with intense curiosity. "Sable, if you're not careful, Inigo will have you as his partner."

She frowned. "How does it work? Where's the camera?"

Snow chuckled. "The idea is to think it's a button. You're not going to see the camera, Sable."

She scowled at the device but looked up at him. "When do we go to see my father?"

"We leave day after tomorrow."

Sable smiled. "Thank you, Snow! Thank you so much!"

Snow smiled back at her, liking her joy. "Brave Heart, you don't need to thank me for anything. I would help you no matter what."

She hugged him, then pulled back. "How long will we be there?"

"A few days. I want to make sure we get the cameras set up around the territory and Inigo confirms everything is set before we return. I also want to familiarize myself with his territory in case he takes you or your father. I want to know exactly where you are just by the description."

Sable sat on the bed and gave him a thoughtful look. "White wolf has a good nose. Better than anyone else I've met. You'd find me easily."

Snow liked her admiration of him, but said, "Kenyan is an alpha. He will know ways of hiding scents from me if he wants to hide anything. This is why I want you wearing the camera. If you are alone with him, I want Inigo to tell me your surroundings in good enough detail that I can find you easily."

"What about the link?" she asked, pointing to her head.

"The link doesn't always work when one is scared or the other is frantic. Inigo is plan B should the link fail."

Sable nods, then smiles. "I like the link. It makes me safe. I can talk to you and no one else can hear.'

"How were you able to link me the first time?" Snow asked softly. "We had never met before. So, how did you talk to me through the link?"

"White wolf talks to me in sleep. Always have. Until you appeared and brought me here." She blushed. "I didn't know White Wolf was real. I thought the dream was just that, a dream. I liked the dreams of White Wolf because it gave me peace."

"I am White Wolf," Snow said softly, a growl rising to his throat. "We are one and the same."

Sable nodded. "White Wolf is you, but you are not White Wolf. White Wolf is amber eyed. You are not."

Snow scowled at her, not liking her statement. "Sable, I am White Wolf. My hair is white. My skin is white. My eyes may not be amber, but I am White Wolf."

Sable sighed. "You do not understand."

Snow agreed. It made him somewhat angry that she was comfortable with his wolf, but still not him for some reason. It was he who cared for her all this time, he who fed her and helped her strengthen her body, he who she spoke with everyday. His wolf was just in his mind, not brought out unless Snow wished it. It frustrated him that she saw him and his wolf as separate beings when really, they were one soul in one body. Snow was White Wolf.

Snow stalked out of the room and towards his father's office. Maybe his father would have advice for him on how to deal with this situation. But his father was in a meeting with Rudi and Anju. So, Snow went to find his mother, the only other person he could possibly ask about this sort of thing.

Mazelina was reading a book in the sitting room when he entered. She looked over and smiled at Snow, setting her hobby aside and patting the cushion next to her. "My son. Why do you look so angry?"

He sat down and groaned. "Sable thinks my wolf is different from me."

She laughed. "You are different from him!" He scowled at her. Mazelina sighed. "Snow, your wolf is the predator behind the human display. He thinks with a predator's mind while you think both like a predator and not a predator. When there's a situation you don't like, you think about how to handle it, your wolf doesn't. He goes in for the kill."

"But we are one, mother! I am my wolf, even if he's more dangerous!"

Mazelina smiled at her son. "I know that, but think of all you've learned about Sable. When she was taken from her home, it was the humans who attacked her, not the wolves. Because of that, she sees the human separate from the wolf."

"But, I would never hurt her! I am my wolf!"

"Don't take it personally, Snow. It isn't just her who believes our human half is not the same as the wolf. It is what she's come to believe, and that isn't wrong. It's not something to be upset about."

"But it was both wolf and human who saved her. Not just the wolf. Not just a part of me. I feel just as protective over her as my wolf. We are the same!"

She sighed. "It's going to take time for her to understand that, Snow. Give her time."

"Sable, do you think you can come to my office again?" Alpha Turk asked Sable after Snow left her alone.

"Sure." She got up and began to go there. However, she felt a pull towards the sitting room, a pull so great, she couldn't ignore it. She followed the pull. She was able to get all the way down the hall and look into the window of the sitting room to see Snow in his mother's arms, crying.

Sable was confused. Why was he crying? What happened? She had never thought Snow could cry. His mother looked up, sensing eyes on her and gave Sable a look that said he needed space. Sable backed away, blinking. She tried to get the image of Snow out of her mind, but it stuck. She began to head towards Turk's office, lost in thought.

Was it something she said? Did she offend him somehow? Did he get hurt? Why would the Luna not let her in to help? Sable was beginning to worry, beginning to believe Snow was mad at her for something, but she didn't know what for.

"Sable?"

Sable looked up, saw Turk and gave a half smile. "Hi."

He was silent before gesturing her to sit before him. She did so, sitting on the edge, as if to bolt at any moment. She felt caged somehow. Turk leaned forward on his desk and looked at her, eyes calculating. "Sable, I have found a few more photos for you to look at. Do you think you can look at them for me?"

She nodded, got up and went around to look at the photos on his desk. A quick glance told her that none of them were any who had taken her. She shook her head. "No."

Turk sighed and gathered them up. "I'll keep searching then." Sable nodded and began to leave, wanting to be alone. "Sable?" She turned around before opening the door, looked at the alpha. "Do you want to talk about something going on between you and Snow?"

How could she talk about it when she didn't know what was wrong? How was she supposed to talk about anything when it seemed to get Snow into a rage or crying?

"No, thank you." She turned and hurried out.

Snow was with his brothers for the rest of the day, helping them sharpen their fighting skills. When he returned for dinner, he did not see Sable in his room. He shrugged, guessing she was already in the dining room, but she wasn't there when he arrived. As others gathered in the room and around the table, he searched for her, finding nothing. He began to get nervous.

His parents entered and took their seats. He immediately looked to them. "Where's Sable?"

They both looked at him in surprise. "She's not in your room?"

"If she were, I'd not be asking."

"Snow, don't talk to us that way," his father growled. "Sable is a young wolf. I'm sure she's just finding her way here from another part of the den."

Snow was unconvinced, but ate his food and conversed with others for an hour. When she still did not appear, he excused himself and left, going to search for his mate.

Sable was on one of the top floors of the den, seeing half the floor beautifully decorated while the other half was in a wreck. It looked like there was a fire, but that made no sense since this was a mountain. How did a fire get in here?

Not that she cared a bit about the why or how of it. She was just glad it was quiet. She had been with the pups and Dezra most of the day after meeting with Turk, had been glad for the distraction. However, she knew Snow would be at dinner and wasn't ready to see him yet. She needed to think. So, she went exploring. Snow was right. The den was huge! It was beautiful too. Every room was decorated to the personality of the wolf who owned it. There was a floor dedicated to working out. Another to pack security. But most were rooms dedicated to each pack member or family.

She sighed as she went to a piece of wall that was covered in plastic, seeming to be in the midst of repair. It had holes in it where she felt air blow through and light shone dully as night was on its way. It was not cold however, so she sat and laid her head back on the sturdier wall, closing her eyes. The wall was broken, just like she was, just like her heart. It did not fit in with the rest of the den, just like she did not fit in with the pack. It was the perfect place for her.

Snow did not find Sable that night. Nor did he find her the next day. He continuously checked the Nursery, but Dezra said that Sable was headed to dinner the night before, and hadn't seen her since. No one else had seen her either. With so many pack members, he didn't understand how none of them had seen her. Where would she go? Why did she not return to his room last night? Why is she hiding?

"Snow, growling at every pack mate you see is not going to help," Noreen scolded as she sat at a computer, reading a document for an alliance their father wanted to make. "Instead of taking your anger out on us, use your instincts."

"If those had worked, she'd be here now and I wouldn't be growling!" he growled.

Noreen raised her brows at him. "You are just like her, you know that. You panic and forget about your strongest asset. Clear your head and focus. You know her better than any of us. Stop and think."

"I don't know!" he roared, making the whole main den area go silent.

A throat cleared. "Snow, maybe you need some air?" said Inigo.

He glared. "I do not need air!"

"Then calm yourself or I will not share with you the information I have."

"What information?"

Inigo raised a brow, so Snow forced himself to calm down, to breathe. Satisfied, Inigo gestured for him to follow. They went to his computer room and he pointed to a screen. There, sitting amongst the debris on the tenth floor, Sable sat sleeping against a wall. "She has been here all day. I wasn't around to hear of your search so did not know you were looking. I only came to find you because she had been crying and because no one has shown up."

"Why is she crying?"

Inigo shrugged. "These cameras don't have audio."

Snow nodded, then went to grab his mate.

Sable had just woken up when she heard a noise from somewhere beyond her line of sight. She curled up tighter, wanting to go back to sleep. However, a low growl made her jump to her feet. She saw a white wolf and remembered Snow crying in his mother's arms, and his mother making her go away. Sable knew it was her fault, but didn't know why.

The wolf stepped closer, but she shook her head, not wanting to hurt him again somehow. The wolf growled, but Sable didn't care. She wouldn't let herself hurt the one thing that meant the most to her. She trailed the wall, watching the wolf as she circled him. She wanted to run, wanted to get away before something bad happened.

The wolf caught on to her plan and stalked to the hall, blocking her path. Sable's heart sped up as she glanced around, looking for a way out. Her eyes caught on the plastic.

The wolf growled a warning. Sable glanced at him, saw the way he was watching her, then back to the plastic.

"Sable, don't!"

Sable saw Snow, saw how he was walking slowly towards her. She eyed him carefully, but said nothing. She couldn't let him stop her from saving him. She would do this. For him. For his family.

"Sable, you jump through that plastic, you have a thousand foot drop to the ground. There are no balconies to save you. Nothing to break your fall. You will die!" Snow's voice was harsh, which made Sable ready herself. "Sable, talk to me! Talk to me so that I can help you!"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She gave Snow one last look and said, "I can't hurt you again. Never again." And she ran, and jumped.