Look who's back! I don't know how you guys put up with me, but I am so very grateful. I know I sound like a broken record, but I promise it won't take me so damn long to continue this story. With A level exams taking place at the end of May, I know I'm going to have to spend a lot more time revising than I do now. So if I don't finish this before then, I'll have all the time in the world after my shitty exams.


"Look, Maura, I know I said that we should ask the rest of the pack for help if I couldn't find Bella on my own, but just give me another hour or so. I know I can find her, I know I can!"

"No Jane. We have absolutely no idea where Bella is and we are just wasting time if we don't send out some kind of search party as soon as possible." Maura replied with a low growl, but the hardness of her voice was betrayed by the look of pure, unadulterated fear in her eyes.

Jane slowly nodded her head in agreement. She knew Maura was right. They needed all the help they could get in finding their eldest pup, and to refuse help was not only foolish, but irresponsible as well.

"Yeah, yeah you're right Maur. I'll go tell the others what's happened. You stay here with the pups." Jane said with a desolate look on her eyes.

Maura could only watch as her bondmate walked away from the den, her heart aching when she saw the look of defeat on the Alpha's face.

Everything was perfect. Apparently too perfect. Maura finally had stability in her life, and she finally had the family she always dreamed of. Before, she felt alone and unwanted in her old pack, mainly because the Isles pack was only made up of her mother Constance and father Arthur, both of who often left her to her own devices. As a pup, Maura never understood why her parents distanced themselves from her, but it was only when she grew older did she learned the truth.

Patrick, the leader of the most feared pack in the whole forest, the Doyle pack, was her biological father and her parents had reluctantly adopted her when she was old enough to survive without her birth mother. She had overheard her parents arguing late one night when they thought she was fast asleep.

"You can't be serious!"

"Think about it dear, the only reason we raised her is because of the protection Patrick offered in exchange for hiding his Omega daughter."

"No, I am not going to abandon her simply because she has reached a mature age."

"Don't tell me you finally care about her."

"I have always cared about her! I have always loved her!"

"Please, you only cared about the protection we received. You only loved the easy life we have had so far."

"I see what this is, you are still not over the fact that you have had to raise a pup that is not your own blood. You-"

"We've been over this Constance, I didn't want pups and neither did you, but we still raised her. Granted, we've been fairly cold and aloof, but that isn't necessarily our fault. We never really wanted her in the first place."

"How could you say that-"

"Come now, don't get all high and mighty with me. Look, I really don't want to argue with you dear, but you must listen to reason. Patrick is beginning to lose the loyalty of some of the smaller packs in his ranks and it won't be long until those in the Doyle pack are targeted to try and take it down. We can save ourselves from all the aggro if we just went somewhere else and never came back. No one would know of our connection to the most powerful pack this side of the mountain, which would mean we'd live in peace!"

Maura couldn't bring herself to listen to the two Beta's conversation anymore after that, and it was on that night she decided to run away. If the wolves she saw as her parents never really wanted her, then she wasn't going to be a burden on them anymore.

She had survived well enough on her own for over five months until the day two Alphas tried to win her in a fight. But the little spat quickly came to an end when a tall, dark stranger scared them off.

Since that day, Maura knew she would forever be grateful for the loving family Jane had given her, which only grew with the birth of their pups.

As the Omega made her way into the den, her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed three pairs of eyes staring intently at her from the far side of the den. The worry and concern in the pups' eyes made Maura's heart ache all the more.

For all they knew, Bella had ran off somewhere and could not find her way home. The honey blonde wolf couldn't begin to imagine the perils the Alpha pup might have come across, and just the thought of her daughter in any kind of danger caused her to nearly hyperventilate.

"Mom? Have you found Bella yet?" Marcus asked as he tried to look pass her to see if their sister was behind their mother.

"Not yet I'm afraid, little ones," Maura replied with a weary sigh as she lied down beside the pups, "I'm going to stay here with you while your mother asks the rest of the pack to help her find your sister."

"Will we finally meet everyone?" Ralph asked as his eyes became bright with excitement.

"Not straight away, but once we've found Bella, then we will properly introduce you all to the pack." Maura said with a tired smile.

Luna tucked herself into Maura's side and looked up at the other Omega with woeful, distressed eyes and whimpered, "I really miss Bella."

Maura nodded her head as watched the three pups nestle themselves beside her. "I miss her too, so very much. I can't for the life of me understand why she would put herself in such danger, but I-I," Maura paused as she tried to control herself, but the looks of despair on her pups' faces broke her resolve. "I just want her to come home."


As she awoke, Bella took in her surroundings. She knew straight away she wasn't in her family's den, as the love and warmth that she was so use to was nowhere to be found. It only took the young Alpha a few moments to realise that the den she found herself in was not only tiny, but extremely cold, as if she was lying in wet grass while the rain continued to fall. She curled closer into herself as a big shiver shook her small body.

She was cold, tired and hungry, and all Bella wanted in that moment was her family. "If only I didn't run off," she whispered bitterly.

"You've got a point there kid," a deep voice muttered from the entrance of the small den, "what on earth did your parents do for you to decide to run away from home and nearly die in the woods?"

"Nothing," the pup replied as she tried to move so she could see the owner of the voice, "I just fancied an adventure."

The only reply she received was a laugh that was more of a grunt, before a small chunk of meat was dropped beside her head.

"Here, I wasn't sure if you could handle a proper piece of meat, so I ripped some bits up for you."

"I'm way too hungry to be grossed out by that, but thanks anyway." Bella said as she propped herself up on her forelegs and began to eat.

"Oi, don't scoff it down! You'll make yourself sick. And don't roll your eyes, you know I'm right."

Bella turned so she could finally get a good look at the other wolf. The large wolf was a rather intimidating figure, with a tense, powerful body that was covered with scars from wounds he must've received from years of fighting. His faded brown fur had large patches of grey on his underbelly, neck and around his face, which Bella assumed was because of old age. Though, that being said, he looked as though he had a lot of fight left in him.

But despite his hardened face and his strong stature, there was a surprising lack of coldness in his eyes. Although, they weren't exactly brimming with happiness either.

As Bella chewed the meat, she decided that if she was going to spend so time with the other wolf, she might as well learn his name. "So, who are you?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I asked you first."

"Don't care, tell me your name, squirt."

The young Alpha stared at the other wolf, who's dominating scent revealed him to also be an Alpha and, if Bella had to guess, the leader of his own pack. After she decided there was no harm in trusting the wolf who saved her life, she simply replied, "Bella, of the Rizzoli pack."

"Rizzoli?" The other wolf tilted his head in thought, "I know that name. I know I know that name, but where?"

"From what my Ma told me, we're a large pack and the majority of the wolves who make up the pack aren't actually related to each other, but everyone is loved and valued all the same." Bella said with a proud nod, pleased that she remembered her mother's words.

"Ah yes, I remember now, that's the pack who takes in strays and treat them like they are their own." The older Alpha said with a slight sneer.

"A bit like what you did to me, I suppose."

That wiped the sneer off his face. "I didn't do that to you, I just, well, I didn't want you to die alright! An adult wolf should take care of themselves if they've been banished or ran away from their own pack, but you, you're just a pup." He huffed with a scowl.

Bella continued to stare at the other wolf and after a while, he stared right back.

"You know, there's nothing wrong with opening up your heart to others and sharing your love with those who need it."

The older Alpha scoffed, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that blood is thicker than water?"

When there was no immediate reply, the older wolf turned back around towards the little pup again and was surprised to find her looking up at him with a small smile. "Mom says love is stronger than hate."

"Yeah, well, she's wrong kid."

"Nope," Bella replied as she rapidly shook her head, "Mom is never wrong. Ma said so."

Now the other Alpha was confused, "I, what?" He tilted his head in confusion as the pup beside him began to laugh.

"I've got two mothers," she giggled, but stopped when she realised, "who are probably worried sick about me."

The two wolves sat in silence as both became lost in their own thoughts. After a long while, the silence was broken by a mumbled, "Paddy."

"Huh?"

"My name is Patrick, but you can call me Paddy. I am, well, was the leader of the Doyle pack."

"What happened?" Bella asked, her interest piqued.

"Nothing a little pup like you should know about." Paddy replied quickly, before adding, "I did some stuff and now I'm on my own, trying to hide from my enemies."

"Enemies?"

"Everyone has them, I just have a whole forest full of 'em."

"Which is why you're gonna help me get home."

"I am?"

"Yep. You can't stay here and obviously neither can I. Surely you won't put my life in danger, especially after you saved me. If you helped me home, you could head towards the mountains and hide there."

The older Alpha laughed, "I afraid I'm already a step ahead of you."

Bella squinted her eyes in confusion before heading towards to the entrance of the small den. As she poked her head out, she was greeted with a strong gust of icy cold wind and a rather magnificent view of the tops of the surrounding trees.

"Ah, I see what you mean."


The Rizzoli pack spend the entire day searching for Bella, with each of the wolves pairing up and searching the area. Jane and Korsak headed north while Maura and Susie searched east of the den. Frankie and Frost headed towards the south, and towards the border of the forest while Tommy and Lydia headed west of the den to try and find Bella. TJ searched the area close to Beacon Hill while regularly checking in with Angela, who stayed with the pups in the den. The three pups were thrilled to finally meet their grandmother, in spite of the somber occasion.

But despite their efforts, by nightfall there was still no sight of the missing wolf pup.

"What is wrong with me? I'm her mother, damn it! I should have a natural instinct at finding my own pups, shouldn't I? Don't all mothers have that instinct? What is wrong with me? Why haven't I found her yet?" Jane growled to herself, enraged that she had failed to find her daughter. She sat down with a dull thud as exhaustion washed over her and she realised, with a pitiful whimper, that she was losing hope and was growing more and more despondent by the minute.

"I'm sorry Jane, but it's getting too dark to see properly. We have to go back." Korsak sighed and lowered his head in defeat. He hated to admit it, but it was difficult finding the pup when he didn't know her scent and the only two wolves who had any real chance of finding Bella was Jane and Maura, and both had already ran themselves ragged trying to find their daughter.

Jane barely acknowledged him as she watched the sun set. She couldn't believe that none of the search parties were able to find Bella and in her frazzled state, her mind could only come to one conclusion. "What if he has her."

"Come on Jane, don't think like that-"

"No Korsak! What if he's still after me, and he thought now was the perfect time to get revenge?" Jane shrieked, her voice growing more hysterical by the second.

"Jane, no one has seen him in years, hell, he's probably dead. Even if he is alive, he wouldn't know where we are. The last time we met him was when you ventured to the other side of the mountain, and that was the first and only time you saw him. Only a psycho would become obsessed with someone after only meeting them, and fighting them, once. Then again, Hoyt is batshit crazy."

Jane flinched at the name but managed to control her features enough that her fear and sorrow wasn't too obvious.

After a moment to collect herself, Jane tilted her head back and gave a long, sad howl at the moon and after a few moments, a longer, sadder howl answered back.

"Maura had no luck either," Jane sighed, "Susie's making her head back home too but she wants to keep looking for Bella as well."

Korsak watched as Jane howled back to her bondmate and after a few more doleful howls, the two made their way back to Beacon Hill.


"Look kid, I know I said I'd help you find your way home, but it's getting late and we won't be able to see the forest properly with the moonlight alone." Paddy said gruffly as he watched the Alpha pup take in the sights the mountain offered in a desperate attempt to find her home.

"Come on Paddy, give me five more minutes, I know I can remember where my home is, all I need to do is find the massive tree above our den."

"You won't be able to do so in this light kid. I don't want you to stick around longer than you have to either, but nor am I gonna let you fend for yourself. Come on kid, without your mother here to feed you, you need all the strength you can get."

Bella continued to scan the forest for anything she could recognised, hoping her aerial view could offer her a better chance at finding the way back to the den.

After watching the evening wind rustle the leaves on the trees and the birds flying to and from their nests, Bella decided that the older Alpha was right. Just as she turned her head and opened her mouth to admit she had finally given up for the day, a long howl interrupted her.

Bella's head snapped forward as she tried to find the source of the howl but when she thought she found where it was coming from, it stopped. Before she could lose hope, another howl caught her attention. "That's them! That's them right there! They're talking to each other! They're trying to find me!" She squealed.

Paddy could only watch as the small pup tried to howl back, but her obvious inexperience was as hilarious as it was heartbreaking.

"Kid, they ain't gonna hear you from up here, but if we can figure out where they are, we can follow their trail home."

Bella beamed at Paddy's suggestion and quick spun around again to try and find where her mothers were. Her Ma's howl seemed to be closer than her Mom's, while her Mom's howl was longer. Both, however, were filled with distress and sorrow at their failure to find Bella.

"It sounds like your mothers really care about you." Paddy quietly said to the pup once the howling came to an end.

"I know, they love all of us, and I feel terrible that they probably think I ran away from home thinking they don't love me." Bella replied sadly as she watched Paddy take one last look of the forest.

"I'm pleased that you do know. They obviously love you very much."

A comfortable silence fell between the two wolves as they admired the tranquil sight of the forest at dusk.

"I've gotta ask you something. You could've left me behind when you found me. Why did you help me, why are you still helping me?"

A distant, forlorn look crossed the older Alpha's face as he turned away from the view of the forest and, after losing himself in old memories for a couple of minutes, gave the pup beside him a small, sad smile.

"I won't deny it, I'm probably the most heartless wolf you'll ever meet, but only if you've rubbed up me the wrong way. And trust me, a lot of wolves have done that over the years. But you? You're just a pup. You're too young to have done anything bad and you still have the rest of your life to live. Every pup deserves the best start in life, a chance to grow and become the greatest wolf they can possibly be. And, well, that's the reason why I gave up my only daughter to a pair of bondmates to raise as their own." He said, his voice laced with pain and despair.

"You must've really loved her if you were willing to give her away so she wouldn't have to grow up in your world, which sounds pretty sucky from what you've told me." Bella whispered with a sympathetic smile.

Paddy stared at Bella with a look of utter surprise and a little bit of happiness. He couldn't describe why, but he felt a strange sense of relief when the little pup realised his good intentions and did not accuse him of heartlessly abandoning his daughter. He wasn't sure if she would still like him if she knew the whole truth, like how he lied to the birth mother and told her their daughter had died, but a part of him was too selfish to tell Bella everything, as he wasn't sure how she would react. Worst case scenario would be that she became so disgusted with him, she ran away and tried to find her way home on her own, and he just couldn't bear the thought of the little pup not returning home safely.

Shaking away his depressing thoughts, Paddy gave the small pup a wry smile. "I gotta say, you are very understanding for a pup. You're quite wise beyond your years."

"So I've been told." Bella replied with a cocky grin.

"Alright kiddo, there's only so much arrogance a pipsqueak like you can get away with. Come on, let's go back to the den so you can rest and have something to eat. We have a big day tomorrow." Paddy said with a smile as he began to make his way back to his small den.

"Don't worry, I'll find my way home." Bella whispered to the moon with a determined nod and followed closely behind him.


"I'm telling you, she was crazy thinking it was clever to explore the forest by herself, but she's tough. Not as tough as me, but she can hold her own when she's in trouble." Ralph whispered to his two siblings as they laid curled up with one another in a small bundle beside their mothers. The two adult wolves had collapsed into a deep slumber as soon as they entered the den after they had a lengthy talk outside that the pups couldn't hear. The three pups didn't even need to ask if they had found Bella, as the crestfallen looks on their parents faces was evident enough.

Marcus nodded his head rapidly, "I know what you mean. She's really smart and I'm pretty sure she's always beaten you in a fight," the Beta said with a teasing smile.

"No! Well, yeah, but that's only because I go easy on her. She is a girl after all."

"Keep telling yourself that, champ."

"Whatever Marky, what would you know about fighting anyway?"

"I'm still learning and so are you so don't get too full of yourself."

"You're just jealous of my amazing skills."

"Yeah, okay Ralph."

"You know, I kinda preferred you when you were more timid."

"I kinda preferred you when you was too young to speak."

Luna sighed as she listened to her brothers' bickering. It was around this time that she and Bella would share a look and Bella would tell the two boys to knock it off, but just the thought of her sister caused the painful feelings of guilt and hopelessness to make her stomach churn.

She blamed herself for everything that happened, and while everyone told her not to, she just couldn't help it. Grandma Angela tried to cheer her up, as did her brothers, but nothing made her smile. All she wanted was her sister to come home.

When she was sure her brothers was too distracted with their little quarrel, she snuck away from her family and made her way to the entrance of the den. As she gazed up at the moon, she remembered the night Bella darted through the trees and away from the den. She turned her attention to the direction her sister went that night and decided then and there that, just before the break of dawn, she would try and find her sister herself. She knew it was rash of her, but in that moment her mind was set. With one last look at the moon, she whispered a soft, "come on Bella, find your way home," before making her way back inside the den for a rest.


The sun had yet to rise when Paddy decided it was time to try and find the way to Bella's home.

"Paddy," Bella whined, "why did we have to get up so early? The sun isn't even up yet, so neither should we."

"Sorry kid, but it's better if we travelled in the dark because it's harder for others to spot us."

"Oh yeah, because you're hiding from all your enemies who are out for your blood." Bella said gravelly as she pretended to sadly shake her head.

"You know, you're pretty funny for a pup. But don't think that means I'm gonna miss you when we find your home."

"Don't worry, I won't miss you either, you old fart."

Paddy roared with laughter as they finally finished climbing down the mountain and reached the ground. Just as his laughter died down, a bush to their left began to rustle and shake.

"Stay behind me kid," Paddy growled as he moved into a fighting stance.

Just as he let out a low growl at the potential threat, the bush suddenly stopped shaking and a brown hare leapt out and froze in front of them, petrified.

"Watch out Paddy, it looks dangerous."

The older Alpha rolled his eyes in annoyance as they watched the hare sprint away and glared down at the smug looking pup. "You're just lucky that wasn't Hoyt."

The pup grew serious then, "Hoyt?"

"Yeah," he muttered as they continued to make their way through the forest," he's just some freak who likes to attack anything he comes across. Sometimes wolves, sometimes people. I've lost some damn good members of my pack because of him. If I ever found him, well, he'd be screwed is all I'm saying. Do you know him or something?" Paddy asked when he noticed the pensive look on the Alpha pup's face.

"Not personally no, but I think my Ma has met him. Once she woke up yelping because of a nightmare and I heard her tell Mom it was about someone called Hoyt. I was the only one awake so I never mentioned it to my siblings, but I think it's a touchy subject for them both. I don't want to say or do anything that might upset them."

"You running off probably upset them."

"Gee you don't say!" Bella said with a wry smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Ma's gonna be furious with me when she gets over the joy that I'm alive," Bella sighed, "but I'm more afraid of Mom's reaction."

"Oh? Why?"

"She isn't a shouter, not like Ma, but she can make you feel so guilty it's unreal. And she doesn't even do it on purpose, it's just that you feel like poop for letting her down, because she's so lovely. That's what Ma says. Also, Ma said Mom is really scary when she's angry, so I really hope she isn't mad with me." Bella added with a sad frown.

"I doubt it kid, just don't do it again. It's a miracle you was still alive when I found you and you're, what, six or seven weeks old? You're a strong little thing, I'll give you that."

"It's the Rizzoli in me," Bella declared proudly, "Ma says I get my strength from her and my smartness from my Mom."

"Really?"

"Yep. Together, the Rizzoli-Isles pack are unstoppable!" Bella cheered, but quickly turned around when she noticed her companion had stopped abruptly.

"Paddy?"

"D-Did you just say 'Isles'?

"Yeah, why-"

"Bella!"

Both Alphas spun around and Bella began to yap with joy when she noticed her sister running towards her, "Luna! What are you doing here?"

"I came to try and find you! Everyone's so worried, and I felt really guilty that I didn't try and stop you and-"

"No Luna, you shouldn't feel bad. I should've listened to you, I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused." The young Alpha said miserably.

"All that matters is that you're safe. I've missed you sis!" Luna squealed as she tacked her sister.

After the two sisters pounced on one another and played together for a while, Bella remembered about her new friend. But when the two pups looked up at the older wolf, they were surprised to find him frozen in place, as though he had seen a ghost.

"Maura?"