Chapter 1: Guilt Trip

Humphrey smiled as he looked at the row of buttercups. This is the perfect thing to give Kate while she's in recovery he thought. Grabbing a few he set back for the den where Kate was resting.

Kate lied almost asleep. With the herbs that Helen had given her she didn't even feel her shoulder anymore.

"Kate?" Asked Kate's mother with curiosity thick in her voice. "Your friends are here and they want to talk to you."

"Ok mom you can send them in" replied Kate, sitting upright, Kate watched as Flora, Rose, and Scarlet all alphas, all close friends since birth walked in and sat down close to Kate.

"How are you?" asked Flora.

"I'm getting better" said Kate. "I'll have to stay on high alert for caribou next time" said Kate.

After all sharing a few minutes of laughter the girls started to talk about themselves.

"Sooooo," said Rose.

"So what" asked Kate?

"Comon" said Rose a sly smile on her face. "We all know you don't actually love an Omega none the less that pathetic Humphrey, I mean that would just make you pathetic."

The girls all nodded in agreement and looked for agreement from Kate. Not wanting to be made fun of Kate agreed laughing.

"Yea it's not like I actually care for him." "I just said that so I didn't have to marry Barth!"

The girls burst out laughing. Glad for their attention Kate continued. "I mean he can't hunt, everything is a joke around him no one actually likes him they all just pretend to, and above all he's a complete disgrace to my father's pack."

Feeling an immense amount of guilt for putting her mate down so harshly was swept away at the sound of her friend's immense laughter and agreement.

Humphrey stood to the side of the den listening to his mate talk about what a disgrace he was. On the verge of tears Humphrey dropped the bundle of buttercups and walked away.

Flare was just about to take a delicious bite of fresh caribou when he heard a soft cry coming from the path that led away from the pack, quickly getting up flare left his comfy spot on the rock to go see what the sound was. Flare gasped as he saw Humphrey quietly sobbing and walking in obviously no direction. Paining him to see his friend in so much turmoil Flare walked over to him.

"What's wrong bud"? Said Flare with a puzzled look on his face.

Humphrey with tears on his face explained to his terrified friend what he had overheard in between sobs.

"She's right." Said Humphrey. "I'm a just a disgrace, I don't deserve Kate."

Being an alpha Flare could talk to the girls, "I could help Humphrey". "No I just want to be alone right now." Sighing Flare walked back over to his caribou and started to eat.

Humphrey feeling crushed and hurt continued to walk until he reached the territorial border a vast meadow. Sitting Humphrey cried for close to ten minutes when he looked up to see three immense black wolves ten feet away smiling and staring at him.

Humphrey knew who these wolves were. They were the southern wolves banished long ago for their cruelty and ferociousness.

Hunter looked down at the obvious omega with a disgusted look. "What's the matter baby? Did you get a booboo?"

The other black wolves laughed a deep unhealthy sound. Humphrey not willing to be humiliated anymore dried up the tears and held back his hurt emotions as new ones took hold, fear.

"Why are you on our territory?" asked Humphrey with a shaky voice.

"That's none of your damn business Omega twerp" shouted Hunter anger strong in his voice.

"We ask the questions and you answer them. Now." said hunter. "Where is Kate the Daughter of the leader of your pack?"

"Why do you want to know?" Asked Humphrey.

Before he knew it Hunter was in front of him slapping his face hard enough to break his jaw.

"I told you we ask the questions around here."

Spitting a glob of blood onto the ground Humphrey looked up.

"But since you're curious...I'll tell you." You see food is scarce down South and we are tired of barely getting by, so we have decided to take your land." Sadly although we are superior to your breed in every way you out number us… by a lot, so by kidnapping Kate we would have all the leverage we need to get what we want."

Finishing his speech Hunter looked down at Humphrey "so are you going to tell us where she is or are you going to make this difficult?"

Humphrey looked at the three black wolves "you won't get any information about Kate from me as long as I live."

"Well that can be changed now cant it" said Hunter with an angry look. In a quick lunging motion Hunter bit into Humphreys left shoulder and threw him to the ground.

Humphrey had been gone a long time thought Flare…not wanting to get up Flare forced himself to stand up and start to follow Humphreys trail. The sight that Flare uncovered ten minutes later would have scared the bravest alpha.

Three southern wolves standing overtop a whimpering and bloody Humphrey. Gasping Flare turned around and ran for Winston still the leader of the pack due to Kate's injury.

Ten minutes later Flare was running into Winston's den were he found Tony, Garth, Lilly, Kate and Eve all eating together, Kate looked troubled. Winston looked up with a puzzled look on his face.

"Why did you interrupt us Flare is something the matter?"

"In the meadow...Southern wolves...Torturing Humphrey...They're going to kill him we have to hurry" shouted Flare!

Within minutes the den was in a jumble of activity as Winston ran to gather the pack. Kate's face had gone white and she looked as if she would pass out any minute.

"I'm coming!" She said.

"No you're not your in no condition" said her mother with a worried look on her face.

Flare glared at Kate and said "if he dies I will blame you" and walked away. Within seconds the pack was following the lead of Flare.

Humphrey let out a cry of pain as hunter raked at his sides cutting them open before he could cry out the other two wolves did the same to his left and right thighs. The pain almost caused him to black out.

The wolves retreated for a second and Hunter stepped forward "I can smell your pack getting closer where is Kate?"

Humphrey looked at him and said nothing. Hunter leapt forward and knocked Humphrey to the ground with his right side exposed Hunter smashed his paw into Humphrey's ribs breaking three of them with a snap.

Humphrey cried as he felt pain like never before...Fading in and out he was dimly aware of his pack running into the meadow. He was also aware of Hunter leaping forward and biting into his neck in a final attempt to kill him.

Before Hunter could finish him Winston and Garth tackled him. Humphrey watched the three wolves get chased out of the territory and then blacked out.

Kate watched in absolute terror as Winston and Garth carried Humphreys blood soaked body into the den. There was so much activity Kate couldn't see much only Flare and Humphreys other friends staring at her coldly.

The crowd spared out a bit and Kate got a short glimpse of Humphrey and almost screamed. Four long deep slash marks on his sides' torso and thighs. Multiple bite wounds, and cuts. Kate got up and started to limp towards Humphrey when her farther stepped in front of her.

"Kate I'm sorry but Humphrey is in critical condition, his face darkened the pack healers don't know if he will make it he's lost so much blood."

Kate looked at the love of her life and thought that she deserved those wounds for saying those terrible things about her mate.

She quietly walked over to Flare who looked at her and snarled Humphreys friends walking away at the sight of her.

"Why are you being so cold to me" asked Kate with a hurt expression?

Because of what you did to Humphrey" he said looking at her with a disgusted look.

"What did I do to Humphrey" she asked feeling a terrible knowing in her stomach.

"He heard you Kate he heard you with your friends!" Snarled Flare.

"He was bringing you back those flowers and he came back to you insulting him and calling him revolting names." "You call yourself his mate?" You certainly don't show it, and with that Flare walked away...

Kate began to cry as she looked at the trampled bouquet of buttercups by the mouth of the den. Big wet tears streamed down her face at the recognition of what she had caused. From inside the cave she heard faint whimpering of the wolf she loved so much as the pack healers try to keep him alive…