Dante's P.O.V.

The sun peaked through the blinds and woke me up the next morning. I reached my arm across the bed to feel the silky skin of my mate but my hand hit the soft mattress. I sat straight up in bed more alert and aware of my surroundings.

Where was she? I took a deep breath and inhaled every scent in the room.

She was gone and had been for a while. I knew there was a chance she would leave without saying goodbye but I didn't think she would go through with it. I was going to try and stop her from going through with the plan this morning. She knew it. That's why she left in the middle of the night. She had no other choice.

I shoved my face into the pillow and muffled my loud yelling. I didn't want to wake up the entire house. My fists collided with the mattress and sheets. These were not exactly the actions of a twenty six year old Alpha male. It was more like a six year old who didn't get his favorite action figure at the grocery store.

I pulled my face away from the bed, "Cooper!"

He was in the bedroom in the blink of an eye. It was a little too fast for my taste. He must have been waiting for me to wake up. He was up to something.

Lately I noticed him and Arianna getting closer ever since she came back from the hunters. If she left last night he would know about it.

"Yes Alpha Dante?"

"Cut the bullshit, Cooper. When did she leave?"

He winced at my tone. His face was riddled with guilt. His hand rubbed the back of his neck like he was unsure whether or not he should say anything to me.

"She left around two this morning."

"She didn't even say goodbye to me."

"I'm sure she did man. You were just sleeping when she said it."

"I just don't understand why she wouldn't wake me up before she left. God only knows when the next time is going to be when I'll see her, if I ever will again," I choked out.

What the hell was the matter with me? When did I turn into such a pansy? Here I was sitting in bed about to cry over a girl. Well she wasn't just any girl she was my mate but still. Was this how it was supposed to be when you were away from your mate? Was this how it always was going to be like?

Cooper quickly placed a fist in his mouth. I knew he was trying not to laugh at how pathetic I was being.

"Get a grip on yourself man."

He reached out and whacked the back of my head.

Any other time I would have lashed out and hit him back. It was a bad idea and rude to hit an Alpha but right now I needed him to knock some sense into me.

"Stop whining and do something about it. Let's go get her back!"

"Right, round up the boys. We need a plan to get onto the Shadowlands. After all it is our new territory. Let's go fight for it."

"There's the Dante I know!" Cooper grinned and slapped my back.

When he told me to get her back it was the kick in the ass I needed to get out of bed. I had to do something about this rather than mope over her capture. The last time the hunters took her from me I was forced to lay in bed to recover from their attack. The moment my wounds healed I didn't take a moments rest until she was in my arms.

This time would be no different. My mate was my world. Nothing mattered more than her safety right now.

"Gather all our best fighters. I want everyone ready to leave in no later than thirty minutes," I ordered him. He quickly left.

I didn't want to rush our pack but Ari already had a significant head start. There was no telling what the hunters could have done to my beautiful mate by now.

Last time that lunatic Johnny cut her perfect skin. He left her leg and face scarred. I already wanted him dead for the present he left me on my eye. If he caused her any more harm I would rip him limb from limb.

My hands clenched the top of the bed frame. My knuckles began to pale from gripping it too hard. I needed to calm myself before I shifted into my wolf out of anger. I was always losing control of him now more than ever. It was Ari. She drove my wolf crazy.

Last night was one of the best nights in my entire life. The touch of her silky skin on mine ignited a fire deep inside me. Each place on her skin that my lips touched elicited a moan from her plump lips. Every moan that reached my ears was like heaven. The sound was made just for me.

All I wanted at that moment was to hold her in my arms; to feel her warm breath against my cheek when she inhaled sharply from my kisses. I craved the feeling of her chest rising and falling with every heartbeat as it pounded in sync with mine when our bodies melded together as one.

I stopped thinking about it. I wouldn't be getting out of bed any time soon this morning if I didn't. My arms pushed myself up and got dressed. The pack would be here soon. It was essential for the Alpha to have a clear head when coming up with a plan.

Oh, god, a plan.

What was I going to do? How was I going to earn the respect of the Shadowlands pack and get them to follow me? I had never done something like that before.

When Cooper and I left the Hollows we just sort of found the other rogues and they sensed my Alpha blood. They blindly followed me. I hadn't led them into danger yet so they trusted me.

"Dante," Cooper called up from the stairway, "Everyone is here and accounted for!"

"You can do this," I assured my reflection. I strode down the stairs to join the rogue half of my pack. Until we had the Shadowlands with us we wouldn't be complete.

"Hello Alpha Dante," Bobby teased once I stepped out onto the deck. He was like a younger brother to me. He didn't know his parents. I made sure to look after him. He usually got away with anything with me.

I ruffled his hair and swung an arm around his shoulders in an attempt to lighten the mood. It had been a while since we joked around together. But now was not the time to take everything too casual.

"Alright, everyone gather around," I called everyone to order, "Your Alpha female left late last night."

"What!" Bobby shouted, interrupting me. He never was one for manners at his young age. He would have to learn sometime but now wasn't the time for a lesson in manners either.

"She needed to return to the other Alphas to save the rest of our pack and the other packs. She needs our help. We must go to our new pack and help them."

"What are we waiting for?" one of my members called out.

"It's not so simple. The territory is still protected by the hunters."

"We outnumber them!"

"We should spread out into three groups and surround the pack house. They will have no choice but to surrender," Cooper suggested.

The plan didn't sound half bad. We tried it the last time we broke into the Hollows to get Ari back from Tristan. It worked then so why shouldn't it work this time?

I nodded my head while thinking it through, "I like it. Good thinking Coop. Same groups as last time except Bobby is with me this time."

I didn't want to take any chances. He was almost kidnapped or killed by the hunters last time. I wasn't so sure what they wanted him for and I didn't want to find out.

"Any questions?" I asked but no one opened their mouths, "Good, shift into your wolves and let's move."

Most of the group shifted into their wolves and split off into different directions. Bobby, Nathan, Keith, and Trent were part of my group. They followed me off into the woods.

We spent the entire walk in silence. We concentrated on our footsteps. We couldn't make any noises to tip off the woodland creatures to our presence. If they knew we were around then the hunters would sure as hell know.

'Stop where you are,' I ordered my four men.

I smelled three hunters just twenty feet in front of us. I didn't usually like to kill people. Alpha Xavier taught me it was better to take prisoners than to take a life away. But my mate's life was at stake. I couldn't risk it.

They could take her life or my pack's lives at any moment without a second thought. I had to make the big decision. Today it was kill or be killed. If they went for the kill then so would we.

I signaled Keith and Trent to take the right side while Nathan and Bobby took the left side. I would be coming directly at them. The hunters wouldn't stand a chance. It was five against three. The odds were looking pretty favorable for us.

The first hunter didn't even see me coming. I quickly shifted back to human form for a few seconds when a plan formulated in my head. I reached my two hands up and clapped them against his ears. It took his hearing out momentarily.

Ari taught me that the other day. She thought it was the coolest thing. She said her mentor Teague showed her how to fight and that was one of her aces in the hole when it came down to real fighting. Cooper paled when she showed us. I didn't feel bad for the hunter. He would be hearing ringing for a while. I didn't envy him.

His two buddies focused on me. Nathan caught up to the one on the left and put him in a chokehold with his mouth. His canines weren't out. He didn't break the skin and the hunter wasn't mortally wounded. He was out cold within seconds.

Nathan wasn't a killer. He liked to render his enemies unconscious instead. I respected him a lot for it. But if it really came down to a life I hoped he would be able to get the job done.

The other hunter posed a threat for Keith and Trent. He was abnormally large in size for a hunter. He was well trained with his two Bowie knives. Trent was already heavily bleeding from his abdomen after three swipes from the blade.

'Nathan shift. Get Trent out of here towards the new pack house with Bobby. Leave Keith and I here to finish the brute!' I ordered them in my Alpha voice.

This was getting dangerous too quickly. Trent was rapidly losing too much blood. I hoped the stupid hunters left our pack doctors alone back at the Shadowlands pack house.

No one protested at the orders. They quickly left, leaving Keith and I to face off with the giant hunter. He broke out into a toothy grin while pushing back the sleeves of his shirt. He crouched into a fighting position.

He was in for a big surprise. He didn't know he was fighting against an Alpha wolf on a mission to get his mate back.

I didn't give him a chance to take his next breath. Keith knew what move I was going to make so he did the opposite. I dove for the hunter's legs and he sprang for the hunter's torso.

The hunter swiped at both of us but my mouth gripped his thigh and punctured his main vein. He never stood a chance against us. He was down without even realizing it.

I didn't look back to see if Keith was following me or to watch the man scream in pain. I didn't look down to see if I was bleeding either. I had a job to do and I needed to make sure Trent was alive.

We took off for the pack house again. This time we didn't care about making noise and disturbing woodland creatures. But it turned out we didn't have to care. We didn't have any more run-ins with hunters. I would have found this curious but I didn't take the time to think about it.

'Alpha, they won't let us in,' Nathan's voice rang in my mind.

I had a feeling this would happen. The Shadowlands pack had no reason to trust us. Trent would probably die now. I pushed my wolf and Keith harder to get to the pack house. We needed to hurry.

Nothing prepared me for the situation we walked in on. Nathan had Trent in his arms and was standing off to the side. Cooper had arrived and was in a standoff. His left shoulder pushed against two extremely large men. Bobby snarled while crouching, ready to attack any of the pack members.

More and more of my rogue pack members arrived. They snarled and prepared themselves to attack the Shadowlands members that were storming out of the pack house.

I quickly shifted. I was ready to diffuse the situation.

"Stand down!" I shouted in my Alpha tone.

My old pack guiltily turned away from their attacking positions. They walked and took their rightful stances behind me. The Shadowlands pack members looked at me furiously. They were still unsure of what to do with me.

One of the males narrowed his eyes at me before hastily stomping over to me.

"How dare you show your face around here!" he yelled, shoving his finger in my face.

"Boy, do you have idea who I am?" I asked with a grin on my face. I promptly grabbed his finger and twisted it hard for jabbing it in my face. No one shove their finger in the Alpha's face and got away with it.

His lips twitched like he wanted to smile, "I know who you are. The question is do you know who I am?"

"Does it matter who you are?"

"My name is Logan."

Shit. My grin faltered as his name rang a bell in my head. He was one of Ari's best friends and I practically just broke his finger. She was going to kill me. No wonder he was acting cocky.

"Back off Logan," a voice yelled out from the pack house deck.

Everyone turned to look at who joined us.

He was a tall, well-built man. He looked like he had seen his fair share of fights. The Shadowlands pack members instantly parted way for him. I could tell they all respected him.

He walked over to me and my mind went blank with thoughts. I had no idea what to say to him especially since I didn't even know who he was. But it turned out I didn't have to say anything.

He dropped down to his knees and brought his right fist over his heart.

"I forever pledge my wolf to be bound to the Shadowlands under the leadership of Alpha Dante."

It took everything I had in me to keep my jaw from dropping. Here I was expecting to plead my case to this pack to join me in some crusade to save Ari. I didn't even have to open my mouth and utter one word to them. What was I supposed to do in this situation now? Nod my head in acceptance?

"Thank you-?"

"Teague," he finished for me.

This was the man Ari spoke so highly of. Now I knew why. He would definitely give Cooper a fair fight for Beta.

"You may stand Teague. Why are you blindly following a man you thought, just weeks ago, was trying to take over your land?"

"I spoke to Arianna this morning-"

"Wait, you got to see Ari?"

"No, the hunters got to her before we could but I got to speak with her. She explained the situation to me. You are the new Alpha of the Shadowlands. You are my Alpha. I shall follow you until you no longer lead us."

"Thank you, Teague."

After he pledged himself, the other pack members knelt to the ground and pledged themselves until Logan was the only one left. He was stubbornly refusing to pledge himself.

"I am only pledging myself because I want Arianna back."

"I accept that for now. In time you will see that I am not a bad guy."

He huffed at me but nonetheless knelt to the ground and placed his right fist over his heart.

"I forever pledge my wolf to be bound to the Shadowlands under the leadership of Alpha Dante."