"Where am I?" Chichi was so confused. It was dark. She was outside somewhere. Her body was shivering from the cold and wet. No matter how she struggled to stand, she couldn't. She was shivering so bad. It had rained? Seemed like it did. The ground under her was semi dry but around her it was saturated. It was so dark. She held herself to try to stop the shivering. She had never been so chilled. It was so so dark.

Being a werewolf she usually could see in the dark quite well and had a high metabolism. She could see nothing but darkness. She was usually warm even when it was snowing. Not now.. She was shivering. She also felt she couldn't hear as well as normal. Her senses were all "off."

What was wrong with her? What was going on?

She couldn't reach her wolf either. No matter how she searched in their shared mind space, she couldn't reach her. It was if there was a barrier between them. How did that happen? Not once since she was 9 years old and shifted early did she not have access to her wolf.

Chichi was not going to panic. She had to find her way out of this pit first and foremost. She is 24 years old now. She had no mate...yet. She was wondering if she would ever find her mate. She stopped her rambling, wandering mind. First she had to figure out how to get out of here.

How had she gotten here. She couldn't really remember much of anything right now. Chichi laid there on the cold, wet ground thinking. She still couldn't move much due to her shivering. And she was sore?? Sore? Why would she be sore? As she took a more serious inventory of her physical condition she realized she had some dried blood on her hands and forehead. At least she thought it was blood.It was still a bit sticky and smelled like blood. Was it hers? Her left ankle was really sore and her right ankle was somewhat sore. Wait! Her wrists hurt too.

"What on earth happened to me?" she said out loud to herself.

Chichi truly could not remember.

She recalled being out with Dennis Tracker on a "friend-date." Chichi saw Dennis as a friend only. They worked together in the same company. Chichi was a lawyer and Dennis was in accounting. Dennis kept trying to get her to fall for him but she knew he wasn't her mate, so that wasn't happening. Chichi was waiting for her mate, no matter how long it took.

Dennis had suggested since both were alone and it was Friday night they should grab dinner together. She agreed since they were good friends. She had explained to him a year or so ago where she stood. He had told her he was disappointed but he wanted to still be friends. She had agreed and for the last year it had all been good. Surely Dennis had not harmed her. Right?

She closed her eyes, partly to try to remember and partly because she was so sleepy. She knew she shouldn't go to sleep but her eyes were so heavy. She couldn't stay awake. Her mind was slipping towards the darkness. Before she knew it darkness set in. Chichi was no longer feeling the cold or wet or sore. An unconscious Chichi lay in the dark and wet alone.

Timothy was angry, very angry. His younger brother, Thomas, had done it again! He had been found drunk on wolfbane and passed out behind a shed in the town. Good thing Vic found him and not some random human police officer. Would that boy ever change?! Ever since their parents died, Timothy had been responsible for Thomas. Timothy was the Alpha afterall. Thomas was supposed to be the Beta of the pack but his playboy ways kept the Council of Elders (who oversee all packs' leaders) refused to allow him to become the Beta triggering another drunken binge. Timothy was so upset at the Council AND his brother that he excused himself from the meeting. As soon as the door closed⁰ he ran and shifted as he left through the back open window and sprinted to the forest. He had run for hours, literally.

"Crap! Where am I?" Timothy realized in his rage he had kinda lost his bearings. He sniffed. He was in neutral land (that was good...being on another pack's land without permission could spell trouble). He plopped down in wolf form and closed his eyes. He was thinking about his pack, his stupid brother, the samn Council of stuck up Elders...and he felt the anger brewing again. He took a deep breath. Then another one...WAIT!

"What is that wonderful scent?"

Timothy's wolf was up and sniffing. "Woo there big boy!" Timothy was ready to shift back into his human form because his wolf was starting to become out of control.

Timothy shifted backto his human. form. Yes, he was stark naked as he had shredded his clothes shifting. But he didn't mind. Being naked wasn't a big deal to werewolves. What WAS a big deal was finding the source of that heavenly scent. Timothy sniffed the air again and followed where it was leading him. He went north for about 20 minutes then his nose turned him west. It was getting stronger but he couldn't see anything on the horizon. The scentbwas very strong. It was near dawn now. He should have been able to make out something, right?

He closed his eyes and let his wolf and senses guide him. He stopped and opened his eyes. He looked around. Nothing.

Timothy scowled. Then he heard it...a faint heartbeat....coming from...from... beneath him?? What?

He looked now down at the ground. He searched for someone on the ground...NO...A pit. A very deep pit!

There was water in the pit and...

what was that? Timothy sniffed again. It was that scent! Someone was down in that pit. He called out.

"Hello."

No answer.

He called again, " I say, 'Hello!' Any one down there?"

No answer.

Then he heard a cough. It was faint but it was a cough. Someone who smelled like lavender and honey was down there. He looked around for something, anything to help him get down there. He could probably just jump down but he wasn't sure he would be able to avoid.landing on the person. He could shimy down but he would be filthy...and he was naked. Not a good.idea. So, Timothy shifted back to his wolf.form and lept into the pit. He had the best control.over his body for landing in this form.

He landed and saw her. A very beautiful albeit disheveled person was unconscious. He could smell she was a werewolf as well. What had happened to her? He tried to wake her by calling out.No response. So he went to shake her. He touched her shoulder and sparks flew up his hands and arms. "MATE!" his wolf cried out in his head.

"Mate? why didn't you tell.me sooner." Timothy inquired of his wolf.

"I wasn't sure. I wanted to be sure. We have waited so long!"

Timothy was 28 years old. He had waited 10 years for his mate. Waited patiently.

"I understand. I am glad you were cautious. So, you are sure?"

"YES! MATE!! HELP MATE!"

Timothy looked more closely at the unconscious woman at his feet. She had not moved at all. He knew she was still alive as he heard her heartbeat and saw her chest rising and falling, she was breathing. But what had happened and why was she in this predicament in the first place?

Timothy knew he had to get her out of the pit. He had to assess her wounds. He had to get her back to his packland and get her medical attention. He could smell her wolf but something was "off."

He leaned down and picked her up off the ground effortlessly. She had obviously been there a while as the ground under her was just damp while the ground around her was saturated with rain. She obviously was lost? hurt? In time he would find out, right now he needed to get her out of here.