Tristen Fredrickson sighed, feeling frustrated as she passed the dressed from one side to the other. She wasn't having much luck finding the perfect dress for the party. This was the third store her friend, Bree, and her visited had been to and she still didn't see anything close to what she was looking for. It had to be something special; something sexy, and most importantly something that would make her ex realize what an idiot he had been for dumping her just for that slut, Angie.

"Try on this dress. I think it's what you've been looking for," Bree said holding up a pretty looking dress. Tristen took the dress from her friend and walked into the dressing room. She looked at herself in the mirror. She turned pulling up her hair up in a messy pile on top of her head and moved to one side then the other. This dress was perfect!

It was a pinkish peach color that had pretty beads on the front and along the thigh high slit on the right side of the front of the skirt part of the dress. "What do you think," Tristen asked stepping out of the dressing room and smiled as her friend's jaw dropped down to her chest.

"You look... amazing Tris," Bree cheered and Tristen's smile grew. She paid for the dress, not once looking at the price and handing over her credit card. "We're going to the movies tomorrow right, The Cheerleader's Secret is coming out tomorrow and I so been dying to see it. They say you get to see Zack Efron practically naked in it," Bree said, as they left the mall, her voice rising to a squeal near the end and Tristen shook her head laughing.

"Yeah we're going," Tristen replied with a mocked hesitance in her voice. She waved to her friend as both walked over to their own cars. Tristen's pace was quick as the parking lot was getting pretty dark. A shiver ran down her spine as she felt like she was being watched. She looked around the parking lot discreetly. There were a few people going to or from their cars but no one looked in her direction.

She shrugged off the sensation and hurried to her car. With a sigh of relief she unlocked the car when suddenly someone spoke. "Tristen Fredrickson?" the male voice asked and she turned to see a blonde man standing there. Where'd he come from? She thought confused. He was tall, pale, and totally noticeable.

"Um yes?" she replied back with a questioning tone. Suddenly he grinned at her and took a step towards her.

"What do you want?" She demanded, backing into her car feeling panicked.

"For you to look at me," he demanded.

"What?" she replied confused and looked into his brown eyes. Suddenly she relaxed and her body seemed to grow numb. What's going on, she thought, starting to really grow hysterical when she realized she couldn't move an inch.

"That's a good girl," the man mused with a smirk. "You'll be coming with me now Tristen," he told her and she wanted to tell him that there was no way she was going anywhere with him but she couldn't speak. "Sleep," he demanded and oddly enough she felt her eyes grow heavy and a yawn escaped her. She started to actually fall asleep and she was only barely aware of someone catching her as she collapsed. What the hell is going on? She thought before she fully slipped into the darkness. Lily Nawassa in the cramped tree house. She would've sworn it was a lot bigger fifteen years ago. Guess that's the way of life, she thought as she readjusted her position. The half Native American werewolf/vampire hybrid looked around the house. Memories of happier times passed before her and some not so happier times. When she was a girl and couldn't stay with the Roberts because of a boy named James Lacrosse, Lily came here.

This little tree house had been her safe haven away from the disgusting guests her biological mother's drug infested, parties. Lily grinned, realizing that it seemed some things never change. Even after all these years it was still her safe haven when she couldn't stay at the Roberts. This time it wasn't drunk pedophiles she was hiding from and it wasn't James Lacrosse keeping her from the Roberts but alphas... all sixty-seven of them.

Her brother, Tony, and the alpha of the local pack of werewolves had called the country's alphas, along with some from Mexico and Canada to his territory to discuss the latest threat. The organization called the Aquivalere, which was meant to be a referee type organization for all the supernatural races, had become overrun with vampires who wished to make more hybrids like her.

They funded and encouraged the psycho werewolf, Xavier Thompson, that had taken Lily and transformed her from your basic run of the mill human to the hybrid she is now. The only problem was that Lily was the only one that had survived his hybrid experiments. Every other Xavier had tried to make either died immediately or were insane, mutated monstrous creatures that ended up dying shortly afterward.

The sound of someone coming up the tree to join Lily brought her out of her memories. With a quick sniff, Lily knew it was Tony. She moved over to allow him easier way in and grinned as she saw the telltale blond hair that all the Roberts family had. "Hey Tony," she said as he pulled himself up.

"Hey Lilliput," he replied, giving her a swoon-worthy grin. Tony, like all werewolves, was muscular. He was tall, about five' ten and with his blond hair and striking blue eyes was one gorgeous looking man but Lily always saw him as her bigger brother, nothing more.

"I take it the meeting is over and how did you know I'd be here?" She asked and he shot her another grin.

"The first day is over, yeah. We still have a bunch to go over, and well since you weren't hiding at James' place I'd figure you'd be here," he replied, groaning as he pulled his legs up and into the tree house. "Damn this place is small. How the hell did we ever fit in here," he complained. "How did I ever manage to have sex up here?" Lily's eyes widened as gasped.

"You didn't?" she demanded and Tony smirked at her and lifted his chin toward the cut out a square that served as a window. On the left edge was about ten or more notches.

"I was very popular," he gloated and Lily made a noise of disgust.

"Oh my God! You defiled our tree house," She said then growled. "Oh my God! Ew! Let me out! This is so disgusting! I will never forgive you for this," she told him as she scrambled out of the tree house. Tony laughed as he too left the tree house. "I wouldn't laugh if I was you. I am so going to tell Liz!" Lily threatened and Tony's laughter died as he got a look of terror.

"You wouldn't," he said and Lily grinned crossing her arms over her chest. "Come on. I'm your brother," he added.

"I think you deserve it after what you did to my tree house," she told him, trying her best to appear very serious.

"Fine, I won't tell your mate what a man-whore you are... for now," she said, giving him an evil smile and he sighed, slumping as he relaxed. It made her laugh at the sight of it. Big bad alpha wolf was scared of his mate. Not that she could blame him. Liz was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to be. "So is there a reason you came looking for me or did you just want to ruin my childhood?"

"I did not ruin your childhood," he complained then added, "But yes, I came looking for you for a reason." Dread filled her as she saw the sheepish look on his face. "You see Lily," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Some of the alphas... they want to meet you and.... um talk about..." he said pausing, with a hesitant and almost sick look on his face.

"Talk about what Tony," She asked suspiciously.