It had taken six long years for this moment. Moment by moment healing each and every cell in her body. The slow, painful reversal of time and age as it took its toll on her body. Somewhere out there, whatever remained of the Hale family had not returned, but that was fine by her. She was alpha. She was able to move once more. She was, in each and every night she snuck out, gathering more and more information about those that had helped the hunters, who had given them that accelerant that burned like napalm.

Now she needed the strength of pack behind her as well.

The woods felt good. The earthy loam beneath her feet, the scent of dirt and molding, dying things mixing with the nearly "green" smell of the plants that grew and flourished. Her abilities weren't as strong as they should have been but they were growing, becoming stronger with each day she spent sneaking out of the hospital under the watchful eye of a plain woman with a nursing degreee that had helped her hide the strength of her body and her nightly sojourns through Beacon Hills.

A new scent caught her attention. Warm, slightly spicy, with a hint of what she knew as fear. A smile curved her lips, loving how she smelled as she moved to follow the shadows, seeking him out.