Turning onto a hidden gravel path, I follow behind Gale’s trailer as we hit the final stretch of our ten-day journey. Lunette had decided that she wanted to ride with her family when we left the Diner and I was thankful for that. The three hours of alone time helped me to get my thoughts sorted and prepare me for any trials Alpha Stanton may throw my way during the probation period before I am initiated into the pack. Once I am a full fledge member of Golden Fang, I will request at least a weeks time to deal with the pain of rejection and banishment properly before starting my Beta training with the Beta couple Albert and Marrisol.
Rolling my windows down to allow fresh air into the cabin of my truck, my nose twitches as I scent smoke and blood on the wind. Sensing something wrong, I immediately dial Gale’s number, the music I had playing through Bluetooth being replaced by the dial tone.
“Bryn-”
“Gale something is wrong!” I state, cutting off his greeting as I take another deep breath to confirm that I was not imagining things. It still smells like blood and smoke.
“I rolled down the windows to let in fresh air and I immediately smelt blood and smoke.” I continue, my eyes darting between my mirrors and windows to spot any hidden dangers. Gale curses, his hazard lights turning on to signal that he wants to pull over.
“Park on the other side of the road. Asteria is going to stay with the pups but in case she needs to get away, we can’t have your truck in her way.” Gale orders and I do what he says, moving to park five feet away from Gales truck on the left side of the road.
“Okay, now what?” I ask while shutting off my truck and worried for our safety.
“We need to investigate so come join me over here. Make sure to lock your truck and Asteria will hold onto your keys.” Gale answers, his voice sounding tense. Making a sound of acknowledgement, I hang up and slip out of my truck as quietly as I can. After making sure there is nothing lurking in the trees watching us, I pad carefully over to Miss Asteria’s door and hand her my keys. The pups are in the back seat, Gray and Lunette looking scared but Chase looks curiously out the window, his blood humming with the power of an Alpha. I know he wants to come with us, to protect his family, but with him still being unable to shift, Chase will just become a hinderance if we need to fight against unknown enemies.
“Keep the doors locked and mind link me if something happens.” Gale cautions his Mate. Miss Asteria nods and as soon as Gale closes the door, she locks their truck and scoots to the driver side. With a nod to one another, we shift into wolf form – our clothes tearing in the process - and silently make our way to the forest edge away from the gravel road to stick close to the tree line. Gale is lucky to have a dark brown wolf, his fur blending in with the forest nicely. My cream fur will stand out against everything and so I try my best to stay between Gale and the trees so that my fur won’t give use away.
As we grow closer to where Golden Fang is settled, the stench of smoke and blood grows stronger. Shouts and sobbing can be heard with each step we take, each sound growing louder until we find ourselves at the edge of the forest. Spread out before us are burning building and wolves who are either injured, dying or dead. The stench of blood and smoke is so strong that I have to back away and burry my nose into my tail for a moment to breathe. It seems like a battle has just taken place.
The sound of Gale shifting catches my attention and as he stands, his eyes gaze out towards the destruction before us. I can see a slight hesitation but also concern and worry for all the wolves.
“Let’s go see what is going on.” He whispers, running his fingers through my fur. I let out a small whimper of protest, unsure if it is safe for us to do so. Gale turns to smile at me reassuringly, promising me that if someone tries to attack us, I can rip them to shreds. This seems to be the thing I need to hear as I shake out my fur and nod, letting Gale take the lead. We slowly walk out from the tree line, carefully observing the wolves before us as we come to a stop.
“Hello?” He calls out, catching the attention of a few wolves. Some scream in fear while others make a beeline towards us until both men and women in human and wolf form quickly surround us. Some are growling, snapping their teeth in warning while others stare at us with distrustful glares. I slowly lie on my stomach doing my best to appear as non-threatening as possible and this seems to work. It seems like they all carry some form of injury and I realize that if they were going to attack Gale and I, they would have done so by now.
“What do you want, Rogue?” A male with darkly tanned skin and straight red hair held in a bun on top of his head asks, his green gaze glaring between Gale and I.
“We were actually here to meet with Alpha Stanton” Gale answers with a smile.
“I am Gale D’Artagnon and my family and I were supposed to join the pack some time this week.” He continues explaining when this wolf motions for Gale to continue. I nod in agreement, my tail thumping gently on the ground as I rest my head on my paws.
“Do you have proof?” Red head asks, his disrespect towards Gale starting to piss me off.
“I do, but my phone is in my truck. We smelt blood and smoke on the wind and came to investigate.” Gale points behind us in the direction we just came, the sudden movement causing those around us to snarl. I stand to my paws, moving in front of Gale protectively knowing that his human form is a lot mor vulnerable right now. I do not growl back, but stand there, eyeing them and wondering which wolf I should take out first if this group of twelve decide to attack. Thankfully the red head lets out a warning snarl, silencing his pack mates. He does not smell like an Alpha, but he is definitely one of the Elites in the pack to command such respect. Satisfied that his pack will not attack us, the red head’s eyes glaze over, most likely linking someone – hopefully his Alpha.
“I will follow the both of you to your vehicles. Three of the warriors will join us.” Red’s eyes return to normal as he announces his decision and I secretly sigh with relief. It seems we wont need to fight after all. Gale reaches out, running his fingers through the fur on the nape of my neck, the motion calming me slightly.
“Is she going to shift?” The man asks as three others step forward, all males with wounds littering their bodies from what ever – or who ever – attacked them.
“My niece prefers to stay in wolf form.” Gale answers. Warmth spread inside me as he calls me his niece and I let out a light yip of agreement, my tail wagging gently. Red gives me a curios look, one I return with a wolfish smile before he returns his gaze to Gale. It seems he deems me as no threat and I am glad.
With our group of two growing to a group of six, Gale and I lead them back down the gravel road where we left our trucks. The man who questioned us introduces himself as Quincy Steele. On the short walk back to where we left Miss Asteria and the pup, Quincy informs us that a rival pack by the name of Onix Moon attacked Golden Fang over a land dispute, killing many of their wolves. My hackles raise as I think back to the scene we left behind us. How the stench of smoke, blood and death took over the pack and how many looked at us with fear and anger. I understand now why Golden Fang was left in the state we found it in.
The other three wolves chime in about how they are still trying to catalogue their resources and find the missing pack members when we reach our trucks. Miss Asteria and the pups are waiting outside the vehicles for us and I figured Gale must have linked her that we were coming with some guests. She hands Gale some clothes and he thanks her, quickly dressing as he introduces his family to Quincy. Lunette tugs at my ear playfully, the little girl asking me if I can give her a piggyback ride, but her mother chides her into standing still before telling me she left my driver side door open with a dress on the seat for me to throw on. I rub against Miss Asteria’s leg in thanks before running towards the driver side of my truck, shifting back to my human form. I find a blue sun dress waiting on my seat and I quickly throw it on as well as a pair of flats that I usually kept in the passenger side for when I need a quick pair of shoes before I return to the group.
“Looks like everything is in order.” I catch Quincy saying with a sigh of relief as I round the truck and stand beside Miss Asteria. He hands Gale back his phone, the wolf looking to his pack mates before turning to Gale, Miss Asteria and I.
“I won’t sugar coat what happen. Our Alpha, Luna and their pups were killed in the attack and our pack is on the verge of turning Rogue without one. We can’t offer much right now, but if you could help us with our current predicament, that would be amazing.” Quincy tells us, his voice full of sincerity and heart break. He is no longer hostile towards us and I am happy for that. Instead Quincy looks sad and defeated, like the life and energy inside him has vanished. My heart breaks at the sound of sadness in his voice and I turn to look at Miss Asteria who has the same sympathy in her eyes that I feel.
“We are outsiders right now, so I am not sure how Golden Fang will react. But we will do our best to help.” Miss Asteria calmy replies, placing a hand on Quincy’s shoulder. He flinches for a moment before relaxing, his body feeling the calming touch of an Alpha blooded wolf and accepting it.
“Thank you. These three are going to return to helping the pack but I can lead you the back way so the pups don’t see the mess we are in.” Quincy offers, a small smile on his lips. Gale nods, telling his kids to ride in my truck with me as he and Miss Asteria will take Quincy in theirs. With everything settled, the three Golden Fang warriors shift and disappear into the forest to return to their pack mates while we climb into our respective vehicles.
I follow closely behind Gale’s truck and true to Quincy’s words, we take a left turn at a fork in the road and drive in the opposite direction of the massacre we witnessed. After twenty minutes of driving, we pull up in front of a large two-story house, the one I recognize as Gale’s and Miss Asteria’s new home. Quincy promises to show me the cottage I will live in tomorrow when the pups and I join them on the porch.
“Right now the pack needs me as I am the Head Warrior and the strongest wolf in the pack right now. I can’t be away from them for long.” Quincy sighs out, looking back towards the direction of the destruction we saw. Thankfully, Onix Moon only attacked the central location of the pack where the pack house, offices and other important building for the day-to-day functions of the pack are located. They were smart in doing this, but this makes me want to help rebuild Golden Fang.
“The WI-FI is already connected with the password on the fridge and there are some food in the pantry.” With this said, Quincy starts to descend the porch steps, walking towards the direction of the pack house. I open my mouth to say something when Miss Asteria takes a step forward.
“Wait!” She calls out, Quincy stopping mid step and turning around to face us.
“Chase can watch his siblings and Gale, Brynlee and I will come with you to help.” Miss Asteria continues, a determined look on her face. Gale and I look at one another before I nod. What Golden Fang has gone through is horrendous. These wolves need all the help they can get and if we plan to be part of their pack, we need to also help with taking care of the wounded and the damages.
“Are you sure?” Quincy asks in disbelief.
“Yes, they are.” Chase answers without hesitation, coming to stand beside me. I can feel his blood humming, feel the concern and Alpha has for those weaker than him and shiver slightly. This kid is going to be a powerful wolf one day.
“Don’t worry mom and dad, I will get Gray and Lunette settled in. You go help our new pack mates.” He adds, turning to reassure his parents with a smile on his face. I feel pride at seeing how leaving Pine Moon has changed Chase for the better. His Alpha blood can flourish now without Valor’s influence over him.
“It’s settled then. Quincy, we want to be part of the pack so let us help.” I state, stepping off the porch and coming to stand in front of the red-headed wolf. His eyes search mine for a moment before a smile lights his face.
“Okay then. Thank you, all of you.” He finally concedes. After telling the three pups to say inside, Miss Asteria, Gale and I follow Quincy towards the pack house of Golden Fang to help them sort out the aftermath Onix Moon left them in.