Fire Moon

Chapter 5

Amos’s POV

“Alpha.” I looked up from the paperwork I was working on and saw my Beta, James Olmstead standing in front of my desk. I can’t help but smile at his formality as we have known each other since we were boys.

“James how many times do I have to tell you? You can drop the title calling when it’s just us.”

“It’s best to just keep up with it, Alpha. If I slip and call you Amos in front of the other pack members, they won’t see you as an authority figure.” He does have a point.

“What’s going on?”

“I got a call from my aunt Carla.” James' aunt is an offroad trucker and often sends us rogues looking for a pack to take them in.

“I don’t know if I have room for anyone else. I’m trying to figure out how we’re going to fix the houses in the west half and expand the packhouse for these families until renovations are done.”

Ever since I took over as Alpha of Fire Moon 18 months ago, it has been non-stop work. We have battled wildfires from over in Yellowstone that burned multiple homes in the west end of the territory. We have had two attacks from allies of my uncle, who I challenged for this pack. Not to mention cleaning up the finances from his dismal leadership.

My uncle, the now deceased Honi Rainwater, was a horrible Alpha and an even worse wolf. My father died when I was 10 and at that point, I was too young to take over the pack. So the title went to my uncle. Honi ran this pack right into the ground over the last 18 years. He charged pack members for their homes, charged them tax, and blew the money on gambling and Goddess knows who and what else. He loved power and the closer I got to being 18, the worse he treated me. He ended up banishing me and my mother and sisters not long after my 18th birthday.

I wasn’t in a place to challenge him then. My sisters Aia and Mika were young, my mother was ill, and I had to worry about supporting them. We were very fortunate to have family in California who let us join their pack. I spent 10 years taking care of my mother and sisters, and trained hard for the day I would go back to Fire Moon and take back what was mine. When my mother passed and my sisters found their mates, I went back to Fire Moon and challenged dear old Uncle Honi. He really thought he stood a chance. The look of shock on his face when he saw me in the arena is one I will never forget. I was not the skinny 18-year-old he banished anymore. Ten years and thousands of hours of training turned me into a 6'4 powerhouse of muscle and strength.

The challenge was over in 3 minutes and ended in his death. I felt absolutely no remorse. And when I heard the stories of how he treated these people, especially the women, I wished I could’ve dug him up and killed him again.

Killing my uncle gave me a reputation. When the stories spread of how my pack and I destroyed his two allies, we became feared throughout the west. For a small pack like ours, a reputation is a strong defense and one I take pride in. My warriors, James and I all train hard, ready for battle at any time.

“Alpha.” James' voice brings me back to the present. “Carla is wanting to send a young pregnant human here.”

“WHAT!” I jumped up, ready to kill. “CALL HER AND TELL HER ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

Just as my family and I were offered sanctuary years ago, I have made it a point to give sanctuary to non-violent rogues and, very rarely, humans who have pasts they would rather forget. These humans know of our existence and often were raised in packs or encountered werewolves at points in their lives. Once they get here, we give them the option to go through the change. All but one chose to become werewolves. The only human we have here is a guard and a good man. But I have never taken in a female human and I will not now.

“Amos, she said the girl’s in danger. She is 18 and hiding from her child’s father and her mother.”

That wasn’t my problem. I immediately picked up the phone and put Carla on speaker.

“Why Alpha this is a nice surprise!”

“Carla what exactly did you tell this girl?” I growled, ignoring the niceties.

“Nothing but the usual Amos. That this is a town where she can be safe.”

“She is a human Carla! I risk exposure bringing her in here!!”

“What about the other humans you have there!” Carla retorts.

“Greg was raised in a pack and the other humans have already turned! Does this girl even know our kind?!”

“Alpha I didn’t ask her that. But I will tell you this right now, the young lady is in bad trouble and has gone to great lengths to stay hidden.”

“What can you tell me about her?” I asked.

“She looks and talks like she comes from money. She has a gold necklace that I’ll bet is real gold. Her boots are Uggs. The purse is a real Michael Kors. But she has no phone and is driving a f*cking Dodge Intrepid with Kentucky tags that I pray doesn’t break down before she gets to Fire Moon. What does that tell you?” Carla tells me.

“She doesn’t want to be tracked but that may not mean anything. She could just be some little rich girl punishing her parents for something stupid.”

“I don’t think so this time, Amos. Most teenage girls I know keep their phones glued to them.” I have to admit, this was strange.

“You offer sanctuary to humans wanting to get away from their pasts. This girl certainly qualifies. As I told James, I truly feel like she’s in real danger.” Carla’s resolve is clear.

“Carla, I understand you want to help her but there are hundreds of girls like this everyday. What makes this one so different?”

Carla sighs and I can tell she’s disturbed, which isn’t like her at all. “This is the first one that I can feel the pain just radiating from her. And whatever she’s running from, she’s absolutely terrified of finding her. Any other girl in these situations I usually send to a shelter in Denver and wouldn’t even be bugging you. But with whatever resources the people looking for this one may have, they’d find her there. The only way this girl can stay ahead of them is to stay off the grid."

I sighed, feeling my wall break down. “How old is she?”

“She says she’s 18 and looks to be about 3-4 months pregnant. She’s a bitty thing and already showing.”

“James, is Anita back from the East?” Anita is our town’s midwife.

“She’ll be back sometime next week Alpha.”

I take a deep breath and hope I don’t regret this. “She can come here but on a trial basis. If I feel she’s posing too much risk of exposure, you will come here personally, Carla, and collect her. Code word is hoonnoo. Where is she coming from?”

“She is coming in from outside of Topeka. Amos you’re a good man, thank you!” Carla said, relief clear in her voice.

After she hangs up, I look at James. “Carla says the girl’s car is old and she’s driving from Kansas. Do we have guards we can spare to be available in case her car breaks down?” I hate the idea of a young pregnant mother stranded on the road.

“I can send three to Casper and two more to the Colorado border.”

“Do it. Make sure the two you send to Colorado take the snow truck in case the weather turns.” Even though it’s the middle of September, Rocky Mountain weather can be unpredictable.

I caught the glimmer in James' eyes. “What?”

“Amos, look at you, watching out for the little human. And that code name?”

“Well Carla said she’s small and she’s going to be a mother. So little mother.” The code name is Arapaho, mine James and Carla’s native tribe. It’s an extra security measure we have in place.

“What if little Mama is your mate?” James joked.

“I’m 12 years older than her! Besides, I think the Moon Goddess gave up on me long ago.” Being a 30-year-old Alpha without a mate isn’t easy. I have to deal with she-wolves constantly trying to get me to take them as their chosen mate. Alpha’s from other packs sometimes bring their daughters to our business meetings to see if they were my mate. I was tired of feeling like the world’s eligible wolf-bachelor. I want my mate as much as any werewolf, but I'm not going to just choose one.

“Man would you look at us Amos. An Alpha, a Beta, no Gamma, and no mates. Who’d have thought?” James lamented.

Who would’ve thought indeed? I agreed silently and sat back in my seat. For whatever reason, I wondered what the girl coming here looked like.

Do you think she could be our mate? My wolf Achak asks.

If she is, the Moon Goddess has a weird sense of humor, mating us to a pregnant teenage human.

Indeed. I guess we will find out.

Maybe Achak. Still, we need to be cautious. I will not take her into the pack if she is running from something that could be detrimental to all of us.

As much as I did not want to send a young pregnant girl away, I took a vow as an Alpha to protect the pack and all in it. The pack will always come first.