Runt's Revenge

Meeting of the Alpha's

The River’s Edge team of warriors pulled up to the Glacier Valley Pack’s house at 2:00 am. Alpha Damien pulled a curtain aside with one finger to see the wolves that Alpha Zayden had brought with him as they exited their cars. Good, he thought to himself.

“Rebecca!” He shouted for his wife. “Have the kitchen prepare a little something for our guests.”

She pursed her lips in a smug smile as she nodded and went to wake up the staff, happily embracing happy Luna-role once again.

Well, at least someone is happy, thought Damien. His two little paychecks had run away and now he would have to take the long way around to the money that he needed to pay his mercenaries. Making Athena his mate would have given him immediate access to the funds that he needed, killing her would be just as effective, and perhaps easier in many ways… but would take longer than he would like as there would be legal loopholes to work around. His hope for getting a briefcase full of cash for the little girl was over though. The appearance of Alpha Zayden pretty much doomed any chance of being able to get a ransom for the brat. Damn Alpha Eric for placing that call when he did.

Eric and West were another sticky little problem. The old Alpha was certainly near death, if he hadn’t died already. Damien had found that West was too skilled to beat, even though he was past his prime. West had managed a kick that sent Damien crashing through a window into the bushes. Damien had grabbed a few of his more loyal warriors and ran back to the office, but West was gone and there was just a pool of blood where the Alpha had been. Rebecca was just coming around and looking stunned in her confused state. Stupid, useless Mate.

With Alpha Eric either unconscious or dead, Damien had felt the mantle of “Alpha” anointing his aura as the natural progression of rank took place within the pack. He breathed in deep as he ordered his warriors to track West and take him out. After Damien had sent out his team to kill West, he had tested his new Alpha powers on the runt. It had surprised him that she didn’t immediately bend to his will. How dare she defy him! But it drove him to make the call out to the pack ordering her and Warrior Wests deaths. That had felt amazing! The power to call out the whole pack at one time. He breathed in and out deeply, remembering the shear strength of his new Alpha privileges. He had been born for this!

He was a little disappointed that he wouldn’t get to ruin that little runt in bed for a few weeks before killing her. But this would probably cause less drama with his high-strung mate anyway.

Zayden slammed the car door behind him and walked purposefully toward the front door. His warriors were cautious, some running in front of him and others behind as they kept an eye out for any threats to their Alpha’s safety. Lydia swung her legs out the car door on her side, a little miffed that she was left to her own devises. The Alpha could at least have opened her door for her, she thought, with her lips pursed. She glanced at the office window of the packhouse and saw Damien watching her. She kept her shoulders back and feigned confidence as she also made her way to the front door, gracefully and not quite as urgently.

“Welcome to the Glacier Valley Pack House, I am Luna Rebecca,” she said as she opened the door to them. “The Alpha is waiting for you in his office.”

Zayden kept his face neutral, not registering the shock at being greeted by the Beta’s wife, announcing herself casually as the Luna, when she certainly had not been just a few hours ago when Alpha Eric had called and talked to Nathan. Something was really off here. He followed the Luna to the waiting Alpha and did not address any of his concerns with her.

“Alpha Zayden,” Damien said, respectfully nodding his head, the greeting of an equal.

Zayden felt the aura in the room and, indeed, Damien was emitting the aura of an Alpha. So he replied carefully, “Alpha Damien,” also nodding in respect.

“Gamma Lydia,” Damien continued with a smirk, but no nod.

“Alpha Damien,” said Lydia, baring her neck as she bowed.

“Do… you two know each other?” asked Zayden, confused.

“No!” Said the new Alpha a little too quickly… “But her reputation proceeds her, Alpha.”

Zayden looked at his Gamma, who kept her eyes respectfully on the ground. I don’t have time for mysteries, he thought, but he would bring it up to Nathan later.

“Alpha Damien, I will be brief. Alpha Eric called us just two hours ago saying he had news of my daughter who has been missing for three days. Where is he now and where is my daughter.” Zayden was looking intently at the arrogant man in front of him, willing him to hand Cassie over to him. Hoping that she was just waiting for him in the next room. "We've been trying to reach Alpha Eric and you ever since the call was dropped."

“Oh, Alpha Zayden,” he said slowly, “I wish I had better news for you. It has been a tragic night here. I am most distressed about it. I'm afraid that my phone was one of the lesser casualties of the evening.”

“You have me worried, Alpha, get to the point.”

“Ah yes, well, you see, Alpha Eric was murdered this evening.”

“What the…”

“Yes, murdered. The culprits got away.” Damien continued in a low, slow voice, making Zayden want to throttle him. “I have my best trackers out looking for them right now. They have split company, one of them has your daughter, and the other, the Alpha’s body. It is a most delicate situation.”

“I am only concerned with the whereabouts and well being of my daughter!” exclaimed Zayden. “I would like my team to join your search party. I happen to have an excellent tracker with me tonight.”

Damien brought his fingers together in front of his chest. “I can understand your eagerness to be… involved, Alpha. However, as I said, it is a tricky situation. Both of the wolves involved have a death sentence hanging over their heads. They are to be considered desperate and dangerous. I would not feel comfortable risking any of your men. This is a Glacier Valley matter.”

Zayden walked closer to Damien, leaning into his face, “This is a personal matter to me, Alpha,” he spat.

Gamma Lydia pulled him back gently. “Zayden, please,” she whispered. “We don’t want to start an incident between the packs.”

Zayden shook her hand off of his arm roughly, “This is Cassie we are talking about Gamma,” his voice rising, “know your place!” He turned back to the greasy man and through clenched teeth told him, “I insist that you give us the last known coordinates of the wolf that has my daughter. I also REQUIRE his name and a scent marker. After that, besides having access to your land, I will ask nothing more of you.”

“Well, that is one of the complications, Alpha. Because one of the culprits is none other than my own step-daughter, a runt named Athena. The other is her “friend,” a warrior named West.”

Zayden stepped back, surprised. “That doesn’t make sense, Alpha.  A runt? How could a runt be dangerous? And I have met Warrior West on several occasions. He was a trusted and loyal friend of Eric’s. They attended many conferences together over the last several years...”

“That was… before…” sneered Damien, “before the runt convinced him that she was his mate. We suspect that they have been having an affair for some time now. They must have planned a coup and kidn*pped your daughter to raise money quickly."  

Damien walked to the broken window, "The runt was in the company of several rogues in the woods. Our warriors killed the rogues, but captured Athena who was holding your daughter. They were brought to Alpha Eric. Apparently, Eric was just calling you when West rushed into the room and slaughtered him. I was… too late to save the Alpha, but battled the Warrior, which is why this room is in such a sorry state. I was distracted by Eric's wailing and West was able to toss me out of the window. Then he and the runt escaped with the girl and the Alpha’s body before I was able to get back into the room.”

Zayden’s fists and teeth were clenched at the thought of his daughter witnessing a murder at such a tender age.

Damien continued, “We suspect that the runt is the one that has your daughter. Warrior West has disappeared like a ghost.”

“Take me and my trackers to the scent trail,” growled Zayden, now murderous as his wolf neared the surface of his consciousness. Zayden began cautiously sniffing the air to see if he could detect a scent. He smelled the blood, the sweat of battle, a hint of his Cassie, and something... sweet, like honey.

“I have to admit there is more,” Damien said, shaking his head bringing Zayden's full attention back into the moment.

“What else could there possibly be?” asked Lydia, coaxing him on, looking sideways at Zayden as she spoke.

“The runt, Athena, is the former Alpha’s daughter… Alpha Charles, the Alpha before Eric. She holds some influence due to her Alpha heritage,” he lied. "It would be best if this incident had a “clean” ending."

“What do you mean, Alpha?” asked Zayden.

At that moment, Rebecca came bustling into the room with food laden trays carried by the Omega's of the kitchen trailing behind her. She had a smile on her face for a moment.

"Get that s**t out of here, Becca, we're busy," Damien linked at her.

"But, you said…" she started.

"NOW!" Rebecca turned and started pushing the Omega's out... "Go... out!" she reprimanded, as if they had been the ones in error.

Damien turned his head back to look at Zayden with his eyes blazing, “I mean that the runt coming back for any kind of trial could cause a lot of problems here. She is condemned to death. If you capture her before my warriors do, Alpha Zayden, a clean, quick ending would be in the best interest of all parties.”

Derrek, Zayden’s wolf, growled out, “that won’t be a problem.”