Lycan's unexpected mate

There are more

Richard White

Running a decimated pack is like watching a horror story play out in front of your eyes but you can't turn off the TV and escape. The reality is worse than my worst expectations when the attack started. We have lost almost all adult men, so our protection is a little better than non-existent. Brenda has managed to save seven men so only seven families were reunited. Others had to bury their loved ones, mates, sons, brothers or, like in my case, nephews. The women are afraid and anxious.

Pretty surprisingly, a small group of rogues entered our territory more than two weeks ago. They didn't mean any harm and even if they did, we wouldn't have been able to defend ourselves. However, those people were faring even worse than us. In the group, there were two infants, six children, three adult men who needed almost immediate medical attention, one elderly person who is the only other family member for one of the children, and the rest were women. They were all haggard, malnourished and many needed to stay in the hospital for a day or more. Our tiny victory is that everyone has survived.

But I have started to notice that they hide some of the things they receive. It isn't linked to just one of them, they all stock an item here and there. Once, it was a sweatshirt, then some trousers, or even uncooked pasta. The females eat very little, sometimes skipping a meal, but it may be linked to them starving along the way and feeding their children first.

Moreover, I have overheard one of the children telling his mother that he doesn't want the toy and that it would be better for Anthony, whose parents can't afford one. And that he wants to send it to him. Since then, I have listened some more, and the kids really mention people who aren't in our pack. And I want to know what is going on.

Ten minutes ago, I noticed Sarah with a huge bag leaving her house through the back door. My interest peaked so I slowly and stealthily followed her. She's very alert, looking everywhere and taking in the scents around her. I have to hide behind trees and make sure that I am standing in the path of the wind. She's also quite fast for someone who only worked in the herbal garden, as she claimed. She seems to have been a hunter or a tracker in her former pack. But why would she lie through her teeth so much?

She crosses the border of our pack and becomes even warier. She reaches a clearing and sets her bag down. And then she waits. I move closer to her and hear her muttering: "Come on, Daniel, I'm only two minutes late. Where are you?"

I know that Sarah's mate is dead so who is Daniel? My inner question is answered when a man suddenly appears in the middle of the clearing. The wind is blowing towards me so I get a good whiff of his scent. He's a sorcerer!

Sarah waves at him happily and pulls the bag with her. The man, who I assume is Daniel, meets her halfway and hugs her. "Sarah," he greets her. "I'm so happy to see that you're fine. You even seem to have put on some flesh."

She slaps his shoulder playfully. "Always the charmer, I see," she retorts and pushes the bag in front of her.

"We can't take too much or else it would be suspicious," she explains, and my blood starts to boil. She's stealing our precious resources for sorcerers!

"Don't worry about it. Carson will be happy that we have at least something," Daniel told her. "Oh, and John told me to say hi to his little sister. He misses you dearly."

I blink in astonishment. Now, this is getting pretty interesting. I adjust my position behind the tree and eavesdrop some more.

Sarah is wiping her eyes at the moment. She takes a breath and says: "I miss him, too. I miss everyone from our group. Mainly the children. When Carson brought information about the attack on this pack and said he was worried about us, I felt so happy that people agreed on me and Nancy trying to get into the pack. But now, despite the security, I would give anything to spend a day or two with you all again."

"Carson is doing his best to keep others sound and safe. We have talked about it already and we both know that men aren't readily accepted into a pack because of the possibility that they are spies."

Daniel sighs and Sarah takes his hand. "I don't know what they would do without you, Daniel. At least create a better protection spell or something around the rest of our family. I'm worried about what could happen if someone pointed a finger at them that they caused this mess."

"Don't worry, Sarah, you werewolves can fend for yourselves pretty well," Daniel calms her and hugs her.

So the group are werewolves and he's the only sorcerer? And it has to be that they are all rogues and mainly the men stayed behind. Wow.

"I know," she agrees, speaking to his shoulder. "But you and Martha are witches. You're more vulnerable without a beast. And they can't afford to lose you two."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. I just hope the winter won't be too hard," he adds thoughtfully and pulls Sarah at arms' length. "Anyway, I will erase the memory of you meeting me if your new Alpha decided to ask why you were missing for a while, okay?"

At Sarah's affirmative nod, he lifts his hand to her forehead and murmurs something in a language I don't understand. Sarah's eyes go blank and her shoulders slump a little. Daniel kisses her forehead and puts a folded piece of paper into her trousers' pocket. He turns her around and gives her a faint push in the direction of our pack. She starts walking off, looking straight in front of her, never noticing what is happening around her.

In the meantime, Daniel grips the bag and chants another spell which makes him disappear. It was probably a transportation spell, but my senses don't want to accept it just like that. I sniff the area to no avail. Finally, I stop my attempts and jog after Sarah, who is moving much more slowly than when she was on her way here. I start walking by her side and try slipping my hand into her trousers. She lets me in and I find the folded piece of paper. I open it and my eyes bulge out of their sockets.

It reads:

Dear Sarah,

Thank you for whatever you all could have salvaged for us. The winter is starting to affect us but we are still holding on. Thankfully, there is enough wood to keep a warm fire. The food will be harder to get by but I'll think of something, as always.

Your brother misses you greatly and your nephew has drawn you many pictures. We'll drop them off at our place later on. Everybody says hi to all of you and we are happy that you don't have to worry about being r - - - - s anymore. And I'm glad your new Alpha is treating you fairly. He's a great man and leader.

We wish you all the best and I hope we'll all have the chance to see each other again under different, and I hope better, circumstances. I'm looking forward to seeing you next month.

Carson

I blink in shock, quickly fold the paper and push it back into Sarah's pocket because we're at the border of our pack. Then I take a deep breath and walk away from her so that she didn't have any idea of me knowing about her meeting.

But the impression it has left on me is long-lasting. I walk to the packhouse to my office and sit down behind my desk. I can't believe that there are more of them. There are even children out there who are considered rogues, damn it!

I faintly remember Emily telling me that it was our luck with having Alpha Summons' daughter here after the attack. Only thanks to her the transition of leadership was successful - otherwise, we would have been without the Alpha family and we could have ended up as rogues.

In fact, this could have happened to them, too. I mean, packs are reluctant to accept rogues because they are usually criminals and troublemakers. Well, this is the portrait that everyone knows. But I am beginning to see that the problem isn't just black and white as I hoped. Maybe I'll try to show this at the meeting with our Alpha King. Maybe people will listen.

Or rather they won't because this isn't something that would touch them personally. Everyone knows about rogues and why people should become rogues. The other means and reasons aren't that discussed, though. And I can't believe that we were this close to becoming rogues, too.

I wonder if I should offer them to bring their men into the pack as well. We could use their strength and they would surely accept the proposition of having a real pack. But how could I slip in a note for the men without anyone noticing me? And I am afraid that people won't readily accept two rogue sorcerers along with the werewolves. And they won't abandon the two sorcerers just for the sake of getting into a pack.

This is a cursed cycle and my head starts throbbing due to all that. I lie down on my desk with my arms under my head and ponder my possibilities. I need to speak to the Alpha King privately and beg for the right to accept two sorcerers into my pack. I'm pretty sure they aren't dangerous, otherwise the group wouldn't have accepted them. But I have never heard of anyone being either so foolish or so welcoming to do this. And surely the Sorcerers have their king and queen. So they may say that this is unheard of and so there is no way this should be allowed.

I sigh and my wolf Derrek licks my mental face. He's also unhappy about the situation and that he's unable to help me. I lift my head and rub the back of my neck. I need a way to contact those remaining rogues without being too obvious. I c***k my knuckles and decide to write that Carson a message. He's most probably in charge of the remaining people, acting as their temporary Alpha. I take a piece of paper and a pen and set them in front of me.

"But what am I going to write?" I whisper to myself while uncapping the pen.

'Just invite them in,' Derrek chimes in silently and I bob my head slowly.

'Let's hope they will last for another month because we can't reach them sooner,' I tell him and prepare to write the first draft.

I write: 'Dear Carson', then cross it several times and start anew. "Dear Mr. Carson," I murmur and write it down. "With this means, I'd like to invite the remaining families of the women, men and children who have become part of my pack, to come to us and also become official members of the Blue Moon pack. The invitation is extended to everyone and it isn't time-limited."

I frown at the last sentence. "This sounds strange," I say to myself and cross it. "How about . . . Everyone is welcomed no matter when you get here."

'Sounds better,' Derrek praises me.

I think about it for a while and add: "The two sorcerers, Daniel and Martha, are welcomed too." I leave a gap to write in an affirmative or negative response from the ruling Sorcerer couple and finish with: ". . .what the King and Queen of Sorcerers say. I understand that you all couldn't have chosen to lose your pack," I think about it and add the word "original" in front of the word pack, "and I hope we can form trust and friendship. Please contact me via Sarah or by other means. Alpha Richard White, Blue Moon pack."

I look at the letter which is written in messy writing, with words added and crossed. But it relays the message and I will correct it after I speak to the Alpha King. I just hope that he won't forbid me to take them in.

Just then, my mate Emily mindlinks me: "Honey, where are you?"

"In my office," I answer and place the draft in a drawer, locking it.

"Meet me in the hall, please?"

"Sure, I'm coming."

I get up and make my way to the door, deciding not to tell my Mate. She doesn't need to know this just in case it doesn't work out.