Past Sins

Chapter 6: Matteo

I left her room with the biggest smile on my face- extremely excited that she agreed to let me show her around. I hoped that she would reach out soon so that way I could spend time with her. She truly is the most stunning creature I've ever laid eyes on. I’ve never seen her mother but she must look like her because she doesn’t truly resemble her father much. I must have caught her after she got out of the shower because her long black hair was damp and cascaded down her back well past her hips. Her face was clear of the makeup she had been wearing earlier showing her natural beauty and I honestly preferred her that way.  I could see why Blake was so taken by her, she was a beautiful woman.

I entered my office and shut the door behind me. The rogue attack had everyone on edge so on top of the extra protection my pack was providing at the pack house we would need extra shifts and double the guards at the border. Barrett and Asher must have read my mind and were already there making arrangements. 

“How are we looking with the shift schedule and volunteers?” I asked. 

Asher ran his hands through his hair clearly frustrated. “We’ve pulled all available warriors except for the novice ones and given them their assignments. For this to go smoothly though I think we need to recommend that some of the visiting alphas put more of their own wolves at the border, again, tonight as well.”

“At the Alpha meeting in the morning we will discuss it with the remaining Alphas. For right now pull the novice warriors into the mix and we will all also take a shift.”

 Hoping to motivate my warriors I decided to take the first shift, Asher and Barrett would take the next two. On my way up to my room I had to pass by Valerie's guest suite. I stopped for a second taking in her scent, finding myself longing to be with her. I’m gonna have to talk to her family and see about keeping her in Autumn Moon until her 18th birthday. She is my mate and her safety and happiness are my responsibility now and my top priority. Even though it’s traditional for mates to make the relocation to anothers pack AFTER they’ve accepted the match, She’s not just anyone's mate. She’s mine and I have the biggest pack on this continent so I'm more than confident she will be well protected here.

I got to my room and changed into gym shorts and a t-shirt, something that would be easy to take off and put back on when I shift. I waited until I got beyond the forest line and away from the view of the pack house and shifted. My shift was at the Northern gate where I was tonight during the rogue attack. I was paired with a novice wolf warrior who just turned 18 years old and a few veterans. I had the veterans space out along the Northern border so we covered more ground. Ethan, the novice, stayed behind with me so that way I could keep a watchful eye on him.  My warriors are properly trained every day for the dangers that come with their job and normally I don’t have to worry too much about them but this guy was just a kid. Throughout our time we’ve lost some novice warriors and it’s always hard informing the loved ones. As their Alpha these wolves are an extension of me and I feel the loss just as badly when we have to bury one. I know tonight would be as much about keeping the pack safe as keeping him safe and giving him hands on training. When I reached the northern gate Ethan bowed to me.

“Alpha Matteo, It’s an honor to be on this shift with you. The other wolves have already taken up positions along the northern border as you requested.” he mindliked me. 

“Ethan, the honor is all mine. How has it been?” I said. 

“Quiet sir. Nothing much to report.” he replied with a hint of sadness in his voice. Seems like he was hoping for more action tonight. Little does he know i'm hoping for the exact opposite.

“Let’s hope it stays that way.” I said and walked over to our area to stand guard. 

Hours into our patrol we’d gone over different protocols and scenarios that Ethan would have to know as a warrior. I also found out that he plans to train hard enough to become a top warrior and lead his own team someday and has recently found his mate. I hope he knows what kind of life he’s asking for and asking of his mate, Noel. Being a leader with the lives of other wolves on your hands is a hard position to take on. It made me think of the life I'd be asking Valerie to take with me. I’m an Alpha and one of the strongest at that, my life will always be in danger and there will always be people that try to get to me by any means necessary. I hated the thought that I hadn’t found my mate but thinking about it now it may have been a blessing. Anyone with a brain would know the best way to take down an Alpha is to get his Luna. Something tells me that my girl is a fighter but that doesn’t mean that I'll be taking her safety any less seriously. 

A strange scent filled the air pulling me from my thoughts and making my ears perk up. Ethan began sniffing the air so I know he’s noticed it as well. 

“Defensive positions, Ethan. I don’t know what or who that is but we aren’t taking any chances.”  I growled. I was always ready to protect my pack but my mate laid sleeping in the safety of the pack house so whoever or whatever this was is going to have to get through me. Ethan came up beside me, ready to fight as well. I wondered if he was thinking of Noel like I was thinking of Val. 

“Yes Alpha.” He said. 

Teeth bared and ears perked all the way up so as to keep us from missing if this intruder wasn’t alone we made our way to the tree line. We heard rustling and then the scent began to fade quickly. 

“He’s making a run for it. I’m going after him. Stay here. Alert the other warriors.”  I declared.

“Alpha I should join you” He pratically begged. It was obvious he wants to help me chase down whoever this was. 

“No! If you leave this post then we leave the Northern Gate open. That’s what they’d want us to do. Contact Gamma Asher and let him know that he’s to meet me NOW!” I demanded, using my full authority and aura as Alpha.

“Yes Alpha!” He lamented. 

I took off in the direction the scent was going. This definitely wasn’t a rabbit or any other kind of animal, the prints left behind were that of a wolf. I could hear the rippling of the river which meant that I’ve followed this wolf well past the boundaries of my land. If the wolf crossed the river I would lose the scent and he’d get away. Giving up on being stealthy- I picked up speed. The sound of the river was getting closer and closer and I haven’t lost the scent. He hasn’t made it there yet! I still have a chance to catch him. I pushed myself to run faster. I decided to stop and sniff the air, after putting a couple of miles between me and the pack border, to see if the direction of the scent had changed which gave Asher the chance he needed to catch up. 

“Finally man! I’ve been chasing you for hours.” His gray wolf looked at me with a pissed off look.

“You’ve gotta work on your speed.” I said playfully. 

“My speed is fine. You had a head start. Ethan filled me in. What do you want to do now?” As always, Asher is right back down to business. 

We both sniffed the air. The only lingering scent was mine and Asher’s. Damn it! He made it to the river! I reached up and swiped at a tree with my paw, snapping it in half. Whoever it was had gotten away.

“The scent is gone. We won’t be finding that wolf tonight. Let’s head back.” I resolved. The next shift is starting soon and I needed to get back to the house. 

“Alright. My shift already started so go get some rest. My team is in position.”  he concured. 

We ran back together and at the North gate I broke off and headed back home. I found the spot where I discarded my clothes and transformed back so I could change. That wolf getting away was eating away at me. It doesn't make sense! I was right on his heels and he still made it across the river. I was ready to get in the shower then get into bed but I knew this would be keeping me up for a while. Tomorrow was already going to be a long day with an almost all day long Alpha meeting. Being tired on top of it all was going to make it all the harder to get through the day.