Joining Our Packs

Chapter Nine Vampires

Isaiah strides out of the water droplets falling off his glistening skin and I try to ignore my body's response to his nakedness. Following close behind him I toss away my snarky remark. I am an alpha too even if it's not my title however I know my mate only wants to protect me.

Another deafening howl pierces through the morning and is cut off with a yelp. What the hell is going on?

We shift running in the direction in which the howls came and the scent of blood reaches my snout. It's strong, overpowering, and drenching the delicate scents of the flowers in its metallic stench.

The more we run the heavier the smell of blood becomes. Bursting through the thick veil of foliage I nearly slam into Isaiah’s rear end. A low growl reverberates from his chest followed by a whine and I move to see around him.

My eyes immediately land on the torn, tattered, b****y body of a teenage girl. Long slashes twist around her torso and neck allowing her blood to run in heavy streams pooling around her crumpled form.

Acacia bristles in my mind the fur on our body standing on end. Whatever danger had been here is still lurking in the shadows.

The poor girl had died mid-transition. Her body had begun reverting to her human form after enduring more pain than her wolf form could handle and she had died before it could be completed. Long claws still extend from her fingertips and thick fur is stuck in patches sprouted along her.

“The monster who did this will pay,” Acacia promises.

“Yes, it will,” I agree.

I walk closer to her body nudging her hair from her face and try to place her soft features. Her blue eyes are open wide like her mouth. Her scream died on her lips. She looks so familiar and so so young.

“Link your Alpha, this is too close to your territory and we need to secure the area,” Isaiah says through our link.

His huge head swivels left to right scanning the area. He holds a protective stance behind me while I shift. I lean forward a teardrop breaking free as I love my fingers on the girl's eyelids closing her dull glazed over eyes. They’ve lost all their shine.

I focus on the task at hand angling my body away from hers and trying not to disturb the scene too much more. The less I touch the easier it will be for our trackers to pick up scents and find out who and what caused this tragedy. My fingers itch to wrap around the throat of whoever did this to her and I ball them into a tight fist rubbing the knuckles along the tears brimming in the corners of my eyes.

“Carter,” I link, “it’s urgent.”

“What’s wrong?” He responds groggily.

Even with more energy than average humans having a newborn pup at home is a task.

“I need you and a team to come to a meadow to the north of the waterfall, Isaiah and I have found a massacred she-wolf,” I say giving enough details for him to get here. I can fill in the rest later.

“We’ll be there in thirty minutes, stay put,” Carter orders immediately switching into alpha mode.

I hate leaving her exposed and waiting here, I will chase down her killer myself if they will let me. I shift into my chocolate-colored wolf standing guard near her body. The smell of blood lays heavy like a blanket in the air covering everything and when the wind blows the gentle breeze wafts the undertone of something different onto my snout.

“Vampires,” Acacia growls.

She is right of course. The uncovered smell is Vampire. Now that I’ve caught it I can smell them everywhere. There was more than one hunting this girl. They probably heard Isaiah and I coming and ran.

The Silver Crest pack hasn’t had any interactions with Vampires since the war and that ended one hundred and fifty-two years ago. If Vampires are once again targeting wolves we have a very big problem.

“Vampires,” I hiss to Isaiah watching him pick up the scent.

He growls a deep full belly growl that shakes the tree limbs and I understand.

The creatures are our sworn enemies and he clearly didn’t like one of our own dying at their hands.

“f*****g leeches,” he snarls.

“They will pay,” I promise him.

Thundering paws clapping against the ground reaches my ears and I know Carter is close and he brought quite a few men from the sounds of it.

Their footfalls spread out and I know our trackers are going in search of the vampires. We have the best trackers and they would have caught the Vampires trail the second they got close to the area.

Six massive wolves burst through the tree line and I twist my body blocking the girl from view.

“Tell them to turn away,” I hiss at Carter.

“Okay,” he replies.

The three smaller wolves turn to examine the surrounding forest and Carter shifts approaching with Levi and Marcus. I walk behind Isaiah and shift keeping myself hidden from view.

“She was so young,” Carter growls and I know he’s imagining his own daughter lying there.

“We have to find out who did this and we have to find her family. She deserves to go home,” I tell them.

“The trackers are following their trail and Mel is already pulling missing wolves from the database,” Carter informs me as he kneels to cover the girl's body with a blanket I didn’t see before now.

“Carter,” I draw his attention. “It wasn't rogue vamps, they wouldn't have ran when Isaiah and I approached. They would have been driven by bloodlust and attacked,” I say voicing the concern that had crossed my mind the moment I knew it is vampires.

“You're right, we're dealing with something bigger,” Carter agrees and his eyes glaze over.

The three wolves come into the small clearing and I let Acacia take over.

Isaiah’s POV

I ordered my pack to stay on Silver Crest territory while we investigate the murder. They might belong to a pack but to any outsider, they will still appear as rogue since Scarlett Moon isn't officially reformed yet. This also makes them easy targets.

Amelia has been in business mode for hours. She's raked through every missing she-wolf file that fits the girl's description. Even now as she lays in my arms sleeping her eyes dart back and forth under her eyelids.

I know what she's thinking if we had got to her sooner she may be alive. Even if we had, her wounds were too extensive. The doctor was surprised she held on as long as she did.

My goal is as it has been, to protect my mate. The best way for me to do that is to get my pack up and running.

Amelia jerks awake her eyes wide and hair flying around her as she forces herself up.

“I know who she is,” she whispers her bottom lip trembling.

“Who?” I ask placing my palm on her cheek and tracing her bottom lip with my thumb.

“A girl I should have helped,” she cries throwing herself into my arms.

Sobs shake her frame and I can feel her tears soaking my chest. I do my best to caress her hair and back.

“Baby, it's not your fault, shhh,” I coo hoping to calm her.

“Y-you don't under-st-stand,” she hiccups.

“What I understand is that you are the most caring person I have ever known and you did not know that innocent girl was going to die at the hands of Vampires,” I reason with her.

Amelia tugs away looking at me with puffy red eyes.

“I could have prevented it,” she insists.