His Oblivious Mate

Chapter 12 : Distraction

Caleb ran to the border. He was flanked by Cass and Duncan. He slowed down to a stop when he reached Timothy and Athena. "They are almost here" Timothy linked. Athena stretched her lithe tiger body, then dug her sharp claws into the closest tree, dragging them down the bark, sharpening them even more. "I am ready to fight" she declared.

The stench of the rogues became stronger. Caleb lifted his snout in the air, sniffing. He could make out eleven different smells. He shook his big head, clearing his mind and preparing himself mentally for a fight.

The next moment a blur of fur came flying from the woods, barreling straight towards him. He waited till the rogue was almost on him, then he sidestepped. The rogue skidded to a stop, snarling. He turned back towards Caleb, and the two wolves started circling each other. It looked like David and Goliath. The rogue was a lot smaller than Caleb. He lunged at Caleb, but Caleb was too fast, causing the rogue to miss again. As he stumbled past, Caleb swiped at his side with a powerful front paw, slicing straight through the skin and ribs. The rogue howled in pain, and Caleb used the opportunity to grab the rogue's throat, yanking it out. The rogue collapsed on the ground, the life slowly draining from its wild, red eyes as blood gushed from the wounds.

The next moment all hell broke loose when rogues came streaming over the border. "Leave no rogue alive" Caleb ordered. Athena and Timothy attacked, pouncing on rogues, slashing throats with their sharp claws. Cass and Duncan fought alongside Caleb, and soon the warrior wolves from the pack arrived. The fight was over as fast as it started, leaving thirty two dead rogues in its wake. Caleb had a wound across his face, Cass had a bite wound on her shoulder, and Timothy sustained a gash on his hind leg. Caleb looked around, making sure that there were no dead or seriously injured pack members. "Any sign of more of them?" he asked in the pack link. "No Alpha" one of his scouts answered. "Keep patrolling" he ordered. "Yes Alpha" came the answer from his warriors in unison.

"Those that are injured, report at the clinic for a check up" he said, heading back to the pack house. "Is Cathy safe?" he linked Owen. "Yes Alpha, I am not taking my eyes off the cabin" Owen replied. "Thank you, I appreciate it". "We need to have a meeting in the morning. Rogues do not travel in large numbers. Something is very wrong" he spoke to Duncan. "I agree. This is the third incident of rogues on pack territory in a short time" Duncan said, falling into pace beside him "I will arrange it".

After shifting back and having the wound on his face disinfected and cleaned, Caleb went to his room in the pack house. His mind was running wild. He needed to keep Cathy safe, without having her know that she was in danger. And he had to figure out the strange rogue behaviour. Rogues were too far gone to capture and question. The rogues showed no fighting skills or structure in the attack. It was almost like a suicide mission for them. He frowned, milling it over in his mind. It felt like he was being being distracted, but by whom and from what? He stared at the night sky from his window. It didn't make sense.

His wolf was restless, and he followed his instinct, jumping through his bedroom window, shifting midair. He landed gracefully on his four paws, and ran towards the woods. He needed to be close to his mate.

He stopped at the treeline, remaining in the shadows. He saw Leon in front of the door of the cabin. The lion was on guard, his ears perked up. Owen was perched on the roof. His attention seemed riveted to the lion. He looked around, then he heard Bert's heavy footsteps in the woods, close to the cabin.

None of them seemed to be aware of his presence yet. He observed them. If the aim of the attack was to divert him away from his mate to leave her vulnerable, the plan failed. He padded from the shadows. "You can go Leon, I will take it from here" he linked, halting next to the lion. "As you order, Alpha" Leon said, getting up. "Thank you for helping to guard the luna. Next time inform me first though" Caleb said. "Will do" and with that Leon disappeared into the trees.

He went up to the door, curled up against it, and took deep breaths, inhaling the lingering scent of Cathy deeply, feeling his anxiety subside. Owen spread his wings, and took off, circling the cabin, and then landing in the tree. Bert watched them from his vantage point, then he settled down on the snow. They kept watch for danger till dawn arrived. Athena and Cass arrived with two warrior wolves, to take over from them. "Get some rest Alpha" Cass said. "The meeting has been set up for noon. Duncan asked me to inform you". "Thank you Cass. Please, keep her safe" he said, getting up and shaking the snow from his fur. "Owen, Bert, you can return to the pack house to rest. Meeting at noon in my office" he linked them. "Yes Alpha" they replied in unison. He ran into the woods, and fell into step with Bert. They were quiet, concentrating on staying awake enough to reach the pack house without tripping over their own feet from fatigue.

Owen glided through the air above them. He didn't want to leave them behind. They reached the pack house a while later. Shifting, they pulled on clothes from the stashes in the hollowed out trees. Entering the pack house, Caleb said "Sleep well, see you at noon". Owen ackowledged the greeting with a nod, and Bert just grunted something unintelligible. They each went their own way, and soon they were fast asleep.