Goddess of the Forest

Chapter III

As we walked down the hallway of the packhouse heading towards the main conference room, I could feel the air get thick with tension. The boys shared looks of apprehension before Waylon reached for the doorknob. Before he could turn it the door flew open, revealing Marcus, lead tracker of the pack.

“It’s about damn time you guys,” his eyes were wide and he looked frantic. “We were about to start, get in here quick.”

My dad was at the front of the large table, Jack was at his left with the twins, I was at his right with Marcus and his tracking partner. He looked grim, I could tell he was still regretting letting me join in on the meeting but I used my puppy eyes.

“Marcus and Zyler just gave me their report from the excursion to the other side of the mountains, on the edge of our territory in Georgia. Tell them what you found, I’m going to go call Alex and see when he’s planning to return.” With that my dad headed out the side door that lead to his office, sparing only the slightest worried glance in my direction.

Zyler got up and walked to the front, looking tired. “Five days ago, we headed to our Alabama border and headed northeast along the territory into Georgia. We had intel about rogues making their way in to packlands and decided to make a round to check things out.”

I started to zone out, my years as a pup eavesdropping on these meetings have made me grow numb to simple rogue talk. I glanced around the room, looking at the various pictures on the walls, all were of he territory at different stages of development. Starting with when my great great grandpa first settled here with just his mate, his beta, and his infant daughter. The rustic look of the room had never been updated and it has stayed the same though times have changed.

Marcus nodded and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “The intel was right and we found a few camping places, the smell of rogue was everywhere but we didn’t see anyone around.

“Listen closely to what they’re saying, Di.” Leto was pacing in my mind, my skin got goosebumps and I shook the chill off my shoulders.

“How far in did you see camps? Is it clear which part of the territory they are heading?” Jack stood up and looked at the large printed map behind Zyler. “Can you mark every camp spot, and how far until you stopped scenting the rogues? We need to decide if its a benign group just using pack borders to keep safe from other rogues or if they are moving towards us.”

Zyler nodded and Marcus got up to help him remember every incident. By the time they got done, the map was littered with little dots, heading north from Georgia, towards an undeniable direction.

Waylon whistled. "Thats a lot of spots, was it different scents or did they all smell like the same group?"

Marcus sat back down and sighed. "That's the million dollar question. They were different but yet the same."

Before I could ask what he meant, the door to my dads office flew open. All heads snapped into that direction as someone walked into the room. 

I jumped up and smiled. "Alex!"