Between Two Worlds

Chapter Eight

Logan



I was surprised.

Saying that too many things were happening at the same time would be an understatement.

After leaving Liora in the living room in the pack house, I went straight to my office on the second floor, on the opposite side from where the guest quarters were located. I needed to take her out of my mind now and immerse myself into work, if possible.

Fuck! I have too many things to do to be with my head on the clouds thinking about her. Any kind of thoughts about her seems dangerous now.

On the route to my office, I mind-linked one of my most trusted omegas, giving her a job and a mission. While helping take care of Liora’s needs and requests for the time of her stay, I also requested reports about her movements and her conversations with the pack members (as rare as they would be). I wanted to know even if she just sneezed!

And I knew the perfect person for this job. It needed to be someone who would not mistreat Liora or show any kind of aversion to what she was. There were not many in my pack who would be comfortable being around a Siren, that’s why Lafayette was the perfect solution.

She was young and courageous and one of the sweetest and loving she-wolfs I’ve known.

The reason why I know Lafayette wouldn’t treat Liora differently than she would with a wolf from any pack, it’s because she knows better than anyone the feeling of rejection and how it is to be considered an outcast.

Omegas are usually weak wolves that, unfortunately, can't become warriors. They would just get in the way if they tried. Their speed, sense of smell, and vision are good, but still very ordinary for a werewolf, so an Omega she-wolf usually serves their pack as cookers, cleaners, and individuals who take care of the packhouse and the needs of other elite wolves, like me.

Male Omegas help with daily work that would need more brutal force, like building new houses for new-mated couples. Some even get a position as a tracker, but it's rare since a tracker also needs to be good at fighting. Which is not usually the case.

Lafayette’s wolf is not a typical Omega. She was unlucky enough to be born with a bleak wolf. It's a rare condition where the wolf side is born sick. They can't force themselves out, and for that reason, their human counterparts always have a hard time shifting, since the pain of a forced shift is excruciating.

For every werewolf, the first shift is the worse. We can feel every bone breaking and reshaping itself, but as we do it often, the pain becomes duller. We have to thank our wolves for that. A bleak omega can't say the same. It's always painful, so they end up never doing the shifting in the first place.

And also, these types of wolves are barren. Unable to conceive pups, which makes it more probable that they will be rejected by their mates and the pack for having no role in it.

After all, wolves have the mentality they were made to fight and procreate. If you can't do either, it's like a meaningless life. You have no place in a pack.

I disagree.

For me, every wolf has a place in MY pack, even more, if he or she was born in it. Strong or otherwise. And every wolf in my pack knows my beliefs, and that's why they would never do anything against her.

That's why Lafayette also would do anything I tell her to do. It's the reason why I know she wouldn't treat even a human differently.

As soon as she mind-linked me reporting Liora's accommodation status, I got my mind in a zen state and immersed myself in all the paperwork that needed to be done. I got my quill and the paper scroll and started writing.

'Cause I knew, at least this time, Liora would listen to me and not leave her room, since it was of more importance to her to be on my good side. Disobeying my order as soon as she gets here would not be good for her at all.

With the increase of recent rogue attacks, not just against my pack, but all the packs on the northern side of the Land of Light, the other Alphas involved in these sudden attacks and I were assembling a group of our best warriors to create a brigade of Wolf Assassins. We would stop waiting for these rogues to attack us and initiate a good offense.

As my grandfather used to say: the best defense is an adequate offense.

We had gathered some intel about where these rogues were coming from, and the place they were using as a base, and we had all the intention of putting an end to them before more of our people could suffer. The only thing we weren't able to understand was the ''why'' and, in a few cases, the ''how''.

Why only the Northern side? And how were their attacks so coordinated that they were able to easily breach the patrol defenses and directly attack the Alpha and Beta of each pack? Rogues aren't able to create coordinated attacks because they lack good leadership.

But twice they were able to severely maim the Alphas. One of those times, the Alpha and Luna of the Pack were killed. That happened in the Silver Moon Pack. Even if their pack were smaller and didn't have elite warriors, a rogue killing an Alpha is not an easy deed.

So how was this happening now? Who was helping them achieve such attacks? I was doing my best to get the answers to those questions.

And that is one of the main reasons this situation got me so intrigued and why I am so invested in this.

Following a few hours of engrossing myself in my work, I was starting to feel my back hurting after sitting so many hours in the same position. As I got up and stretched my arms over my body, yawning at the same time, I felt goosebumps rise on both my arms and go down to my legs.

That was my wolf senses telling me something was wrong.

I could sense an eerie feeling in the air... something was amiss. My animal instincts told me another hunter was lurking around. And as seconds passed, I exited my office cautiously, forcing my wolf senses into overworking, highlighting every skill I have as an Alpha wolf.

Some of the rooms in the packhouse were soundproofed by magic wards, therefore I wouldn't be able to hear much of what was happening if I stayed inside.

Whatever this was, I could see it was bothering my wolf. There was an unwelcome presence in this place. Everything was too quiet and that wasn't how things were supposed to be here. It was undoubtedly strange.

Out in the corridor, I noticed the packhouse was indeed too silent. Usually, at this time of the day, everyone is working at full speed to get things done, since it's when the Omegas are beginning to prepare the grand hall for the warrior's and recruits' dinner.

Walking through the hallway, I finally realized that people were still inside the house, but everybody stopped what they were doing, as if everyone sensed at the same time what I was sensing.

What in the world was happening? You would think that in a house full of ferocious predators, it would be hard for another creature to scare us. Being up in the food chain or not.

Watching my pack members, I saw all their ears perked, their heads slightly up; almost everyone had their eyes pitch black, a sign their wolves were ready to come out at any minute but weren't ready to do so yet.

"What is happening?" I finally asked no one in particular. I wanted an answer and was expecting some of them to answer it.

"Can you feel it too, Alpha?" asked Lafayette with a gruff voice, appearing out of nowhere by my side. That got my attention even more.

I looked at her and noticed even her eyes were black. For her weak wolf to be interested in something happening in the outside world showed me it wasn't a good sign at all.

"Yeah, I can feel it" I answered honestly. But I still had no idea what was happening.

"I feel like it's calling for me... calling my wolf!" Lafayette declared, her voice becoming even more irreconcilable.

What. The. Actual. f**k.

"Calling?" I murmured to myself. That didn't make any sense.

I didn't feel threatened even though I could feel the eerie presence and was sure another predator was in here, but I wasn't feeling any calling.

Was everyone feeling the same as her? And why the hell were these asshats standing dumbfounded without doing anything? Calling me as soon as they felt the intruder's presence inside the damn packhouse was supposed to be their first move.

As I was thinking about what it could be when it clicked with me.

Liora.

She is currently the only different thing inside this place.

I darted myself in the direction of the third floor, without thinking twice.

When I got to her room, the door was closed and I could feel the strong energy coming from the other side. Something bad was happening inside that room.

Not considering any other possibilities, but an imminent attack, I dashed through the door. Quite literally. I ran my body against the door with so much force I almost ripped it out of its hinges.

But the scene unfolding in front of me wasn't what I expected at all.

To be quite honest, I didn't know what to expect. But it certainly wasn't to witness one of my most trusted pack members being attacked by none less than Liora.

Seeing the dagger pressed against her throat was already infuriating, but when I realized what really was happening, I lost it. As soon as I understood that Liora was using her abilities against Rariel, I yanked Rariel from her grasp, positioning her safely behind me in a protective stance.

"What the f*****g hell were you doing to her?" was the only thing I could manage to say.

I was seething. My vision was a blur, signing that my wolf wanted to come out and tear Liora's neck. Or it was what I wanted to do at this moment. I was seeing red.

I trusted her and that's how she repays me? Attacking MY people inside MY house?

She was surprised by my intrusion, but seconds later she lowered the arm that was holding the dagger as if finally noticing her victim wasn't there anymore.

Rariel took a few seconds to come back from her hypnotic state. Shaking her head to get out of the haze, she whimpered, which made my wolf even more furious. She was hurt somehow. It wasn't a physical injury, since there was nothing wrong with her body as far as I could tell, but something was definitely wrong.

"Alpha... she was..." Rariel whispered, her voice cracking. "She was trying to... to kill me!"

And hearing those words I completely lost it.

Leaving Rariel safely behind, with three large strides, I brutally grabbed Liora’s neck, depriving her of oxygen.

"What do you think you were doing, your freak?" I spit venomously. "Do you think I will let you go after attacking one of my wolves?"

I could see her face slowly turning red as a tomato, with a few places getting white. She was fighting to breathe, but for the Moon Goddess, she was still trying to maintain a stoic face. Like a damn brute, not wanting to show any weaknesses.

How in the world?

"ANSWER ME!" I bellowed, losing my patience.

"Why d-don't you ask her the f-full story?" she replied with difficulty, using the last of her strength to say it, while trying to look at Rariel behind.

My hands were so tight around her neck, I could see her eyes starting to bulge from their sockets. If I didn't let her go, she would die. Hesitating a little, I let go of her neck. Squeezing the bridge of my nose, I was trying my best to regain total control and calm myself. I needed to deal with this situation and be rational.

Liora was eagerly taking deep gulps of air, coughing like she was gonna die. Well, she was close to it. I honestly almost felt the need to squeeze her neck even more and end this once and for all. However, a deep part of me thought that maybe something else was happening here, and I needed to understand it.

I waited a few seconds and then, getting my face inches off of her face, I said in a commanding voice.

"No! You are the one who is going to tell me what the hell was happening. And you better have a good excuse, or I swear to my Moon Goddess, I will kill you before you can even say 'I am sorry'''.