Gypsy Moon

Chapter Sixty-two: Aiden

. . . . . . (early June)

"Alpha, we have reports of rogues on the southeast border."

"Hostile?"

"Unknown."

"Dispatch a patrol team to the area. Do not engage violently unless provoked. Bring any willing to submit and put them in the detention center until Lilian can interview them."

"Yes, Alpha." The sound of the door let me know the wolf had left my office. I didn't look up from the paperwork I was working on. A grouchy mewl announced my two-month-old son's stirring in the bassinet beside my desk. Bryce leaned over and made a face at him.

"Hey, we had a deal, little Noisemaker." Donovan blew a drooly bubble at him. "You promised to be quiet until your mother gets back." He let Donovan grab one of his fingers, which went directly into my son's mouth. Samuel growled a low chuckle at his mate. Bryce was slowly becoming comfortable around the infant, which was good since there were so many pregnant she-wolves running around thanks to his heat.

We have thirty-two submitted rogue wolves in the pack now. Three females, and twenty-nine males. The submitted she-wolves all work in the pack medical center. One of them has a knowledge of herbs that Gyam calls 'disturbing, but useful'. The males are employed as guards, mostly for the pack's children. Lilian called them the 'Campus Police' once, and SOMEONE made them badges that say that. My whole pack enables her shenanigans.

Gyam's overprotective streak includes any children not yet at school age. He won't give details, and I won't ask. Some questions are better left unspoken.

My pack is up to a little over four hundred wolves. The newcomers have slowed down a little, but Lilian says there are enough waiting to be added that we should have almost six hundred when we catch up to the backlog.

Donovan fussed at Bryce, apparently angry that his finger was not as edible as he'd hoped.

"Don't you dare, Noisemaker." He grinned and very carefully lifted my son from his bassinet, muttering to himself as he positioned his arms properly. "You eat more than your mother did while she was growing you." I laughed and scribbled my signature across the bottom of the last page in front of me.

"Finally!" I tucked the paperwork into a folder and stretched. "Now we own a custom ATV shop." The owner suggested I purchase the shop from him after he found out I could afford his quiet retirement out of state. The shop kid, Tyler, came to the packhouse almost every other day. Lilian was proud of him for asking about us, and she thought he might be a mate to one of the younger she-wolves that hadn't turned sixteen yet.

Construction started on the pack school. The pack has almost seventy children, not counting the several in-progress cubs. We've been holding classes for all the kids in the common room. A lot of the older kids felt better having their younger siblings close, since everyone is 'the new kid'. But it's starting to feel crowded, and a couple of the older teens want to use the common room as a day care for the littlest cubs. They have apparently formed some sort of babysitting union, as if wolves didn't have enough ranks as is, and I blame Lilian.

It was suggested that a nursery wing be added to the main packhouse, since we have so many cubs-in-progress. I pointed out that the entire first floor had been overwhelmed with baby stuff, the nursery wing had created itself already, what we needed was a basement addition with a theater and a game room. Gyam also pointed out that he's less annoying with the pack cubs in the same room as he is, and it lets the pregnant wolves spend the day in the main house being spoiled by the kitchen and house wolves.

I took Donovan from Bryce as he started fussing again.

"What is taking Mommy so long?" He scrunched his face up and whined. "Let's go find Mommy, Uncle Bryce can stay here and do Daddy's work." Bryce rolled his eyes and slid into my chair. I pushed the door open with my foot and walked out onto the balcony overlooking the ground floor. I couldn't see my mate anywhere, so I walked down the ramp and crossed the floor to the kitchen.

Gyam was sitting at the kitchen island, watching Tia putt around the kitchen helping with dinner prep. Her belly was just starting to swell, and he liked it when she wore empire-waisted shirts because it drew attention to her baby bump. He grinned at Donovan as I walked up.

"How is the Tiny Tyrant?" I chuckled and shifted Donovan in my arms so he could glare at Gyam.

"Awake and angry." Gyam laughed and made a grumpy face at him.

"Sinah went to the medical center, Rafe and Vass are her escort." I nodded and turned towards the door. Unfortunately, the kitchen and front door are on opposite sides of the packhouse, and classes were in session. Progress was slow. Every few feet of progress there was another cub that wanted to greet the cranky baby Alpha.

It took Donovan's furious protesting to clear me a path to the medical center, guided by understanding smiles and laughter. Sinah met us in the lobby and giggled at our son's theatrics.

"You would think we starved the kid the way he hollers." She shifted her shirt to expose one of her breasts, silencing Donovan's complaints, to everyone's amusement. She took him from my arms and adjusted him so he could latch properly.

"And now I'm jealous." I laughed as Sinah swatted me with her free hand.

"Pervert." She grinned at me and shifted Donovan to be a little more comfortable. He growled softly at the interruption, and I laughed.

/:Alpha!:/ My head snapped up toward the door. /:Ambush! Help!:/ I spun on my heel and bolted through the door, shedding my clothing as I ran. Gyam came flying out of the packhouse, already topless, his eyes clouded as he gave silent orders and wolves began appearing around us. We shifted together and began running, our numbers steadily growing as we raced silently down the mountain.

The sounds of combat reached our ears and we pushed ourselves to run faster, breaking into the chaos abruptly. One of my warriors was on the ground, the other two were desperately defending him from the attacking wolves. I let out a growl that made the leaves tremble on the trees around us and the attacking wolves twisted their attention around to glare at me.

A dozen pairs of eyes latched onto me, and everything seemed to hold its breath for a moment. That is, until Gyam snapped his teeth around the throat of the nearest wolf and casually tore it out, and we erupted into combat.

I threw myself at a large wolf advancing on my fallen warrior. He rolled with the impact and twisted around to snap his teeth at my neck. I kicked him away from me and launched back after him before he could recover, raking my claws across his sides. A wolf landed on my back, and I growled as I felt his claws sink into my hide.

Gyam grabbed the wolf on my back by one of his legs, a sickening crunch sounded as his jaws crushed through the wolf's bone. The wolf didn't have time to cry out. I twisted under him and pushed my hind claws into his soft underbelly, kicking furiously like a cat. Long, ragged gouges rained viscera as the light abruptly left the wolf's eyes.

The skirmish continued for several more minutes. My warriors and I were panting, bleeding from dozens of wounds. Gyam growled darkly, earning well-deserved whimpers from two wolves that had surrendered to us. They both dropped to the ground and lay prone in front of me so I could submit them, but I looked around at the c*****e and snarled.

/:Get the wounded to Sinah, put these two in detention.:/ I turned and began running further south, following the scent trail the attacking rogues had left. Gyam appeared at my side soundlessly, and we raced through the wooded hills. The thick brush concealed their tracks, and the wind stole away the traces of their scent. Gyam and I slowed to a frustrated stop. He sat and glared at the sandy dirt between his paws.

/:That was a test.:/

/:I know.:/ I paced angrily in front of him.

/:It was too easy.:/ He growled and shoved a rock abruptly. I stopped pacing and turned to look at him. He met my gaze with deadly seriousness. /:We suffered no losses.:/

/:Sadly, I agree.:/ Sure, there were wounded, but none of the wolves in my pack died, which could be seen as incredibly lucky. Or suspiciously coincidental, considering how new my pack was.

I gotta say, the only thing that hurts worse than falling into a trap, is the f*****g tranquilizer dart that blossomed suddenly on my neck.

. . . . . .