A Rare Gem

Chapter 5: Taste of the Music

Sam POV:

John woke me up with a mind-link telling me the elders will meet me at noon in their council hall. Looking at my bedside clock, I see I have about three and a half hours till then.

‘Apollo?’ I reach out to my wolf; I got a huff as a response. ‘I’m sorry. I should have taken your advice and trusted Loki. Trusted you.’

‘Damn right. I can’t give you too much help. The Goddess said that you have to do this on your own but I am trying to help where I can. It’s why you met Loki to begin with; I set that up. I wanted him to explain why and what he needed from you. I don’t know why it needs to be us that does this quest for him. They won’t tell me why, but I need you to trust me on this. I need us to be on the same page.’ He sounds hurt and betrayed that I didn’t trust him.

‘I am sorry. I will help him, but first I need more information on this Nightshade pack. So, I have to meet with the elders at noon. This mission won’t be over with overnight but I will do what I can.’

‘You can’t tell the elders about Loki meeting with you. The ones that know of him will start to work against you to have you overthrown. Just say you came across the book while doing some pack research.’ Apollo smirked at his fib. He has always been a clever wolf, teaching me how to pull off the best pranks on the warriors in training, or my sister who actually got tired of my pranks and left to attend a human college about a thousand miles away.

I got up and ready for the day. Once dressed I went to the kitchen to see what the kitchen omegas made for breakfast.

“Good morning, Alpha Sam!” Marie, the head cook greeted me as I walk in.

“Morning sweet Marie. What do you have on the menu this beautiful morning?”

“Anything you want me to make is on your menu, but I have some chocolate chip waffles, bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast made already.”

“I’ll take a little bit of everything that you have ready, no need to make something special for me. You already have to work so hard for this pack and all the refuges I keep letting in.” I smiled at her. She truly did work so hard. Besides making a buffet for the pack wolves to eat as they wish two to three times a day. Her and her staff also make up meal boxes for the refuges. Typically, she makes the warriors in training deliver them after they shower before they can eat themselves, but her and her staff are essentially cooking for 2 packs.

I make a note in my phone to hire some more kitchen staff for her and to build a new kitchen for the refugee camps. Do a mess hall type thing, with one huge kitchen and buffet line with an attached dining hall. I’ll need to staff that kitchen as well.

Marie bring me out a loaded plate, a tall glass of orange juice, and the pack newspaper. I thank her and take a bite of the waffles, like always they were heaven. Moaning in pure food bliss, she giggles at me and walks back to the kitchen. I eat as I read the paper. The pack newspaper is the paper for all werewolf news, there is a separate paper for the kingdom news that includes all were-species news. Today’s headline was about another pack that Alpha Brent took down. Alpha Brent is the son of the former Alpha of the BloodHunters pack, Alpha Brandon. I’ll have to make more housing to accommodate the refuges from this pack too. Brent and his father have been dwindling the pack numbers for years. Out of the 168 packs 20 years ago, only 12 remain, including the BloodHunters and us.

Most of the pack were small, less than a 100 members. Brandon had taken down 82 packs before stepping down 4 years ago and forcing his eldest son to take over. The would he received from the Luna of the nightshade pack cursed him and his men that were on the pack land that night. Most of the men died within a week from the wound, but Brandon kept kicking for 15 years. 3 years ago, he finally succumbed to the curse, leaving his son to lead after only a year of guidance. I’ve been Alpha for 3 years and my father still tries to give me his two cents. All the remaining packs hoped that with his death, that the madness would stop. We were all wrong, so wrong. In 4 years, Brent has taken down 74 packs, 18 packs a year. His father only managed to destroy 5 or 6 a year. The 11 of the 12 packs are all large packs and growing. We all have been taking in the refuges and training the men to fight and the women to be nurses, if they wish. The one who wish not to fight nor be nurses, we find other jobs for. The packs do all we can to keep families together and reunite the lost family members. When I took over the pack 3 years ago, this pack had about 200 members at the time, now we are close to 1,500. The other 10 packs are the same way. BloodHunters have been at around a 1,000 members since I took over since most of the pack member of the pack they destroy flee or die trying. No one want to be in that pack. If Brandon did cheat to win Nightshade, than it will cause the king to look closer at these other challenges and maybe find more packs that were destroy unfairly.

I finish eating and put my dishes in the sink, giving Marie a kiss on the cheek on my way out. I climb the stairs of the pack house to the 4th floor, the Alpha and Luna floor. It had the Alpha and Luna room, 4 other bedrooms, my office, and the Luna office. The 3rd floor was the Beta and Gamma floor, a room for each and their mate, 4 extra bedrooms, and 2 offices. The 2nd floor was guest rooms, and the first floor was the kitchen and dining room, entertainment room, board room, banquet hall and ball room.

I enter my office and see that John organized my desk a little. I sat down and begin looking over papers and writing up the necessary paperwork for the refuge mess hall and extra housing. Glancing at the clock a while later, I see that the meeting is in 15 minutes. I grab the book out of my safe and rush to the elder council hall. I was told to sit outside as they return from lunch. I open the book and take a closer look at the back portion of it, these last half of the book was clearly torn out, but why? What was being hidden? The pack history should’ve stopped being recorded after everyone was murdered years ago. I don’t have time to dwell on the questions as my name was called and I was escorted into the hall. Maybe I can get answers and justice.

“Why have you requested a meeting today, Alpha?” The head elder, Elder Limon, spoke. His voiced echoing around the chamber.

“While looking through some pack history, I found some evidence that suggests that former Alpha Brandon of BloodHunters cheated in his challenge with former Alpha Nickolas of Nightshade.” I spoke clearly and professionally as I held up the book on Nightshade. The elder council in every pack consisted of 6 old and wise wolves appointed by the king to be his eyes and ears into the packs and to enforce the laws. They will hear all cases before they are brought before the king, to determine if the case needed the king’s intervention or if the elders and pack Alpha could handle the situation. All pack laws are enforced by the elders and Alpha, while kingdom laws are more complicated. This is a kingdom matter.

“Stop looking into Nightshade and let that pack rest in peace.” An elder on the left shouted.

“I wish to send the book to the king to have his mages repair the pages within and reveal all secrets that someone tried to hide by attempting to burn the book.” I rebutted.

“That book shouldn’t have anything legible inside of it. It was burned to a crisp. Let the secrets remain buried!” An elder on the right, elder Shiloh, spoke. He was hiding something.

“Elder Shiloh. I, Alpha Samuel Alexander Hawkins, demand you tell the council here and now all you know about the Nightshade challenge and what happened to this book. I invoked the spell of truth or death.” I call out in my Alpha voice. The voice of an Alpha cannot be disobeyed by the member that Alpha’s pack, they cannot order another packs members only their only. Only royalty can order other pack members besides their own. The spell of truth or death is a spell place by the kings mages on every packs council hall. Invoking the spell means that no one within the halls walls can lie for if they dare to they will die the moment the lie is spoken. It is a last resort in the hall from the word of the person on trial cannot be trusted. Never has an Alpha dared to invoke in on a council member.

“Alpha Samuel. That cannot be undone till this meeting is over!” Elder Limon reminded me.

“I know elder, but I do not trust elder Shiloh is telling the whole truth nor that he would under normal questioning.” I explain. Elder Shiloh is fuming in his seat.

“Fine. Since now I cannot not lie or I will die. I will tell you the whole truth. The Nightshade pack was a pack of demons. Evil roaming our world free to do as they pleased. I couldn’t stand for it any longer. So, I confess to helping Alpha Brandon win the challenge and erase that goddess forbidden stain on werewolf history. The same night I tried to burn the book to rid the physical evidence. Afterwards I found out that there was a single survivor, but when I went to check the pack’s book the pages were torn out every day for a year and then the book disappeared for 17 years. So where did you find it? Remember you can’t lie in this chamber now.”

“I found the book on the shelf in the pack history section of the library.” I spoke honestly. I pray they don’t ask for the real reason I was looking into pack histories.

“LIES!!!” Elder Shiloh shouted.

“He cannot lie within these walls, remember? As for your confession elder Shiloh. You are hereby stripped of you title as an elder, stripped of your pack status, and are to await trial before the king in the dungeons.” Elder Limon stated and guards stormed the hall and arrested the former elder. “Alpha. If you don’t mind I will take that book and send it with the video and audio recordings of today’s meeting to the king for his review.” I nodded and handed over the book. Thanking the elders for their time and leaving.

I leave with more questions than when I entered, but one thing for certain is that someone did survive and that wolf is the lost gem of Fenriris.

‘We are one step closer to finding them.’ My wolf and I agreed.

Rose’s POV:

3 days. I’ve been walking for 3 days straight. I have stopped besides for the bathroom breaks or to fill my canteen with water. I don’t know that that pack is sending people after me. So, I want to put as much distance between me and them. I have yet to sense anyone behind me, but I am exhausted and running on fumes. I need to stop and rest.

‘Your arm is healed now. If you would let me, I can take over and continue on for a while so you can rest.’ My oh so sweet wolf suggested.

‘Thank you’ I said as I stopped long enough to take off the splint. ‘But you’ve spent the past few days healing my arm. You are tired too. I can continue until I find a place to rest.’ She nodded and curled up in her special place to rest.

She is a weird wolf from what my parents explain. Wolves were supposed to tell their human their name from day one when they join at 16 years old. I’ve had my wolf since I was 4, 14 years later and I still don’t know her name. She always said she would tell me when it was necessary and that we are unique and meant for much bigger things.

She is a beautiful solid black wolf. The tip of her tail is white for about 2 inches than black again. When the sun hits her fur you can see the red shimmering tint she has. Mother was so shocked by my wolf the first time I shifted at 16 that I was forbidden to shift ever again. I broke that rule once after that, it was about 8 months later. The first snow fall since my birthday and my wolf wanted to play in the snow. I snuck out before dawn and let her play in the snow. Mother freaked out and I felt so guilty that I never shifted again till the day they died.

I don’t know how far we’ve walked since leaving the cabin, but around midafternoon I saw a village in the distance. I ran towards it. Once on the main road, I slowed to a walk and look around. It seem like it was abandon, like everyone picked up and left in the middle of the night.

Looking around more closely I see a market still fully stocked. A motel, a gas station that was also still stocked. I walked around some more and finally decided to settle in a house at the end of a road. There was no back door and the front of the house has a good view of anything coming towards me. I had a full kitchen, a full bathroom, and a fully furnished bedroom. I set my bag in the bedroom and took a shower. The hot water felt amazing. After my shower and I was dressed I went to the market and got some groceries. I broke the registers in the market, gas station, and motel and took the cash. Dad told me about how villages uses this cash to pay for good. Heading back to the house, I feel happy. If I can make it a few days without any pack wolves showing up, I might make this place my new home for a bit till I can build a new cabin in the woods. I get to the house; I make a delicious dinner and after eating I read a book. Once dark settled on the land I got dressed for bed and went to sleep.

Tracker POV:

My men and I were given strict orders to bring this girl back, but not to harm her under and circumstances. Why the Alpha wants this girl, no one knows but him. My men and I walked for 2 days straight and still haven’t caught up to her. She has a day on us but she can’t shift with a broken arm and her wolf wouldn’t dare to heal it without it being reset.

We stopped for lunch and to rest till night fall. Hopefully, she stops for the night and we can catch up to her. we have to get to her before she cross the border for BloodHunters land. We are near the border for the old Amethyst pack.

Rose POV:

I slept for a couple of hours, waking up it was dark in the house.

‘Can I run for a bit? Please?’ my wolf begs, puppy eyes and all.

I chuckle at her but get up and go outside. The moon was high in the sky and it was a cold spring night. I strip quickly so she doesn’t shred my clothes. Giving her control and letting her shift. Her large paws hitting the ground and she takes off into the trees. Dodging, weaving, and jumping over fallen trees. She slows down when she comes across a stream, stretching and yawning before taking a drink. She then trotted off, chased a wild rabbit. She was so happy, it made me smile. I could tell she wanted to sing to the moon but we both know that at this moment we couldn’t risk it. Nearing dawn she headed to the house. Shifting back, I grabbed my clothes and rushed inside. Getting dressed and diving under the covers to get warm. I took a couple more hours of sleep before getting up and ready for the day.

The sun was just over the trees now, the light made everything glisten from frost. I made breakfast, ate, then relax on the couch with some books. This house was stocked with all kinds of books, fiction, non-fiction, medical, history, romance. Such a wide variety. I wonder who lived here. Around midafternoon I start getting a weird feeling like I was being watched. I peeked out the window and saw nothing, brushing it off as just a paranoid feeling, I went back to the couch and took a nap.

I woke up around dusk to shouting outside. I jumped off the couch and went to the window. Looking out I see 3 men going from house to house. Shouting for me to come out before breaking down the door and searching the house before moving on to the next. They are about 6 houses down from me. I rush to the room and grab my bag, packing my things, some non-perishable food, the cash I stole, and my books. Zipping the bag, I go to the back window and toss it out, jumping out after it. I grab it and run into the woods. Once beyond the tree line, I strip, put my clothes in the bag and shift. Letting my wolf have the lead. She grabs the bag and trots off into the woods.

After about 2 miles, we hear the thundering sound of wolves chasing us. Scared, we starting running. One-on-one we stood a chance but not 3-on-one.

‘We need to pick them off one by one or lose them!’ I urged her.

‘I got an idea.’ She skid to a stop, hid our bag, then walked over to a ditch that had an overhang. She rolled around in the dirt and peed. She then climbed on top of the overhang and laid down, blending into the shadows and growing night. After what I assume was 15 minutes, the 3 wolves followed our scent trail into the ditch. Once all 3 were under the overhang, we dropped down behind them snarling. They back up further into the ditch until their butts touch the dirt of the overhang. Two of the wolves cower down to the ground and submit the third one shifted back and knelt on the ground.

‘We won’t fall for this trick again.’ My wolf and I said in unison.

“We aren’t here to hurt you. I swear. Our Alpha asked us to bring you back unharmed or he’ll punish us.” The man explains calmly, hands raised. My wolf sat down but kept her snarl. Licking her lips for effect. The other 2 wolves shifted back to join the other in naked glory but remained on the ground.

“We aren’t warriors, we are trackers. We don’t want to fight you.” The man on the right raises his head enough to look at us and speak.

“I’m Charlie.” The man on the left introduced. “That’s Mike.” Points to man on the right. “And He’s Howard.” Points to the man up front on his knee.

“We have no weapons, no extra food, just a couple doses of antivenom in case we got bit by rogues. We left them back at the village when we shifted to follow you.” Howard explained. “I thought your arm was broken, how are you able to shift?” He asked as he rose to his feet.

My wolf growled at him. ‘We need to shift back if you want to answer and speak with them.’ My wolf reminded me. I thought for a moment then told her to make them stay before returning to our bag and shifting back. I didn’t want to be naked in front of these pack wolves. Father said pack wolves were horny monsters.

She stood up and slowly walked towards the men, snarling. Howard backed up till she nudged him with his nose to make him fall on his rear end. She backed up a couple of feet, Charlie tried to stand up but we lunged at him forced him back down.

“Okay. We won’t move.” Charlie said in fear.

We go behind a tree by our bag and shift back. I get dressed and walk back to them with my bag. I see that they put some shorts on. I don’t know where they got the shorts but thank the Goddess they found some. I am not a fan of looking at strange naked men.

“Why does you Alpha want me back?” I ask point blank.

“We don’t know. We were just told to bring you back.” Charlie answered. He seemed sweet and the most helpful. I could see us being friends if the circumstance were different.

“Well, I don’t want to go back to him. I want to go back to living peacefully in my cabin and being left the f*ck alone. You all didn’t care or know, apparently, that we were there for 18 years. my parents longer than that. I just want to be left to live in peace!” I shout at them. My anger and pain threatening to spill from my eyes.

“We have orders to follow you till we can bring you back to the Alpha. The longer we have to chase you, the longer we have to be away from our families and mates.” Mike spoke with such a sadness.

My wolf whimpers. We both realize that we would never have peace till we faced this Alpha.

‘We have to face the demons and dance to the music they sing, till the time comes to change the tune.” We smirk in agreement at each other.

“Fine. BUT I want your words that after I meet with your Alpha, you and the rest of you pack will leave me alone.” I compromise.

“We can’t promise that for the entire pack.” Howard starts.

“But we can promise that us three, Mike, Howard, and I, will not come after you again. If you go back to your cabin. I will even help you survive on your own with supply deliveries and help if you should need it.” Charlie offered.

“I can help you build a garden and plant your own crops.” Mike added.

‘We need to buy our freedom from the Alpha, not these men.’ My wolf comments. Sighing, I adjust my bag on my shoulder and start walking west. The men scramble to their feet to follow me.

“Thank you” they spoke in unison. Charlie joined me at my right side while Howard and mike flanked. It was going to be a long walk back.

----

We walked through the rest of the night. The sun was starting to rise behind us, casting long slender fingers of light through the trees. Howard had been yawning for close to an hour, Mike starts to yawn and stumbles over a tree root. I stop and sigh.

“Let’s stop and rest. I’ll make breakfast.” I tell them and look around for a place to rest. I spot a clearing in the trees just off to the right of the path we were walking. I walked through the brush and set my bag in the clearing. “Here.”

The men joined me and collapse on the ground. I didn’t realize just how tired they were. I chuckle and walk around to find kindling and firewood to make a fire for breakfast. Within a few minutes I had wondered away from the clearing and the men. I couldn’t see either anymore. I didn’t mind it though; the boys didn’t talk much on the walk but when they did they were loud. The silence was nice. Once I gathered enough wood and kindling, I started the walk back.

I was about 15 yards away from the clearing, when the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I stopped in my tracks.

‘Be careful. Get back to the clearing quickly but do not run.’ My wolf ordered. Fear coursed in my veins.

With my back still to the threat, I took about 4 steps forward.

‘Hit the deck!’ my wolf shouted at me just in time. I hit the ground, getting a haircut in the process as a reddish brown rogue wolf soared over my head.

I rush to my feet and scramble a few feet away, turning to face the wolf. I run a hand down my hair, brushing a few loose strands out in the process. Pissed, I give control over to my wolf. She was ready to teach this rogue who he was messing with.

She shreds my clothes, landing on her paws with a thud and a loud snarl. The rogue back up at the sight of us. She slowly stalked forward, snarling and snapping. The rogue got a wave of confidence and lunged at us, we tried to dodge but it managed to get our hindleg. We growled and twisted to get the rogue in the thigh, the rogue bit down harder. I could feel our bone starting to break. My wolf jerked her head ripping out a chunk of flesh from the rogues leg making him release ours and let out a loud howl of pain.

We jumped back from the rogue. The howls of Charlie, Mike, and Howard shifting and joining us echoed around. The rogue turn to face me and lunged again. A grey wolf caught the rogue in midair and tackled him to the ground. Two more grey wolves came up beside me. We nod at them as the first wolf backs off the rogue, letting him stand. He spins around looking at all of us as we circle him, snarling. Our back log is becoming weak and numb.

‘I can’t heal our leg.’ My wolf whimpered.

We were becoming unsteady and weak. We step back, the boys can handle a single rogue.

‘They are warriors…’ I start to tell her as the rogue lunged past the men in the gap I was in and got us in the shoulder.

Tumbling to the ground, my wolf yelp and clawed at the belly. We finally manage to kick him off of us. He was bleeding excessive from his leg and belly. We stand up as the men lunge at the rogue, but he dodges them and comes after us again, getting us in the shoulder. My wolf cried in pain and clamped down on its shoulder as well. Tighten our grip until we felt the bone break. Shaking her head, making the wolf let go, she toss it against a tree. It was nearing death but still stood back up.

’BOW DOWN!’ my wolf ordered the rogue. I was about to remind her that she can’t order a random wolf when surprisingly, it obeyed. Bowing down to us as we limped over. ‘Who are you?’ she asked. The wolf just snarled from his bowing position. Giving him a moment to answer, when none came, she gave a final order. ‘COMPLETELY SUBMIT!’ the order caused the wolf to tuck his tail and expose his neck.

‘Close your eyes’ she told me. I knew what she was going to do, and I close my eyes but she didn’t deliver the final blow. I opened my eyes in her mind and saw the ground, felt her struggling to breathe. The rogue still in its submitting position.

Charlie shifted back and slid to a stop in front of me. One of the others delivered the killing blow to the rogue.

“SHIFT BACK! Please I can’t help you like this.” Charlie pleaded. My wolf was refusing, knowing I don’t want to be exposed like that to strange men. “Please…” he stroke her fur.

She obliged. Shifting back and Charlie rolled me on my stomach. As he looked at my shoulder and leg. They still wouldn’t heal. Glancing at my thigh, the wound looks like what the Alpha had.

“Poison.” I struggling to say in between raspy breaths. “The bite.. has poison… and wolfsbane…” it was all I managed to say as I closed my eyes and felt my heart stop. This was the end.