The Tribes Luna

CHAPTER 21

ERIK'S POINT OF VIEW

I woke to the sound of one of my boarder patrol mind linking me. Apparently, they had found something suspicious on the other side of the border just outside our territory and they wanted me to know if something should be done about it.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." I told him.

I rubbed my hands over my face to get the sleep out of my eyes and tried to wake myself up a little bit more. I looked over and saw Astrid was still sleeping soundly. The clock on my bedside table said it had just gone past 5 o'clock. I slid myself off the bed and got myself dressed, being careful not to wake Astrid up. I quickly wrote a note to her explaining where I would be and to wait in the packhouse for me to come back, then I quietly left the room and made my way to the east edge of the broader where a member of the patrol was waiting for me.

"Alpha." Robert said, nodding to me.

"Robert." I nodded back. "What is it that you wanted to show me?"

"It's right over this way," he said.

"Lead the way." I told him, letting him walk in front of me.

We were just approaching the boarders when I could see this unusual black mass on the ground just past the border line. Robert stopped at the edge and pointed towards it like he didn't really want to go any closer to it. I walked the rest of the way to it and realised why he didn't want to go too close.

It was a wolf, just a normal black, fairly large, wolf. I heard fenrir howl mournfully, the sound hurt my heart more.

When I got close to it, I knelt down and stroked its fur and realized at once that this wolf didn't die of natural causes. This wolf had wounds all over it's body, making it look like it'd been tied up extremely tightly, to the point where whatever bound it cut through it's skin. A sharpened stick was lodged through it's bottom jaw, pinning it to the ground.

I felt Fenrir become tense and anxious seeing the marks on this wolf's skin. I got a piercing headache at the same time I saw a flash of a chaotic scene in front of me. I wasn't in the woods anymore. Men were gathered around me and they were all laughing and cheering at their victory. I was struggling to get free. Then I was back in the woods kneeling in front of this dead wolf.

"What was that?" I asked him.

"Nothing." He snapped back and then he retreated to the back of my mind and blocked me so I could no longer ask any more questions.

I'll have to deal with that later then. For now, I mind link a maid to meet Robert at the edge of the woods with a large bedsheet. A few minutes later, he jogged back to me handing me the sheet. I wrapped the wolf's body up in it to hide it from those that might be about and take it to the pack hospital.

When I walked through the doors I was thankful it was nearly empty. I found the head doctor at once. I carried on walking with him till I found an empty room and went in.

"Alpha, how can I help you?" the Doctor asked, casting a curious glance at the bundle I was holding.

"I need you to perform an autopsy and open an investigation into this wolf's death." I told him.

"Of course, it must have been a pup, judging by the size," he said as I placed it down still wrapped up.

"No, it's not." I said, unwrapping the body.

He gave me a curious glance, but he gave a quick exam of the dead wolf now on the bed.

"Definitely not natural causes, human intervention." He told me quickly. "Do you think someone in our pack did this?"

"I can't be sure. I dont' think so though. I just think there is something odd about this. I also need you not to tell anyone about this. " I ordered him in my Alpha tone.

"He immediately submits and nods to my order. "Yes, Alpha."

"Let me know when you have a full report." I told him and he nodded.

I walked out and made my way through the forest. The sun was fully up, it was probably about 9 o'clock by now. I wanted to get back to Astrid. She was probably awake by now. I sent a mindlink to Samantha to make sure Astrid eats and for my brothers to check up on her.

"Astrids fine, we're just in the kitchen now eating. Danny was acting odd, again at training, he hasn't come back yet." Camron tells me.

"Alright, I'll go find him." I said.

Alright, Danny. Where are you? I thought to myself. Then the answer came to me instantly. The treehouse we used to play in as kids.

I sprinted towards it, knowing my way flawlessly. I climbed the ladder and saw Danny curled up in a ball. He was clearly crying. Maybe he knew it was me already, because he didn't move when I sat down next to him and put my arm round him. He always came here when he was upset. If our parents argued, he came here. After a few minutes, he stopped crying.

"I understand, if you want me out of your pack," he told me.

"What the f**k gives you that idea?" My heart hurt hearing him say that.

"Because you can't have a gay Delta," he confessed.

"Do you really think I'd get rid of my own baby brother because he was gay?" I felt shocked and hurt. "Is that why you never told anyone? You thought we'd disown you or something?" He nodded. "Danny, I would never do that. Nor would our brothers, and you know our parents wouldn't care either."

"But other packs would. The Elders probably will. It's not a tradition to have a gay-ranked wolf in any pack," he states.

"Screw what other people think. I'll handle the Elders if they have a problem. You and Geir are staying in this pack as my Deltas. I do not care what anybody else says. Come here, you moron." I said as I pulled him to my chest and ruffled his hair.

He fights with it, but it's how we show we love each other. "Come on, we need to give Geir and Astrid that tour, and make the announcement to the pack as well." I told him, as I stood up.

He follows my lead. "Erik, I'm not sure I'm ready for the whole pack to know. Just yet anyway."

I nodded, understanding. "Okay, I won't say till you tell me I can. But just remember that the longer you leave it, the worse it might get."

We decided to race back to the pack house. We reached the back door in record time, seeing everyone in the kitchen, sitting around the dining table. I smiled when I saw Astrid. She was already washed and dressed for the day ahead. I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her and Danny went to sit down next to Geir holding his hand under the table.

"You ready for your tour, Angel?" I said, kissing her cheek.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She told me. I could sense her nerves, I could guess what they were for.

"Angel, the pack is going to love you, almost as much as I do. Almost." I added with a wink, making her giggle. "I'm gonna go get a shower and then I'll be right back, then we can start the tour, alright?" Everybody nodded in agreement.