Orphan Alpha Daughter: Unwanted (The Sable River Series #1)

Chapter 5

We were nearly back home, and I was still pushing my forehead against the cold bus window, watching my breath fog up and clear again on the tinted glass. Although it was dark now, the huge lights of the driveway into the official pack village grounds highlighted the whiteness of the crushed gravel we turned onto.

The little yellow rickety minibus moved up the driveway, the village houses neatly tucked along beside it, and I could see the vast packhouse in the distance. This was where the Alpha lived with his Luna, and their staff - bascially the government of the pack and their entourage. While this sounded opulent and prideful, it just simply made sense to have people all in one space together - and, werewolf packs are all about exactly that - the pack mentality. Stronger together.

As we finally finished our journey, pulling back up in our rickety minibus to the front of the packhouse, I sensed something sinister in the big stone columns adjacent to the front door. For the first time in my whole life in Sable River Pack, there weren't any guards outside the grand entrance to the packhouse - and I suddenly realised that I had not seen any as we entered the village gates, either. The busload of new Turners went silent, also realising that something was wrong. The driver parked between the classic round garden in front of the big double doors, and the bus door whooshed open with a final squeak. As we disembarked from the bus, my new wolfy sense started peaking even more. There was something terribly, terribly wrong.

The metallic scent of blood was in the air, and also the smell of smoke.

The bus driver was instantly alert, sniffing the air and taking charge with a quiet, no-nonsense attitude. “Stay behind the bus, I’m checking out the packhouse entry!” He was right, even us newly turned could tell that area was the epicentre of the horrible, nostril-burning scent of blood and smoke.

We all flattened ourselves out in terror, but as we did so a strange feeling overcame me. I felt like there was a strange bubbling inside my stomach, like anger or frustration. I also felt two other things - a distinct lack of fear, when I should have been terrified like the others, and another of those insanely powerful urges to look to my right, along with the most mouthwatering smell of pine needles in the forest.

I gasped in shock, gazing at what I saw. There, with a moonbeam illuminating him perfectly, was the burnished red-brown wolf from the image burned into my brain. I saw him even in the darkness, poised and looking over his shoulder in wolf form, directly at me. He nodded, and I swear he sent me a message. “Until later” he seemed to say with those mesmerising green eyes, and as I instinctually smiled and tensed to move towards him, he sprang forward, leaping over a log and disappeared into the forest.

I frantically stared around, wondering where he went, why he was here, but mostly wondering why his image was already in my head, and also why his amazing, pine-needle-smelling scent was driving my wolf crazy! She was doing circles in my head, getting very interested in meeting him, right now! I struggled to get her under control, but she was also tired from the night's proceedings. Our wolves are strong, but their first Turn means they need a little bit of time out to recuperate and get used to being present with us.

As the red wolf left, my heart gave a peculiar thud and I immediately felt colder, and more alone - like times when I would gradually feel warmer in the kitchen on a cold day, then realise how cold it was once I left again. But this was a hollow sort of feeling.

Meanwhile, as I stared into the distance following my mystery wolf’s disappearance, the bus driver warrior had come back from the packhouse entry, his eyes glowing amber as his wolf started to show. “They’ve taken the Alpha! The pack are inside, safe, but two guards are dead, and the Alpha and the spectator group is missing.”

We all gaped in shock, stupefied and gawking at him as he finished. Marta was missing - and the Alpha?

What on earth had happened here, tonight? Our tired, cloudy brains were trying to catch up to what had been said. We were ushered inside to the big hall, where we were given blankets to lay on and recover from an emotionally taxing night and day, while those who were more capable right now, were able to start managing this new ludicrously sudden situation we found ourselves in.

While I lay there, I silently worried about what had happened, a lump in my throat and fear lodged in my chest. I definitely didn’t feel peaceful, wondering what was going on - and what that mysterious wolf was doing here.

I thought about that wolf for awhile. He seemed very capable, and the look on his face told me he knew I was someone special. Why, I had no idea - but I knew he was someone I would see again, too.

I did feel comfortable though - and so tired - enough to fall asleep quickly, even with the sense of dread in the big hall. I dreamed of green eyes and burnished fur, a fresh scent and scary figures interspersed with fire, smoke and horrible itches.

**Larson**

I kept back, far enough that no one could see me in the forest gloom, and kept watch over that ridiculous old yellow bus. They’d been using that thing for the Turning young ones for years, it was like a beacon to the world! I rolled my eyes.

In all my time hunting for the Taken, I’d always been back to monitor the Turned, except when I was overseas. I was always worried they’d be taken again.

This time, however, I felt strangely drawn to this particular bunch of young wolves on their first shift. It was a new feeling for me, one I had heard of but never felt in my 23 years.

I knew my mate was out there somewhere- was she in this new crew? I didn’t have assurance yet, but then not all those who Turned were quite 18, so this didn’t mean anything much.

Inwardly I was already heartbroken. I would have to deny my mate her right to hers for awhile, because no way was I giving up the hunt for the Taken, nor did I want to come back to my pack while the rogue leader was so unpredictable.

He was clearly working on something big, and I would never forgive myself if I was caught up in my mate and put my pack - and her - in danger.

Other than those reasons, I desperately wanted to meet my mate-the girl who was my soul mate and the light to my dark. We wolves knew our fated mates were an absolute gift, and it was never OK to mess with such a gift.

My head was a mess, and I just kept watching the bus from my spot until I saw her face as the bus passed a few yards from my hiding place.

Her eyes- they were bluer than the ocean, and intelligent-with a hint of pain and loneliness in them. I had a gift for seeing past people’s personal walls, and this was very helpful in my current occupation. I never expected to see that underlying pain in my potential mate’s eyes though …

But this girl- her hair was honey blonde and as the bus went past I couldn’t help myself, bounding to the next bend in the road and standing with my nose in the air, looking for her scent.

As the bus manouvered through the dense foliage along the track, she seemed suddenly compelled and sharply turned her head to look directly at me. Our eyes met for a long, drawn out second, a connection, and then she was gone.

I quickly moved to follow, swiftly and as silently as I could. Keeping to the shadow of the trees, I watched the Turning of these ones, finding myself empathetic for the blue-eyes girl’s pain. I remembered my first Turn all too well, and the horror that followed.

Once the mob of support wolves, my father included, shifted and starting running in full strength back to the pack lands and the safety of home, I followed the ridiculous yellow bus on the track back, carrying the exhausted young ones who had just become fully-fledged wolves for the first time.

They were vulnerable, I knew that full well, and I was worried the rogue leader or witch herself would strike in their vulnerable moments, as on that terrible day 8 years ago. My routine for watching over newly Turned meant I left them at the last bend in the track before the pack boundary. This time, I felt a renewed sense of protection as the honey blonde girl was on that bus. Already, the thought of losing her like those of my first Turn, made my wolf whimper, and I too didn’t know what I would do if that happened.

I would have to make sure they stayed safe, that she stayed safe. I continued following them until they pulled up at the packhouse, when I realised something was terribly wrong - but I could only watch what happened, and make my own observations from further back - because I didn't want to come back to the pack even at a moment like this. Investigations would come a little later, when I wouldn’t be discovered.

Little did I know that I had been watching over the wrong people.