by Terri L Vest
"Foster", Silas acknowledged. "I fear we are running out of time. Just a bit ago I received a one word, very worried message from my daughter, which was simply - Hurry."
"I did as well, sir. Not too long before that, she was able to tell me the leader of the pack holding her, a Derrick, felt she was ashamed of her station within her pack as an omega and was trying to get her to gather her family and any others she could gather to join their pack. When she told him she had no problems with her pack, but rather only encountered them with outsiders, he became angry and said he needed to decide if he had any use for her, and if not, how and when to dispose of her! She quickly had to close the link because others were coming; I heard their voices before it ended. When she sent the one word message, I assumed she's been found out that she is no simple girl, but rather of a much higher station. I agree, we are indeed running out of time."
Silas turned to the gathering of wolves and spoke loudly for all to hear. "I can't give a proper welcome because we are out of time for that. We must reach the state border and rescue my daughter now. However, we can't run in blindly. Travel with speed, but be aware of your surroundings. Approach quietly and wait for my signal to attack. If you encounter strong resistance, do what you must to end it! Do NOT hurt any females or young wolves if you encounter any! We are not there to do damage to their families - only to rescue mine. They think our two packs are weak and unaware - let's show them just what they've taken on and make them regret it!" he growled deeply, full of menace.
The entire gathering of wolves joined in with their own threats and all turned towards the border. Silas and Foster quickly moved to the front, each leading their half of this new, defending pack. They quickly raced over the ground between the meadow and the border and soon, both Alphas signaled to their group to slow their approach, making no noise as they watched for patrols. The two large packs split off into groups of six wolves as they spread out, searching for patrols. As they encountered them, they were quickly disabled. They soon found themselves surrounding, and slightly looking down at, a large camp with both wolf and human forms moving about. Some were assembled in what appeared to be a meeting area. Others were spread throughout the camp.
Foster searched the camp for an area that looked like what Reika had shown him in her mental connection. He hoped she was still there so they wouldn't have to search the whole camp and give them time to cause her any harm or use her as a shield or bargaining tool. It was quickly becoming dark and he knew that Derrick had planned a pack meeting after dusk. He hoped the odds were in their favor and they had secured her to a tree or table while they had their meeting. Then the two packs could simply sneak in, untie her and slip away before anyone had to get hurt, ... or worse.
As Foster searched the grounds, Silas had silently slipped up next to him. "Do you see my daughter anywhere? Have you sent a mental image out to your people on what she looks like so they know who they're looking for?" he quietly asked. "Have you located the spot they were holding her in before?"
"Yes, I shared her appearance with them before we left our pack, and no sir, I haven't located her yet. The table they had her at was at the outskirts of camp so it should be easy to locate. We just need to find which side it was on." Foster described what he'd seen in her vision with Silas and they both focused on locating anything that resembled it.
Almost at the same time, both Alphas straightened up and a growl rumbled through their chests when their eyes landed on a scene that fueled their fury to the point of no return! On the far side of the camp, they saw two large males wrestling Reika to the ground. As she fought wildly, another joined in to assist.
It took everything they had not to rush in. The only thing that held them back was the fact they needed to circle around to get better access to her location so they could go in and pull her out before the whole camp had a chance to join in.
Silas sent a quick, silent message to his daughter, then both men sent a message to their own pack to regroup. They all silently moved around the camp lying below to better position themselves.
* * * *
As Reika looked Derrick in the eyes, she could see a mixture of anger, frustration, and perhaps even satisfaction. She could tell that, though he was angry that he'd not been told the truth, she could see the wheels turning on how he could use her to his benefit in the upcoming battle. She understood. It's what they would do if they needed to. It was simple pack warfare. However, she refused to allow him to use her or do anything with her that would threaten to hurt either her father or Foster.
"Ok, so you know I'm not Katie. It doesn't change anything. I won't help you hurt my people. I'd die first."
Derrick's face softened and he became more intrigued. "Your people? So I was right. You're related to an Alpha. Which one? Who is your father and which pack do you belong to?"
Though he didn't appear to be a threat to her at the moment, she'd heard about the packs outside of their state and how ruthless they could be. She wasn't sure just how much information she should give him, and how much resistance could get her hurt. She had to find a happy middle to buy her some time.
"Look, what I told you earlier is the truth. The Sweetwater pack and the Carbon County pack are uniting to become a larger, stronger and undefeatable pack. If you care about your people at all, you'll reconsider your decision to try for a take over in this state. Both packs are individually large so you won't be fighting one pack at a time - but rather you'll be fighting almost a state sized pack. Are you really up for that? Are your numbers?"
Lee stepped forward. "Sir, how can we believe anything she's saying? We know that she'll be a valuable tool in achieving what we seek. What Alpha would turn his back on his own offspring? Of course she's going to say anything necessary to prevent us from using her! We can't turn from our purpose now that we're so very close! I think she needs to be incapacitated to prevent any further contact with her pack before she tells them too much!"
Reika knew her time was up. If they did incapacitate her, she'd lose her ability to call for help as well as possibly threatening the well being of the pack. If they used her against them, she wasn't sure whether her father or Foster would hesitate to do what's right for the pack. Seeing Derricks attention on Lee as he presented his case on what to do with her, she scanned the local area for a way out. She just needed to hit the woods and she knew she could out maneuver them. Unfortunately it was behind the table she was at. She'd have to jump over it before she could shift and break into a run. Would Derrick move his focus off the conversation and onto her fast enough to stop her? There was only one way to find out!
Taking a quick second to ensure they were still talking, she quickly rose and jumped the table. Hitting the ground she prepared to shift, glancing back to see how much distance she had from them, only to run into one of the patrols hurriedly coming out of the woods. They collided hard, knocking them both to the ground. Reika quickly rolled away from him but before she could rise to sprint away, hands grabbed at her. One set was struggling to capture her feet, the other trying to control her upper torso. A growl of anger and frustration rose up from her as she thrashed on the ground. When the patrol wolf joined into the struggle, she knew she was out numbered and wasn't strong enough to out wrestle three strong shifters.
"LET ME GO!" she screamed. "My father is going to kill all of you for daring to lay your hands on me!" She kept kicking, twisting and fighting with all she had. She wasn't going down easy! An arm had reached across to her opposite side and she took the opportunity to sink her teeth into it.
Derrick howled out in pain as he lashed out with his free fist, punching into her midsection. Having the wind knocked out of her, she released his arm and tried to roll into a ball in an effort to draw in a much needed breath. Her recoil was difficult at first with the other two still on her legs and ankles.
"Release her!" Derrick barked out. "We're not trying to injure her," he said as he tended to his bleeding arm. Lee and the other man let go and stood, watc
hing as she rolled into a ball, still struggling to breathe. "WHY did you have to try to run?!" he yelled out to her. "I meant you no harm, nor would I have let anyone hurt you!"
Taking slow deep breaths, she struggled to sit up. She looked up at him with as much malice in her eyes as she could and said, "I told you I will not let you use me against my father or my pack!" she choked out, struggling to keep her tears at bay. She would not let them see her cry!
At that moment she heard her fathers voice in her head. "We're coming, my little flower. Hang on!" Looking each shifter in the eye one by one, she quietly growled, "You're going to regret what you've done!" As the last word slipped from her mouth, all hell broke loose!
CHAPTER TWENTY
As the two packs quietly slipped between the trees and into position, the two alphas watched as Reika struggled with her captors. A satisfied smile slipped over both of their faces as they watched Reika sink her teeth into one of them and heard his cry of pain. The smile was quickly replaced with a deep rumbling growl when they saw his fist connect with her midsection. Both Alphas tensed to spring to her defense and bring about her rescue.
With their exceptional hearing due to being shifters, they heard the large male ask why she'd tried to escape, that they meant her no harm. Silas looked over to Foster and quietly growled, "If he thinks that bite hurt, his actions are about to bring him much more pain than that!" Nodding towards the camp was his signal to Foster it was time to go and the command to attack was sent out to the very large rescue party. All had been briefed of the plan to quietly move in and storm this end of camp, hoping to avoid alerting more of their pack members. They all knew the possibility with more alerted, it wouldn't go down smoothly, that others would come. Both Alphas were confident in the loyalty, strength and abilities of their pack mates and moved ahead with certainty for a successful plan. Each one lost their human form and quickly shifted into a wolf and swiftly moved down into the camp. As Reika's final words of warning passed her lips, they cleared the trees and leapt onto the small group. Silas went directly for the one she'd bitten, Foster took on what appeared to be his second, and the strongest patrol leader took on the last to assist them. A few of the other patrol leaders that Silas had assigned to Reika's safety went to her side and formed a protective circle around her. The others moved through the group and across the camp like a wave to form a wall between their leaders and the others in the enemy camp. Since they had caught the three males by surprise, they'd had no time to sound an alarm. Reika watched with large eyes as her father and her mate fought with Derrick and Lee.
They were both talented wolves and had managed to take their wolf form before the invading pack swarmed in. Since Lee was only a second in command, he'd not developed the same skill level that Foster had, nor was he fueled with the level of anger that he was carrying. Lee had dared to put his hands on his mate and he would make him the example of just how bad an idea that was! Foster flew into him, rolling them both across the ground, but was quickly on his feet. They danced around, snapping and biting, each trying to get the upper hand. With a quick and powerful bite, Foster clamped down on his throat and proceeded to rip it out in one powerful move.
Silas was an older, more seasoned Alpha than Derrick was and, though he fought very well, ultimately it was Silas that took the upper hand. As he clamped his teeth around Derrick's throat, his chest rumbled with a deep, menacing growl. Instead of finishing it by tearing out his throat, he held him in place on the ground at his feet. Both wolves were bleeding from the battle but Silas was stronger and heavier and had inflicted the severest damage. As his teeth threatened to pierce Derrick's throat, he sent a mental message to the losing wolf.
"I have chosen to show you mercy since it appears to be you that meant her no physical harm. I am not pleased that you dared to hit her. However, since it wasn't anything more than what it was, and in fact more of a reflex to her bite, I will spare your life. I also spare your life because you appear to be the leader here and I want you to give my message to your followers." He stared down into the eyes of the wolf he now held beneath him with such intensity and menace that his message was clearly understood. He bit down harder until his teeth threatened to break the surface and pushed his power through his connection causing a building pressure within Derrick's head, until he whimpered with his final submission.
"You will tell your pack that the plans you had for this state are no longer in place. You will tell them that this state is ruled by the combined members of the Sweetwater and Carbon County packs. You are being allowed to keep your lives by our generous natures and you are no longer welcome here. We will expect you to pack up your camp and leave this area before sun up or you will be severely dealt with! Do you understand my message and my generosity?" Derrick whimpered his agreement and relaxed onto the ground to show his submission.
"Since we've managed not to catch the attention of your whole camp, we will spare your dignity as their leader. I will release you so that you can call them over and announce the decision to leave. Make no mistake, if you do not honor this agreement, you will not get a second chance and will meet your death in a most unpleasant way." With his final words, Silas released his hold on Derrick and stepped back, keeping his full attention on him and remaining in an alert and commanding stance. Foster walked over and stood by him to show his support.
Derrick took a second to take stock of his body, noting there were no serious wounds, and the ones he had were already starting to heal. He slowly stood, then shifted back to his human form, knowing it was the least threatening to the Alpha in front of him. Seeing the acceptance of the situation, Silas and Foster both shifted back to their own human forms. The rest of the pack remained in wolf form in case something went wrong. All eyes quickly turned in response to the snapping of a twig, only to see Reika coming over to stand between her father and her mate.
Derrick looked at her with shame and regret on his face. "I hope you know I meant what I said. I really meant you no physical harm. I would not have allowed Lee to do anything to you. I knew that you were special, and more than a simple, untalented girl. Well played!" A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth in his appreciation of her.
"I think I knew that. I could see it on your face that you were a man of honor and kindness - most of the time", Reika said, smiling. "But I meant what I said too. I would not let you use me against my father or my people", and with that she moved into the safety of Silas' arm.
Derrick nodded his head, dropping his eyes down to acknowledge the power and position held by those in front of him. Looking up to Silas he asked, "With your permission, I'd like to assemble my pack to deliver the news that we'll be going home tonight?" Silas nodded saying, "The sooner the better."
Both alphas and their combined forces followed Derrick to where his pack had begun to assemble. Silas allowed him distance to provide him dignity as their leader, yet stayed close enough to address any issue that may rise up. He would not pull back until after the announcement was made and he felt confident that Derrick's pack had accepted his decision and would leave peacefully. The show of force would remain evident to make it clear they meant business and would not tolerate their return. The goal of all of this was, once word got out, to discourage any future attempts of a take over from other packs, in or outside the state.
Once everyone had assembled, Derrick addressed the crowd and informed them that plans had changed and the take over had been cancelled. Some grumbling moved through the crowd and Derrick quickly brought it to a close with the threat of severe recourse at their disrespect. While addressing his pack, he introduced both Silas and Foster as the reigning pack leaders and the supporting forces behind them as just a portion of the those the territory contained. He stated that, since they were no longer welcome in this territory, they had been ordered to leave. For the safety of his people, they were pulling out within the hour that had been graciously granted by the combined packs. He instructed his people to begin packing up camp right away
.
As they quietly left to begin the break down of camp, Derrick turned to both alphas. "We will be out of here as quickly as possible within the hour, if not sooner. I want to thank you for your mercy in allowing me to keep my life, as well as leaving me with my dignity in front of my pack. I humbly apologize for our actions against your family. Because of your mercy and generosity, I would like to say that my pack will defend your territory that borders ours against any who would threaten your safety from outside your state. I wouldn't be so bold as to ask for an alliance, but will offer our assistance simply as a thank you for your mercy. Should you need any assistance in the future, I would welcome and encourage any contact." With a bow of his head in respect, Derrick turned and walked away to see to their departure.
The Sweetwater and Carbon County packs moved off into the nearby woods to continue observing the camp below. When they finally began their journey home and moved away from the border, Silas motioned for both packs to head back to the meadow.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Upon reaching the meadow, the two packs went their separate ways as they headed home. It was a good day when they head into battle, yet return with all of their members in tact! Not only that, but a line had been drawn and any future threat from the local pack had been squelched for good. Now that the crisis had be averted, Silas could focus on the next situation at hand.
Both alphas had stayed during the departure of their pack members. Once they were alone, Silas turned to Foster. "Well, we have much to discuss young wolf, however, it's been a trying day for all so I think it's best if you head home and we can talk tomorrow".
From the moment of the rescue and having dealt with Derrick, Reika had stayed at her father's side out of respect to him as her father and alpha. Now however, she turned to him to say she'd be along in a minute. "Father, I'd like a few moments alone with Foster, if that's ok with you. I can meet you at home shortly?" she asked with a meek smile slipping across her lips.