"Sexton needs to get his act together." I growled, eyes leaving the vampire's latest message. "He's a rich little spoilt prick." Zander didn't hold back his chuckle from my words, instead he stood from his own desk and walked to behind mine where his hands found my shoulders. With slow practiced movements he worked at the tense muscles, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.
"Still no progress?" Zane asked, looking over my shoulder at the printed emails from the bastard my vampire.
"No. He still wants more land in exchange for any information he has. I don't have the power to give away damn territory." I explained in a frustrated voice, rubbing at my temples I tried to relax. After a year of investigations and negotiations, the furthest I came to understanding who was orchestrating these rogue armies was the realization that He was not of this earth according to Sophie who'd since furthered in her training and could actually decipher her dreams and visions now.
"You might just have to declare it a dead end. There is a huge possibility he's actually got no idea and is just trying to bargain for land. They aren't the most trustworthy species." Zander removes his hands and walked towards his own desk. Our roles had settled in pretty easily, we were both alphas, he took more control over the disputes between packs while I dealt with disputes between species. We both worked on the underlying war coming to the forefront.
"I know. I just don't know what else to do. We've gone to a dead end." I stood from my seat and walked to the window, looking out at the snowy covered land. A year and I've gotten nowhere. Anger boiled deep in my bones but I had to reign it in; soon something will slip and I'll know what to do.
//\\//\\//\\
Another year and nothing, we'd encountered more rogue armies, each one getting more difficult to eliminate. Not to mention attacks from Hunters were spiking in recent months. It was terrifying, knowing that I couldn't help my people like I was meant to. Day after day, I trained, meditated, prayed, anything to call Leto forth but nothing. I believed that he was the only one that would be able to help me help my kind now.
"Hey. No plotting at dinner." Sophie's voice pierced my thoughts. Her words were accompanied by Austin tossing a piece of French bread my way. It bounced off my chest and landed on my plate, the room filled with quiet laughter that I joined in on.
"Disrespectful mutts." I teased, picking the fork up to continue eating the spaghetti Mira, Jace's mate, had made. Tonight it was the twins, Mira, Jace, Sophie, and Leah â Tyler's mate â at dinner. Tyler, Gabriel, , Madelynn, Zander and a few other warriors were out hunting a group of Hunters believed to be tracking a smaller weaker pack. Mira struggled to eat as she was busy bouncing two year old Luke up and down on her leg, while Jace was obliviously stuffing his face. Rolling my eyes, I push my own now empty plate away and reach out for Luke, immediately the little guy lit up and started reaching for me.
"Deedee!" He squealed, grabby hands still reaching out to me finally catching Mira's attention.
"Thank you, Diana." She breathed, holding him out across the table. I grabbed the little guy and tucked him on my lap while grabbing a piece of bread and handing it to him to entertain him. I placed a small kiss to his head and hummed against the soft hair. He was a rambunctious little guy, with such wide blue eyes you would think he could read into your soul.
"When will Zander be back, do you know?" Alice asked after swallowing her final bite of spaghetti. I shrugged in part, looking away from Luke to Alice.
"I'm not sure yet. They think they've pinpointed them but can't be too sure." I explained, running my hands over Luke's chubby legs as he kicked excitedly. His dad making faces across the table was pulling quite the laughter from him.
"Oh wellâ" she went to say more when a clatter of a fork hitting the ground drew our attention to Sophie. Her eyes had that familiar haze over them, signifying she was having a vision. Immediately I was handing Luke over to Mira again as I left my chair and approached Sophie. Gentle hands soothes her hair out of her face as she began to convulse. Moving gently, I guided her to the ground and cradled her head in my lap until finally she stilled. It took a few moments before her eyes blinked again, the room silent save for Luke's confused and concerned questions for Sophie.
"Sophie? What did you see?" I asked while helping her sit up. "Alice the water please." I reached out to Alice and the glass next to her, she moved immediately handing it over. Sophie took it gratefully before shakily handing the glass back. She could decipher more of her visions but they still took a lot of her energy, this one of the worse ones she's had.
"I saw you, but my age. You were with a pack, reaching out to a male. He looked older than you." Her brows furrow in sadness as she continued. "He turned his back on you though, took another girl in his arms." Her words brought me back to the day I discovered Ryker as my mate. Clearing my throat I nodded for her to continue. "You leave, but the pack isn't safe. There is a wall closing in, trapping them. They try fight it but it's too strong." Sophie looks to be for guidance and I urge her on. "You stand on the edge, watching." After a few more seconds of silence, I realize she is done.
"What do you think it means?" I question, everyone else listening on baited breath, even little Luke is quiet for once.
"Well first, do you know who the pack and the man is?" Sophie asks, eyes searching my own.
"Yes." I answer thickly, avoiding eye contact with everyone. "It's my old pack, Seghar Pack. The man was my Original Mate who rejected me. I left that day." I explain with a forcefully calm voice not wanting to give rise to the angry emotions of Ryker.
"Well I beloved what my vision is telling me is that your old pack, Seghar Pack, is in danger. If you stand by and watch they will fall but if you go and help they will survive." Sophie reaches out, gently grabbing my hand in her own. "But you won't go alone if you decide to help. You have us now."
"You know for someone so young you really are wise." I joke, a grin finding its way to my face. Sophie beams, squeezing the hand she now held. "But what are they in danger from?" I needed to know what I was walking in on.
"Due to the severity of this vision I can only say it's the Rogues and Hunters. Every other vision of them was as intense as this one." Sophie reasoned out, nodding to confirm her own thoughts.
"Alright. Then it looks like we have a field trip to make. Inform Zander of what's happening, I want him and the warriors he's with to meet us in Seghar Pack when they've finished their hunt."
//\\//\\//\\
A week after Sophie's vision, we sent word to Seghar Pack the danger they were in with the seal of both the Oracle â two hands cupping an eye â as well as our pack vigil â human hand print fading to that of a wolf's paw print. We received word that arrangements had been made for their arrival, some of her members would be bringing motorhomes and camp trailers to set up on pack land as the pack house wouldn't have enough room for the amount of warriors we were bringing.
All in all, the only people not coming were retired warriors who came out of retirement to secure our own pack house and the children left behind. A few women stayed to help take care of them but most of our pack traveled to Seghar Pack as Sophie's dreams had grown darker, heavier, and it only further dug in the fact that this wasn't just going to be a regular fight. It would be battle, if not the war we'd been preparing for for two years.
The black Ram truck lead the convoy, Jace in back with Mira, while I drove and Sophie sat next to me. She wasn't fully trained for combat but we need the Oracle next to us. The twins rode behind us on their own motorcycles, and behind them in an order I wasn't sure if rode the rest of our small army. Together we counted at least 200, small for most packs but our strength made up for the lack of numbers.
As we neared Seghar Pack I grew increasingly nervous, as the bond to Ryker while gone on my end, still existed on his end. Meaning he hadn't taken anyone as his mate, he might sleep with people but never declared them his. Thus, he hadn't truly accepted my rejection. I could feel him but that was it, I didn't love him, I didn't see him as my mate, I merely felt the old bond. It felt stale, tainted.
The truck stayed silent even as we took the turn into the dirt road, the familiarity of the area caused a breath to hitch in my throat. We passed the houses used to house orphans, where I spent most of my years, until finally we reached the pack house. There the high ranking members of the pack stood tall and proud. Clenching my jaw, I closed my eyes and out the truck into park. They had a few members next to us guide the rest of my pack to the back where they would be setting up the campers while the high ranks approached the truck, stopping midway. Jace reaches up, gently squeezing my shoulder, Sophie grabs my hand and Mira meets my gaze in the rear view mirror.
I wasn't alone. So, I unbuckled my seat and stepped out.
//\\//\\//\\
Ryker's POV
A week ago when my pack received word from the Assassin's, we knew it was serious. Especially with not only their seal, but the Oracle's seal. So we approved their request to enter our territory and prepare for a battle coming our way. We had been getting lingering scents of rogues even a few humans even though humans rarely find our pack. We had no doubt what was coming was serious.
The second they crossed territory lines I moved my high ranking officials out to the front of the pack house with me. We had a two lower ranking waiting to direct the warriors to the back to set up their temporary camp. We waited for only a few minutes when a back Ram truck rolled into the driveway, parking out of the way. The occupants inside the tinted dark windows seemed to hesitate, as if discussing something, so I started the walk, stopping hallways with my Beta and third flanking me as well as a few other of our high ranking wolves.
I had heard rumors the Alpha was a woman, but also had a male Alpha Mate and they split the responsibility. So I wasn't surprised to see a woman slide out of the truck, what shocked me to my core was that I knew that woman.
"Diana?" The voice that left me sounded young, scared, not the voice of an alpha. I'd spent years searching for her the second I realized I couldn't fill the void of a mate with any woman I found attractive. I made a horrible mistake the second I rejected Diana, I was young, beloved her to be a broken orphan, over weight and too much work for me. Goddess I'd never been so wrong.
The silver hair I dreamt of was slicked back into a high pony, the curls shifting with the wind. Her liquid mercury eyes glinted in the sun light; her face had thinned out, matured and grown sharper. She looked like a goddess, standing their with a black lace silk camisole, matching black slacks and jacket hugged her body in all the right places really showing how she grew up.
"Alpha Seghar. You will address me as Alpha Sandalio. I won't tolerate disrespect." Her words were so cold, she held no warmth for me. How could she ignore the bond?
"D- Alpha Sandalio. Do you not remember me?" I took a few steps forward, eyes begging her to remember me. She stood taller than I remembered but I caught sight of the nude straps ankle boots, and was relieved to know she was still shorter than I; I loved a girl who I felt I could keep protected in my arms.
"I remember you, Alpha Seghar. Trust me. I never forgot." Her words held a bitter tone, anger flooded her gaze and her nostrils flared. "I remember exactly who you are and what you did. I am only here to secure the survival of this pack. You are merely apart of this pack, therefore you fall under my protection. But don't you dare mistake that as me wanting anything to do with you." She jerked her chin up in defiance, eyes daring me to say anything differently. I was beyond shocked, was I supposed to challenge her?
"Can we talk about this in private?" I asked through clenched teeth, eyes flickering to the rest of my shocked pack members. They too recognized her, but had no idea what to do with this situation. They all assumed she died in her shift and I was just feeling a ghost bond with her.
"Absolutely not. The discussion is over and done with. Now show my high ranks to their rooms." Diana strode past me, shoulder checking me as she went. The alpha part of my Brian wanted to snarl her and challenge her, make her submit. But the logical side of my brain made me realize she would wipe the ground with my ass, and that she had every right to feel that way about me. All I had to do was prove to her that this between us isn'tâ
Wait one fucking minute. Taking in a deep breath I caught her scent. There was a male. The other Alpha. My eyes snap to her neck, I couldn't help but blanch.
"You let him claim you?" I growl out, eyes snapping up tot hers. She smirked, eyes flashing dangerously while she licked her lips.
"Oh, he did more than just claiming me." I saw the sick satisfaction in her gaze as she strutted away, her pack members following her. None giving me the respect I deserve. This was going to be a problem.
//\\//\\//\\
A/N: re written but unedited lol