Chapter 13

Waking up the next morning was a pleasurable experience, I woke up not only in the arms of my beautiful mate but sometime during the night the cubs had migrated down and placed themselves around us. It was a family moment and my heart melted at the sight of the cuddle pile we had created, I was afraid to move and disrupt the peace of the moment. The sun shining down into the room creating a cool warmth gave an almost mystical feeling on the moment.

The peace was interrupted not long later by Zar waking up and demanding food, the little terror was constantly hungry and loved the easy access to food that we had here. I collected him into my arms and began to play wrestle with him, soon I was play wrestling with all three of my children and my mate had joined in, in the end we were in a dog pile and my mate was on the bottom with Aria on the top queen of the castle.

After laughing and disembarking form the dog pile we made our way down to the kitchen to begin cooking. The walk down to the kitchen was filled with easy conversation and laughter. The kids ran ahead and immediately made their way to the kids end of the table where the cooks had already placed a large pile of pancakes and bacon. My kids had deserted me for some pancakes and bacon, I really felt the love.

Thatcher and I went into the kitchen area and began to grab ourselves some bacon and egg along with some bread, I was very fond of bread never having it before coming to live here. It was so soft and squishy I loved eating it so much. We sat at the adult end of the table and began to dig in, because of his alpha status he sat at the very top of the table so he could look at all his pack mates, I sat on his right. Halfway through the meal the chair next to me was pulled out and I plate of food was placed next to my own, I looked up and Tallulah and Belle were smiling at me as they sat down. I was incredibly happy to see my new friends and immediately jumped into conversation with them.

"Morning guys!" I said through a mouthful of bread.

They laughed but both greeted me with large smiles. They were eating a larger meatier meal than I was due to their warrior status, the burned through their calories much faster doing their fighting practise and patrols. I envied them for being able to go for so many runs, but I guess technically nothing was stopping me from running the pack territory whenever I wanted too.

"Casius? Belle and I are running into town today and were wondering if you wanted to join us? You can bring the kids if you like? We have a car that can fit all of us." Tallulah offered.

I cocked my head confused as to what a car was but was excited at the idea of leaving the pack lands for once, I hadn't seen passed the tree line since I first got here. I looked to my mate to see his opinion on the request, I wouldn't want to go against what he thinks is best.

Thatcher seems to think about it for a few seconds before suggesting I go but the kids stay here with him due to Atticus's condition and it being a shifter and human town. I don't know if I want t be away from the kids right now, but I do want to go out with my new friends. I was still confused as to what exactly a town is and what we would be doing there? I know we didn't have one back on the plains.

"Can I see if Jace wants to come?" I ask the two girls who nod happily and reckon it's a great idea.

Finishing up breakfast we decide we will meet back down here in around an hour giving me plenty of time to scout out Jace and tell the kids ill be going out. We walk back to the alpha suite after gathering the kids.

"Alpha?" I question attempting to get his attention, "What is a town and a car?"

Thatcher laughed softly and patted me on my head, "Town is a large gathering of people, humans and shifters and other magical creatures alike, but the humans don't know about us, well most don't some do if they are mated to a shifter or if they are a political official, so you have to keep your shifter side quiet. And a car is a large metal vehicle that gets you from one place to another quicker than we can walk."

I nod still confused if walking was too slow why didn't we just run? Was it just like the mage? Anyway, I was excited to go out with my new friends. Thatcher and I along with the kids don't go straight to the alpha suite we go to the lower level and try to locate the beta room. We locate it and knock on the door.

"Jace?" I call out. "Are you in there?"

"Hang on!" came the muffled reply through the door.

A few seconds passed before the door was flung open and a very dishevelled Jace stood before us, it seems as though we had interrupted his and Todd's solo time. I couldn't help but laugh at the deep blush on Jace's face.

"Was wondering if you wanted to come into town with Tallulah, Belle and I?" I asked the blushing beta.

Jace nodded and said he'd meet us down there in 45 minutes. We headed back to the alpha suite, and I explained to the cubs I would be gone for a few hours but Thatcher and Hagan were going to look after them, Zar and Aria didn't really mind but my little shadow started to whimper and ran around my feet. I felt really bad, but I had been with the cubs for so long and I really wanted to spend some time with my new friends, and I also wanted Thatcher to bond more with my kids. I loved my kids but a few hours away would do me some good. I lifted the smallest of my kids into my arms and kissed his little head before doing the same to my other two and begin to get dressed.

I was dressed in some of Jace's clothes being that he was the closest to my size, werewolves are huge and its not fair. I was wearing a sweater that was slightly too big for me and a pair of black shorts. After finishing getting dressed, I looked over to my mate who was wresting with Zar whilst Aria and Atty attacked his hands and feet.

"I'm going to go down and wait for the others." I say. Thatcher jumps up and engulfs me in a hug and kisses me softly before handing me a small black rectangle.

"This is a bank card, it contains money which can be exchanged for goods and services, if you find some clothes or something tell Jace to use this and pick them up for you okay?"

I nod but am still confused as to what the little piece of plastic is for. I say goodbye to my cubs again, cuddling them all. I closed the door behind me and I was alone for the first time since the party when the smell happened and that sent shivers down my spine, I attempted to push that thought to the back of my mind and headed down the stairs to where I was meeting my friends.

I didn't have to wait long before the couple arrived beside me all smiles and chatty, we waited a little longer for a more put together Jace to come down the stairs and meet us.

"Jace is coming too? Awesome! Best friend squad!!!!" Belle screams happily, she's a lot of fun, always smiling and laughing, she was the sunnier person in the couple whereas Tallulah was a little more serious and the dominant partner.

We headed to apart of the pack house I hadn't been too before, it was a room full of different coloured what I suppose to be cars. We walked towards a red one and the other three got in whilst I was still attempting to work out how to open the door, Jace eventually got out and helped me and then helped me put on what he called a seatbelt. It was all very new and kind of scary. The drive was interesting, I looked out the window almost the whole time watching the greenery change into houses and bland colours. I added little snippets to the conversation between the other three in the car but was focused on how this felt just like when the mage transported us here weeks ago.

Not too long after we arrived at the large boring building that the others called a shopping centre, which reminded me of the black plastic which I immediately handed to Jace and told him of what my mate said. Jace in response whistled and made a confusing comment on being a sugar baby, I was an adult and I'm not quite sure what sugar was?

We exited the car and began to walk around the shops, going in and out of many stores, Jace and Belle were buying several articles of clothing whilst Tallulah walked around and I couldn't keep my eyes of all the bright lights and new smells it was all very overwhelming. I moved slightly closer to my friends and further away from all these new people who don't smell like a shifter and have a non-naturistic scent which was confusing to me and caused me a little bit of discomfort. We walked passed a store and I stopped to look at a pretty jumper in the window.

"Do you like that jumper Cas? Want to go and try it on?" Jace speaks up right next to me causing me to jump slightly. I nod in response and we enter the store and the girls follow us. Jace asks an employee where to find the jumper in the window and he walks us over to the area. I reach out and touch the soft fabric and smile happily nodding to Jace not able to use my voice in case a cackle tumbles out.

"Which colour do you want Cas? There's blue, green yellow and pink." Tallulah says point to each different colour and naming them, I look at them all very intently before deciding.

"Pink!."

We buy the jumper and leave the store, we had now been walking around for a long time and I was starting to think I should pick some stuff up for the cubs so we go to a smaller peoples clothes store and buy several sets of clothes for each of my kids and I would need to ask thatcher to bring the kids and I out so that they could choose their own clothes it would be good to foster their independence and for them to act like the other kids of the pack, not sure what we will do about Atty though.

The group decides its time to get some food, so we go to this large hall like area that punches me in the face and assaults my senses. There was so many people talking and food cooking and I was beginning to feel very overwhelmed and wishing that Thatcher was here and I could hide in his large chest.

I could feel myself shaking and did the only thing I could think of, I bolted out the way we came in. Everywhere I turned there was more noise, people and lights. I was over being here, I had tried to push these feelings down all day but what you do when there's a large predator you run so that's all I know. I could feel my claws coming out and that wasn't a good sign, my creature was awfully close to the surface I needed to find a dark, quiet place right now. I continued running until I saw a break in the people, a small, dark long laneway and I bolted in that direction. I leaned against the cool wall and my shaking began to ease, I felt really silly for running away and leaving my friend, but I couldn't stay there I had to escape.

I sink down the wall and place my head between my knees and question why I ever think I could have done this by myself, I am a very weak person and I couldn't do this anymore. I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes and it suddenly got a whole lot worse when I could faintly smell the sickly-sweet scent again. I bolted to my feet and looked around but couldn't find anyone near me once again. The scent was getting stronger and stronger and I decided I needed to leave the laneway as soon as possible so I did what I do best, I bolted. I ran into the street and just kept running, the scent seemed to surround me as I weaving in and out of all these humans. My whimpers were low and sounded like a lost cub, I felt like a lost cub, I needed to calm down and find my way back to my friends but all I could smell was that scent and feel those eyes on me.

I heard a whoosh sound and then there was a piercing pain in my shoulder. I staggered into a lesser populated area and looked down, but my eyes couldn't focus on anything with the water gathering there. I tried to scream but my throat had closed over and before I knew it, I was on the floor looking at the ground before my eyes closed and I couldn't feel anything anymore.

(Thatchers P.O.V)

I could feel someone pushing at my mind link whilst I was with the cubs attempting to win them over, thankfully I had Hagans' help I don't know if I could look after all three on my own again. I opened up the mind link and was flooded with screams from the three members of my pack that are with my mate.

'Thatcher, we've lost Cas!!' was the main sentence I heard which had me bolting up and out the door. I screamed to Hagan to watch the cubs and before I knew it I was in my wolf from bolting to the town, I didn't care if someone saw me in my wolf form I had to be there and find my mate.

I kept up conversation with Jace, and although I didn't blame him, I was still furious with my second beta for loosing my mate. Somehow Cas had bolted away from the food court and they had lost his scent amongst the humans and other creatures that congregate in the town. I was nearing the town when I was hit with a piercing pain in my shoulder. I stopped and looked down but there was no visible mark and there was no secondary pain which could mean only one thing, something had happened to my mate. I howled into the daytime sky before continuing my swift run towards the town.

My mate was somewhere alone and in pain and I was nowhere near close enough to assist him, this is all my fault I should have gone with them into town or not let Cas go just yet, but he was so excited...

I was on the borders of town when a sickly-sweet scent invaded my nostrils causing me to shake my head viciously and paw at my nose to attempt to get rid of the foul scent. Remembering the conversation I had with Cas about a scent that was terrible and overly sweet I decided to shift back and put the clothes on that I had thought to leave all over the woods before running to follow this scent.

However, the scent seemed to be from everywhere and I couldn't pin point just where it was coming from, I tried to sniff for Casius but it was also faint and disappearing under the other obnoxious scent. That didn't stop me though I continued to search. Fifteen or so minutes later I came across a small lane way, the scent was so thick there were tears gathering in my eyes and I almost gagged, what caused the tears to fall however was the small patch of blood on the ground which was surrounded in Cas's smell.

My mate had been taken and was bleeding, I didn't know what to do.