Chapter 3

Driving through the dark forest calmed Rowan and his wolf. He needed to be composed when dealing with the potential threat. Nearing the compound Rowan got a twinge of pain in his chest. He knew one of his pack members was injured. Slamming on the breaks, Rowan jumped out of the car with a roar. Confused Dom hurried to follow his Alpha. Rowan shifted into his wolf. The massive midnight black wolf raced through the trees with a sandy blond wolf on his heels.

Rowan snarled as he caught a whiff of an intruder in his territory and the blood of Tyler, one of his trackers. Picking up his speed and howling his rage he neared the site of the fight. Two brown wolves were fighting fiercely. Tyler was a lithe wolf with healthy, glossy, fur but a large gash across his shoulder was bleeding profusely. The other wolf looked slightly rabid; it's fur dirty and unkempt. They rolled through the mud and fallen leaves. Both wolves' teeth snapped dangerously when they separated. Tyler, sensing the presence of his Alpha took his eyes off the rabid wolf for just a second. Seeing the opening the rabid wolf pounced, his claws digging into Tyler's ribs. Tyler howled in agony. Rowan bowled into the unfamiliar wolf, sinking his teeth into his neck and shaking his head viciously. The other wolf whimpered in pain then fell still, dead under the cruel jaws of the angry Alpha.

Turning to Dom he bellowed into his second's mind, "Take Tyler to the medical building and get the rest of the betas to search the forest!" Dom and Tyler shifted and supporting Tyler they hobbled as quickly as possible back to the compound to raise the betas.

Rowan raced off into the forest calling out to Johan and his other trackers. "Johan, Tyler has been attacked. Have you found any other unknown wolves?"

"Alpha, we have scented at least three unknown male wolves near the compound but haven't caught any yet. Is Tyler okay?"

"He will be fine. Dom is with him. Stay in pairs I don't want anyone else on their own," Rowan broadcasted to his betas and trackers. "Search the territory in a tight grid. I don't want any of them sliping by. If there are any more unknowns you subdue them and bring them back to the compound immediately."

The wolves searched the forest and the clearing of the compound. The sun had barely begun to rise when every inch of the territory was finally covered. The wolves made their way back to the main house shifting back to their human form as they arrived in the clearing. "Johan, Dom, Eva meet me in the kitchen in ten minutes," Rowan called.

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Rowan pulled on a pair of sweats from the supply closet in the medical building as he went to check on Tyler. Tyler's wounds had been cleaned and patched by Jackson, the pack doctor, who assured him that Tyler just needed rest and time to heal. Tyler was sitting on the hospital bed grinning broadly while his mate stroked his chest lovingly. Rowan felt a twinge of jealousy when he saw the couple reminding him of the mate he left behind in the crappy motel.

"I see your feeling better,"

"Alpha," Tyler looked up half dazed "Yeah, Stephanie made it all better," he smiled at her with adoration. "And you saved my life. Thank you Alpha."

"I'm just glad you're okay," resting his hand on Tyler's shoulder comfortingly he nodded to the two wolves that bowed their heads in deference and made his way to the main house.

The morning sun filtered through the large windows of the kitchen shining on a woman placing muffins in the oven. At a glance the woman looked middle aged but those that knew her knew she was one of the oldest members of the pack. Her hair that was escaping the carefully constructed bun was turning gray at her temples and frequent laughing and smiling had created the soft wrinkles on her warm face. She wore a batter stained apron over her clothes and moved about the kitchen with ease.

"Good morning Mina," Rowan said grabbing a loaf of bread.

"Good morning. I am making breakfast now Rowan so put the bread down," Mina said smiling and waving a wooden spoon at her Alpha.

"I'm just going to make some toast –"

"Not in my kitchen!" Mina exclaimed grabbing the bread out of his hands.

"It's just toast Mina"

"No, Rowan. I love you like my own but l have told you time and again I don't want to see you in the kitchen, especially when I am cooking. So turn yourself around wait till breakfast."

"Mina, I just. . ."

"Fire! You set my kitchen on fire! The only fire we have ever had on these pack lands and it happened in my kitchen because you couldn't keep your paws out of trouble," Mina was waving the spoon around frantically. Though she was quite serious she had a small on her lips. Mina had been working in the main house long before Rowan was born. She had watched Rowan grow and helped rear him. It was generally accepted that while the main house was the Alpha's home Mina made the household run smoothly.

"Mina I was 6. It has been over 2 centuries when will you forgive me?" Rowan exclaimed trying to sneak around her while the omegas working in ear shot giggled. This was a common exchange between the two and a rare time when the normally gruff Alpha seemed fairly warm. Mina refused to let the Alpha anywhere near her kitchen.

"I haven't decided yet. Now out until breakfast is ready," Mina herded the Alpha out the door and into his betas.

"Kicked out of the kitchen again, X? I thought you would have learned by now," Eva smirked. She was tall and blonde with warm brown eyes and was known for her remarkable fighting skills and sincere kindness. She could kick your ass and make you feel good about it. Eva had earned her role as beta earlier than most with her rigid work ethic. She and Rowan had been friends for a long time and when he became Alpha she became one of his most trusted betas and the Alpha Female. Rowan rolled his eyes at his friend and led them to his office.

Settling in his chair with his betas facing him he asked, "What did you find?,"

"The only wolf caught was the one you took down Alpha. However, after talking to each of the teams we identified at least three other unknown wolf scents. They came pretty close to the compound. If we hadn't run patrol they may have gotten closer."

"Patrol teams and shifts were increased until we can determine their intent. We also made sure that all escape plans are clear and easily accessible for all non-warrior pack members," Eva added.

"OK. I want two extra guards on the entrance and a call to each of our pack members in the city. Everyone should be on high alert until we sort this out." The betas left to take care of their orders and Rowan dialed the Hunt pack.

"Carr Hunt,"

"Hello friend,"

"So, did you find your mate? When can Sophie and I come over and meet her?" Rowan could practically feel his friend bouncing with excitement. Rowan had been awake for over 24 hours. He was tired and Hunt's joy was sapping what little energy he had left. The reminder that he had yet to claim his mate only added more to his exhaustion. He yearned to drop everything and return to the motel. He wanted to go to her and make sure the world knew she was his. Rubbing his face and taking a deep breath he organized his thoughts.

"No, Hunt not yet. Unfortunately, we have had a problem. Turns out Terrence may have been right. Early this morning we had four unknown wolves on our property. One of them was killed but they got way to close to my pack. I wanted to warn you and ask you if you had any intruders."

"What? That's distressing. No intruders here but thanks for the warning. I'll let you know if anything changes,"

"I'm going to call Michaels and see if he has any information. We might need to meet with our region's Alphas again to protect out lands,"

"Well, keep me in the loop."

"No problem. Talk to you soon," Rowan had a similar conversation with Michaels. He had no problem with intruders but promised to stay vigilant. Hanging up his phone Rowan put his head down on his desk. As soon as he shut his eyes Layla's face appeared. Her bright eyes and soft skin haunted him. Her face gave him a new burst of energy. Rowan jumped up, grabbed his keys, and headed out to get his mate. Leaving his office he ran into the last person he wanted to see.

Delia had piercing blue eyes and exuded an intense sensuality that caught most men off guard. She had almost perfected the art of manipulation. Delia didn't believe in doing anything she could make someone else do for her. When Rowan was younger he had been tempted by her mysterious charm. At one point he had even believed himself in love with her. She had bewitched him with her secretive smile and swaying hips but he soon learned that Delia's one true love was herself. Rowan had only caught on to her schemes for power when he had overheard her speaking with another girl about how she planned on ruling when Rowan became Alpha and they were mated. She had told her friend Rose that she could make Rowan do anything she wanted as long as she was sleeping with him. Rose asked if she loved him causing Delia to laugh loudly. Rowan could still see the cold expression on her face when she had tossed her long hair over her shoulder and said "Don't be stupid. Love is for fools." Rowan had been heartbroken. He never told anyone about the conversation he had heard. That night, when Delia had come to his room, he'd told her they were through and shut the door in her shocked face. Years later Delia still did not seem to understand that Rowan would never take her as his mate.

"Hey there Alpha," Delia said licking her lips and reaching out to stroke his chest. Rowan snarled and took a step back. He was not in the mood for Delia's games, especially now. "I missed you. We should spend more time together –"

Rowan wasn't in the mood,"Delia we have been over for years. Go find someone else to seduce. I have business to take care of." He pushed past her surprised face and right into Mina.

"Hello, son. I was bringing you some food but it seems like you are already on your way out again. Did you even sleep?"

"No time for sleep," kissing Mina's cheek and grabbing the plate off the tray she carried Rowan thought of another way to get Delia off his back. "Besides, how can I stop to sleep when my mate is waiting for me in the city?" Rowan grinned, stuffing food in his mouth. Between Delia and Mina the news would be around the compound in no time but he couldn't care less. Both women were speechless. The grin on Rowan's face made Mina giddy. She had hoped Rowan would find his mate soon. He needed a good woman in his life. Delia, on the other hand, was trying desperately to hide her fury. She had always believed that somehow she could get her claws back into her Alpha but if he had found his mate her chances were greatly diminished.

"That's great sweetie. Tell me all about it. What's she like? What's her name? Why are you just telling me about this now? Why isn't she here?" Rowan was not prepared for Mina's barrage of questions as she followed him out the door.

"Mina, calm down. I promise when I actually get a chance to meet her I will personally introduce you." Rushing to his car he ran into Dom.

"We just finished making all the adjustments in security. Where are you going?" Mina caught up to the pair as Rowan was climbing into the SUV. Leaning through the window Mina grabbed his face.

"He is going to bring his mate back here to meet me. I'm so proud! However, he has told me nothing about her." Dom turned to Mina with a large smirk.