Chapter 3

"A body was discovered on the north edge of the territory. It was Kassy, Charlene's and David's daughter. She looked like the photos Alpha Kent sent us." he cleared his throat before continuing, "And that brings me to the other news. The Keystone pack has been wiped out. Alpha Cabe and Alpha Darius went with some warriors and confirmed the deaths of every known pack member, including the leaders."

I sighed. "That's unfortunate. Call a meeting between all the Alphas of the Northwest territory. We're going to have to work together if we want to get to the bottom of this."

"I will, right after I inform Kassy's parents we found her. I hate delivering bad news," he grumbled. I nodded dismissing him and he left. The Keystone pack was one of our allies and the second-largest pack in the Northwest territories. We regularly talked with them at least once a week until two weeks ago when they dropped off the face of the earth, and all contact ceased. I became worried and asked two of their neighboring packs to check on them. It's troubling that they were wiped out so easily despite tightening their security recently. Three other packs have been attacked and wiped out in the past three months, one each month. No one had sent out a distress signal to ask for help, so the attacks were sudden. One night, the pack was fine, and the next night, it was gone, with every member dead. Everyone was on edge now, wondering if their pack was next. And to make matters worse, we have no clue what we're up against. All we knew was whoever or whatever was attacking us was deadly.

Sighing, I pulled out my cell phone, scrolling down to an old friend who'd agreed to help. I pressed the call button, cursing under my breath when it went to voicemail. We were supposed to meet today in an hour, and I needed to confirm the meeting so I don't waste my time. After trying her number for the third time, I gave up. I just have to hope she shows up at the agreed meet-up location. If I didn't go and she showed up after all, she'd be angry at me, and that's the last thing I need. She's a nice person until you piss her off. Then, she becomes vicious. The irony of this is that if I do end up wasting my time because she doesn't come, she'll just shrug it off like it's no big deal. As I walk to my car, I mindlink Lucas to let him know I'm leaving and that he's in charge till I get back. 

Forty-five minutes later I pull into the parking lot of a small shopping center. It would be easier if we didn't have to meet on neutral territory, but it was necessary to keep everyone safe. I head over to the cafe and order a black coffee. As soon as I got my drink, I headed back outside, choosing an isolated table so I wouldn't have to deal with anyone. Sipping my coffee, I think back to when I was still relatively new to being an Alpha and first met the friend I'm now waiting on.

"Ian?" the door to my office swung open without warning, and an older man walked into the room.

"Yes, I'm Alpha Ian," I answered, standing up in confusion.

"Good afternoon, Ian. I'm Eric, one of the council members. We have a job for you." He sat down on the couch, not waiting for me to reply.

I frowned, my anger flaring at his blatant disrespect. The council may have said that they support Celene's decision to make me Alpha, but they think she made a mistake in trusting me, and their actions prove that. In the past five months, they have never addressed me by my title, instead calling me by my first name as if we were friends. They don't do this to anyone else, just me. Even my Beta and Delta get more respect from them. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I sat down and folded my hands tightly.

"What can I help the council with?"

"We need you to check out the Gilmura woods. A large number of rogues have gathered there. We're concerned that the rogues are working together and using other rogues as test subjects for some kind of experiment." he replied.

"Why me?" I asked cautiously. Something didn't sound right. Rouges try to stay in small groups, never exceeding fifteen. The majority prefer to be alone, and there are few things that could make them group up. 

"That should be obvious. It's because you have the most experience with rouges. Besides, you have the most time on your hands out of all the Alphas. I know that Beta Lucas is mostly running the pack for you. Plus, the Gilmura woods are close to your southern border. It makes the most sense to send you." His sharp gaze and condescending tone made me wish I could hit him. 

"Contrary to what you think, I am busy. I may not have time to head to the woods." I said.

He laughed coldly. "I think you misunderstand. We're not requesting you go; we're ordering you to go." I stared at him blankly, fighting to keep my anger under control. If I defy an order from the council, it will undo the progress I've made in building relations with the other packs. It isn't safe for me to go into rouge territory alone. And there's no one I can ask to go with me. No matter what I do, I'm screwed. I have no doubt that the council is hoping I won't make it back from the woods alive. 

"I'll go in a couple of weeks. I need to make preparations for my absence."

"It has to be this weekend. We need a report submitted before our meeting on Wednesday," he said.

"Fine," I ground out between clenched teeth, "This weekend. I'll have a report on your desk by Monday."

"Excellent." He smiled as he got up. "I hope you bring good news." Before I could say anything else, he walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Cursing under my breath, I mindlinked Lucas, asking him to come to my office. When he arrived, I quickly explained the situation. Within an hour, I had packed a bag and headed for the Gilmura woods. As I walked, I debated if I should fake my death. Eric was right about Lucas being in charge of most things. The pack would be fine without me. Getting lost in my thoughts, a huge mistake for anyone to make when dealing with rouges, I didn't sense the danger coming my way. By the time I realized I wasn't alone, it was too late. The last thing I saw as I turned my head was a steel pipe swinging towards me, and everything went black.

I woke up in a dirty, damp, cold cell with a pounding headache. Groaning as I sat up, I looked around. The walls were blackened brick, and the bars across the door were rusty. These cells were built to contain humans, not werewolves. The metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air, clashing with the sweet-smelling wolfsbane. Wolfsbane is made from the flowers of the oleander plant. Oleander is poisonous to humans, but for werewolves, it weakens our wolf and makes our senses and strength human. The sweeter the smell, the more potent the batch of wolfsbane. 

"Looks like you're finally awake."  a voice to my left spoke up. I turned, crawled over to the wall, and peered through a spot where a few bricks were missing. A girl who appeared to be a couple of years younger than me sat there, her legs tucked under her body and arms wrapped around herself as she shivered. Her clothing was old and tattered; she had short black hair and blue eyes with purple rims. Her hair was uneven- like someone had cut it in a moment of rage. Pulling off my jacket, I folded it and pushed it through the hole.

"Here, this will warm you up at least a little," I said.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling. "You're the first person to show me kindness in a long time."

"How come?" I ask. She ducked her head, fear and shame written on her face.

"It's okay, I won't judge you. But if you don't want to tell me, that's okay too."

"It's because I'm a hybrid, part werewolf and part witch," she whispered softly.

"The purple rims around your eyes," I murmured to myself. "I thought the light was playing a trick on me." She nodded. It was a well-known fact that hybrids had unusual eyes that made it easy to identify them. And when they were in their wolf form, their fur wasn't one color like regular werewolves. But hybrids are exceptionally rare. I didn't know there were any alive, and I doubt the council knew either. Most hybrids are killed while they're young, usually before their fifth birthday, because they're considered a bad omen. And yet, one who made it to adulthood was sitting here in a dungeon run by rogues.

"How long have you been here?" I asked. 

Before she could reply, the lights in the cell suddenly cut out, plunging us into darkness.