Unwelcomed Arrival

The helicopter finally landed. Kyra looked at her watch, it was four in the afternoon but the sun was already descending. The quiet wilderness was disturbed by the sounds of the propeller. Kyra jumped down after Angus and Phinnus had cleared the rest of the pack to evacuate the aircraft.

The cold winter air engulfed her lungs. The last few weeks had felt like she had been holding her breath. The anxiety of the whole situation had been keeping her up all night with the uncertainty of whether she could avoid the whole thing. But now that she was here and the pieces had been set in motion, there was no turning back.

"Well, Marcus. I hope to see you again. If not, please erase my browser history." Phinnus chuckled.

Marcus gave him a thumbs-up as he ascended back into the sky. He would refuel nearby and wait for confirmation from Marcus to return back to the pack lands. If Alpha Phobos rejected Phinnus's proposal then Marcus had been ordered to return with reinforcements.

An eerie feeling filled Kyra as she scanned her surroundings. She couldn't see their eyes but she knew they were being watched.

"Alpha Phinnus, here to request an audience with Alpha Phobos." Phinnus' voice traveled through the silence. They stood there for what felt like a long time. Kyra was frustrated at their tactics. As the youngest in the group, newly turned 18, she held very little patience. She would feel a lot better were they allowed to carry their weapons but Alpha Phinnus had made it clear that they needed to show no force and present no threat if they had any chance of gaining Alpha Phobos' favor.

At last, a strong, tall, bare-footed, bearded man walked forward followed by his pack. His cold blue deadly eyes glared at Phinnus. He kept his distance as his pack scanned to make sure there weren't any intruders hiding.

Phinnus' men held their ground as they guarded their containers filled with weapons. The two Alpha regarded one another. Phinnus gave Alpha Phobos a nod and took a step forward.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me." He stood with confidence while Alpha Phobos' pack looked like they were ready to pounce.

"I agreed to meet with you, not your pack." He inspected the foreigners and stopped his orbs on Kyra and growled.

"Why did you bring a female?" His displeasure was shared by his men through their low throaty grumble.

Kyra and Angus moved forward to stand on either side of their Alpha.

"They are my shadow." He replied nonchalantly.

Kyra tried to maintain calm. She wanted to make sure her heartbeat didn't fluctuate and betrayed her true emotions. She knew she wouldn't be welcomed but she didn't expect them to be so open about their disdain towards her.

"No," is all he said while glaring at the female.

Kyra looks straight ahead avoiding eye contact with the frightening leader. Standing directly in front of the Alpha's right-hand man, his Beta, she could feel his eyes also burning on her skin.

"She is not permitted on our lands."

Phinnus gave a heavy sigh. The negotiations have started. He turns to address his female shadow.

"Tough break kid, homes about 400 miles east from here, more or less." He thumbs the direction they came from. Kyra turns to face her Alpha, crossed her arms, and glared at him. He winked at her before turning to address the Alpha.

"I mean no disrespect, Alpha Phobos. She is my second shadow and this is my Beta Angus." He said patting his male on the back. Angus carried a great presence as the tallest among them all. "My female will abide by your command and not enter your property."

Their Alpha remains silent. The snow on the ground had created a deafening tension that keeps rising. Kyra could hear her pulse in her ears. She began to feel self-conscious as the temperature continued to drop.

"We will not proceed with her here." The Alpha was beginning to get irritated.

Phinnus rub the back of his head acknowledging the impasse.

"Alpha, we understand. She will not cross, you have my word. But I can not send her back. Like it or not, she has to stay." Alpha Phinnus remained calm and unthreatening. His charisma always seemed to get him his way.

"The nights are very cold here." The Alpha's Beta spoke with a smirk.

She couldn't help but lock eyes with the male and blush before looking away. Her pulse quicken slightly as she did her best to breathe deeply and bring it back to normal. In that brief glance, she had noticed how handsome he was. She didn't typically care about looks, most men were grouped as strong, clever, both, or neither. Looks didn't matter. Why did this male suddenly make her blush with his smirk? He had just insulted her. It wasn't that cold. Wait, why was she feeling hot? It felt as though he was still looking her over. Judging whether she could actually handle such weather conditions. Her poor choice of clothing made her fairly thin body even more obvious to him.

"She's stronger than she looks. I just need a few moments of your time to explain the situation. If you are still not satisfied with my proposal then at least I can save I gave it my best shot."

Alpha Phobos grunted, turned, and walked back in the direction they became from. From the corner of her eyes, Kyra noticed the Alpha gesture with his hands.

Watch her.