The Message

*The name at the top of each chapter is the point of view the chapter is based on. Bold is inner wolf voices, italic text is mental links*

Silas:

At least I'd have some good news to report at the meeting tomorrow night. This last rogue made the fifteenth my pack had tracked down since the last meeting. Six had paid their due and been released, three were still in the dungeons a few buildings over, and the one from tonight had already paid his price like the four other death sentences. It had been a good quarter. 

Even the Blood Moon pack couldn't touch our track record with handling rogues or lawbreakers. The longest any wolf had gone without a home or punishment in our territory was six months. Harvest Moon often called in outside help with hunting down their rogues since their numbers were still so low. Claw Moon was effective but their average for finding their targets was closer to a year. Blood Moon was our only real competition. Our average was the same or close at every meeting. In the last report, we ran an average of three months to track down and catch a rogue, this one would raise our average a bit. 

Alpha Slade would have to accept defeat this time. "His pack couldn't have possibly lowered theirs. They've had twenty-three rogues to track down if our resources are correct." I saw my wolf's smile inside my mind. 

"Very true, although Sinlan clearly wanted us to offer tonight's rogue a burial."

"He's kinder than the man deserved." As the images of what the man was accused of crossed our mind, my wolf growled and I nodded in agreement. I towel-dried my hair and quickly walked into the oversized bedroom. It had a double king-sized bed with a black silk comforter and sheet set. The dresser set was a black oak and matched the standing closet. I tossed my towel into the laundry basket by the door and headed to the drawers.

"He was always the kinder of the two of us. That's why he makes an excellent Beta. Keeps us in check." It was a true statement. Our pack took balancing punishment and the crime very seriously, and I often leaned on my Beta to make sure I did just that. He was even granted permission to overrule my punishments other than executions if he felt it was necessary. Unofficially he still had the freedom to talk to me about executions in private if he thought it was unfitting. I'd never met anyone I trusted as fully. I pulled on some sweats real quick before heading out of the bedroom door. As I neared the second floor I heard the rest of my circle arriving home.

"Tonight went well, did you put the head outside the cells already?" One of the Omega's asked as I rounded the corner.

My Beta, Sinlan, saw me as he turned to the Omegas. They were standing in front of the stairs and I was waiting patiently behind them. He responded quickly and without any emotion in his voice, "Of course, it's in place where those with windows in their cells can see. Now get cleaned up and to bed. We have to leave right after breakfast tomorrow and you'll need to meet so Alpha Silas can tell you who is going and who will be staying in our place for the meeting's duration."

"He is correct, to bed at once." The Omegas all turned, jumping slightly as they faced me. Sin only chuckled, he'd seen me from where he was of course, and probably heard me before then.

 "Yes Alpha." The two men and one woman all headed up the stairs, careful to step around me.

 I smiled as I reached the ground level, "That never gets old. By the way, did you arrange the driver for tomorrow? I'm already packed but I forgot to tell the driver when to meet us with the car."

 "Yes I handled it, we leave at ten tomorrow. I was thinking I'd leave Brine in charge for me tomorrow." I nodded once, that would be a good match. "The Omega's did well tonight." Sin motioned to them as he fell onto the closest couch. "Definitely a good choice in bringing Lesta in. She thought well on her feet tonight. True potential in that one."

 "I agree, we'll have to reward Brine for recommending her. What do you think he'd want?"

"A woman." We both laughed. Who wouldn't?

"He isn't the only one. My wolf gets any more unruly you may have to track my mate down while I'm locked in our cellar." I joked with a slight smile but it was partly true. I was 28, ten years past the age to find my mate. Sin was a little younger, 23. Most found their mates between the ages of 18 and 25. So he had a few years left in his prime age to find his. I was starting to think mine didn't exist. "She's out there. Trust me. I can feel her, she's just locked away somewhere."

I knew that already of course. When I turned 18 my wolf gained access to feel and track my mate. However, apparently, my mate's wolf was locked away. Which meant one of two things. Either she was a half-blood or a hybrid. Either way, we couldn't track her because we need her wolf awake in order to track her. "Still no luck on her wolf waking up?" I shook my head, "I mean I guess that's a good sign, she didn't mate with another." He had a point there. "Besides, I couldn't lock you up. You'd be leaving me to handle these crazy omega's all on my own." He gave me a pat on the shoulder and I smiled a bit as I shook my head. "Sorry buddy, I signed up to help you, not run it all."

"Good points there of course. Always keeping me on the right path." It was a good point too. If she'd been with another wolf and chosen a mate by choice rather than fate her wolf could have still woken up. For whatever reason, she hadn't done so yet. Most would have and I couldn't have blamed them. Going so long without a mate was draining. Even if I caved and had sex with another woman it didn't satiate me or my wolf. I tried a bit at first after finding out my mate had her wolf locked, but it didn't matter. I stopped trying with other women before the end of the first year. Deciding for certain to either wait for my true mate or suffer alone. Of course, my wolf backed me up.

"Well, keep your nose and eyes open at the meeting. A lot of she-wolves will show up hoping to find their mate. We even have a few from our pack going. Plus the non-criminal rogues without a home who come looking for a pack to join."

I stood and stretched, feeling my muscles tighten and tense from the events of the day. "Same to you, your mate could be out there." Sin also had a mate with a sleeping wolf. We shared our stories not long after he joined as my Beta when his father stepped down. He had been my best friend since childhood, our lineage telling us where we'd be in the pack. I probably knew more about him than anyone else in the pack, and he definitely knew more about me than anyone else did.

"I can only hope. Well, I'm about to go kick an omega out of the shower and get to bed myself."

I waved my hand at him as we began to climb the stairs together, "Just use mine. I'm finished for the night." He stopped on his floor, I turned to him and put my hand out, "Sleep well Sin."

He grabbed my arm at the elbow and I matched his grip on his own arm, "Sleep well Sie." I knew he was just grabbing some clothes before using my shower. I often offered it to him. It really was a waste for just myself. I reached my floor and walked into my room. The large bay window that led to the balcony showed a waxing moon that was nearly full. It was seven days until the full moon. I walked over to the window and opened the doors to the balcony.

"May the Moon Goddess bless us with our mate." "Soon." My wolf finished my call to the goddess. I knew he felt the weight of his missing mate more than I did. If I was on the edge of the building thinking of jumping down, he was on a tightrope three miles out and a hundred miles up just trying to keep balance. The wind blew across us and into the room at our call. I watched the moon for a sign, none came. I shouldn't get my hopes up for tomorrow's meeting. Most of the wolves who come would be full blood or at least woken wolves.

I climbed into bed, thinking of the meeting tomorrow. A lot of small talk, but at least there'd be good food. The report on rogue situations and announcing new matings, births, and deaths. We only had a few of each, overall the pack had grown so it seemed like a good quarter with just that fact. The part I was legitimately excited for though was the rogue report. "You focus on the reports. I'll be looking for her." I smiled at my wolf as I closed my eyes and let the emptiness of the night take over.

It was bright in the water, the moon reflected on its surface. Trees around its edge blew in the cool breeze as I neared the water edge. There was someone in its center. She had long curls falling down her back, her hair was colored with two different shades. The left was a bright red and the right a black that shined with blue in the light. I walked closer, the water cold as it hit me. My clothes began to stick to me, but I didn't care. I reached for my wolf, to ask if he knew what was going on. The response came from the water's edge, a howl to the moon. I turned and saw my wolf, sitting, waiting. I turned back to the woman in the water. She kept her back to me, her voice sounded out through the wind. "A beautiful night for a wish to be fulfilled." That voice sounded beautiful, heavenly in a way. It sent ripples through the water and when it reached me it felt like a strange pull was calling me further.

Then a second voice sounded, this one from the air itself. It was quieter, even but kind. "Trust and patience." I knew that voice but I couldn't place it. I looked around but there was no one else here. My wolf laid calmly by the water's edge as three others joined him. They all just laid quietly, watching me and the woman. I turned to see her in the same place but she was glowing. A bright blue light was shining from her and she looked to the sky as a wolf leapt from her chest and to the water's edge. The beautiful wolf followed the edge until it joined the four others. They circled the new wolf and began to howl as a group. I turned back to the woman once more, I could almost reach her now. I put out my hand and reached for her arm. Just as my arm reached hers a shining light met my eyes and they began to burn.

I shot awake, the light from my balcony window beaming onto my bed. My heart was racing. "Did you dream that with me?"

"So beautiful." was the only response I got from my wolf. I tried to remember what the woman in the water looked like. She was important though, she was a part of me. "Mate. She was our mate." A dream about my mate! The moon goddess blessed me with a dream, the hope of the mate waiting for me. Although what was the rest of the dream? There were a total of four wolves welcoming the new one. What was her hair like again? Long and curly, and it had different colors. I tried to burn the image into my mind, I had to remember what she looked like.

I took a slow, deep breath. "Well, time to get ready. Maybe the Moon Goddess really was giving us a sign. Maybe our mate is on their way!" I felt my wolf agree as he too remembered the wolf he had welcomed in the dream.

"Alpha Silas, are you awake?" It was the advisor.

"Yes Lionel, I'll be down shortly. Thank you." I heard him walk away and quickly jumped up to find clothes for the day. My bag for the trip was packed and I grabbed it as I headed out the door and down the stairs towards my pack and breakfast. I wouldn't give up just yet, there was hope. She was out there.