Eight.

Rogan

"What did I tell you!"

 The smell of blood saturated the room, and Zane was aching to be let loose, but that is not what I need right now.

 If Zane got his way then he would never leave this room. The point of this was to teach him a lesson, not to kill the bastard.

 My men were so proficient in this type of training and I knew that my presence was not actually required, but it could only help reinforce the message.

 Eren wasn't new to this room, but I was tired of him thinking that he could act out and do as he pleased. There was only one alpha of this pack and he was no where near taking that position.

Marq was waiting just outside and would take care of everything that was done here tonight.

 "That's enough, I think he has had enough." As soon as I said that the guards all backed away. Eren was hunched over, but breathing steadily enough though I knew there would be no permanent damage.

 I needed to let off the pent up aggression for Zane out and go check on the border before the night ended.

 As I walked from the room I instructed Marq to go in, "remove all that was done tonight, but no more." If he wants to fight with Dylan then he could heal from those wounds on his own.

 As soon as I reached out to my Beta and Delta, I left the guard station and immediately shifted so Zane could go patrol the area.

 Our scouts had seen signs that our perimeter had been breached multiple times over the last few weeks and I was not going to be caught unaware again.

 Zane raced through the woods all the way up to the mountain region. No scents were out of place and nothing seemed to be breached. He knew without having to be told to check the perimeter off the coastline next.

 There was a reason why the breaches have started happening again and I'd be damned if I didn't figure it out before it was too late. If anyone wanted to attack MY pack they would be gravely mistaken.

 The growl that Zane let loose affirmed his agreement and he burst through the last of the brush before we hit the shoreline. A scent that didn't belong immediately peaked Zane's attention.

 Rage filled us both, but Zane was meticulous and instead of racing ahead, he began to scout the area. Salt and sand filled the air, but there was a sweet woody smell that didn't belong, and for some reason the scent felt familiar.

 While I couldn't place where I may have encountered that scent, Zane had began to stalk his prey. Searching the surrounding area and staying unseen was easy due to Zane's ebony fur and the fact that it was a cloudy night, but this also helped the intruder stay out of sight.

 The scent was so soft that as we tried to follow it through the brush and foliage the wind began to blow and it seemed as if it was trying to remove it from the air. If I was anyone else, I would have thought it was nothing but coincidence, but it was too obvious that there was "something" hiding the scent.

 Zane had enough and let out a frustrated growl at the sky. Nothing, and I mean nothing moved. The bugs and small animals near by all stopped their calls. A predator was in their vicinity and they, along with the uninvited guest, knew that the alpha of this land was among them.

 My patience had worn thin and I forced Zane to shift with me. I walked barefoot and naked along the beach. It has been years since someone had the audacity to sneak onto my pack lands. If my reputation was enough to scare my enemies away, the trail of death I have left to warn others away should have been sufficient.

 Zane wished to shift back and try to pick up the scent, but he knew better than to demand anything from me. I didn't need my wolf to fight my battles, I had plenty of my own strength to defend not only myself, but everything I have fought so hard for.

 Walking helped to ease the frustration that was building, but my mind was working over time to try to place that scent. I hadn't paid much attention to how much time I had spent out here and I hadn't realized that I had left the coast behind and I was heading towards the old soldier barracks and cottages.

 Zane was the one who made me aware of the person in the distance walking out of a house we frequently visit. Realizing that I was butt a** naked still, I shifted so that Zane could get close enough to see what was going on.

 We were a few yards away, hidden well within the trees, but I could clearly see Dylan speaking to someone at her door. The woman had her back to me and I couldn't immediately place her, but Zane did. It was one of the girls who had seen Dylan and Rae yesterday, but my guards hadn't yet found her to keep things quiet.

 I couldn't help but be a little anxious at what was unfolding in front of me. Had this girl come in search of Dylan to confront her or ask questions that she had no right to know the answers to? I knew that they were not friends and I have never seen her come in or out of Dylan's house before.

 My guards would answer for not finding this girl and taking care of things already. I considered calling Marq, but I wasn't sure if he had finished with Eren yet and I needed him to take care of that before anything else.

 Zane couldn't get any closer to hear what they were saying, but had already decided to follow her, but I wanted him to stay and watch Dylan's house. I hadn't realized until right now, just how close the intruder was to stumbling upon this area of the pack lands. 

 A few of the older soldiers or widows lived out here and there were patrols that came around every few hours, but no one had picked up on the strange scent we found today. That was yet another thing that I would have to speak to the patrols and my guards about.

 Once the woman left Dylan's home she shifted as soon as she hit the tree line and loped off into the night. Zane circled the area a few times to make sure that there was no one else around. I had no extra clothes with me so I couldn't make a stop by Dylan's house.

 Zane went around back to peek in the window to her bedroom. While Dylan was monitored, I never permitted any of the guards to get this close to her home, so when I picked up the same scent as before by her window sill, I almost made Zane lose control. 

 Not only had there been an intruder tonight, but they had made their way all the way to Dylan and Rae. It may have been a coincidence, but I knew better than anyone that things usually don't happen by accident and whether Dylan knew it or not, she had become someone else's target now.