C28. Black Wolf

Matthew's POV:

     "You should call Luna April," Zeke whispered to me as we stared at the dead bodies being brought out on stretchers. I caught two girls standing by the ambulance that I recognized were the set bringing food to Josephine everyday. I've been monitoring their behavior since Zeke told me about the blood incident. I leaned in towards Zeke.

     "Go see what they know," I ordered as I pulled the phone out of my pocket. I felt guilty from the whole situation. I should have made sure the rogue was back in his cell before leaving the station. This was my fault. I trusted stupid people. "Then get me the camra footage." I walked away from him as I dialled April's number and waited for her to pick up the phone.

     "Matthew? Do you have any idea what time it is? I'm in the tub. This better be good," my sister hissed through the phone. I frowned as I looked over my shoulder to make sure nobody could overhear.

     "Your daughter escaped," I told her sharply. "Is that good enough? The rogue took her!"

     "Well get her back," she said quickly.

     "We followed their scent into the forst," I explained. "I just thought you should know since you're Luna," I growled out. I can't believe she's not taking this serious.

     "Well... Put a warent out and call the pack on alert. Tell them we want the two alive or dead. I prefer dead it would make our jobs easier."

     "April," I hissed in a warning tone.

     "What? With them breaking out this means they are just as guilty. I want this wrapped up before tomorrow morning. Get it done Matthew. You're beta." I growled and hung up on her. I caught Zeke standing by awaiting for my attention.

     "Zeke, what did they have to say?" I asked as I walked back to him.

     "They said Josephine attacked them. They lost a friend when it happened. One of them is pretty shaken up. The other could tell me they were provoking Josephine to do it. In the end Josephine and the rogue met and left together. She said it didn't seem heavily plotted. So odds are we can catch them before they reach the boarder. We put scouts out on high alert and a few are meeting up to watch the boarders. I got the camera footage being set up right now if you still want to watch."

     "Damn," I said as I smiled. This is the future Alpha we need. He's on top of things. I'm proud to say I helped raise that guy up into the position he's reaching. "Do me a favor and get started on their trail. It'll be too late to call Veronica out here. I'll settle things up here." It's too late to be dealing with this right now. Most of the pack will be annoyed from this. It won't look good on April's part. It might just be the shove the pack needs to request a change in power. They might rise up against her.

     "Yes sir," Zeke said as he took off to the back entrance. I went inside as I found my way to the monitor room. A few people were already set up going through the footage.

     "Did you find anything?" I asked as I held up against the door. They turned to look at me and a few shook their heads no.

     "It looks like the footage has been wiped clean, sir."

     "What do you mean?" I asked in confusion. "Who was on shift tonight? I want names of the decesased and names of the people that went after them."

     "Nobody can identify who went after them... That's the thing sir. We don't recognize the scents following their trail."

     "What?" I asked.

     "We know they left out back for the woods. But they're not of our pack."

     Does this mean something else happened here besides a break out? Was this set up? Did the rogue's pack come to save him after all? This is not good. Not good at all. I walked out the monitor hall and into the back hall. I ran out the back entrance and slipped out of my clothes to trasform into my wolf. The second I was down on all fours I took off to the forest to try to get a good smell of the scents in the area. The pack mates were right. This was different scents but I couldn't place where they were from. I couldn't even connect them to the rogue's pack scent. 'April,' I said in a harsh voice as I waited for her to talk back to me.

     'Matthew,' April said in annoyance. 'What is it this time? This is wine and bath night.'

       'We have a bigger problem here.'

     'What kind of problem?'

       'Get out of the tub. There's something happening here.'

     The hair on the back of my spine raised up. I felt like I was being watched. I was caught off guard as something rammed into my side and I was knocked off my feet. An angry growl rung in my ear as a sharp pain entered my neck. I heard multiple growls surround me. This was not what I thought would happen. I got a clear image once my vision came back and caught the glowing eyes of dark black rogues surrounding me. I tensed up before letting out a signal howl for the other pack mates to know. One of them jumped me again and my voice was cut off as he sunk his fangs into my throat to cut me off. The world around me started to fade as I realized he was taking my life from me. I could feel the earth cutting into my skin as I trasformed back human. The beast began to drag me off the path and into the woods.

     'April, April, April,' I thought as I couldn't think of anything else to say. 'Rogues. Rogues are here.' Save me. Save me sister. I don't want to die.

Juliette's POV:

     "There's something funny happening down at the station," Edith told me as she stood in the doorframe. I was struggling to close the front door in her face but she was holding it open. I growled in annoyance. This wasn't my problem. I need my beauty sleep. I go dress shopping tomorrow and I'm getting highlights put in my hair.

     "So? Who cares?" I asked her.

     "Your sister is involved," she tried to explain. It wasn't persuading me to care any more. I growled as she pushed past me and walked into the house. I shut the door and locked it before looking back at her.

     "You know it's like not my problem right?" I asked her as I rolled my eyes. I'm not even going to be apart of this pack once I marry the king.

     "Yes it is," she growled. "Where's your mother?"

     "Tonight is bath night," I explained.

     "My mother felt my dad's death," she growled out in my face as she shoved me up against the door. "Where is your mother?!" She raised her fist and threatened to hit me.

     "In her room. Probably drinking redwine in the tub," I explained. Edith pulled away from me as she marched towards my mom's bedroom. She tried to open the door but failed. I walked over with her and tried to reach out to stop her. "She's not going to listen-" She suddenly broke the door handle and marched through the bedroom. I went with her as she went into the walk-in bathroom that had a harmstyle appeal to it where we pushed the door aside to open up the bathroom. My mother was in her bearclaw bathtub sunk low in the tub. The bottle of red wine had spilt out onto the tile. I walked up slowly when I noticed something was off. Edith was already grabbing her wrist to check her pulse.

     Mother was staring at the wall with a blank expression. I could smell the faint scent of wolfsbane as I knelt down and picked up the bottle of wine. It smelled off. But, the scent didn't come from it. I looked around and found an ashtray on the other side of the tub where I knew the scent was coming from. Mom had been smoking wolfsbane? I looked at Edith as she backed away from the tub. I noticed she had closed my mother's eyes. Edith pulled out her phone as she left the room entirely. I titled my head as I looked my mother over. Wait... is she dead?

     "Edith?" I asked as I followed after her. She pulled her ear away from her phone.

     "Zeke isn't answering," she mumbled with worry.

     "Edith..." I trailed off as she turned to look at me. "Edith is my mother dead?" I asked softly. She gave me a pittied look but couldn't answer me. I knew why. I wouldn't want to break the news to her about her own father. "W-what are we going to do?" I asked softly.

     "I think we better ask grandma," she suggested. "Come on and get in my car."

     "Let me grab my keys," I suggested.

     "You're worried about keys?" She asked and looked pissed at me. "The murderer could still be in here!" She yelled slightly before grabbing my hand and dragged me out of the house. I hissed in pain but followed after her since I didn't want to stay behind. I felt scared as I remembered the potion I was leaving behind in the house. I guess it can stay there for now. I'm the only one who knows about it after all. We got into her car and she took off as she tossed her phone at me. "Call grandma and let her know your mom is dead." My hands trembled as I struggled to dial my grandmother's number. It only took a few rings before she was able to pick up.

     "Edith? Where are you?" She asked in worry.

     "We're heading to you," I explained. "Gram... Mom is dead," I whispered through the phone. "I don't understand h-how."

     "Tell her poison," Edith told me.

     "Edith thinks it was poison."

     "Stay on the phone with me," Grandma Della demanded. I could hear her telling Carole the news. I don't understand what's happening. I looked up at the road as Edith slammed down on her breaks. I gasped as I was slung forward but my seatbelt caught me. I screamed as a black wolf ran out in front of us and Edith avoided hitting it by twisting the steering wheel. We swerved off into the ditch and headed straight for a tree. The world fell dark for a few seconds as my head collided with the airbags.

     I felt Edith's hand touch mine as she checked my pulse before unbuckling me. The alarm to the car was going off lound in my head when I finally came to. I could hear her faint voice telling me to get out. I beat off the seatbelt as I felt for the doorhandle and pushed it open. I stumbled out of the car as I heard Edith hit the ground on the other side.

"E-Edith?" I asked as I started to cry from the shock.

"Juliette?" She asked in concern. "A-are you ok?"

"Y-yeah! Are you?" I wondered. I pushed off the ground as I looked around. There were no signs of the wolf. I walked around the other side of the car and helped her stand up. She was healing a swollen wrist but she came out fine. I wrapped an arm around her. Fuck... this is not the night I expected to have. I walked her up to the road's side. I glanced around before looking at her. "I'll trasform."

     I could carry her. "You hop on. You can't walk on that," I said as I gestured to her wrist. She needs to let it heal right now. It won't take long for it to be normal again. I trasformed into my wolf and came just above her shoulders in height. I knelt down to let her on before taking off running towards town.

     "Where are we going?" She asked immediantly. "My house is that way," she'd gesture behind us. I was determined to take us down to the station and get her a nurse to look at her arm. There was no way I would risk going to the suburbs. Not after spotting a rogue. Black wolf. I've only seen one in my lifetime and that was my father. He was a black wolf because he was descended from rogues. Was that Josephine just then? It was too big to be her. It's another rogue.

     Edith got the hint I wouldn't turn around. I took her as I raced into the center of town and headed down to the station. It would already have shiny lightly promising a medic. I spotted the ambulance lights. A few of the pack members recognized us and announced we were coming. We were welcomed as the pack surrounded us and helped Edith off me. A woman in a paramedic uniform ran up to us and started to examine her wrist. An omega ran up to me with a robe as I trasformed and put it around me. The pack respectfully avoided looking until I was clothed.

     "There are rogues," I announced as I looked around for someone to talk to. "I spotted one in the area." I'll spare them the information about my mother. I spotted Zeke's father walking up. Tatum looked like an older version of Zeke. He was also a good friend of the family. He walked up as he looked worriedly at Edith.

     "What happened?" Tatum asked as he saw her wrist being wrapped up. "Are you girls ok?"

     "Yes," I told him as he walked up and shook my hand. "We're ok. We almost hit a rogue driving. We ended up in a ditch," I shook my head as I tried to change the topic. "Someone go out to the suburbs and get my grandmother," I announced. I looked Tatum in the eyes. "My mother is dead. I'm going to have Della take over the Alpha position temperary." He bowed his head in respect. As an alpha family member it was my duty to take command. My grandmother Della will have to come out of retirement tonight.

     "On it," I heard someone announce in one of the police uniforms and run to a cop car. I looked back at Edith when I heard her groan out in pain and drop to her knees. I rushed to her side in worry.

     "Edith?" I asked in concern. "I thought it was just your wrist... Did you break a rib?" I asked in worry. I looked at the ambulance before looking at the paramedic. "Take her to the hospital," I commanded. "I'll send her mother that way." Shit, I lost her phone in that wreck. I turned to look at Tatum. "Let me use your phone to call Carole." As Beta female she's technically in line for the Alpha role but everyone knows she's too weak for the position. I'll only call her to send her to the hospital to take care of Edith. Tatum nodded his head as I watched Edith being taken to the hospital. Tatum grabbed my arm to stop me.

     "Reports have been coming in about the rogue sightings. They're not targeting pack members," he said in confusion. To hell they're not. My mother is dead! Matthew- Matthew is dead.

     "Are you saying they're only targeting my mother and uncle?" I asked in confusion. This was a planned attack then. I dialled the phone as I tried to get ahold of the house's number.