10.1: First Patrol and Ancillary

Xavier's POV

"Xavier, come here." I turn to Dad, walking up to him calmly. I don't know if he found out about Zay and I skipping chemistry yesterday but I am not about to give him a clue in.

"Yeah, Dad?" I've always strived to make him proud. I don't act out with the intent to hurt him, I desperately try to hide my wrong doings and faults.

"I want you to go outside and warm up." I raise a brow. "Today you'll be on patrol." I smile, trying not to grin overly wide. Gotta maintain some kind of integrity. "You'll take the northern border."

Dad sends me off to the border from the pack house with a smile, like he's so sure I'll succeed. Me? I'm not so sure. My partner, a scrawny man named Elijah, instructs me to clear the path to the east while he heads to the west from our meeting point at the northern border. "You got this kid," he encourages. I give a tight lipped smile.

The borders of our path are a beautiful walk, full of foliage. Green covers the trees in the form of leaves and moss. The air smells foggy with mass amount of plants and the slight smell of. . . Wait, that's. . . The unfamiliar scent is not of a rogue but perhaps of another pack. I've met wolves from many packs but none have had this scent. If they are from a pack, they've come far and for what? I smell two slightly different scents meaning there's two of them. Spies?

I take a deep whiff of the air, trying to pinpoint what direction they're coming from. It's grown stronger. It's-

Oomph!

With a thud I fall to the ground as a fist aims for my face. I quickly catch the fist, throwing the person off of me while kicking myself to my feet. He's young, maybe a few years older than me but not more than that. He takes on a fighting stance as he observes my motionless self. It's just a kid. A kid far from home. Observing him, I notice how tense he is. Where's the second one? Another sniff of the air gives way to a copper scent, blood. The other must be hurt.

"Hi," I say plainly. "You don't have to fight me," I try. He tenses further. 'There's two wolves over here but I have it handled,' I mind link Elijah.

'Two rogues?' His voice sounds worried.

'Not rogues, teens from another pack. I got it,' I insist. He says he's on his way anyways and I sigh, knowing my time is going to be cut down.

"If your friend is hurt, I can help. My Dad's the Alpha," I say with a bright smile.

The boy nods, not losing his tense state as he gestures for me to follow him. As he leads me towards where our border meets the outskirts of the human town, the scent of blood increases. He goes around a tree and a boy who looks about my age is leaning against it. I'm unsure what's more shocking; his black eye or the bear trap his foot is caught in. His foot is covered in blood.

"You said you can help him?" His voice sounds unsure but the younger teen looks to me hopeful. I nod, swallowing as I crouch down to release the bear trap. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for young pups to get caught in a bear trap or two during their first outings. Dad has been working on scouts to dismantle them within the first few miles of the pack's borders so young learning pups can be safer as they begin hunting.

He cries as the trap is released, grabbing onto the hand of the older teen.

"Xavier!" The voice of Elijah cuts from where we had just come from. "What were you thinking? Who are these two?"

"Please sir," the injured wolf says through a broken lip. "Please help us." One full look at the injured boy and Elijah gave a sigh of defeat while mumbling about 'making the Alpha angry' was bound to 'cause trouble.'

"Xavier, what were you thinking?" My Dad paced in front of me as I sat in his office that evening. "Going towards an unknown scent without waiting for backup? That's pure recklessness!"

"I handled it!" Which is true. I also felt confident in that moment that it wasn't two rogues so they'd likely be civil, even if caught.

"What if you couldn't have handled it?" He growls. "Always wait for backup," he insists.

"Yes, Father." I guess I can see where he's coming from. I guess. . . I guess I just wanted to prove that I'm capable of handling more. Prove that I am of Alpha Blood.

"What pack did the boys say they are from?"

I shake my head, "They didn't. Just said they couldn't go back." Dad nods, sighing.

"That one boy looked in very bad condition. I can't help but think of where they could be coming from. . ." He trails off, shaking his head.

"Can we offer them a place to stay?" I knew the question was risky after today, Dad seems so disappointed, but I hate the thought of those two going back to wherever they had come from.

"If I get any word on any missing pups then we come clean, got it?" I nod, happy that the two wolves would be staying with us. I'll give them the pack tour!

"Jacob," I greet him. He gives me a nod, not one to smile too often. Always on guard. I often worry for him. "We need to talk."

"About?" He sips his coffee, leaning against the counter.

"About your injury." He grimaces, looking away. He hates to show weakness, that much I've learned over the years. I know him now but not much as to how he became who he is. Josh is similarly quiet about his past, though I know their paths have been merged for some time. "You were supposed to file a report. I never received it." I give him the in to say he has the report, that maybe it's in his room and will be on my desk within the hour.

"Yea," he says. "It was no big deal, I'm fine." He looks me in the eye, "It won't happen again." I breathe in as my wolf growls at his defiance.

"I need it anyways," I insist. "What happened that day, Jacob?"

"It doesn't matter," he says with a growl under his voice. I growl louder until he goes quiet.

"As the top warrior of this pack, you need to be on your game. You haven't been hurt since I kicked your ass in your first year of training. You've been against more rogues and better warriors before. So I want to know why you got hurt the other day in such a minor situation." Paperwork be damned, I'm worried about him. As my third-in-command and as a friend.

"I don't know," he lies through his teeth.

"If I don't get that paperwork," I start, wanting this to be done, "you will be suspended unt-"

"Wait," he interrupts, "Stop. No paperwork, I can't-" I understand. He doesn't want it recorded. I nod as a go ahead. "Josh was almost killed." His hands clench, jaw tightening as well.

"I'm sure he was fine," I try to assure him. "He can handle himself."

"I know what I saw, Xavier." I nod, letting him continue as he avoids eye contact. "There was a rogue on all of us, the one with Josh had him pinned. He -" he closes his eyes, turning around and slamming the counter. "He was going for a death bite. So I did what I had to do to lose the one on my tail. I got hurt in the process. It's fine." I nod, although it's far from fine.

"I want his training to be upped," he nods. "And I want you to up yours as well. I'll meet you out there myself if I have to."

"Understood, Alpha."

"If anything like this happens again," his fists clenched as he looks at me, "I'll have you two separated on patrols. If he's going to distract you then you two simply won't be near each other, do you understand?" He looks away. "I said, do you understand?" I can see him holding back a growl as he nods. He turns and walks up the stairs at the same time the front door opens.