Page 28 of Escaping Wildfire
I wanted to step out as I felt I needed time to calm my own emotions down before I did anything else. Luckily, Gabriel and Ellis walked in with Elder Frank in tow. My Luna came over to me, sensing my turmoil, and immediately calmed me with her touch.
“Please, have a seat, Elder Frank. Thank you for coming so late in the day and on such short notice.”
“It’s not a problem Alpha, I’m always happy to help.” Elder Frank was one of our oldest pack members, and I could trust him to be discreet about pack matters, so I often went to him when I had questions or needed advice.
“The boys here from Cobalt Falls have been feeling some pain that they say feels like a bond breaking. I hoped you’d have some insight into the matter. It started with Jordan about an hour ago, and then all three felt it shortly before you arrived.”
“All three? Are any of you blood-related?” He turned to the boys who all shook their heads. “And this happened at the same time?” This time the boys all nodded.
Elder Frank shifted in his seat uncomfortably as he adjusted his cane in his hand. “I’ve seen this once before. My mate was originally part of the Moon Stone pack. This was in the days before the Wildfire Pack.” He paused to catch his breath. “My mate and I were recently mated and went to visit her family for a weekend. Moon Stone was a small pack, and there was a neighboring pack who wanted their land, so the neighboring Alpha issued a challenge. It was a larger pack with a stronger Alpha, so he easily won. The Moon Stone Alpha was killed, and the pack ties shifted to the new Alpha. However, the Alpha’s son and his future Beta and Gamma were all three newly shifted. When the Alpha was killed, the power shifted to the winning Alpha who was now considered the new Alpha of Moon Stone. The three boys, however, did not experience a shift in power like all the other pack members but instead experienced the breaking of their pack bond completely. They were now pack-less as their previous rank meant they were a threat to the new Alpha.
Apparently, challenges used to happen more often in my younger days, and my mate’s parents were able to explain all of this to us as we remained unaffected by it, as we were from Harvest Moon. The three boys were exiled and, unfortunately, became rogue wolves. They could have entered a new pack if anyone accepted them, but no one wants another Alpha wolf around.” Elder Frank shrugged his shoulders as he finished his story.
“So, you think this is what happened to us?” Noah spoke up, but I didn’t miss the hitch in his voice at the end of his question.
“I can’t say for certain, but I believe so.”
“No!” Jordan got up from his seat and started pacing the room again. “No, you’re wrong…you have to be!” He rubbed at the back of his head, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. He looked at his friends for support, but they remained silent as he continued. “That would mean that my dad’s dead, and he can’t be dead… My parents…they can’t be dead…it’s not.” His knees hit the floor as realization dawned on him, and his friends went over and knelt beside him. Cristian patted his back and hugged him close as he silently cried. I looked over at Ellis whose eyes were glistening.
‘These poor boys. Do you think it was Wildfire?’ She mind linked me.
‘I do, but I put a call into Tate, and we should know more soon.’
“Thank you, Elder Frank. I’m glad you were able to shed some light on this matter.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t have better news. I would, however, recommend letting the boys into our pack for the time being. It’s a cruel world out there for rogue wolves, and they won’t have a mind link to rely on anymore.”
“Thank you, Elder. I’ll let you get back to the rest of your night now.” Elder Frank shook my hand before leaving the room. Ellis, Gabriel, and I looked at each other before looking back at the boys who were still holding their friend as he grieved his loss. The Alpha’s death hadn’t been confirmed, but I think the boys knew we were right as their pack bond was missing.
It felt like we stayed quiet for too long, when my phone suddenly rang, surprising us out of our thoughts. The caller ID told me it was Tate calling back, so I put it on speaker. There was no use keeping whatever he had to say from the boys. “Tate,” I answered.
“Kedrick.” His tone sounded grim, exactly as I had expected.
“You’re on speaker. I’m with my Luna, Beta, and the Cobalt Falls boys…what did you find out?”
“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come right out and say it…Cobalt Falls was attacked by Wildfire.”
“Fuck!” My Beta exclaimed under his breath.
“The Alpha and Luna were both killed. Their daughters, the Gamma Family, and the Beta Family were all taken by Alpha Marek. Reports say the Gamma was unconscious but alive and all the others looked unharmed. When my scouts arrived, the Wildfire Beta was busy with cleaning up the fallen warriors.”
“You mean Alpha Marek let all the others live?”
“Yes, only those who fell during battle died. It appears they will allow Cobalt Falls to continue as an annexed territory of Wildfire, but I don’t know much else. I can’t risk sending out more scouts right now, but either way, I think this is something The Council should be told about.
“I think you’re right, we’ll need to contact The Council about this. Thank you, Tate…it’s late, so I’ll let you go. I’ll call you for our regular chat later this week.”
“Alright man, sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news but let me know how else I can help. Those Wildfire fuckers have to be stopped.”
“You’re right, thanks, man.” I hung up the call and turned toward the others.
This day had gone to shit rather quickly. It was already dark outside, and I was certain it was nearing midnight. I needed to talk to The Council, but at this point, it would have to wait for morning. I’d have to deal with the boys for now. I can’t say I’ve ever been good with emotions, so I was glad for Ellis being here.
“Come on boys.” She knelt in front of Jordan. “I know you’ve just gotten the worst news possible, but there’s still hope for your siblings, and you have the full support of Harvest Moon for whatever comes next. We’ll help you get your families back. Whatever it takes. Wildfire won’t get away with this like they have been before.” Ellis looked up at me, looking for my support. We didn’t usually pledge our support to other packs without a mutual agreement between all the ranked couples, but when Ellis made her mind up about something, she went for it. Now she was just looking to me for support that I would do everything possible to help the boys.
“We’ll help you, whatever it takes. Your dad was a good man, I didn’t know him well, but I’m sorry you had to lose him like this. We’ll make it right though, like Tate said, those fuckers need to be stopped.” I walked closer to Ellis. “Now, I hate to talk business at a time like this, but I feel this is important. Elder Frank suggested you join Harvest Moon. I think it would be best if you do that as it will keep you safe and give you a pack link. What do you guys want to do?”
“You mean right now?” Cristian was the first to speak.