Chapter 16

Isaiah had never met the alpha Romulus before but what he had heard of the man seemed to be tales and legends that spanned further than his own reaches. He knew that he was walking into the Sentinel den for a reason, but he also knew that they might not have shared the same sympathies as he did. Not that any of them needed to share his sympathies, they just had to listen regarding the events that showed Sylvie Warren’s return. This was something that Isaiah knew he couldn’t stress enough. It was important to find Romulus and share the news so that the word could spread wherever it needed to go to fix the error that presented itself.

Luckily, it turned out, that Romulus was in Crimson Creek, doing a few investigations of his own accord. Isaiah was smart enough not to go into trying to find exactly what this business was. He didn’t need to know, and he assumed Romulus wouldn’t tell, especially with his reputation. He was a man that would do whatever it takes to get what was his. Revenge, for starter, was the first task he accomplished to gain his power. It was what helped him build the Sentinel Wolf Pack up, and it was the unity of controlling over the regions of Anchorage that truly solidified his stance as alpha.

It was for all this that Isaiah showed caution when trying to find the man. It was a difficult situation to deal with already, but one that he knew he could do it he just approached it with caution.

But nervousness did not come in the form of fear towards Romulus. The alpha was set in place to keep the peace between the territories, and thus far there had been no qualms in keeping the peace. Isaiah was nervous because of his admiration towards the man. Romulus was a man of great power, rising from the bottom upwards; he made sure that nothing would stop in his way to victory. Isaiah shared the same ambitions; only he cared more for the real world than wolf politics.

When he arrived at the cabin where Romulus had been spending his days in Crimson Creek, he found himself at a loss for words. The alpha of a grand wolf pack stayed in simple quarters, fairly alone apart from a few camp posts further up the road where his men rested while he was here. Truly a fearless leader, it seemed.

Isaiah was led up to the cabin by another young man who must have only recently joined the Sentinel pack because he showed more nerves to the situation that Isaiah did.

“Meeting him for the first time?” Isaiah asked, trying to keep both their minds steady.

“N…n…No, sir. Why do you ask?” The young man stuttered, and after the words left his mouth, Isaiah realized he wasn’t worried to make his way up the mountain to the log cabin. He was actually trembling from the cold that nipped at their heels. Isaiah chuckled at the thought.

“Just wondering. It’s my first time, and I’ve got some big news for alpha Romulus, so it should be an interesting meeting.” Isaiah said, walking up the rest of the way in silence. Neither had he wanted to continue nor did the young man know how to continue discussing Romulus or anything to do with the situation.

When they got to the top of the path, where the log cabin stood just outside a clearing of trees, Isaiah caught sight of the alpha Romulus. He was big, packed with hard, thick muscle that was unwavering. He stood shirtless, even in the cold morning air, with a hatchet in one hand, the other feeding logs onto a block of wood for the chopping. Each time he brought the hatchet down, Romulus grunted, the noise echoing through the air.

Romulus stopped chopping wood, though he didn’t turn to face Isaiah. He stood there, in front of the pile of wood with his back turned, sniffing the air. Danger was not something he wished to see. He wanted to be free of such irritations, but nothing about Isaiah presented itself as threatening.

“Good morning,” Romulus said.

“Good morning, alpha Romulus,” Isaiah replied.

Romulus who stood on guard, dropped it now, if only slightly due to Isaiah’s reply. Had he been here looking for any sort of trouble, Isaiah would not have addressed him by title or showed him the respect deserved.

Romulus turned to face Isaiah, his bearded face boasting a long scar down the left side that split the beard in half. His own two, cold blue eyes looked to Isaiah, with no expression on his face. The front of his body, much like the back, was coated in thick layers of muscle. Still exposed, Isaiah could see the various scrapes, bites, cuts and more that littered his body from years of hard battling, that only grew harder while maintaining the peace in Anchorage, Alaska and Kodiak Island.

Romulus walked over towards the entrance of the log cabin, to a chair beside the front door, lifting from it a thick, dark brown, woolen coat and pulling it over his shoulders. He left the front exposed as if the muscle itself would protect him from the cold. Isaiah turned to face the young man who accompanied him up the trail, but he was already gone.

“Do you know why I like it so much up here in the mountains? Away from the rest of the camp, alone in my wooden cabin?” Romulus asked.

“No. Why?” Isaiah replied, walking closer to Romulus, who took a cigar from the inside of his coats pocket, putting it between his lips and lighting up with a single match.

“It’s the beautiful skyline and the peaceful atmosphere. My pack, they don’t understand it. They’re all just a group of wolves, having a good pack mentality. Personally, I’m an outcast, have been before and will always be. I found love, when I was out there, away from the rest of the world. When I thought I had lost and where I was chased from my own home. There was nothing left for me as alpha and there was nothing that I could do, so I ran.” Romulus said, bringing the second cigar from his pocket, holding it out to Isaiah. Isaiah took it, putting it between his lips and lighting it with another match. He wasn’t much a smoker; not of cigarettes or cigars, but while sitting with the alpha Romulus, he thought it would be rude to reject the offer.

From up here, they could see a good section of land below. A small part of a town nestled in the distance, the beautiful wide open fields that surrounded the town, now caked in white. The forests of course that surrounded the cabin and beyond. And even a good section of Romulus’ men, nestled below, having their fun in the morning sunlight.

“They’re different, down there. They don’t know anything about being a lone wolf, nor will they ever get to experience anything that didn’t revolve around a pack mentality. I got out of it once, I wasn’t exiled, but I knew that I was no longer welcomed in the pack and so I left, took my hiatus, and watched as it crumbled to the ground. I brought it back though. Do you want to know why?” Romulus chewed on the back of his cigar, often rolling it between his fingers. Isaiah did the same, to mimic the alpha.

“Why?” Isaiah asked, holding the cigar out away from him, wondering why he didn’t bring Olivia out on this excursion more than anything else. He supposed that it was because she had a big night ahead and needed her rest. He’d have to make arrangements for her and knew that this was the best way to do this— by doing it moderately alone.

“Because sometimes you do what’s best for the pack, than what’s best for yourself.” Romulus turned to Isaiah, pressing the cigar into the makeshift ashtray beside him, he would continue smoking it later, and “I know that’s why you’re here, too. I knew it from the second I saw you. You’re a lone wolf, like me. You live in the middle of nowhere, high above and away from everything because you just want to live your normal life.” The harsh reality of all that Romulus said, set in.

Things were different now though. He had found someone he cared for, and no matter what he wanted to do, he would do his duty to protect the Kodiaks and anchorage. It all seemed too real as he spoke to Romulus, but he was a man of many means, so it made sense what Romulus said.

“I’m not judging you kid. I know how it can be; really, I’m just happy you’re willing to put aside whatever to come to us when it’s needed. And I’m guessing it’s needed, right?” Romulus asked.

Why else would Isaiah be here? He knew that the man was too busy just to chat, but it was difficult to tell exactly how he would react to the news that Sylvie Warren was busy plotting and planning her own revenge on the Kodiak’s.

“That’s right,” Isaiah said. Romulus turned his head back towards the skyline. The sun was out and the day turned out to be rather beautiful here. The birds were chirping, wolves were howling and other forest creatures conducted their own various sounds. It was a choir of beauty to a man like Romulus. A man that enjoyed nature’s relaxations, as well as its bountiful powers.

“What can I help you with then?” Romulus asked. The whole world seemed to stop for a moment, the howling ceased, the birds stopped chirping and the cacophony of wildlife that expelled from the treeline came to a halt as Romulus spoke. As if knowing that everything had to be silent during this discussion. Not that any of it was true, of course. Isaiah only thought it all came to a silent screeching halt, while he contemplated the way he would tell Romulus about what was coming, what was happening and ask how they could bring an end to this issue.

“Sylvie Warren,” Isaiah said, and immediately Romulus knew that nothing good would come of this conversation. Sylvie Warren was not someone that he underestimated, not when her family was killed. She had nothing more to lose and only revenge to gain, so there was nothing that stopped her from taking what she wanted but death. His attention was peaked, turning to face Isaiah again with a look of intrigue.

“What about Sylvie?” Romulus asked.

“She’s back. And she’s created a serum. I’ve got a girl staying with me, one I’ve grown rather fond of, she’s going to set herself up as bait tonight and she’s going to be taken by one of Sylvie’s minions, or at least, we think it’s one of her minions. There’s a serum, one that can enhance a wolf, have it regenerate infinitely faster than any other. Gives them much more strength and power, and overall just sets us normal wolves as weaker. We’ve got something in the pipeline but…” Romulus silenced Isaiah with a wave of his finger through the air.

“What do you have in the pipeline?” He asked. There was no time for secrets. Not now, with a threat as big as Isaiah claimed to be, there needed to be action taken as soon as possible. Romulus knew why he came to the Sentinel pack, and that was because they were set as the guardians of Alaska and protectors of Kodiak Island. Romulus would be able to carry the message across to Cyprus on the island and warn any and all about the impending threat.

“We don’t know if the one we’re going after is definitely one of Sylvie’s pawns, but we’re going to catch one tonight. I’m going to get my brothers involved and contact my father regarding all of this after our meeting. Once we have him, we’re going to get any and all information we can regarding this situation.” Isaiah turned away from Romulus, the alpha’s stare growing intimidating. Unintentionally, of course, and even though Isaiah was not fully part of his pack, he knew where his respect lay with regards to the alpha. That was after all what Romulus was, a protector of the rights to the common people. One that took a vow when coming into his role of power, that he would always ensure the safety and protection of those in his territories.

“Whether or not it is one of Sylvie’s recruits or not, you should be safe. You’re trudging in dangerous waters there, especially if this wolf is as powerful as you say. Loss comes easy, heartache does not go in the same way,” Romulus gave his advice, knowing the cruel sting that came with losing ones you loved. Romulus himself lost his family to a lone wolf years before, when he was still a young, happy man. Those days were gone, of course, and life had hardened him like a nail, but he would never forget his youth, his life and his love. The sting of heartache forever lingering in him, a bitterness that would burden him until his death.

But one that molded him in its own. Without it, he would have never come to such great power, suffered the loss and faced the exile, been abandoned and left for dead, crawling back from nothing to have great power thrust on him.

“I must ask though,” Romulus said, watching Isaiah put the cigar out in the same makeshift ashtray beside him, “What would you need from me?”

“I want you to warn the others. They need to prepare and keep an eye out for anything that is out of the ordinary. The girl, the one I mentioned, she lost her father to this wolf and he’s been toying with her ever since. She killed his soul mate, and now he’s coming after her. I won’t let anything happen to her, not under my watch.” Isaiah said. Isaiah wanted the best for his kind, one that he’d grown fond of, his family and all the rest. He didn’t know why Sylvie was attacking smaller wolves, though he assumed he could figure out the cause of it. She wanted to intimidate and instill fear, bring them onto her side by force, rather than showing them sympathy, but that couldn’t have really been the case, could it?

It was all too much for Isaiah. This web that was being constructed around him. It was only a few days before that none of this even had any place in his mind. He just got back home from doing what he loved most, and now he was talking to the alpha protector of the territories. Now? He possibly had love, a soul mate and an adventure on his hands, but at what cost? He was risking her life, just to save the rest of the wolves. There was a part of him that wanted to go forward without fear, but something inside him was resistant. It held him back, keeping him pinned to the thought that this was a bad idea. That something was bound to go wrong.

“And so it comes full circle. The Lone Wolf returns to the pack, needing guidance and offering help. I did it myself, and it’s good to see that other’s show the same initiative. We’ll get through this just fine. Just don’t overthink it. If you move according to plan, you’ll get it all done accordingly.” Romulus gave a last hint of advice. Romulus gave a smile, raising from his seat and removing the jacket once more. He was going to continue chopping wood, and Isaiah knew that was his cue to leave.

Isaiah began trudging through the snow, back in the direction where he came from when he heard the voice call out, “Wait before you go.” It was gruff, grizzled, and sounded like he smoked more cigars in a day than most would smoke in a lifetime, “What’s your name, kid?” He asked. An entire conversation passed, with plots and plans sprinkled across it all, and no hint of a name came.

“Isaiah,” he replied, a smile growing at the left corner of his lips before he turned back to face the pathway. It was an interesting meeting, to say the least. It seemed that the alpha Romulus was an interesting man and had many stories that he wanted to tell and share, but just didn’t have the time. He’d heard them all before, just not from the man himself. He was a legend in the community, after all, travelling great distances and spanning lifetime’s worth of events into his own single life.

But Romulus was a story and thought for another day, Isaiah knew. It was time to get in contact with his father, give him the breakdown of what went on here, as well as his brothers to set the plans for the night to come. There a lot to plan and get ready, or everything could collapse in on itself. They had their plan now, it was merely execution, and so long as they kept to it, everything would work out.

This was the advice that Romulus had given, and it was the advice that he needed to push through and risk the only woman he’d ever truly cared for – apart from those in his family – so he needed the reassurance. It was bringing it all together now, that worried him. He walked down the length of the pathway until he connected again with the wolves below that formed Romulus’ pack. He turned his head up, knowing that this was the same section they watched as they sat at the cabin; with Romulus only staring back, the hatchet in his hand as he did. He rose two fingers high in the air and saluted Isaiah, and the same was returned.

Isaiah moved out of the camp and returned to his SUV, once inside began phoning his father to tell him of Sylvie Warren and her return, and then his brothers. Telling them all of his plan to catch the wolf.