Sitting in the family room of Wade’s pack house happens quite often with my Mates and me. But doing so with a young, soon to newly changed wolf who isn’t Pack that just endured his only blood relative abandoning him? That is a new one. None of us know how to start, what we should say or do. Apprehension courses through all of us, everyone’s mind ticking over the possible scenarios as we all watch Patrick watch a movie. I snuggle into Wade’s side, my eyes drifting over to Mac, Dyl, and Zane all spread out over the lounge on the other side of Patrick.

“So, who is taking this one?” I pose the question down our bonds, not sure about the normal procedure for things like this in their Packs. Hell, does a procedure for this type of situation even exists?

“Ava, Patrick knows you, the two of you share a bond of sorts. News like this shouldn’t come from a stranger, has a bond with you,” Wade advises, his hand brushing over the back of my neck in comfort. I know he is right, but how do I begin to go about explaining this life to a child?

“Just be straight with him, angel,” Zane answers my unspoken question, our bond pulsing with support. Okay, deep breath. I can do this.

“Patrick? Can we talk for a minute? Um, you know how you said a wolf attacked your family and bit you?” I begin, nerves and apprehension causing me to stammer.

“Yeah,” he turns his head to inspect me with curiosity in his gaze when only silence meets his reply. Patrick, please don’t hate me after this.

“Well, um, it was a special type of wolf. See, two types of wolves exist: Normal wolves, the common, everyday wolves that come to min with the word, and there’s…not so normal wolves. When someone gets bitten by these not normal wolves, they inherit these…uh, gifts. You get…certain abilities, like me and these guys here,” Fuck, none of this is coming out right!

“So, I could be like a superhero?” He wonders, his forehead crinkling in confusion.

“Umm, no. Not exactly. Okay, I’m just going to come out and say it. Patrick, I’m sorry if this makes no sense to you, but you’ll grow to understand more over the next week. You were bitten by a wolf shifter. We’re all wolf shifters, which means we can turn from human into a wolf. We can sense it within you, sense the coming transition. In about four days, the full moon rises, and it’s probable you will change into your wolf form during that time,” The information pours out of me like word vomit, I just want to get this over and done with.

“I’m going to WHAT?!” Patrick’s yell makes us wince as it echoes through the room. His body trembles, and his breathing becomes laboured as panic sets in. When his eyes start to water, I grow even more flustered. God, please no- anything but a crying child! I can’t handle it.

“It’s ok. It’s all going to be ok, Patrick. We’re the Alphas, and we know what you survived and still have to endure. It’s a lot to handle, but you’re not alone and it’s going to be ok,” I try to keep the calm and comfort him, but the fear in his eyes refuses to abate.

“Miss Ava, have you gone crazy? I’m not going to turn into a wolf!” Tears begin to roll down his cheeks in earnest, and his gaze swings towards the front door. Fuck, I’m going to need to shift to prove it to him.

I stand up from the couch and move into a crouch, pulling my wolf to the forefront and asking her to help me guide this child into our crazy world. Letting my wolf wash over me, I feel my bones pop and my limbs change as I complete the transformation with ease.

My wolf lets me retain control, knowing that Patrick needs me and not her right not. She knows this is about helping the pup, soothing him and meeting his needs. We amble toward the child, making sure to remain relaxed and unhurried to give him the opportunity to move away if he wants. Our Mates wait and watch, keeping calm and allowing this to play out. The new pup falls to the floor, his head dipping down in submission, probably unaware why he feels he needs to react in such a manner. We rub my snout into his hair, and over his face, knocking on his chin until he lifts his head to look into our eyes. The pup stares for a few moments before he starts leaking again, his scrawny arms locking around our neck and squeezing hard.

“Patrick, you should let go of Ava now so that she can switch back,” one of our Mates offers the soft suggestion, running our hand down our back. The little hands release our neck, and we walk out of the room. The shift rushes over me, and seconds later I’m back in my human body while Mac hands me my clothes. He relaxes into the door frame, blocking my naked body from the eyes of a child.

“What she told you is true, as you can see. Rest assured, there is nothing wrong with you, Patrick. It’s just a different way of life,” Dylan explains as I turn the corner, re-joining them in the living room, his hand rubbing circles over the still sobbing young boy.

“Everything is going to be okay, Patrick. We’re here to help you through this. We won’t let anything happen to you, but you also need to understand that certain rules come with this way of life,” I caution gently, as I crouch down in front of him.

“What rules?” He sniffles, wiping his tears away with the palm of his hand.

“Well, you can’t tell anyone anything concerning your new abilities, or any other wolves. The only people allowed to know about us are other wolves. That is the most important rule. It doesn’t matter how much you trust someone, you cannot tell them. Do you understand?” I stress.

“What happens if I forget and tell?” Patrick asks timidly.

“Some people in this world would kill an outsider if they gained that knowledge. We try not to ever take that path, but by telling people, you put them and yourself in danger and risk severe punishment,” I’m blunt in my response, but he needs to understand. So much to dump on an eleven-year old’s shoulders, though.

“Okay. I’m going to turn into a wolf, you’re sure?” He confirms one more time, and the tears start to build in his eyes once again.

“I’m sure, buddy. I’m so sorry you got dragged into this, but I’m not sorry it was us who found you.”

“Am I going to live with you?” His insecurity and fear bleed through and saturate his words.

“You’re going to stay on the same lands as us, but you’ll live with a lovely family that has a little boy about your age,” Wade replies before I even get the chance to think of a response.

“So, I won’t be with Ava?” Patrick’s worried eyes dart between Wade and me, and his hands grab onto my own and clenches hard.

We didn’t want to leave you by yourself, so we decided you could stay with this family in the meantime. Some problems exist for the wolves right now that need our attention, so Ava won’t be at home a lot. They have the room and can watch over you and keep you company all the time. Ava and the rest of us will come see you every single day though, and we will show you how to be a wolf. Ok? It’s only temporary, we promise.” Wade’s deep voice soothes the sweet child’s worries.

“Okay, I understand. But…can I stay with you guys just for tonight?” Patrick whispers.

“Of course, you can Pat. We’ll all stay here for the night. We can watch movies all night and sleep out here,” Dylan replies, his hand coming across to pat the young boy on the back.

“Can someone stay as a wolf? So that I know I’m not going crazy?” Patrick requests in an even softer voice. His little hands and legs begin to tremble the longer his question remains unanswered.

“Zane and I will shift into wolves as soon as we’ve all eaten something, ok?” Mac consents as Zane bows his head in agreement.

“What a good idea, dinner! Patrick what kind of pizza do you eat?” Wade calls out as he disappears into the kitchen. Everyone else settles into the couch, watching a young boy put himself back together.

I’m stunned stupid. The last time we sat in this room, literally no more than a day ago, these Alphas requested permission to move their entire packs onto our land for assistance and protection. Now, every single one of them sit here in near silence, no-one willing to speak first.

"You've seen and heard the entirety of our intel. We held nothing back, sharing everything with you. We let you onto our lands, making ourselves vulnerable in the process, and only now do you all decide to withhold information?” Dylan questions, his face a perfect mask of calm except for a single raised brow. My fingers, on the other hand, feels like a hydraulic press is crushing them.

"You're right. I apologise on behalf of myself and my Pack. It is just very hard to trust anyone outside of our Pack," The female Alpha of the Blood Rose Pack replies after a lengthy pause, with a slight bow of her shaved head in our direction, a gesture Dylan, Wade and I all return. "I’m Petra, and my Pack resides near Lincoln, Nebraska,” she starts. Fatigue laces her voice as she runs her hands over her head. “To say my Pack endured hardship the last few months would be a vast understatement. I’ve lost thirteen wolves to the rogues, and another four missing, all snatched from their own properties. I tried speaking to the Council, but I got stonewalled before I even got in the door. We’re almost out of money, we’ve been paying repeatedly for reinforcement of our wards, as well as expenses for my Pack to quit their jobs and move onto the property so they don’t live in fear of being attacked in their beds. We’re out of all fucking options at this stage,” her voice cracks as her eyes begin to shift back and forth between wolf and human, her control slipping.

“Apparently, we seem to suffer a common pest, Petra,” the Alpha of Arctic Lupus replies, his shoulder length brown hair swinging around his shoulders as he looks between his Mate and Petra. I think his name is Arthur and his Mate’s Mary, but seriously, there are like twenty something Alpha’s in this room, that’s a lot of freaking names to remember!

“We’ve experienced a huge increase in rogues in last few months across Washington, not just near our Pack. But our real trouble has been the lone wolves. The fuckers just keep biting more and more people, missing persons skyrocketing in the area. At first, we thought the rogues were solely responsible, until we found a fucking half turned teenage boy; a fucking wolf mauled him so bad he couldn’t transition. They are destroying our way of life!” Arthur yells as his claws appear, his anger triggering a partial shift. His Mate traces her fingers over his neck till he calms down enough to thread his now human fingers through her curly brunette hair and tug her forward for a brief kiss.

I trail my gaze across the other thirteen packs in the room, all the Alpha’s and their Mates are no longer stoic. They vibrate with tension with faces screwed up in anger, the concern and fear almost exploding from them. My mates are no different, the four of them so wrapped up in thinking about what this means, they’ve ignored the bigger implication. There must be some form of a pattern.

“Guys look around. Each of them feel the same thing, each of them faced a similar problem,” I speak into my Mates’ minds, needing them to focus on the bigger picture.

“She’s right. Get them to talk about the missing and murdered wolves. We need to know when the attacks hit, how hard they were hit, and if they’ve got any leads. We need to find the pattern,” Marco suggests.

“We understand from your reactions right now, that you have all experienced something like this on some scale. As painful as it is, we need to find the pattern. We need to figure out what the fuck is going on, and why they only attack at certain times. We will grab some paper for you to write it all down, but dates, numbers and the method of attack are all vital. Once everyone finishes we can reconvene to try to discover the pattern. This sounds too fucking choregraphed for just random attacks,” Wade growls, his own frustration soaking through our bonds. I look up to see Zane slip back into the room. When the hell did he even leave? He hands paper to everyone with some pens and comes to stand behind my chair. My Mates and I watch the Alphas reduce the deaths of their Pack members, their family to simple dates and numbers, stats on a piece of paper. I may not be an omega, but I can fucking feel the emotions seeping out of these Alphas. It’s an overwhelming tidal wave of sensations, the sadness, the grief, love, anger, and vengeance. All of it swirls around us, thick enough you could just about reach out to grasp it in your hands.

“How many?” Wade asks, the room solemn as we watch Marco examine the numbers, his scribbles erratic on the paper in front of him.

“So far? We’re looking at least fifty missing wolves and around seventy dead. They’ve orchestrated this with care, methodical as they pick us off...” Mac’s horrified voice trails off as his eyes become focused once again on the pages of information. At his statement on calculations, the other Alpha’s break their silence, concern and anger raising their voices with shouts of disbelief and calls to action. A tingle from my Mate bonds ripple through me, but I receive no message. However, Zane pushes himself off the wall to come look over the papers in Marco’s hands.

“What’s going on?” I pose the question to all my Mates, wanting to know why Mac only shared with Zane.

“There’s something I needed Zane to confirm before I said anything. It looks as if some of these attacks are happening on, or very close to, big fights in the underground. Each fight runs like a circuit, moving around the country, but they are all run by the same people,” Marco fills us in, his tired eyes holding my gaze.

“Holy fuck…”

“Why would you need to check that?” Dylan asks Zane, giving voice to the confusion he, Wade and I all feel.

“He said he was a bouncer of sorts for some of these fights. I’ve heard about how hard it is to find shifters strong enough to do the job well, so I assumed they asked him to do it in a couple of places and on multiple occasions,” Marco clarifies, his eyes flicking over to Zane’s blank face.

“They asked a few times, and these attacks happened in very close to where I know fights were held. I think you’re right, Marco. I think they’re using those fights as their base,” Zane states, his tone suggesting that explains everything.

“Bub, that tells me nothing. I need you to spell it out for me.”

“It means that they pull people in for the fights and using them as a cover for bringing the lones in. Once the lones arrive in the territory, the people running this can organise the hits. As for the rogues, it wouldn’t be too hard for them to get the rogues into town when half the shifter population is preoccupied by the fights,” Zane simplifies.

“Those motherfuckers…” I whisper, unable to keep my anger contained to our private conversation.

“Who?” Wade’s brother Josh, Alpha of the Imperial Forest Pack asks. I look over my shoulder at him, and see we garnered the attention of all the now silent Alphas. Turning back, I gesture in Zane’s direction, prompting him to lay out what he believes is happening. Once Zane finishes, a wave of unbridled anger hits everyone, each Alpha’s unrestrained emotions clear on their faces as they realise the full depth of the betrayal of our kind.

“We aren’t the only shifters in those fights though. Hundreds of different shifter breeds across the country participate, so why is it just the wolves impacted? Why not attack the others too?” Tyson, the surfer looking Alpha of the Moonstone Pack wonders aloud.

“Because it’s not the other shifters organising it. This stems from the wolves. But I don’t know why, nor do I know why they hire rogues,” Leo replies, his uncertainty lacing his quiet words.

“Because we would attack the vamps, as our initial response, not the wolves,” Dylan states, knowing that if it weren’t for Darius, we would have probably done exactly that.

“So, just to clarify, an active effort exists with the purpose of pitting us against the vampires? And using the lones to expose us?” I ask the room, trying to sort out all the subterfuge in my head.

“Sounds like it. What I don’t understand is why the fuck the Council just sits idle, not doing anything?” Wade responds with a growl. His shirt rides up, displaying his delectable abs as he runs his hands through his thick, blond hair in frustration. Down girl, don’t you dare lick your lips. Save it for later.

“Well, they claimed they are ‘investigating it’ and ‘are fixing it’ so as far as we know, they are dealing with it. But maybe they focused on the root of the problem,” Natalie, Tyson’s pretty, blonde mate ventures as she circles her manicured fingers around Tyson’s bicep.

“Perhaps. I just don’t understand why they don’t want us to investigate,” I reply, just as confused.

“At this point, the why behind their orders don’t matter. Let’s just deal with our main problem at the moment, the lones and the rogues. I don’t enjoy indiscriminate killing. I suggest we focus our patrols in the cities that surround us and the perimeter of Pack land. If we come across lones causing trouble, we offer them a chance to join the Pack. If they refuse, then all bets are off. As for the rogues, I’ll contact Darius and see if he agrees to the same kind of deal. We take no prisoners, they either join us, or they fucking die. I will not put my Pack or the people in these towns at risk because we were pussy footing around it,” Dylan offers without remorse, standing tall, his imposing frame seeming to fill the space at the front of the room. As much as I don’t want to think about killing anyone, I know there would be no choice or hesitation if it came down to my family’s safety.

“If the Council makes an issue about our Packs coming together, we simply inform them that we felt unsafe due to recent events and their lack of obvious action. As for the lones, the rogues and who the fuck ever pulls their strings, we continue to dig and investigate. I don’t care if this Council chooses to take my life, but I will not stop until I discover who has caused us this pain and why,” Leo growls out, Sarah’s hand coming up to intertwine with his in a show of beautiful solidarity.

Chills break out across my skin as one by one, each Alpha and their Mates bow their heads in agreement. Looking around at the fierce determination of the wolves in this room, it feels like a triumph already. We intended to take matters into our own hands, and every single wolf here stood with us, ready to fight if necessary.