Chapter 5

Kate POV

            As I step onto the Golden Moon Pack territory, I take a deep breath of fresh air.  I love the Silver Crescent Pack, but the Golden Moon Pack will always be my home.  That sense of coming home, feeling like there is someplace you belong always captivates me when I step on the territory soil.

            Nodding to the border patrol as I cross the border, I drive on through our community.  I see children stop to wave, some of their parents stopping to bare their neck as a sign of respect.  No matter how many times I left, I still had the respect of my Pack whenever I returned and for that I was eternally grateful.

            I wished Colby could have come with me.  I knew it was too much to expect both of us could just up and leave every time we wanted to.  We had Amelie to consider.  She was a gorgeous little girl, I loved her beyond words, and she was growing into this amazing, strong-willed little person.  Colby and I encouraged her to be strong and speak her feelings.  We wanted her to retain her childhood dreams for as long as possible and to be the person she is meant to be.  Not the person the world expects her to be.  I miss them both so much and it has only been a couple hours. 

            As I arrive at the Pack house and park my SUV, I grab my bag and head into the Pack house.  I asked one of our Omega’s to put my bag in my room for me.  Thanking them, I smile and say hello to others I meet on my way to the Pack offices.  Tapping on Alpha Reid’s door, I wait for him to say come in.  When he sees it’s me, he jumps up and heads over giving me a quick hug. 

            “How is baby Alice doing?” I ask Alpha Reid.  The smile he sports when he talks about his baby girl is priceless.  “She is growing like a weed, Alpha,” he says to me.  “She’s going to be a strong Alpha, like her father,” I say teasing him.  “I can only hope,” Reid says as he sits in his chair.  I take a seat across from him.  Wanting to catch up, Reid jumps in before I can ask anything. 

            “We had another rogue attack last night, Kate,” he says.  “What?!?  Was anyone hurt?” I ask.  This is the fourth rogue attack in less than two weeks.  “No, we had no casualties.  We killed three of them, we tried to keep the fourth alive, but he succumbed to his injuries early this morning,” he says regretfully.

            Nodding my head, he adds, “And we heard from the Red Moon Pack this morning.  They have also been experiencing rogue attacks over the past couple weeks.”.  That is suspicious.  I could see rogues sniffing around one Pack to see if there are borders that can be attacked and crossed.  But to have two sets of rogues attacking two Packs is unusual.  And would indicate an organized number of rogues to have that many to battle with Packs roughly an hour or so away from one another.

            Pondering this information, I asked Reid if there was anything else around the rogue situation that he found peculiar.  “There is one thing that is odd.  These aren’t the strongest rogues we have encountered.  They are smaller, weaker, and not as experienced fighting.  It’s not been challenging to destroy them,” Reid states.

            Considering this statement, I sit there and consider the possibilities.  “So either this is simply a fact-finding mission, where someone is sending in rogues to determine our weaknesses.  Or there is something bigger at play,” I reflect out loud.  Nodding Reid agrees, “Each attack has been on one of our borders.  Each border was prepared, as always, and countered the attack easily,” he says.

            “Someone was observing the attacks, though, Reid.  They had to be otherwise the effort was for nothing,” I remind him.  Seeing the look on his face I could tell he had not considered that point.  “So, I take it we didn’t have any trackers out afterwards to try and scope out anyone else?” I ask.  “No Alpha, I missed that,” Reid says.  “Well, we have a plan for future attacks.  And I have no doubt there will be future attacks, Reid,” I share with him.

            Standing, “I am going to head over to my office and give Alpha Samuel a call to see whether they were able to learn anything after their rogue attacks.  Let me know if anything else comes to mind, Reid.  Otherwise as always, thank you for all you are doing here – I appreciate it!” I say before I turn to head to my office.  Before I open the door, Reid says, “It’s nice to have you back, Alpha,”; turning I smile, “It’s nice to be back,” I reply.

            As I move toward my office, I unlock the door and step in.  I always loved the design of this office.  The white accents with light beige wall color always set a fresh look.  I hadn’t decorated my office at Colby’s Pack yet.  I needed to get some things settled there so I felt more connected to my space.  That would be a priority for me, after the Pack tours which Colby has scheduled in the coming weeks. 

            Walking around my desk I start my computer up sitting back in my chair considering the rogue attacks.  Something, or rather someone, has prompted them to start.  The last rogue attack I had been captured for a week.  That still haunts me some days.  I had been kept in silver for a week, being injected with wolfsbane regularly while having to fight my way out of an arranged mating before I was rescued. 

            The rogue who led the charge that time had been connected to the twins.  Long story short, my father had had a relationship, if you can call it that, with their mother while being mated to the rogue – a warrior at that time.  They had been banished when the warrior had challenged my father after he learned my father had been with his mate.  The rogue had held a lot of anger toward my father, rightly so, and had waited years to exact his revenge. 

            He was not successful; however, he had wreaked a lot of havoc in our lives.  So that is how we came across the twins.  Thinking they had died when the rogue’s wife had died early after being banished, we learned they had in fact survived and had been given away.  It was a tragic story and one that I feel strongly I need to put to rest.  I need to know if Maddie is a stepsister of mine. 

            Louise’s DNA had come back as positive to being connected to both me and my father.  Maddie was identical to Louise.  Something was wrong.  Someone was either tampering with evidence or there had simply been a mistake.  Either way I won’t rest until I get to the bottom of it.

            Picking up the phone, I put a call into Alpha Samuel.  I know I am not his favourite person.  He is not happy with us challenging the DNA results.  We can’t do anything more until Maddie wakes up if she wakes up.  I had spoken with Drake briefly again yesterday.  There have been no significant changes to Maddie’s health or indication of her waking, but he feels that he is getting through to her.  For his sake I hope so.  He was devastated when he learned she was in a coma.  He has been on a rollercoaster ride since he met Louise and he deserves to be happy.

            As I wait for Alpha Samuel to pick up, I sigh as I get his voice mail.  Leaving a brief message, I hang up.  Not expecting him to call me back quickly, I am surprised to see my phone ringing.  When I realize it’s Colby, I pick up smiling, “Hi gorgeous,” I say to him.  I can hear the smile in his voice as he replies, “How is my sexy mate today?”.  “After last night, I’m missing you immensely,” I tease him. 

            We had an amazing night last night.  Dinner with Amelie and then just Colby and I for the rest of the night, after we had put Amelie to bed.  He truly was my other half.  “I can’t wait for you to come home,” he says.  I sigh, “Same here Colby, same here,” I reply.  I share with him our rogue situation and he agrees it is peculiar they would send in weaker rogues to try and breach a border. 

            After offering me some other facts to consider, I thank him, and we sign off.  Just as I hang up, my phone rings and I see it is Alpha Samuel.  “Hello Alpha Samuel, thank you for returning my call,” I reply as I answer.  “Alpha Kate, it was good to hear from you.  It seems we both have some rogues trying to gain access to our Packs,” he says.

            “Yes, have you been able to question any that attacked your Pack?” I ask.  “No, they all die before we can ask them anything,” he says.  “That’s peculiar.  It’s the same here.  We almost had one, but he succumbed to his injuries this morning,” I share with him.    We discussed the dates of the attacks and realize they alternate and never happen the same night for either Pack.  “That leads into my observation,” I start to say to Alpha Samuel.   “Someone is observing the fights,” Samuel states completing my sentence.

            “Exactly,” I reply smiling.  Great minds think alike.  “Did you happen to have any trackers out after the attacks?” I ask.  “No, we just realized it this morning,” he replies with frustration in his voice.  “Same at our end, we only realized it this morning.  The fact that they are attacking on different nights, is the indicator for me that we have someone coordinating and observing,” I state.

            “And why the weaker rogues?” he asks.  “To give us a false sense of security.  Maybe the next wave of rogues will be stronger ones?”  I ask.  “Maybe, but I guess the bigger question is what is common between both Packs that they could be interested in?” Samuel asks me in return.

            As I consider his question, one thing keeps popping up in my mind, “The twins,” I share with him.