Chapter 5

The four of them had been travelling across England for threee weeks now, spending a few days with each pack on the list. Each pack had hosted a large party to celebrate the visit from French royalty. George had asked each Alpha about the people in the pack, and if anyone was missing from the parties. Fi and Nate had been circulating the parties and the pack lands looking for scents that were people we hadn’t come into contact with.

They had found nothing yet, and the list was getting ever shorter. Nate’s patience was wearing thin, only made worse by the message that George had received yesterday from Florence.

“She doesn’t have much longer, if I’m right she might not last the month. But I might be wrong, gods I hope I’m wrong.” She had sobbed down the phone line when she’d finally managed to get hold of us. Nate’s heart was twisting up, he had been feeling sick about it all since they’d landed in England three weeks ago, but this new message had him wanting to punch something, hard.

At the next pack he would ask if he could use their training equipment just to blow off some steam. He checks the satnav and then calls out to the car in general,

“Guys, ten minutes out.” He glances in the rear-view mirror to see Sammy and Fi curled up together on the back seat asleep. “George, could you wake the sleeping beauties in the back, they’ll want to be ready.” He smiles to himself, one of the perks of driving, he didn’t have to wake the girls. George gently wakes Fi by rubbing her arm, she hums,

“Ten minutes out, I’ll let you wake Sammy.” Fi turns to look at her mate. Sammy was five-eleven and made of muscle; she didn’t have much in the way of curves. Her straight black hair, currently cut in a bob, had fallen in front of her face, brushing against her round nose, causing her to twitch it occasionally as she’d slept. Her thin lips are slightly parted as she snores gently. Fi smirks at George,

“Thanks. If I have another black eye after this, you’re gonna owe me mister.” Fi sighs, then smirks, “Actually… Turn around, I have an idea.” Nate carefully looks at the road, and only the road. George turns to look astutely out of his window and is nowhere near the girls in the back of the car. Sammy hums,

“Hmm?” Then the sounds of quiet kissing drift through the car, Nate coughs gently,

“Eight minutes now guys, and you’re not alone in here girls.” He’s still carefully not looking in the mirror. Sammy groans gently,

“Fine, we’ll be ready. Party-pooper.” They all laugh, and settle back into the rhythm they had found when they would first enter each new pack’s lands. George climbs across into the passenger seat beside Nate, ready to greet the border guards when they cross over into the pack’s lands. Fi leans forward a little to talk to George and Nate,

“Which pack is this now?” Nate sighs,

“Twisted Rivers, we’re down to the last three packs that might fit Florence’s description. I’m getting worried we won’t get to her in time.” George mutters,

“Yeah, me too.” This whole process had aged him. Nate had noticed his friend becoming more withdrawn, slower to laugh, and seemed to not be sleeping much, if at all. They were all struggling with this, Fi and Sammy were spending more time with each other, and would rarely be seen not touching if they were in the same room, taking what comfort they could from each other.

Nate missed his mate and children, but they spoke every night and he took a lot of comfort from knowing they were safe at home. Not that the four of them were in any real danger per se, but still. They continued in silence until Nate sees the guards on the road ahead of them. He slows the car, stops a few feet back from them, and turns off the engine.

George steps out of the car and approaches the guards to show them the invitation from the Alpha of this pack, Alpha Ewan. Their research had shown him to be a good man, having taken over the pack years back now. The guards nod to George and point down the road ahead of them,