Beast of Burden

Oliver

I hadn’t even been thinking twice before answering phone calls today. Already, I had sent out my best three scouts to check out the area surrounding the girl’s former home. I had an analyst digging up what he could about the hunter family she was enmeshed with, and had calls out to packs anywhere within 500 miles asking about hunter activity. 

So far, the consensus had been that hunters had been quiet recently, almost worryingly so. There were only a few primary factions of hunters throughout the country. They tended to work together, forming their own pack of sorts. It was usually a side gig for them while they maintained otherwise normal lives as well. Years ago, they tried to make noise about the things that went bump in the night humans should be scared of, but they were quickly written off as mentally unhinged. That served us well, resulting in a large number of our threats being locked away and dubbed insane. In a roundabout way, it also secured the idea that we were just the plot of the next worst fantasy novel and nothing more. 

If it weren’t for a select few of our kind, I had to think there wouldn’t even be hunters. We were a peaceful people who looked out for the good of all, not just our kind. We had the means and the structure to deal with our own rotten apples, too. 

The girl was important, but the pack was the priority. I had to do everything I could to keep a threat from coming to our door, even if this girl did. Once she showed up, she would be pack. Adair wouldn’t allow anything else. She’d be part of the pack I needed to protect. 

She’d be part of the pack I needed to protect from her.

The phone ringing was becoming a grating sound, so I begrudgingly picked it up just to get the noise to stop. 

“What?” I snapped. Phone calls were getting exhausting. 

“Ollie, I need help.” His voice was frantic.That wasn’t the norm - even when he was in trouble. He also never straight out asked for help. “She’s gone! She’s just gone! We were only about 3 hours away, but she’s gone.”

“What do you mean, she’s gone?” I demanded. “I told you not to take eyes off of her!” 

“We stopped for gas in Pierre, she went in to go to the bathroom, and she must have run. I’m sorry man, I just -”

“Follow her,” I said. “She won’t shift, and if she does, you’ll probably have an easier time dealing with her wolf.”

“Yeah, okay,” he stammered. 

“I’m on my way.” 

Adair wanted to run, but a car would be faster. They were only three hours away, and it was a bit before 11. He could get out to play his part once we got there. If things went smoothly, we could be back here tonight. I wasn’t worried about finding her. Just about finding her first. 

I strode out to the driveway and got into my Land Cruiser. I sat and thought for a moment before pulling out. Chasing after a weak rogue with no pack connections hundreds of miles away wasn’t something an Alpha should be doing. It was something a warrior or scout could easily take on, especially with Trevor already there. Truthfully, the only reason Trevor needed help at all was because it seemed his emotional connection to this girl was clouding his judgment and function. Hell, even one of the newly shifted pups that had a year or so of just basic training under their belt could probably manage it just fine. Adair didn’t care, though, and pushed us on. 

It bothered me a bit how fiercely protective Adair was of this girl. But then again, the protective instinct was one that came naturally for an Alpha. 

I prodded through the pack members, checking to see if Rose was still in range. She had been excited to get such a big assignment and had taken off to pack and head out almost immediately. I had told her I wanted her back in a week. That should be plenty of time to make sure my brother had left no trace of the mess, see how things got managed, and monitor whether or not other hunters showed up to snoop around. 

Just faintly, I felt her still close enough to the pack. 'Rose,' I reached out. Mind link was a magical thing, and something I constantly wondered how humans lived without. Probably why cell phones and texting became such a necessity for everyday life, whereas for us, they were just a hindrance and an extra thing to carry around. 

'Yes, Alpha?' 

Being referred to as Alpha was something I swore I would never get used to. I much preferred being ‘Oliver,’ and most pack members I interacted with regularly used that instead.

'I’m going to need you to stop over in Pierre for a while before heading on. We might need another set of hands. You can send the others ahead of you.'

'Yes, Alpha.' 

The lack of questions, however, was something I was very happy with. Even if we didn’t need her to help bring the girl back, another woman around would probably be more reassuring than just being ambushed by a group of men. 

I picked up my phone as I pulled out of the long driveway, our little town passing by as I dialed. It was a Monday, so things were quiet. People here still worked, pups were at school, the career warriors were training. 

Trevor didn’t pick up. Reception in this state was always miserable. Another reason to be thankful for mind linking. I tried reaching out to Rose, but she was just far enough away, I couldn’t get through to her, either. I just had to hope they would have the girl secured by the time I got there, or I’d get a phone call on the way saying I could turn back. 

“Damn,” I mumbled under my breath. Thank goodness for 80 mile per hour speed limits, at the very least. I’d speed, anyway. It was as good a time as any to see just how few miles per gallon this old thing could get.