Ch 2

Xion's pov

I had been flipping through this months border reports when I got a strange feeling in my gut. Axel became restless and began pacing around my mind as well.

Something is wrong. Axel said pacing back and forth, hairs raised. I did my best to ignore him but after just a few minutes it had become impossible.

Alpha Xion, we need your help to the southeast. Rogue troubles. Gavin, one of our betas, said through the mindlink.

Really, Gav? One rogue is causing you this much grief? I'm coming. I teased through the mindlink. One little female rogue wasn't even a warm up for my brothers and I. I decided to go in human form and jumped from the office window. I hit the ground and immediately ran to the southeast. I caught the scent of Gavin and the other pack warriors mixed with something strange. The scent wasn't feral and rotten like most rogues. Instead it smelled faintly of wild berries and vanilla, with a hint of something wild, untamed. This wasn't a normal rogue. As I pushed deeper into the forest I heard the sound of footsteps nearing the pack and gave a bit more of a push. I noticed Gavin and a few of the warriors keeping pace with a large silver white wolf. Axel pushed for me to move faster and so I gave one last push and dropped my left shoulder just as I slammed into the wolf's massive body, sending her flying into a nearby tree.

The she-wolf wasted no time in standing and bracing for a fight. Her eyes landed on me and Axel surged forward, almost taking over.

"Shift." I commanded trying to hold myself together. She shuddered at first and for a moment I thought she was listening. Then she lowered herself defensively and growled at me, hackles raised and tail sweeping low in defiance. The sight of disobedience irked me. What bothered me more was that a simple rogue was able to disobey me.

"Don't make this harder. I have things to do. Shift back. NOW!" I demanded voice dripping in power that didn't leave any room for refusal. Still for a fraction of a second she refused before the power overwhelmed her wolf and she shifted back. The younger woman before me couldn't have been more than 20. I saw the striking blue of her wolfs eyes dim slightly but they never changed. Her face was quickly covered in panic and her instincts kicked in. She lunged, claws aimed at my throat but she was much too slow. Days as a wolf and without proper rest made her weaker otherwise she might have had a shot. I quickly sidestepped her strike and grabbed her by the throat. The moment my hand touched her skin it felt as though she had burned me and she collapsed into me. From the dirt, leaves, and blood covering her body, if day she's been running for days.

I cradled her into my arms and carried her to the pack house basement. One of the guards talked behind me and opened the cell door when I stopped. I placed her gently on the foam mat that lay on the floor. The weight and warmth felt as though it had seared into my skin. I removed my shirt and laid it over her small frame before walking out. The door slammed shut, lock clicking into place just as Gavin approached me.

"Why did you bring a rogue here?" His copper hair glinting in the dim light.

"Because oh wise beta of mine, I don't think she's a rogue. I have a few theories I need you to look into. Start by asking any packs if they're missing someone. Then ask if any strange wolves have wandered through. Also, since you couldn't tell, that woman just shifted for the first time in her life." I explained, slightly annoyed by being questioned. The cell i had placed her in was a padded 10X10 cell meant for our young wolves.

"Xane, Xenon, how much longer? We have a situation." I told my brothers through the mindlink.

"A day and a half tops. What's up?" Xane answered immediately. Xenon took a few seconds.

"Probably 2 days out. Can't you handle it?" Xenon replied.

"If I'm right, like I usually am, then no. This requires all 3 of us." I could feel my brother's confusion through the bond. However, the moment they brushed my mind both off them recoiled into their own minds. I could feel them both curious by the sensation of the woman's touch that still burned on my skin. I cracked my knuckles before going to our office and pouring a glass of whiskey. I downed the whole thing in one gulp expecting to feel some kind of burn. However, if anything the whiskey felt as though it cooled my body some. I sat back down and continued the work I had been doing earlier.

Hours later I was awakened by a strange panicked sensation. Then I heard movement throughout the pack house. Movement even stirred in the pack below. This wasn't normal. I looked out the window to see the sky glowing with light of the gods. I stood there mesmerized for awhile as the pack below me slowly stirred in the panic that still lingered thick in the air. A knock pulled me from my thoughts as mother came into the room without invitation.

"Xion, you've brought an empath into our pack." It was a statement not a question. She took a seat circling across from my desk, back straight and head held high.

"How do you know mother?" I asked taking my seat across from her. She tilted her head as if to ask if I was serious.

"For one, the entire pack can feel her anxiety. For two, there's just a connection that empaths share. You get used to it after awhile. Why is she scared? I wish to meet her. " She demanded.

"Absolutely not. I don't know anything about this woman. She could be dangerous." I stated immediately.

"Child, either you can go with me or I go alone. Are you afraid you can't protect me?" She asked with a smirk and stood to leave. I drained the last of my cup and slammed it down, following my mother to the dungeon where the rogue was screaming.