Chapter 2: Intruder

Peter

Alpha Remington left me in charge of the Watch Tower while most of the warriors and all of the Alphas and Lunas make their way to Alpha Zahn’s old pack.

I may not be eighteen yet, but I’m the only one here who doesn’t belong to one of the other packs. Thankfully, being part of the Watch Tower Guard is considered a prestigious honor, so no one gives me a hard time about being in charge. If anything, it makes me want to work harder to be worthy of the honor of leading this group of fine warriors.

“Let’s make sure we keep eyes on Alpha Amelia during her entire drive. Koden is still out there and we know he’s after her. I have no intention of allowing an Alpha to get kidnapped on our watch,” I tell the warriors.

“One person can watch her, Peter. What about the rest of us?” a warrior asks.

“We need eyes on the packs. They’re all short on warriors now and all, or nearly all, of the ranked members will be at the weekend event, leaving them open to attack. I’d like two warriors watching the southern packs, two watching the eastern packs, and three watching the northern packs.”

“You want three in the north because of Koden’s fascination with Alpha Amelia?” a warrior asks me.

“Yes, that and Alpha Calvin is in her pack. Koden tried to kill him once. Let’s not let him finish what he started on our watch,” I say.

As they disperse to go take their positions, several warriors come up to me.

“You’re doing a great job Peter. Alpha Remington is lucky to have you.”

“If he decides he needs a Beta, you should apply. You have the right mindset and intuition to become a Beta.”

Their encouragement makes me feel proud. I hope Alpha Remington decides he wants or needs a Beta. I would definitely apply for that position. I like it here in the Watch Tower and I really like Alpha Remington. He’s a good leader and once Luna Jocelyn accepts him, I think they’ll make a powerful pair.

Because there are only eight of us here, I help watch the northern packs. We’ll have to trade off one at a time since we’re short-staffed and the packs are low on people, but no one seems to mind.

As I scan the area around the three northern packs, I listen to the conversations going on around me. It gets boring up here, just watching, so the warriors chat about their packs, their Alphas and Lunas, their mates, their pups, anything to pass the time. Right now, they’re laying bets on who wins the current pack that's up for competition. Beta Cameron is the obvious frontrunner, being that he has Alpha blood and his sister is Alpha Reese's mate and Luna.

I’m just about to turn and say that I agree when I see movement to the north of Alpha Amelia’s pack.

“Peter?”

These warriors are good. Really good. That’s why they’re here, so I’m not surprised that one of them recognized my body tensing.

“I saw movement north of Alpha Amelia’s pack.

The two warriors who were just talking come to stand beside me, looking in the direction that I’m looking.

“Give us some context,” Darius, one of the warriors watching with me, says.

“Northwest of the packhouse, about half a mile from the pack border,” I say, focusing on the area where I thought I saw movement.

We stand quietly, all three of us focusing on Alpha Amelia’s pack, and periodically checking for movement around Alpha Dutton’s and Alpha Lucas’ packs as well.

“Maybe it was nothing,” I say after about fifteen minutes of no movement.

“It’s better to be careful, Peter. We know there’s … son of a bitch,” Darius says.

“What do you see, Darius?” Calum, the other warrior asks.

“Northwest of the packhouse, now inside the pack border, heading to the packhouse,” Darius says.

We don’t want to raise the alarm if it’s nothing, or if it’s a pack member who just went for a run outside their pack lands. It happens, so you have to be careful and not raise the alarm when there’s no issue. If you do, eventually, no one will pay attention to the alarm going up.

“I still don’t see it,” Calum says.

“I don’t either, but that makes me even more nervous. If this were a pack member or bear or some other wild animal that crossed the pack borders, they wouldn’t be trying to hide from us,” I say.

“Agreed,” Darius growls.

It’s nearly thirty minutes later when Calum spots the next movement.

“There! Is that … is that someone carrying another unconscious person over their shoulder?”

Since we don’t have an Alpha or Luna Link right now, I call Beta Brutus from Alpha Lucas’ pack. He’s the ranked member in charge of the northern packs while the other Alphas and Lunas are away.

He’s just answered the phone when the howl of an intruder goes up in Alpha Amelia’s pack.

Her patrols just confirmed what we are seeing. Someone got onto their pack lands and kidnapped one of their pack members.

Calvin POV

I stare at the ceiling in the pack hospital, fighting myself to try and remember what my mate and that doctor say I’ve forgotten.

How could I not remember my own daughter? She’s beautiful. She looks just like her mother.

What was with Amelia’s aura? I know she’s an Alpha female, but I’ve never felt it that strong before. And why is Anthony running my pack? He’s barely more than a pup! Where is Jack and why isn’t he running my pack?

She said I’ve been unconscious for months and my memories are lost for the last year and a half. How is that even possible?

She and that doctor told me about an explosion, but I have no recollection of that. Where would an explosion like that have even occurred? Was it in my pack? Is that why Anthony is running my pack? Did Jack die in the explosion?

I growl. The more I think about it, the more I realize I want and need answers. I can’t believe Amelia left me just as I woke up! She should be here, beside me when I need her.

That girl, Charity, spent time with me tonight, but when I tried asking her questions, she said she hadn’t been part of Alpha Amelia’s pack for very long.

Alpha Amelia’s pack. She didn’t say it was my pack. She didn’t call her Luna Amelia. I know we’re not in my pack, we’re in Amelia’s family’s pack. Is that why or did I imagine that I marked Amelia?

No, that can’t be true. I met my daughter and Amelia is wearing my mark. So, why is this girl calling my mate her Alpha rather than her Luna?

I’m just about to snarl in frustration again when a howl of an intruder goes up.

Shit! The pack needs me!

I shove the blankets off me and push myself up to a sitting position. I already know I can’t shift and I’m weak, but I need to support Amelia’s family's pack. Without Alpha Carter, this pack needs a leader if there is an intruder.

I’ve just pulled my legs over the side of the bed when a young woman rushes in.

“Alpha! We need to get you to the hospital safe room,” she says, coming over to help me.

The woman is about half my size. There’s no way she can help me to walk.

“What’s going on? Who is the intruder?” I ask.

“Please, Alpha. We need to hurry,” she says, ignoring my question.

I’m not used to being ignored, so I growl at her to get her attention. It’s not a powerful growl, not without Xavier here to make it menacing and powerful, but her head snaps up to look at me.

“Alpha, do not growl at my mate. You are in no position to do anything but follow our instructions. Stop wasting time and help us get you to the safe room,” Dr. Caspian growls as he walks into the room.

He comes over and puts my arm around his shoulder, helping me to my feet. As soon as I stand, I realize he’s right. I hate it, but I’m about as weak as a newborn pup.

“Who are the intruders?” I ask as Dr. Caspian and his mate help me to a safe room.

“We think there’s only one, but with our numbers so low, we need to make sure you’re safe. Please, listen to us and help us get you to a safe room,” the woman says. I vaguely remember that her name is Brooklyn. I didn’t realize she was the doctor’s mate.

I stop arguing, recognizing that I can’t help anyone in my current condition. I’m a liability and I don’t want anyone to lose their life to save me because I did something stupid.

I hear more howls, answering the call for assistance from the packs on either side of Amelia’s - Alpha Dutton and ... I have no idea who is Alpha on the other side. It was Alpha Alaric, but Amelia said he is the one who attacked and killed her parents.

“Who’s in charge here?” I ask as they open the door to the safe room.

“Beta Brutus, Alpha Lucas’ Beta,” Dr. Caspian says.

“Brutus? Who the hell is that? And who is Alpha Lucas?” I growl, feeling like I’ve entered the fucking Twilight Zone. Who are all these fucking people? I hardly recognize any of the names that people are telling me.

“I don’t have time to explain, Alpha. I just need to get you safe,” Dr. Caspian says.

I haven’t been in a safe room since I was a pup. I’m not happy to be going into one now.

Suddenly, there’s a flurry of activity at the front of the hospital. A man I don’t recognize comes rushing in.

“Is everyone accounted for in the hospital, Dr. Caspian?” he asks, looking at me and nodding.

“Yes, Beta. We heard it was Koden,” Dr. Caspian says.

“Koden! The man who tried to mark my mate?” I snarl, pulling away from the others. I nearly fall, but I grab hold of the nearest wall and hold myself up. “Where is he?”

“You are in no position to confront him, Alpha. I need you to stand down and get in the safe room,” Beta Brutus says.

“I don’t know you and I’m certainly not answering to some Beta I don’t know,” I growl.

Okay, maybe it’s foolish of me. I don’t have a wolf and I’m weak, but that man tried to take what’s mine.

“Dr. Caspian.”

My head jerks up. “Amelia?” I swear that was her voice.

“I’m sorry, Calvin, but I need you to be compliant. Dr. Caspian, you have my permission to sedate my mate.”

“What? What the fuck, Amelia? You don’t have the authority …” I begin just as I feel the sting of a needle in my neck.

“Alpha’s right, Alpha Calvin. You’re in no position to argue,” the doctor says.

I want to fight. I want to argue, but whatever he injected me with is fast-acting.

As I crumble to the ground, the doctor and nurse catch me.

“Who did he take?” I hear Amelia ask.

“We think he took Charity, Alpha.”