Chapter 3

Hector's POV

"Alpha," Jonathan's voice came through the mind link.

"Yes, Jonathan," I answered.

"This year's Wolf's Moon Gala is held at the Dark Moon Pack. Are we going to RSVP?" Jonathan asked.

My least favorite tradition was the Wolf's Moon Gala, where we met neighboring packs Alphas, Luna's, and Betas. Almost all of them were snobbish and thought that they were better than others. At twenty-four years old, I was the youngest Alpha among them and the most successful at pack finances and protection management. Naturally, I would get many offers from the other packs to build alliances, which I always turned down. That was something my father frowned upon, even in his last days as Alpha of the Crystal Blood Pack.

"You know what to do, Jonathan," I replied, cutting off the link between us. Many disliked when I refused to attend the Wolf's Moon Gala, saying I was breaking tradition. A tradition that was created many centuries ago by people none of us had ever met, and a tradition I cared nothing about.

—-

6 MONTHS LATER

It was the end of the month, and I was sitting in my office looking at the financial expenses of the month. One of the main focal points is the outer part of the southern border, which was rebuilt, as it was the weakest access point in the pack. My eyes were closed briefly; when I heard howls in the distance, it could only mean one thing: ROGUES. Rogues were filthy creatures, wastes of fur and skin that were banished from their pack for whatever reason. A wolf could only go so long without its pack before becoming feral. Formerly, these wolves had human counterparts, but now they were killing machines.

"Alpha," Jonathan called through the mind link.

"Johnathan, what's going on?" I asked as I stood from my seat.

"Rogues at the southern border," Jonathan replied. I could tell he was running from his voice.

Making my way out of the pack house, I asked, "How many?"

"We aren't sure, but it sounds like an entire pack," Jonathan answered.

"Fuck, get out of there as fast as you can," I replied as I cut off the mind link and shifted into my wolf form; black fur began to cover my entire body. Jasper, my wolf, was a ruthless monster; most would say he killed for sport.

As Jasper took complete control, I drifted into the depths of my mind. I knew from what Jonathan said we had to hurry; if the rogues were traveling in packs, our chances of success were slim, and the longer it took to get to them, the more significant the danger. I had to trust my wolf's instincts and move as fast as possible.

My senses were heightened as I watched Jasper speed through the forest. As we approached the pack's southern entrance, I heard howls. This side of the border had a small stream. Indeed, there would be one or two rogues, but the cries I heard sounded like there were more. As I came upon a clearing on the official borderline, I caught a whiff of jasmine and honeysuckle.

"Mate," Jasper yelled and raced toward it. In the dense forest, there was a hidden cave with a strong scent of jasmine and honeysuckle that I found very appealing.

"Alpha, where are you?" Johnathan's voice echoed through the mind link.

"In a cave, there was someone here," I told him as I followed the scent towards a small corner with a small entrance leading to the outside, too narrow for a wolf. I quickly turned to head out of the cave as fast as I could. As I emerged from the cave, I encountered two rogues'; I let Jasper go and stepped back, allowing him to attack them with full force. He ran towards the rogues, growling and snarling. The rogues were no match for Jasper's ferocity and strength, and they ran off.

My biggest fear was that they would enter through the weak southern border. Despite the lack of pack members, some were still in that area. A few minutes later, Jonathan arrived with some pack warriors. I told a few to chase after the two rogues, and the others to follow me in the opposite direction. As we traveled through the forest, the growls became more and more furious when I heard someone yell out in pain.

"Alpha, there's someone out there," one of the warriors said through the mind link. "Spread out," I commanded as Jasper let out a loud, menacing howl.

When I heard another scream, "HELP ME, SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP ME."

We all charged forward, and I saw one of the rogues pin someone to the ground. I could hear the growls of the other rogues and my warriors as they fought, but my interest was in who they were chasing. Jasper fought off another rogue before tackling the one, pinning the person down. He grabbed the rogue by the tail and threw him against the tree. The rogue lunged at him, but Jasper quickly jumped to the right. As the rogue turned around, Jasper moved fast and bit down on his leg before twisting it and removing it from his body. The rogue screamed in agony and fell to the ground. Jasper stepped back, and the rogue lay motionless.

Johnathan came over and dropped a bag he had picked up from behind a tree that contained a pair of sweatpants. I quickly shifted back and threw them on. Turning back to the human lying on the ground, I saw she was unconscious. The scent became stronger as I approached her. When I looked down, her heavily bleeding leg shocked me. The rogue had bitten a large area of her thigh, and her shoulder was also bleeding, which suggested that she had suffered a significant injury. "Johnathan, get Dr. Neal; she's injured terribly."

I yelled out to him as I bent down to pick her up. Jasper pushed forward as I heard him say, "MATE!"