Beasts of The North

Chapter Fourteen

"I don't think the pack would react well to another Alpha and his troops showing up on their doorstep without their Alpha present." I knew James would reach that point. He'd already assumed that wherever I branched off to, he would accompany me. He wasn't wrong in his thought process, but the solution was one that he wouldn't agree with either.

"I absolutely agree with you. Everyone would probably panic, truthfully. That's why I've decided you'll be joining them." James stood, instantly upset with my choice. He knew better than to openly object to a direct Alpha decision, so no words came from him, but he had made his disagreement clear enough. I know that he meant well. He was selected to travel with me, to be by my side at all times during this journey, but this was different. I couldn't ignore the call to the mountain path and Christian, Tyrra, and their troops could not arrive to my pack unattended. In the absence of any opinion from James, Christian spoke up.

"Are you really sure about this, Kai? This could be anything ranging from a simple bout of stress and homesickness all the way to a trap. Do you really think it's necessary to do this now?"

"It's not even that we don't think it shouldn't be checked out, but maybe we just head to your pack first, relieve your Beta of Alpha duties and bring back a warrior or two to look into it."

"I get your hesitation, truly. I even appreciate your suggestion, Tyrra, but this can't wait. I need to check this out. I don't plan to be gone longer than a day, two at the most. I know exactly where I'm headed and if nothing comes of it I will quite literally turn straight around and head back." This was all true. I'd recognized the particular area from my dream. It wouldn't take me but an hour or two to cover that ground. If the place was clear of anything out of order, then I would leave immediately. I might not even have to rest for the night if I searched quickly enough. The only way it would take me any longer than a day was if my feeling was right and there was something to be found out there.

"Well, I suppose that settles it then." Christian seemed way too cheerful. I immediately knew something was up.

"Yeah, I suppose it does." I warily added.

"Yup, Tyrra and I will just have to accompany you."

"Wait, what?! No, that's not what I meant." I knew he was up to something. It was completely unnecessary. It not only put Tyrra in danger, because I didn't know what I would find out there, but it left their troops without an Alpha. This was completely unacceptable. "Your men-" I tried to begin with my rebuttal, but was quickly cut off.

"Will be fine. You already solved that little problem. James is perfectly capable of guiding the troops into the pack. He can make arrangements for their housing and get them settled in while we're gone. They'll have that day or two to rest before we return."

"Ah, yes, I completely agree, dear. This was the men will have some recuperation time before we introduce them to the pack and hold the gathering to announce the alliance. I'm sure the warriors will be very grateful." I had no choice but to grumble at the two of them. They made a good Alpha pair, and weren't wrong with their words. I just couldn't shake that feeling. I felt like I was going to absolutely find something and I didn't want to get them involved. I nodded in agreement before we all retired for the night. I didn't have a choice anymore. They'd be coming with me whether I liked it or not.

The next morning came far too quickly, as our meeting had ran late into the night. We packed up our things and had a quick meeting with James to bid our farewells before addressing the warriors. They needed to be informed of the change in hierarchy for the time being. James would be their leader and liaison until we returned, for any and all matters within the pack. They headed out, closer towards my home, and we headed up. The mountain paths were treacherous, especially this time of year, and until we reached higher ground we had to tread carefully.

It wasn't long before we were close to the area that my dream had been set in. It wasn't quite a mountain, but it wasn't quite a plateau either. There were many high and jagged rocks decorating the land around here, and they were all covered in snow and ice. The snow we were treading through was knee deep, but cold wasn't typically an issue for us werewolves. Christian was used to this kind of weather and seemed to be faring well enough, although it did seem like it was giving Tyrra a bit of trouble. I was about to ask her if she'd like to take a break when I smelled it. It was familiar and I almost didn't recognize it, but it took me only a second before it registered. It was her, my mate. My Giselle. What in the hell was she doing out here?

"Do you smell that? Someone's here." I knew Christian would pick up on it first, his senses slightly better than that of his mate.

"It's my mate, Giselle. She's out here somewhere and she's close by."

"Let's not waste any time, then." He knew the value of a mate. We needed to find her quickly. We had no idea what she was doing here. We didn't know if she was in any danger, or if she was hurt. His words sparked a fire in all of us and we took off running in the direction of the scent. It drove us deeper into the mountains. We were no longer on the flatter lands of the plateau-like mountainside, but higher up. The paths here were difficult to traverse in human form, so we decided to make the decision to shift. We were all seasoned wolves, so it was quick and painless for us. It was only another moment before we were off, faster and more agile this time. The smell was only getting stronger and I knew we would reach my mate soon.

My mind was swirling with possibilities. Why was she out here? Did she get lost? Was she kidnapped? Was there someone there, hurting her? How long had she been here? Was she alright? She had to be alright. I knew that we hadn't completed the bond, but if anything serious happened to her I would have sensed it. I was unconscious for so long, though. It was possible that whatever happened to her was during my injured state. Guilt flooded me. I should never have left her alone. I should have brought her with me. I should have taken my own advice. Tyrra came to me and I agreed that a Luna was safest with her Alpha, but I put my own mate in danger. I had to find her, and so I pressed harder. It wasn't long before my wish was fulfilled. Her scent was overpowering and we turned a corner and there she was.

She wasn't alone however. She stood, fierce and proud, over the recently deceased corpse of a enormous female grizzly. Blood coated the snow and rock. A great battle had ensued here, and by the mess that coated her paws it was clear that she had been apart of it. I couldn't believe what my eyes were telling me. It looked as though my mate, my Giselle, had taken down this beast. A female was no joke of an opponent, and I could just catch the faint scent of a pair of newborn cubs nearby. A mother grizzly was the fiercest beast that any wolf could face, and it looked as though my mate had taken her down all on her own. I stepped forward, eager to get a closer look and to finally see my beautiful mate again, when my paw brushed a rock in on the path. The reaction in her was instant. She clearly didn't sense us before, immersed in the battle and the kill, but she knew we were here now.

Giselle instantly stilled. All movement and muscles were frozen. She was smelling, evaluating. I hoped after a moment she would recognize me, and thought that maybe if I moved closer she could get a stronger scent. I had made the wrong move however, because she crouched down low and let out a snarl, warning us to turn back. I knew, that if she saw me, she'd know me. She had to. I took one more step closer and she reacted in a moment. She flipped around swiftly, her movement just a blur. Her fierce growls echoed across the mountains, bouncing back on the rocks. Her lip curled, and her eyes staring straight at me, ready to attack.