Brayden

22 Eighteen*

It's amazing how things turn out. Aaron and Lilly figured it all out. They split time between packs. Both of them are Alpha, which you would think would be confusing, but in reality, we just respect them both the same. They now have one year old twin boys. Tiberius and Malakai, the little Alphas.

Clay and his mate, Abby, ended up together eventually. It took a lot of work, and something tells me her family isn't happy with him, but they are here in Midnight Moon together. They have a year old daughter, Ruby, and a newborn son, Alaric.

I've crammed as many classes as I can into my day. When I'm not studying, I'm doing Alpha training... And on the rare occasions, I'm not doing those I'm with Eric. After the whole I got kidnapped thing he realized that our friendship was more important than football. It took some work, but we're buds again.

"Brayden! Come here for a sec." Ari calls as I'm leaving the pack house.

"Yeah, Ari, what do you need?" I ask. I almost got a free day.

"I've got a mission for you." That perks my attention.

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He's giving me my own mission!

"Don't you want to know what it is?" He laughs.

"Umm... yes, of course. What's the mission, Alpha." I say barely containing my excitement.

"They found a group of rogue pups near the western border. I'd like you to take a small team and escort them to Red Rivers so Lilly's pack can take care of them. They have more experience with orphaned pups than we do." Ari says.

"Can't someone just give them a lift? I mean, that's like a couple of days run. And with a group of pups..."

"Are you turning the mission down?" He cuts me off.

"No! I'm just asking." I quickly respond.

"The pups have never seen a car. They were raised in the woods. To avoid them having a panic attack, we thought it would be good to take them on foot. Talk to them. Explain pack life. You'll be more than an escort. You'll be easing them into the real world. It's an important job, Brayden." Ari explains.

"Why me? I mean, I'm glad you chose me, but that's a lot of responsibility. I'll be like molding these kids. What if I mess up?" I ask, unsure of myself.

"You're great with kids, Bray. Isn't this what you wanted to do? Help kids like you?" He asks.

"Yeah... but when I'm older. I haven't finished all my schooling yet. I didn't think I'd be doing anything so soon." I explain.

"Practical experience. You can do this, Brayden. Your past and your schooling make you uniquely qualified. I believe in you, pup." He says, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks, Ari. I won't let you down." I smile at him.

"Never imagined you would." He says. "Choose your team. I think three men will do. You're in charge."

"I'll set out tonight." I tell him as I get up to leave. "Thanks again."

"Get out of here, Bray." He says, chuckling, and I run to find my men.

°•°•°•°•

"Eric!" I call out as I enter the dining hall.

"Sup, Bray?" He responds as I sit next to him.

"We got a mission." I grin, and he returns it.

"When do we leave?" He asks just as excited as me.

"As soon as I pick our other two men." I answer.

"Sam and Trevor are probably the best fighters. Jared is the fastest. Kenton is like a boy scout. The dude is ready for anything. You could drop him in the woods for a month, and he'd be fine without shifting." Eric advises me.

"So how about we take Trevor for muscle and Kent since we are gonna be going on foot across the territory. He'd be an asset." I decide. "Have them meet me out front in 20, and I'll fill you all in."

"Okay, boys. We are off to the western sector to pick up some rouge pups and escort them to Red Rivers. We're going on foot with pups, so it could take a week before we're home." I tell them.

"So we're babysitters?" Trevor asks.

"No. These kids don't know what it's like in a pack. This trip will help ease them into our social structure. It's more than babysitting." I tell him.

"Alright." He says, holding his hands up in surrender. "When do we leave."

"As soon as we get our go bags packed. Let's go!" I say, and we all go get packed. Some clothes, food sleeping bag.

Beta Clay gave us a ride to the Western sector, which saved some time, but this is gonna be a long week getting them to Red Rivers.