Sidney
I was alerted to someone's approach by the sound of low growls from both my pets, and I flicked my ears up at the sound of footsteps. "Hey Sid." His tone was low but gentle as I slowly opened my eyes to stare back up at Beck who I noticed was holding my backpack. "I've got some clothes in here for you, I think the others are ready to get started on discussing everything that happened." He murmured out as I stood and stretched a little, the ache in my wounds was a lot less irritating now.
"Thanks, Sweetness." I linked to him specifically as I gently took the strap of the bag in my teeth, lifting it out of his outstretched hand. "No problem, see you in a bit Sweet Cheeks." I huffed slightly before I nodded to him and headed for the upstairs bathroom to change, Tyson and Ollie refusing to let me out of their sights followed close behind. I shifted and changed as quickly as possible, I was surprised that Beck had chosen some of my favorite and most comfortable clothes.
"Alright you two I guess it's time to face the music, just remember to stay away from Simon or they'll kick us out." I murmured at my pets. I mean if they wanted to kick my pets out they would have to kick me out too, I wasn't leaving them to worry over me. I found the pack of young males seated in the dinning room and I took up the only empty chair between Colton and Micah, the latter was grinning like an idiot at the rest of the boys. "So what do we want to talk about first?" I addressed the alpha at the head of the table as silence reigned in waiting for his response.
"Start from the beginning and we'll go through everything that has happened today, Sidney you first." Bowen glanced around to his pack before nodding to me. "I woke up and did my usual morning routine before I brought Tyson and Ollie to work with me and put them in with Spartan to play. Once I knew they were good I got to work on the morning feedings, and then Streaks showed up." I state clearly, sending him a quick glance before continuing. "The squirrels were scheduled for release so I helped him get them in the transport cages and loaded before we drove to a good release sight for them." I could see Micah wanting to voice a most likely perverted comeback to my words but Bowen's stern frown kept him silent, for now.
"We let them go and were loading the empty cages back up when I suddenly had a feeling that something wasn't right." I frown slightly, uncertain how to explain exactly what I mean. "What do you mean you had a feeling?" Colton seems curious. "It's hard to describe but it's just instinct to me, I can feel something is out of place or not right and it makes me uneasy, even if I don't know what that 'something' is right away. It's just that I get a bad feeling and it puts me on edge, basically preparing me for fight or flight even though I don't know what I'm up against." I puzzle out to them as they listen intently to me.
"How long have you had this sort of sixth sense for danger?" Simon wonders aloud, drawing my attention. "For as long as I can remember really, it could be something as simple as someone waiting to pull a scare prank on me or as serious as a pack waiting to kill me. At first I didn't understand it until I realized that every time I felt that way bad things happened to me or to someone close to me, my instincts didn't lie and I learned to use them to my advantage." I state with a glance around the table. "She did ask me if I felt anything or if anything seemed off but at that time I thought she was just being crazy, no offense CG." Gavin muttered softly. "None taken, I get that a lot." I shrugged back honestly.
"Alright little wolf I believe you, now what happened next?" Bowen encouraged me to continue. "Well on the way back the closer we got to the sanctuary the stronger the uneasy feeling got, I rolled down my window to get some air and that was when we smelled the rogues. I identified that there were three and that they most likely thought they had three to one odds on Gavin since I don't leave any scent lingering like you boys do." I hummed out softly. "Are you saying we stink?" Micah asked incredulously.
"More or less yes. I mean compared to me your scents are far more powerful and give away your positions to possible enemies. I on the other hand disguise my scent so that it is extremely difficult or completely impossible to track me down unless I want you to. The only times I can't fully hide my scent is in wolf form and... Well you don't really need to know the other one right now." I cut off, no way was I going to go into detail on that bit now. "How do you hide your scent anyway?" Jason voiced curiously. "In a variety of ways actually but that's something to discuss later, what I can say is it gets easier with practice." I tilt my head his way before going back to addressing the group.
"At first I tried to act like I didn't know they were there, in hopes of them being unwilling to attack with a human present but they obviously didn't care about that. They moved to attack and we fought and killed two before pinning the third, that was when he started to link me." I sigh out heavily as they all nod for me to continue. "That rogue that got away the time I was darted did end up dying but not before he told them the area they found me and that I was near a large packs territory. They had orders to attack you in search of me, they wanted to lessen your numbers if not wipe you out completely so that they could get to me." I'm growling a bit under my breath now and Colton presses his shoulder against me to help keep me calm.
"The leaders know I'm a threat and they know if I'm working with a pack they won't have a chance against me, so instead of coming straight for me they will continue to send in what they consider expendables to take you out one by one. It's my fault you're being dragged into a war you don't want, one that ultimately you won't win alone." I could feel the guilt rising in my throat but I kept my features blank. "The h*** we don't, do you know how boring it gets being such a strong pack that nobody wants to challenge you!?" Beck's voice broke the growing silence and froze the pain in me briefly before it started to bubble under my skin once more.
"We can take care of ourselves just fine." Asher tried to reassure me but I could only give him a small tight smile in return. "You still don't get it. You admitted I'm a strong fighter, they made me that way and I'm not the only one. "I've seen what they do to packs like yours, I was one of the calvary before I realized how ruthless they were, I tried to stop them but I failed. There were no survivors and because I tried to stop them I was punished for stepping out of line of the orders given to me. I had been young then but from then on I fought against all their orders no matter the consequences." My tone is cold and sharp. Those horrors of the past never want to free me of their burden, no matter how much I've buried them.
"What happened?" Fletcher's question is so pained and soft in the silence that I can't help but answer him, despite the painful memories. "We were going to kill the pack of males that much I knew but what I didn't expect was the same dealings for their human partners. They killed the innocent human mother's while I was frozen in shock, and then they went for the pups. I tried to stop them but I was outnumbered, I killed a few of them before they could restrain me, and then they made me watch the slaughter, no one survived." I can't meet their eyes as I recounted those hateful memories and my rage against those b****ards.
"So because of this you knew they were coming here and you joined the fight, finishing it before we got here to help and letting us clean up the mess?" Simon summed up and I nodded slowly. "So what would you suggest we do Sidney Blake?" Bowen's question rang out and this time I met his gaze with a stern one of my own. "My guess is they've set up a temporary camp somewhere near the border of your territory most likely hidden in plain sight, if we can find out where they are we might be able to get close and figure out what they might be planning next." I can feel the slight excitement welling up at the possibility of another fight.
"Why not just wipe out their camp?" Emmett raised cautiously. "They're just the lackeys, kill them and more will take their place, if we want to stop them the best way is to wipe out the entire operation. The best way to do that is to go for the throat, the ones making all the calls, we have to take out the leaders to end this." I state on a growl. "Do you even know who those leaders are?" Tucker frowned out. "I know a few of the higher ups and leaders yes but not all of them, which is why we need to get close and see what we can find out." I state urgently.
"Not with those injuries you're not." Simon scolded at me. "Well then we can work to find the location of their camp and make our move once everyone is back to full strength." Asher looked to Bowen who nodded his confirmation to the plan. "I've got some spy gear we can use and we can place some bugs to listen in on any conversations!" Daniel seemed over excited for the whole thing, and did he say spy gear? "Why do you have spy gear?" Well at least Jason agreed his brother was a bit questionable. "I sometimes use the cameras during work and I bought it in a huge kit so now we can use the other stuff for something." Daniel's shrug had the others nodding but left me even more confused, what kind of work did he do?
"Daniel does a lot of landscape photography, if you were wondering." Colton whispers lowly to me. I nod back my thanks, good to know he wasn't some crazy and perverted psychopath. "Well why you boys figure out possible locations, I'm going to rest up so I'll be healed up for the little adventure." I sighed out as I headed back to sleeping on their couch with my pets. They would have to let me go home tomorrow at some point and then I could grab my own secret weapons for our little stealth adventure, I couldn't wait.
Jason
It was unbelievable, the darkness and pain that the tiny female contained inside herself and hid away from the outside world. The way she had wiped her features of any emotions as she recounted a moment of her past to us, but even that couldn't hide the truth in her eyes and voice. The way she spoke about kids that she couldn't save the guilt in her voice was clear, and she was so reluctant of the subject I doubted she would have answered anyone but Fletcher asking it. It was clear to see she liked the youngest member of our pack. She was far more comfortable around him than the rest of us, beside the fact she had risked her life today to save his.
What was even more surprising and what had me and my wolf happier than anything was the fact that she wanted to protect us. Sure it could be taken as an insult to our fighting capabilities but considering I'd helped with clean up this time I realized she was a far better fighter, who seemed to be genuinely concerned for our well-being. I liked having her here with us but considering she was an alpha I doubted she would be taking Simon's orders to rest and heal for very long. I figured that the only reason she was listening now was because she knew she needed to get back to her full strength and didn't want to have to fight her way through us to do it.