Maggie stormed into her tailer. That was too close for comfort. She didn't know what was worse. Running into to that man by the shops or running into the Alpha Faolan. Sure he was nice to her face but... no use thinking of it. She needed to move. She hated to do this but she needed to move her vacation up by a few days. She grabbed her duffle from her closet and started shoving her things into it.
She knew that man. It had been years but she knew that face. Barry? No, Baron. That's right Baron. He was an enforcer for Bryce. The last thing she needed was to run into either of them. Running from him didn't help. Better to lay low until they crawl back to the hole they came from.
Candace's family had a cabin at the edge of their land. She said her parents use it as a couples getaway and she promised no one would bother her there. She didn't know how stocked it was with supplies but she figured she could ask Candace to help with that. Speaking of which she should let her know she is starting her "trip" early.
In the midst of throwing clothes in her bag Maggie pulled out her cell and tapped on the contact for Candace. She picked up on the second ring.
"Maggie! What a lovely surprise! Mom has been driving me nuts. I think all the stress is getting to her head."
"Yeah she's not the only one," Maggie mumbled. Candace paused a moment catching her tone.
"Everything alright Mags? The tavern is ok right?" Maggie had to tread carefully. She didn't want to alarm her friend.
"Yeah, just some shipping issues and everyone wanted time off last minute. It has me stressed out. I was wondering if I could go early to your family's cabin." There. That seems reasonable.
"Um.. sure. I don't see it as a problem. I'll let dad know. He and mom have been busy with the gathering so they won't have any need for it. I'll meet you there with they key. How early did you want to be there?"
"This afternoon too soon?"
"Nope. I can make this afternoon work as long as you have some cookies waiting for me!"
"It's a deal. See you then."
....
There was a knock on Faolan's door. Faolan was at the room's desk filling our some last minute paperwork. Only those in his pack and a few in the Dark Woods pack actually knew where his room was.
"Enter." Faolan called.
Through the door Dawson walked in. He must of just arrived and gone straight to Faolan to report.
Dawson seemed a bit mousy at first. He had messy unkept hair that was a bit shaggy. His glasses sat squarely on his nose and his clothing consisted of a plaid shirt complete with a pocket protector. He was your typical nerd. But he was brilliant if unconventional.
At 25 he took over as the Royal Pack doctor and his knowledge was invaluable. If he was given a problem, nothing would stop him from finding the answer.
"Dawson welcome," Faolan said. "I assume everyone has arrived without too much trouble."
"Yes Alpha. No complications. Your mother decided to stay behind with your sister." Faolan nodded at the report. His sister had found her mate and was heavy laden with her first set of twins. His mother was excited for grandchildren and so he found it natural she would stay behind.
"And what about the information I asked for? Did you find anything?"
"Yes sir. Although much of it is what we already knew. Wolfsbane is poisonous to both wolves and humans alike." That still didn't answer his question about the elusive Maggie. He hadn't seen her since he ran into her that morning. It was suspicious.
"Dawson can you think of any reason why someone would willingly ingest it?"
"Oh I'm sure if desperate enough people would do a lot of things that harmed themselves." He paused to think on it. "I suppose if you think about it theoretically.." Dawson trailed off in thought, his eyes glazing over. Faolan was use to this. Dawson was easily distracted with thoughts and queries. After a few moments Faolan interrupted his thoughts to hear them.
"Dawson?" That snapped him out of it.
"Yes. Sorry sir. Well the reason Wolfsbane is so dangerous is it can weaken a wolf. There are some records where it was used to suppress a feral wolf. Depending on the quantity of ingestion and the frequency of its use there are the possibilities that it could be used to mask oneself. If someone's wolf side was suppressed it would be hard to detect if someone was a wolf at all." Faolan thought on his words. His answers only brought more questions.
"Thank you Dawson. I appreciate the effort. If you find anything else let me know." Dawson bowed his head and left at the dismissal.
Once the door had closed behind him Faolan connected with Max his Gamma through the mind link and asked him to join him. He had a job for him.
....
Maggie strolled through the forest. In her arms she carried various logs and sticks. The cabin was fine during the day but at night it got cold and the only way to heat it was the wood fireplace and she wanted ot make sure she had plenty of wood for the night.
Tomorrow night was the official start of the triennial gathering. Packs had been arriving in full force since yesterday. The gathering always started on the night of the full moon with the mating run. Single wolves from all over the country would meet and shift in hopes of finding their mate.
Maggie on the other hand will be snuggled in her cabin reading her book and ignoring the howling out in the woods. She had no intention of being anywhere near anyone.
Maggie loved the sound of the crunching leaves as she walked. The air was crisp and Maggie was dreaming of the chicken pot pie she was going to make.
When she reached the cabin the front door was open. Not good. She dropped the logs she held except one which she gripped like a baseball bat. Last time she was caught off guard. This time she would be prepared.
She kicked the door back open and looked around the small cabin. Everything inside was a mess. The couch cushions were thrown off, the small kitchenette had every cabinet and drawer opened. Canned goods and pantry items littered the counters and were falling on to the floor.
Maggie walked to the bedroom where linens and her clothing was tossed about. Even the king size mattress was a skewed. What a mess she thought. The bedroom window was open. That must of been their exit. She looked out the window just to check. Sure enough there were footprints leading away towards the forest.
Maggie hopped out the window to take a look. There was nothing remarkable about the footprints other they were larger meaning the person was probably male. As she continue to analyze them she saw something green on the ground. Upon closer inspection Maggie realized she recognized the container.
She picked it up. In her hand was the tea container she used to store her wolfsbane. The container was completely empty. As Maggie looked around she saw hints of the dried leaves scattered all around. Dammit!
Maggie threw the container on the ground. She could get it replaced, but it would take a few days and she had maybe hours before her wolf would start to wake up. She was fucked.
Alright Maggie. One problem at a time she thought. She pulled out her phone and called Alpha Bob. This was his cabin. He would want to know someone was in it.
"This is Bob." He was direct in his greeting.
"Sorry to bother you Alpha. This is Maggie."
"Hey Maggie how's it going?"
"Not so great. Listen. I was out collecting wood and when I returned back to the cabin I found it ransacked by someone."
"What? Are you ok? Any idea who did it?"
"I'm fine. I found some footprints but I have no idea who they belong to. It's your cabin. I thought you would want to know.
"I appreciate that. I'll be out there right away with some trackers see if we can find who they are and what they are looking for."
"Thanks Alpha. I'm sorry to pull you away. I know you're busy."
"Not your fault. See you in a bit." He ended the call. Maggie was now stuck on the front porch of the cabin while she waited for the Alpha to show up. She was so fucked!
.......
Faolan stood in front of the pack house watching everyone as they came in. Tomorrow was the official beginning of the gathering but most packs would arrive today to settle in.
Faolan was full into his roll of Alpha King and tried to remain dignified as the title required. As each pack arrived, the Alpha would greet him and show him a sign of submission before seeing to their pack members. Alpha Bob being the host of the gathering stood on his left whith Theo his Beta on his right.
Members of Faolan's pack were staying in the pack house. Most other packs brought campers to sleep in. They couldn't possibly fit everyone in the pack house.
Faolan loved watching the arrivals. This was one of the few times packs got together and Faolan loved seeing the happy faces of families and friends meeting each other again.
There was one face Faolan was not happy to see. Bryce Foyer, Alpha of the Red Claw pack. It wasn't that he was a bad Alpha. In fact one could say he was a good one. His pack was one of the stronger ones in the country.
No the problem with Bryce was that he was a dick. For some reason Bryce felt the need to compete with Faolan any chance he could. He didn't outright challenge Faolan, as Faolan could take him easily, but he always had little jabs and underhanded insults. It was annoying more than anything.
Bryce approached the pack house his arm around his wife Sabrina who was pregnant with their second child. That was also something that bothered Faolan. Instead of waiting for his mate, Bryce has mated his Beta's daughter instead. He always thought it selfish to forsake your fated mate. His father always told him to bond with someone other than your fated mate was an insult to the goddess as you were stating that you knew better than her, and no one knows better than the goddess.
Still it was not illegal to take another as mate but it sure rubbed Faolan the wrong way. It didn't help that Bryce loved to flaunt his family in front of him every chance he got. Bryce and Faolan were the same age yet here he was still single, and everyone knew it wasn't good for an Alpha to stay single.
As Bryce approached Faolan tried to keep his face neutral and impassive. Bryce on the other hand wore a smug. The couple paused two steps below the Alpha King smiling with strained faces. Faolan would not give the first greeting. The two groups stared at each other letting the tension thicken.
After a minute or two Bryce finally lowered his head in the slightest nod. It was hardly a show of submission but it was enough that it could not be ignored.
"Greetings Alpha Robert. It is a pleasure to be here. Thank you for being willing to host the gathering. My mate and I are excited to be here"
Faolan noticed that Bryce added a slight emphasis on the word mate. Alpha Bob returned the greeting then turned to Faolan. Bryce met his eyes with a smile again.
"Good to see you old friend. It has been some time. I am happy to meet with you again and to have the Red Claw pack assist you in any way."
Faolan did not reply. He did not care for the use of the phrase of old friend. They were not friends. They were never friends. Faolan just continued to glare at him. His wife Sabrina stepped back retreating from his stare. Theo his Beta turned to look at him silently scolding him without letting the others notice. Alright he will suck it up.
Faolan took a deep breath and plastered his political smile before speaking.
"Thank you for coming Alpha Bryce. It is always good to hear how willing your pack is to do their sworn duty."
It was Bryce's turn to scowl. He did not like being reminded that his pack owed their allegiance to Faolan.
"Are you planning on attending the mating run tomorrow night Alpha?" Bryce's wife spoke sickly sweet towards Faolan. They were quite the pair.
"Of course. It's tradition for the Alpha King to lead the run."
"Maybe this will finally be the year you find your mate. No words can do justice of describing what it means to have a family." Bryce smiled at Faolan. Another verbal Jab.
"Yes, well, having your true, fated mate is something worth waiting for. I have full trust in the Moon Goddess' choice for me and would hate to settle for anything less." Faolan didn't even try to hide the venom creeping into his voice. He was done with this conversation.
"I hope you enjoy your stay Alpha Bryce."
"Thank you Alpha King."
The couple walked away as Faolan glowered after them.
After a moment Alpha Bob pulled out his phone and answered it.
"This is Bob." Faolan listened half heartedly still annoyed with the interaction.
"Hey Maggie how's it going?" Maggie? Maggie was the one person Faolan was looking forward to seeing and she had yet to appear.
"What? Are you ok? Any idea who did it?"Something was wrong. The incident from the shops came to his mind. Maggie seemed to be getting a bit of trouble lately. Faolan continued to listen with increased interest.
"I appreciate that. I'll be out there right away with some trackers see if we can find who they are and what they are looking for." Something was definitely up if the Alpha was going to use his trackers.
"Not your fault. See you in a bit." Alpha Bob put his phone away then turned towards Faolan. "If you'd excuse me sir. I have something I need to attend to."
"Everything alright?" Faolan wanted to know more but didn't to seem too eager for the information.
"Not sure. Had a break-in at a cabin our pack owns on the edge of pack land. I'm sure it's just some young boys up to mischief but I want to check it out just to be sure." Faolan just nodded in acknowledgement.
Without moving he mind linked with his Gamma. Max. Follow Alpha Bob. He is gong to a cabin. Margret will be there. I want to know what is going on. Patrick replied with simple Yes, Alpha. There wasn't more he could do but wait for their return.