The breeze whipped harshly against me, and though I was naturally warm, it didn't really make much of a difference on this particularly cold Autumn night.
And I am in a bloody forest on top of it...Wonderful...
"You okay over there?"
Reed muttered through the mind link, the amusement in his tone not lost on me at all. As my best friend, he knew quite well that I hated these particular excursions.
Taunting bastard.
"I am perfectly okay, thank you for asking...Well, besides the probable frost bite I might get from being on top of a bloody tree in the middle of the bloody night! Remind me again why I'm here, Reed. Please, refresh my memory before I return to my ever comfortable bed,"
I growled lowly, earning a musical chuckle in return. I could almost see him shaking his head in amusement like he always did whenever I expressed my anger, his mop of blonde, neck-length hair bobbing along, looking as appealing as always.
His emerald green eyes shone with mirth and amusement he usually got off of me. For being the son of one of the most powerful Alphas in the world, Reed Sebastian Michaels was an unusually happy and bright character.
Not that anyone was complaining honestly. The girls adored him and the males respected his ability to shift back to business mode whenever the situation called for it. He let go fully around me and our other inner circle friends mainly, but he was particularly playful with me...
Like he is now...
"Well, we are going to stop a couple of rogues from killing a bunch of innocent people in the Black Water pack...Come on, Alex. I thought this was your kind of night...Our kind of night,"
He replied playfully, earning an eye roll from me.
"No its not, Reed. Not when its so bloody cold! And where the hell are they? Do Not tell me they're late to a bloody ambush!"
I exclaimed quietly, exasperation filling every pore of my being as Reed chuckled even more within the confines of my mind.
It couldn't be possible, right? That they would be late to an attack! The information we had received from the Alpha and Beta of the Black Water pack had been spot on and confirmed by our own Warriors.
There would be a Rogue attack on them and as their allies and one among three of the most powerful packs in the world, it was our duty and obligation to make sure to assist in however way we could.
"Calm down, Alex. Its just a matter of time...Though if they are actually late to an ambush...That would be a pretty hilarious story, don't you think?"
Reed mused, earning a silent growl from me.
If they were late to their own planned ambush...If they were bloody late!
"We've spotted four rogues at the border, Reed. Its time,"
A familiar voice reported through the General mind link.
I could almost hear Reed's chuckle but I knew for a fact it was in my mind seeing as we were now not Privately mind linking and the rest could hear us.
Business mode on it seems...
"Alright. Prepare to move in on my mark. Alexandra, you'll go right as agreed and Richard, you'll go left. I'll hit them in the center, alright?"
Reed instructed, earning a 'Yes' from the warrior who'd reported in earlier who I now remembered to be Richard, the Black Water Pack's Gamma.
I need to get better at names and voices...
"Yes, Sir. Let's get on with this, shall we?"
I muttered, tightening my grip on the tree with a chuckle at the sound of Reed's silent growl. I knew he hated being called 'Sir' or any other formal title but he'd forgotten that I equally detest the use of my full name.
Serves you right...
Turning back to the forest, I noted the movement soon enough from the approaching rogues, their movement swift but careful. Their excitement was palpable within their feral yellow eyes as they approached the border of the Black Water pack.
"You're not going to get that far..."
I muttered, enhancing my senses as I felt the supernatural side of me coming forth. I could feel the shift of power in the air as our warriors as well as those of the Black Water pack began to shift.
"Move in now!"
Reed stated in his commanding Alpha voice, prompting everyone into action as they emerged from their hiding spots, their massive wolf forms attacking ruthlessly. They disrupted the Rogue's formation, their surprise clear before they launched their own counterattack.
Jumping down from my vantage point, I took one of the rogues with me as I grabbed its neck, banging its head into the ground hard until it passed out cold.
Turning back to the fight, I moved onto the next one, fighting my way through the throng of rogues who were already being taken down mercilessly by both groups of warriors.
I spotted Reed's massive, light brown Alpha wolf plowing through the Rogues easily as expected of one of Alpha blood.
Spotting one of the Rogue's creeping up on him, I was by his side in seconds, using my enhanced speed as I grabbed it by the tail just as its claws brushed Reed's fur before kneeing it the stomach.
I delivered the final blow right into its snot that had it shifting immediately back into a writhing, pale skinned man with a broken nose gushing out blood all over his hands where he held it together.
Reed glanced back at me, offering up a subtle nod of thanks that I returned as I blew a stray strand of my platinum blonde locks up and out of my face. Together, we finished off the remaining Rogues that had not been taken down by the other warriors.
"Where's their leader?"
Reed asked, appearing from the trees after shifting back minutes after the fight was concluded.
His shirtless chest was on display with dirt matted over some of the parts, clad in simple shorts that rode down and showed off his Apollo's V. Although I had seen him countless times in this particular state, his rigid perfection was not lost on me each time.
His mate is going to be one lucky woman...
"He was able to break through. He was not among the other Rogues,"
Richard explained, appearing also shirtless, his muscles out on full display as well. For a middle aged man, he looked quite good as well...
Calm the horny, Alexandra... Stop being a perverted weirdo...
"Your Father's ahead and so is the Alpha of the Black Water pack...Jason..."
I mused, trying hard to remember as Richard sighed in exasperation while Reed simply smirked at me in amusement.
"You mean Alpha Jonathan?"
He intoned.
I shrugged, nodding in response.
"Yeah, there's no way they'll get past two Alphas. He'll be ripped to shreds along with anyone else he may have gone with,"
They both nodded in affirmation, knowing my words were true.
"Alright, round up the survivors and lead them to the pack. Alpha Jonathan would want to deal with them himself. I believe our work here is done,"
Reed stated, earning a series of 'thank you's' from the warriors of the Black Water pack.
This is exactly why we did it...To see their happiness and relief, knowing that their families would be safe...It was more than we could ever ask for...
"I can see your smile, you know...You don't regret coming after all, do you?"
Reed spoke up as we made our way back towards the pack house.
"I never said I regretted coming. I just wasn't very excited about being out in the bloody cold...But, the workout was worth it in the end...Warmed me up instantly,"
I flashed him a cheeky grin, earning a chuckle in return just as we emerged from the forest.
As expected, their leader was indeed, ripped to shreds and was being led away together with his dead men. The captured rogues whimpered at the sight of his dead mauled body, the fight in them clearly gone now.
It is as they say.
Cut the head of the snake off and the rest shall disperse...
"Alpha Jonathan did Not go easy, huh?"
Reed muttered, glancing at the shirtless Alpha standing next to his own fully clothed Father.
It was clear who had fought the Rogues.
"As expected. They came after his pack and killed some of his men before we came...His revenge was justified,"
I stated simply, dusting off the dirt on my clothes and hair as best I could even though I knew I would need a very long shower and dry cleaning for the dirt and blood to fully come out.
Bloody perfect...
"Reed. Alex. Welcome back,"
Alpha Darren Michaels, Reed's Father and my godfather spoke up, flashing us both a small welcoming smile.
Apart from being our family, he was also one of the most feared and Respected Alphas of the Werewolf community, earning his spot at the top and securing the prestige of his pack.
Our home.
The BloodRose.
With a towering intimidating 6''4 frame, Reed had managed to inherit most of his Father's features with his lean, muscular form, squared chin, composed demeanor and charming smile.
What he had not inherited, however, was the man's raven black, neck length hair that was now slicked back. He had also not inherited his dark eyes, having gotten his own eyes and hair from his mother.
Alpha Darren was dressed casually in his black jeans, a matching muscle shirt and grey trench coat with military boots to match. His demeanor was as calm as always, his hands stuffed within his pockets as his ever watchful eyes assessed us both from head to toe, no doubt looking for any injuries.
It was a precautionary more than anything for he knew well enough we could take care of ourselves.
"Thank you, Father. Seems you have handled the Rogues' leader,"
Reed muttered, running a hand through his hair as he glanced at Alpha Jonathan's blood stained hands that he calmly folded behind his back.
"Yes. He wasn't very smart, coming after Jonathan with only two men...Of course, I would have helped but my friend here got a little too excited and finished them all up,"
Darren muttered with a shrug, chuckling at Jonathan's exasperated look as I smiled at his words.
It was a little hard taking him seriously when he was being his usual playful self.
"Reed, Alexandra...Thank you, for assisting my pack and taking part in the ambush. I am sure there are very many better places you could have been on this cold, autumn night,"
Alpha Jonathan said, a small smile on his lips.
"Its no problem at all. We were glad to be of assistance...And please, call me Alex,"
I ignored Father and son's amused chuckles as Alpha Jonathan watched on.
"Well then, Alex, thank you once again. My men were particularly impressed by your skills. It seems the famed fighting prowess of your pack is indeed true,"
He raised a brow, curiosity deep in his eyes as well as a kind of awe.
Reed and Alpha Darren glanced at each other, the former with a mischievous smirk as he rolled his eyes at me, the latter brandishing a simple, knowing smile.
"Word gets around fast,"
I muttered, tucking a lose strand of my hair behind my ear as I glanced at the activity going around. The women and children were being escorted back to their homes from the safe house by some of the warriors while the others took the rest of the Rogues to the cells.
They were returning Everything to normal as best they could.
Their dedication to their pack was quite the sight indeed.
"You flatter us, Jonathan. Now, we'll be on our way,"
Alpha Darren stated, signaling our cue to leave as we flanked him on both sides. One of our pack warriors handed Reed a shirt, coat and pair of shoes which he put on immediately before straightening up beside his Alpha.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Alpha Jonathan. Should you need anything else, we are always here to help. Allies, right?"
Reed stated, extending his hand which the man shook firmly as Darren looked on with a small, proud smile. Jonathan nodded, clearly impressed by Reed's professionalism.
"He will be one incredible Alpha, my friend. And she has taken after Beta Avarn in every way...Pass my regards to your father, will you dear?"
He kissed my hand chastely whilst I nodded and granted him a soft smile.
"Of course, Alpha Jonathan. I am sure he will be more than pleased to receive your greetings. If you'll excuse us,"
I replied, following Reed as he bid the few warriors we had gotten to know during our stay goodbye.
"You sure you haven't found your mate among our ranks? I was kind of hoping it would be me, honestly. I mean, who wouldn't want such a dazzling woman as theirs? Amazing in every way, the best damn fighter I have seen in a very long time and a Beta's daughter at that...I know I'm not your mate but goddamn, Alex. Just one kiss?"
Brynn, Alpha Jonathan's son commented with a charming grin, one I knew had most of the girls within his pack eating out of his hand.
He was handsome, yes and he had, indeed, inherited his father's own appealing features but he was definitely not my type.
"Sorry, Brynn. Not going to happen. Save that privilege for your mate, alright? I am sure she will swoon at them,"
I replied with a wink, earning a number of chuckles from his men.
Reed chuckled as he leaned against our car, clearly as amused as ever by my interaction with the Black Water pack's future Alpha.
Brynn shrugged, no hard feelings earned from my comment as he leaned forward for a friendly hug.
"It was worth a shot. Don't be strangers, though. Visit whenever you want to. You are always welcome, Alex,"
Brynn stated, meaning his words as he pulled back from our goodbye hug. I smiled, glad to have made a new friend.
"Hey! Am I not welcome?!"
Reed exclaimed, feigning hurt. Brynn shrugged, a teasing grin on his lips that turned to a full blown laugh once my best friend flipped him off.
"Goodbye, boys!"
I declared, earning myself enthusiastic waves from the group who stood in place even after we followed Alpha Darren's direction and got into our own car.
"You don't even like attention yet you get all of it,"
Reed muttered for the umpteenth time as I strapped into my sleek, black Nissan GTR that was part of the security detail for our Alpha's safety.
"Oh, stop whining already. You got all the attention you needed yesterday what with how those girls were fawning over you. Don't think I didn't notice the hour and a half you went missing,"
I held eye contact, noting the spark of mischief in his emerald green eyes and the developing cocky smirk that graced his lips.
"You are unbelievable,"
I rolled my eyes at him before bringing the GTR to life as the cars ahead also began to move out.
The Chevrolet SUV carrying Alpha Darren was right ahead of me while another black Range Rover took its position in front of it.
Whereas we guarded the Alpha from the road, the rest of the warriors shifted and took off towards home ahead of us to ensure everything was safe for him.
That was the price of being as prestigious an Alpha as Alpha Darren was.
Although he really didn't need all that security what with his own famed skills, procedures were procedures.
"In my defense, I wasn't looking to do it. She offered and who am I to disappoint such a gracious offer, especially from our hosts. We wouldn't want to leave a bad reputation behind now would we?"
Reed stuck with the conversation, chuckling as I growled at him whilst putting the car into gear and taking off towards our home.
"Shut up, Reed. I don't need details about your exploits. I swear, when you do find your mate, and you will soon, she is going to skin you alive...I know I would,"
I muttered the last part but due to Werewolf hearing, he heard it too and flashed me the widest, shit eating grin I've seen on him in a while.
Bloody hell. This isn't good...He's up to some shit...
"And I shall thank the Moon goddess for my life which you would have definitely taken away from me were you my mate...Though, you know, I wouldn't have minded our little pups speaking in that sexy British accent you've got going on, Alex... I have fantasized about us before."
Reed mused, tucking a lose strand of my hair behind my ear as I slapped his hand away, growling threateningly at him.
Damn him for using his moves on me.
I knew he was messing with me. We had been friends since we were kids, after all. We both knew well enough that we could not be together like that.
But by the goddess, I sometimes gave into the teasing and allowed myself to muse about what it would really be like being beside him like that...
"I'd rather die a spinster than have pups with you, Reed. Nasty bastard,"
Liar.
He laughed at this, planting a quick and unexpected kiss on my cheek as he always did whenever he annoyed me or had fun at my expense, as if I'd feel better...
Of which you sometimes do... The lines always blur somewhat when you're with him...
I refused to entertain the dangerous thoughts, instead channeling my frustration towards glaring at him.
"Hey. Eyes on the road or I'll have to drive,"
He grinned cockily, knowing I would never let him near my baby.
Ever.
No one had the right to touch my GTR without my consent.
The moon goddess knew how bloody long I had saved up for it.
My dream car.
Having Reed touch it would be a direct abuse towards all my common sense considering how bad a driver he was.
"Never in a million years, Bassie,"
I chuckled at his growl, enjoying the use of his nickname that he hated above anything else.
Payback felt good.
The trees rolled past, the street lights illuminating our road back home although the sun would be out soon.
I could literally feel my body buzzing in excitement, ready to return to its comfort zone.
To be home once more.
I can't bloody wait to see you, Father...
***