It has been two years since my sons were born. When I went to wake them up, I noticed their little beds were empty. I could feel myself panic, but I decided I would check outside. Maybe they are with their father. I thought as I walked down the stairs. When I got downstairs, I noticed Jonathan sitting on the couch without my sons.
"Where are my pups?" I asked when he looked up from the book he was reading.
"They are outside with Sandra and my mom," Jonathan said before he looked at me strangely. "Um. You're not going outside like that. There are male wolves out there and I don't want any of them seeing my mate like that." Jonathan said after a moment. I looked down and saw I was still in my nightgown.
"You told me my pups are with someone who would rather see me hurt. What a great way to hurt me by allowing my pups to get injured," I said. I didn't care that I was in my pajamas or that Jonathan was going all possessive of me.
"Sophia, do you think my mom would allow them to get hurt? They have her wrapped around their tiny fingers. Look, Sophia, I would not let her near them if there was not someone I could trust to watch them. They are my pups too, and I love them just as much as you." Jonathan said as he stood up and walked toward me. He turned me toward the stairs and gently pushed me up them. "Now I don't want anyone else seeing what is mine. Quickly, get dressed and then you can check on our pups."
I rushed upstairs and quickly got dressed. I knew Anya would try to protect my pups, but she was also too nice of a woman to go up against a member of her pack. I didn't truly know what she would do to protect her grandchildren. As I headed downstairs, I heard yelling coming from outside. It sounded like Sandra. I also heard Little Max yell. He was trying to tell someone they weren't welcome in his pack. I thought maybe he was simply playing with Raphael, his brother.
"Alpha, we have a rogue," Lia said through the pack link. She must have mind-linked Jonathan as he jumped up and shifted into his wolf in one swift move. I rushed out with Jonathan's wolf, Lance, right behind me. Jimmi had a rogue pushed up against his cottage he shared with Lia. Raphael was crying on Sandra's shoulder as she rubbed his back while Little Max was being held by his aunt Ashleigh.
"What happened?" I asked Sandra. I still didn't trust her. She was, however, comforting my pup like a mother would her child.
"They were playing. I had my eye on Max and then I heard Raphael screaming and, before I could react, Jimmi and Brent ran to him. That scum of a rogue had a knife to him." Sandra said with a growl as she handed my smallest pup to me.
"What makes you think you have any right to harm my son?" Jonathan said after he shifted back to his human form. He didn't even bother covering any part of him up.
"I am just carrying out orders from my alpha." The rogue said.
"And who is your alpha?" Brent said as he stood next to his son.
"Joseph Greggor." He said, causing my heart to pound. He was trying to hurt me by harming my son. I pulled Raphael closer to me and stood in between the rogue and Little Max.
"Dad, take him to 1A. Jimmi, go with him." Jonathan said. 1A was a cell in our finished pack jail. Since we first moved to this territory, we have built a hospital that is still being added to accommodate a growing pack. Our dining hall can fit over three hundred wolves at one time. We built our pack jail both underground and above ground. There are three stories. 1A is like solitary confinement.
I couldn't believe that scum was still angry at me after two years. I figured by now he would have moved on. Maybe he has found his true mate somewhere. As I stood there, I could have felt my heart threatening to burst from my chest.
"Alpha, take them inside before you fall," Sandra said as she placed her hand on my back. I did as she spoke. Sandra followed me. "Do you need anything before I help with today's lunch?"
"Yeah, can you tell Brent to get info on where Joseph Greggor is?" I said although I wasn't sure she would do as I said.
"Are you going to send Maximus after him?" Sandra said after she looked at Raphael.
"If he is close. I know he will bring that scum to me." I said. I didn't know if I should trust her. "Why are you smiling?" I asked.
"I like Maximus. He is kind and he smells wonderful. Like lilacs and strawberries." Sandra said, suddenly getting me to think.
"Maybe he is your mate," I said and she smiled even bigger.
"Maybe. But you would think if he was then he would know." Sandra said as she looked down. I could tell she was sad. I remember that Sandra only bullied me when she was with Rosa and Linda. Other times she would smile and seem happy unless she was with them.
"Why is it when you were around your friends you seemed unhappy?" I blurted out. Sandra lifted her shirt, revealing a scar.
"This was just a sample of Rosa thinking she should have anything she wanted. Before that, I was naive and wanted to be kind to everyone. Sophia, I wasn't born in the same pack as you. I was born in Seattle. If I had met you first, we would have been friends instead. I was the underdog in my birth pack. Both of my parents died during a battle with a pack in Canada. I always made friends with those that had none. Rosa hooked her claws into me. Literally, as you can see. She told me that if I didn't do what she wanted I would get hurt worse than this. I was terrified. This happened when I was fourteen and she was sixteen." Sandra said as a tear fell down her face. I felt bad for her. She was a year younger than I was.