Mitchell and Markian had been anticipating Alisha's arrival since the moment she left with Luna Melody and the rest of the ladies. They had not wanted her to leave without them but they knew that Luna Melody wanted to get her something and they wanted to enjoy her time with their mother. Alpha Xander had also called for a meeting and it was impossible for them to not go. The young Alphas resigned to their fate and bade the giggling ladies farewell.
Before the ladies left, the Alphas called on their elite guards. These were seasoned warrior with exceptional capabilities. Each one trained in the art of defence and as cunning as a wily fox. Markian and Mitchell would lay their lives down for any one of these men and so would they."So who is on guard duty today?"Markian asked.
"Oh no! The Lunas are going shopping? No please Alpha! Send me to patrol the entire perimeter of our lands...anything!Just not shopping" begged Grayson, Markian's Beta who had just got back from his assignment protecting the Alpha and Luna as they visited the pack in the North. Markian smiled evilly at him and brought out six straws."We were nearly going to sit you out, Grayson, but we know how Luna Melody loves to have you with her while she is shopping....So you straw is still here!!" guffawed Mitchell teasing Grayson mercilessly. Luna Melody had been trying her level best to make Grayson fall for her best friend's daughter. They were mates but Grayson had refused to accept her as he wanted to focus on being a Beta first. Luna Melody had been on his case for the last one month. Ever since the time, he found out that Primrose was his mate! If only Luna Melody had NOT seen him kissing Primrose that day! He had told the Luna that he didn't want a mate but his wolf refused to allow him to reject Primrose YET. Grayson stepped forward with a quick prayer to the Moon Goddess he pulled a straw from Markian's first."A long straw! Yes! Thank you Goddess" he shouted with glee punching his fist into the air.
The next wolf to come forward was Reagan. She was one of the two women in the elite squad. She was a demolitions expert. Many people underestimated her because she was a tiny wolf. Many wolves had died taking her on, as she was a crack shot as well as a bomb expert."You pansies! It's only shopping, you know! Not some high-level rescue mission! Oh yes...Bye suckers!" she shouted as she too, pulled at a long straw.
Samuel, Mitchell's Beta came next. He strut confidently up to Markian's outstretched fist." Well! I am not going! I have a date with Debra and I.....feel lucky" he said as he slowly pulled the straw out off Markian first. His eyes grew wide as the straw ended just as soon as he started pulling." No!No!Not me! Markian...Come on!" he moaned as he realised that he was the "lucky" one who would be on babysitting duty today.
The other three members of the Starfall elite squad rolled on the ground laughing hysterically as they didn't have to accompany the Luna on her shopping trip. Luna Melody's shopping trips were well known throughout the pack as being long and eventful as she sometimes made her guards wear the clothes to see "how they fit on someone". Luna Melody also had the tendency to disappear into another shop just for a second while her guards were changing their outfits for her. This behaviour frightened all her guards, and that is why they were all reluctant to follow her on her shopping trips. They were all so happy that Samuel got stuck with babysitting the Luna rather than themselves.
Markian saw the disappointment in Samuel's eyes when he realised that he would not be able to spend time with his mate, Debra since he was on guard duty.
"Would you like to take Debra with you? I am sure there will be lots of place in the SUV" he asked, knowing full well that Luna Melody would be thrilled to have another wolf to shop for...Uhm! To shop with!!
"Really? I am sure Debra will love it. She has been going on and on about Luna Melody's dresses. Thanks, Mark! I think I will bring her along" Samuel said gratefully. He ran back to his house to tell Debra that they were going to go shopping with the Lunas today.
As Markian and Mitchell said goodbye to their mother, they saw that she had decided to take Alison with her. They laughed imagining what Samuel was going to do when he realised that he not only had Luna Melody but Alison, the pack's diva shopper. They knew that Samuel's fate was as good as sealed with BOTH of them together.
"Enjoy shopping Samuel!Good luck trying clothes on! We are going to miss you" mind linked the elite squad members as Samuel passed them. Samuel childishly stuck his tongue out and flipped them off as he drove through the gates of Starfall.
Marian and Mitchell turned back and walked into the packhouse, going straight to the office, where Alpha Xander was waiting for them to start his meeting.
They had been in discussions for many hours and decided to break for lunch. Mitchell groaned as he stretched, feeling his bones adjust to the pull of his muscles."Wait till you get your pups, son! Nothing ages you like running after a toddler. Isn't that right, Ben?" teased Alpha Xander looking at Ben, his Beta, who's wife had delivered his fourth baby boy three years ago. Ben laughed, as he ruefully agreed with his Alpha.
The group were sitting down at the dining room when Luna Melody mindlinked Alpha Xander to tell him that they were on the way home. She said that there had been a disturbance of some sort while they were shopping so they decided to cut short their trip and come home. She promised that they would discuss it in more detail when they got home. Alpha Xander reassured Mitchell and Markian that the women were well and they were on the way home.
Another hour passed uneventfully as the young Alphas sat in the library whiling their time away waiting for Alisha to come back. They were playing pool when they suddenly got an urgent link from Samuel."Help Alpha! We are under attack! They are after Luna Alisha. There was a crash. I can't get out of the car. Debra has gone to stop them. Please....Come quickly." he mindlinked the Alphas.
Mitchell threw his cue on the table as he ran out of the library with Markian, close on his heels. As they shifted into their wolves, they mindlinked the elite squadron "Alisha's in trouble. MOVE now!" Six wolves from different directions met the two Alphas at the gate. They raced towards the coordinates that Alpha Markian got from the SUVs GPS. Alpha Xander and the warriors of the pack followed behind with medical supplies and other emergency equipment that they felt was necessary.Doc Anderson rushed to the nearest jeep and jumped in nearly upsetting the entire contents of his bag onto the seat in front. His assistant, Jeremy, jumped into the back crushing the three warriors already sitting there. They smiled tightly, not complaining as one of them clambered to the back making space for him. They knew that they needed as many medical hands as possible for this reconnaissance cum rescue mission
Apollo ran as fast as he could trying to get Heera to answer him. He turned to look at Damon who was running beside him"Can't contact mate! Why isn't mate answering, Damon?!" he mind linked his brother wolf.
Damon howled in despair as he too grew frantic at not being able to contact neither Heera nor Alisha.
Apollo stumbled as he felt his pack link snap signifying someone in their pack had just died."Nooooo!Heera!No!" tears ran down his furry wolf cheek. Apollo whined in grief as the pack link swelled with the feeling of dismay and distress. The duo had just met their mate, surely the Moon Goddess wouldn't have given them Heera only to snatch her away again, would she?
Fury filled Damon's pores." She can't be dead Apollo! I just know it! I don't feel empty like I would if my mate had died. Apollo! Feel it! It's not Heera ! It can't be!"mindlink Damon as he maintained their furious pace towards the site of the crash.
Apollo looked deep into his heart. He realised what Damon said was true. He didn't feel like it was his mate that had died. He remembered that Samuel had said that Debra had gone to help Alisha. Apollo tried to link with Xena, Debra's wolf but felt a subtle change in his feelings.
"Damon!.....Its Xena! We have lost a link with her wolf. I think Xena is the pack member who is dead. I can feel the emptiness when I try linking to her. Samuel is screaming like he is hurting badly as well. He is not calming down enough to tell me why" he mindlinked Damon
By the time they reached the site, darkness had begun to engulf the area."Alpha! The SUV! It's up ahead. Its upside down but I can hear wolves in there. I smell blood Alpha. Lots of blood!" said Grayson as he ran to set up a perimeter around the crash site with two other wolves in the front.
Damon rushed to the SUV jumping high onto the vehicle while Apollo stayed down to investigate the surrounding area
Damon noticed that the door had been pulled out. This had to be done by wolves. He smelt the scent of three different wolves all over the car.
" Samuel? Answer me!Mother!Can you hear me?"Damon mindlinked the people he could smell in the car. He shifted quickly, not bothering that he was naked, and leaned into the SUV.
Reagan ran over to Markian and threw a pair of shorts at him. She lifted the torch in her hand so that she could shine it into the SUV. She gasped to see Allison hanging from the seat with her seatbelt anchoring her. Her face was bloodied and Reagan could see that Allison had many fractures over her face as the facial bones were protruding out of her wounds. She had never seen a motor vehicular crash producing this much of injury to a wolf.
Duncan who finished setting a perimeter with Grayson just now came forward to peer through the cracked windshield. He saw that Samuel was slumped awkwardly over the steering wheel. He realised that the steering wheel had broken and was actually jutting out through his shoulder. He pulled off his shirt to roll in over his fist and punched through the broken windshield. Samuel winced as sharp shards of glass pierced his skin."Samuel!Man!!Thank the Goddess you are alive! Let me clear this area and we will get you out. Just hang in there for me alright"Duncan called out to Samuel as his eyes flickered open. Their dark voids of emptiness nearly brought Duncan to his knees as he grit his teeth and cleared the windshield of splinters
As Markian and Reagan helped Allison get out of the seat, they called out to Luna Melody who was lying crumpled in a ball between the front and middle passenger seat. She winced trying to push herself out."Hold on mum! I will come and get you," said Markian softly as he angled forward and allowed his mother to lean on him.
"They ran us off the road Markian! They kept hitting us till we flipped over the bank. They came after Alisha, Markian! These were Alpha Thomas's men. We have to get her back Markian. We have to get Alisha back!" whispered Luna Melody as she was being pulled out of the crumpled SUV. Her face showed her dismay when Markian refused to answer."Where is Debra? She is dead, isn't she? I felt her link break. Where is she, Markian?" asked Luna Melody.
"Mum! Please....just let us take you to safety first. We will answer everything soon" Markian voiced cracked as he helped his mother climb out of the overturned SUV. She couldn't put weight on her right hip so Markian picked her up, carrying her bridal style, to an area few feet away from the SUV where Doc Anderson had been treating Allison. He put her down gently so that she could hold Allison's hand
Luna Melody cried softly on Markian's shoulder when she saw Allison wince in pain under the administration of Doc Anderson.
"Luna! I tried to hold her but he stepped on my face. I couldn't see, Luna...I am sorry!"Allison cried as she held onto the Luna." No Allison! You tried, my dear...We will get her back...I promise! Now that Markian and Mitchell are here.....Don't worry. You just let the doctor treat you." she said softly in Allison's ear.
Markian turned around to look for Mitchell who was standing in the distance. He was standing by something or someone on the ground. Markian slowly walked towards Mitchell in trepidation.
What he saw made him want to howl in dismay. Debra laid broken on the ground. Her single eye opened widely in sightless horror while the jagged edge of skin flap covered the empty socket, hanging drunkenly over it. Chunks of flesh and fur were missing on her neck and back. Deep excoriations over her arm and back suggested a very violent encounter with her assailant
Mitchell squatted next to Debra and closed her eye whispering a small prayer to the Moon Goddess to protect her soul in the afterlife. He turned to see the trail of blood behind Debra's "She knew she was going to die Markian! She knew it and still, she fought! Protecting Alisha!" Michell's voice cracked with sorrow. He looked towards the SUV and noticed Samuel staring at him." He watched her die Markian. He couldn't save her. Debra was his mate. He watched his mate give her life for his Luna. How will I console him, Markian? She is gone!" he cried tears of sorrow for the loss of a young life. They walked back quickly to where Samuel was lying down watching everyone silently.Doc Anderson had managed to take out the broken piece of steering wheel that had impaled him to the car just now.
Reagan and Micheal found the body of another wolf lying in s pool of blood.His neck gored deeply denoting that his neck wound was the fatal one.He did not smell like a rogue as his body didn't give off a smell of rotten food.Reagan was surprised that the body actually smelt of a wolf in a high command post in a pack.They didn't recognise the scent so they were sure it wasn't any of their neighbouring packs.To threaten the life of a pack's Luna was a good way to sound a call for war.She and Micheal rushed back to the Alphas to report their findings.
Grayson and Daniel were walking around the area looking for more clues when they happen across a bumper left on the road a few meters away from Debra's body. They knew that it must belong to the vehicle that ran the SUV over. The broken bumper was the only evidence that they could find, other than the overturned SUV in the ditch. Grayson called in a favour from a human friend of his who worked in the Department of Motor Vehicles. His friend quickly ran the plates and within a few minutes, he came back with the information that Grayson was waiting for. "We've got him! He will pay for this!"Grayson roared as he raced towards his Alphas, nearing running them down."We got them Alpha! We know who they were and where they took the Luna!"