As Joseph approached the pack's border, he could see a group of wolves waiting for him. He recognised some of them as members of the pack he was about to enter. He could feel their eyes on him, watching him closely. But he didn't falter. He walked up to them with confidence, and introduced himself.
"I'm Alpha Joseph," he said. "I'm here to see Elena."
The border guards didn't give any hint of what they thought or felt and Joseph was impressed by their loyalty and discretion. They immediately called Robin over. Joseph felt a sense of relief that he was finally getting closer to finding Elena.
"Joseph, what brings you to our borders?" Robin asked as he approached Joseph.
"I'm looking for Elena," Joseph replied. "I need to find her."
"Why?" Robin asked, his eyes narrowing.
"It's personal," Joseph said, trying to keep his tone even. "I just need to speak with her."
Robin crossed his arms and looked at Joseph skeptically. "I don't know if I should trust you," he said. "What business do you have with her?"
Joseph hesitated for a moment before answering. "I believe she may be my mate," he said quietly. "I just need to talk to her and see if it's true."
Robin's expression softened slightly, and he nodded. "I see," he said. "Well, I can tell you that Elena is no longer here. She left to see the council."
Joseph's heart sank. He had missed her again. "Do you know why she went to the council?" he asked.
"She's looking for information about her family," Robin said. "Apparently, she's trying to uncover some kind of mystery."
Joseph's mind raced. He knew that Elena had been searching for answers, but he didn't know why. "I need to find her," he said urgently.
"I understand," Robin said, placing a hand on Joseph's shoulder. "But she left a while ago. You might not be able to catch up to her."
Joseph nodded, feeling defeated. He turned to leave, feeling like he had missed his chance once again. A mix of frustration and admiration for Elena's determination filled his heart. "Thank you for letting me know, Robin. If you hear anything, please let me know."
"Of course," Robin said, placing a reassuring hand on Joseph's shoulder. "We'll keep an ear to the ground."
Joseph thanked Robin before turning back to his pack's territory. He couldn't help but feel a sense of defeat. He had been so close, yet still so far away from finding his mate.
***
As Joseph left Robin's pack, he was filled with a sense of determination. He knew that he needed to catch up with Elena and find her before anyone else did. He had a feeling that she was in trouble, and he couldn't let her face it alone.
Without wasting any more time, Joseph stormed off towards the council. He knew that it was going to be a long journey, but he didn't care. He was willing to risk everything to find her.
As he drove, his thoughts drifted to Elena. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He had never felt this way before. He felt like he had finally found his soulmate, and he wasn't going to let her slip away.
***
Joseph was driving at breakneck speed towards the Council, his mind consumed with thoughts of Elena. As he was lost in his own thoughts, his phone rang, and he saw it was his pack cook calling.
Joseph: "Hey, what's up?"
Cook: "Alpha, you need to come back to the pack immediately! immediately!" He shouted almost crying at the same time.
Joseph: "What happened?!" asked concerned
Cook: "All the high-ranking wolves and their mates are sick, and we have no idea what's happening. I am not the best person to be making this sort of assumptions, because I know about leeks ant potatoes and sausages and not this sort of thing... " the cook was rumbling until he shouted "but I think we are under attack!!!"
Joseph: "What do you mean? Who is attacking?"
Cook: "I don't know Alpha! As I said I know about ham and roast beef, and not about patches of white blisters that make you crazy..." he rubbled on
Joseph: "What? How did that happen? Are they okay?How bad is it?"
Cook: "I don't know, but they're all in quarantine, and I'm the highest-ranking person here, and I can't cook and can't handle this! You need to come back now Alpha or there will be no dinner today! And nobody wants that, how could a big pack as our go without a decent dinner! This can not be happening! I cant handle this! I think this is the end of our pack... This is some sort of vicious attack!!! "
Joseph: "Okay, I'm turning around now. Keep me updated."
Cook: "It's bad, Joseph. We've got a lot of sick wolves here, and we don't know what's causing it. And dinner tonight is a disaster. I tried to cook, but I can't concentrate under this conditions! The soup tastes like burnt rubber!"
Joseph couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Just try to keep everyone calm and make sure they're comfortable. And maybe order some takeout for dinner."
Cook: "Takeout? But what about our pride in our cooking? What about the tradition of the pack meal?" the cook protested.
Joseph:"We can worry about that later. Right now, we need to focus on taking care of our pack. And if that means ordering some pizza, so be it."
Cook sighed. "Alright, Joseph. I'll order some pizza. But we're going to have to come up with a better plan for tomorrow."
Joseph:"I'll be there soon. Just hold down the fort until I get there."
As Joseph hung up, he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of his cook running the pack. He knew the cook was loyal, but he was never good at handling emergencies.
Joseph couldn't help but shake his head. He never thought he'd hear the day when his pack cook would protest about ordering takeout. But he knew he had to act fast to take care of his pack, even if it meant putting his search for Elena on hold.