Alex's Point of View

  The sound of numerous sets of tires is what finally jolted me awake. I hadn't expected to sleep for as long as I did, but was very relieved that no one had bothered me all curled up in the trunk. I went to sit up and pushed a heavy jacket off my shoulders in the process. It was a big leather jacket that definitely wasn't mine, but I had no idea which man's it could of been. My best guess was that it was Tristan's since we were using his jeep, but that didn't explain who had laid it across me while I slept.

   I crawled out with a yawn, closing the hatch just as the first of the vehicles pulled in beside us. Six cars--each carrying at least four men--crowded the small campsite that we were in. Several of them had to park further away so that there was still room for all of them to stand as they piled out of them. It was hushed tones and whispers as everyone gathered around the fire pit that was spitting up remnants of last night's ashes.

   I leaned against Tristan's jeep so I could be out of the way of the conversation. It was better that I was just a fly on the wall so they would all just focus on the task at hand instead of berating Rayne as to why I was even here. I wasn't the youngest person in attendance, but I definitely was the only woman.

   Tristan stood up and everyone hushed their murmurings. He looked like he had been dragged through hell and back, but his eyes were angry and determined above the dark circles that had formed. "We believe that the Redwood pack has retreated to this area after last winter's attack. They're probably scattered across a few estates in these woods, but we do believe they are still operating as a single pack. First and foremost, this is a rescue mission to recover a member of our community."

   I was expecting at least a few outbursts of disagreement from some of the men, but it seemed like no one wanted to dare cross Tristan. They didn't want to risk getting their throat ripped out. The campsite was silent as we all waited for what he would say next.

   "And second of all, this is retaliation for the damage they caused us."

   A chorus of cheers and growls responded as everyone could agree on this point. Pack's were extremely territorial and for the attack last year to go unanswered was unheard of. Redwood needed to pay in blood for the treason they committed against us and there was no other pack in the country that would deny us this retribution.

   Rayne stepped up to his brother, putting a hand on his shoulder in support, "Now, we are going to be splitting up into perimeter patrols to get a layout of their compound."

   I could see Wes behind the brothers, arms crossed and staring at the ground in contemplation. My guess is he had heard exactly what the plan was a million times last night and didn't need to pay attention for the announcement. I felt partially guilty for falling asleep instead of pitching in, but at least now I didn't look like a dead man walking. Anger would keep everyone energized for the ambush, but I wanted all my senses to be at their best.

   As if he could feel my eyes on him out of everyone else, Wes looked up and directly at me. His gaze didn't give anything away, but I had a bad feeling that they were going to give me restrictions on what I would be able to help with. I glared back and stood my ground before my attention was pulled back to Rayne as he continued.

   "If we're able to get the full picture on the best plan of attack, tonight we will have our payback."

  The place was a blur after that, men were every which way, falling into the patrols they were normally assigned to and being addressed by either Wes, Tristan, or Rayne. I looked around to see if I could fit myself in anywhere, but I highly doubted I would be able to sneak into a patrol without everyone in the unit knowing. There was no way that Wes would allow me to assist in the patrol this time, he had only been lenient with the initial search and our four man group because there had been no other choice. But here I had no advantage on my side, and I knew that he would pull the inexperienced card if I tried to worm my way into any search party.

   Subtly pushing myself away from the jeep, I made my way around it to the side where no one was rushing around. I wasn't going to let myself be stuck watching camp or being babysat so they could keep track of my every move. I may not be a fully fledged adult, but I certainly wasn't useless.

   All the commotion gave me the perfect cover to sneak into the woods of the opposite direction, but I still carefully watched my steps so that I wouldn't prick the hearing of every man in the camp. I peeled off my sneakers and socks so that I could continue barefoot, like I was used to traveling in the wild. I would be quieter and swifter without them between me and the forrest floor. The rest of my clothes would have to wait until I was far enough that when I switched to my wolf form no one would immediately know where I was.

   No one being my Alpha, Beta, or possible mate.

   It was early morning, dew clung to the leaves on the trees and grass as the sun slowly rose in the sky. The air was clean and crisp, vacant of any obvious signs that there was an entire pack of enemies somewhere nearby. Hopefully we weren't terribly wrong, and the Redwoods really lay somewhere in the acres around us.

   Swiftly and silently, I walked further away from the campground. Luckily, no one had even noticed my disappearance yet so I estimated I had would have at least twenty minutes of a head start before they bothered to worry. And finding me after that would be easier said than done. When I was a kid, I was the always the winner of predators and prey--no one was ever able to catch my trail.

  It also was calming to be away from all the testosterone and be able to clear my head. My focus today was to find which house they would be keeping Sam in, and then figure out a way to infiltrate it. We only had a troop of around thirty men, which wouldn't stand a chance against their whole pack if we weren't stealthy about our attack. The best plan would be to take out their Alpha and save Sam, it would simultaneously cripple them and remove whatever leverage they might have by having her as captive.

  Now that I was far enough away to not attract attention from my footfalls, I increased my pace into a gentle jog. I had looked over my father's shoulder enough to know how to read a map and judge distances, the map we were using yesterday suggested there was about a mile and a half between our campground and any grounds available for private ownership. The Redwoods wouldn't have had time to integrate themselves enough into the area to be able to settle on nationally protected forests, so they would have had to purchase privately. That meant I would have to cover some ground fairly quickly before I could get to a spot where I would have to start watching out for signs. 

  The running was therapeutic, a rhythm that I knew well from both growing up and when I had been doing training with Wes and Sam. This forest wasn't any different than the one I grew up surrounded by, so it was second nature to easily navigate around obstacles. Hopping over fallen branches and ducking under leaves, all while zig zagging around the massive trees. I might not have had pray I was chasing, but this is what wolves were meant for.

  The ground started to have a decline, each step slightly lower than the rest. I slowed, feeling the anticipation of a steeper drop. I had to be coming nearer to the ravine that lead into the creek cutting through this land. I stopped a few trees short of that drop off—it was not as steep as expected, but definitely enough of an angle that if I had still be running I would have skidded down the entirety of it.

  Our prediction was that the pack was split up into sections along the creek. Giving them access to one another but not having everyone in one area. I almost started to go down the hill to get a closer look when I realized how easy it was to see most of the things below me.

  Wouldn't being highly visible be a liability if they were trying to keep hidden? If they were down in the ravine section then they would be perfectly placed for ambush because they would have no way of escaping; they could easily be surrounded.

  I gazed around my level of the forest, seeing how it curved along the flow of the waterway, but didn't abide directly to it. Being up at this height would give them both the easy access and the vanity point to see anyone coming from below. At the very least the Pack house had to be along this ridge.

  I was so busy thinking that I almost didn't hear the treading a good distance behind me. My head cocked to the side slightly as I heard the distinct footsteps of a person attempting to be stealthy. Shit. If that was one of their patrols I was as good as dead. Quickly assessing my surroundings, I grabbed at the nearest low hanging branch and pulled myself up. I scrambled up the tree as quietly as I could but once I got to a good height, I glanced down to check quickly before pushing off and jumping to the next tree over. My previous one would have been an obvious hiding place considering how easy it was to climb, but the tree I hopped over to would look hard to reach for. If they thought they had me cornered, they would assume I would go for the easiest option. I flattened myself into the curve of the trunk and tried to focus my hearing.

  The footsteps suggested a man, they weren't light enough to be anyone smaller. They were nearly below me before I could finally see them through the canopy of leaves.

  It didn't take more than two seconds to recognize the hair as Wes. Though I had to admit I don't think I had ever seen him from such an angle before.

  I know he had heard me because he looked around where I had been standing moments previous. However, he never considered looking up because he continued slightly onward.

  Did I want to blow my solitary search? He obviously knew more than I did about defense and attack strategies, but I didn't know if I wanted to risk being berated and restricted.

  I had just made up my mind to stay silent when he finally caught on and leaned against the very tree I was standing twenty feet up in.

  "I'm not a coonhound. But you have positioned yourself as a very easy target to get shot," he drawled without looking up.

  I groaned inwardly before silently climbing down. I dropped from the last branch to land right next to him. He didn't even spare a glance away from the ravine when I came up from the landing crouch.

  "I don't think they're going to have any important houses down there." I said calmly, desperately trying to act chill that he had found me so easily. I was getting rusty.

  "You're probably right," he muttered, "the main house is likely along the edge for a multi-directional escape route."

  There was barely a sound around us besides the normal noises of forest creatures, "You didn't come in a search party?"

  Finally Wes looked down at me, a hard stare that had me clenching my jaw. "I didn't want to waste anyone else's time looking for you."

  My fists clenched and unclenched, but I just looked back out to the ravine, choosing not to respond to his reprimand. I needed to resolve myself to not being as confrontational or else we would always be in constant arguments with one another.

  Which wouldn't do Sam any good.

  "And I work better in smaller groups," he sighed, "there's too many opinions about what we should be doing today. I don't have the patience to listen to them all."

  No, he definitely didn't. I spared another glance and him but chose again not to voice my opinion. He was being less abrasive than usual, but he could have just been wanting to focus on our mission as much as I did. There was a small chance that maybe he didn't plan on being as controlling over my actions as I originally planned. But nevertheless I was glad I had broken away from the groups because I also worked better when not surrounded by a surplus of over-opinionated men.

  "Should we follow the ridge to see if we can locate the first of the houses?" I asked with a roll of my shoulders. I was torn between wanting to continue on in wolf form and risk being more easily detected by the enemy, or being less stealthy and staying in human form.

  "That's not the worst of plans," he said from just behind my peripheral vision. I could feel his gaze on me like a heat lamp, but I couldn't place the feeling it brought up in me.

  Clearing my throat I took another step forward—away from him. "Okay then, let's not waste any time."

  He took the lead without conflict as we made our ways along the ridge. The sun had arched further across the sky, baking us in the muggy heat. I would have much preferred the chill of winter, but we had to work in the conditions we were given. I wanted to shift but since Wes was continuing to walk on two legs I figured it was for a reason.

  I looked ahead of us, the dense foliage making it hard to see along the ridge further than a quarter mile. That meant we were going to need to be aware of every step in case someone from Redwood was in the area and become aware that we were there.

  This was going to be a long day.