They next afternoon Maggie sat on the front porch of the cabin. With a cup of camomile tea. It wasn't nearly as strong as her lavender tea would be but it would have to do.

Alpha Bob and his trackers sniffed all over the place. Maggie had to make sure the spilled wolfsbane was covered up with dirt lest they should smell it.

The trackers followed the scent until they hit a stream at which point the trail went dead. Alpha Bob offered to have a few patrols run by over the next few days but Maggie declined because one, she knew Alpha Bob was spread thin already with the gathering and two, if her wolf woke up she would not tolerate any other wolf near her. 

She was in a bind. It would take a week at least to get a new supply of wolfsbane. She would have to just hold up until then. Poor Patrick would have to deal with the tavern. She would have to give him a raise when it was all done. Poor guy.

Maggie had been on edge all day. Her wolf wasn't fully awake yet but Maggie could feel her twitching in the back of her mind restless to wake. She needed more supplies. She hadn't planned to be gone this long. Maybe she could ask Candace to do another grocery run for her after the gathering. She already knew from years ago that her wolf wouldn't harm her.

She was contemplating the dilemma when the wind shifted and her nose caught a scent of someone. At the sniff she perked up and growled low and threatening. Someone was near and that someone was a male.

Her wolf was awake now but acting sluggish with the last dregs of wolfsbane still in her system. She was waking up faster than Maggie's remembered from the last time. Probably because of the full moon.

Maggie scanned the woods around the cabin to make sure there was no threat. After a few moments the scent began to fade and Maggie knew she was alone again. The question was, for how long.

.....

Faolan was in his room after the evening meal. He had already changed for the evening into a pair of baseball shorts not bothering with a shirt.

Tonight was the official beginning of the gathering with the mating run. Every single wolf at the gathering would want to attend in the hopes of finding their mate. If your mate happened to be in another pack this was one of the few instances where you could run into them, so the mating run was always an important run.

This would be Faolan's fourth run. He went to his first one at 18. It's not uncommon for males to not find their mate the first time but usually by the second or third they are happily paired off. Woman on the other hand are rare not to be paired off their first run and if not, are guaranteed to find their mate on the second.

Faolan was contemplating suffering through another run when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he called. Max his Gamma walked into his room. Theo was usually more serious than Faolan but he at least would relax in private. Max on the other hand was all business. He had his hair prim and proper like a Mormon missionary but his face was stone cold. His seriousness made him efficient which Faolan needed sometimes.

"Max."
"Alpha."
"Do you have a report?" If he was here, Faolan knew he must have something.

"Yes sir. Alpha Bob went to a cabin on the edge of his pack land. It was reported that the cabin was broken into. The place was a mess." Max stood straight as a soldier while he droned out his report.

"Was anyone there at the time of the break in?"

"There was a woman there. She was hiking during the break in. Nothing seemed to be missing." Must of been Maggie. Though Faolan didn't know why she would be at Alpha Bob's Cabin.

"Was the woman alright?"

"Yes sir. She seemed more pissed than anything." Seemed about right. With how Maggie's seemed to take care of herself at the tavern Faolan doubted she would let a simple break in get to her.

"Very well Max. That is all." Faolan turned to return to his paper work but Max stood even after the dismissal. "Was there something else?"

"Just a small one sir. I went back to the cabin earlier today after everything had settled down. The woman was still there and I smelled another wolf."

"Was it one of Alpha  Bob's pack members?" Faolan inquired.

"No sir, but it was definitely male and high ranking. I would say at least a beta."

That was alarming. He wanted to address this more but the matter would have to wait. He had official business tonight.

"Thank you Max. We'll look more into this in the morning. In the mean time we should head out." Max nodded in understanding.

....

They were all restless. Some fidgeted and paced while others almost seemed like they were vibrating with anticipation. Tonight held a lot of promise for them.

At Faolan's arrival everyone stood still facing him. It was always tradition for the Alpha King to lead the mating run but Faolan would also be participating. The men eyed him in competition while the woman eyed him in lust. There were a lot of females who would love to be by his side but he was only interested in one female. The one the moon goddess had made for him.

"For those of you who are running for the first time step forward," Faolan called out. About a third of the group stepped closer to him. He looked at them all in the eye before starting again.

"I'm sure you know already how tonight will go but just to be sure I want you to listen. The women will go into the woods first and shift. On my mark I will lead the men into the woods. After we shift I will announce the start of the run. You are then free to search the woods for your mate. Once you find your mate you will mark them and return here. Any questions?"

A few of the people in front of him nodded but they all remained silent.

"Alright then women can go on ahead. We'll give you about 20 minutes before we follow."

The woman cautiously turned and walked into the woods. Faolan watched as they went. Most would not come back alone.

Once the women were all out of sight Faolan turned to the men once again. He had one more thing he wanted address with them.

"Alright listen here." The men all looked at him. "It is not enough for you to find your mate. Your mate must also accept you. If your mate doesn't accept you then they are not your mate. Understood?"

Some of the men looked at him confused. Those weren't the ones he was worried about, but one young man to his left shouted a question.

"Forgive me Alpha. Why would someone not accept their fated mate?" It was an honest question. it deserved an honest reply.

"The moon goddess decides who our fated mate is but she does not take away our choice. One can choose not to be with their fated mate and if that choice is made that choice is to be respected. If I find that any she wolf has a mating mark forced on her I will break the bond."

A forced mating almost never happened but as men grew older without a mate he knew that sometimes they grew desperate. Desperation was no excuse for doing something so abominable.

Another young man on his right spoke up this time.

"Alpha.. uh sir? I thought the only way to break a mating bond was for one of the mates to die. Is there another way?"

Faolan turned to the man his face deadpan as he gave his answer.

"No. That is the only way." He let the weight and meaning of that statement sink in.

"Alright go a head and shift. We will depart in a few minutes."

....

Maggie tried to distract herself from the constant gnawing her wolf was having inside her head. She tried read her books but not even Agatha Christie could hold her attention. She read the same page three times before she threw it across the room. Then she tried watching videos on her phone. That was worse. So here she was staring into the fire with a cup of tea in her hand. This was going to be a long night.

A single howl sounded out somewhere in the woods. Maggie's wolf froze, her hackles rising. Easy girl, she thought. She knew tonight was the mating run and the woods would be filled with hopeful young wolves looking for their mate. They would not bother her being so close to the edge of the pack land.

After the first howl a chorus of howls rose into the air of lonely wolves all calling out in hopes of finding their mate. Each howl drummed in Maggie's head. Taunts that reminded her of what she had lost.

After 30 minutes of the constant howling her wolf couldn't take it anymore. Maggie was up and out the front door before she realized what was happening. She was finally able to wrestle control back from her wolf before they had entered the woods. Ear plugs. She should put on some ear plugs. The howls wouldn't bother her if she couldn't bother her if she didn't hear them.

She turned back towards the cabin and had stepped back on to the porch when her nose caught scent of something and her wolf turned towards the scent with a growl.

Out of the woods a walked out the bald man from the shops. He looked at Maggie with a knowing snear.

"Hello Riona," he said in a deep confident voice.

"Baron," her wolf growled back.