"Alpha, '' a jarringly loud voice accompanied with a harsh rap on my cherry wood painted oak office door, broke me out of my groggy haze and I set the new paper schedule, Thaddeous brought in for me to review, on the edge of my cherry oak desk. "The northern pack's alpha we're expecting is a few miles out."

"Mmmm, I see. Thank you for informing me." I responded quietly, turning towards the large bay window to the right of my l- shaped desk to admire one of my favorite views, looking out onto my mother's garden. It used to be my favorite place to go as a child. Now it just held those haunting memories so I preferred to look on from afar now.

I heard his defeated footsteps fade away and I decided it was time to take a short break from reviewing the new patrol schedule that my zeta Thaddeous handed me after his shift ended around eleven this morning. So I dropped my head back letting my eyes close so I could picture their faces again, letting the pain and the memories consume my every thought once more. It seemed no matter how much effort I put forth I could not find any information on what happened that night. I slowly slunk down in my office chair, no longer able to sit upright as the pain began to suffocate me. As I slid down I could feel my shirt ride up to my midriff but I chose to ignore the ambient sounds from around me while the cool air brushed my exposed flesh cooling some of the burn that seemed to rise as the pain became too much to bear.. But just as I was slowly beginning to nod off into the darkness that I was so rudely pulled out of by my Tyrus, a harrowing howl broke the peaceful and silent atmosphere of my office.

I opened my eyes in confusion glancing at the clock, it was only four in the afternoon. A frown made its way onto my face if I read the new schedule correctly Stephen wasn't due for a report for at least another hour or two. My heart started to race as the worry wiggled its way in. I was worried about my pack and my warriors, there weren't many who dared to step onto my territory so this must be serious. As I turned towards my door ready to get up and go check on the patrols, it slammed open violently with great force while I was still in the middle of standing up. My head began to throb slightly as my vision blurred slightly as the panicked message forced my link open. 'Alpha, there are rogues on the outskirts of the northern part of our territory. We thought it was a small pack that we could handle on our own but there are so many. They have already managed to break through all four of our front line defenses on this side. We are overwhelmed, we don't have enough warriors on this part of the territory and we are in desperate need of help.' Stephan Russel, my pack's delta, opened up a private link with me, since it was his team out on patrol.

I'm on my way. I will bring a few warriors who haven't been out yet for reinforcements and if once we've assessed the entire situation we need more warriors I will call for Thaddeus. Understood?' I responded promptly before closing the link. I turned to Tyrus who was impatiently waiting in the doorway. I motioned for him to come inside and to shut the door behind him while I pulled my shirt down to cover my midriff again and the ugly scars that made their home there. He quickly walked to my desk and stood on the opposite side of my chair in front of me anxiously waiting for me to speak, clearly curious as to what was going on.

"Rogues have infiltrated the border of the northernmost part of our territory. I'm going to go help get the situation under control. They are overwhelmed with how many have broken through. I need you to gather a few of the warriors that are supposed to go out with the evening patrols. Also will you round up gamma Aisling, I need her to come with me as well. However, leave Felix and Thaddeus to sleep unless I call for more reinforcements which I doubt I will but in any case be prepared to wake them if I call okay ? Also I need you to stay here and greet beta Aiden Ross I believe is who is supposed to show up. I received an email saying Alpha Rhodes is busy dealing with another pack issue." I said calmly, clasping my fingers together thoughtfully.

"Rae, you know I can't let you go out there. What happens if you get overwhelmed or hurt even? Theo would skin me alive man. Besides you have to stay here and greet Beta Ross, it is customary. How about I go and help them? I will take Asiling with me and I can call for backup if we need it, I promise I won't lose control this time. I won't let you down this time, you can trust me, you do know that right?" He spoke tilting his head down showing off a small boyish grin trying to ease his tone but I was still a little miffed at his suggestion.

"It'll be fine if the alpha's not coming and it's just beta Ross, you can greet him for me and show him to his room and even start the talk of boundaries if you want. Prove that I can trust you with dealing with people in a calm, suitable fashion and not by fighting with them. Then we can talk about you going back into the field but until you can control your anger I need you to manage the pack affairs while I deal with the war and fighting for now. I do know how you excel in war but after your last incident you desperately need the pack's support now more than ever. Prove to them that you can do this, prove to me that you can do this so that I can have one of my best warriors back out protecting our family okay? Besides Stephan needs me there or he would've linked you instead, you know how terrified he is of Theo. So your formal greeting will have to suffice until I can get this situation under control and I can soothe any ruffled feathers when I have dealt with this situation. Deal? Besides, what kind of alpha would I be if I sent another in my place after being specifically requested to fight alongside my pack?" I stretched as I spoke, smoothing out my bunched up shirt even more.

"I honestly just don't think you leaving right now is the wisest-" He started once more, but I raised my hand annoyed, cutting him off.

"Tyrus, while I value your council truly, this matter is not up for discussion and this is borderline encroaching insubordination. I am going to help my pack and there is nothing you can say or do to stop me. Understood? You will be in charge of pack matters in my absence. Prove the pack wrong about you, put their fears to rest, and prove me right to put my trust in you while I am away." I walked across the floor hurriedly opening the door without another word.

"Raelynn! Please just think about this! You're clearly not thinking this through! This isn't rational and you know it!" He yelled after me, following me as I jogged lightly to reach the top of the flight of stairs.

I spun around to face him angrily, my nostrils flaring with each breath knowing the only way to do this was to show him who was in charge. "ENOUGH!" I commanded in a stern angry voice, almost shouting before leveling off a bit. "I have made my decision and I have thought it through, are you planning to challenge me for my position in order to force me into staying?"

"N-no...a-alpha." He dropped his head quickly in submission and I continued my way down the stairs, halfway down them I gasped as searing pain made its way through my veins. I felt their loss before I heard about it.

'Alpha, we've lost our second line of defense. We've lost two warriors so far and few more are injured. Please hurry, we need you.' Stephan's echoed in my head, forcing me to fight through the pain. I sprinted down the rest of the stairs and ran toward the cherrywood painted oak door. I hurriedly threw open the front door and ran towards the end of the porch as I leapt off the edge, I let the change consume me. I could feel the brilliant electricity race through my veins changing the very fiber of my being as our two souls became one and my body morphed into a large silver wolf.

I felt the Earth squash beneath my paws and squish between my toes while breathing in the fresh crisp air giving my body some time to settle into my wolf form before I dug my claws into the soft dirt pushing off as I raced towards the woods that surrounded the packhouse. I began dodging and weaving through the thicket as I found some low hanging branches and upturned roots. I really didn't want to be snapped on the muzzle by a stupid small twig and have to explain the welt later on. I could hear the boisterous laughter already. I rolled my eyes thinking about how Felix would tease me relentlessly if it happened. I could hear another set of paws tearing up the soft dirt and immediately knew that Aisling had caught up to me. 'Did you grab a few of the warriors on your way out here?' I asked her silently, taking a quick glance back at her as she held a constant speed at my flank. She gave a brief nod before replying 'Yes Alpha, we are just much faster than they are' She laughed lightly and I also chortled a little at the mention of how slow they were. The forest's many obstacles slowed us down slightly but I made split second decisions in order to speed our progress as I was determined to save as many of my pack members as possible and not lose anymore. 'Steph where are you exactly?' I opened the link quickly while also opening it up to Aisling and the other warriors with me, bobbing my head down as a low hanging branch came into view and almost smacked me square in the eyeball.

'The furthest point on the northeastern side, in a small meadow or clearing it's kind of close to the road I think. I can faintly hear vehicles as they pass on their way to and from the pack house.' was the reply and I pulled up a mental map of my territory and tried to figure the best path to take to get there and pinpoint their exact location. After forming a decent path in my head I turned to Aisling and began to explain my method of getting there in the fastest way possible. 'I say we cross the road and go off towards the the river on the edge of the territory because if I am correct it will lead us straight to where Steph and the others are at' She nodded in agreement and we took off once again, heading even deeper into the woods towards the main road that leads directly in and out of my territory. We continued to bob and weave our way through the sharp branches that pulled at my fur and scraped my skin painfully. I could feel a few small cuts actually break open because of a thorn or two. We finally broke through the treeline and saw the pavement we picked up the speed double time anxious to get to our brothers and sisters. I leapt out into the middle of the currently abandoned road while Aisling stuck her nose in the air on the side of the road trying to pick up a scent and I plopped down to gather my bearings and stuck my nose up as well. As I took in a calming deep breath I caught the slight smell of rotten meat and wrinkled my nose in disgust, rogues. I took a minute and listened to my surroundings, focusing on every little sound trying to pinpoint Stephan's location. I could hear a car approaching but I ignored it. Tyrus would've informed the pack to be on high alert and lock down the exit. So I continued to focus turning my head slightly to the left and I started to pick up on the faint sounds of wolves fighting, I stood quickly motioning to Aisling to come with me.

I lost my focus as a loud blaring horn sounded off to my right side making my ears ring and causing me to jump slightly. With a disgruntled sigh I jumped to my feet, I bared my teeth in a snarl letting a low growl rollout glaring at the vehicle without looking at who it was, before jumping to the grass on the other side of the road. I made a mental note to find out who would have disobeyed their Beta at such a crucial time and punish them accordingly. Aisling joined me shortly after and we slipped through the thicket, worming our way under a few bushes until we finally broke through into a small clearing covered with broken tree branches and wolves fighting. I hunkered down creeping over to where Stephan stood and Aisling followed closely behind me, teeth bared. 'Thank god you made it Rae. We've been struggling to hold them off. They just keep appearing as soon as we cut four down, five more appear. Alpha, a few of our men and women have fallen. I'm sorry.' The sorrowful look burned into the side of my head as I looked onward into the blood filled battlefield, his haggard reply nearly brought me to the ground.

Taking one look at him I could tell he was exhausted and that he blamed himself for the deaths of our fallen brethren. 'Don't be so hard on yourself, you did the best you could. Do you know how many there are? Do you know for sure which side of the woods they are coming from? Do you know if any have any slipped away, towards the pack house? If you're unsure I will inform Tyrusa to lock down the house and wake the others. When did they first break through and how?' I began my round of questions, trying to get as much information as possible while observing my men and women fighting for the safety of their family and their pack ready to join the fray myself.

I opened a quick link to Tyrus. 'I made it to the entry point, but it's an absolute mess here. I don't know how long this will take to clean up but I know you can handle the beta. Also keep an eye out for any rogues with how many broke through. I am unsure if any managed to evade the warriors here. Lock it down if you see any and I do mean any and wake Theo. I'll try to hurry back if you need to, you can bring Allison to the meeting with the beta.' I closed the link quickly before he could respond and focused intently on what Stephan was saying.

'I don't know alpha, it seems no matter how many we cut down, several more take their place. They don't have a particularly favorite side; they are coming from every side. None have slipped past us as far as I know but it wouldn't hurt to inform someone to be on the lookout just in case. As for when I'm not exactly sure, I think that they could've broken through while we were switching patrols around noon and the equipment was resetting for a new round, which can sometimes take up to an hour. Thaddeus and I were looking into a way of making the turn over rate faster but we haven't got a solid plan just yet. I am sorry alpha.' He sighed angrily, bowing his head in defeat.

'We will work out those kinks later alright? I will help look into the equipment and see what we can change. For now though let's join the fray and send these mutts a message. I'm here to help now, not to criticize, we can cover tactics later, let's just get this under control. I don't think any of them are smart enough to pull this off alone so let's go find their leader. On three?' I crouched down ready to spring into action as he and Aisling nodded in approval. 'One........two...........threee' We jumped right into the swirling tornado of fur, fangs, and claws prepared for a long fight.

I tore into the rogues and let a few of my warriors take a rest and they backed up behind me to catch their breath. I watched the anxiety melt away from their bodies as they watched me fight before quickly joining back in as we made our way pushing them back towards the territory line. I could not stand rogues after what happened to my parents two years ago, so I was especially vicious and merciless when it came to them or my pack.

**Tyrus's P.O.V** Back at the pack house**

I paced back and forth in her office after she left. I could feel the anxiety creep up my shoulders, I can't believe she just left me alone to deal with the pompous ass that is going to be here in a few very short minutes. I feel as though she never listens to me anymore, I don't even know why I bother trying to tell her things anymore. However as annoyed as I am, I do understand why she feels responsible to check on these matters herself, especially after the accident two years ago. It was a different time then, a very, very different time. It's almost too difficult to even think about and I know how much the guilt eats at her heart. The puppy love I'd felt for her back then was nothing compared to the undying love I feel for my beautiful Allison but it's hard to swallow these emotions that flare up at random especially when reminiscing about the past. Shaking off the negative thoughts, I decided to go downstairs and into the foyer to wait for Beta Ross.

I took my time going down the stairs, especially once I heard gravel crunching beneath a car's wheels as it turned onto the drive leading up to the packhouse. Honestly I've never been a fan of dealing with the pompous alpha's especially when they feel the need to come here and visit at random times throughout the year and their Betas are no better than they are, I have felt this way since I was a child when I joined my father on some of his meetings. I wonder every day why I was born into this role with the way that I am, not to say that ungrateful I just feel that there were so many better suited for this position. I hate how they feel it's necessary to express why they feel the sudden urge to just show up, especially since half of the time it was to question Rae's ability to lead a pack on her own.. I do wish Raelynn was here, she always knows how to handle the arrogant alpha and beta duos who come to gawk at the first and only female alpha.

If I'm honest I do agree slightly with the foregin alphas and beats because she is something to marvel at with her deep chocolate brown waves that hang to about the middle of her back, and her dazzling icy blue eyes with the gold ring surrounding her iris that could freeze you with one look. Not to mention her smooth, pale skin that seemed to almost glisten in the sunlight and the way her smile can light up any room she was in, it was indeed hard not to just stand and stare. But I have my Allison now who I love very much but it is hard to forget your first love, or so I am told. I could almost feel my fingers running through her silky tresses of hair like I used to when we were kids, laying on the couch in her office while her dad and mine worked on the pack documents. She would curl up into a ball and read her books while I combed my fingers through her hair Shaking my head again, clearing those dangerous thoughts. Once more I tried to focus on something else, even though I had all those memories and moments with her nothing could compare to the ones I've made with Allison.

Rae did seem a bit off today though, sadder than usual I could sense it especially with how she was acting. However, I couldn't quite seem to put my finger on it though, I know that her birthday is in a few weeks but that traumatic day wasn't here just yet we still had a few more weeks after her birthday before that day came around. Her small, innocent mistake from two years ago haunted her to this day and no one knew how to help her, not that she really lets anyone close enough to help her. She is turning twenty-six this year, but I could tell she missed her parents since she hasn't really celebrated her birthday since they passed. She put on a small party for the pack because she knew it made them happy and let them feel a closer connection to her but anyone that truly knew her could tell it was all an act. We'd been the best of friends since birth practically growing up together but our relationship has become slightly strained these last few years especially after I found Allison last year.

She barely talks to me about anything other than work nowadays, she spends most of her time in her office going over documents and pack matters with Thaddeus, Stephen, Aisling and Felix. Every once in a while I have caught myself calling for Malcolm as I walk into her office. I missed her brother Blake, he would've been a great alpha, not as good as Rae but I missed him anyway. I know she misses him as well, some nights I could hear her call out for him in what little sleep she got. But most of all I could tell she missed her parents the most, she refuses to go into her mother's garden but she let the pack members continue to tend to it to keep it alive and blooming with new flowers. I struggled to shake the dark thoughts away once more as I scanned the room looking for Allion not completely comprehending how I'd managed to get down the stairs in one piece. I zoned out halfway down the stairs, surprised I didn't manage to trip over my own two feet. That would've been a graceful entrance to welcome beta Ross to our pack.

Before I could find my Alli an incredibly loud and thunderous knock echoed through the entryway , causing a few of the women, who'd been busy cleaning, to freeze in place. I cleared my throat slightly tugging at the collar of my shirt uncomfortably before stepping onto the landing at the base of the stairs. I was not ready to have to deal with the man on the other side of the door even if he was just the beta. I caught a glimpse of my Allison out of the corner of my eye and couldn't help but turn and admire her beauty. With her silky shoulder-length hair which concealed her deep russet brown eyes from me, and her pink pouty lips. Another thundering knock slammed my brain into overdrive and broke through my haze. I shook my head sharply and I walked to the front door, taking a deep breath ready to face the wrath of the beta who was no doubt going to be slightly upset with Rae's absence. But as I laid my hand on the doorknob I heard her twinkling voice as she spoke from behind my shoulder. I could feel her presence as she moved closer, curious as to what I was doing.

"Tyrus, what are you doing? Are you crazy?" Allison called out, boring holes into the back of my head, anxiously.

"Answering the door?" I turned towards her, raising my eyebrow slightly questioningly.

"But why? The alpha left, and you can't just let some random person in while she's gone. Unless.......she can't force you to entertain her guests and she shouldn't it's not right. What about...." She trailed off vehemently before rewording, rolling her eyes at my sarcastic answer. "Tyrus, you don't people. You know that just as well as anyone else does."

"Alli, it's rude to leave people to stand on the doorstep, especially another alpha or beta regardless if the alpha is or is not present, And she left me in charge and as the beta of this pack it it part of my responsibility to as you say entertain the alphas guests until she is able to receive them you know that Allison." I replied, shaking my head in disappointment, realizing just how much work I really had been slacking off on and adding onto Rae's growing workload.

"Ahem, you do know that I can hear you right? Now open this damn door and explain to me this whole disappearing act Alpha Davis has pulled, especially since she was to be expecting my arrival." A loud, authoritative voice called out from the other side of the door interrupting whatever retort Alli had come up with, causing a shiver of fear to crawl up my spine.

Just as I was about to open the door, Rae opened a quick link to me and said 'I made it to the entry point, but it's an absolute mess here. I don't know how long this will take to clean up but I know you can handle the beta. Also keep an eye out for any rogues with how many broke through. I am unsure if any managed to evade the warriors here. Lock it down if you see any and I do mean any and wake Theo. I'll try to hurry back if you need to, you can bring Allison to the meeting with the beta.' She closed the link quickly before I could even respond and I took a deep breath trying to slow my rapidly beating heart.

****Author's note*****

I do apologize for the slow updates and the single chapters or sometimes even just two chapters per book. I have a bad habit of losing interest in what I am writing or I lose the notebook in which it is written. It also takes me quite a bit of time to type up all that I have written because I add more detail as I type and end up with more information then what I have written down. I am working on typing them up though but I also have a very crazy work schedule and I generally work until late into the night and don't have much time for writing. On a less serious note I hope you enjoy this updated chapter that is now a whopping 4,514 words and I will work on typing up chapter 1. Have a nice day or evening depending on when you get around to reading this. Goodnight ~Arctic_Wolf2000