Escaping Wildfire
Chapter 12: Broken Bonds

Alpha Kedrick - Right after Jasmine’s phone cut off

“Jasmine!” Jordan yelled out as the line went dead. “Fuck! We have to go home!” He stood up and started pacing the room.

The boys were clearly distraught by what they’d just heard, so I knew I had to be the voice of reason for them. “Hold on guys, you can’t just take off that far without knowing more about the situation. I know you’re worried about your families, but let’s think this through before we rush into anything.”

As I finished those words, the three guys groaned in pain, each clutching at their heart. They looked around at each other with wide eyes. “What the hell was that?” Cristian directed towards me.

‘Gabriel, I need you in my office, replace Elder Frank and Ellis and bring them both with you.’

‘On it Alpha.’ Gabriel was efficient, so I knew he’d be here quickly.

“Alright, guys, we’ll figure this out. We just need to replace someone close by who can help.” I pulled out my collection of pack territory maps and went over the conference table to spread them out. I had maps for all the wolf territories as well as maps for the bear and fox territories as it was important to know boundaries as part of the council.

“There, that's perfect.” I pointed to a territory right next to Cobalt Falls. “Brown Claw. That’s the closest territory, about 30 minutes away, and Alpha Tate is a good friend of mine, so I don’t doubt he’d be willing to help.

“Brown Claw? That’s a bear clan, right?” Jordan looked up at me perplexed.

“It is.” I nodded.

“You’re sure they’ll help?”

“Yes, but let’s call and replace out for sure.” Jordan nodded at me, and I went to my desk and dialed the number for Brown Claw. The phone rang three times before someone answered. “Hello.”

“Yes, this is Alpha Kedrick from Harvest Moon, and I need to speak to Alpha Tate Vance.”

“One moment, please.”

“Kedrick, to what do I owe this pleasure? It’s too early for our monthly call, so what’s up?”

“You’re right, this is actually a business call…I need a huge favor.”

“Alright, man, what can I do for you?”

The boys looked at me expectantly as I spoke with Tate. I could feel their energy and knew they were ready to shoot away like an errant firework if this call didn’t go well.

“As you know, I’ve been training the Cobalt Falls boys this summer.” I took a deep breath before continuing. “They haven’t been able to reach their parents and a phone call with one of their sisters didn’t end well. A guard was killed while they were on the phone, and then the line went dead. We need to know what is going on, and you’re the closest to Cobalt Falls.”

“You want me to scope out their pack, then?”

“Yeah, the guys are ready to rush over there, but it’s five hours from us, so I need you to check it out for us.”

“Don’t worry, Kedrick, I’m on it…I’ll send some scouts over, and I’ll call you back once I know something.”

“Thanks, man.”

I hung up and swiped a hand over my face. I needed to talk to my Beta and Luna because if my suspicions were right about what was happening, these boys were in for a world of hurt.

“Alright, guys. We won’t hear anything for a while, so I need you to hold off on doing anything irrational. I’ve already alerted my guards and Gamma that you aren’t allowed off the territory.” I gave them a pointed stare.

I wanted to step out as I felt I needed time to calm my own emotions down before I did anything else. Luckily, Gabriel and Ellis walked in with Elder Frank in tow. My Luna came over to me sensing my turmoil and immediately calmed me with her touch.

“Please, have a seat, Elder Frank. Thank you for coming so late in the day and on such short notice.”

“It’s not a problem Alpha, I’m always happy to help.” Elder Frank was one of our oldest pack members, and I could trust him to be discreet about pack matters, so I often went to him when I had questions or needed advice.

“The boys here from Cobalt Falls have been feeling some pain that they say feels like a bond breaking. I hoped you’d have some insight into the matter. It started with Jordan about an hour ago, and then all three felt it shortly before you arrived.”

“All three? Are any of you blood-related?” He turned to the boys who all shook their heads. “And this happened at the same time?” This time the boys all nodded.

Elder Jones shifted in his seat uncomfortably as he adjusted his cane in his hand. “I’ve seen this once before. My mate was originally part of the Moon Stone pack. This was in the days before the Wildfire Pack.” He paused to catch a breath. “My mate and I were recently mated and went to visit her family for a weekend. Moon Stone was a small pack, and there was a neighboring pack who wanted their land, so the neighboring Alpha issued a challenge. It was a larger pack with a stronger Alpha, so he easily won. The Moon Stone Alpha was killed, and the pack ties shifted to the new Alpha. However, the Alpha’s son and his future Beta and Gamma were all three newly shifted. When the Alpha was killed, the power shifted to the winning Alpha who was now considered the new Alpha of Moon Stone. The three boys, however, did not experience a shift in power like all the other pack members but instead experienced the breaking of their pack bond completely. They were now pack-less as their previous rank meant they were a threat to the new Alpha.

Apparently, Challenges used to happen more often in my younger days, and my mate’s parents were able to explain all of this to us as we remained unaffected by it, as we were from Harvest Moon. The three boys were exiled and, unfortunately, became rogue wolves. They could have entered a new pack if anyone accepted them, but no one wants another Alpha wolf around.” Elder Jones shrugged his shoulders as he finished his story.

“So, you think this is what happened to us?” Noah spoke up, but I didn’t miss the hitch in his voice at the end of his question.

“I can’t say for certain, but I believe so.”

“No!” Jordan got up from his seat and started pacing the room again. “No, you’re wrong…you have to be!” He rubbed at the back of his head, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. He looked at his friends for support, but they remained silent as he continued. “That would mean that my dad’s dead, and he can’t be dead… My parents…they can’t be dead…it’s not.” His knees hit the floor as realization dawned on him, and his friends went over and knelt beside him. Cristian patted his back and hugged him close as he silently cried. I looked over at Ellis who’s eyes were glistening.

‘These poor boys. Do you think it was Wildfire?’ She mind-linked me.

‘I do, but I put a call into Tate, and we should know more soon.’

“Thank you, Elder Frank. I’m glad you were able to shed some light on this matter.”

“I’m sorry I didn't have better news. I would, however, recommend letting the boys into our pack for the time being. It’s a cruel world out there for rogue wolves, and they won’t have a mind-link to rely on anymore.”

“Thank you, Elder. I’ll let you get back to the rest of your night now.” Elder Frank shook my hand before leaving the room. Ellis, Gabriel, and I looked at each other before looking back at the boys who were still holding their friend as he grieved his loss. The Alpha’s death hadn’t been confirmed, but I think the boys knew we were right as their pack bond was missing.

It felt like we stayed quiet for too long, when my phone suddenly rang, surprising us out of our thoughts. The caller ID told me it was Tate calling back, so I put it on speaker. There was no use keeping whatever he had to say from the boys. “Tate,” I answered.

“Kendrick.” His tone sounded grim, exactly as I had expected.

“You’re on speaker. I’m with my Luna, Beta, and the Cobalt Falls boys…what did you replace out?”

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come right out and say it…Cobalt Galls was attacked by Wildfire.”

“Fuck!” My Beta exclaimed under his breath.

“The Alpha and Luna were both killed. Their daughters, the Gamma Family, and the Beta Family were all taken by Alpha Marek. Reports say the Gamma was unconscious but alive and all the others looked unharmed. When my scouts arrived, the Wildfire Beta was busy with cleaning up the fallen warriors.”

“You mean Alpha Marek let all the others live?”

“Yes, only those who fell during battle died. It appears they will allow Cobalt Falls to continue as an annexed territory of Wildfire, but I don’t know much else. I can’t risk sending out more scouts right now, but either way, I think this is something the council should be told about.

“I think you’re right, we’ll need to contact the council about this. Thank you, Tate... It’s late, so I’ll let you go. I’ll call you for our regular chat though.”

“Alright man, sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news, but let me know how else I can help. Those Wildfire Fuckers have to be stopped.”

“You’re right, thanks, man.” I hung up the call and turned toward the others.

This day had gone to shit rather quickly. It was already dark outside, and I was certain it was nearing midnight. I needed to talk to the council, but at this point, it would have to wait for morning. I’d have to deal with the boys for now. I can’t say I’ve ever been good with emotions, so I was glad for Ellis being here.

“Come on boys.” She knelt in front of Jordan. “I know you’ve just gotten the worst news possible, but there’s still hope for your siblings, and you have the full support of Harvest Moon for whatever comes next. We’ll help you get your families back. Whatever it takes. Wildfire won’t get away with this like they have been before.” Ellis looked up at me, looking for my support. We didn’t usually pledge our support to other packs without a mutual agreement between all the ranked couples, but when Ellis made her mind up about something, she went for it. Now she was just looking to me for support that I would do everything possible to help the boys.

“We’ll help you, whatever it takes. Your dad was a good man, I didn’t know him well, but I’m sorry you had to lose him like this. We’ll make it right though like Tate said, those fuckers need to be stopped.” I walked closer to Ellis. “Now, I hate to talk business at a time like this, but I feel this is important. Elder Frank suggested you join Harvest Moon. I think it would be best if you do that as it will keep you safe and give you a pack link. What do you guys want to do?”

“You mean right now?” Cristian was the first to speak.

“Yes, right now.”

Jordan wiped his eyes before standing up in front of me. “Let’s do it.” He surprised me by his sudden shift in mood, and I looked over to his friends to confirm their decision. They both stood up beside him, following their Alpha's lead.

“Alright boys.” I nodded and noticed that Ellis had pulled out my pocket knife from my desk and was handing it to me.

"I, Jordan Ramírez, pledge my loyalty and strength to the Harvest Moon Pack. I take Alpha Kedrick as my Alpha and promise to use my skill and knowledge for the good of him and this pack." Jordan and I then cut our palms before shaking hands. Jordan's Beta and Gamma repeated the same words before I recut my palm and shook their hands as well. I felt their three links connect to mine as our newest pack members. ‘We’ll make this right, now go try to get some rest. We’ll meet first thing tomorrow and come up with a game plan.’

The boys nodded and headed up to their rooms. I doubted they would sleep much tonight.

Ellis wrapped her arms around my waist, and Beta Gabriel took his leave.

“That poor boy has been through so much. First his mate, now this?”

“I know, but they’re all strong, and I’m sure they’ll recover. We’ll help them.”

“I’m sorry I pledged our pack to them before speaking with you, but someone has to end this with Wildfire, why not us?”

“You’re right, and if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s only a matter of time before they come for us, too. It would be good to stop them before they do that.”

Ellis nodded and gave me a soothing hug before we headed upstairs and tried to get some rest.