The Alpha's Mutt
Lost and Found

As I approached and began looking the intruders over, I realized that there was a familiarity in, both, their appearance and scents. I wondered if I knew them from somewhere. Had I come across them in my travels before we had settled here? Or were they from somewhere else, somewhere in the not-distant-enough past?

I watched as they sniffed at the air, momentarily, as I approached. They recognized my scent as I had theirs. They did, indeed, know me from somewhere. However, I would not allow this to rattle me. I was an Alpha, no matter who they were or where they had come from, my word was law around here. I had the upper hand, for once.

“My Alpha demands to know why you have intruded on our pack.” Jamari spoke, reciting my words for me.

“As I have told you…” The man paused, turning to look in my direction, momentarily. “We are seeking a she-wolf who disappeared from our pack. All we want is to see if she is here and discuss taking her home.”

Jamari awaited my words and then continued…

“If your she-wolf is here then she has sought sanctuary. We will not allow you to take that from her. You will not be granted entrance.”

I emitted a short growl once Jamari finished speaking for me. I used this to emphasize that my mind was set on this matter. A kind of punctuation to finish the statement. I wanted them to be certain that Jamari was, indeed, speaking for me; her voice was speaking the word of an Alpha.

“Then may we be permitted to, at the very least, speak with her? She is meant to become our Luna and our Alpha is desperate.”

I knew it! I knew that I had recognized them! All it took was the mention of their missing Luna and their Alpha’s need for it all to click in to place. They were a couple of the trackers from the Elwood Pack. But why in the world would they be looking for me? Especially, after all of this time. I wanted the answers to my questions, but at the same time, I wanted nothing to do with these wolves at all.

Whatever Farris was going through, he could deal with it alone. He was not my responsibility or concern anymore.

“Tell them to leave, immediately!” I instructed.

“Our Alpha says to leave while you still have the chance.” Jamari snarled, her voice immediately dropping the diplomacy that it held a moment ago.

The wolf to whom she was speaking, took in a deep breath and released it slowly before continuing. I was not certain if he was attempting to scent me again or if he was merely trying to control his own anger at Jamari’s challenge. Either way, I was not happy with the situation. If he intended to challenge any of us on our land, then he would learn of his mistake quickly.

“Alpha Mystique…” He spoke as he turned in my direction. “Alpha Farris has sent us to replace you. We have been searching for you for nearly two years. Alpha Farris must speak with you, please. This is an urgent matter for him.”

I could see a desperation in this wolf’s eyes that I had not expected. He was sincere in his words, that much I could tell. But why would Farris be looking for me? He was the one who had me banished from the pack. He knew exactly why I had left. Had he not already mated himself to Sauda? I doubted that she was aware that he had sent wolves looking for me. She would not approve of that, surely.

I shook away the thought. It truly did not matter. I had no desire to see him. He had made his choice and now he would have to live with it. I would not put my heart through that pain again, not if I could help it.

“My Alpha says that she has no desire to speak with Alpha Farris. Your efforts have been a waste of your time. Tell your Alpha to lie in the bed that he made.”

“Please, Alpha Mystique…” The wolf pled stepping forward. “You do not understand, it has all been a misunderstanding-…“

The wolf was cut off as Jamari stepped between us with a growl. Casey and Emlyn snapping at the air in warning. He was crossing our boundary and we would show no mercy if he continued. Luckily for him, he was an intelligent wolf, he understood our warning clearly. He put his hands up in submission, backing away, defeated.

“Could you at least speak with us, please? In human-form preferably, so that we may actually talk.”

“Absolutely not!” Jamari stepped in.

I did not have to tell her what to say in this situation. She knew how to handle this. We had been dealing with my particular problem since the day we met. We kept my deficiencies quiet from any outside our pack. My pack members were aware of the issue but did not look down on me because of it. Though, I was unsure how others would perceive the matter. I did not know if they would replace me weak or unfit as a leader because...

I could not shift forms at will at all anymore.

That night in the forest, when I had awoken from my nightmare as a wolf, there had been some kind of change in my condition. While most of my life, I was stuck as a human unless the moon was in the sky. Now…my ability had shifted. I was stuck in my wolf-form except during the full moon, at which time, I was forced into my human-form again. Though, I had to admit this was preferable to what it had been before. I was much stronger as a wolf.

“Leave here and tell your Alpha to stop his search. Alpha Mystique has no interest in this matter any longer.” Jamari explained, repeating my words as I fed them to her through mindlink.

The wolves huffed in defeat before turning and heading back the way that they came. I was not sure that I believed that they would not attempt to return again. But at least I would be prepared for that possibility in the future. They would never make it past our border.

If Farris really wanted to replace me, then he should have bothered to come here, himself. It would have been the right thing to do. To prove that he truly needed me; that I was worth his time.

Not that I wanted to see him...of course.

I ignored the tugging in my heart that told me that I was lying.