Hunted Derick

Chapter Three - Look And You Shall Find

★ Derick ★

It was a new day and the pack was bustling with excited energy. It wasn’t perfect and it would take time for everything to be put into place, but the village was looking good. All the houses had now been complete, the farm was thriving but the main attraction, the packhouse was finally complete. I stood back and admired the packhouse with pride. We had all worked hard to get it done and now finally there it is. I could finally call this new place, these woods, these new buildings, home. But the pride didn’t stay long as the guilt wormed it’s way in, slowly eating at me. In my haste and desire to protect Carter, I had unintentionally ended up pushing him away. Walking through the packhouse, I stopped inside the office and smiled as I looked around the nicely furnished room. I continued thinking about Carter. Why had I pushed him away? I don’t know. I hadn’t even realized that Carter was missing until Conner approached me two days ago, asking me, questioning me as to where Carter is, and I couldn’t give him an answer. In the meantime, Dimitry had called back his wolves and the only wolves left were those that belonged to the pack. Members of the pack.

“Alpha, sorry to interrupt but we are ready for you,” I turned to see Keith standing at the door and I nodded before following him outside, where the pack members stood waiting. It was time. It was time to officially announce the positions. Looking around at the members, I could easily recognize them, except for the newest members that had joined recently. We now had a total of thirty wolves, and I smiled warmly at them. Some of them, I had gotten to know and then there were some that I still had to get to know and officially accept them into the pack. However, today was about positions and titles. This was something Kaila had urged me to do from our last telephonic conversation.

“I cannot thank you enough for your hard work and efforts,” I looked around at the pack. “This is now home, our home. I know that many of you are waiting for titles and that is what I am going to do right now,” I glanced over at Keith and nodded. He looked somewhat surprised, although he wasn’t even sure of what I was going to do. or say. “Alright, first and foremost, I would like to officially announce my beta, Keith Brown,” the look of surprise but delight made me chuckle as Keith stepped forward. The crowd happily applauded and showed their acceptance and joy over my first decision. “Do you accept?”

“Yes, Alpha,”

“I, Derick Parker, Alpha, officially make you, Keith Brown, Beta of The White Howlers Pack,” Keith bowed down respectfully before turning to the crowd. “Alright, Jody and Susan,” the two females smiled, they probably knew what was about to happen, but they stepped forward anyway. “I’d like to announce that Jody and Susan are in charge of the cooking, cleaning and overall cleanliness of the pack, do you two accept?”

“Yes, Alpha,” they quickly respond, and I smiled gently at them.

“I, Derick Parker, Alpha, officially make you, Jody Brown and Susan Jones, head of the overall cooking and cleaning of The White Howlers Pack,” once again the crowd went wild with happiness and acceptance. “Alright, next up, the farms and cattle, Douglas and Harold,” I notice the older wolf’s brows raise up, but I knew I wanted to make Harold feel like he has a purpose at this pack. Since he had mentioned that he had moved around a lot, I wanted to give him a reason to stay and so far, I had learned that he loved the farm life. Jody and Susan rush back into the crowd as Douglas and Harold step forward. “Do the two of you accept?”

“Yes, Alpha,” Douglas said proudly. Harold, on the other hand, was still looking at me oddly.

“Are you sure, Alpha?” he asked, and I nodded. “Then yes, I accept,”

“I, Derick Parker, Alpha, officially make you, Douglas Harper and Harold No Last Name, head of the farms and cattle of The White Howlers Pack,” there were some that laughed joyfully at the fact that Harold has no last name before they all erupted into cheers. “Alright, then finally, Spencer,” Douglas and Harold made their way back to the crowd as Spencer stepped forward. “Would you like to be the lead warrior?”

“Oh, hell yeah!” Spencer fist-pumped the air and then grinned at me sheepishly. “Yes, Alpha,” I chuckled as he corrected himself.

“Great, then I, Derick Parker, Alpha, officially make you Spencer Harper, Lead Warrior of The White Howlers Pack,” the crowd once again went wild. "These wolves will sign you on as per choices," I said to the crowd. "Talk to them about where you want to fit into the pack," I noticed Jody gesturing to the great hall, and I chuckled. “Ah yes, Jody and Susan, along with Misty have prepared a feast and it is waiting for us in the great hall,” everyone started shuffling towards the great hall and I am left standing with Keith and Spencer.

“Permission to speak, Alpha,” Spencer asked, and I burst out laughing.

“Of course, Spencer, no need to be so formal,” I remark as I watched the young wolf blush furiously.

“Alright, well, I know I don’t need to bring it to your attention that Conner and Carter are still missing,” he explained.

“We’ve checked the whole territory and their scent disappears at the road just outside of our borders,” Keith added.

“Look, I know it is not normal and I know that I have much to learn about being Alpha, but I do feel that this is my sole responsibility,” both Keith and Spencer nod in agreement and understanding. “I will go out there to look for them and bring them home, in the meantime, Keith,” I glance over at my new beta with seriousness. “That means I am leaving you in charge,” I state. “And you,” I look over at Spencer. “Will help him, ok?”

“Yes, Alpha,” they agree, and I nod before going back into the packhouse to grab my bag. I couldn’t leave the pack whilst things hadn’t been settled yet but now that everything was in place and the positions and titles had been given out, I could leave knowing everything would be alright. I headed over to my truck and threw my bag in the back seat before getting in behind the wheel. I had arranged to meet Kaila a couple of miles away, but I would have to stop at the nearest town to fill up on gas. The closest town was five hundred miles away, a little village in Savana called Woodlock Villa. I stopped at the first petrol station and parked next to a pump. Getting out, I smirked. Being a shifter had its benefits and one of those was I could easily pick up scents and smells. Not just from objects but from humans too. That gave me the edge and I immediately noticed a couple of hunters hanging around another black truck. I didn’t want to be spotted so I acted quickly (well, as quickly as the pump could fill up the truck's tank) and got out of there as fast as I could.

★ ★ ★

“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” Kaila commented as I sat down across from her. I smirked at her greeting and looked around the small café. I had missed her feisty, sparkling personality.

“This is such a human place,” I sarcastically remarked, and she giggled.

“Well, this is definitely a human place, but I enjoy the coffee they serve here,” she defended herself and then added. “Besides, this was the closest I could get to you on such short notice,” I rolled my eyes and watched as she sipped at her coffee cup. “Well, I am aware this is not a social visit, so let’s discuss that both Carter and Conner are now missing,”

“Yeah, I know Conner went after Carter, whether or not they are now together is beside the point, I need to find them both,” I explained.

“Since they are twins, it makes sense that Conner would go after Carter, but before we get into that, please explain to me the relationship you have with Carter,” Kaila continued to sip on her coffee and I was one hundred percent certain she enjoyed putting me on the spot about my difficult and awkward relationship with Carter.

“What is there to explain? I feel protective over the boy,” I said lazily.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, if you want to know whether we are mates or not, I have to say no. My wolf and I have realized that although we feel a connection, a protective connection towards Carter, there is nothing else,” I further explained, and she nodded as she placed her cup down. “Carter and I both agree we aren’t mates but we don’t really understand it,” I was hopeful that Kaila could possibly shed some light on the situation.

“Well, I’ll tell you this Derick, this connection you have, this protective connection you have with Carter. It means that the connection you have with him is because there is someone in his life that is your probably your mate,” she explained and I frowned, not quite understanding her explanation. “What I mean to say is this, this person or wolf that is connected in some way to Carter is your mate. And that this person or wolf, feels protective over him,” I begin to understand, and I nod slowly.

“Ok…”

“So, whilst you haven’t met your mate yet, the connection you feel to Carter, this protective connection is because your mate feels protective over him,”

“In other words, until I meet my mate, I will be protective over Carter?” I questioned as I try to wrap my head around this newfound information.

“You will always feel protective over Carter,” Kaila pointed out and I shrug as I look around the café. “It won't matter, you will always have that protective connection with Carter and from what you’ve told me before, the reason you don’t feel any connection with Conner is based solely on the fact that Carter is an Omega. The runt of the litter, small and frail. This then means that Carter is very important to your mate,” Kaila is staring at me intently as she finishes her coffee. We sat in silence for a few moments before Kaila awkwardly looked around. “How did you ever allow him to slip away?” she asked. I didn’t know how to explain it to her. I didn’t know how to express my temper, my anger, and all my issues and how sometimes it all felt so out of control.

“I didn’t allow him to slip away, it just happened,” I argued defensively. “I pushed him away,” I finally admitted to her and she scrunched up her nose as she shook her head.

“Why D, why?”

“I don’t know, he was just always around,”

“But you called me, you were talking about adoption and…”

“I know, I know,” I interrupted her as I ran my hand through my dark curls. “I can’t explain it ok. I didn’t think he would run away,” it wouldn’t help to try and grasp at straws trying to explain myself to Kaila. I scoffed then. “You know, I’ll admit that we have this connection, that I feel protective towards him and that I ended up pushing him away. I was feeling overwhelmed by his constant presence and in a way, I’ve just felt that I would let him down, that I would end up being a disappointment to him,”

“Oh D!” she gushed out in understanding, but she shook her head. “Look, all you can do now is find them. I mean, seriously you need to find them, especially Carter, because if you don’t…if you don’t and anything happens to him or even Conner, well, when you do meet your mate…” Kaila’s voice trailed off.

“What? You think my mate will reject me?” I asked, panicked.

“Probably,”

“Damn it,”

“Don’t worry D, you’ll find them,” she said. Kaila and I spent a few more minutes discussing the pack before I left. My trip to find the twins was officially my top priority.

★ ★ ★

I’ve been on the road for a week and still haven’t found the twins. Keith has been in touch every single day to discuss the pack. I was officially worried. What if something had happened to them?

“What am I going to do?” I muttered to myself as I pulled off. Keith had texted me the address of their previous pack and I was headed that way. I probably should've started by going to their old pack but I hadn't thought Carter would want to go back to that hell hole. However, right now I could only hope that they had returned to their old pack. I climbed out of the truck so that I could quickly take a piss.

“Derick? Alpha?” the soft voice completely took me by surprise and I quickly zipped up before turning to face him.

“Holy s**t Carter! You scared my piss away!” I wiped my hands on my jeans before rushing up to him, however, when I saw him take a step back, I stopped. “What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“What are you doing here?” he questioned. I looked around and then frowned.

“No, I think the question is, what the hell are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“I was waiting for Conner,” he informed me. “He went to get gas,” he added. I nodded but I wasn’t feeling quite right. Something was just off about the whole thing. That’s when I noticed the car. A black Toyota stood behind a couple of bushes. Carter noticed and followed my gaze. “Yeah, we parked it there to avoid any unwanted attention,” he blushed, and I took a step towards him.

“Carter, I…I am so sorry for pushing you away, it was not my intention to hurt you or upset you, I am truly sorry,” for the second time in my entire life, I was begging to be forgiven. I needed Carter; I had realized. Knowing now what Kaila had explained to me, the fear of disappointment had been fulfilled. “I know I let you down, I failed you and I am sorry,” and then for some reason, I expected Carter to hate me, reject me or something but he just smiled weakly.

“I understand but you didn’t let me down, I just, I got attached to you,” Carter looked away shyly and I groaned internally. “When you pushed me away, I thought that maybe it would just be best for me to return to a pack I know,” he added.

“No, I never wanted you to leave. I was being selfish Carter,” I further explained.

“And you came looking for me?” he asked carefully, and I nodded.

“I would’ve come sooner, it was just…well, the pack and-”

“I get it,” he interrupted me and then he rushed towards me and threw himself into my arms. I chuckled as I hugged him close.

“How far is Conner?” I questioned as we stepped back from each other.

“He should be on his way back, hopefully,”

“Well, hop in,” I said as I gestured towards the truck. “Let’s get your brother and head back home, ok?”

“Ok,” he nodded eagerly, and it dawned on me that I had, in fact, missed the little wolf. Once we were both settled in the truck, I glanced over at the black car.

“Where’d you get the car?” I asked him.

“Um…Conner, ah, he stole it,” Carter said as his face went red. I laughed and shook my head as I pulled back onto the road.

“Ha! Nice one, keep an eye out for Conner,” I said as I turned on the radio. From the few times Carter had been in the truck with me, I knew he enjoyed listening to music. Aside from the soft tunes, I could hear Carter’s soft snores and I smirked. Poor wolf was probably exhausted. We had been driving for a good thirty minutes and the panic of Conner’s whereabouts had started to settle in. I noticed a café and motel and decided to make a quick stop. I had no idea when last Carter had eaten and that’s when I spotted Conner walking towards us. I quickly parked the truck and got out. “Conner!” I shouted out, startling the other wolf. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared over at me. a slow smile spread across his face as he ran towards me. He didn’t throw himself at me the way Carter had but he chuckled when he reached me and took a quick look in the truck to see his twin sleeping.

“Hey, Alpha, glad you finally showed up,”

“Ha, ha,” I said sarcastically as I reached out and ruffled his hair playfully. “What took you so long?”

“Hey man, it took forever to walk all the way to that gas station,” he said defensively.

“Ahuh, ok, well, let’s get something to eat before we head back home,” I went around to the passenger side and opened the door. “Carter?”

“Hmm?”

“I found Conner, or well, we found each other,” Carter’s eyes opened, and he slowly eased himself out of the truck before throwing himself at his brother. I gestured over at the café and the three of us made our way into a quiet place. The waitress smiled at us warmly when she came over to our table. The small but relatively clean looking place looked like it came right out of the eighty’s. The colorful artwork and pop music playing softly in the background was quite…interesting.

“Hiya, I’m Sally,” she greeted us as she placed a couple of menus on the table. “Special of the day, Sloppy Joe,”

“Give us a minute,” I said with a smile and watched her walk away after she nodded. “What do you guys want?” I asked although I could just guess what they wanted.

“Sloppy Joe,” they both said, and I nodded. “Chocolate milkshake,” Carter added, and Conner agreed. Sally seemed to know we were ready to order and she was back at our table.

“Three specials and three chocolate milkshakes,” I ordered, and she smiled before heading to the kitchen. What hit me was that feeling, that weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something just wasn't right. I couldn’t seem to shake it off and from past experiences, I had learned to trust my gut instinct.

“Um, Alpha…” I glanced over at Conner, the horror in his voice grabbing my attention. He pointed outside and I froze. I had never seen them before. Kaila had told me all about them, but I had not seen them before and by the looks of it, I understood the need for concern and worry. Holy s**t, what the hell am I going to do now?

“Rogues,”