Sean’s POV
The next morning, I had breakfast with everyone in the pack dining room. We had waffles with bacon and eggs. Normal food that I was accustomed to. After eating breakfast, I followed BJ, his son Wyatt, Jason and his son Eli out to the training fields. It was set up like the Hunter’s Moon training field and I liked that. The only thing was I felt they needed resting benches like we had at Trinity Forest.
I watched as Jason and BJ set Wyatt and Eli up to train a little. They started out young here. I remember starting training at ten instead of six. Once they were done with their wrestling session and were told to go play, I had questions to ask.
“What age do y’all start training here?”
“We start teaching wrestling at six. Combatives start at age ten,” BJ answers.
I nodded my head and kept it in mind. I wonder how many other packs were like that. I remember at Hunter’s Moon I saw kids ten and up on the field like Trinity forest.
I trained with Jason first which was easier than I thought it would be. I figured his stature would throw me off but it didn’t. Once I was done with Jason, BJ stepped up to train with me. I learned fast what he was capable of and it was tough to beat him. I was learning that the Alphas that had Lycan warriors were stronger than the others. Duncan wasn’t much of a match for me anymore but Cameron and BJ so far still overpowered me.
I let Charlie out to meet and train with BJ’s wolf, Cooper. I was able to keep up with him and Charlie was able to learn a few new things. Once we were done training I shifted back and sat down in the grass to rest, BJ did the same.
“So what’s it like for you, having a wolf and a Lycan?” I asked.
“It can be awesome and it can be difficult. When I’m facing an issue and ask them what to do, they have had to learn to talk one at a time or I get frustrated.”
“Cameron said something similar.”
“I’m sure all six of us are trying to learn how to navigate with two wolves instead of just one. I’ve learned that they both have very different personalities too.”
“I’m sure they do. Each wolf is different from the next so why should the Lycan’s be any different?”
“That’s a good point.”
“What was your Lycan’s name?”
“Tyr.”
“So both you and Cameron have a Norse named Lycan.”
“There are stories that the Lycan warriors are descendants of ancient deities in different cultures.”
“That’s cool. All I know is the history of Trinity Forest’s pack. We came from the pack in Greece which is said to be where all of us were made by Zeus.”
“Yes. That’s where werewolves were originally made. Lycan warriors were made by the Moon Goddess, Selene, to help protect our kind when humans hunted us down. She selected the bloodlines five hundred years ago. Then two hundred years ago the witches hid the Lycans because they became a target for the humans and other werewolves.”
“Cameron told me that y’all have an issue with hunters in this area.”
“We do,” he nodded.
“Have you let Tyr out to handle them?”
“No. If they ever found our pack then I would. But we have been lucky to stay hidden. Our warriors do a good job at leading them away from the pack.”
I nodded my head before we got up to go back to the packhouse to shower and change. Jason and BJ both had business to attend to so I spent my time walking around the pack on my own. I stopped to meet a few members here and there. I ended up stopping to help an older lady that was having issues with her groceries.
By the end of the day, I knew my mate wasn’t here and there were no other Betas in this pack either. I would spend a few days here though and see what adventure I found myself in.
~
Over the next few days, I hung out with Jason or BJ and learned from them both. Today I was spending time with Jason while BJ took Katie out on a date. I helped Jason as he scouted the border of their territory and checked on warriors.
By noon we ventured off the territory in an airboat in the southern part of the territory that was part of the bayou. We took three warriors with us. I had no idea what we were looking for or what we were doing out here, but it was cool.
After about an hour of riding around in the airboat, we stopped and got out where there was solid land. This place was amazing to see but I could do without all the mosquitoes.
“You have to look out for rogues, hunters and runaway witches that practice voodoo here,'' Jason said out of nowhere.
I looked at him and nodded my head before following the warriors as we looked around the area.
“How far away from the pack are we?” I asked.
“About two miles. We just rode around to check on other areas first. This spot we have to walk to make sure no one is here. We’ve had a lot of activity here,” Jason explained.
“Got it,” I said, understanding the warning he gave me.
We walked around the area looking and listening for movement for about twenty minutes. I stopped when I heard two voices that weren’t ours. I looked over in the direction that they came from and the others stopped along with me.
Jason tilted his head up to sniff the air and I followed his actions. I could smell the distinct odor of humans right away. I could also smell the gunpowder of their guns and the metallic scent of silver. They were hunters and they were out for wolves.
One of the warriors growled low in his throat before taking a step towards the area the hunters were. Jason reached out and grabbed the warrior by the shirt to keep him in place. He stopped and didn’t fight Jason but that was different for another warrior. He was already out of arm's reach and headed for the hunters up ahead that had no idea we were here.
“What are you doing? Get back here,” Jason whispered.
He didn’t respond and Jason growled before taking a step in the loud leaves below our feet. I needed to help stop this i***t or it could mean us getting into a fight and possibly dying or killing humans.
“Stop,” I commanded in my Alpha tone.
The warrior stopped moving and looked back at me. That’s when I heard the sound of leaves crunching under two people's feet as they ran towards us.
“Get back to the airboat,” I ordered.
All five of us ran to the airboat and started it up. There were shots fired at us as we turned the boat to get away. Soon they were in a boat of their own as they chased us through the bayou. I kept an eye on them as Jason kept control of the boat and led the hunters further away from the pack.
We soon had a great lead on them and stopped at another spot in the area that had land. All of us got off the boat and stripped our clothes leaving them in the boat. I did as they did letting them lead me since I had no clue what they were doing. I followed them into the trees and shifted when they did. They ran and made tracks and trails through the trees until we came to a rocky area.
We sat and waited and listened for the hunters that were following us. Once we heard their boat stop at ours, we patiently waited for a few minutes. Jason led us back to the boat over the rocks and we all shifted back before pulling on our clothes. We climbed into our boat and quietly slipped away through the bayou. Once we were far enough away Jason started the boat back up and took us back to the pack.
“Have y’all ever had to kill hunters to make sure they didn’t find the pack?” I asked.
“Yes. Some have gotten too close,” Jason tells me.
That was a realization that I hadn’t really thought of back at home. We never really had an issue keeping ourselves hidden from the humans and I hadn’t encountered hunters before. This was new and made me very aware of the world we live in.
~
I stayed at the Dark Holler’s pack for six days, learning and training with them before I decided it was time to move on to the next pack. As I packed my belongings back up I called Meredith to tell her about this pack. I shared with her the troubles this pack faces. It scared her but I assured her that I was alright. She made sure to tell me repeatedly to stay safe.
After breakfast, I loaded my car up with my things. I made sure to say thank you and goodbye to BJ, Katie, Jason, Ada and their sons. It was great to meet them all and learn from them. Wyatt was already showing what type of Alpha he would be, observant and quiet. He had a thick cajun accent but it was cute on him. I had a feeling that with his looks and accent he was going to be a lady killer.
Over my time here I soaked up the culture and fell in love with the food. The architecture here was different but it gave me ideas that I didn't have to do what everyone else did.
The one thing that I think was the best here at Dark Hollers had to be their waterways. Even despite the fact that they had hunters looking for them. The waterways made losing the hunters that much easier.
I got in my car and followed my GPS back to Texas then onto New Mexico. I was headed for Golden Meadows and I needed to get a little insight on the Alpha and his Luna there. I had already texted Alpha Ivan and told him I was headed that way. I now needed to know what I was walking into. I brought up my texts and went to my conversation with Jamie.
“I’m headed to Golden Meadows now. What do I need to know about Ivan, Cali and their pack?”
“Ivan is the sweetest Alpha I have ever met and Cali is a little aggressive sometimes. Their pack is pretty calm. I don’t know of any new issues they are facing at the moment.”
“Alright, I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“Ok.”
I kept driving the roads and listening to music, interested to see what I could learn from the sweetest Alpha in all the packs. I had been raised to be aggressive and ruthless when needed so knowing that there was someone out there that was the opposite of that was intriguing.