The Blood Pack (book three)

~Theo~ "Where are the Cheetos?" I hear my alpha female Cassy shout in the pack house, all the way from my position at the gate. She was due to pop any time now and it could not come soon enough. The whole pack was frayed with her emotional mood swings and never ending need for cheesy Cheetos. Every week we made the run to Costco in the next town over to stock up, but every week she ate more and more. I swear that kid is going to come out bright orange. I sigh as I lean my head against the side of the hut that I sit in. This is my new favourite place in the world. I love my pack fiercely, but they are always so happy, so put together, even Niomi who pretty much had her whole life ripped to pieces a short while ago seemed to be able to flow with the rest of the pack. Even Cassy's never ending mood swings were better than when I walked into a room. I was just so lost. Me and Luke had been looking for Niomi's parents when we were kidnapped by psychopathic humans who forced us to fight to the death in a silver lined cage. We had been saved in time for Luke to not end up killing Niomi's mum, but not in time for me to not rip another werewolf to pieces. I took a few deep breaths trying to get control of the raging emotions inside me at the thought of what happened in that place. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the look on his face as he was pushed into the ring with me. Every time I tried to sleep he was there, haunting my dreams. The worst part was, I didn't even know his name, but I knew his face like it was my own staring back at me in the mirror with accusatory eyes. I had been trained to fight, to kill my enemy without remorse. But that guy, that fellow shifter, was not my enemy, he was a broken man who had been taken from his home, his pack, his family and forced into that ring time after time to fight for his life. The poor guy didn't even lay a finger on me where as I took his life, the way I had been trained to. But I had never expected for it to haunt me in this way. I was brought out of my thoughts as Sanna's bumper scraped along the dirt road leading the the gate. She stuck her head out the window, her beautiful long brown hair shifting slightly in the breeze. "Hey Theo." She called out. "You going to see Harrison?" I asked. Sanna was nice, she had been with the pack for just over a year now and was like a sister to Cassy. She had been seeing Harrison for over six months and although the two were not true mates, they seemed to be getting to the stage of claiming each other. I did not blame them for not waiting, it was rare that mates would find each other, despite what you would think looking at our pack. "Yeah, it's date night." Sanna smiled before blushing slightly. God Harrison was a lucky man. Sanna was beautiful and even though her wolf was submissive by nature, thanks to Cassy's help, she did not take s**t from no body, being able to resist the command of everyone except for alphas. She was funny and smart and caring, no one could ever say something bad against her because there was nothing bad about her to say. I gave her a weak smile and nodded. "Have a nice night." I called out, trying my best to act normal as she drove through the gates and off into the night. I closed the gate behind her before slipping back into the darkness that consumes me. I didn't want to be this way, I didn't want to live with the guilt of that night. But I had no choice. Ever since then we have been trying to find out more about who organised the place. They had managed to capture shifters from various packs without even becoming a blip on the lead alphas radar. Alpha Ash's dad Alpha Eric was furious when he found out what was happening there. He rules over all the packs and ensures that no one alpha is too powerful or domineering over his members. It is sort of like a union head, making sure we are treated fairly. It is not a perfect system, as some alphas put on a front when they know they are being watched, but for the most part it works. Alpha Eric is the most powerful alpha alive, only rivalled by his sons who are too young to take up the mantle. Ash's older brother is next in line which is why alpha Ash decided to make his own place in the world with his own pack. He is a fantastic alpha and I am happy everyday with my choice to come here with him, even if I am now cursed by my own mind. Alpha Eric commanded all cases of disappearances and attacks to be reported to him. It took some commanding but after a while they started to flood in. It seems like they have been doing this for more than two years and even longer than Damien, Niomi's ex of sorts, would have had interest in given that his role in all this seemed to centre around his infatuation for Niomi. How those alpha's lived with themselves, hiding the deaths and disappearances of their pack members, those they were meant to watch over, care for, was beyond me.  Trev had found out little more about what was going on, he had found a few leads here and there but they always ended up the same. No where. Or worse, untangled another web which proved things that we had thought we had found out were false as well. He had not given up though and I was thankful, because until I knew that no wolf would ever have to go through what I went through again, I would not be able to sleep soundly. There had to be more going on, those back water hicks did not have the know how to pull something like that off. The fighting yes, maybe even kidnapping one or two shifters. But these people were sneaking on to packs, killing and kidnapping at will, with most of those they took never been seen or heard of again. Packs had admitted to try and find their loved ones, tracking the scents of those who had taken them, but they always disappeared. Giving us even more dead ends. I was so tired of dead ends, part of me was losing hope that I would get my revenge and be left in this limbo of pain forever. ~Sanna~ I pulled up outside Harrison's front door and pipped my horn to let him know I was there. I looked in my review mirror to check my make up and hair. A part of me was certain that tonight was the night, we have been together for longer than most wolves are before they take each other as chosen mates. That was mainly due to my trepidation on the subject, but I knew how I felt. I loved Harrison, and whether we were destined to be together or not, I could not imaging my life without him. We were going to a fancy restaurant, way out of mine and Harrison's pay grade. He was a barista and I worked at a gardening centre so I was sure that tonight was the night he would ask me to be his mate. I am sure that our alpha's would have helped us with money if we needed it, don't get me wrong. That is what being in a pack is like, a giant family. But both me and Harrison liked to make our own way in life which is part of what makes us perfect for each other. I loved my job, I loved being close to nature. I have the ability to make plants grow and blossom, they spoke to me and I spoke to them. It sounds crazy to a normal person but to me it was the best relationship, except for that between me and Harrison and of course me and Cassy. Cassy has always been there for me, she was so different to what you would expect from an extremely dominant female. She was kind and caring and funny, always putting others before herself. Harrison's front door opened and he came out wearing a suit and tie, looking very dapper. I smiled to myself, I must be right and I was glad that I had chosen to wear my nicest dress and waterproof makeup, as well as my sexiest lingerie. Human girls dream and plan their wedding days from being kids, she wolves dream of finding their mate, the other half to them, and just because some higher power didn't see fit to making it so that we had the mysterious mating bond pulling us to each other, did not mean that tonight would be any less magical for me. Harrison smiled and waved as he ran towards the car before jumping in. "How was your day?" he asked, reaching over and placing a tender kiss on my cheek before I started the car and pulled away from the curb. "Same old, Richard got in some new varieties of plants that he did not know the conditions for so I had to rearrange the whole back again. How about yours?" "Same really, we got a new coffee machine and it held up the queue and you know how people get when they haven't had their coffee." he laughed. "Ye, try living with a Cassy on no caffeine for months, it is a trial unto itself. I think as soon as the pup comes out of her she is going to have a drip set up to just mainline the stuff into her system." we laughed and continued with our usually easy flowing conversation on the drive to the restaurant. I pulled up outside and we hopped out before I handed the keys to the valet, I had never even been somewhere with valet parking before. I smiled shyly as Harrison jogged round the car and wrapped his arm around my waist and walked me into the restaurant. It was beautiful in here, the tables spaced out enough so you don't have to suck in for people to pass behind you. The floor was not sticky at all and there was not a stray pea or fry in sight. A woman behind a podium looked down at me and up at Harrison, her aura screamed 'you don't belong here' but I didn't care, I was so excited. "Do you have a reservation?" The woman asked in a snobby tone. "Yes, table for two under Hick." said Harrison, not letting the woman's demeanour get to him either. This is part of what I love about being with Harrison, we were so in sync with each others emotions already. "Humm, yes it seems you do. Follow me." The woman turned and trotted away in her unseemly high heels, me and Harrison trailing behind. I didn't mind the slow walk, it gave me time to rubber neck a bit more at the finery of the place. We were escorted to a small table near the back where Harrison pulled out my chair and I smiled shyly. After I took my seat, Harrison took his. "Your server will be over shortly." the hostess said as she turned and walked away. "This place is amazing." I whispered to Harrison. "Not as amazing as you are." He quickly replied, reaching over and taking one of my hands in his. I was totally swooning. He looked so handsome and fine and he was all mine. "What are you thinking of having?" he asked, already skewering the menu. I picked up mine and started to read, you could tell this place was expensive as it did not even have prices on the meals, a sort of 'if you have to ask you can't afford' sort of thing. "Ooo the pasta sounds nice." "Then pasta you shall have then sweetheart." Harrison smiled at me, giving me his flirtatious wink that always makes me blush. I have always been a naturally shy person, except around Cassy and my pack, but the way that I knew Harrison could make me purr made me extra shy around him in public. Harrison closed his menu and reached across the table taking both my hands in his, not in any rush whatsoever to place our order, just enjoying our time together in this beautiful setting. Suddenly his grip on my hands became tighter and his eyes dilated, a primitive growl came up his throat "Mate!" I blushed, this was a very passionate way of asking me to be his, like I was his true mate. I smiled and opened my mouth to reply when I heard another growl behind me. "Mate!"