Page 6 of Spirit Walker Pack (Kingdom of Wolves #5)

FALAN

Closing the call after speaking with the Spirit Walker’s Beta, I need to move rapidly, so start issuing orders. Once I have everyone doing what’s necessary for me to get on the road, I call the Blood Pearl Pack to speak to Alpha Gerry.

“Alpha Gerry speaking,” His voice sounds very affable, so I’m hopeful that I can get what I’m going to ask for.

“Hi, Alpha Gerry. This is Alpha Falan of the Wolfsong Pack. I hope you are well?” I’m in a hurry to get on the move, but I want to be as polite and courteous as possible.

“Alpha Falan! This is a surprise. If anyone had asked me to list the top ten people at the end of the line, I wouldn’t have put your name forward.

Please don‘t take offence at that statement.

It's just that I would never have expected a call. What can I do for you?” Alpha Gerry sounds genuinely surprised, and his tone reflects that.

“No offence taken. We have had very little interaction, so I can understand your surprise, maybe even some suspicion?” I put a little laughter into my voice.

“I don’t believe you, or your pack, have ever given me cause to be suspicious. What can I help you with? I assume this isn’t just an introductory call?”

I find myself liking this alpha and his no-nonsense attitude.

“I need to speak, face-to-face, with Alpha Lyle. I don’t want to go through no-man's-land, if I can help it. No disrespect to yourself, but I don’t want to pass along a message, either.

I wouldn’t ask normally, but I feel this is important to all our packs, and I have already spoken with Alpha Lyle.

Could I get permission to go through the outer edge of your pack lands?

I will only be traveling with a small personal guard, so I don’t think anyone will see us as an invading force.

I am more than happy to meet any terms that you wish to stipulate, as long as they don’t include shackles of any kind, of course!

” I’m hoping he allows this as going through no-man's-land will add time I’d rather not waste.

“No shackles? I’m sure I’ve got more than one female in my pack that would love to shackle an Alpha for themselves.

Let me know when you expect to arrive at the border, and I’ll have a small force of warriors waiting.

They’ll bring you into the pack lands far enough that you’ll be away from any probing rogue eyes, but not so far that it will negate the time saved by not going through no-man’s-land.

How does that sound?” Gerry seems okay with my request and I can’t thank him enough.

“I would like to meet with you and your Luna on the way back, if that’s okay?” This could help cement relations between not only our packs but both sectors, too. We’ve not had any problems that I am aware of, but you never can tell where my father has been concerned.

“On the way back? Oh, you want to come back this way, too? You never said it was a return ticket you were asking for.” Damn. I thought Gerry would just see it that way. Now how do I squirm out of this one?

“Well. Erm…” Before I can think of anything sensible to say, he lets me off the hook with his loud belly laugh.

“I’m sorry, Alpha Falan. Excuse my warped sense of humor. I couldn’t resist.” Gerry’s laughter echoes down the phone.

“That was a cruel thing to do to someone that barely knows you.” My relief must be obvious in my voice.

“It was on the border of going too far, wasn’t it? I’m sorry. On a serious note. We have been bearing the brunt of Arric’s skirmishes lately, so be careful as you near the border,” Gerry advises.

“We had a skirmish here ourselves and showed them the error of their ways. Thank you for the warning though, and we will be on the lookout for any trouble. We will be setting off almost immediately after I hang up, so should be at our borders in approximately five hours. We will only stop for the bare minimum of rest breaks. Thank you, Alpha Gerry. I appreciate this very much.” I should be with Alpha Lyle in well under twelve hours at this rate.

“I’ll send my Beta with your warrior escort.

Purely as a formality, you understand. If I only send warriors, it may look more like a prison guard than an honor guard.

I look forward to our meeting on your way home, and good luck with your mission to the Spirit Walker Pack.

” Gerry sounds like a good Alpha, and I look forward to a visit with him and Luna Aurora.

“Thank you again for this courtesy. G’bye.

” Ending the call, I see my Head Warrior, Fenya Stormhowl, enter after knocking gently.

Fenya has been my head warrior since I became Alpha and completely restructured the pack hierarchy.

Nothing remains of the old regime. I wanted the pack to see that I was different to my father, and that things were going to change for the better.

Watching Fenya in the training ring, and also in battle, you would not expect her to knock on a door so gently. She’s more of the berserker warrior, taking down a castle drawbridge, than a feminine princess tapping lightly on a crystal glass to get attention.

I would certainly not have been displeased had she been my chosen mate, that’s for sure.

Her long dark hair is plaited tight to her head.

Her eyes are such a pale blue as to be almost white and her tanned complexion is flawless, except for the occasional battle scar.

She is easily the tallest female in the pack, and her muscle profile has every male giving her a second glance.

At 5’11” she is always complaining that she fell short of her 6’ target.

She is quite the stunner. I know why she is here, and this is not going to be pleasant, I’m sure.

“Fenya, please have a seat. To what do I…” That’s as far as I get before the Stormhowl in her name is released. She can certainly live up to her name.

“I don’t need a seat! I need a place by your side when you are leaving the pack lands.

I should be your head of security when you are traveling.

I am the highest rated warrior the Wolfsong pack has ever had.

I am worth any four of your personal guard.

I have been the one to set the bar for every warrior in the pack and have never been defeated in any form of combat.

You should not be traveling without such protection as I can afford you, Alpha Falan. You should not be leaving me behind!”

I wait to see if she has stopped to draw breath or has more to add to plead her case.

Seeing her standing there, legs shoulder width apart and hands behind her back, she looks immovable.

Like a granite monolith that would stand against the ravages of time and nature for millennia.

I’m not convinced that I’m going to win this argument, I think to myself.

“Fenya…I’m not leaving you behind . I am trusting the pack to your protection.

If I was selfish, I would take you and leave the pack without the best protection it could have.

With you here, and the Beta, I can concentrate more on my mission rather than worry about the safety of the pups and the rest of the pack.

Such a responsibility should be seen as both an honor and a sign of the faith I have in you.

You are my Head Warrior for a reason, and part of that reason is that I can rely on you more than most in circumstances like this. ”

I give her my most sincere look and hope that she believes my words.

They are not just bluster. I genuinely respect her abilities to protect the pack.

I also know that she would have us at Spirit Walker Pack far sooner than without her.

She would set the pace and few warriors, myself included, would be able to sustain that pace!

“Alpha Falan! That has to be the most complimentary bullshit I have ever heard from you, and I’ve heard a lot over the months.

I will stay behind this time without making a fuss.

If, however, you plan on further trips, I will expect to be part of your security detail.

If my position as your Head Warrior prevents me from acting as your bodyguard, I would willingly step down.

To ensure the safety of my Alpha is my highest priority. ”

“I appreciate your dedication to my safety, Fenya, however your abilities as my Head Warrior far outweigh having you on my personal detail. Having warriors trained to your exacting standards makes them superior to any that we may come up against. I would wager your trained warriors against Shadow Warriors.”

“May the Goddess help me! Alpha Falan, I surrender on this occasion. Shadow Warriors, indeed.” Turning, she heads for the door. Before she leaves, she takes a moment and stares at me while shaking her head. The door closes softly behind her.

The journey through the Wolfsong pack lands is uneventful, which is as I would expect. When we left the packhouse, I saw Fenya watching from the main doors, and her scowl was a not a thing to forget in a hurry. We travel far enough from the border so we do not attract attention to ourselves.

Meeting with Blood Pearl Pack’s Beta at the border, I damn near embarrass myself when I stand there gawking.

The Beta is a female that introduces herself as Beta Raina.

I don’t know why I should be so surprised that the Beta is a female.

I’m not against females in formal positions or any such nonsense.

For some reason, I just wasn’t expecting a female.

“Is there a problem, Alpha Falan?” She asks, her head tilted to one side.

“No. Not at all. I was just surprised you are a female.”

“Should I be offended or complimented by that statement?” She frowns at me, and I blush. I blush, damn it!

“I have absolutely no explanation for my reaction, Raina, and it is certainly not my intention to offend you.” I start to recover when she has me blushing all over again.

“Raina? Not Beta Raina? Just Raina? Are we already past formalities with each other? Did I miss a courtship period, Falan ?” She has a stern look about her and I can’t help but feel I want the ground to open up beneath me and swallow me whole!

What on earth has gotten into you? I’ve never seen you like this around a female? There is no mate bond, so why are you so tongue-tied? Jupiter, my wolf, finds this extremely amusing.

“Alpha Falan? Alpha Falan?” Gradually realizing my name is being spoken, I glance around and my warrior escort leader, Kynan, is giving me a concerned look. “Is something wrong, Alpha Falan?” He then gives Beta Raina a hard stare as though she appears to be the problem.

“No, Kynan. There is no problem. I’m just embarrassing myself in front of the whole world for no good reason.” I look back at Beta Raina. “My apologies, Beta Raina. I have no idea what just happened or why. I clearly had a temporary loss of my mental faculties.”

“I’ve never had THAT effect on a male before, I have to say. No harm done. I’ll know what to expect now, each time we meet! Perhaps we should get on our way before you have another episode !”

For the next hour we run as wolves through the Blood Pearl pack lands, and I have to say, they are beautiful.

We travel near a river that would look good as a picture on any wall.

Rolling hills give way to flat, almost prairie, land.

I immerse myself in the surroundings and give only the occasional glance at those around me.

You keep telling yourself that, but I know different. You forget! I see what you see through MY eyes.

‘What is that supposed to mean?’

You only have eyes for one other when you are not looking at the scenery.

‘Concentrate on where we’re going!’

Jupiter picks up his stride and before I know it, we’re running alongside Beta Raina’s wolf.

Her name is Zuma.

Hearing the humor in his voice, I throw myself to the back of his mind and close my eyes. Maybe a nap will help with whatever has come over me.

Jupiter wakes me when we take a brief rest at the side of the river. I say wakes me, but it is the taste of raw rabbit that wakes me, and not in a nice way.

‘You could have woken me first so I could prepare myself. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to warm blood in my throat!’

The Goddess gave you the wrong wolf if you expect me to delay a fresh, warm meal just so you can be squeamish.

“We’ll travel in our human form for the next hour, take another break and then finish the last stage as our wolves, if that’s okay with you, Alpha Falan,” Beta Raina states, interrupting Jupiter's taunts.

“That sounds good to me. I leave myself in your capable hands, Beta Raina.”

“Alpha Falan, I do believe that is the first thing you’ve said to me without blushing. We’re making headway.” She smiles at me… and I blush furiously. This is going to be a long day!

Somehow I manage not to embarrass myself again and Jupiter has no cause to tease me further.

Arriving at my second border crossing of the day, we are met by the Spirit Walker Pack’s Beta, Earl. We share introductions before my Blood Pearl escort bid me farewell. I don’t watch them as they leave and wonder what had caused my odd behavior with Beta Raina.

After only a brief rest break, we set off for their packhouse.

Stopping for a brief respite after two hours, we are halfway there.

We are just preparing to begin the last leg of our journey when one of my warriors shouts from the forest, “ROGUES! STAND READY!” and then bursts into our clearing.

Turning to face from where he has appeared, he shifts to his wolf.

Rogues charge through the forest, then come to an abrupt halt when they see us waiting for them.

Taking the offensive, we quickly dispatch those closest to us and run down those that choose to flee rather than fight.

Holding them in the clearing, Earl takes on the role of interrogator and soon has his answers.

“Alpha Falan. They knew you were coming to Spirit Walker Pack. How they knew you had already left your pack lands, the prisoners couldn’t say. To have that information so quickly speaks of an efficient spy network.” Earl gives me a wide-eyed look.

“That is something I need to address when I return. You are correct. How did they know so quickly that I had left? That is not good. What do you propose to do with your prisoners?” I ask, knowing how difficult it would be to move swiftly and watch prisoners.

“What prisoners would that be, Alpha Falan?” Earl grins, turns away and I just smile to myself. A shifter after my own heart.

Arriving at their packhouse, I am taken to Alpha Lyle. As soon as our introductions are done, I ensure that my escort are catered for and that Kynan is stationed by Alpha Lyle’s door, should I need him.