And Then The River Went Dry (Wolf Creed Pack, 1)

It was Sunday and the early morning dew sat glimmering on leaves like nature's diamonds, reflecting the morning's sun rays off its delicate surface. With the sun came the creatures of the morning, rising to chase the last ticket of their meals. Max stood at his office window, staring out at the sun rising. He truly enjoyed this time of the day, for it brought peace to his wolf. It was the most beautiful thing to watch, and it seem to be one of the few times that the calmness soothed his wolf temperament. His wolf was getting restless these days to continue without a mate and each day his wolf got more agitated by that fact. There was a soft knock on his door before it slightly cracked.

"Hi Alpha, should I get the preparations ready for our guests?" Finn asked with his head sticking through the door's slight crack. Right, the girls have not responded to his invitation yet. It was unexpected, and he wondered if they got his note at all.

"You sure the note was delivered?" Max asked while he turned towards Finn.

He knew better. His Delta was many things, but not being detail orientated was not one of them. Knowing him, he probably wrote the note and delivered it personally. After all, he was the one who packed the gift basket and got the girls' car detailed. He thought of everything before anyone thought of it. That's why Max made him his fourth in command and the Wolf Creed Pack's daily business ran so smoothly.

"Yes, Alpha. I delivered it myself."

"Hmmm. I will let you know if I get a response but prepare something just in case." He said and turned back towards the window. Mind linking his Beta, Don, he asked if there were any messages from the girls, but Don told him there was none.

It has been two days now and still no response from them. Maybe they are upset over the entire incident, but who could blame them?

With that thought in mind, he picked up the piece of paper that Finn scribbled on the phone for the cottage that the girls were staying at. Finn said that he figured he would need the number, just in case. And just in case it was. Sliding his cell from his jeans pocket, he quickly dialed the number to the cottage. He figured it would be less uncomfortable for the girls if he called rather than show up at their doorstep. After all, he would be a powerful alpha bachelor at their door. It was bound to make any girl feel awkward, especially since this was not their territory. The phone was answered on the fifth ring and the most beautiful voice he ever heard came drifting through his speakers. The voice had a seductive pitch to it that was both warm and inviting as the user answered hello in a cheerfully, obvious drunk tone.

It was flipping 6:30 AM. Why were they drinking that early?

"Hello. This is Alpha Maximillian Adalwolf. I am calling regarding the invitation I sent..."

"Ahh, that was an invitation, eh? It was giving very note vibes. Nevertheless, my good Alpha, we happily decline the offer. Thank you!"

"There is so much noise in the background that I don't think that I heard you right. Did you just decline my invitation?"

"Wow, I thought alphas were supposed to have the better hearing," Carmeta whispered before responding to him. "Can I talk freely, Alpha?"

"Sure! Why not?" he said and took a seat behind his desk.

"Good. While I... we appreciate the offer, I... we would have to decline on pure principle!"

"Principle...?"

"Yes, principle, my good sir. I... we ladies would like to be free this weekend from the shackles of the overbearing alpha male complex and just turn up! Too long I... we have been held down now. I... we want to get wild." There was a chorus of woo hoo in agreement from what seemed like the other ladies.

"You tell him!" One shouted in the background before they erupted into drunken laughter.

"So, you see my gorgeous Alpha, I... we most decline you generous but not necessary offer, respectfully of course." the respectful part was added on with a little snicker and he was dumbfounded.

Not only was this siren seductress declining the offer to be in his presence, but she was also challenging his authority. And for some strange reason, the challenge excited his wolf. Not in his usual murderous way, but in a playful way.

Well, this is new. She isn't fighting to get a chance at the big, bad, and powerful Alpha. His wolf mocked with a big goofy, toothy grin, also an unusual behavior for him.

The long pause led her to believe he was done, and she said if there was nothing else, she had to go. Before he could respond, he heard one of the girls in the background asking who was on the phone and she said no one before hanging up. He sat there for the longest with the phone still clutched to his ears in disbelief over what had just happened. A she-wolf just did that to him. She hung up! She said he was no one to someone! The audacity she had! He was boiling mad...or was it hurt? He was the most powerful Alpha in the Northern Hemisphere, un-mated, rich, and had the strongest pack. Therefore, he deserved the respect of all werewolves and humans alike.

There was a knock on his office door again, and this time it was his Beta who entered. His arrival broke his inner turmoil over the incident that had just happened. More than anything, he wanted to hunt down the insolent girl to make her submit to him, but his wolf had other plans. The stupid beast wanted the girl to submit to him, but for other reasons than to feed into his alpha trait.

"We have a situation, Alpha!"

"What's up?"

"The Purist cult has a new alpha and no one in the pack is talking about what happened to Alpha Cole."

"And this is cause for concern because?"

"The new alpha is a psychopath who's on a warpath. There are rumors that he is abusive to the she-wolves and children in the pack. They also said that they a performing the forbidden rituals and using human and werewolf sacrifices. Many women and kids are missing from the pack and the surrounding packs as well."

"How many?"

"Four kids and seven women."

"So, he's not only preaching the purist words, but he is making it a reality."

"Well, officially, there's nothing we can do until someone from the pack confirms the rumors. However, the other alphas are hoping that you can do something."

"Of course, they are!" Max sighed with frustration while rubbing his hands down his face.

Why can't these purist fuckers just die out?

"Alpha, I have a feeling that these aren't just rumors and that the visions I had from I was a child are coming true. We are in for a rude awakening."

"How did the rumors even start?" Alpha Max asked his beta.

They had to get a way to find evidence of what was happening in the purist pack in order for them to intervene. It wasn't like they could just cross onto their territory and demand answers. That would only bring forth war and break the unwritten treaty among packs. The last thing any alpha wanted was an all-out war among their kind. It would not only result in a lot of fatalities, but it would spill over into the human world. No, they had to tread lightly in this situation.

"It was a man from the pack who sent word to his friend in another pack."

"And that friend, has he heard anything else since?"

"No. He tried to get in contact with him, even tried to visit, but each time the alpha denied him."

"I guess we can fear the worst, which is that they killed him."

"Yes, we can. In his message to his friend, he said that if anything happened to him that he should try to protect his two daughters. One is 12, and the other is 19."

"What about his mate?"

"She died in childbirth."

"So, if they killed him, then the girls are left unprotected then."

"Yes, there was more information that was coming out. We suspect that it's his eldest daughter, but she refused to give us solid evidence until we take something for her. We suspect that something is her sister."

"So, she didn't want protection herself?"

"Doesn't look that way, it seems that she wanted to protect the other women and children in the pack. However, there has been silence from that information line for two days now..."

"We can only assume that she is still alive, for now. We need to get her out of there. It doesn't matter what she wants. She's our only proof right now."

"What about her sister?"

"If we can, we will take her too, but if we can't, we can't."

As sad as that sounded, it was the reality of being a leader. One had to remove emotions from the decision-making process and think from a logical standpoint. So, if he had to sacrifice one to save all, he would do so in a heartbeat.