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

This was the first time in the history of the werewolves, even shifters, that a murder of one of their own took place in such a mutilated way. Matter of fact, there has never been a shifter that has been killed like that, not even during the forbidden ritual era where there were shifter sacrifices. Not by the Priest of the Old Ways, humans, or by rogues. It went against their entire belief system of who they were. Their bodies after death were to be returned to the earth, it was not something that was taught to them, it was just engraved into their souls. There were rules to their societies and their respect was always paid to their god, Lycaon, and the moon goddess, Selene. However, the way the corpses were mutilated, it is evident that the perpetrators were saying "Fuck You!" to the moon goddess. Now he was sitting in his office on a Zoom call with all the Alphas of the north, discussing what the hell to do. The body was found near the outskirts of the Wolf Creed Pack neighboring pack, a very small territory filled with mostly mild-tempered wolves. It bothered Max that it was between his territory, even though it was miles away, it was like the killer or killers was taunting him.

The murder victim was a half-breed she-wolf with her father being a human turned or turned one and her mother is a werewolf. She was only 15 years old and based on what their pathologist reported, she suffered for hours before death succumbed to her. The mutilation of her reproductive organ was done after her death and the weird ritualist shrine on her body was unknown among their people, even other shifters. The golden brand marking that was on her private area was the only sign possibly linking the purist cult to the crime because the branding was done after her death. It was two interlocking circles that represented limitless things, among them eternity, unity, monotheism, infinity, and wholeness. The purist members believed that the life of a shifter species and a human starts at the end and ends in the beginning, but they should never cross. They hated the fact that over the last decades, werewolves have mixed their DNA with humans and even other shifter species, and they believed if they continued down this path for the next 100 years, their species would be diluted to nothing.

"How could they do this to a child?"

"It was clear that it was that stupid Purist pack."

"Don't taint the word pack with the liking of those animals. They are nothing more than a bunch of rogue wolves living together on the bases of being in a cult."

"We don't know if it's them for sure and we can't jump to any conclusions."

"Oh, shut up with that political bullshit, their brand was left on the girl. What more do you want, fucking flag clipped to her forehead?"

"Think with your head, you moron! I'm not being politically correct. There was no scent trail, fur trail, no DNA, nothing at the scene. It was like the body just appeared there out of thin air. So, we can't just assume it's them because of the brand. Any idiot who knew about their symbol could do that. It's no wonder your pack is filled with pure testosterone single brain cell jocks!"

"What did you say, you scrawny nerd? The fact that you are the alpha shows me that your pack is filled with only weak bones. But what did I expect? After all, your pack is named Sage Fox."

"How about you formally challenge me, and we'll see who's the weakling here..."

"ENOUGH!" Alpha Max shouted as he slapped his hand down on his desk. He was tired of their childish bickering when they were having an important meeting about a child's murder. There was silence over the Zoom call as all the alphas sat silently waiting, some seething beneath their silence. "Alpha Chadwick is right, we aren't sure since there is nothing at the scene. I sent my best trackers out there to find something and I suggest you all do the same. Limit it to only a two-man team. The fewer bodies we have on the scene the less contamination. We need to also figure out who the hell is this new alpha of the purist pack and what happened to alpha Cole. Chad, I heard your sister is an expert, I would like her to do another autopsy to see if anything was previously missed. Everything we do from now on will have to be double-checked at least, we need to learn to work together on this, share information and resources, so all petty squabbles must be put aside."

"I heard on the grapevine that the new alpha calls himself Yehweh and that he is a sick twisted bastard."

"There is also another thing that you all should be aware of. My beta just reported to me that the Crystal Pool is dying."

There was shock and panic among the alphas as their species blessed gift from the moon goddess herself was dying. The Crystal Pool was one of the most important things among shifters, not just werewolves, it was just as important as a mate. It was the holy waters that were blessed by the Moon goddess and used in many sacred rituals. It flowed where every shifter resided, no matter the location. All alphas told their betas to check on theirs and the same was happening to their pool. They all confirmed their finding. The moon goddess was pissed off and if she took back all her gifts to their people they would return to the ancient days of their creatures, a period where there was numb nothingness and no mating bonds.

"You know what we all have to do now. There is no point in telling our people what is happening. This would cause mass hysteria among them. We just need to figure this out and fix it quickly."

"For once I agree with alpha Chadwick over this"

"So, it's agreed then. We keep this hush and figure it out?" Alpha Chadwick asked, and they all agreed before ending the video call meeting.

After the video call, Alpha Max called in his three top lieutenants, from his Beta to his Delta, and informed them of the situation. He told them that there would be a strict curfew for all wolves and humans who belong to and worked for the Wolf Creed Pack. Anyone found breaking these rules would be severely punished. That the enforcers were to pull all patrolling half-breed werewolves from the territory lines and move them inward. In order not to cause mass hysteria in the pack, he decided that only a selective few enforcers would know the real situation but everyone else would be told that there are rogues around and it is for their safety.

The exhaustion of running a big pack and keeping his people safe was taking a toll on him, especially considering the fact that he was doing so since he was 16 and he had to prove himself for two years straight before he earned every alpha's respect. The youngest alpha in wolf history but he earned that position by fighting the former alpha to near death in an alpha challenge. That old pedophile wanted to sell the young girls in the pack to his wealthy friends, that narcissistic prick. Fast forward to the present, he was now 26 years old and doing all of this without a mate to call his own. This demanding position was wearing him out but he did this for her. He wanted to create something she would be proud to share with him, a place where she and their children would feel safe to live, wealth so they would want for nothing. He did this all for his mate. A flashback to that sensual voice he heard over the phone popped into his head and his wolf rose to the surface. That she-wolf ended the call that way, it was like she dismissed him. He was about to find out exactly who she was but decided to put it on the back burner for now, he had more pressing issues to deal with than that seductress she-wolf.