Gamma No More - Book 3

For the next four weeks, pack life is relatively peaceful. The unrest in the main packs appears to have quietened, or at least reports of violence between packs had stopped for now.

Karl and Leah became proud parents of their first cub, Ethan, who made an appearance at two in the morning, Toni being present to help Samuel with his first birth.

The proud parents were currently on leave together and Toni was already missing their calm efficiency when dealing with the day-to-day pack issues.

Since Cage visited, she has taken to picking a different pack member to run with her each day, from newly turned pups, to ranked wolves and everything in between.

It’s been good for the pack, people see Toni as more approachable for it, and there’s a bubble of excitement in the pack around three in the afternoon, the usual time when a message gets to the wolf in question, more than that, it relaxed both Toni and Tyra and opened up a chance for her pack to talk to her.

With the younger wolves, she makes time at the end of the run to play with them, feeling it was something she missed out on as a pup and between her and Tyra, they found it a good way to bond with and relax the young adults to her presence.

She initiated the play and decided when it’s done, but also it allowed her to show her authority over them gently when they get a little too boisterous, mainly by using her paw on them as a wild wolf would do to their cub, calming their wolf side.

Authority without a raised voice or threat of violence helped not just them, but Toni, to learn control in ways that had bypassed her when she lost her family and had the Gamma role forced onto her at a young age.

Yesterday, Toni had led a pack run, it had been non-mandatory, but a lot of the pack had gone on the run, with the remaining wolves looking after the pups not yet able to shift, it was something she had seen while in the Deadfalls pack. But today the atmosphere in the pack was full of energy and she had already had several requests to make it a monthly event.

Toni almost skipped into her office; she picked up the printout she had from Jenna, which was limited to the top three suspects.

Which added to her four, gave seven suspects. She had got them to discard any witches or wizards on the list, because they would not need a young witch to ward their house.

On the human list, she took her time reading through the detailed file Jenna had given her, summarising each one as she went.

Jonathon Wilkes had a reason to dislike wolves as his sister, Anna, had left to join her mates pack when she was a young woman, a David Harrisson, Jonathon had felt she then ignored her human family, seeing them only once a year, but he was now in his late eighties so highly unlikely as the suspect, although he could be bankrolling someone else, but she felt he was more likely to want to wipe out wolves entirely.

Next was Ezekiel James, who had no known links outside the human world but was a self-made millionaire who was currently trying to edge his way up the ranks within the human lands, described as driven by power and influence.

Finally, there was Brenda Fraser, who came from inherited wealth, and had a lot of influence in the human lands, but felt the restrictions in the Neutral Zone stopped trade and were more beneficial to other species.

Leif had narrowed the Vampire list down and had taken great pleasure in interviewing each of them. He noted that he had found three low ranked vampires who were causing some issues, but all linked to vampire politics only.

Each of them had brought their way into being turned, thinking their money would give them status in the vampire world.

Del Miller, Cedrick Reed and Archie Foster, all become vampires fifty to seventy-five years ago and had tried to better their position in vampire society having failed to realise they needed to be turned by a higher ranked vampire to gain more status and were currently being deprived of their liberties.

She turned to the list that Jenna had once more and noted she would need look into the human Anna Harrisson, but she understood that humans often got so absorbed in pack life they didn’t leave to visit their human relatives, which is often unsettling to those left behind.

Apart from that, Jenna was still investigating all three humans, while Toni looked down at her list of four wolves.

She had provisionally removed Prince Kai from the list. He showed no interest in taking over after Darius’s downfall, so it was doubtful that he would make any effort to do so behind the scenes when he could easily have stepped up to power. Unless, of course, it was from any ambitions to conquering other territories.

Alpha Nate was on a sabbatical from the pack, which meant he could be the one involved in the uprising, he had the time on his hands, especially since Dimitri’s sources told her it hadn’t been at his request, which may have given him more motive.

Darius hadn’t been happy about his exile from all accounts, but again, attacking the Royalists most likely to support his claim seemed counter-intuitive and none of her leadership had a reason to justify it. He, too, was now excluded off the list of potential candidates.

The final name, King Petrus, she could see no benefit to him taking that line either, and if he had, she expected that he would have sent forces to quieten the unrest, the easiest way for him to look ‘strong’ and he hadn’t.

She circled Alpha Nate’s name. He had to be their prime candidate. Maybe Alpha wasn’t where he had set his sights; how she could investigate him she hadn’t yet been able to plan, but Alpha Nathaniel Beadon was the prime candidate for being the troublemaker.

Delta Ezra came bursting into her office looking worried.

“Alpha, we have a problem.”

“Which wolf has been causing issues?”

There’s always some wolf or other, usually those in the sixteen to nineteen ages, causing some sort of disturbance in a pack, hormones, plus emerging wolves and wanting to make a name for themselves took a toll on both pack peace and friendships in any pack.

“There was an attack on the Riverways pack. It left lots injured but luckily no deaths, but they are defenceless until their pack heals and some injuries were serious.

They were a medium pack that had come out in favour of the King.”

Toni nodded. So much for the peace that had been brewing.

“And?”

“You are being blamed.

The pack report is that it was a group of unified wolves, not yet rogue, led by a chocolate wolf.

One attacker let slip that Lowlands was their next target. A pup heard it from their hiding place, but the attackers destroyed their reserves of food.

I spoke to Alpha Joseph on your behalf to warn him, but he’s hosting the Deadfall pack currently, but if harm comes to them on an official visit….”

Toni finishes the sentence for him.

“War could break out between them, and Deadfalls have been resolutely neutral throughout all this.

By the Goddess, this isn’t good,” her voice finishes quietly.

“Alpha Joseph was going to talk to Alpha Lance and warn him.”

Ezra’s voice is heavy with the unspoken truth that this will bring war closer, almost as if the forced peace was to get people to drop their guard, making it easier to stage attacks.

“Lance won’t leave,” she responds quickly.

It would put him and his travelling warriors at too much risk.

Solo, they have less protection than staying in the Lowlands pack. But as long as he let his pack know, it should keep tensions low. Forewarned is at least forearmed and all that.”

She knows Lance, he won’t take the additional risks that trying to leave would give them, she’s assuming he’s travelled with guards, but if they get caught in the open, it would be a massacre, especially if the attacking wolves could inflict that much damage on Riverways.

Toni reflected on the options Lowland have, looking at their map, their territory is open and doesn’t have any highly defensible points.

Making up her mind, she speaks once more

“Call up the warriors and the veiled ones. Leave enough here to protect the pack. The rest are going with me. We are going to make sure the Lowlands get some help.

Beta Karl, Cam and anyone with young pups need to stay here. They can get the pack into the bunkers if needed, and we need to double the guards on the pass.”

Ezra looks at her, taking a deep breath before he broaches the subject

“What about Theo and Thea?”

“I’ll take them to Karl and Leah, and get Katie to sit with them to help.

He will guard them and Ethan with his life. That is something I am sure of.

Get the rest organised. We move out in thirty minutes.”

She is confident that’s the case, but she will probably have to command Karl to stay here. He will want to be involved.

Getting up she sends a message to Alpha Joseph to warn him they are coming as backup, after all, technically he’s still her regent, then turning she heads to pick up her pups, they have things to organise and not much time to do it.

It took twenty minutes to get the pack organised and a further three hours of travelling once they had cleared the pass, before Toni, Deltas Ezra and Di along with twenty of her pack warriors and veiled ones gathered together and bearing down on the Lowlands pack.

On her way down, she’d spoken to Alpha Joseph and agreed once they got there if the fight was in progress, his wolves would fall back, to identify friend from foe, while it wasn’t infallible, it would give her pack a heads up on who not to attack.

After all, using the sense of smell only was difficult in the heat of a fight.

The sounds of savage fighting roar in her ears as she and her pack burst onto the scene. She sends a haunting howl to Joseph, letting him know, through the chaos, they had arrived. She can see the Lowlands have gained control of the battle, their vicious snarls echoing through the air, leaving broken bodies in their wake as they drop back to rally around the towering black wolf of their Alpha, defining the attacking group with their movement.

With a fierce determination, she and her wolves surround the attackers, striking with deadly precision as they help Lowlands defend their territory. Through the pack link, she sends a command to spare some attackers for questioning. Her loyal wolves respond with savage growls as they dive into the fray, taking on the attackers from their vulnerable rear flank, while Alpha Joseph moves his pack back into the fight, pushing forward from the other side.

The attacking wolves realise too late that they are in a deadly pincer movement, surrounded on two sides. Some try to flee, but her pack catches most of them, legs crushed to prevent their escape.

As more and more of them fall to the two-pronged assault, panic sets in and a stampede of defeated wolves breaks out, desperately trying to escape back into the safety of the forest.

Two of her veiled ones are hiding back in the tree line and she’s getting regular updates from them of wolves they have taken into custody, binding them with rope soaked in wolfsbane.

It will burn them, but they will be secure and controlled, and the burns will pass in time.

Once the attacker’s numbers are low enough, there’s almost a relaxation in the wolves defending. Toni sees it happening just a moment too late.

A large dark grey wolf on the far side of Alpha Joseph takes his eyes from the fight. Turning to the main pack as if searching for injuries, losing focus on the attackers in front of him. In that moment of distraction, he exposes his neck to the enemy. One of the few attacking wolves left, a powerful chocolate-coloured brute that bears a passing resemblance to Tyra, if you don’t look too hard, seizes the opportunity and launches himself at the grey wolf’s vulnerable throat with a savage snarl, determined to break through their defence.

For a few seconds, confusion hits Toni about why the attacker bypassed the Alpha and targeted a younger wolf. But before she can process it fully, Joseph’s wolf, Wilder, sprang into action and throws himself between them. As Wilder takes the bite meant for the younger wolf, Toni watches in horror as the attacker tears off a chunk of his neck, blood splattering over the nearby wolves and staining the ground crimson, before latching his teeth back around Wilder’s neck.

Reacting, Tyra lunges at the attacking wolf with fierce determination. With her full weight on its haunches, dragging it down to the floor, she tears another chunk out of its flesh as it yelps in pain and releases Wilder.

The dark grey wolf, the original target of the attack, retaliates with a vengeance. With bloodlust in its eyes, it charges forward and locks its teeth around the throat of the attacker, ripping out its windpipe before turning on Tyra with equal ferocity. Undaunted, Tyra growls with dominance and stands her ground against the enraged young male as the rest of the attackers flee in fear. An eerie silence falls over the remaining wolves as they watch the young pretender face off against Tyra.

‘Do not attack the male,’

She ordered her pack as they surround her protectively, but she can see the wolf drop his head submissively a second later, as if ordered to stand down.

Shifting, she drops to Wilder, ripping off her balled-up cloak and releasing the cords to flatten it. She uses it to pad his neck wound, applying pressure as she does, but she can feel the cloak becoming damp under her hands.

From the corner of her eye, she can see a group of wolves heading into the forest, chasing down the last of the attackers, but her focus is on the wolf in front of her.

“Someone get the medics here, now!” Toni commands

“Joseph, you need to trust me and shift. We need to see the damage to your human form.”

The wolf she is crouched over starts his shift, the howls morphing into groans as his human body takes over.

She can see Beta Oliver had shifted and was calling out orders and as the grey wolf, the object of the attack shifts and falls to the other side of Joseph, she can see he’s a spitting image of the older man.

“Hold him down, I need to see the damage,”

Toni holds the grey eyes of the young man. Seeing a shared concern for the fallen Alpha, who is growing paler, he nods before firmly pushing down the Alpha’s shoulders.

She pulls away the cloak for fifteen seconds, it’s bleeding profusely and there’s all sorts of muscle damage, but it didn’t hit his jugular and she breathes an audible sigh of relief, before pushing the cloak back in place.

“Well old friend, that’s going to be a hell of a scar, probably better than mine, still trying to outdo me I see”

She lets a small sad smile out.

“But you should live.

Just don’t talk, at least not yet. You need to be patched up to limit the damage first.”

She sighs as she looks down at the prone Alpha.

“Why am I always having to put you back together after fights?”

The light joke brings a small smile to the Alpha’s face before the medics turn up to take over.

Toni steps back and Ezra hands her his cloak.

“Any of ours hurt?”

She can see Beta Oliver and the young Alpha standing waiting as she speaks to her pack.

“Nothing serious. We’ve blooded a few of the warriors and taken six prisoners before the restraints ran out, but I’d say it’s given them confidence.”

She nodded, turning to Beta Oliver and the young man, who she assumes is the Alpha in training; he looks close to twenty, and she feels he’s of age to take charge with his father injured.

“We have prisoners for you. Are you able to house them?”

“Alpha Ant,”

Oliver bows his head using her formal title.

“Your warning meant we caught them unprepared. Our pack is in your debt once again. I will make sure the prisoners are secure in our cells.

Let me introduce Alpha Joseph’s son, Trainee Alpha Ryan.”

She nodded once to the Beta before turning to Ryan

“Alpha Ryan, do you have somewhere we can talk and is Alpha Lance still here?”

She can see him blanch at her address, no trainee title, knowing she is asking him to take control, especially in front of his pack, but there’s also guilt written on his face.

If it weren’t for his momentary lapse, it would be his father that she addressed, but all leaders make mistakes. Toni knows this well and the measure of the wolf is how they deal with the aftermath of the mistake.

“After you have locked the prisoners up, Beta Oliver, please take responsibility for finding refreshment and medical attention for Alpha Ant’s group.

Also, I need to know of my father’s condition immediately after the medics have finished treating him.

Alpha Ant, thank you for your assistance if you would follow me. I believe Alpha Lance went after the stragglers, so he should return soon.”

Oliver smiles approvingly. He’s closer in age to Ryan than Joseph, but watching the young leader step up has relaxed the rest of his pack.

It had taken a few hours of talking, during which Beta Oliver had filled in Ryan’s gaps in knowledge of who Toni was and her history with his father until the rest of the wolves had come back from hunting down the stragglers.

By the time Lance had come back, they had news about Alpha Joseph; he was going to be okay. Shifting would be uncomfortable because of the scarring, but it was a good prognosis.

Delta Ezra from her pack, Gamma Charlie from the Deadfalls pack, and Delta Jack from the Lowlands pack interrogated the prisoners before reporting back to them all.

It seemed they had planned to attack during the pack meal when the pack would have been caught off guard, instead, as they had infiltrated the pack land, being met by a prepared force, putting them on the back foot and turning the tide of battle before it had started.

Someone had also underestimated the strength of the Lowland pack. They weren’t overtly vicious, but even peaceful packs prepared in times of unrest and Toni believed without their help, they would have survived.

But the most worrying aspect of the attack was that there was a mix of wolves, all from different packs, that had banded together to stage the attacks and make it seem like rogues, with her leading them.

Worse, the rebels were massing, readying for an attack on the Royal pack.