Revolting

Heath paced restlessly back and forth down the hallway. He looked like a wild man, his auburn hair standing up at all angles, the rough shadow of a beard on his pale jaw. His mate William watched him with equal parts concern, awe and love. Heath had been rogue for a long time, along with his little sister Hannah. They had survived alone, in the wild, on the run since they were just kids, right up to the day that they ended up camped just outside the Rebel Moon boundary. William and Heath had built a small house inside of Rebel Moon, but Heath still wasn't a true pack member. Just like he wasn't wholly William's partner yet. They were mated and marked, but not yet married. He wore the ring William had given him on finger, but he wouldn't commit to a date. He said he couldn't do it, not until Hannah was found.

William felt a buzz of excitement lifting the hairs on the back of his neck. Heath said that he sensed his sister, though it was faint and somehow off. The big man had been beside himself with anxiety and anticipation. "I thought she was lost. It's been months... I didn't know if she was dead or alive..."

William felt a small pain in his chest. He knew how important Hannah was to Heath. He had suffered alongside his mate as he worried over his lost sister during the long, cold winter months. William had joined Heath on a dozen search and rescue missions, and he had cried with him every time they came back empty handed. But at the same time, he felt a slight pang of resentment... Heath wouldn't move on without his sister. He wouldn't join the pack or get married. It was as though the man were stuck in limbo, and not even William, his fated mate, could pull him out of it. If, goddess forbid, the girl had died, would Heath spend the rest of his life holding William at arm's length?

He had no choice but to accept it, if he wanted to keep his mate. But now there was hope! "Do you have any sense of location or direction?" William prompted.

Heath shook his head in frustration. "I don't know, I don't know!" he lamented. "But I feel like..." He rubbed his jaw tiredly, "She's right on the edge of my consciousness, fading in and out... so not very close." He looked up with a pained expression. "I need to go look for her Will."

William sighed and went to his partner. He wrapped his arms around his narrow waist and leaned his body into Heath's warm, solid chest. He offered him the calm and comfort that only a mate's touch could bring. He felt Heath's racing heart slow down until it was beating in time with his own. "Let's go talk to Shane and Nina."

Hand in hand the couple walked the well-worn path between the small bungalow and the old farm house that was slowly being remodeled into the Rebel Moon pack house. There was always some construction project going on, and at that moment they had the flooring ripped up in the living room. The old carpeting was being removed to reveal the original wide-plank hardwood floors. The old floors needed to be sanded and refinished and repaired in a few places. The couple skirted the mess and made their way down the hall to the Alpha's office. William gave Heath's hand a reassuring squeeze before he lifted his hand to knock.

A woman's voice called out softly for them to enter. He turned the handle and pushed the door open carefully. He had hardly taken a step when a small tornado plowed into his legs. "Uncle Weeyum!" A toddler with rosy flushed cheeks, a halo of dark curls, and the sweetest grey-blue eyes looked up at him adoringly. "Up! Up!"

He bent and scooped his niece up, propping her on his hip. "Hey beautiful," he poked her nose, "Where have you been all my life?"

"Playing," she said seriously. She pointed a chubby finger towards her play-mat on the floor, where an assortment of dolls and teddy bears were arranged. The alpha and luna were seated side by side at the big desk. Shane was frowning ferociously over a pile of paperwork. He was tall and broad shouldered with inky, blue-black hair and a dark, island complexion. Nina looked up from her laptop and smiled warmly as she lowered the screen to give William and Heath her full attention. "Hey guys," she said, gesturing to the overstuffed chairs that faced the desk. "Come on in."

Nina was a fairly ordinary looking woman, but there was a goodness and strength that shown through her simple features. She was one of William's best friends. They had been more distant since William had found his mate, but he loved her none the less.

"Gentlemen," Alpha Shane looked grateful to push his paperwork aside. He steepled his large hands on the desks and waited for the two men to speak. William sat and arranged the toddler on his lap. Heath scooped up a doll and handed it to the little girl before he also folded his large body into one of the chairs.

Heath still wasn't entirely at ease around the Alpha. He aimed his gaze at the bookshelf somewhere behind the man when he spoke. "I've felt my sister through the mind-link." he said in a rushed breath. "I know she's alive." Nina's face broke into a happy smile. "That's wonderful news, Heath!"

"But," his tone was enough to change her happy expression into a somber one. Heath continued, "I feel like something's wrong. She's not responsive. The link comes and goes, but it's like she's not really aware that its open." "It's like she butt-dialed and doesn't know the call connected." William added, making a face.

Shane and Nina exchanged a worried glance. They seemed to be communicating privately between themselves, but they did not share their thoughts with the two men seated before them. Shane cleared his throat. "Do you have any idea where she is?"

Heath shook his head, and dropped his gaze down to his hands, which were clenched together between his knees. "No... but I want to look for her. I have to try. This is the first time I've felt her in months. I need to know she's okay." He glanced up, his eyes pleading. He wasn't a pack member, he didn't need their permission to go looking for his sister again. But William was their beta. He had work and pack responsibilities.

"Please," William spoke quietly, "Let me go with him."

Nina looked to Shane again, and his hand reached out for hers. They laced their fingers together, and their love crackled in the air like a palpable thing. "Of course," Nina said after a long moment. "Of course, you should go with him." No mention was made of all their previous failures. No "buts" or conditions were laid on them. Just a quiet understanding. That's what made this pack so different from any that Heath had ever set foot in. The Alpha and Luna were understanding, compassionate, and fair.

"Th-thank you." Heath mumbled, rubbing his sweaty palms against his legs.

"Visit the kitchen and make sure you take adequate supplies." Nina instructed.

William reluctantly set his niece on the floor with her toys. He rested his hand against Heath's lower back as they started to file out of the office. Just as the reached the door, Nina called out to them. "Health? When you see your sister... tell her we miss her, and we want her to come back. Nothing that happened was her fault. Make sure she knows that."

He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "Thank you Luna,"