The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Getting There

In waiting to listen to the two men discuss Teddy, the wolves had inadvertently lost track of the boy themselves and decided to follow the two men from a safe distance in hopes of finding their way back. The men passed from the church on the street and into a large white tent next to an old fashioned looking building. Elijah identified this as the beer tent they were speaking of from the scent of alcohol which emanated through the open walls. It was a scent the alpha knew well, seeing as his own packhouse was known to the human authorities as nothing more than a whiskey distillery.

Elijah stepped to follow the two men through the entryway, but was blocked by an older gentleman wearing a friendly smile. He had allowed the two men to pass right through, but he stood firmly in the path between Elijah and Teddy— which was not a good stance to take.

"I need to see some form of ID buddy," the man asked.

"Why?"

"So I can make sure you're twenty-one," He said with an amused smile. "I can't just let anyone in, seems to me that'd lead to underage drinking which is mighty dangerous."

Elijah frowned. In his whole life he had never really left the grounds of the packhouse, and wolves had no such notion of the dangers of alcohol. Coming from a packhouse that doubled as a distillery for a cover-up, Elijah had been drinking whiskey without issue since he was about twelve years old.

"Alpha!" The beta said in a hushed whisper. "The men said Theodore wouldn't be with them anyway, maybe we ought to look for him elsewhere."

"I don't have it on me." Elijah grunted to the man, ignoring his beta's pleas. He was never one to give up easily and had no intention of listening to reason.

"Then I can't let you in," the man shrugged.

Elijah's frustration bubbled within him. He was not in the mood to be told no, not at all. If this man wanted to prevent him from seeing his mate, there was going to be an awful lot of trouble.

"I don't care what—"

"I'm sorry bud, but underage people need to stay outside the tent. Why don't you go hang out with the rest of the kids at the dance?"

"Dance?" Elijah asked. This had piqued his interest— if that was where the people their age went, that must be where Teddy went too.

"Oh yeah, the high school sets up a DJ booth and dancing in the center of the street for all the students. My boy's there right now, actually."

Within seconds Elijah's demeanor had changed. He went from being about to jump the man to being so happy he could have kissed him. This was the key to finding Teddy; he was more sure of it than anything else.

"Sir—" Elijah asked expectantly "—You wouldn't happen to know a Theodore, would you?"

"Theodore Glover?"

The alpha had never heard his mate's last name before, but he decided that sounded right and nodded energetically.

"I sure do!"

"Do you think he'd be there... at the dance... tonight?"

"Well I'd bet as much. Everybody pretty much comes," He shrugged. "Why'd you ask?"

By the time the man assented the alpha was already walking in the direction he'd pointed and didn't hear the end of his sentence. Elijah was in no mood for civilities, not when he could be with Teddy. There simply wasn't the time for that.

"No reason!" The woman called as she turned to follow the alpha and beta into the quickly multiplying crowd. The man had a strange look on his face but made no move to stop them so they continued.