Avoiding Alpha

Chapter Twenty Three

Tommy had been following her, he had promised to watch her and just as he was slinking about getting on the roof top - literally about to climb up - when he saw the hand come crashing down on her head. He jumped from his crouched position on the side of the building and ran after her but she was gone. He managed a fleeting glimpse of her before she disappeared from view and crashing behind him told him that Ray was there, along with his own Alpha and the combination of both packs of warriors.

                Tommy, the sneak, the scout who was their eyes and ears had failed. Stunned, he let his knees give way and they did so abruptly, sending him falling to the ground. He had failed, she was gone. They had taken her and it would be a miracle if she lasted the night.

“I failed.” He whispered into his hands just before he placed them on his head. He screamed for all it was worth in total agony at his stupid mistake, his unseeing eyes. Gone was the girl he had helped to protect from them for years! Seven years. Now she was gone. Why had he not seen them?! Why had he not heard them?! Why had he not stayed within a millimetre of her to stop such a thing from happening? Why o why had he let her be carried off?

“Tommy!” His Alpha demanded his attention and he slowly lowered his hands but he refused to look up into the eyes of his Alpha, he was too ashamed to look up from the ground. Too ashamed to stand. He was worthless.

                A hard hand grabbed a hold of his shirt collar. He was one of the only ones who wore a shirt. He preferred his thin body to be hidden, it was nothing spectacular. He expected a blow, a punch, anything to punish him for his folly, but he should have known better, his Alpha was no brute. “On your feet Tommy, you’re the scout, scout out her trail. We can’t cry over our mistakes, we merely rectify them.”

                Hope glistened in his eyes. He didn’t care about being blamed, he blamed himself, but his Alpha was giving him a chance to redeem himself, but even that wasn’t what made him look up. There was a glimmer of hope that he could still prove useful. He was a scout who would sneak into places and get information, and now he needed those skills and he would use them, he would follow the tracks and lead the warriors to her. He was no fighter, but boy, no one hid secrets from him. The Letale pack may have a few secrets but they were few and far between, he was usually one step ahead of them. He would be so clever again. He had to. For Tendra, for the girl whose strength he admired.

Ray knew the moment the scream assaulted his ears that his life was about to come crashing down and when he walked outside it did. He watched the exchange of Tommy and Lebon but he was disconnected from it. He no longer felt, his mate was gone and he was slipping slowly down into despair and depression at such a loss. Turner wasn’t even here to snap it out of him. Turner always made sure he was thinking straight and he wasn’t here to depart some logical information to him.

“Alpha?”

                Ashton’s voice registered in his brain but it was slow, and his voice seemed so far away. “Alpha.” It came again but he didn’t want to turn around and look at him. His body felt too heavy, his ears even felt heavy and he didn’t want sound to enter them anymore. He wanted to stand there in silence looking at the trail from where she had disappeared. He wanted to think about her forever and not return to the world of reality. “Alpha!” This time the command was sharp and authoritative, it pricked the pride of his Alpha side and he snapped his head up and glared in the direction of the command.

                Ashton stood there, crutch in one hand and no shirt on his back. The white bandage that was wound around his torso at least five times was vivid and bright and only showed Ray how much his friend was injured. He couldn’t be angry at his friend and his reprimand died on his lips before he had time to shout or growl. He merely looked up at Ashton with dead eyes.

“My mate is gone.” He managed to say, his voice scratchy.

                Ashton began walking down to Ray, it was painful but he would be damned if he wasn’t there for Ray. Damn it, he would be damned if he didn’t go to Tendra and be one of the team to save her. So he bit back his words of pain. He took that step and then another and then he threw down his crutch, and knowing full well his wound would open by nightfall if he was foolish enough to follow Ray, he walked without aid. With clenched teeth and his brain screaming at him to stop walking because it was too soon after he was injured.

“Tendra is gone Alpha, so let’s go and get her back.”

                Ray nodded and Ashton prepared himself to join the warrior ranks but Lebon turned abruptly and looked at both Ray and Ashton.
“Ashton I have a job for you!” Lebon said,

“He is my wolf!” Ray shouted back.

“And in your depression you will be silent whilst on my territory!” Lebon hated to be so hard but he needed his chance to speak, he needed to let them understand his plan. “Our plans are not for nothing, it will be implemented, just sooner than we thought. Ashton you have work to do. You are not in the condition to fight, so you will play messenger, I believe Ray made allies on his journey here. And I believe we are in need of such.”

                Ray looked up at Lebon, he knew exactly what he was doing. Even as Ray was trying to get his senses back he was aware of Lebon walking amongst, not just his own, but Ray’s wolves and conducting the army of them. Ray knew that Lebon had dedicated his life to this cause and he knew what needed to be done a lot more than Ray. This one time Ray needed to take a step back. His wolf instinct was berating him for that but he hushed it, he needed to do this for Tendra, he needed to save her and he would do whatever it took to get to her again and save her, even if that meant taking orders and letting someone else lead his warriors.

                The warriors looked at him uneasy, looking for permission to follow orders that were not his own and Lebon turned to him, expectantly, waiting for his final word on the matter. Words would make him seem too weak and so Ray gave up his command by nodding at Lebon. He vowed to bade his time; he would take down the Letale pack, but he would use the skills of the Sanguis pack to do that. He would be the shadow this time, not the direct threat. Lebon nodded at him in approval, knowing what was going through his mind.

“Wolves!” Lebon called, “Prepared yourselves!”