Mate **DRAFT. NO LONGER WRITING**

Chapter 3 - INVESTIGATING

BETA NATE'S POV

"ASKING QUESTIONS IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF POLICE INVESTIGATION. IN THE ORDINARY SENSE A POLICE OFFICER IS FREE TO ASK THE PERSON FOR IDENTIFICATION WITHOUT IMPLICATING THE FOURTH AMENDMENT." -ANTHONY KENNEDY

Nate’s legs were sore from running a 1000kilometres both to and from the incident; his paws blistered and oozing puss.

Sir. We have to stop and rest before we collapse. A loyal follower – a grey mountain wolf by the name of Joseph – implies through the pack link.

The Beta thinks about his observation before realising he’s right. He had been so caught up with the problem at Lobo Carnívoro High School that he had forgotten about his consorts. A child had shifted in front of the whole school – which unfortunately happened to be only humans that day; the werewolves of the local pack had been out battle training. With that pack and its members gone up in the mountains, which had left his pack – the Full Moon pack – to investigate. They had travelled the 500Km run in their wolf forms without stopping to rest. Arriving at the incident, they had failed to find out where the shifter had run off to because the human scents had drowned any evidence. Asking was no help either; the girls flirted constantly because of their supernatural attraction and the boys were so gruff and jealous that they didn’t even talk or look at them.

Nate don’t get humans much, even if he was half human. Their emotions are way over the top, compared to werewolves – or so they say. 

Grunting his affirmative, Nate swings to his left and changes into human form before he comes to Black Nature Ave. Strutting into the hotel, the lycanthrope hostess ushers them out the back towards the supernatural housings.

They had arrived a few minutes after dinner ended, so they got the dining room all to themselves. After stuffing themselves with roast boar, mashed potatoes, roast vegies and gravy, the patrol head out the back door into the forest to join the other guests and staff. Shifting into their wolves at the edge of a clearing a fair way from civilisation, they go our separate ways to rest and talk. With Joseph and a brown forest wolf, Coby, flanking his sides, Nate walks towards a group of seniors and juveniles beside the small lake located on the far right of the glade. A snow wolf was wrestling with a grey and white mountain wolf; being defeated constantly only to stand back up and attack again. The results were always the same – attack, defeat, stand, attack and defeat. The elder wasn’t even breaking a sweat, while the freshman was panting and trembling every time she got up. The mountain wolf called the lesson to a stop and laid down while a black mountain wolf stood and shifted into a blonde teenage boy. The snow wolf shifted into a young golden-brown haired girl, who rattled Beta Nate’s memory for a resemblance. The male showed her how to change into wolf while in mid-air. She got it first try. When doing a little victory dance in celebration, Nate’s brain found an image like her. A full-blood werewolf family from the Full Moon pack. The son and father had the same brown hair. The mother had the same slightly angular facial features and forest green eyes. The parents had been far off about something for their entire lives until an attack from an opposing pack killed them. Their son had learnt a month after their deaths, the reason for their mysterious behaviour was because his younger sister was taken from them long before his Temporal Lobe (memory) of his brain had started functioning. The parents had suffered their lives contemplating the consequences played by their daughter if she found out. That is, if she was alive. 

Beta, that chick looks like you. Coby observes from beside Nate. He nods understandingly. He was going to learn who this female was before he returned to his pack.

The wolf that had retired from teaching the youth, lifted his head in recognition of the groups scent. He nods them over to chat.

Greetings Beta Full Moon. What do we rogues owe to the pleasure of your visit?  He announces their pack, implying that pack dogs stay clear of rejects. They should’ve known they were in no-mans-land.

Just resting and enjoying the hospitality of the hotel before heading out tomorrow. He grunts in reply. Who’s the girl you’re training?

Kayley? Humph. She arrived late this afternoon. Shifted in front of a whole school of mortals. She’s a new and already a rogue. Her parents are human and she has no bite. She was adopted. He glanced at them side-on. What’s your interest in her? She doesn’t need wolves like you in her life. She’s better off being a free spirit. No authorities to boss her around.

She just reminds me of someone. Nate stood and left, leaving no room for argument. A growl sounded behind him. He ignored it, not wanting a fight. The snarl grew louder and more menacing, stopping Nate. Everyone in the clearing stopped and stared.

What do you want boy? What is the reason for your interest? We don’t want nosey things like you here. So why don’t you run along to your mummy and actually have the decency to get out of our lives. The old rogue snapped. The team’s growls were cut short as they cowed under the crumpled expression on their Beta’s face. Before the wolf could fix his bearings, Nate had turned and jumped upon him, teeth sinking into his shoulder.

Nate’s prey grunts in pain and rolls with his momentum, causing his grip to loosen. Bouncing onto his feet, Nate bites his neck and chucks him into the lake. He pins the rogue down with a paw when he tries to get up.

Don’t you dare say anything like that about my family or pack again or I’ll skin you alive. Nate growls in his face, rejoicing at his submissive whimper. Releasing him and walking away to the cabin, his friends’ reluctance to join him dismisses as his eyes change from the controlling black of the wolf to his usual sky blue.