Twenty Six year old Blake Hunter is the Alpha of the largest pack in the region. Finding his mate is the last thing on his mind.
But, in the midst of dealing with uninvited relations, aspiring future Lunas and increasing rogue attacks on his easter...
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In the midst of all the turmoil, it had taken only a few minutes to reach the safe-house - a tiny, inconspicuous cottage. Inconsequential unless you knew what lay beneath. Ophelia had been harder to locate.
Once past the guards at the entrance - a feat only possible thanks to Amara, who'd bared her teeth at them in fierce warning when they'd tried to bar her way - Hannah had been greeted by a hundred pairs of worried eyes, all clamouring to be heard at once. Her headache instantly reasserted itself, reminding her too late that large crowds were a bad idea.
Amara, snarling at anyone who came too close, winced. "Be glad for once that you're not a wolf - I can hear them in my head as well." The warrior began to push her way through the milling bodies - the aroma of sweat and fear radiating from the growing crowd. "This place is old; built decades ago. But the Alpha's father spent years expanding it - get out of the way!" - the offending pack member shrivelled under her fierce gaze - "and now there are dozens more rooms past the main chamber."
"How many can fit in here?" Hannah asked, pushing down a rising sense of claustrophobia as the bodies pressed together.
Amara glanced over her shoulder. "This place can hold over half the pack... though, actually, there seems to be a lot less here than there ought to be." she frowned. "Something tells me EVAC drills are on the horizon."
More than once their progress was impeded by frightened pack members, some clutching at Hannah's arms in the hope that she might have information about the events above ground. One frightened mother begged them to help her locate her missing child - they'd been separated in one of the outer villages and he hadn't turned up at the shelter.
"Definitely going to be EVAC drills on the way," Amara muttered to herself, pulling Hannah alongside her away from the sobbing she-wolf. "He's probably in one of the other shelters," she reassured her worried charge.
It was the first time Hannah had been exposed to so many of the pack at once and many of the wolves, especially those from the other villages, watched them pass with undisguised suspicion. Hannah's scent was strong in the air, accentuated by the confined space around them and it highlighted her status as an outsider.
Once and only once did a wolf attempt to stand in their way. His frightened features verging on the edge of panic; he blocked their path through the milling wolves and pointed a shaking finger in Hannah's direction.
"I don't think she should be in here! It's not safe!" he spluttered.
Amara narrowed her eyes, a sheen of sweat covering her forehead. "Move," she said flatly, in no mood to argue with him.
"She's a rogue!" he squealed, his eyes wild and completely missing the veiled threat in Amara's voice. "An outsider! What if she's in on the attack?" Several of the wolves nearby pressed closer and murmured words of agreement amongst themselves.
