True Nature

10

Heads turned, bewildered faces glancing at one another as if waiting for someone to stand up and declare the punchline. The silence grew strained when no one offered to confront the new elephant in the room. Alpha Ian looked resigned as he watched the slow almost comical spread of wide-eyed disbelief, but he stood firm, prepared for the inevitable outcry. My mind flashed back to the conversation I had heard between him and Tobias a few days ago, it's meaning now a little clearer. New aggressive behaviours in pack mates and an increase in wolves opting to go rouge. It all had to be linked somehow.

But the idea of rouges working together was still ludicrous and illogical. Those that chose to leave their pack left because they craved freedom above all else, I puzzled silently. A memory of the cold, emptiness in the eyes of our attacker in the alleyway and the flash of crazed rapture in his gaze as we made eye contact sprung to mind and sent a sudden shiver down my spine. What is it they could possibly want from us?

"But that's impossible." A quiet voice spoke up from the corner of the room, mirroring my thoughts and breaking the shocked silence. "We all know most rouges don't have the mental capacity to band together much less function as a proper pack." She reasoned convincingly. "And even if they did, what could possibly be their motive?"

"She's right." Another, older wolf croaked vehemently, sitting up energetically and leaning over the table. "They left the pack to avoid the established hierarchy in the first place. Why would they leave just to form another pack?"

"We think they have a leader." Alpha Ian explained calmly. "Someone powerful. Powerful enough to convince them to work with him. Someone who is actively gathering and recruiting rouges and using them to further his own agenda. But that is as much as we've garnered so far." Another long-strained pause followed this proclamation.

"What else have you found out?" A deep voice spoke up from a cluster of wolves gathered to my left and I recognised the thick, grey bearded man that spoke as the alpha of the Evergreen pack, a powerful pack based on the West coast.

"It has been several months since we noticed an increase in aggression amongst certain pack members in certain packs, and the number of wolves choosing to go rouge has been multiplying recently." Alpha Ian divulged, his eyebrows lowered. "Then, a couple of months ago, we realised that wolves were disappearing without warning - without showing any particular signs they intended on leaving - and that the majority of these wolves were female."

"Whose we?" Inquired another, small statured female suspiciously.

Alpha Ian sent Tobias a swift, uneasy glance. "It was Alpha Tobias that brought this issue to my attention. "Another heavy silence, this one laden with trepidation. A few wolves looked as if they wanted to say something but stopped after one look in Tobias's direction. He stood almost aloof, his back to the wall and expression vaguely bored, but his aura reeked of danger.

"You have seen this leader?" Grey beard directed his question at alpha Ian and all eyes left Tobias.

"No." He sighed, frustrated. "But after questioning a rouge we captured on one of our scouting trips, we are now sure he exists and are working hard every day in the hopes of finding him soon." He glanced around the room again gravely. "It is the only explanation we have come up with so far that makes sense."

"Sounds to me like you are jumping to conclusions without any proof." Mr 'T-shirt back to front' who was complaining earlier, spoke up again challengingly.

The huge, muscled wolf that had walked in with Ian and Tobias stepped forward, his boots echoing off the hardwood floor, and let loose a rumbling growl. "Watch your tone pup." He snarled and the younger wolf stupidly stood up in furious defiance, snarling back.

"Sit down. Now." Tobias spoke up, his icy tone having immediate effect. The young wolf sat back down again flustered; his face screwed up in a resentful grimace.

"Darius. Tell us again what you saw when you arrived at the scene." Our alpha ordered, turning to the man standing next to Tobias. I recognised his scent instantly as the wolf who had first arrived at our rescue in the alleyway earlier. The wolf in question shot a quick glance at Tobias and, after receiving a nod of approval, recounted briefly what exactly he had witnessed this evening. He was the only one, apart from Chloe and I, who had caught a glimpse of our rouge attacker. I winced when he spoke of Chloe and began to recite her version of what had happened. My cheeks heated as a few incredulous glances and smothered scoffs were sent my way after he spoke of my ridiculous rescue attempt. 

He frowned briefly stumbling over his explanation as he described the scene he had intruded upon though. "He... he was no longer strangling the girl when we arrived though." He sent Chloe and me a sceptical glance, as if doubting the whole strangling incident all together. Clearly the bruises on my neck weren't visible yet, I thought darkly. "He had let..." He looked at me clearly having forgotten my name and I wanted to roll my eyes. "...her go and was just standing there. He wasn't even moving. Just standing there staring at them." He frowned slightly.

"He was doing nothing. Are you sure?" A softer, higher voice questioned from behind. "Why would he let them get away?" I glanced over, interested in the male that had spoken for the first time, standing at the back of the room. He had a slight, thin build and was beautiful in an almost girlish way, his features delicate. His expression was what held my attention though, looking entirely fascinated as he listened to the rest of Darius's story.

Darius flicked a quick glance our way again before shrugging. "I'm not sure exactly." There was a brief hush as I felt the weight of all eyes in the room turn in our direction curiously. 

"There wasn't time. He must have heard us coming and was preparing to run." Tobias concluded decisively, his voice shattering the stillness all of a sudden. "It's the only explanation." Darius sent his alpha a baffled look and Alpha Ian gazed at him keenly, seeming equally putout. I, too, was shocked. I turned to Tobias startled and suspicious yet grateful for his interference. I knew, however, that he himself didn't believe in what he was saying, and the narrow-eyed glance he sent me afterward clearly spelled out 'you owe me'. I still wondered though, why he was going to all this effort to lie and cover for me. And how much, exactly, he really knew about my secrets.