Page 29 of Alpha's Choice
I gave her a gentle head butt, and she laughed, reaching out to scratch my ears. “I’m sorry. Should I have said handsome instead?”
I nodded, the movement awkward in my wolf form. I was used to being able to communicate via mind link. Emma sat on the ground and motioned for me to join her. I curled up around her, laying my head on her lap.
She stroked my head, the soothing strokes lulling me into near sleep. I could stay like this forever.
I felt the itch of a mind link trying to break through. I wanted to ignore it, but the insistent nature signaled it might be an emergency, so I let it in.
Alpha, you need to come to the western border.Patrick cut straight to the point.A patrol wolf is dead.
CHAPTER15
Tobias
I left Emma at the packhouse and shifted back into my wolf, running as fast as I could for the western border. We had already increased our patrols there after Sebastian’s call about the Council’s investigation into nearby attacks. I wondered if there was any relation.
I overtook Matthew, who was also sprinting for the border. I didn’t wait for him and flew past him with my Alpha speed. This was not a friendly run in the woods.
When I reached the border, I saw Danny in human form waiting with a patrol wolf. “They’re about 100 yards due west of here. I’ll wait for Matthew to direct him.”
What was a patrol wolf doing beyond the border? They ran the inside perimeter of our land. I stopped when I saw Patrick crouched over the body of a woman. A few feet away lay the patrol wolf. I shifted, unconcerned with my nudity, as I addressed Patrick.
“What the hell happened?”
Patrick stood. “Neil and Jake were patrolling when they heard a woman screaming. Neil investigated because it was close to the border. Jake followed the sounds of fighting but found Neil and the woman already dead.”
Matthew joined us, handing me a pair of shorts. “Danny is staying with Jake. He doesn’t want to leave him alone. Jake is pretty shaken up.”
I bent down to examine the bodies. “The bite marks look odd. Not quite a wolf, but close. And what is that smell?”
The smell was similar to the rotten egg smell of rogues, but somehow even more potent.
“Never smelled anything like it.” Patrick shook his head. “I’m not sure where to start with this.”
“We call Sebastian from the Council.” I looked at Matthew. “This might relate to his ongoing investigation.”
Matthew nodded. “I’m thinking the same thing. We need to secure the site, but how when it’s off our land?”
After discussing logistics for a minute, I headed toward the packhouse to notify Sebastian of what we found. If he was still in the area investigating the other attacks, he might arrive while the scene was still fresh.
Then I needed to go inform Neil’s mate of his death. I linked my mother to meet me at the packhouse.
I’m in town, Tobias. Is it urgent?
I cursed. I didn’t want to wait that long to talk to his mate. She would have already sensed something was wrong when he died.
I’d have to take Emma. It was throwing her into the deep end, but in times like this, the soothing nature of a Luna helped.
When I reached the packhouse, I shifted back, striding naked through the foyer. Wolves were used to nudity, so I didn’t get a second glance as I headed to the office.
I started dialing before I even sat down. Sebastian picked up on the first ring. “Alpha Tobias, what can I do for you?”
“We have the dead bodies of a human female and one of our patrol wolves about 100 yards outside our western border.” I wasted no time filling him in. “The bite marks look odd, and there is a weird smell.”
“Describe the smell.”
“Similar to rogues, but stronger.” I ran my hand over my face. “My patrol wolf died before his partner could even reach him. There was no sign of the attacker.”
“I’m close to your pack. I’ll head over right away.”
