4 : Meeting

**TORA**

“Yes, Alpha. I know. But this is important. I don’t want to have to give you this kind of news over the phone. But if you are insisting… It’s Julri. We just found his body close to the border..” I say to Jericho through the phone. He is livid and upset. As he should be. Not only is this his pack member, he liked this kid. When I started bringing Julri around he got attached to him. He just had this face and personality that everyone loved.

“How many is that now?” Jericho says through gritted teeth. 

“This makes 7 pack members missing and one deceased.” I sit silently as I wait for his response.

“I’ll be one by dinner. I want all the evidence in my conference room. I also want you to call neighboring Alpha’s and see if they have had anything similar happening to them. Set up meetings with them all. Either in our pack or in theirs. We will get this resolved.” He waits a second.

“I am sorry, Tora. We all loved Julri but I know he was like a little brother to you. We will get to the bottom of this, and get our pack members back. Starts an 8pm curfew for pack members who aren’t patrolling. EVERYONE who leaves their homes must go with a friend. Do the buddy system like our parents made us do when we were kids.”

“You got it. Anything else?” I ask.

“Wait till I get back to tell your mother. I want to be there with you when you break the news.” 

“You’re a good friend, Jer. See you tonight.” I said and hung up the phone.

The wind smacks me right in the face, as if to tell me to straighten my shoulders. The chill creeping down my back. Not from cold but from the scene still before me. There are plenty of pictures taken of the crime scene. All evidence collected for when we find this mother fucker. 

But I think now that this has happened, I won’t be able to let the monster be judged before ripping his throat out. I can feel my eyes glowing gold, Argos trying to push to the surface. He knows we can’t. Only Alpha’s can do that.

‘We are so much more special than you realize.’  He doesn't let me respond before retreating into my mind.

“The wind is pretty chilly for the end of July.” Cree says as he walks up beside me, not letting his eyes fall on Julri.

“That it is. C’mon. We need to prep and call the neighboring Alpha’s to set up conferences and get some information. This can’t just be happening to our pack.” I say, as I take one last look at the pack morgue team taking Julri’s body away on a stretcher in a body bag.

My heart aches in a way I have never felt it ache before. 

We get back to the packhouse and just who I wasn’t trying to run into has sniffed me out.

“Honey, where are you going? You are supposed to make it up to me.” She says with a whimper. And at this point my mind is running a million miles an hour to where I forget to answer her as I walk by her.

She is hot on my trail. “Hello, Earth to Tora?” She says to me in annoyance.

“Adrienne, listen to me.” I say to her without ever turning around to look at her. Argos is on edge and she can’t be near us right now. Not right now.

“I care about you, so listen to me when I say this. I need you to stay away from me right this second. Something bad is happening, and I have too much to do. So, please, just this once. Listen to me.” 

I can feel her body tense and she exhales. “What do you need me to do?” She asks as if she were the Gamma of the pack.

“Just try not to get into anyone’s way. I don’t want you to get hurt. And give me time.” I say with an exhale of breath, hoping she wouldn’t think that I don’t care, because I do. I care about her a lot. But today is not the day.. And I’m not in the mood for a chase.

The first call I am going to make is to the closest Alpha to us.

Alpha Alastar Back.

“Hello, may I speak with Alpha Alastar Black please?” I ask the receptionist for the Alpha. She asks me to wait a minute and Cree walks in the door. Running his hands over his face in exasperation he plops down in a chair near my desk. Never making eye contact with me, he just waits.

“Hello, this is Alpha Alastar Black of Black Dawn Pack. How may I help you?” He sounds like he just got done running. 

“Yes, Alpha Black this is Beta Tora Maldonado from the Silver Shadow pack. My Alpha is on his way back from business and would like for me to set up a meeting with you.” I say. I want to be as vague as possible. Not because I think anything bad, but because I just like for the Alpha to explain what is going on.

“Okay. What will this meeting be for?” He asks, a little gruffly.

“I would like for my Alpha to discuss those details with you. How soon can you come here?” I always assume they will travel. Some Alpha’s like taking a day or two from their packs for a breather, maybe even to find their mates.

“Hmm. I won’t be able to make the trip to your pack at this time. But we can schedule a meeting for tomorrow. How does 11am sound?” He asks.

“I believe that would be fine. Thank you Alpha. See you then.”

*CLICK*

“Everything ready for Jericho?” I ask Cree, who still hasn’t looked at me. He nods and walks from the chair to the couch in my office. Something is bothering him, I can feel it but I can’t tell what it is..

He lays his head back on the couch and covers his eyes with his arm. 

“Now we wait for the Alpha.”