Chapter Twelve

Daniel stepped off the plane onto the unpaved strip that was a hard packed crusher run covered in short grass. He enjoyed the familiar buzz of insects, the wind whispering among the leaves and the distant sound of a mountain creek all welcoming him home.

A local farmer owned the strip. Somewhere along his family tree was a great-uncle that was a werewolf and the pack had been close to his family for a few decades now. He was standing next to another man by a white, unmarked Tahoe and Daniel made a beeline for them.

"Good to see you, Daniel," the farmer greeted him, nodding.

"Jim, likewise," Daniel replied as he nodded in return. "Thanks for letting us through on short notice, this is a quick trip."

"Anytime," Jim waved.

"Will you be joining us for the barbecue and run tonight?" Daniel asked.

"My family and I will be there, Alpha," Jim grinned. "For the barbecue, not the run. Justin here came down and grabbed a couple of pigs two days ago and has had them in the ground since yesterday. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"That's good to hear!" Daniel looked at the other guy, pleased. "Luau style tonight?"

"Yes, Alpha." Daniel's pleased reaction had Justin beaming, though he tried to not to show it.

"We need to get going, the last leg of the trip always feels the longest," Daniel ordered.

Justin looked over the three men and then back at his Alpha, confused.

The four men piled into the SUV while Daniel bade the farmer farewell before slipping into the passenger seat. Daniel had already been caught up on the pack activities and the trip was only half an hour away. Once they got on the road, Daniel turned to Justin in the driver's seat.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Nerve wracking, but smooth," Justin replied. "I don't know how you do it all the time, Alpha. Being responsible for everybody... It's a task."

"That it is, " Daniel smiled, amused at Justin's seriousness. "I'm going to be gone for a little longer this next round. You up for another month of handling things?"

"Sure, Alpha," Justin assented. "As long as you don't take Donna, too." The men in the back chuckled, but not too loudly, knowing they would be lost without her as well.

They drove into the little village the pack called home, a little over two hundred people nestled in the dense forests near the Appalachians. Daniel's pack wasn't humongous, but it was still on the larger side than most. Many of the wolves here had families and lived with them in and around the village. Anybody not a werewolf was the family of one, either a current or former pack member.

Not everyone stayed. Many of the children grew up and started families of their own. Most of them didn't come for visits, avoiding the difficulty of explaining to their spouse or children that great-great grandpa was a werewolf and still looked thirty-five.

But enough stayed to provide the basic comfortable amenities and the village was far enough off the main roads to deter tourists, although many of the residents worked at the various outfitters or resorts in the area. But every single person here knew the necessity of keeping the true nature of the village a secret.

Justin stopped at the Village Park that ran along the bank of the Clear Fork and it was bustling with activity as people were preparing for the cookout this evening. The packhouse was a new construction log-styled building on the upriver side of the common. It had a large pavilion attached to the side with an outdoor kitchen where a mix of delicious smells was coming from.

Children too young to cook ran around playing and someone had started a low fire in the large pit at the opposite end of the shelter and its smoke curled lazily in the air. People moved in and out of the kitchen on the ground floor, which also held the main dining and common rooms that opened up to a large covered porch that ran the length of the house, overlooking the creek. It had various rockers, chairs and tables scattered around it. Underneath the kitchen was a large storage room and the other side of the basement was divided into the movies and games room.

The second floor was filled with dorm style apartments for the single wolves that wanted a little more independence away from their families. All new wolves were required to spend a minimum of six months in the packhouse as an adjustment period so they could be monitored by older, higher ranking wolves. Justin was one of the ranked wolves with that responsibility.

The third floor held the pack leadership offices and a small conference room. Daniel ran Clearfork Securities from here since he didn't need much physical space on site. They had a warehouse not for equipment and was guarded and staffed by his people.

The four of them got out of the vehicle into the bedlam of the cookout preparations. Many waved and called out greetings, knowing better than to crowd the Alpha as soon as he got back. Justin jogged off to get an update on the pigs and Daniel, Thomas and Lucas made their way to the third floor, where all of the leadership each had a room set aside for them.

Daniel rarely stayed at the packhouse overnight unless he worked too late. He tried not to do that, knowing that nobody else would go home until he did. He had a two bedroom home a little way from the village and Lucas and Thomas each had a cabin in what everybody jokingly referred to as the Bachelor's Pad. Single men or women that wanted a little more space of their own would move there since it was closer to the village.

There's a tiredness that sets in your bones when you've been away from home and that fatigue had set in on them. Even though Daniel felt better the closer he got to the pack, being home made his wolf finally feel safe and relaxed and he was ready to sleep since it was going to be a long night. He took a quick shower and laid down, sinking into the mattress.

As he mentally made a list of everything he needed to do in the short time he was here, his thoughts kept drifting back to the battered girl with the haunted eyes, wondering what she was doing now, and if she was okay.

His wolf, already falling asleep, whimpered at that thought.