She needed to find them, but how was she supposed to find someone that was in hiding? Nora sighed, leaning back against the tree. It was a difficult spot, needing to find them without tipping off the pack. Didn’t help that they were the strange nomads sneaking into their pack.

“What’s your name?”

Nora spun around, shocked to see a little girl hiding behind the tree. How long had she been there?

“Cora, what’s yours?”

The girl jumped around the tree, not even shy about the stranger. She was a cute little thing, bright brown eyes with messy, curly hair reaching her waist.

“Callidora Cholevas! And I’m five!”

“Really, you’re that big!”

Maybe this was a way in. Children always say more than they should.

“Yup! And Imma a big sister too. Wanna meet Lex and Dow? Lex just turned three, and Dow just shifted. She’s cute.”

Yup, this kid would tell her whatever she needed.

“Yeah, I would love to!” Callidora bounced but stopped with a frown. “But Lex is playing with Papu today. But I’ll go get Mana!”

She ran off before Nora could say anything.

‘Nana,’ She waited for Mavis to link before continuing. ‘I found a kid willing to talk, I’ll see what I can get out of her.’

She didn’t get a response, but she had a positive feeling come from Mavis.

Minutes later, Nora watched as Callidora ran across the field, several shadowy figures following her. She laughed as they ran, one of the tripping and running faster to keep up.

“I got ’em!”

Not one adult was in the group.

“This is Cynthia, an this is Ben, and his sister, Tish! Couldn’t find Mana, so I brought you friends. Then you won’t be lonely.”

Callidora pointed to each child, the oldest boy seeming to be about 8, while the youngest could have been around 3. Once they were all introduced, they gathered in a circle around Nora.

They all watched her; it kind of freaked her out. Sure, she dealt with kids, helping out in the nursery or watching Mary. This time though, they weren’t doing or saying anything, which was freakier than them doing anything weird.

“You good?”

They nodded their heads, smiles on their small faces.

“Do you really walk around without a home Miss Cora?”

The boy was more polite than Nora thought he would be.

She leaned forward, ready to dazzle these tiny things.

“Well yes. You see, my Nana is the Alpha of our pack. I’m here with my sister, mother, and father, along with my grandfather and uncle. And together we see the world!”

On the spot, Nora fabricated story after story. Water shooting out of the ground and into the air, rocks forming arches and mirrors to the sky, Mountains that touched the clouds, and cliffs that meet the sea. Their little eyes never left her hands as she described fighting off bears and meeting wild wolves. The sun had reached its highest point before long, and little Cynthia was asleep on Callidora’s lap.

“And then we had to run and catch the ice before the hunters got us. We all got on, but my mother is very pregnant, and she almost missed the ice!”

She paused, watching as the children held their breath.

“At the last moment, she came up, and we all pulled her onto the ice. The hunters came out of the woods, shooting their noisy guns into the air. But they couldn’t reach us!”

They bounced into the air, except for Callidora, and cheered for the fake success.

“Calli!”

The girl looked around, as did the other kids, spotting the woman in the field. She was running around, a little girl on her hip.

“Callidora!”

“That’s Mana!”

Nora pulled Cynthia into her own lap just in time for Callidora to jump up and run over to her mother.

They were too far for Nora’s wolf hearing, but soon the family was coming over to the trees.

Before this mission, they all received a picture of the targets. Xander’s two sisters were missing, taken by his uncle. It was a family picture, two smiling parents with three children in front of them. Obviously, it had been a long time since the photo was taken, but Nora noticed the woman right away. Walking towards her was Xander’s younger sister, Robin Cooley.

Nora couldn’t believe her luck!

‘Nana, I found Robin!’

Xander replied; first, Nora could feel his excitement. ‘You found her! Already? Where is she, does she look okay? What’s goi-’

Nora had to block him to hear what Callidora was saying. His rambles could wait.

“-And this is my Mana! Baba is busy with Papu, though. Maybe you can meet them tomorrow!”

The woman was staring at her daughter, a worried look on her face. Gently, she pulled the girl away and tried to whisper.

“What did Papu say, Calli? What rules were you supposed to follow?”

She tilted her head down at her mother’s harsh tone.

“Don’t talk to strangers and stay close to the house.”

“Yes, now let’s go, we can’t st-”

“But Mana! Cora is cool! She tells stories!”

Finally, Robin looked up; she looked like Xander.

Her eyes were blue but darkened by something. They lacked a spark. Her hair was dark, with wild curls all around her face. She had pulled most of them into a ponytail, but several strands had escaped. She was beautiful, like a locked-up bird.

“I’m guessing you’re Cora. I’m sorry if this seems rude, but...” She trailed off, looking around with panic in her eyes.

“Calli’s Papu is very serious, Miss Cora.” The boy, Ben, whispered loudly. “He gets mad when she goes outside and plays with us.”

Robin sighed, and the baby on her lap started to whine. The poor women seemed horribly frustrated.

“Hey Calli, come here.”

The girl followed, listening to Nora carefully.

“Can you do me a favor?” She nodded, curls going everywhere. “I need to go back home, can you watch over your, Mana, while I’m gone?”

She looked back and smiled, happily skipping around over to Robin.

“I’ll help Mana! See you later, Cora!”

Robin smiled faintly, leading the girl away. Ben left soon after, leading a wobbling Cynthia and a tired Rudi. With them gone, Nora went back to the house to share the news.

As soon as she approached the porch, the door was thrown open by a frantic Xander.

“Why didn’t you respond? You can’t just block me after saying th-”

A growl silenced the man, and they turned to see the black wolf staring at them.

‘Watch your mouth, boy.’

Xander glared back, pulling Nora into the cabin.

Sitting in the living room, they talked through the pack link to make sure Attalo and Sergio knew what was going on.

‘I was out there, just talking, and then I find out the girl I was talking to was Robin’s daughter.’

Xander put his head in his hands, and Nora paused. She couldn’t imagine losing Sammy and then finding her ten years later. He had missed so much of Robin and Ruby’s life. He had nieces and nephews now and a brother-in-law he didn’t even know.

‘Robin looked scared, and one of the kids said that her father-in-law is very strict. It wouldn’t surprise me if this man was Mathias. He has them under his thumb, probably using the children against them. Calli said that her younger brother was spending the day with him.’

Xander got up at that point, pacing the room but not saying anything. Mavis was still, Sammy standing up to give the man a hug.

Nora didn’t remember much from ten years ago after her parents were killed. Montagna Sigcura took them in, Regina and Xander practically raised her and her sister. It was strange, being old enough to remember your parents but being raised by someone else. Nora couldn’t have done it without Sammy at her side, but Xander was all alone.

‘We have to get them, Mavis. We have to bring my sisters home; it’s been too long.’

‘We will, Xander. I’ve already contacted Marco and Polo. Since we’ve confirmed their kidnapping, they will go to the Council to get them down here. Now we have to wait.’

‘Wait!’ Xander shouted, throwing his hands up as Sammy stepped back. ‘You want me to wait as my little sisters are with that man? He possibly killed my parents, and you want them to stay with him? Hasn’t it been long enough!’

Mavis stood, but a soft bark stopped him.

‘Xan.’

He paused, walking over to where Regina was on the bed.

‘Patience, darling. I understand your pain, but getting mad at mom won’t help.’

Xander laid on the bed, shutting out the world as he laid with his Fated. If anyone understood him, it would be Regina. She waited years and years to find her family, yet she never threw a fit. Granted, she didn’t have any memories, but she still held out. If she could, he could too.

There was a quiet lunch made, and the rest of the day passed in slow motion. Mavis got word from the Gamma that the Council was notified, but the closest one would take hours or days depending on travel. And all they could do was wait.

Someone, though, decided that they didn’t want to wait.

It was near 2 in the morning when the howl rang out. Not one for war or battle. This one was full of pain, shattering the night sky.

“Cora, Stella, I need bath towels and washcloths!”

The two girls got off the couch, waking up in a hurry to search the closets.

‘Atta, I need medical supplies, find the Theta!’

The wolf jumped off the porch, making a run for the main building. The two guards shared a look, unsure what to do. They could hear what was going on and guess that the wolf had gone into labor. That wolf wasn’t going to attack now, right?

Xander stood at the bedside, unsure what to do as the girls ran around the house. Regina was panting, her stomach moving and clenching. Sure, this wasn’t her first birth, but he still felt useless.

“John! John!”

He jerked around, Mavis was there with gloves on, and her hair pulled up.

“She can feel your energy. If anyone here is panicked, she will too. Calm down, go out with Elliot and wait for Steven.”

Mavis was calm, even when Regina grunted and whined. Nora and Sammy were running around, but the air around them wasn’t hasty. He didn’t know how to help, so he went to the porch with Sergio.

‘What are you doing out here, boy?’

He could hear the wolf laughing at him. The old man was too protective over his Fated, but it was comforting. Even if he was gone, Sergio would be there for Regina. Another shield for the Royal Wolf he loved so dearly.

‘Why aren’t you in there, huh? If you think you’re all that.’

This time the wolf did laugh, his thick black fur shaking.

‘You always manage to make me laugh, even though I don’t like you.’

Together they watched the sky, Xander ignoring the whines and pull coming from behind him. Atta had gone in, medicine and the Theta in hand.

Hours went past, and things only got more complicated.

Howls rang out; this time, they were battle cries. Armored wolves entered the clearing, blue decorating all the warriors. Humans followed, wielding guns and demanding the pack to stand down. It wasn’t long after that Xander and Sergio watched the alpha exit the packhouse and greet a woman in an all-blue suit. She was shorter than the Alpha but had such confidence.

“Councilman Coleman, I’m Darren Little, Alpha of the Red Lake Pack. What are you doing on my land?”

Regina chose that moment to howl once more, drawing everyone’s attention. Attalo exited the house, dressed this time, and walked up to the Councilman.

Xander had never met any of the Council members; they were the rulers of the werewolf world, every five years, they were replaced. Not much was known about them, they were the secret leaders pulling strings, leaving politics up to the Alphas. The woman had curly hair, but from the distance, Xander couldn’t see much else of the woman.

“I think my friend here can answer, but first, I need to see your Beta.”

The Alpha family came next, and Xander watched as a man exited with Robin at his side. Behind them was his uncle, older, but he knew that face.

“This is my Beta, Donovon; what do you need?”

“I don’t need him; I need the man whispering in your ear.”

Right enough, Mathias was leaning down, and the Alpha’s face hardened.

“I trust him, and I will protect my family. What are you doing on my land?”

Xander knew the woman was an Alpha, but it didn’t seem like it. She was calm and coordinated, something not often seen in an Alpha.

“We have evidence that he has kidnapped two women and has been hiding them in your pack for years. Do you know of Robin and Ruby Cooley?”

Mathias didn’t even flinch, staying on the Alpha’s shoulder.

“I didn’t know Councilmen were involved with such minor things.”

Atta froze; he didn’t think the Alpha would bring that up. He was true; usually, it was the Council’s police force that helped keep werewolf peace. But since there was no concrete evidence of Mathias making another Blood Wolf, this was the next best thing.

“Let’s just say several investigations are pending. Now Mathias, where is the other sister?”

This time the Alpha glanced back; obviously, Mathias had been going by a different name here.

Mathias wasn’t fazed, stepping forward with confidence.

“I don’t know what you’re implying, Councilmen. I have two daughters, Angelica and Monica Anon; my name is Oscar Anon. We were travelers until my oldest found her mate here, the current Beta.”

Xander glared; that smile of his could charm anyone.

“Step forward, or we will have to seize the pack.”

Darren didn’t like that.

“Without any evidence seen, I want you off my land.”

The wolves in blue stood guard between him and the Councilmen, but tension filled the air. All at once, the Alpha and warriors shifted, and a gunshot rang out from behind Xander.