3 - Duty

Rowan

River's words are weighted, carrying with them a swirling fog of dread and despair. As Matteo swallows uncomfortably at his cryptic words, my focus snags on movement in the woods.

Four wolves come trotting out from the mass of emerald and umber bushes, yipping and shaking and snapping at one another playfully. Kay, Lachlan, Beau and Morgan spent the night patrolling the borders of the territory, making sure our hold over Crescent Valley is unshakeable. As they notice us, their tails wag and they come wandering over to greet us, bleary but eager.

The connection between a werewolf's human and wolf form differs between us all. My wolf is an extension— he is both me and something other. When I shift, he takes the majority of control, and when I am in my human form, he is present in echoes. I was born a werewolf, and now his presence is as natural as my own, as natural as breathing. I can't imagine living without him.

For the bitten, for those who have already established themselves as humans only to have this life forced upon them, the connection is different. It must be a strange sensation, I muse, to live a life without a wolf snuffling through their thoughts and scratching at their confines to be let out. Over many late nights, Beau and Kay have tried their best to explain what it feels like to the rest of us. They are not Beau-and-Kay in wolf form— they are simply Beau, and Beau's wolf, or Kay, and Kay's wolf. Two separate entities altogether.

They described their wolves as not an extension of themselves, but something else. A guide; a guardian; a soothing presence. Kay's wolf has mottled grey and black fur— a separate being, graceful and devout to protecting them and our pack. Beau's wolf is a bounding, eager yet nimble creature with more brown tones to his fur— a breath of fresh air always seeking the greater good. He is an exceptional beta because he sees everything differently. There are no bad situations in his eyes, and no challenge he won't endeavour to handle— hence why he calls River 'stray' even though he's risking invoking his wrath.

Not far behind him is Morgan's wolf, a lithe, willowy creature with dark grey fur and golden eyes sparking with something caught between adoration and begrudging acceptance when Beau's wolf darts towards her in an effort to coax her into giving chase. Having been mated for a while, now, she's used to his antics.

Lachlan's wolf is a little larger than the rest, with ashy undertones and strength rippling from his form. He shakes out his fur and flicks his ears as he trots over, leading the group back home after another successful patrol; a gamma wolf always on duty.

"How'd it go?" I call to them.

At once, their golden gazes snap to me. Ears flick, tails wag, and I'm offered four yips roughly translating to: very well.

Up until very recently, River saw wolves as threats, and I know even now he struggles to set aside that instinct. He watches their approach, his eyes narrowing a fraction as he assesses them— perhaps checking for any threatening behaviour or for weak points just in case.

I decide it's best if we don't test his newfound trust to its limits and instead offer him a little escape route from their approach. Besides, with our inner circle back, Matteo's decision has an impact on us all, and they deserve to know.

"We'll be in the office when you're ready," I tell the others. "Teo's got some news."

As the wolves yip assent, River catches my gaze knowingly and leads the way back inside, a little smile twitching at his lips.

– ➶ –

It's not long at all before Beau explodes into the room in that energetic, buoyant way of his, tugging his fingers through his tousled auburn hair and yawning. Morgan, Lachlan and Kay aren't far behind, each of them in varying states of disarray as they adjust clothes and shake out lingering stiffness from their limbs and mess with their hair.

As Matteo's fated, Kay has as much right to this truth as the rest of us. Beau, Morgan and Lachlan as the beta, beta's mate, and gamma, are equally involved in the discussion. This pack was forged on loyalty and trust, and it's something I'm dedicated to preserving.

Once everyone has settled on the armchairs dotted around the large table housing a map overlooking Crescent Valley and our pack's borders — with the notable exception of River, who stands with his hands braced on the table, his sharp gaze idly surveying the map — Matteo relays his news.

Darius' pack has a hunter problem and he intends to help them out.

"If you're going, I'm going too," Kay says at once, melting back against their chair and crossing their arms. Briefly, their dark eyes lift to mine, flickering with a silent plea.

It has been nearly a year since I inherited the title of alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, and still it catches me off-guard when people look to me for the final say. Every decision bears down on my shoulders. My pack is my family, and yet they look to me for permission. Even the ones who were here before me.

I do not dictate this pack. I do not rule over them, demanding their loyalty. All I ever want is to deserve the trust they put in me and somehow live up to the name my parents carved out.

"If that is what you want," I return without hesitation. As Kay's expression eases, Matteo's shimmers with unease. It's one thing to decide to head straight into a hunter mess and quite another to let your fated — a person you care for with a level of devotion akin to the stars reaching across galaxies to form a constellation — tag along, too.

It is bound to be dangerous. Darius wouldn't have called for help if he didn't need it— that much is certain.

Lachlan whistles lowly. "Lakeside, isn't it? That's quite the trek."

River's brows furrow and his gaze flickers to regard us all. My attention is pulled towards him inexplicably, unconditionally. "Where's that?" he asks.

Obediently, Lachlan fishes out a phone from his pocket, taps away, and hands it over for River to survey the location of Matteo's old pack on a map.

"You'd both better be careful, alright?" I tell Teo and Kay, a playfully stern edge to my voice. "Stay together, stay safe, and you'd better make it back to us."

A smile tugs at Matteo's lips as he gives a little salute. "That's the plan."

As Kay laughs, Beau turns to face them with an air of drama. "Oh, you'd better. I'm going to starve without you here, Kay. If you're not back in, like, a week, I'm going to come over there and fetch you."

"Good dog," Lachlan quips, making Morgan snort.

Beau whips round to face them both, blinking rapidly as though to clear away a fog, his hand on his heart. "How dare you. New plan— Teo, take me with you. I'm being bullied, here."

"You want to face some hunters?" Matteo asks, looking lost.

Beau shrugs. "Maybe they're just as friendly and cuddly and sweet as our stray."

My focus, once more, flickers towards River. Usually, the concept of a dog joke amidst a pack of werewolves has his lips twitching with a little smile. And, usually, Beau's little jibe would earn him a sharp, glinting dagger of a stare from the former hunter.

But he's not glaring at Beau, or smiling at the joke. Instead, I see muted, stifled horror locked behind his gaze; echoes of ghosts stirring. His jaw ticks and his sharp brows are furrowed and he stares down at the phone as though it has cut him.

"River?" I venture warily.

His gaze snaps to mine, and once more I catch sight of the ghosts swirling behind his eyes. "What was it you were saying about two birds, one stone?" he asks carefully, turning Lachlan's phone so I can see the screen. Matteo's former pack is pinned, but River has zoomed out quite far, and now it resembles a little dot on the corner of the map with a trail of directions leading vaguely north-west. It's not a long trail at all, and it proclaims this mystery location as a mere three-and-a-half hours from Lakeside.

It hits me like a strike to the face.

That is where the Ferreus hunters are. That is River's former home.

"Fuck," I let out.

I know what he's going to say, but it still sends a thrill of fear down my spine when he sharply meets Matteo's gaze and says, "I can help."

As much as I want him to stay out of harm's way, I know he's not the sort of person to turn his back on a fight. He is, after all, an expert when it comes to dealing with hunters and their motives, having grown up as one himself. This is the nudge he needs to take out the rest of the Ferreus hunters. Join Matteo and Kay as they tackle hunters, sharpen his already razor-edged reflexes, and turn his focus towards his true enemy.

I don't know what his plan is— whether he means to convince Darius' pack to help or, given he has only recently warmed to the idea of trusting werewolves in general, and only then a select few, whether he means to sneak into his old home and fight them on his own.

Matteo glances at me uncertainly. As his fated, I'm drawn to wherever River is. I don't have the power to let him go wandering off into danger without me. As Crescent Moon's alpha, however, it is my duty to maintain the safety of my pack and my home.

It isn't much of a decision. I vowed, after all, to remain with River no matter what. My duty is to him above all else.

Besides, there's a way I can do both.

"Alright," I decide, tugging a hand through my hair. "If you'll have us, Teo, River and I will go with you. Beau, how would you, Mor and Lach like to have the reins for a little while?"

I hold my beta's gaze for a long moment and I see realisation shimmer behind his eyes. He knows as well as I do that this is a journey I might not return from. I'm offering him a whole lot more than temporary control over the pack. If I don't come back, I trust him, Morgan and Lachlan to look after this place for me.

He swallows thickly. "Fuck, okay. Just— you'd better come back. Stray—"

"I know," River cuts in. I lift my gaze and find him studying me closely, his brows pinched. "You're coming back."

"We both will," I correct him at once. I will ensure it.

"I'm going with you, too," Lachlan says, crossing his muscular arms, his features pinching with unease. "If you're tackling the rest of these Ferreus hunters, River, you're not doing it without backup."

As River blinks, taken aback perhaps by the show of loyalty, I run my gaze over my closest friends. Beau and Morgan look wary yet determined. I know this pack is in good hands, and I know they will do a fine job of looking after this place for me. This is their home as much as mine, after all. I trust them to keep it safe. Kay and Matteo catch one another's gaze, devotion shimmering like an electric charge in their eyes. Kay offers Teo a little reassuring smile — a pulse of light in the smothering fog of dread and danger — and he returns it at once. Lachlan's expression holds a familiar, unflinching dedication and loyalty. He will fight hard to protect the people he cares about, and I'll be glad to have him by my side. River meets my gaze, a familiar fire blazing in his eyes. One I've come to know well. One that means a hell of a challenge is before him, but he'll give all he can. He's doing this for us, after all. Fighting the Ferreus hunters to ensure we all know peace.

"Then it's settled," I decide. "When do we leave?"