Part 26

(POV - Marcus)

After his run, which lasted two whole days, Marcus had slowly fallen back into the routine he'd been familiar with before he met Aria. And even though she still plagued his thoughts, he'd been able to get through his work without completely zoning out every few minutes.

He'd recovered enough that he was able to join a few of the patrols to the border, curious to see for himself what his wolves had been telling him for weeks.

There was a strange scent there, something he'd easily picked up during his first visit. Just beyond the border, the scent of an unknown wolf from an unnamed pack lingered, taunting him with its anonymity.

It had been spread out, almost as if the wolf had been trying to spread their scent as thin as possible, denying Marcus and any other wolf the chance to pinpoint their presence. In fact, it seemed as if the wolf had been trying to use the thick scent of the dense forest to mask their scent.

It was smart. Marcus would give them that, but he'd been an Alpha long enough to recognise the kinds of schemes that would put his pack in danger. He'd picked up on it quickly, and Jaden had confirmed his suspicions.

They were dealing with a very clever wolf, the kind of clever that couldn't be underestimated no matter how much Marcus wanted to put the little runt in his place. It was either a very brave or very stupid new Alpha behind it. No seasoned Alpha worth his salt would ever do something that bold.

He checked his peripherals, glancing back over his shoulders as he prowled between the trees, carefully navigating the upturned roots that had split through the earth and curled around the tree trunks. It hadn't been the wisest choice, going on patrol in his human form, but he was far quieter and less noticeable this way. He could mask his Alpha scent easily when he wasn't a hulking mass of fur and teeth.

Even in his human form, he could pick up Jaden's footsteps a few hundred feet from his position, staying close as he'd promised just in case they came face to face with the wolf that had been testing the strength of their borders. He knew that Mercucio was nearby as well, and Inara had fallen further back to make sure they weren't ambushed.

They carried no weapons save for the wolves that lurked beneath their skin. It seemed to be a quiet night, and even the scent of the wolf had faded somewhat, probably because of the weather or because their increased patrols had scared him off.

Marcus hoped it was the latter, not quite ready to spill more blood unnecessarily, even if he wouldn't hesitate to do so to protect his pack.

"Alpha."

Marcus paused, allowing Inara to catch up in her human form. She wore her favorite leathers, every part the warrior wolf she enjoyed playing. Her long blonde hair had been pulled back into a high ponytail, the ends swishing lightly against the leather on her back.

"You always were theatrical," Marcus teased, keeping his eyes forward and staying vigilant. She scoffed softly.

"I always thought it was a byproduct of being your High Guard," she mocked. "I hear it's pretty contagious."

"What are you here to report, Inara?"

"Touchy," she observed, and he swore she and Jaden could have been siblings in their insistence of mocking him any chance they got. "Anyway, it's quiet. The other sentry patrol I sent south came across a new scent and tracked it past our border and into Lahun territory. I called them back."

"Good call," Marcus sighed. "The last thing we need is to start a war with another pack just because we went too far trying to drive a potential rogue off our lands."

She hummed and fell back a step, scouting their surroundings. "It might be a good idea to contact the Alpha of the Lahun pack and tell him about the attempted border breaches. Who knows what this wolf is after. He might be prowling around looking for weak points in anyone's territory."

"I'll arrange with Jaden to send the request," Marcus said with a nod, already formulating his carefully worded speech. The Lahun Alpha was notoriously bull-headed, and he wasn't a huge fan of Marcus'. After all, he'd been the one who rejoiced in Marcus' absence and called him a feral murderer.

"It'll help strengthen the pack bonds as well," Inara mused, thinking twelve steps ahead as usual. "Perhaps their sentries can join ours, and we can expand the patrol groups and cover more ground. It would be the most efficient solution."

"Unfortunately, Nari," he said, using the old nickname he used to call her when they were still children. "Your tactics make sense and are easily deployable, plus they would yield the best results. And that is exactly why he would probably brush them off as 'she-wolf hysteria'."

Inara rolled her eyes. "I hate misogynistic Alphas."

"I could rough him up a bit in your honor," Marcus offered. "Your birthday is coming up and I haven't gotten you anything yet."

"How chivalrous of you, Alpha," she chuckled. "I'll pass. We both know I prefer shiny things, and I prefer delivering penance with my own hands."

"As you wish," Marcus said. "So, what do you make of the situation?"

Inara took a moment to answer, evidently choosing her words carefully.

"If I had to make an educated guess," she said, fingers anxiously plucking at the skin of her palms. "I'd say it feels like this wolf, whoever they are, is trying to lull us into a false sense of security now. After working for weeks to get our guard up, suddenly the scent is fading and moving south away from our borders. It feels personal, but I might just be overreacting."

It was a good guess, something he would only entrust to Inara. She'd had far more experience in pack warfare than most of their warriors combined. Not to mention she'd dealt with the neighboring nest of vampires by herself.

If there was anyone he would trust with his life apart from his Beta and Delta, it was Inara.

After having grown up with her, sharing her bed and learning to rely on her the way he relied on Jaden and Mercucio, she'd become as close a confidant as any of them.

"I don't think you're overreacting," he told her. "I think you're probably spot on, as usual. That's why I wanted to come out here too, to see it for myself. We definitely need to readjust the patrol teams, too. I don't think they're balanced as they are."

"I have some suggestions," she offered, and Marcus smiled.

He could always count on Inara. And, true to her word, she gave him detailed suggestions for the team formations when they made it back to the packhouse.

Jaden had disappeared, probably off looking for Mercucio in the kitchen, so Marcus went through the changes himself, plotting them out with Inara and her trained groups of sentries.

It took a while to get through all of it, especially because Inara had even taken the time to block out hours for each patrol group, rotating them on shorter shifts so that they could rest more and be more alert when they returned.

Marcus couldn't say he wasn't impressed.

When Jaden returned with Mercucio in tow, Marcus and Inara had wrapped up and sent the wolves to bed, thanking them for their hard work every night.

"You've received a very interesting invite," Jaden said, announcing his and Mercucio's presence by brandishing a white envelope that had obviously already been opened. Marcus wasn't mad about it. It was protocol for all mail to be inspected before it reached the Alpha.

"An invite?" Marcus asked incredulously, taking the envelope from Jaden and fishing the invitation out. "A banquet?"

"Not just any banquet," Jaden said,pointing at the name of the host. "An introductory banquet. When was the last time you heard of a new Alpha holding a banquet to introduce himself to potential threats?"

"Years ago," Marcus answered needlessly. "Who the hell is Aiden Stark?"

Jaden shrugged. "Whoever he is, he's invited just about every pack Alpha east of the mountain range. Whoever he is, I'm guessing the last Alpha had some kind of social standing with the other packs."

"Well, he can keep his introduction," Marcus scoffed, handing the envelope back to Jaden. "I'm not interested in watching a pup parade around pretending to be an Alpha. Does he even realize that he's giving challengers the perfect opportunity to suss out his weaknesses and exploit them?"

Jaden shrugged. "Whatever his motive, not attending will be seen as disrespectful and a direct challenge, Marc. We don't really need the added drama with everything else going on right now."

"Don't you think it's a little too convenient that this invitation pops up while we're trying to tighten the borders? If I take you, Mercucio and Inara with me, as is customary, who are we leaving behind to protect the pack and run patrols?"

"I'll stay," Inara offered easily. "I don't really care about banquets, and I'd rather stay home, anyway. I feel more productive here."

"Then it's settled!" Jaden announced. "Mercucio and I will go with you and Inara will supervise the patrols from here."

Marcus still didn't want to go, but Inara looked defiant.

"Come on, Marc, the event is going to be huge," Jaden pressed, nudging Marcus in the side with his elbow. "You might even bump into Aria."

Marcus snapped at him, his teeth sharpening to points before retracting.

"You might bump right into my fist, Jay.

Leave her name off your tongue."

"Yes, boss."