Chapter 7

ETHAN

“Who was Mr. Wolfs-a-lot?” she asked, smirking at me over her shoulder.

I let out a deep laugh at her description of Johnson. I heard a lot of different names for him over the years, but never had I heard that one. Perhaps his ego would be bruised from her like mine had been yesterday. Oh, and Luxor could join in Blaze’s sulking.

‘Not sulking, asshole. Just. Shut up,’ he growled.

“He’s one of the most brutal warriors we have.” I tsked her, shaking my head.

Her smirk only deepened. This chick was so fucking strange but in a very good way. She truly was not intimidated by us.

‘See if Kai is so humored next time,’ Blaze snorted.

Oh goddess, that would be priceless. Now, we just had to get them all together. Kai was a complete brutal beast. Downright the scariest fucking wolf anyone had ever met. I bet that Emma would not be intimidated in the least.

“He was on patrol and closest to here. He’s also one of my friends, so I’ll have to tell him of your description. He’ll be positively heartbroken,” I told her.

She just laughed, and it felt like all the tension dissipated from earlier. Her eyes twinkled, finally doing away with that closed off mask from minutes ago. I could understand a bit better why she had a control on her emotions, and I knew that what I saw was not even the tip of the iceberg.

She carefully moved the branches and twigs until she saw the ground. On it was a black substance.

“Fuck,” she muttered, a shiver running through her body.

Whatever this substance was, she did not like it. She showed not an ounce of fear when an unknown wolf tried to attack her, but this substance elicited that fear. That was concerning. I knelt down beside her and looked at her closely. Her lips were drawn into a tight line, and she had her eyes closed, as if trying to ground herself.

“Is that what I think it is?” I asked curiously, even though her reaction was confirmation enough.

She took a steadying breath and nodded her head. She took one glove off her hand and carefully used her gloved hand to put the substance in the empty glove. She tied it once it was secured inside and looked at me with pursed lips.

“Yeah, it is. Do you have a bag I can put this in?”

I pulled one out and sealed up the glove. To be safe, because her reaction made me feel like a toddler afraid of the dark, I sealed it in an additional bag. Could not be too careful.

“I’m glad we found this because now we can analyze it. There wasn’t enough left on the rogues to analyze, so we want to figure out what this is and how it’s aiding the rogues.”

That was a silver lining in this rogue business. I would task Johnson with running some deep analyses. I developed the tech, but he was the best with running the analyses. If this was being used here, it was probably safe to assume that it was being used elsewhere as well.

“Make sure whomever tests this is fully protected. It absolutely can’t get on the skin or inside the body. It’s dangerous, so just be careful,” she warned me.

I observed her carefully. Long gone was the snarky she-wolf that called out a strange wolf. She was on edge, and whatever this substance was had her really worried.

“What is it?” I asked.

She looked at me, weighing what to say and how much to say. She shook her head and sighed.

“I don’t know exactly. I’ve wondered about what it was, but never figured it out. I just know from personal experience that it’s rough stuff. If someone is using this, it’s highly dangerous. It can be easily weaponized.”

Emma would not explain further. Even though I was insanely curious, I did not want to push her too far. Look at what happened when I insisted on knowing about her hip.

She said from personal experience. Did that mean that she had dealt with this before, or did she know someone who did? I had a feeling it was the former with what I witnessed today.

“Did you notice anything else?” I asked her instead of what I was truly wondering.

She nodded and started jogging towards the tree line. I followed her around a large tree. She squatted down and pointed to the ground. Hell, this chick’s knack for catching clues was impressive. Xander and I loved solving puzzles and all, but it was like she could visualize it so much more and see what pieces belong where with minimal effort.

“Yeah, this was the first thing I noticed when I got here because I ran from the other direction. There are some tracks right here. It looks like four sets of shoes. The prints are different sizes and treads. This means that at least four people were out here. I didn’t notice the prints leading over to the bush, so I’m not certain how long that substance has been out here. Question is, why would rogues gather together out here?”

Thankfully her phone was still in my hand. “Hey, I want to take pictures of everything, but I don’t have my phone on me. Can you unlock yours?”

“Passcode is 0327,” she said while still squatting down to examine the footprints.

She was awfully trusting of me, so perhaps it was not just me that trusted here. That was reassuring at least. I was not the only crazy one it seemed.

I took close up pictures of the prints, ensuring to get as many angles as I could. I would run these through the databases back at the packhouse. Luckily, I was quite skilled when it came to the hacking side of things. So, I would be able to get access to anything that we did not already have access to.

“Are you certain they were rogues?” I asked.

Rogues did not gather in groups like this. Not normally, at least. Like she mentioned, some did band together. Were these lone rogues hired for something or was it of their own volition?

She pulled me over to the far side of the tree, pointing to a ripped strip of flannel that was attached to the tree.

“Yes, they were rogues because part of one’s shirt snagged right here. The scent of rogue is hard to mistake,” she said, scrunching her nose at the smell. I had to agree with her. Rogues stunk like a sewer.

The fabric was a red and black plaid pattern. I could not tell if it was from a male or female, but it possibly had some evidence. I snapped a picture of the fabric before I grabbed another bag from my pocket and pulled the fabric away from the tree with it before I sealed it up.

We needed to figure this out and figure it out now. If what Emma said was correct, the black substance could be used as a weapon. We needed to get a handle on things before it erupted in our faces. This was a very dangerous situation, and the fact that her pack’s Alpha and Beta had access to this substance was not a coincidence. When she told me about them having it, she lowered her voice to not be overheard. Was that what caused whoever to cut her? I did not think so because that person would have certainly busted into her room right that second.

“Well, Emma, it seems that you have a bit of a detective side in you,” I praised.

That was putting it lightly. Her mind connected things brilliantly. I did not think any of our squad members would have put this all together. Hell, all of us together could not find any connection. Emma did. I would give credit where credit was due.

Emma’s cheeks blossomed with red again as she looked away. She was always so uncomfortable with compliments, but I could not imagine why. She did great work here. She should be damn proud of herself. Surely, she got them often if this was her level of expertise.

It made me wonder what she did besides school. If she had been part of our pack, I could easily imagine her leading up the security team. We did not really care about age. Merit and skill were what was important.

Hell, if a ten-year-old could showed half of this ability, they would be given a shot to join the running for the team. A pack would be absolute fools to not utilize her mind.

She turned back to me after the blush went away. “I just notice things. What do you think they were out here for? How does that substance play into it?”

Both fantastic questions that yet to have answers. It would be good to figure it out though.

“Not sure. However, it’s odd that they were so close to your pack borders. Emma, please be careful. We really don’t know what’s going on,” I admitted.

I knew that she was capable of taking care of herself, as she pointed out multiple times, but I still worried. Nobody should be going at this alone, and I had the strict impression that she really was alone.

“I’ll have these items analyzed and put into the report. Will you send me those pictures from your phone? I want to get them analyzed as well. We really got to figure out what’s going on because this puts everyone at risk,” I said.

Emotions flitted through her eyes before they disappeared, and she nodded.

“I can do that. Nothing else really stuck out. I wish there was more we could’ve found,” she said.

I gathered all of the evidence up and put it in the large bag that I would carry everything with once I shifted back. I turned back around and offered her a legitimate smile. She helped us significantly tonight. She was exactly who we needed to help us figure this rogue business out.

“Emma, you found a lot of fucking shit. I can’t tell you how much this means. Are you part of your pack’s security team or something?”

She snorted and kicked the ground. Her reaction said it all.

“As if. That would be the last place they would allow me. I’m not exactly a favored pack member. Anyways, I should be getting back before curfew. We still on for tomorrow?” she asked hesitantly, as if I had changed my mind after all of this. As if, little wolf.

“Rabid wolves, remember?” I teased.

She laughed a genuine and light laugh that helped push the worry away for the moment. This was the Emma I had gotten to know so far. I could not wait to truly know her, but I would be as patient as necessary.

“Thanks, Emma. Have a good night.”

We broke off and left in separate directions. Blaze shifted, but she just took off in a run back to her territory.

Perhaps she just enjoyed running more than her wolf did. She said that it was complicated about her wolf. What did that even mean though? Either way, we began making our way home.

I thought back over the encounter while Blaze took charge. What did she mean by the part about her not being the favored pack member? She said shit like that as if it was fact. Then there were the scars she had and the cut on her hip.

I knew there was more lurking beneath the surface of what I had witnessed. Perhaps tomorrow would bring some more answers because it did not sit right with me. One thing was certain though…she was part of all of this, but not in the way one would think. I just did not understand what that meant yet.

Once I got to the packhouse, I shifted back and threw my shorts back on. I grabbed my phone from the room before carefully carrying the evidence bag to the War Room. Was I happy with the black substance being so casually carried in a bag? Nah, not really. But I would never admit that. I had to maintain my badass bad boy image.

Xander was already there, pouring over border schematics. I did not have to ask what he was doing. He was trying to find weaknesses in our boundary points. However, there were not any. That was why we designed it that way. It would take something more than a simple rogue to break it.

I could tell he had not left this room in the entire time that I had been gone. He poured me a shot of whiskey and slid it over to me. I clinked his glass before we both downed it. He was going to overwork himself to death. Perhaps showing him some advances in the rogue matter would help relieve some of his stress.

“Well, find anything?”

I set the bag down on the table and pulled everything out of it. I carefully set the black substance further down the table. Okay, that shit really creeped me out. It had been enough to finally show discomfort in Emma, but I would never admit that I was freaked out more than a 5’4 she-wolf. There was no way that I could ever live that down.

He watched each move I made curiously but waited until I was ready.

“I found quite a bit of shit actually. There was a lot of movement in that area, so I’m glad I went and took a look.”

My phone vibrated in my shorts, so I knew Emma sent the pictures. I got a new pair of gloves and an analysis set. First, I opened a jar and ever so carefully transferred the black substance into a glass jar and closed the lid tightly. I was a little more relaxed now that it was behind glass, but not by much though.

I grabbed an extra pair of gloves and tossed them to Xander. He came closer and picked up the jar.

“What the hell is this?” he asked. That was the question of the century. What was it? I was still uncertain.

I rubbed the back of my neck and leaned against the table. I knew that with Emma’s help we found plenty of clues, but it felt like the clues were not helping that much. Instead, they were just creating even more questions.

“It’s that same black substance that was on the rogues. Now we have a sample to try and figure out what the hell it actually is. I am not certain what it is. It was found under some fallen twigs and branches in the clearing. From all the research I’ve found, it’s dangerous. We need to make sure that it doesn’t make contact to the skin or the inside of the body. I want to run it through a deep analysis to see what it’s actually made of.”

I took the jar back from him and set it down on the table. It was viscous and black as ink. I tapped my finger against the side of the jar and jumped when it moved.

“The fuck,” I whispered.

I tapped the side again, to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Nope, it moved again. What the fuck was this shit?

Xander’s brows furrowed as he leaned down next to me. He tapped it as well, and it reacted the same way. He did not need to tap it twice like I did. He was done with it.

“That’s not normal.” He grimaced, moving away from it.

How was it moving? It acted like it was alive, and that just increased my concern. It was not moving because the jar was shaking. It was moving in reaction to the stimulation of the tap against the jar. Those were two very different things. Emma would have mentioned it if she had come across this information, so she apparently did not know.

“What else did you find? Perhaps more intergalactic slime,” he joked to lighten the mood.

That was not a bad guess as to what it could be because I was currently coming up empty in the idea department. We would not find answers until we did a thorough analysis. I was just hoping that there was enough data to go from.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and shared the photos from Emma to a folder before connecting it to the screen. I clicked it open and saw a total of twenty-one pictures that I had taken. I clicked on the one in front of the tree.

“There were four sets of footprints about 200 yards from where the substance was found. On the side of the same tree where the prints were, there was that piece of fabric which was obviously worn by a rogue. I’m going to have it analyzed as well. Hopefully it’ll hold some clues.”

Xander scrolled through the pictures and stopped at the one showing where the fabric was on the tree. He zoomed in on the bottom and noticed something we had not.

“There is a fifth set of footprints. This set seems a lot smaller than the rest. It could be an adolescent or a female perhaps. The fabric was most likely from whomever left the prints,” he said, pointing out the footprints. He was correct.

“Do you think the fabric was left there on purpose?”

I wanted to slap myself for not looking down and seeing it in person. I was glad that Xander was just as skilled at finding the right puzzle pieces. It always made any game we played as kids turn sour because we were both far too competitive for any games. He was the Alpha heir, and I was the Beta heir. We were highly competitive by nature.  

Our parents had to get involved to regulate and referee us most of the time. My father always said it was proof that our pack was going to be in good hands because we would ensure we always won. I did not understand what he meant back then, but I learned it very well once the war hit. Now, I was glad again for Xander’s eye.

“Perhaps. If it was left behind on purpose it could be a warning or clue. Which one though? I feel that we’re dealing more with questions than finding the answers to all of this. I don’t understand why rogues would be working together or targeting between our pack and Blacktree’s pack. Maybe it’s all being done to fuck with us.” I groaned, falling into a chair.  

The room was quiet while I tried to grasp a little composure and Xander was still staring at the clues. Neither one of us dealt with helplessness well. He flipped through the photos and looked over everything that was found.

“What does all this mean?” he growled, scrubbing his face with his hand.

Our top priority was the safety of our pack. We would do anything and everything to protect them. Xander felt that pressure a hundred times more as Alpha, so this shit hit hard. Plus, he was a bit of a control freak, so he had to know everything all the time. Xander struggled with not being in control of things. That stemmed from his Alpha genes. His father was the exact same way.

“I don’t know, but it does mean something. We just need to figure out a way to put all the pieces together,” I said.

I put the evidence in a locked safe and turned back to him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

“Look, we don’t have answers yet, but we will. We won’t stop until we get them.”

Xander’s gaze locked with me and nodded. “You’re right,” he sighed.

I was certain that he would be wandering back down here to pour through everything again, but I convinced him to grab a shower and head to bed for now at least.

I headed to my own room to take a shower. My entire body was tensed, and it pissed me off. The safety of our pack was paramount, and I needed to ensure that we kept them safe.

The second important thing was Emma’s safety. I had a bad feeling concerning her, I just could not quite place it. But it was clear that she was not as in control as she portrayed. I would give it to her that she hid everything very well. It pissed me off that she was so good at it because it meant that she had to learn to become that good at it.

I hurried through my shower and flopped down on my bed, hoping for the sweet release of sleep. Perhaps it would be as good as last night, but I doubted it.

My phone beeped with a message, so I unlocked it.

Pacey – “Heard you quit Callie. Good for you. I am here if you need some release.”

Fucking hell. Pacey was sexy and a great lay. She was extremely flexible which made the experience a lot of fun. I was done with Callie, and thankfully Pacey had no connection to her. I did not want to be caught up in Callie’s bullshit drama. Pacey was a good option, plus she really did keep things casual. We had a thing in high school, but I got sidetracked with pack business once I took over. She was always there whenever I wanted to release some frustration though. Why was everyone not that way?

I was about to respond to her message, really wanting to take up her offer, but the phone beeped again.

Emma – “Thank you for allowing me to help out tonight. I wish we’d found more, but just wanted to thank you. See you tomorrow.”

My tension released some, and I just decided to go to bed. Perhaps tomorrow would hold more answers.