Chapter 4

Alister's POV

Alister and Elijah were making their way towards the gates when Alister caught a strange scent. The scent was so strange that Alister grunted, indicating his discomfort. He did not want to take any chances with the stranger who carried that strange scent.

 He was worried that the person might be a threat to his pack, his home.

 He asked Elijah, "Any idea who we're meeting?" Elijah was walking beside him with a scowl, indicating that he was also not pleased with the situation. 

Alister's timing could not be worse. It was the night of the full moon, and he had just found his mate. The last thing he wanted to do was to meet a stranger when he could be spending his night with his mate. He was reminded of his duties as a mate, and he knew he should be marking her right now. Instead, he found himself marching towards the gates to meet a stranger. 

As they neared the gates, Alister couldn't help but feel uneasy about the meeting. He was unsure of what was going to happen, and he didn't want anything to jeopardize his pack's safety. Nevertheless, he was determined to face the stranger and sort out the issue as soon as possible.

Elijah tried to lighten the mood by saying, "Hopefully we can sort this out faster, and you can get on with your plans." 

Alister did not find the comment funny, and he arched his brows, wondering what Elijah was thinking. He was anxious to get this meeting over with and return to his mate's side. 

 They knew that the stakes were high, and any mistakes could cost them dearly. So when one of their own seemed distracted and unfocused, Elijah didn't hesitate to call him out on it.

"Dude, you're releasing pheromones like a wolf in heat," Elijah said to his comrade. "I know you need your mate, but please, get your head in the game." With that, Elijah jogged off to join the other warriors ahead.

Alister couldn't help but feel embarrassed. If Elijah had noticed, then surely the others had as well. He took a quick glance behind him and caught Matt winking at him. That fucker.

But the strange scent hit him again, and he couldn't ignore it any longer. He knew he had to take care of this quickly before it became a bigger problem. He pulled his shirt over his head and shifted immediately, racing towards the source of the scent.

As he approached the gates, he could see the men standing just inside. They hadn't noticed him yet, probably because he was in his wolf form. He shifted while walking and pulled himself to his full height, leveling his eyes at the men who were watching him approach.

He could hear Elijah and the others coming up behind him. The warrior wolves had his back, and he knew that they would help him if things got out of hand. But for now, he was focused on the task at hand.

As he stepped forward, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. Would he be able to control his urges, or would he give in to his primal instincts? Only time would tell. But one thing was for sure: he was ready to face whatever came his way.

"…and who might you be?" Alpha Alister asked the man who was standing in front of him when he got to where they were standing.

The man gave a nervous smile, but when Alister didn't return it, he shifted on his feet and took two steps back. It was good to know that the man knew who was in charge here.

The warrior who had been guarding the gate sucked in air, looking at Alister with wide eyes. "Alpha Alister, I'm sorry to have interrupted your night. I didn't know you'd found…" he started to say when Elijah cut him off.

"Thank you, warrior. We'll take it from here," Elijah told the guard, turning the man and pushing him back to the gates.

Thank goodness for Elijah's prompt response. He wasn't too keen on strangers finding out that he had just found his mate.

Alister's gaze flicked back to the strangers in front of him. He could tell that they were nervous, but he needed to know more about them before he could decide what to do.

"I believe I asked a question," Alister muttered, staring into the man's eyes. He could see fear and something that seemed like hope? 

The man in front went down on one knee. "We seek asylum, Alpha," he said with a low voice.

Alister frowned. Asylum? That was a serious request, and one that he couldn't take lightly. He took a step forward, eyeing the strangers carefully. "Who are you, and why do you need asylum?" he asked.