Chapter 280: A Breach
An unfamiliar face poked his head in, and at the sight of his graying hair and slightly wrinkled face, the dots instantly connected. This was further confirmed when Darach instantly straightened up, his expression solemn as he greeted the older man.
"Elder Otto," he said, nodding. "What brings you here to the tower? It’s not the changing of the seasons yet."
The elderly man, Elder Otto, seemed equally surprised to see us here. His eyes widened by a fraction as his gaze swiped across the three of us before eventually returning to Darach.
"Alpha Darach," he said, smiling. Having seen so many gazes that were filled with hatred, it was oddly refreshing — and surprising — to see one that was genuine. "I thought I heard some commotion around the area and thought to check. Didn’t think that I would see you here." He then directed his smile at us. "Are these our new guests?"
"Yes," Darach said. He held out his hand and said, "This is Harper from Fangborne, Beta Blaise’s mate. She is here for a while to act as my charlie while we look for someone more suitable from Thunderstrike. This is Kyle, her guard."
"Harper," Elder Otto repeated. Then, a spark danced in his eyes as his lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Ah, I remember you. You’re the lady that destroyed Dahlia Elrod’s wedding."
Kyle practically spat out in laughter, desperately trying to tamp his voice down while Darach shot him a nasty glare. On the other hand, my jaw had dropped, practically grazing the floor as I blinked dumbly at Elder Otto.
"Oh, I don’t mean it in a bad way," Elder Otto quickly clarified. "Some of the other old knockers practically worship Thorton and Dahlia Elrod as though they were gods. I, for one, enjoyed seeing her get knocked down a peg."
While I understood that it would generally be considered rude, I couldn’t help but stare slack-jawed at Elder Otto. He was refreshingly friendly and his obvious disdain for the previous alpha of Thunderstrike felt like a breath of fresh air. I thought that there was no one in Thunderstrike who would dislike Thorton and Dahlia Elrod, especially an elder, after what Darach had implied.
"What’s with that face?" Elder Otto asked, chuckling at my expression. "Not everyone is an Elrod fanclub member here at Thunderstrike. You’ll be surprised to see the number of supporters Alpha Darach actually has."
Darach smiled, though it was all too easy to see the awkwardness and pain hidden in it.
"There’s no need to exaggerate, Elder Otto," Darach said.
"It’s true," the older man said. "Although, it is also unfortunately true that Thorton Elrod’s supporters are all in the higher ranks. After all, they’re all men that the previous alpha specifically gave power to in order to support his rule."
Darach winced. "And that’s why I need Harper here as charlie until I find someone I can trust," he said. "I am definitely not going to risk picking someone who worked — or works — for my father."
"Good," Elder Otto said. "I am looking forward to what you have in store, young man."
It was heartwarming to know that there were still people who cared for Darach and supported his leadership over Thunderstrike. While Elder Otto implied that those who cared more for Darach than Thorton Elrod were all the normal pack members who held no political power of any sort, the average wolves were what made the pack. Without them, Thunderstrike would be nothing but a shell.
Perhaps Darach could find someone and train them from scratch. With Milo by his side helping him, it shouldn’t take too long. But until then, I was determined to play my part to help.
The touching moment was broken when a scream tore through the heavens. Even without the aid of a wolf’s senses, Darach and I could still hear it, evident by the synchronized swirl of our heads in the same direction. Kyle and Elder Otto, likewise, turned, their postures turning rigid as they stared out of the balcony window and to the large expanse below us.
"What..." Darach trailed off, frowning.
My eyes widened as I caught sight of a possible source of the sound. "There!" I pointed to a small speck in the distance.
"Shit," Kyle cursed under his breath. "That looks like a―"
"Wendigo," Elder Otto finished for him, a low growl rumbling from his chest. Despite his old age, his physical health didn’t seem any lesser than any of us. He quickly turned on his heel and scurried down the stairs without another word.
Darach, Kyle, and I exchanged glances for a split second before we hurriedly followed along, trying our best to keep up with Elder Otto’s large strides.
"How did they get in here?!" Kyle asked in between pants, horrified.
"I don’t know," Darach said. "There’s supposed to be a patrol going through that area right now. They should’ve caught the wendigo long before it even crossed our borders!"
"Then it seems like your men are slacking off," I said through gritted teeth. Cold sweat was already starting to fill the edges of my forehead, trickling down the sides of my face and down onto my shoulder.
"Who stays there?" Kyle asked.
"Mainly average pack members," Darach answered. "It’s near the border and away from the heart of the pack. Most of them have no need to be in the central area, so they live further away. Some of them have warriors in their families, albeit lower-ranking ones. But most of them are women and children."
"Children?!" Kyle echoed. "The wendigos will make meals out of them!"
His pace quickened and Kyle practically flew down the steps, even surpassing Elder Otto. He sprinted out into the open, and without warning, he shifted into a wolf and darted straight in the direction of the wendigo.
"Kyle!" I yelled after him, but he was long gone in a puff of smoke.
"Get on, we’ll have to catch him," Elder Otto said.
Without another word, the sound of bones cracking and clothes ripping could be heard. He had shifted into a large, majestic wolf with graying fur, but still looked every bit as strong.
Elder Otto nudged his head in the direction of his back, gesturing for Darach and me to climb on. We exchanged glances, and with a nod, Darach quickly hopped on. I followed suit, with Darach helping me up. I had barely even balanced myself when Elder Otto took off, sprinting at full speed right after Kyle.
