Oh Hell No

Chapter 25

"We can't go around the Garavin Pack's territory, that'd take an extra day in wolf form at least!"

After two days Doctor Henry had figured out where the tranquilizer came from, which was much longer than Ryder believed it should have taken, and any excitement the news brought was ruined when the pack that basically blocked their path to the ones that it had been stolen from denied their request to cross through. Apparently, they were one of the testier packs, and didn't like the idea of a bunch of strange wolves going through their lands, even if they just wanted to get to the Drenden Pack.

"No, we can go around, you just don't want to," Mason pointed out, "I know that Jamie is your mate, and as such you want to find her as soon as possible. But, if we enter their territory without permission we will have more problems to worry about, and we'll be forced to deal with those problems before Jamie," He explains slowly, emphasizing words every so often to help get his point across. Ryder wanted to growl at the condescending tone, but was also somewhat aware that he was acting like a child.

"Then let me talk to Alpha Lewis," Ryder suggests, "Get him to change his mind and let us pass through. Hell, we don't even have to stop to investigate! It would barely take an hour to cross, there's no reason for them to say no!"

Mason sighed, "Fine, you can try your hand at talking to Lewis, but don't get bitchy with me if he still says no," He saw this as a possible learning opportunity for Ryder. If the alpha denied, then he'd have to learn to deal with that, but if he didn't he'd get some genuine experience negotiating with other packs. Personally, Mason wouldn't mind seeing him get knocked down a few pegs, but for the sake of efficiency and his son's future as an alpha, he hoped that he got through to the stubborn man that is Lewis Finch.

"Alright," Ryder quickly took up the offer, and Mason dialed the other alpha before handing the phone to him. Lewis picked up almost immediately.

"Alpha Mason, I know that your missing she-wolf is a big deal, but we've got our own proble-"

"Wrong Daniels, Alpha Lewis," Ryder corrected, "I'm Mason's son, Ryder. I wanted to request that you change your mind and let me, along with a small group of wolves from our pack, pass through your lands to get to the Hellhound's territory."

"Well, I'm sorry Ryder but your father has already told me all this. You have my condolences about your mate, but we cannot let you through at the moment," Lewis sounded stressed, Ryder noticed, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for the man. He was keeping him away from the pack that might know something about, or might be responsible for his mate's disappearance.

"Why not?" Ryder demanded, "This is my pack's future luna that's in danger, and I can guarantee that if the roles were reversed my dad would help you out. And if he didn't, you could call me and I'd yell at him," Not that shouting at Mason would change his mind, but the offer should still count for something.

"I understand, but a problem has arisen in my own pack and I have to deal with it. My pack won't like letting strangers through without me there to chaperone, and at the moment I simply can't," He reiterates.

"Can you have that problem under control in an hour?" He asks stubbornly.

Luis sighs heavily, the sound getting heavily distorted by the imperfect connection, "I suppose so," He mutters, silently deciding that his beta could deal with their own little problem for the time being, while also admitting that he didn't want to deal with it right now, "But I expect you to bring no more than ten wolves with you, on such short notice and with tensions this high my pack won't like having too many of you around."

"I only need five," That would be Chris, David, Leona, Henry, and Peter. The wolves that had taken Jamie were rogues, so he probably wouldn't need a lot of back-up to get her back.

David would be there as a glorified babysitter, updating Mason and dispensing wisdom where he could. Chris, as his future beta, wouldn't be left out of this mission even if Ryder ordered him to stay back. Leona and Peter were there in case the rogues had gotten sloppy when stealing the sedative, or if by some chance they caught a whiff of Jamie's scent that he missed. Lastly, Henry was there to schmooze with their pack doctor in the hopes of getting them access at Drenden's pack hospital. They had been granted asylum from that pack, most likely because of the alliance they were trying to form with the Everlast pack, but Henry believed their doctor might not like a bunch of healthy wolves sniffing around.

Lewis agreed, hanging up without a goodbye, presumably to go get that "problem" settled for the moment. It shouldn't take long, especially since he needed a break to consider how he should respond to it. He could leave it up to his beta for now, and get outside for a bit, it was a win-win for him.

To say that Mason wasn't surprised, that he had complete faith in his son's ability the entire time would be a lie. Lewis wasn't nearly as stubborn as other alphas, but Ryder didn't have the negotiation experience he did. Really, he should stop worrying so much about Ryder's abilities to rule the pack, because while he still has much to learn, he's proven time and time again that he will be a great leader. This search mission was almost like the next test for him, having to take a few wolves on an investigation of sorts through other territories that may be unfamiliar to some of them.

"Nicely handled," He praised, taking his phone back. He opens his office door for Ryder, "Just remember; if you come back without Jamie your mother will disown you," As much as he wished he was joking, they both knew otherwise. Danielle was obviously quite attached to Jamie already, and would most likely choose her well being over Ryder's any day.

"I know she will, which is why I don't plan on coming back without her," He says seriously, leaving the office without looking back.

Mason smirked. He wasn't too worried about Jamie. Sure, there was no telling what those rogues would want with her, but with someone like Ryder going after her, there was nothing to worry about. Whether or not she ended up okay, he would make whoever took her pay. Of that, Mason had no doubt.

"'Atta boy."

A/N: I don't know why I like the idea of an OCD alpha so much XD Just imagining Lewis basically throwing a tantrum over something so small, and then grumbling to his mate about it is hilarious