Little Red's Riding

Someday Soon

"Two guards disappeared patrolling the Eastern woods." Oliver's eyes were serious as he said the words the moment Silas stepped through the door after throwing on his pants and shirt. "We found traces of blood in a few places, but nothing else. A group of warriors followed the scent and it led away from the cabin, towards the human village and then it abruptly disappeared."

"Fuck. This witch won't live to see another Wolve's Moon Night Festival if I have any say in it." Silas jaw was clenched and his hands were in fists as he turned away from his Beta and stared out the window. He held out very little hope of finding his guards, knowing the state of his two murdered warriors on the previous day. And the more trackers and warriors that he sent out the greater the risk to his people. Obviously Lilia, and likely her witch friends as well, had powers that the average werewolf either were not expecting or could not hope to defeat on their own.

Silas needed a way to protect his pack and he needed it fast, before anyone else lost their lives. Frustration surged through his body as he wondered if it was too late for his two missing guards. "We have to try to get them back." He murmured with a shake of his head."

"Who do you want me to round up?"

"Is Soren back from his hunting trip up North?" Silas heard Dahlia move inside his office and turned his head towards the sound, wishing he didn't have to leave his mate again so soon. He had just told her he'd spend the rest of the day with her and here he was, running off on her again.

"He got back this morning." Oliver's eyes had widened in surprise at his Alpha's choice. "But you two-"

"He and I have a lot to talk about anyways. Tell him I need his help." Silas shook his head again. Those words weren't easy to say, especially when he knew they'd be repeated to Soren.

"How long until we leave?" Oliver's nostrils flared suddenly and Silas heard him take in a deep breath through his nose. He was surprised it had taken his Beta this long to realize had been going on. Now he'd never hear the end of it.

"Give me half an hour. I need to go home first."

"In the office, Silas? Could you not walk the quarter mile to your house to get to your bedroom?" Oliver likely would have been laughing if the rest of the situation hadn't been so dire.

"Maybe I didn't want to wait. Especially when I'm needed for some emergency or another every half hour." The door behind Silas creaked open, bumping into him so that he took a step forward to let his mate slip out to stand beside him.

"Is everything okay?" Dahlia's cheeks were still flushed and while she had attempted to smooth her hair back into place, it was still quite obvious what had gone on inside his office.

Silas wondered if she realized that even if she looked exactly as she had when she'd gone into the room, anyone with a wolf's superior sense of smell, would know exactly what had been going on behind his closed office door. Not that anyone would be surprised since she was the newly found mate of the Alpha.

"It will be, Kitten. There's just some trouble again that I need to deal with personally." He saw Dahlia's face fall and cupped her cheek in his hand, his other arm snaking around her waist.

"Oliver, go find Soren." Oliver nodded, and disappeared out the door, leaving it open behind him. "I promise I will find a way to make this up to you, Dahlia. If this wasn't an emergency, I wouldn't be leaving. Maybe Lottie can come and stay the night in our guest bedroom? I would feel better if you weren't alone. Is it alright if I mindlink her and ask her to come over, along with the guards?" They were walking, hand in hand down the sidewalk now and Dahlia wished that she could beg him to climb into bed with her when they arrived at home and stay there for the entire day. But she knew that was impossible.