Alpha Without a Pack...

Chapter 5

                                            Simon

I was leading a party of three onto the Black Fork property since everyone else including Bowen and Colton were busy. Emmett had been available for his prankster ways as was my younger brother Tucker. He might have been six years my junior and one of the lowest ranking in the pack but he still loved to tease me incessantly. "Are you sure the place is this way oh mighty third in command brother of mine?" Tuck linked taunting me as I snapped my jaws at him in warning, Emmett just watched our exchange in amusement. 

Sure enough the cottage came into view and judging by the lack of vehicle and scent in the air, it was clear nobody was home. "Great, time to get to work!" Emmett said as he shifted and walked up onto the porch, bare a** naked. I snarled at him and he was quick to let me take the lead as I too shifted and stepped onto the porch along with the two younger males. "Should we just try the door and see if it's unlocked?" Emmett asked as I made my way to peek inside one of the windows. I caught sight of a black couch with a grey tabby cat perched on it, then suddenly two huge dogs jumped up on the glass. 

I was so startled by their sudden appearance accompanied by their aggressive barks and growls as they attacked the window that I stumbled backwards right off the porch. I wasn't very fond of dogs and knowing two of them were guarding the cottage did not bode well for our previous plans. "Ha, bro your face was priceless!" Tucker called out his amusement at my expense as I regained my footing and gave him a shove as I rejoined him on the porch. "Come on Simon man, they can't be that bad if they haven't eaten the cat." Emmett's encouragement wasn't very encouraging.

 "Well either way, no critter is going to want to set up house in or around this place with the hounds of h*** guarding it." I gritted out. The last time we'd scared off a previous owner with a family of skunks moving in under the porch, that obviously wasn't going to work out this time. "Maybe I can slip inside and see how friendly the mutts are?" Tuck asked, and although my brother was a thorn in my hide I wasn't going to send him into a possible mauling zone. 

"No. We'll draw back for now and inform the others of this new development. We can figure out our next step tonight after dinner, see what other options we can come up with." I stated as I eyed the dog staring me down through the glass window. "Sure and the sudden retreat has nothing to do with your fear of dogs." Tuck scoffed out. "Enough, we're leaving." I ordered out on a growl, pulling rank as they lowered their heads in submission. We were quick to shift and run our way back to the pack house, this was certainly going to put a damper on our plans to run the new owner off. 

                                      Bowen

I was busy holding a meeting at my company headquarters when I got a text from my beta Colton that Simon had news to report about the Black Fork cottage. Being the business owner of a privately run wilderness gear and outdoor equipment company had it's perks, the money was good and it allowed for me to make fewer appearances outside of meetings. The downside was the meetings like this one, where everyone had different ideas that needed my approval or rejection, when all I wanted was to be back home with the rest of my pack.

 "I believe that's enough for today, if you have any more questions or issues email me and I will get back to you. I've got a family matter to take care of, I leave my secretary Miss Andrews in charge." I stated clearly as I stood and fled the increasingly stuffy room, glad to have the fresh outdoor air greet me once I exited the main building. I headed for the pack house with my car windows down as I puzzled over what Simon had to report about their recon mission today. It was already close to dinner time so everyone would be getting home soon, from wherever they were off to today. As I pulled up to the front of the house I noticed only Gavin's car was missing, strange since he often was one of the first home from the sanctuary.