Secret Shifter

Part 18-Dereks POV

We made the days trek to Howler pack and were greeted kindly by allied neighbours.

'Derek, long time no see!' Chase called as he jogged across the clearing.

'It has certainly been a long time.' I grew up with Chase and had idolised him.

We had lived together in the same pack, he was to be my Beta, but alas he found comfort in being a rogue. He left for three years to find himself, but I knew it was a load of bull.

Chase wanted nothing more than to find him mate, as did I, but he was convinced she was out there somewhere beyond what he knew.

When he returned, he returned mate less. Not because he never found her, but because he had. He fell in love with her at first sight, as any mate does, and he protected her with his life... But it wasn't enough.

A pack of Rogues torn through their camp and ambushed them, and the rest is pretty simple. He made it out, and she didn't. And Chase hasn't stopped blaming himself since.

Since then he built himself a pack of Rogues wanting the community of a pack once more. Once Chase realised that wolves were stronger as a pack, he vowed to atone for his mistakes by providing protect and shelter who no longer had it.

'So what brings you here? Chase never missed a thing and he was always quick to jump straight to it, kind of like Kat.

She had a weird way of conversing; very straight forward, upfront and confronting. God how I missed her.

'Its my mate.'

His brows furrowed before he spoke, 'I thought it was odd that I hadn't seen or heard from you in the last few months, but now I know you have a mate... You are forgiven. So what has happened?'

I jumped into the story of Kat, her past, her fears and how they all seemed to be coming try, right down to the fact she was missing.

'We sadly have no come across any new scents or wolves in these parts, but we are willing to do anything. Even if it means confronting those Rogues and if it comes to a fight, we would proudly fight along side you and your pack.'

We stood in the clearing, our packs on either side and clasped our hands; this was the start of war and the end to Kat's nightmares.

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Chase and I spent the night organising defence tactics and an ambush plan. We didn't know the Rogues exact location, but we would soon. We both had our best men out their looking for clues and gathering information

'Ok, so our best bet is to go to High Falls and call Aaron up on his I.O.U,' Chase was exhausted. The circle under his eyes have him away, though he never once complained.

He knew that if the situation was in reverse, that I too would do anything to help. The Mate Bond is a terrible thing and each day I felt my heart grow heavier in Kat's absence.

It was like a hole had opened up inside me, draining my life and everything around me inside. Things didn't seem as clear as they use to be, like the life was being sucked from them, sending me spiralling into an abyss. I needed to find Kat, to hold her close and never let her go.

'Derek?'

I looked up to see Chase watching me, a worried expression on his face. 'Sorry I was just-'

'Trying not to completely lose it?' He filled in my blanks.

'Yeah,' I nodded almost silently. I hated anyone seeing me this weak, not even Kat had seen this side of me. The side that desperately wants, no needs her. Maybe I should have done things different?

'Hey, let's not dwell on the negative and let's be proactive about this. We need to go to High Falls.' Chase was trying to help keep me together, but of course only my Mate could do that. My Mate, my love, my Luna...