The Ephemeral Pain

Beginning of an End!

Amelia felt like she had become a doctor in an afternoon itself. She had spent the entire afternoon going up to the patients and talking to all of them personally and updating their families. Finally after making sure that everything was under control, Amelia was making her way back to the pack house when he heard rustling in the thicket behind her. Amelia froze and listened intently to identify where the sound came from. She turned her heard in different directions and tried to hear for a similar sound, Nymeria on high alert as well. There was no training in this area and there were no practice drills today either. So, at the moment there should be no one there. Also the security around this spot was less as, the infirmary was closer to the river.

Just as Amelia had frozen, she heard the rustling again. Immediately Amelia went into a defensive stance taking out her trusted knife and turned to face the sound, the figure was getting closer. Amelia could tell where the intruder was thanks to her training, so she waited patiently for the target to be within her range of attack. When she felt that it was close enough, she attacked.

-"Alpha!! It's me! Please don't attack! It's me, Jace!!" Spoke an urgent panicked voice in her head.

-"Jace? What the hell are you doing out here?" Amelia asked confused, lowering her knife. As she saw a familiar wolf walk out of the bush and lower his snout so it was almost touching the ground and baring his neck in slight submission to the alpha.

-"Well, I was in the office, working on some new training routine when I got intel that there was some movement here and it was not authorised by anyone as I and Josh were constantly in touch. We were in the middle of making changes we discussed in the last meeting, alpha! So, I shifted and was inspecting the area myself to make sure." Jace explained in a calm voice.

-"And you came alone!? What is wrong with you? You can't be reckless like this! You are a very vital part of this pack! What if it was not a hoax? What if it was an ambush?" Amelia felt angry and Nymeria huffed agreeing.

Amelia felt both Jace and his wolf Ian shrinking at the scolding.

-"I''m sorry alpha! I really am! I acted impulsively when I knew better! I should've handled it better, I should've kept my human under control!" Amelia heard a response which she knew was Ian and so she let Nymeria deal with it.

-"It's ok! I'm not upset. I'm worried. And a little on edge since the attacks." Nymeria said truthfully, her voice softening and her demeanour changing, showing how tired she was.

-"I'm sorry to have worried you, alpha! I promise it won't happen again!"

-"We'll see about that! Now its head back to the house, I need a report on what happened." Amelia smirked knowing her fellow pack members well enough.

-"Yes alpha!"

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Amelia and Jace had called the others to join them as well. After making their way back to the packhouse, and after updating Amelia on all that had happened in the woods, All the wolves sat down speculating different scenarios as to why and who was targeting their pack. It was plain as day that it couldn't have been a coincidence that Amelia felt someone follow her, the attack on the pack and now Jace getting a tip of movement around in the places that had less security. It was all a very well planned scheme.

Just as the were in the middle of exhausting different ideas, Amelia heard the very distinct laughter of her mate. No sooner did she hear that, than did she notice that there were two different footsteps, which meant that Jake had someone with him. And it was Jackson because, Jackson had a very light footing. This was more like a woman as her heels clicked on the stairs. And Amelia's hypothesis was proved correct when Jake walked in with Penelope in tow.

-"Oh hey guys!? The whole gang is here, huh? All well, Ames?" Jake stopped in his tracks when he saw everyone sitting in the living room.

-"Yea, just talking about the injured soldiers and Syd was just updating us about it." Amelia lied easily as she didn't want her mate to worry and she wasn't comfortable with the way Penelope was listening intently to everything. But she was sure that the heavy scent in the room was giving them way so she bought the soldiers in the conversation.

-"Oh yea! How is everyone? How are they recovering?" Jake asked turning to Sydney who was sitting in the armchair to his left.

-"They are doing very well. Recovering well, thank you alpha!" Sydney said not raising her head to meet the alpha's gaze out of respect.

-"So, guess who stumbled in my office today?!...You guys remember Penelope, right?" Jake said smiling, trying to diffuse the heavy atmosphere.

After a few 'hello Penelope's' and grumbled responses from Amelia, Jake realised that the matter was an internal pack matter and that he had overstayed his welcome or something.

-"Well, we will be in my office upstairs, you guys can continue. And if possible please do stay for dinner, I'm cooking not Amelia so don't worry." Jake tried to joke. And walked away, giving Amelia a peck on the cheek and a quick 'hey babe'.

-"I don't like her!" Sydney said in a whispering tone, as soon as the pair were out of earshot but as the wolves have a better hearing.

-"Me too!" Jace murmured.

-"Yea! She has a weird energy around her, like something sinister!" Josh added.

-"I'm sure it's nothing, you guys are just worried and feeding off of our alpha's thoughts." Dylan tried to reason.

-"Oh so you have no issue with her? You don't feel like all your happiness has been drawn out go your body? Like you will never be happy ever again!" Josh asked turning to Dylan.

-"I think you are confusing her with a dementor, Josh" Sam deadpanned. And this was the cause of an uprising banter which was so childish and stupid but it still brought a very rare smile on Amelia's face.

Amelia was going to join in the banter when a certain smell hit her like a storm. She knew this smell very well. Almost everyday when she used to train, she smelled it. It was one of the most familiar smells for a soldier and fighter. The familiar iron and coppery smell. It took Amelia a second to notice that the room had fallen silent and everyone was in fact on the same track she was. She turned to look at her pack mates and there was just one word that was swirling in the minds of everyone on the room.

Blood.

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