His Savior

A Lead

               We make it there in record time. A warrior is at the backdoor of the packhouse, holding out shorts for myself and Lennox. We grab the shorts, placing them on as we walk. We are led up the stairs and to an office that has been torn apart. My warriors made good work looking for any and everything that could be hidden here.

               "Cory?" I look up and into the eyes of a man I haven't seen in a long time. He could have been a second dad to me if he had been given the opportunity to do so. He was always sent away on diplomatic missions, and I always suspected that was because it was found out that he was trying to help me with food, chores, and anything else he may think I needed.

               "Beta Cyrus." He grabs me and engulfs me in a bear hug. I haven't laid eyes on him for so long, and he was truly missed.

               "When I heard you were gone, I hoped that wasn't true. I hoped that you had gotten away from your horrible family and found a better life for yourself." Cyrus pulls back and takes a deep breath. Cyrus' eyes get big, and a smile slowly spreads across his face. "You have a wolf! I knew that you couldn't be wolfless. Your dad was too strong an Alpha for that to be the case." Cyrus pats me on the back, and I blush a bit. I had forgotten how truly in my corner Cyrus has always been.

               He looks the same as he did the last time I truly saw him. He has a toffee skin tone and stands at 6'3. He has always worn his hair shaved to a taper, and that look still works for him. There is a touch of gray at his temples, but he could pass as a very young man. I would love nothing more than to sit and catch up with Cyrus, and I will, just not right now. Right now, I need to find my mate or I'm not going to make it much longer.

               "Sorry to interrupt, but you had our people call us down." Thank Goddess for Lennox because if I had tried to say the same, it wouldn't have turned out as well as it did. I have no knack for being calm or diplomatic at the moment.

               "Yes, yes, I'm sorry. It.....it's just been so long. We can catch up later." Cyrus walks over to the desk and moves some papers around. "I've been going over things here, trying to find some clue as to where Laslo would have gone. I noticed a substantial amount of money that went missing and a smaller amount that keeps leaving the account. I followed everything back and found that there was a land purchase a bit ago." Cyrus puts a map on the desk in front of us. All that can be detected are trees and something that looks like caves. "This is the land that was purchased. It is in the neutral area and bought through a shell corporation."

               "Are those caves on that map?" I'm going to need to get Lennox something great for his birthday.

               "Yes. There are about five caves there. We would need to figure out what cave to focus on. And I will say this now; we can't use drones. The caves are fitted with elements that make heat signatures impossible. It was one of the things that caught Laslo's interest in the first place."

               "We need to go and check out the caves," I reply and turn toward the door.

               "Uh, Alpha, it would be best to wait for nightfall. We want to remain hidden and keep the advantage." Of course, that would be the best thing to do. I swear I suck at this Alpha stuff. I sigh and slump into the nearest chair. I feel a hand on my shoulder, but I don't look up. I want my mate back by any means at this point.

               Lennox, Cyrus, and a few warriors start to check the map and discuss the different ways they can explore the area. The key would be not to be noticed by Laslo or his people until it's too late for them to run or attack properly.

               "Gentlemen, it's good to see you." We all turn toward the door to see a man standing there. He looks familiar to me with his salt-and-pepper dreads. They are in a man bun, and his face is cleanly shaven. I stand up and walk over to the man, extending my hand. "Cory, I mean Alpha Cory. You look very different from when we first met. It's Elder Langston." I nod and shake his hand. I'd imagine I look really different since the awakening of my wolf and all.

               "Elder Langston, how are you?"

               "I'm ready for us to figure all of this mess out so we can move forward. I've already been to the cells and let out our operatives. They are resting so they can report what they have observed, but I hear we have more pressing matters." I quickly fill him in on everything that has been going on both here and back at Ash Band. "So it seems we have a lot we need to take care of. Do we have any leads on Laslo?" Lennox filled him in on the lead that we plan to explore at nightfall.

               "If you are here to tie our hands behind our backs, I will warn you now that I'm not having it. I plan to get my mate back tonight, and I don't care what Elder law it may go against. You will just have to punish me in any way you see fit." Elder Langston chuckles.

               "I'm not here to stop anyone from doing anything. I'm just here to make sure that everything goes according to plan and that you guys have the backing of the elders. We will support you in the outcome, and you officially take over this pack." To say I'm surprised is an understatement. We have the full backing of the Elders, and no matter what I need to do, I plan to have my mate back tonight.