Picture Perfect Love

Chapter 9- A Bit of Drama

Kennedy and Mina were sitting in the living room going over the findings they had up until now while Lucian left to deal with Colby. The girls didn't know what that meant, but assumed it was a little more harsh than a simple slap on the wrist and a stern, 'Go sit in the corner, time out.'

The longer they looked at their notes and their pictures, they realized they hadn't noticed a large decline in the whole animal population, just the wolves in particular. Yes, there was a small increase in other deaths, but nothing really substantial enough to send two girls across the country on a wild goose chase.

When first arriving to the mountains, the two had suspected something simple like global warming causing too drastic of a change in their weather to making the animals die off, but that could easily be ruled out. Lucian had said it's mainly large game dying off such as the wolves, cougars and elk; the smaller ones were dying much slower. Either that or there were just too many in comparison to start with it was hard to really notice.

Their next theory was disease. The dead wolf they'd come across couldn't be determined if it was sick or not without some kind of blood test. Neither Kennedy nor Mina were scientists, so that was out of the question. The second one they found, the one that tried to attack them, was definitely some form of sick. Kennedy could still picture the way it's eyes shone in crazed hunger and it seemed as if killing was all it wanted to do.

This brought the last theory, and most logical into her brain. Maybe it was some kind of illness affecting only the wolves. They had yet to see any other type of animals as aggressive as that wolf. She didn't know how that would explain the animals dying off, but she had a suspicion they were somehow related.

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Meanwhile, Lucian had sat Colby down to discuss the turn of events. Lucian wasn't happy the redhead had started to become a little too hostile for his liking. He had misjudged Kennedy from the beginning and for some reason was holding a grudge against the woman. Yes, at one point the two families had discussed Lucian claiming Cassie, Colby's younger sister to join the two packs. Their uncle was the alpha of a nearby pack closer to the town, the same pack Lucian was supposed to meet with to discuss options before he left early to get to Kennedy and her friend.

"Colby, I'm concerned with your attitude towards my mate. I won't tolerate you disrespecting her or her companion over this childish grudge," Lucian began.

"She's not your damn mate! My sister was set to be Luna, not that human!" Colby spat angrily.

"Stand down! That's exactly what I'm talking about! Kennedy is my true mate and will take her rightful place by my side as Luna of this pack! You know the punishment for disrespecting her or myself, and right now you are doing both by going against my order!" Lucian stated fiercely.

Colby resisted the urge to cower down and obey his alpha's order. His wolf was whining for him to submit, but the human side was too upset to let this slide easily.

"I mean this only as a warning, Alpha; but you cannot claim the brunette as your mate. This was an alliance scheduled months ago. Without this treaty, the two packs will go to war. You cannot ask your pack to stand beside you and lose lives simply because you can't follow through with your promises," Colby advised snidely.

It didn't matter to Lucian whether this sent every pack into war, he would fight the devil himself to have his mate by his side. Cassie was nothing interesting to him. Some would argue she was beautiful, stunning even, but Lucian never saw it; even before he met Kennedy. It was a means to an end to protect his friends and family, nothing more. He saw the vile woman for who she was; a cunning, manipulative ladder-climbing bitch.

"Quite frankly I wouldn't have to ask my pack to do anything. They would understand and be more than willing to support the cause because they want to see me happy and know I'd do the same for any of them. The arrangement will not proceed with Cassie. If your uncle can't come to terms with that then fine, war it will be; but that will be his decision," Lucian insisted.