Tough to Crack

Chapter 23

*Axle's POV*

I woke up after the worst night of sleep I have had in years. I knew it was because I didn't have my mate in my arms. I did have some weird flashes of images last night. I have no idea where they came from and they were just of random things, but now that I think about it, all of the images reminded me of Lisa.

I even got a few odd images of her in an orchard. I shook off the feeling of loss and looked over at my alarm clock. Ah come on, why did I have to wake up at four in the morning! I groaned and fell back on my bad.

I sigh and got up to take a long shower. After I got out I changed, then went out side. I went outside and behind a tree and changed then ran around the border of my pack. On the northern bordered I picked up the scent of rouges.

' What are they doing on our territory!' Derrick snarled.

I followed the rouges scent further into the territory. I soon came up on three rouges at the river, at the edge of the east border. The largest, was a bark brown. One out of the other two is gray and the other is light brown. I walked around them, so that their backs are to me and growled lowly then moved around again. The rouges looked at each other and then turned to where I had growled.

I snuck up behind them and jumped on one of them. I snapped it's neck and turn to the other two. They had jumped back from the sound of their colleague being attacked. Then they both crouched and jumped on me at the same time. I got up and bucked them off my back. I killed the light brown one by jumping on top of it and clawing out it's throat. I walked over to the gray rouge that was growling at me but cowering as well.

I growled at the rouge tell it that if he ran I would kill him. I ran behind the nearest tree and shifted. I came out quickly after pulling on a pair of shorts then went over and stood over the rouge.

"Shift! Now!" I demanded, almost snarling.

The rouge growled and shifted into a younger man with sort black hair. He appeared to be around the age twenty or twenty-two at the most.

"Where did you come from? And why are you on my land?" I growled, Derrick was going nuts trying release himself to kill this rouge.

The rouge hesitated then swallowed hard. "We came from the north. From the Rivers pack. We were sent here to deliver a message to you," he said, scared for his life.

"What did they wish to tell me?" I asked harshly.

"They said,' We have eyes on you, and know Lisa is your mate. We want you to hand her over to us or we will declare war between our two packs.' Please do not kill me I'm just here to give you that message. They hired my brothers to do the job but they dragged me along," he said, pleading.

I grumbled and sighed. "Come with me you can join my pack. On two conditions. You have to help in the search for Lisa, and you don't tell any other pack about what we are doing," I said still in raged that someone came after Lisa, even though she is not here.

I walk past him and head back to the pack house with the young man walking behind me.