The Wolf of the Wilds

The Secret Conversation

The Greas pack alphas were the epitome of normality. They stood at average heights, with average complexions and average smiles. It was no wonder that Helena hadn't even thought to observe them before now.

They were stood up on the second floor and were in a deep conversation with a group of other pack leaders. The rogue wasn't too far away, sat perched on one of the marble steps. She had a book on her lap and was pretending to read while she listened in on the conversation nearby.

Nothing they were saying was standing out to her. It was mostly social niceties and inane chatter so far, not anything of note.

A slow breath passed through her lips while she turned the page of her book, her eyes scanning the pages with a dry amusement.

This continued for a little while longer, Helena growing more and more disinterested. She'd gotten to the point where even the tantalising details of her book could do nothing to curb the boredom that was eating at her. Finally though, the sound of footsteps and muffled farewells met her ears. Her relaxed position became tenser, her eyes fixed still as her targets rounded the corner and headed downstairs, walking just a meter or two away.

"Well, that was a waste of time, wasn't it?" The man muttered under his breath to his mate. The woman at his side nodded slightly, her hand reaching for his waist.

"I know, those gibbering fools. Anyone would think that they were our equals. I hope Bao has some good news for us," she replied quietly.

To any casual onlooker, the exchange looked innocent enough, but Helena's interest in them was now piqued. She was certain that they were up to something. Of course, it was entirely possible that they were feeding into some other underground scheme that the alphas were concocting, but they were her best leads so far.

They appeared to be heading towards the back exit. Helena followed at a safe distance, just far enough to not rouse suspicion, but close enough to see where they were going. Every time they looked around, she would stand near conversing wolves, nodding as if she were listening, or hide behind one of the structural pillars that littered the hall.

Once outside, it was easy enough to blend in with the ever-moving crowds of the Semul city centre. Unfortunately, it made it significantly harder to keep track of the moving pair and it took every part of her concentration to keep her eyes locked on them. Eventually the pair seemed to slow outside of a shop, almost as if they were waiting for someone.

Helena stepped into the cover of an alleyway, her face peeking from around the corner, surveying them carefully. As she watched, several strangers approached the pair, until about six or seven wolves stood huddled in a tightly knit group. They didn't seem to speak, instead they were waiting, for what, she didn't know.

Another man soon approached the group, this one was old, deceptively frail and not unfamiliar to the rogue. He was the single remaining alpha of the Bao pack, a major supporter of the Angor back in the day and a crooked man at heart.

Seeing him there definitely confirmed Helena's suspicions. It'd been years since he'd last visited her old pack, but he had barely changed at all. His whiskers were grey, his skin was lined and sun spotted.

The huddle began to move, Helena hot on their trail. They went through several tight alleys and finally slipped inside of what appeared to be a rundown old ruin. The windows were hollowed out and an air of neglect surrounded the building. Lena took a position beside one of the walls, a knee to the ground, her hands resting lightly on the slightly damp stone work.

"Bao, are you certain this is private enough?" A feminine voice asked lowly.

"Yes, yes," the old wolf said with a thickly accented voice. "It's the best I could do at such short notice anyway."

"So, what's the news? Has he done it finally?" That sounded like the Greas male.

There was a huff and the rustling of fabric.

"He said the search came up as a blank. Apparently, the ruins were completely stripped. Reckons scavengers have been through and taken anything of value. Sold it all off for a couple of exim."

There was a chorus of annoyed groans.

"So, this has all been a massive waste of time then!" A voice snapped back.

"No, no. Calm down Dia. All is not lost. Neron is currently in Semul and is going through the underground networks to search for leads. He's almost certain that any survivors would have picked it up if they had had the chance, so that narrows down the search considerably."

"Great so now he's searching for a load of paranoid ex-assassins who may or may not have stolen from the Angor alpha family. Like they're going to be any help."

"This was never going to be an easy task." Bao's voice had taken on a warning edge, a harsh bite. "They are scattered across the globe, the most dangerous, wild wolves there have ever been. For the right price they will do anything. They'll kill any opposition, including those pathetic shrimps that call themselves alphas just because of the bloody Pariter treaty. Giving up now is no better than admitting that they are our equals, that they deserve the land and resources they stole from our family lines all those years ago. Neron will succeed, just give him time."

"Fine. He better bring some good news by the end of the summit though. I'm not made of exim and he's not exactly the cheapest of workers out there."

Helena risked a peek over the wall for a split second, taking in as many details as she could and ducking back down. She recognised several of them and she made a mental note of their names. Boa was an obvious one and apart from the Greas pair, Dia Cala, Andre Sterk and Ivan Led were stood in the mix. She couldn't put a name to the other three, but one of them certainly looked and smelt extremely familiar. She couldn't quite put her finger on where she'd seen him before, but it was at the tip of her tongue.

Her foot made a slight noise on the grit as she lowered herself and the effect was almost instant.

"What was that!" Dia said.

The sound of quickly approaching footfalls spurned Helena into action and she took off at a sprint. She fortunately managed to remember the way back to the city centre, but she could hear someone running after her a while back. When the crowd began to grow, she slowed and deliberately walked inside a darkly lit herbal remedy store, watching through the window as two alphas came charging through the street a few moments later.

She had lost them though and they appeared to give up after a little searching, wandering off with their tails between their legs. Lena lingered for a while and was coerced into buying herself several different exotic types of tea by the shop keeper. With her bag and her mind slightly heavier, she returned to the summit with the sweet taste of victory on her lips.

She knew their names. Their identities. With that information her spy could begin work as soon as they met, no time wasted on pointless speculation.

A/N-

I apologise for the late upload. Things have been very hectic recently, but I think I'll continue uploading once a week from now on (maybe more if I have a particularly productive week).

Have a nice week!

-H