Innocent As Charged (Completed)

Chapter 39

Isaac forces me to stand on a distant hill for the duration of the fight, two witches guarding me. Matthew is also with us; Isaac pointed out that we don't know how much damage Apate has caused while wearing his face and it's best that we don't involve him in the fight in case the Pack turns on him. He is not happy about this, but he understands Isaac's logic and grudgingly agrees to stay away from the fight unless, as Matthew puts it, it's all going wrong and you're all about to be torn to bloody shreds. In which case, he says, he's going to jump straight in without any regard for his personal safety.

Jack is also annoyed about my confinement to this damn hill.

Isaac doesn't understand I'll be fine; I'm not going to let me or the baby get hurt.

I know. He's too overprotective.

Isaac's POV
She doesn't understand how much I love her, and that love means I'm not letting her get within two hundred meters of the pack. I don't know how it might have changed in the last few months and I want her safe. If she wasn't pregnant, I would allow her to participate in the battle because she's perfectly capable of defending herself, but I have a duty to protect the child growing inside her. I need to look out for both of them - we need to look out for her. I can't let her be hurt.

I know Gillian walks beside me, a large trail of witches somewhere behind us although they have all cloaked so they are invisible to the naked eye. I hesitate to step over the pack border; what if they've forgotten me?

They wouldn't have forgotten you idiot. It's only been a month, not years. They're not stupid

Thanks.

Warily, I stray a toe over the line before fully  committing and stepping over it and continuing on our way.

Five minutes pass yet we still don't encounter a border patrol. Where are they? Xander would never allow a border patrol to ignore an intrusion, even if it is their Alpha. What happened?

The lack of noise is unnerving and I am unable to relax; it shouldn't be this quiet. There are no pack members around, the sound of silence deafening.

"A-Alpha." My head instantly snaps towards the sudden noise in the other wise silence.

A small he-wolf approaches us; he can't be more than twelve or thirteen, but can barely walk, staggering towards us, his legs skinny to the extent that his bones are easily visible and his eyes are like empty voids, haunted. "Alpha, y-you returned for us." He can barely finish his sentence, collapsing to the floor from exhaustion and malnutrition. I scoop him up in my arms and give him to a witch who has decloaked and gently takes her from me. Leaving her to heal the young boy, I turn back to the packlands. What happened to the pack? None of the wolves would ever allow anyone to starve. So why is this boy dying of starvation?

The large training field stretches out before us and on the horizon the Packhouse is visible, illuminated by the silver light of the full moon. Silhouettes of a pair of wolves can be seen standing guard over the door and there are more on patrol further in the distance. Other than border guards, I've never used much security as I've never needed to. My pack was never important enough to be invaded nor small enough to be easily taken over. It appears that Apate is expecting an attack.

Or she's paranoid.

That too.

The witches decloak as one, the rustle of robes deafening in the silence.

"She is ready for us. You need to win your wolves to our side Alpha or we will fail," Gillian states, her voice grim and I can't help sighing; why can't this be simple?