Permission to escape - The Rogue Pack

Chapter 13 - Plans

"The DIR are still out there!" Kira shrieked, panic clear in her voice.

Sam nodded. They were back in her office having resumed the meeting that had been so suddenly interrupted before. Obviously the other pack members had immediately wanted to talk about where Sam had been, so she'd had no choice but to tell them about her DIR discovery. Sam had been aware that broaching this topic would be sensitive for many pack members, including Kira, yet she knew she had to. This was something they were going to have to face together, and everyone needed to be up to speed.

The papers recovered from the compound were spread out on the desk and the wolves were pouring over them, desperate to get any insight into the DIR's plans.

"I'm afraid so," Sam responded, trying to keep her voice low and comforting. Many of the members of the pack used to be involved with the DIR in some way, hence why they were rogues who yearned for pack life. Kira, in particular, had been severely affected. Sam had found her during one of her raids and taken her home just as she had with many of the other rescued wolves. But Kira hadn't been able to fit in back at home, never feeling safe unless she was around Sam. She assumed it was because she'd been the one to rescue her, but being an Alpha meant that she had a trusting, comforting aura surrounding her that drew people in. Kira had tried her hardest to re-incorporate in her pack, spending the last three years attempting to regain trust in the family from whom she had been ripped. But when word got out that Sam had started a pack, Kira had immediately wanted to join. So the two packs had come to an agreement whereby she was allowed to spend time with both packs, even though she would officially be classed as a member of the Rogue Pack. She was one of the newest recruits having joined just six months prior and was still getting used to the lack of hierarchy. 

"Does that mean we're in danger Alpha," Kira whispered. Sam walked towards her, pulling her into a hug in the hope of comforting her.

"No, this pack keeps each other safe, so you have no reason to worry." Grasping her shoulders, Sam held her at arms length, staring straight into her eyes.

"And you don't need to call me Alpha, I only even have the title because of the stupid official rules." 

It was true. When Sam, Aiden, Liam and Obi had gone to the council of werewolves to officially instate the pack, they had been forced to choose an Alpha, a Beta, an Omega and a Sage. Sam had seemed to the most logical choice as Alpha, due to her heritage. Aiden had voiced a preference for Beta, Liam for Omega, and Obi, as the storyteller of the group had naturally become the Sage. So officially, that was the hierarchy, yet no one actually followed it. However, most members of the pack did see Sam as a powerful lead figure. She just couldn't help her Alpha aura.

Turning towards the congregated wolves, Aiden spoke up.

"No one needs to be afraid. The DIR was mostly destroyed two years ago, so the groups we're seeing are new foundations, with little organisation and few resources. But despite the small threat they pose, we can't allow them to grow." A calming authority tinged his voice, and Sam couldn't help but wonder at how far he'd come since she'd first met him; a lowly omega with a heart of gold, who couldn't say boo to a fly.

"We don't have a fully formed plan as of yet but we're hoping that with the intel we've gathered we might be able to find the remaining compounds and take them out."

As he was speaking, Sam rifled through the papers. She found the one she was looking for and turned it towards the wolves as she was speaking,

"Based on what we've been able to work out, there are currently only three active compounds. Two are relatively new and don't seem to be fully operational..."

"I assume that by that you mean they haven't got any prisoners yet?" Obi interrupted. At his words, Kira's eyes widened, her face draining of colour. Seeing her reaction, he immediately recognised his mistake. Narrowing her eyes at him, Sam resumed.

"As for the last compound, there seems to be little information on it. We can't find a location or any initiation date. We only know it exists because shipments to the facility we've discovered were expected to originate from three locations, suggesting the existence of this third compound. Our plan is to gather intel on the two compounds and attack them simultaneously. If we attack individually, the other compound might have a chance to prepare. Ideally, we would be attacking all three, but with our limited intel that won't be an option. To help us prepare, we will be having to increase training. Sessions will be held every day. Also, I want to assure everyone that only wolves willing to be involved will be taking part in any of the missions, although everyone is welcome to take part in the training." 

"Obviously we recognise that the mating season might conflict with our activities, but we believe that we can take down the two smaller compounds before our guests start arriving, giving us plenty of time to plan our final attack."

Obi interrupted "I'm sure the mating season won't interfere but what about heat? Surely that will impact the team's fighting abilities".

Aiden raised an eyebrow at this. Something had finally clicked. The heat is what happened to all wolves just before the mating season, and served as an incentive for everyone to be around other wolves during the period. It was a sort of pull and attraction that meant you wanted to be close to those of your own kind and served as an initiator for relationships. It was worse for females though, as males only felt the pull to socialise, whilst females also suffered sexual attraction and urges... Exactly how Sam had been acting... Turning to Liam, Aiden noticed that he too had made the connection. He chuckled to himself. This could get interesting.