Agent Alpha

Chapter 1

Rhys stepped into his office and hung his hat on the rack. It was going to be a long day. "Captain Forester?" Requested a cordial voice at the door. He turned to look at the office assistant the force had just hired; a young woman named Lily. This was her first internship and the girl was barely out of high school. Surprisingly, she was an excellent worker and Rhys had already started the paper work to recommend hiring her after her internship was finished. "The new files are on your desk, sir," she told him. There was look in her eyes suggesting she wanted to say more, but didn't know how.

"Thank you Ms Campbell," he told her politely. "Was there anything else?" Obviously there was.

"Well... it's just... I went to high school with Alison..." she stopped, as if she were going to cry.

Rhys offered her as kind of a smile as he could. Kindness simply wasn't his way and the only reason this girl was even talking to him like this, expecting it, was because she had no idea who and what he really was. To her, he was Rhys Forester, Captain of the Police in Riverton. If she knew the reality of things, she'd be screaming for the hills. "Don't worry, darling. We'll find her and get her home safe."

This was the subject of Rhys's long day, and in fact, his long week. It was the first kidnapping in 30 years, since his pack had slowly started moving into Riverton, protecting the population at the same time. They had been wildly successful in their efforts and now nearly a tenth of the town was a part of pack. Once Rhys had been promoted up the ranks of the police force, crime stopped almost completely. The kidnapping did not sit well with him. He knew it wasn't any of his own, and, no one really knew where to start with it.

Lily gave a sweet nod and then turned, leaving Rhys to his long day. The hours drifted by him as he studied the new evidence. It was almost certainly a werewolf. The girl had been snatched when she had gone on a hike in the woods near the house. No ransom. No leads.

"Pardon emua, mi capitan," A tall brown haired man said at the door, accompanied with a devilish grin. Harvey had always been popular with the ladies and had always been a hopeless romantic to boot. Rhys, however, usually frowned at his antics

Rhys had been deep in thought, reflecting on the pack's growth over the years, and how grateful he was to know that this wasn't done by one of his people. Most of the fervor over the council's ruling to mate with humans had died down by this point, but as Isa and Rhys alike had worried, there had been a sudden peak in kidnappings at the time. Some packs were even rooted out, called cults on the evening news, and large numbers of weres were killed in the process. Naturally, that only hurt the race on the verge of extinction, but it had lessoned some of the external pressures on the pack from the council.

The more it had happened, the more he was grateful for Isa's plan. It kept them out of the public eye. It kept them safe.

"Come in, Harv. I didn't know you were back in town," he commented, extending his hand to greet his younger brother. Harvey and Rhys were very different, and while both demonstrated dominance, Harvey had always, almost naturally, given in to Rhys. Being shorter and less imposing was a factor, of course, but in all honesty, Harvey was more laid back. He could exert dominance when he needed to (and certainly did), but his uncanny ability to shrug off responsibility or worry instantly denied him a position among the alphas.

In their father's day, there had been more than one Alpha in the pack. The good times they experienced now were only rivalled by how the pack flourished in that era. Multiple Alphas, however, eventually spelled doom for the pack. Too many leaders with the ability to quickly dissent meant fractioning. When Rhys considered their structure, it more reminded him of the military. The higher you got, the fewer there were until you arrived at the top.

Rhys offered his brother a curious look. "What's goin' on?" He inquired curiously.

Harvey shrugged and grinned in his carefree way. "Eh, don't worry about it. You're busy-"

"Sit down, you old dog," he chuckled at the man. "I need a break from this mess anyway," he added.

Harvey eyed the file with a muted curiosity before Rhys shut it and slid it in a drawer. "Everyone's talking about it, Rhys," Harvey commented with a nod toward the file. "Was it one of..."

Rhys frowned a bit and nodded for Harvey to pull the door shut. "It wasn't one of ours, but I've got suspicions. Brody said his kids spotted some rogues trying to hunt not far from the den. Can't well put that in here, though can I?" He added, flicking his hand over where he had placed the file. He shook his head. "We'll find her and take care of it," he reassured his brother. "But that's not why you're here, I imagine."

Harvey stifled a grin. "I think I found the one," he said quietly. A chill pushed over Rhys's skin as he heard the words. "In Paris. She's a rogue, but... ooo lala..." Harvey looked up at Rhys's eyes for a brief moment. Eye contact was one of those things that let others know where you stood in the pack. That Harvey could manage the length of time he could was precisely why he was a Beta. "I wasn't going to mate with a human girl, Rhys. I know the council is real eager to see progress, but the thought of that... well, it just wasn't gonna happen," he said with the blunt firmness of a man who was very much in control of himself. "And I know the council's pissed at us for it too but I don't give a damn." Harvey offered his carefree shrug, breaking the eye contact and allowing a grin to smooth the tension. "But I guess it doesn't matter. She's stunning, Rhys."

Rhys cocked an eyebrow. "So when do we get to meet her?"

"Ah.... Well... yeah, about that," Harvey started, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, she hasn't fully... I mean... Ah hell, Rhys, she beat the shit out of me," he admitted, sinking slightly in his chair. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I let her win, but... well now she thinks I'm some Gamma or something and isn't interested."

Rhys let out a chuckle but was privately amazed. He'd never met a dominant female, aside from Isa and Starla, a recently born pup, and neither of them were truly in a position to be genuinely combatant with potential suitors due age. It was a new revelation. He wasn't sure how he felt about it, largely because he was confident that no woman in her right mind would ever try to actually fight Rhys.

Rhys thought for a moment about what he would do. "... and you came back here?" He asked, clearly criticizing his younger brother. "Well no wonder she thinks you're weak, you fool. If she's a true stock, then I figure every male on the planet has been chasing her tail for the last what, fifty years? What makes you so special?" It was harsh, sure, but something Rhys himself had considered in regards to an Alpha female. It wasn't just about finding her, it was also about whether or not he could win her away from any of the other hundreds of equally desperate Alphas.

Harvey's eyes flared in anger for a moment before he thought about it. "... dear god you're right... what have I done..." His eyes were wide now as they snapped back to Rhys's. Harvey was on his feet, the chair toppling over behind him, in an instant. "I've gotta go back! Shit!"

Harvey was out the door almost as quickly. Rhys rose, adjusted his belt and lingered in the doorway as he watched the man darting around the precinct toward the nearest exit. Rhys could only chuckle at the scene. Of course, the notion of soul mates was no more true for his kind than it was for humans, but there were all sorts of cultural aspects that made it seem like it was possible sometimes. Males had tremendous honor in courting females. Given their longevity, this courtship could take years, sometimes decades, before they finally paired up. It certainly wasn't instant, love at first sight, as the stories made it out to be.

All the same, humans had lost the formal courtship that the Were's retained and they never had it to the level of the wolves to begin with. Males would fight, but it was not to determine who got the female, as the omegas always misinterpreted. Rather, they were fighting for the females; displaying their power so as to impress her. It was a big distinction. The more dominant the female, the harder she made the males work. But females also fought one another for the same reasons. Additionally, they sometimes fought their suitors, testing their strength themselves.

Rhys had only ever heard of this since the females began to decline shortly after his birth and the situation never improved. Whatever Harvey had gotten himself into would certainly be considered traditional by their standards and Rhys looked forward to the retelling of the event for years to come. For as soft as Harvey appeared, he always managed to get what he wanted and this little French poodle, as Rhys mentally assigned her, was in for a battle with his brother.

"Cap'n Forester?" A voice stirred him from his amusing distraction. Rhys turned to see one of his lieutenants approaching him with a white face.

Rhys frowned, the standard imposing expression setting in naturally. "What's wrong, Officer?"

"Theres... Theres a... Sir I think you'd better come take a look for yourself." The man barely mumbled out.

Frown still present, Rhys followed the man to the only conference room in the precinct. He heard the commotion before he saw the cause.

"- but Ma'am, I already-" Argued one of the officers, an omega in the pack.

"Are you going to keep talking at me or are you going to go get me a white board like I asked?" Came a smooth and terrifyingly confident reply.

The omega's eyes widened and he turned his dismayed expression to Rhys. "Uh.. Sir?"

Rhys looked into the conference room. The woman was lithe and toned, wearing a black pencil skirt and four inch heels. His eyes traced upward until he met her fascinatingly beautiful face. Somewhere inside, something animal-like added that she smelled delightful.

"And who are you?" She interrupted in a commanding tone.

Both of Rhys's eyebrows rose in surprise. He was torn between being intimidated and ripping off both of her arms for the offense. In that moment, he realized he had never actually ever been intimidated by a single person. Concerns sometimes intimidated him, but never individuals. "I am Captain Forester," he replied sharply. He already didn't like where this was heading. "And you are?"

"Shepherd," she said, putting down her papers and stepping forward to extend her hand. "Agent Shepherd. You got a notice I was on my way, I assume."

Rhys accepted her hand. Firm grip, brief interaction of touch, no wedding ring. He returned it in kind, but something told him this woman was quite accustomed to being in charge. He used the moment to try and figure out what she was saying. "I'm afraid I didn't get the word. There a reason you're commandeering my conference room, miss?"

"Agent." She corrected in mild irritation. "Agent Shepherd, FBI missing persons," she clarified as she stepped back to the table where she had spread out a lot of files. She tossed her badge at him as her attention moved back to her files. "I am taking over the Alison Reed case and I need the space. You are welcome to call it in to verify my status and affiliation, of course, but in the meantime, I am going to need all of the evidence you've acquired on the case brought in here for review. Case files, too," she added, almost dismissively.

Rhys's mouth would have gone agape were he a lesser man. Instead, he just scowled at her. "Begg'n your pardon, but, like hell you are, Agent," he replied in a commanding way of his own. The other officers gathered around were torn between horrified confusion and passive interest in the exchange. "Lieutenant, go verify Ms. Shephard's badge number, and get ahold of the governor for me too. Ms. Shephard, I'm gonna have to ask you to stop whatever it is you're doing until we can get this cleared up, if that's –"

"Your lack of organization is far from my problem, Captain Forester," she returned smoothly, obviously not taking orders or requests from the man. "I don't have the time to wait for you to sort things out. If busying yourself with useless matters interests you, by all means, go right ahead. Given your rather defensive response, I am going to assume you have interest in this case. If this is true, it is best for Allison and the other girls that you cooperate. Now. The files, Captain, or do I need to have you arrested for obstruction of justice?" Her bright green eyes settled on his with absolutely no intention of moving first.

Rhys decided then that he hated her and wanted to rip her throat out with his teeth. He was no novice at this game. She would move her eyes first if it meant tearing them out himself.

"The local officials will of course be kept in the loop. Your cooperation with this investigation will be invaluable, but I am afraid it has been removed from your jurisdiction. It would be in your best interests to cooperate, Captain," she re-iterated.

"Sir?"

"WHAT?" Rhys barked in reply.

"Badge number checks out, sir. The governor requests our department's full cooperation with miss, I mean, Agent Shepherd's investigation."

Rhys rolled his eyes before he realized what he had done. He broke off contact first. Dominance was hers.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she called over his shoulder. "Now, Captain, I am afraid I cannot entertain any further delays. Those files, if you would be so kind," she instructed in an all business tone as she sat down and returned to her files.

Rhys stepped forward into the conference room, veritably slamming the door shut behind him. "What other girls." He demanded, his face starting to grow red from the fury he was experiencing.

Agent Shepherd rolled her eyes and then looked at him seriously, again, straight in the eyes. "Three girls. Three different towns all along the river. All three were kidnapped under similar conditions with no ransom efforts made," she explained tersely. She paused for a moment, seemingly to assess him. "Are we done comparing dicks now, Captain? Because there is a lot of ground that needs to be covered and it's likely that your search parties are looking in the wrong place." No one in his entire life had ever dared speak to him with such disregard. She was like an alpha male neatly packaged in the body of a tiny little woman.

His blood boiled and he genuinely considered shifting just to put her in her place. Finally he broke the eye contact again to throw the door open. "GET ME THE REED FILES!" He bellowed at his terrified staff.

He returned to the agent and sat down with a grimacing frown mixed with embarrassment as a gamma brought the requested files. If he had to guess, they had drawn straws and the most dominant male available ended up volunteering to interface with him. Only the wolves among them actually understood what would happen if Rhys lost control. It hadn't been more than a few decades since his last kill, but the way he had ripped the throat from the arrogant rogue who threatened a campsite near Riverton was enough to pale even his betas. Rhys was fierce in how he defended his pack and their territory. The success of Isa's plan to keep them out of trouble only made it worse.

Shepherd was not at all impressed, but, she wasn't stupid either. She knew she needed the help of the locals if their search parties were to stand a chance. "I can't have helicopters here until next week. This place is fairly isolated. All searches will have to happen on foot unless you know of someone willing to provide air support. The agency will of course refund their time and fuel."

"What are the conditions of the other kidnappings," Rhys replied, completely ignoring her suggestion. "I haven't heard about this," he included before thinking about it.

Shepherd cocked her eyebrow at him. "Obviously. I am really quite appalled at the lack of communication these communities have with one another. Might be why they are targeting this area, though," she offered.

That caught his attention and for the second time since he had met her, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. "They?"

Shepherd looked mildly irritated. "This is confidential. I needn't explain how disclosing this information could negatively impact the outcome of this investigation, I would hope. The Agency is of the opinion that Ms. Reed's kidnapping, along with the other three young women, is a part of a larger scale action. About thirty years ago, we became aware of a cult of massive size and infrastructure. Until then, we assumed it a series of individual cults but once the kidnappings began, well we were made aware that each one was in fact a unit of a larger organization. The kidnappings all follow the same MO: The girl is isolated in the woods and disappears. No ransom, no tangible leads, few witnesses. All of the girls are between the ages of 16 and 21. They share similar appearances, personalities, and dispositions. Often times, all we find are the shredded remains of whatever clothing she was wearing the day of the crime."

Rhys had paled. For all their efforts to stay out of this, it had come to them none the less. Worse, Shepherd was extremely intelligent. He gathered that after the first few minutes of interaction. She was going to put all of the pieces together and expose his pack. That the woman was a threat was making it harder to resist killing her outright. The only thing holding him back was her position in the human hierarchy.

"The Bureau rooted out a few of the larger cells some 25 years ago. It has uncovered smaller cells periodically since and it is always due to one of their members getting sloppy in a kidnapping. This is why the agency has become involved with this case. Chances are high that there is a cult operating out of the forest of this area which means there are likely four times as many girls being held there against their will as what has been reported."

Rhys didn't know what to do. "Well a cult is a little beyond my means of handling," he told her in an unsure voice. Let her think I'm intimidated by the information, he told himself.

Shepherd gave him an analyzing look for a moment. "We'll need all missing persons reports for the last thirty years," she told him flatly.

"You're look'n at them," he answered with a nod toward the Reed file.

Shepherd cocked a skeptical eyebrow. "She's the first? In thirty years. Really." Shepherd did not believe him in the slightest, in spite of the fact that it was quite true. "Must be a real quiet place to live."

Rhys shrugged it off, still looking concerned. "We got our share of crime. Riverton is a small town, Agent. Not a lot of traffic." An idea hit him just then. He might be able to put her on the same track he was. It was safer that way and would eliminate the threat to the pack. "You don't... you don't suppose this cult of yours is trying to move in, do you? Some sorta transient types?"

Shepherd lifted her eyebrows in consideration and internally, Rhys was celebrating. "This area certainly matches the demographics they prefer. Isolated, heavily wooded, lots of... I should warn you, Captain, that this cult has some rather disturbing customs."

"Yeah, well, kidnapping young women is pretty disturbing enough, ma'am," he commented through a snort.

"They eat raw meat and prefer it fresh. At first we believed that the young women were some sort of virgin sacrifice. Later we learned their fate was more... carnal... in nature and less motivated by some sort of religious fervor. So you'll understanding the point of my question when I ask what sort of game your local hunters are bringing in?"

Rhys met her eyes straight on this time. "Elk, mostly. Lotta dear too," he answered.