Every member of the pack felt their Alpha's anger and grief. They didn't know what had happened but they all received the command to respond to the compound and meet at the dining hall. Those that worked jobs outside the compound immediately started calling in, explaining why they couldn't attend but giving the time they would arrive.
The dining hall was crowded with almost every pack member, adults and cubs alike. Jeff and his staff were attending to the injured and the families of the fallen in the hospital. There were small groups talking about what they knew, what they'd heard, and what they thought the Alpha was going to say to them. They noticed the missing families, but no one made any guesses about what had happened. They knew it must be bad.
It had been at least a century since a Baxter Alpha had sent a mental command for a meeting of this magnitude. The older pack members knew it meant this was something that would impact all of their lives. Every member entering the hall was greeted by those already in attendance. There were even a few that had been miles away at college that managed to make it back in time.
There were two empty chairs at the head table. The last to arrive would be the Alpha Pair. Cole sat in his usual spot on Carr's right, his eyes never leaving Karen seated in the front row next to Lila. Lila and Nathan couldn't be sitting any closer, their hands never leaving each other. Even if their mating bites weren't on display for all to see there would be no doubt they were newly mated. Gina sat on Karen's other side with Ben holding tightly to her hand. Those straining to see were disappointed not to see any bite marks displayed. But they were Omegas. They had a tendency to be shy and slower to mate than the Betas.
Brett sat on Carr's left, his jaw clenched. Luckily it was his night off from the Police Department. He was grateful he could be here. His pack and his family were his life. He smiled at his wife sitting in the second row. Depending on what decisions Carr had made he might have to move back to the compound. He would not leave his wife vulnerable in their house which was closer to town on the outskirts of pack lands.
He scanned the crowd and spotted the other Betas. None of them looked comfortable with what was going on. Troy was helping Trey into the room. It'd be a while before he'd be one hundred percent, but he was healing fast. Steve looked pretty good. James looked like he wanted out of the room as soon as possible. Brett frowned and wondered what the hell his problem was. It looked like the only thing holding him there was Craig who had a hand on his shoulder and a voice in his ear.
The room was as loud as Cole had ever heard. He couldn't remember this many pack members being here at one time. Not in close to two hundred years. He wished it could have been for a happy occasion. The buzz in the room got louder when they felt Carr's presence. His emotions were raw and affecting every member of the pack. He walked into the room with Lee next to him and glanced around the room, nodding to the elders and his Betas as he met their gazes. He pulled back Lee's chair and waited for her to be seated before he was ready to speak. The room fell silent immediately.
Carr looked around at his pack. HIS PACK. Gary would never take it. Carr would be sure of that, and sure of the safety of his people. "I know you've all heard bits and pieces of what's happened. The pack is in danger from two rogues that escaped from us earlier today. We don't know where they went, but they are not inside the compound. We found their trail to the labyrinths, and they used them to escape to the outside. How they knew about them, I don't know. But there will be multiple layers of heightened security inside and outside the compound from here on out."
Shocked faces watched him from the hall. He could hear little bits of conversations all at once. "How did they find the labyrinths? If they come near my family I'll kill them myself." The last comment he heard made him cringe inwardly. "Why didn't the Alpha kill them when they first took them? They're rogues. Rogues should be killed."
Carr waited for the noise to quiet down and all attention on him again. "We lost two good men, Isaac and Raymond. David and Charles were badly injured, and Jason and David fought valiantly to save their lives." Carr noticed the horrified looks. He could hear the muttering. "For the safety and future of the pack I'm sending mothers and cubs to the old winter quarters in the mountains. The injured will be going with them. Troy, you will be in command." He looked at Troy who nodded his head grimly.
"Of course all pregnant females will be going," and as he finished the sentence he looked at Lee, "as well as all mated females who have recently finished their heats."
She didn't know it was coming. She had expected to stay with him and fight at his side. She tried to control her emotions as she looked at her mate and nodded. She understood why. It was too soon to know if she was pregnant. She understood, but she didn't have to like it.
"Some of you may think this is overkill. There are only two rogues. What can they do alone? The problem is there are other packs who have had defections, and the thought is they are also followers of Gary. We don't have a clear picture of how many, so I would rather err on the side of caution. And now that we don't have the safety of the labyrinths, the most prudent action in my mind is to send our most vulnerable to a safe place while we deal with this."
The sound of crying females filled the air. There was going to be a battle. Lives would be lost, and mothers and mates would not be here to comfort the dying or tend to the dead. They would hear later, after it was finished. The younger cubs didn't understand, but the older ones wanted to stay and fight for their pack.
He could see hands in the air. He had more to say before he started answering questions. He was about to open his mouth to speak when he heard a loud voice.
"Is the human who is the cause for this going to stay? She's not going with our females and cubs is she? She'll just put them in danger. That rogue wants her, I say just give her to him. Maybe he'll leave us alone." Thomas was shaking as he spoke, but he had to get it off his chest. He may just be an Omega, but his son Raymond had died, and he wasn't going to put the rest of his family in danger because of some human. She hadn't mated with Cole yet. He was young, he'd get over her.
Cole was ready to leap over the table and rip out Thomas' throat. Carr glared at him, and he forced himself to remain seated. Karen looked at him lovingly and just her gaze was enough to calm him. He felt himself relax and smiled at his mate. She would stay with him he knew. Even if he tried to make her leave with the other females, he knew she'd refuse. She wouldn't want to put them in any danger.
"Thomas, I'm sorry for your loss, we all are. But Karen is Cole's mate, human or not. Her safety is as important as any other member of the pack. Whatever decision is made is mine, not yours. The safety of the whole pack is my responsibility, and I will carry out that responsibility without your further input.". He watched the Omega sit slowly down, his neighbors moving a little bit away from him, not wanting the Alpha to think they agreed with his outburst.
Others throughout the room were nodding their heads. Carr was a strong Alpha. They'd trusted him with their lives for the last fifty years. That wasn't going to change now. He had the loyalty of everyone in the room, even Thomas.
