Where was Rhys? He'd sent for him at least ten minutes ago. He paced the floor of his room, impatient for the Archivist to get here. The dream had seemed so real, it must mean something. It must. He was startled by the light knock at the door and rushed to open it.
Rhys walked in noting the disheveled appearance of the esteemed head of the Council. These dreams would kill him if they didn't stop. "I'm here Alistair. What did you want to discuss?" Rhys sat down hoping his friend would do the same. He looked like he was going to pass out any second.
"Caves, Rhys. The women are being held in caves." Alistair looked like a wild man, his white hair in disarray, his bright blue eyes dim and red rimmed. "I saw it in the dream. And you were right, I approached her and she told me I had to find her in the caves and save her. We have to go now and find them." Alistair was pulling out his clothes to dress himself. He looked like he was expecting to rush out the door to find his mate.
"Alistair," Rhys leaned over and grasped his friend's arm, stopping him from putting on his pants. "do you know where these caves are?"
Alistair looked up. "What? No, but we have to find them."
"Then I would suggest we get some help and find out where they are first. This is Carr's territory, he'll know if there are any caves in the area. While we're waiting for him to arrive why don't you take a shower. I'm sure it will make you feel much better." Rhys smiled when his friend agreed.
An hour later Carr was sitting in the room with Rhys and a little calmer Alistair. The shower had helped clear his mind.
"Caves, there's a whole system of caves several miles from town. That must be it. I'll send Brett over there with some back up to check it out. If there's anyone hiding in the caves, they'll find out." Carr was already thinking about who should go. "I'll take care of it. We'll see what we can find out. Alistair, I hope you're feeling better soon." Carr was already on the phone calling Cole and Brett as he walked out the door.
The Betas walked into the Alpha's office and sat down in front of Carr. It'd been a strange week at the compound, so many of their own gone while the Council and visiting Alphas were here.
"What's up Carr?" Cole didn't like leaving Karen alone right now. Her wolf could decide to assert herself at any time, and they had to be careful she wasn't seen. She was hiding out in their room right now.
"The Head of the Council is having dreams. The Archivist thinks it's his mate, who is also one of the women being held by Gary."
Cole and Brett exchanged surprised looks. They thought they were out of wrenches to throw into this.
"In the dream she asked him to find her in the caves and save her. The only caves I know of in our territory are on the other side of the town. Brett, I want you to take some men with you and see what you can find. Even if you don't see anything I want them watched."
Cole stood up, a determined look on his face. "I'm going with him!"
"No you aren't Cole, please sit down." Carr let out a sigh. He knew he'd have to explain why he wasn't being allowed to go. "Number one, I don't want you to have any immediate thoughts of revenge against Gary clouding your judgement. Number two, Karen could make her first shift at any time. Do you want her to do that without you here?" His eyes bored into his brother's.
Cole dropped his eyes. "No, I don't, you're right Carr."
"Now, one more thing Brett, don't take any un-mated males with you. Oh, and don't take James. He feels the same about Paul as Cole does about Gary."
Brett nodded. He understood how important this was. Let's see, who did he have to choose from? He started making calls as he walked out of the office.
"How's Karen feeling? Is she handling things OK?" Carr wondered if her first shift would be any different than a normal human. And since Cole didn't carry this Dire Wolf gene they wouldn't have any issues with their cubs, he hoped.
"The most noticeable thing is she's asking for her meat to be cooked rare now. A few days ago she would have turned up her nose and asked for it to be sent back if there was any red in the center. Other than that, she's growling more." Cole had a grin on his face and a faraway look. He shook his head and looked at his brother. "That's all."
"Well stay close to her and let me know if she starts to shift, OK?" He clapped his brother on the back as they walked out. Now he just had to hope Metzger and the other Alphas didn't find out.
Carr stopped for a moment and closed his eyes. Lee was playing with some of the cubs in the mountains. He smiled and sent his thoughts to her. "I miss you love, can't wait until you can come home."
Her elation came through with her answer. "I miss you too! I can't wait to see you again."
He took in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and continued on to dinner.
Rhys and Katy sat in his room eating dinner and discussing the earlier meetings. He loved this time alone with her. He'd listen to her talking and study her every move. In some ways she was like Katya, but in so many she was different. He wondered if the Were belief in reincarnation had any merit. He could argue for or against it. The insistent knocking on the door caused him to growl loudly at the interruption.
Katy laughed. "Wouldn't a better response be, who is it? Or at least a polite, go away?"
"I don't like having to share you little one, but I will see who's at the door and then send them away." He flashed a loving smile at her and opened the door.
The white haired head of the Council stood at the door, impatiently waiting for Rhys to answer. When the door opened he quickly stepped inside. "I'm sorry to bother you Rhys, but these dreams won't stop. And if I have to wait I'm going to go crazy."
It was hard for Rhys to see his old friend like this. He was used to Alistair always being in control of his emotions. "Maybe your wolf needs a good long run. It might do you both good."
"Would you come with me Rhys? I'm not sure what my wolf might do on his own. I don't know if I could control him. He wants to find her. He doesn't want to wait for Carr's report."
"May I go with you and just watch? I've never actually seen a wolf in person before." Katy had a childlike excitement at the idea of running in the woods with a wolf, a werewolf.
"Of course little one, that is if Alistair is alright with it." They both turned to Alistair who nodded his assent.
Katy clapped her hands and jumped up and down like a child. "I can't wait. Let me get a coat."
The threesome walked to the edge of the woods. Everyone who saw them tried not to stare at the two tall Weres and the small human who was obviously excited about something. The white haired male seemed distracted. The taller of the two looked amused at the red haired woman who held his hand as they walked.
When they stopped, Katy took a seat on a tree stump to watch the transformation. But she hadn't even thought about what happened to their clothing and was startled when they began to undress. She turned away from the two nearly nude men and looked towards the compound.
"Little one, you'll have to get used to this. Soon enough you'll be disrobing to shift as well. Look at me." Rhys had a commanding but gentle tone to his voice. She had to let go of her human ways if she was going to be able to live as a Werewolf. She might as well start now.
Her face was bright red but she made herself look at him. She smiled. He was amazingly muscular and handsome for someone over five hundred years old. She concentrated on looking at Rhys and tried to avert her eyes from Alistair.
Once their clothing was folded and set on a nearby rock, they quickly shifted into a large white wolf and an even bigger black wolf. Katy gasped in awe. It happened so fast. She could have missed it if she'd closed her eyes for more than a second. The black wolf was quickly in front of her, his nose pushing under her hand. She giggled and stroked his soft fur. "Rhys, you're beautiful. I'm going to watch you run from up there." She pointed up to the branches of a nearby tree. He cocked his head in bewilderment, and she laughed again before she jumped up and quickly climbed the tree. She settled herself on a high branch. "I'm ready now. I'll be here when you get back." She waved down at the two wolves who were stunned at what they'd just seen.
They looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking. No human could climb a tree that fast. Maybe it was the panther genes? They'd worry about that later. Now they needed to run. It'd been too long since their wolves had a chance to stretch their legs. The two took off at a fast pace.
Katy strained to see Rhys but his black coat was impossible to see in the dark. So she kept her eyes on Alistair's white fur, knowing Rhys wouldn't leave his side. He was worried about his friend and wouldn't let him off by himself.
The grass felt so good under his feet. He loved how his nails dug into the earth with every stride. He was always so busy with Council business, he didn't take enough time for himself. This was what he needed. And soon enough, his mate would be running with him instead of Rhys. They'd save her and the other women from Gary. If they didn't, he didn't know how he'd survive.
They ran across the woods, jumping over or running through anything in their way. They ran a good five miles and made their way back to their starting point. Rhys looked up and saw Katy's legs swinging in the tree. When she saw them at the base of the tree she climbed down. He waited for her to reach the ground and pushed his nose into her.
