Pack House Prejudice

Third person's POV
They rode on down the compact dirt road through the dense forest on either side. The wolves who had journeyed with them became an honour guard; Ci, Apollo, Breech and Gavin, along with two wolves from the border Norris and Timmy.

After a couple of miles, the trees began to thin, and wooden dwellings could be seen set in small gardens scattered amongst the trees. It was eerily quiet, and the party was aware of people coming out, silently staring, watching them pass.

Emma felt more and more like a freak show the further they travelled. The glowing mass of threads she could see/feel inside her mind was tainted with darkness, becoming darker and darker the further she ventured into the pack territory.

She sank back further into Peter’s arms, feeling lonely and very afraid. If anyone had looked closely it was clear that she was more scared than Brian, even in his precarious position.

The trees thinned further, and a vast clearing emerged, containing the town of Whitewater.

Emma was impressed at the town layout, far more spread out than human towns, the shops all the lower floor of residences, and every residence a detached one in its own plot.

Around a large town square and market stall area are the public buildings, a large library with a clock tower, like the town hall in Back to the Future, also a town hall, some swimming baths, a gallery and museum, and a medical centre. Signposts point off towards two schools and a university. Incongruously back into the treeline was a modern warehouse building, which housed some tech start-up and laboratories.

Just behind the town hall and the square, set back and touching the woods, is the pack-house. To Emma it looks like a vast grey stone stately home from England, with a huge double door entrance and wings to the left and right. Emma could even see where the building had been expanded over the years, with slightly different styles of construction, and even different levels. The building looks like a maze to her, and she has always loved this type of construction.

‘Hey Em,’ Peter whispered into her hair. ‘We are home.’

A welcome party is stood on the driveway in front of the door; Felicia is there, but also twenty or so men and women dressed in uniforms.

‘Are they servants?’ Emma whispered back to Peter.

‘The staff, yes.’ He responded.

‘Hmm… not sure how I feel about that, but the house is massive.’

The group comes to a halt by the gathered staff. A woman with short grey hair dressed in a black dress with buttons down the front, tights, and sensible shoes steps forward, and bows to Peter.

‘Welcome home, Alpha,’ she greets them.

‘Welcome home,’ the rest of the staff chorus.

Peter leaps down from the horse easily and reaches up to lift Emma down.

‘Mrs Ereves, everyone, my mate Emma,’ he introduces her to the assembled crowd.

They welcome her, but as soon as Peter turns his back to attend to the prisoner Emma feels as if she is getting glares from some of those gathered.

‘Follow Mrs Ereves,’ Peter tells her over his shoulder. ‘She is head of house and will show you where our rooms are.’

Emma turns with a shy smile to the woman, only to be met with a steely gaze.

‘Follow me ma’am,’ she instructs Emma, a deliberate slight which Emma doesn’t even realise, although a few of the staff look quite shocked at the disrespect shown by not referring to her as Luna.

‘Just call me Emma,’ Emma responds in a friendly tone, all the while thinking I want to go home.

‘That wouldn’t be seemly ma’am,’ the housekeeper replies. ‘Follow me please.’ And she disappears into the house.

They enter a massive hallway with staircases sweeping up either side and on the left the whole wall can be removed to open the area up further into a large dinner area. The whole thing is designed for parties and entertaining, with shiny parquet flooring, and wood panelled walls. To the right of the hallway is a carpeted lounge in greens and blues. A door behind the stairs leads back towards the kitchen.

There is no ceiling in the hallway, with a view of the rafters and underside of the roof, and balconies at each of the five stories, although the sweeping staircase only runs as far as the first floor. Quartz lighting balls adorn twisting tendrils which flow down from the roof, and a large stain glass window running from the first to the fifth floors helps allow in daylight. The hallway feels light and airy despite the panelling.

Emma barely has time to look round, as Mrs Ereves is already disappearing up the left-hand staircase, clearly unworried about her charge.

Emma scurried after her, her side aching from her injuries of a few days ago, her legs feeling weak with the exertion, as she reached the first landing, she saw the legs of her guide already disappearing up a second flight of stairs.

Much to Emma’s relief once they were on the third floor Mrs Ereves made a sharp left turn down a long straight corridor and came to a halt in front of a wooden door at the far end. The lady then took a large key ring, located the correct key and unlocked the door.

‘Your rooms, ma’am’ she announced. ‘Your bags should be brought up by one of the footmen shortly. Dinner is at 7:30pm in the main hall.’

Before Emma had a chance to respond or ask anything, she was alone in the room.

Five minutes later there was a knock at the door, and a footman walked in with her bags. He placed them just inside the doorway and left as silently as he had arrived.

Emma began to feel something wasn’t quite right. The room she was in was very nice, like a high-end hotel room, with a good large bathroom, and even a walk-in closet, but it didn’t feel like a home, like somewhere Peter lived.

The closet was bare of clothes, surely if these were Peter’s rooms there would be some of his effects in them. Also, the footman had only dropped off her bags, not Peter’s.

Emma sat on the bed alone, confused and slightly scared. These were not her people, and they didn’t seem to want her there. She didn’t know where Peter was, or even Jess, Barlas, Onan, Griffin, Decebal or even Felicia were. She wasn’t sure what time it was or if dinner in the main hall meant the room they had passed downstairs.

So, she showered and changed, then sat on the bed to wait, hoping a friendly face would come and find her soon.
…
Meanwhile Barlas, Onan, Griffin and Decebal had transformed and dressed on the front porch, then with Peter the five of them had removed Hare from the back of his horse and dragged him off to the left where there were some stairs leading downwards, directly to the basement under the main building.

The initial entrance led to a storeroom and had a stairwell at the back leading up into the main house near the kitchens. The door led from this to another storeroom, they turned right into a third; there were a few steps down; then a large solid door leading to a guard room and beyond that were corridors. Barlas led the group through the maze of corridors, and down more steps; eventually they arrived at the secure pack lock-up, a sub-sub-basement of the main house. A less secure lock-up could be found next to the town hall at the police station and court building.

Hare was put in a cell, and cuffed to the wall by one leg iron, allowing him access to the limited facilities provided and a low shelf bed. The walls and bars of the cell are all infused with silver, which won’t physically affect the imprisoned man, but will disrupt his psychic link with his master.

‘So familiar,’ Peter said. ‘You will wait here until you stand trial for the attack on my Luna, however we do have a few questions we would like you to answer…’ He looks at his Beta, who drags out a driving licence he has confiscated from the prisoner.

‘Brian… Brian Tarn,’ Barlas provides.

‘…Mr Tarn,’ Peter continues. ‘Why did you target my mate? And who is your master? For starters.’

Brian laughs and then spits at Peter. ‘Like I would answer your questions. Better go back to your mutt slut while you still have her dog.’

Onan back hands Brian, splitting his lip, a small trickle of blood runs from the room. Brian wipes at it with the back of his hand, then deliberately licks his blood as if it is some rare delicacy.

‘Poor little pup,’ he taunts them. ‘All big bad wolves against a poor chained up human… but you will get yours… oh yes you will get yours… it’s coming.’ Then he curled up in the furthest corner rocking back and forth and muttering repeatedly… ‘it’s coming.’

The wolves retreat from the familiar, leaving him locked in the cell.

‘The distance from his master shouldn’t be affecting this badly yet, even with the silver disrupting the bond,’ says Onan.

‘I don’t know,’ Barlas responds. ‘I don’t think we have ever had a familiar here before.’

Peter looks back down the corridor, where he can still hear the man muttering. ‘I don’t know, but I don’t think we will get anything useful from him today. I need a shower, and some alone time with Emma, and you all deserve a rest too. Meet up for dinner later, but spend some time with your families, and we will worry about Brian Tarn tomorrow.’

The men then headed out of the cellblock and cut through the corridors to a stairway going up to the east wing of the house. Peter separated from his colleagues, found the nearest stairway going up, and bounded up the steps two at a time all the way to the fourth floor.

Midway down a wide corridor is the entrance to his apartment. Eagerly he entered the living room, and was surprised not to see Emma waiting for him.

His heart is heavy, Braon sniffs the air, telling him, even as he runs from room to room that she isn’t there. Anger fills him, his mate needs him, he reaches out through their shared bond, and he can feel her distress.

*Where are you my love?* He asks.

*I don’t know,* she sniffs in reply. *A bedroom somewhere on the third floor.*

Peter has had enough. A roar reverberates through the building… **‘WHERE THE FUCK IS MY MATE?’**