Chapter 34|The Calm After The Storm.

THE WEREWOLF COMMUNITY RANKS.

From the highest to the lowest.

1. Alpha
2. Beta
3. Delta
4. Elder
5. Sentinel
6. Hunters
7. Scouts
8. Salutary
9. Guardians
10. Omegas and Pups, and
11. Rogues.

The first four are concerned with decision making in the Pack and ensuring that peace and stability is maintained within the Pack and with its ally Packs. They make rules, decide on rankings, banishment of werewolves, and are taken as role models with high respect.

The fifth, sixth and seventh are concerned with the well-being, safety and security of the Pack. They are in charge of patrolling the territory, watching over movements of the surroundings, tracking, hunting and also scouting neighboring territories for threats.

The eighth and ninth are concerned with the health of every Pack member and are known as the caretakers of the Pack.

The tenth were of the lowest ranking belonging to a specific Pack ranging from demoted Pack members to young Pack members. They were the weakest in a Pack.

The eleventh, rogues were wolves that have either been kicked out of their Packs or had left on their own freewill. They do not belong to any Pack and are not protected by any laws.

In the De Luca Pack, the Council of Leaders comprised of the Alpha, Beta, Delta and the Elders. All others followed the command of the Council of Leaders.



.....

The attack lasted for two whole hours before the attackers retreated. The De Luca Pack soldiers fended them off having lost one soldier and four injured Pack members including one Omega.

John, one of the warriors reported to the council of leaders who further on contacted the Alpha and his Beta who were away from the pack. Damon Creed, the Delta was on his way back already.

"What of the Sentinels? How did they not learn about the intruders before they attacked?" Sylvester Skorr, a prominent Elder asked, a vein on the fore of his head throbbing.

"Jim Ricci and Arianna Matteo were among the Sentinels on duty and they found no sign of the attackers before it happened. They said something about the attack being an inside job." John explained.

"Bring them in." Dominique Alberto muttered from his seat.

A short while later Jim and Arianna walked in sporting scowls that portrayed their annoyance.

"Why weren't you on your job?" Sylvester asked, dropping his fist hard on the table.

"We were on our jobs. They attacked from the rear gates, dropping from choppers like pebbles and there was no sign of them prior to the attack. We found nothing." Arianna explained, her feminine voice hard from years of practice alongside the skilled men.

"It was a planned attack, whoever they are, wherever they were from, it's obvious they had someone from within lead them in because only a few Pack members are cognizant of the existence of the rear gate. Infact, only the Sentinels and our soldiers know of its position, not even the Hunters or Guardians or Salutaries are aware of it talkless of mere Omegas." Jim asserted.

"What does that mean?" Dominique asked, clenching and reclenching his jaw furiously.

"It means we have an enemy in our midst." Sylvester cut through the tense silence.

"Goddammit!" Antonio Capri swore. His silver orbs turning lethal as he rose from his chair on the large table. "The fuck did an enemy come into our midst and caused the death of one of us?" He gritted through ground teeth. "The De Luca Pack is commended for its warriors, the authority and power we yield as a whole. This cannot be possible."

"But it can be for we have a stranger amongst us. We had a sitting about her suspicious presence here a mere week ago and now this suddenly happens." Sylvester turned his gaze to John who was standing up straight with his chest puffed. "I do not believe in coincidences easily. Find the human slut." He growled.

John immediately bid to the command summoning five soldiers with him. Together the troop went in search for Isabelle who was still huddled in the cottage with her face to her knees. They thundered towards her chamber and gave no room for her escape before pushing the door open, they were met with resistance and John wasted no time in giving the hardened door one firm push to render it off its hinges.

They searched everywhere and were met with a negative result.

By the time they realized their search was still yielding the one fruitless result, John's face had turned an alarming shade of red, "Let's split up, we need to find her before she escapes, the fuck if we'll let an enemy flee from our very eyes!"

As they split, John interrogated Old Bea who zipped her lips shut and assured them the attack had nothing to do with Isabelle. It was ordained that after an attack every pack member was expected to be present in the Pack manor to be checked and calmed after the aftershocks of the event. So they searched for her in every room as well as the one that held the terrified members of lower ranks knowing her hair could be the easiest clue to finding her.

No one had hair as red as hers in the Pack.

"She is needed at the solar." He murmured in her ear.

"She is innocent. Find your enemy elsewhere!" Old Bea struck her cane to the ground, her words ringing with finality.

John let his eyes roam over the heads in the room once more before walking out with a derisive snort. "Innocent my foot." He muttered under his breath.

After reporting to the Elders how fruitless their search was, they decided to include the Hunters in the search. They shifted to wolves as it was going to be much easier for them to smell and track her down than it will in their human form.

"Find her before the Alpha gets here." Sylvester dragged John by the shoulder and muttered the words in his ear. He released the younger man with his heart pounding with the need to unleash his fury on someone.

Each soldier partnered with a Hunter for the search to be quicker and easier. Arianna partnered with Logan Ives, the son of Viktor Ives of the Elders and one of their best soldiers who had the uncanny ability to track down anything given the most limited hint, they made enquiries as to where Isabelle was last seen and began their search from there. Their search led them to the garden where they halted.

Arianna inhaled restlessly with her nose in the air. She could smell the distinct scent of the human but it was so vague she wouldn't have felt it if she was not in her wolf form. Logan walked beside her honing his skills and found his instincts leading him to the former gardener's home. It was the only place that wasn't searched from the part of the portion they were scouting.

He broke the door open and Arianna barreled into the room with a snarl. Isabelle rose to her feet looking distraught, her hair was askew from the occasional pulls it got and how she was constantly threading her fingers into the whole of it. She has felt the moment the crisis halted but she also found the silence that followed after too eerie and unbearable.

It was like a 'the calm before the storm' situation but in her case the calm came after the storm and the silence was surprisingly deafening. Isabelle thought apprehensively in correspondence with the door bursting open rendering her heart into two from the fear of the unknown.