Tuesday, December 31st Pt. 6
(Julius’s POV)
It’s an hour's drive to get from Red General to the Red Moon pack house. Since Charles has been removed, moving through the Red Fang territory has become easier as the borders are completely open while the council is here. The bad news is, it’s gotten a lot more dangerous. While open borders allows the pack members to come and go, even move out if they please, it also allows rogues to infiltrate the territory. I’ve had to up my own guards on the border to account for the vulnerability it’s created for my own pack.
The council hasn’t been happy with me accompanying Andre to and from the territory. They felt that, as the coronated heir, he should be able to handle this himself. I took the opportunity of his consistent meltdowns to save the fallout from such visits showing the council exactly how severe his abuse has been. I cringe every time I hear him speak about his brother, Cole. How has Cole even survived if his analogy of the situation is true? That Cole’s suffering was ten times what he’s gone through.
I shake my head slowly at the thought. Despite fervent protests from Andre, he and both kids are in the backseat as I drive. Hayden will not be separated from his father, which made it very difficult to get both of them in the Expedition. The pups are currently riding in their father’s lap despite his protests that they need to be in harnessed booster seats.
The social worker assigned to the case has been a true blessing. We found out her name is Mandy Matson and it took fifteen minutes of reassurance for Andre to get in the vehicle with the kids. Getting them out of the territory was far more important to her than the lack of clothing or car seats, both will be obtained by the time they go to Redding Children’s to care for their arms.
I breathe a sigh of relief as I turn onto the highway that connects Red Fang with the Red Moon pack. We made it through the shortcut without incident and I’m able to speed up. I use the rear view mirror to peek in the back. All three of them are sleeping. Andre is turned sideways in the seat. Hayden is wrapped around his thigh and Harper is wrapped around Hayden. Andre has his other leg positioned so Harper can’t fall from the seat. They are all completely exhausted and I pray that getting them inside goes smoothly.
After twenty minutes on the highway I turn off onto a back road. Although it’s silent, I know I have triggered the underground fence. I have installed one around the entire perimeter of my territory. I have twelve master security officers assigned to the monitoring office. They’re on a rotating shift that overlaps so I always have two eyes in a remote location alerting my field officers of where trouble might be. Despite this fact, if they bother checking the roads, the field officers won’t bother a vehicle as rogues are usually homeless vagrants. Only the ones seeking asylum would use the easily traversed road to cross the border.
I smile as I slow to a stop. One of my newest officers is sitting off the edge of the road in his solid black wolf. He shifts easily and places his arms crossed where the window once was.
“Get in Abram.”
I state quickly as I roll the window back up and unlock the doors. I quickly rummage through the center console and pluck out a pair of shorts.
“Put these on.”
I throw the pair into his chest. He gives me a quizzical look but puts them on before hopping in.
“What’s going on?” He asks casually as he gets situated in the seat.
“How much longer is your shift?”
“Half hour. I’m done at midnight. I was heading in when an alert for back road four came up. Everyone said not to bother with the roads but I remembered you saying that wolves seeking asylum will often use the road as a means of transparency. Most wolves know they won’t be attacked if they are blatantly obvious.”
“Link with your team. Tell them I picked you up when you appropriately checked the alert on back road four. If the heat is too much, shut the vent. The pups have gone through hell and are without proper clothes. I won’t let them get cold.”
I explain quietly as I shift the vehicle back to drive and start down the dark road. Out of the corner of my eye I see his cloud as he sends a message to his team. He includes me in the message resulting in me hearing a collective groan from the half of the team that are getting off. Abe is getting a ride while everyone else has to make the forty-five minute jog to get back to headquarters, a large locker room located on the east side of the pack house.
He turns slightly in his seat, looking into the back seat. A soft whistle comes from between his teeth as he appears unable to tear himself away.
“What happened?”
He whispers as the condition of these pups is not something my pack sees everyday. While I am very familiar with how to work with and help heal those who have been abused, I declined the council’s invitation to become a sanctuary pack. Instead I’ve chosen to simply assist the worst cases of physical abuse by flying them to Redding Memorial or Redding Children’s Hospitals where they receive top of the line care at my cost before entering operation underground. The council does reimburse some of the expenses but not all.
“I haven’t had Andre around the pack as much as I normally would. As most of the pack knows, my chosen mate, Adeline, took off when Kiara was only ten. She joined her fated mate several hours away but failed to realize that he wanted nothing to do with her pup until it was too late. This hatred towards Kiara resulted in both of them abusing her mentally and physically. The only blessing is that they left her alone sexually. Kiara ran away at sixteen and after five years of caring for herself in the human world she somehow ended up at Blister Ridge. They allowed her to stay.
She had been receiving therapy and other medical services for four years when Andre got sent there by Charles Redmen. They are mates, his second chance. During therapy he discovered that she was my daughter and took a chance at my rejection by returning early, bringing her home to me two weeks before thanksgiving. He accidentally got on the subject of what was going on at home, his brother’s abuse and his need to return. We started working together to start helping his brother get away from their father. It took longer than we wanted but he did make it out alive, we just don’t know where he is.”
“That doesn’t explain why you kept him from us. If he’s Kiara’s mate then he’s the heir to our pack and we deserve to know who he is.”
The irritation in his voice rises and he’s loud enough that Andre stirs.
“Keep your voice down. Andre can’t be the heir to our pack when he’s the heir of Red Fang.”
I can feel Abe’s breath stiffen as he bristles at the fact that Andre is one of them, a sworn enemy to the Red Moon pack.
“Keep calm, there’s no reason to treat him badly.” I try to reassure him.
“Why would Diana put Kiara with the likes of him?” He states through gritted teeth.
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