Page 3 of Fated To The Wolf

“Okay, shoot.”

“Where’s Barlow?”

“Barlow was released. He didn’t see what you saw, and he was deemed not a threat to Pack security.” Jake answered, and it was half true. It was not the time to tell Aidan about the vampire mind wipe. “Now, let me explain.”

Isaiah caught up with Travis after the meeting with the Alpha. Isaiah was scheduled to work the night shift with Travis on the Bayside. His usual partner, Hayes, had a couple of weeks off to complete his bonding and get his mate settled into pack life. Which, considering the events of the last couple of days, was not going to be so easy.

He and Travis headed down to the beach, which was five hundred feet of border that was primarily protected by around-the-clock foot patrols. The cameras and sensors currently in operation were not adequate on their own to prevent trespassers, either those innocently wandering onto pack lands or those with evil intent. It was a weakness that needed tobe addressed and dealt with before something gravely serious happened.

"Every major breach has started here," Isaiah commented as they stood on the stone ridge and looked down at the sandy beach below them.

"I agree, we need something better, something more likely to deter, but the Alpha tried magics as a solution a few years ago, and still, we experienced trespassers.” Travis intoned dryly.

Isaiah explained the mage magic used by the Coven that was fine-tuned and specific to their needs. "It was designed and installed by Sasha's grandfather and is now under the control of the Master, who adjusts the breadth and intensity as he sees fit.”

“I think some of their security measures are worth replicating and will be of definite value on the cliffs and with securing the wild borders, but I really can’t see the Alpha using magics. He has a prejudice where magic protections are concerned. He believes it detracts from his own control.” Travis continued as the devil’s advocate.

"That might be true with street magics and casters who beg and barter for their power, but we're talking about the power of a mage.” They continued walking along the ridge and then followed the path to the beach. “We have Sasha, Javiar’s mate, who has inherited his grandfather’s abilities. He could easily set up protection similar and maybe even sharper than what his grandfather gave to the Coven.” Isaiah was confident in the value of at least adding the mage magic to the mix.

“There is still potential for it to go wrong, and we’ve both seen the outcome of bad magics.” Travis had some valid concerns bad magic could run amuck in some of the worst ways.

"Mage magic is different. It's not flagrant or out of control. A mage is born with their power. It's part of their DNA. It’s magic that is solid and controlled, and the Alpha would have the ability to tweak it any way he desired. Sasha would give it to him once he set it up, and the power would belong to Alpha Henrik.” Isaiah truly believed in it, and he hoped that the meeting tomorrow would go well, but, in the end, it was the Alpha's choice, and they would honor his decision. They let that conversation lay and continued to walk the border at the bay.

The discussion turned to Hayes and his new mate, Jake Kolly, a topic that had swept the entire pack. “I heard about the uproar at the main house yesterday. Were you there?” Isaiah asked with humor, coloring his words and his expression.

“No, but Hayes called me later and filled me in." He, too, laughed.

“It must have been wild. I could still feel the tension in the air today during my meeting at the main house.” Isaiah had felt more than just tension, but he didn’t mention it. The feeling had been heavy and seemed to pull at him, but he assumed it was related to the dust-up from the previous day. “I hear the brother has turned into an even larger concern since the vampire was unable to clear his memories.”

"He's a mate, apparently. They had everyone at the main house check him out, but they haven’t found his mate yet.”

“Did you check him out?”

“First thing this morning.” Travis turned to him with a smile. “Unfortunately, I was not a match. How about you? He is a hell of a handsome man, I'll tell you that.” Travis licked his lips.

“Not yet.” He laughed ruefully. “I heard he was handsome and quite the handful.”

"I wouldn't mind a handful," Travis commented.

“Neither would I.” Isaiah agreed. “Let’s get some coffee.”

“Sounds good.” They left the beach and headed for the dining hall.

Aidan listened as Jake wove a story of fantasy and magic as if it were reality and truth. Wolves and men and the world of the supernatural fell from his lips, and Aidan sat quietly and listened, desperate to understand what these people had done to his brother.

"They couldn't allow you to just leave because of what you saw," Jake said emphatically. "They are not bad people, Aidan."

“What did I see? What are you talking about?”

“The guard forgot himself and shifted in front of you. If Derek hadn’t jumped and covered you with his own body, the guard would have injured you badly." Jake’s frustration was building.

“Shifted?”

"You know what you saw," Jake stated sharply and held him with that accusatory stare he used whenever he felt that Aidan was being obtuse. Aidan remembered what he thought he saw but had written it off as some sort of excited aberration. “A man cannot turn into a wolf. That's impossible.”

Jake knocked on the door, and Hayes instantly opened the door and stepped inside. He was obviously waiting just outside in case Jake needed him, and Aidan took immediate offense. “You don’t have to hover.” He barked. “I’ve protected Jake his entire life, and you've only known him a day, so back up and stay in your lane.” Hayes remained silent, but his glare was brutal. Jake walked over to him and patted his shoulder.

“Aidan is doubting what he saw yesterday.” He said, and something passed between them, a look and a nod, and then all hell broke loose again. Right before his eyes, Hayes turned from a tall, muscular man dressed in jeans and a light shirt to a black wolf the size of a small horse. The clothing was shredded and lay about the room, and the wolf stood tall and deadly with his dark eyes trained on Aidan. Aidan moved to try and stand between the wolf and Jake, but Jake stepped to the side.

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