Chapter 285

Gavin’s POV

As the morning light made its way through the closed curtains, shining a hazy hue throughout the guest room, my eyes groggily adjusted. I barely slept a wink last night; my wolf had been restless for most of the night, but on top of that, sleeping in someone else's territory was never easy for me.

I sat up in bed, glancing at the window before I slid out of bed and padded my way to the curtains. I had a nice view of the park from my window. It was a large pack and it stretched on for miles. He houses were fairly modern and separated into different neighborhoods, grouped in sections. A majority of the homes had some damage from the recent rogue rampage when they broke in, though the rogues didn’t reach the further region of the pack, thankfully for them.

I could see the tree line that led into the forest, a large section was completely obliterated, along with a small section of the pack, from the explosion the other day. It sucked that this was happening to them; despite this being Levi’s territory, this pack wasn’t bad. I hated to admit it, but I kind of liked Alpha Levi.

I wasn’t a fan of his Beta, Aiden, though. It was also evident that he and Taylor didn’t get along. They seemed to have known each other from before, which I’m not sure how they know one another when I haven’t met him before yesterday. I wanted to ask Taylor about it, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it, so I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

The rest of my chosen Gammas had arrived late last night and were settled in the Gamma house, getting ready for a day of hunting and patrolling. They were pretty much occupying the forests and the border during our time here. They were using all the resources we could muster to find the ones responsible for the attacks on the Redcliff pack.

Our suspicion was that it’s an inside job, and we needed to find a proper motive. Taylor was going to spend some time going through the security footage, while I spent the day with Sampson, helping him get a handle on things. Taylor’s flight back to our pack was late tonight. I needed him back home to keep an eye on things and my business. I was also having him bring back a sampling of that masking spray that Spencer had given me last night. He had me put it on to shield my scent; I thought it was strange that I couldn’t smell any of the gammas in the pack, and even some of the packmates. But when Spencer explained that they mask their secrets for protection, my curiosity was piqued. This masking spray was something that wasn’t developed outside of this pack. It wasn’t something that I had heard of until yesterday, and I was curious about it.

If it was legit, it was something I wanted for my own pack as well. So, Taylor is bringing someone home with him so our researchers can study it and duplicate it if deemed safe.

I knew one thing for sure: today was going to be a long day.

I sighed and went into the attached bathroom, bringing my clothes for the day with me. I settled on a button-up shirt and a pair of jeans. I put my clothes on the bathroom counter and stared at myself in the mirror; I looked like a mess.

I looked away, unable to deal with the dark bags under my eyes and the worn-out look in my eyes. Truth be told, that look hadn’t left my eyes in weeks. Not since I was with Judy… not since I had her in my arms.

I ignored the pathetic whimpering of my wolf as I turned on the shower, stripped off my pajama pants and boxers, and stepped into the hot water. I let the water soak my body for a while before I lathered it with soap. After I washed and rinsed my hair, I stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around my waist.

I brushed my teeth, did my hair, and then I put my clothes on before leaving the bathroom.

As I left the room and headed downstairs to the main section of the packhouse, my wolf’s tension returned. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, and what about this pack was driving him almost crazy.

Sampson was in his office when I arrived, and as soon as he saw me, he quickly stood to his feet.

“Alpha Landry,” he greeted. “Good morning. I hope you slept well. Did you happen to get yourself some breakfast in the dining hall?”

I shook my head, not feeling very hungry right now. Not with the tension my wolf was suddenly carrying.

“I’ll grab some food later,” I told him. “Do you have any leads?” I wanted to talk business; the reason I was there in the first place. I wanted to cut out the small talk.

“No,” Sampson said, lowering himself back into his seat. “But we have a pack meeting later this afternoon. Everybody will be there. I’m also planning on having a ceremony for the Delta who passed away tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there as well,” I said, sitting down in one of the chairs. “Does my Beta have permission to go through your security footage?”

“Yes, of course. Whatever he needs,” Sampson said. “I really appreciate your help.”

I nodded, staring around his office. It was simple, with modern decorations. There was a picture of a gorgeous blonde on his desk, and I only assumed that was his mate, Lucy. I hadn’t met her yet, but I’ve heard that there was a Luna who was running around here somewhere, busy with packmate problems.

“So, how long have these rogue problems been happening?” I asked, trying to distract my mind.

“Only this past week,” he replied. “We’ve never had any issues before. It came out of nowhere. As far as I know, we are the only pack in the area with these issues. It almost seems like they are looking for something, or someone.”

“Do you have any suspicions of what that could be?” I asked. “What changed this past week that could cause them to target your pack?”

Sampson shook his head, running his fingers through his hair; I could see the tiredness and frustration on his face. It was clear that he hadn’t been sleeping either.

“Nothing comes to mind,” he muttered. “At least not this week. I mean, last week we got a new Gamma warrior, but she’s been great…”

My ears perked immediately, and my wolf was on edge, listening intently. A new Gamma warrior, a female one?

“A new gamma?” I asked.

He looked at me and was about to say something, but then the door opened, and Aiden walked in.

“Sampson, you’re needed in the conference center before the meeting,” he said, interrupting the conversation. He paused when he saw me seated. “Sorry for the interruption, Alphas,” he added to us both.

“It’s not a problem,” Sampson said before I could utter a single word. “I’ll head there now.” He then glanced at me. “I’ll see you at the meeting.”

I nodded; I wanted to ask more questions, but I chose not to. I just watched him go, a furrow to my brows.

For the rest of the morning, I helped Taylor get into the security system, and then I got my Gammas set up around the pack. I wasn’t able to get around the whole pack, but I was able to meet a few of the packmates who looked a bit star-struck to see me. I realized they weren’t used to being around a powerful Lycan chairmen; it’s not like Levi ever came around these parts. The thought irritated me; I mean, they were Levi’s wolves… he should be here at least once a month to make sure they have everything needed and to make sure their Alpha is taking care of them. But Levi completely neglected the packs that were out of his way, which is the only reason I’m allowed here.

“You must be Alpha Landry,” a female voice said as I approached the packhouse to check on Taylor’s progress.

I stopped to see a small blonde with brightly dazzling clothing standing nearby. She had a curious gaze in her eyes, and her lips were tipped into a small smile. I recognized her from the picture in Sampson’s office.

“Luna Lucy, I presume?” I asked.

She nodded.

“It’s good to finally meet you. Sorry it’s taken me so long; I’ve been busy. I’m sure you can understand,” she told me. “Things have been difficult here; I needed to make sure everyone who faced loss knew that they weren’t alone.”

I nodded, understanding.

“They are lucky to have you, Luna,” I told her, and I genuinely meant that.

“Please, call me Lucy,” she said. “My mate spoke proudly about you. I think he’s starstruck.”

I wasn’t sure what to say about that, but before I could say anything, my wolf nearly surged forward. I pulled him back before it was made noticeable; what the fuck was that about??

If Lucy noticed, she didn’t say anything; her attention was drawn elsewhere.

“Oh, there you are!” She said happily. “I was just introducing myself to Alpha Landry. Come over here!”