I wasn't sure what pissed me off more, the fact that Izzy had claimed to be my mate and then ran off into another man's arms, or the fact that part of me was starting to believe her. I could no longer deny the feelings I had towards her. Everything about her appealed to me. The scent of cherry orchid and lily blossom that surrounded her was intoxicating, and I loved the way her petite body fit perfectly against mine. My wolf wanted to go to her and demand an explanation, but I had put off dealing with Brandon for long enough. We needed to find the young girls.

Brandon had been sitting in a cell for close to twenty-four hours already. I had planned on speaking with him yesterday, but that didn't exactly happen. I reached for the digital clock sitting on my bedside table. It was only 1:03 in the morning which meant Griffin must have come directly to my room after arriving back home. I was sure he was off sleeping peacefully in his bed by, now while I was unfortunately wide awake. I had always envied his ability to knock out instantly, a fraction of a second after his head hit the pillow. Begrudgingly, I climbed out of bed cursing my beta's name under my breath.

I stood beside my bed internally debating whether I should go to the gym or go for a run. In the end, a run sounded more appealing. I threw on a pair of worn out joggers and my old sneakers, not bothering with a shirt or socks since I wasn't going to be wearing them for very long. As I stepped out the front door the feel of the cold air against my bare chest erased any remnants of sleep. Slowly jogging up to the massive gates that lead out into the thick forest, I took my time to appreciate the peacefulness that came with the early morning hours.

"Going for a run, Alpha?" Trevor the guard at the gate asked. He had just recently returned to guard duty after his only daughter left to join her mate's pack.

"Yeah, I thought I could use a bit of fresh air," I replied as he opened the gates. Once I was a few feet into the tree line, I quickly stripped out of my clothing and shifted. It felt so liberating to let my wolf free after yesterday's ordeal. My body was still sore, but nothing a good stretch wouldn't fix. I took off racing through the forest dodging trees and reveling in the feeling of the dry leaves crumbling beneath my paws.

Wanting to check our borders first, I headed South towards the area where the young she-wolves went missing. I couldn't help but wonder where they were and if they were still alive. Something in my gut said that they were, otherwise our trackers would have come across their remains by now. Even so, there was no telling what they might be going through.

It had taken a good thirty minutes before I reached the Southern border. I closed my eyes, allowing the sounds and smells of the night to engulf my senses. I could hear the rustling of leaves in the trees above me and the chirping of the crickets that seemed to be coming from all around. The thing that caught my attention was the smell of what I could only describe as burnt rubber coming from the East. It was such a faint scent that I was surprised I was able to pick it. My wolf was urging me to follow it. It was a strange thing to smell such a scent this deep into the woods. The nearest road was, at least, ten miles from here and still very few vehicles frequented it or even knew of its existence. Most humans avoided the densely wooded area. Those that did only dared to enter a couple of miles into the two million two hundred three thousand seven hundred and three acres of trees. It was why our packs had been established here.

The farther East I traveled, the stronger the smell became. My ears twitched at the distant sound of an engine. It had to be a motorcycle or maybe a quad. I slowed from a run to a light jog as the noise grew louder. Whoever it was, they were headed in my direction. I ducked behind some thick shrubs when I saw the dim glow of the bike's headlight. It wasn't until the rider was just about to pass me that I recognized them.

'Ryan,' I called through the mind link. His bike started swerving uncontrollably until coming to a stop thanks to a large bush. Thankfully, he had managed to stay on the bike the entire time. I stepped out from behind the shrubs as he attempted to dislodge his motorcycle from its entanglement of branches and leaves. Giving up on freeing his bike, Ryan turned to face me.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you,' I told him. He shook his head as he quietly laughed.

"I guess I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings. How are you this evening, Alpha Blackmore?" He turned and gave one last look to entrapped vehicle letting out a defeated sigh.

'Let me run and get some clothes from one of the checkpoints and I'll help you get that out,' I told him nodding my snout towards the bush. He nodded, and I darted off towards the nearest checkpoint. We had some located all around the perimeter of our territory in case one of the guards doing rounds needed anything such as clothes, food, or water. I was only running for about four minutes before spotting what I was looking for, a tree with a check carved into it about two feet from the base.

Quickly digging with my front paws into the soft soil I uncovered a large ziplock bag. I removed the pair of basketball shorts from inside and replaced the bag back where I found it. Shifting, I threw on the shorts that were two sizes too big. The only thing holding them on my hips was the drawstring that was tied tightly. Five years ago, they would probably have been snug.

I briskly jogged back to Ryan. He was sitting on the ground leaning up against his bike. He must have given up in the effort to free the thing.

"So," I started as I took a seat beside him. "What has you out here so late?" I watched as Ryan continued to stared off. He picked up a handful of dirt and let it slowly slip through his fingers.

"Looking for anything that might help me find Lucy and her sisters." He sounded sad, almost hopeless. "I wanted to join the trackers, but my mom said I couldn't, that it wouldn't be a good idea. She wants me to wait til my dad gets back from his trip and ask him."

"His trip?"

"Yeah, mom said that you sent him out to help search for clues on the rogues and Jacobs girls." He turned to look at me, his eyes searching mine. "You didn't send him on any trip did you?" His question was not really a question so much as a statement.

"No, I didn't," I couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid. Only a few pack members knew where Brandon was, and I wanted to keep it that way until I had a chance to speak with him. He didn't say anything else just continued to stare off into the dark forest.

"Let's get that bike free," I said trying to brighten his mood. He nodded pushing himself up off the ground. It didn't take long for the two of us to remove the bike from the bush, but it was no longer rideable. The front tire was flat and had an unnatural curve to it.

"Do you wa--," I stopped mid sentence as a familiar scent wafted towards me. I stood alert, my fists tightening at my sides. Ryan looked at me and stood up straighter. He searched our surroundings for any danger that might be present.

'Rogue,' He spat in disgusted. I had to give it to the kid; he really did have a tracker's nose. I put my arm out to stop him as soon as went to take a step forward.

'Go back home, Ryan. I will have Griffin discuss you becoming a tracker with your mother when I get back.'

'But--' He stopped after he saw my expression. I was his alpha, and he knew better than second guessing me. Ryan began walking his mangled motorcycle towards the pack gates, but not before turning back giving me a disappointed glance.

'Trevor.'

'Yes, Alpha?'

'Please let me know when Ryan is safely inside the gates.'

'Will do.'

"You have some nerve coming back into my territory," I said louder than normal to be sure I was heard. Izzy stepped out from behind a large oak tree and began walking in my direction.

"That's close enough," I said in a clipped tone not that my orders would work on her.

"What the hell crawled up your backend?" She asked the slight smile that was on her face quickly turning into a grimace. She crossed her arms and stood taller. I could tell she was trying to appear more intimidating, but it wasn't working.

"I thought you hated alphas?" I questioned completely ignoring her previous inquiry. The way her mouth dropped open and eyebrows knitted together was almost comical, or at least, it would have been had I not been so angry.

"What? I do hate them. You especially at the moment." Her voice was rising in defense.

"Then why can I smell one all over you?" This probably wasn't the best place to be having this discussion, but I didn't care at the moment. I needed answers. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, and for the first time since I met her, Izzy was speechless.

"I can--," She started but then stopped. Suddenly, her eyes hardened, and she turned her back to me. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"True, you don't have to, but you do need to get the hell out of my territory." I spat. I didn't really want her to go, but my temper was getting the better of me. She whipped her head around, her hair fanning out as she did.

"Look, I am not good at this," She said motioning between us with her hand. " I don't take well to being bossed around. I never have. It is one of the I no longer part of my pack. Unfortunately, I can't control how much my wolf or I want you." This made me laugh.

"If that were true you wouldn't have been in the arms of another man only a few hours ago."

"She wasn't."

~~~~~~~Author's Note~~~~~~

A bit of a longer chapter, I hope you guys like it. Let me know if you prefer guys prefer this length better, or if you like them shorter.

What do you think is going through poor Ryan's head?

And what do you think is going to happen next?

Please don't forget to vote and comment.