My head continued to throb, and my jaw wasn't faring much better, but I couldn't let that distract me from the problems our pack was facing. As much as I wanted to check on Asher, it would have to wait until I dealt with the rogue problem. Doc Havers would inform me of any changes in his condition, which at the moment was not good. The thought of what those rogues did to him made me walk a little faster as I headed towards my office. When I entered Griffin and Ryan abruptly ended their conversation.

"What happened?" I asked Ryan as I took a seat in behind my desk. Ryan shifted uncomfortably on the couch. His leg was in a cast brace and was propped up awkwardly next to him. He looked at me, but his eyes did not meet mine.

"I was out searching for...well anything that might help me find Lucy," he started, as he fidgeted with his hands. It seemed it was something he did when he was nervous or upset. "I thought I found her scent, and I became so focused on following it, I guess I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings," he said sounding a bit embarrassed.

"That is why we always send at least one fighter to accompany our trackers," Griffin interrupted. His tone was surprisingly caring. Normally, Griffin didn't put up with other's stupidity when it came to pack business, but with Ryan, he acted more like a protective older brother. It was most likely due to the close friendship of their parents. Ryan silently nodded.

"It was my fault, wasn't it?" He asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "I keep screwing up. I'm sorry." He looked as if he was about to break down into tears at any moment.

"It's not your fault," I assured him. " None of this is, but here is your chance to help. We need to know, exactly what happened out there."

"Well, I followed the scent all the way to the border, nearly even crossed over it until I heard Asher call out to me." He looked down at his hands, his voice wavering. "He must have realized I was too close to the boundaries, but when I turned to look at him, I was thrown to the ground. I didn't even realize what was happening. When I looked up, Asher was dashing towards me. He shifted in mid-air." By his words, I could tell he was still amazed by what he had seen. Not many wolves were able to shift mid-stride, especially not younger wolves. Most would have to stop and concentrate on their wolves, to call them forward. I had to admit it had taken me a long time to learn how to call my wolf on the fly. For Asher, it had come so easy, even Griffin had trouble doing it from time to time.

"He threw himself at the giant wolf, knocking him off of me before he could sink his teeth into me. I watched as they began grappling with each other. I was frozen on the ground, not sure what to do." He paused again before looking at Griffin for reassurance.

"Go on," Griffin encourage giving Ryan slight smile and a quick nod.

"I wasn't sure where the other two came from; it was almost as if they appeared out of thin air. They both seemed to set their sights on Asher. I knew I had to help him, but as soon as I shift one of the rogues launched himself at me. I tried to fight him off, but he was just so fast. I think he was just toying with me until I managed to take a nip out of his tail. He whirled around clamping onto my leg," he said as he gazed over at his injured leg. "If it weren't for Asher I would have been dead ten times over. I don't even know how he managed to keep all three wolves at bay until you showed up," Ryan explained peering up at me.

I sat there pondering over what Ryan had said. The kid had a pretty good nose; I'd give him that. The thing was our trackers had been through that area with a fine tooth comb and found nothing. That meant one of two things, either Ryan was so desperate to find his mate he convinced himself that he found her scent, or he really did find it. The later would mean she had been back in our territory.

"Thank you for your help. You can go now and make sure you rest that leg of your's," I told him. Griffin and I needed to discuss what our next move would be.

"But.....I want to help. I need to fin-"

"No," I stated leaving no room for argument. "You have done enough. I can not put an injured untrained pup in harm's way."

"I am not a pup!" The anger in his words took me by surprise. As if realizing what he a just done, his eye widened in horror.

"I --"

"No, you're right. You are not a pup. My apologies, but that still does not change the fact that you are an untrained young wolf with a injured leg. Not to mention you have a conflict of interest where your mate is involved." His face fell, and his body sag into the couch. He no longer looked angry, only defeated. I felt for the boy; I really did, but we had bigger issues at hand. Slowly, and with much effort, he rose from his seat.

"I understand, Alpha. I am sorry for my outburst. I am going to check on Asher," he said solemnly, as he limped towards the door.

I rubbed my temples and rested my head against the back of my chair.

"Are you ok?" Griffin asked taking the seat across from me. Letting out a heavy sigh, I sat up and looked at my beta.

"Fine. Just worried about Asher."

"Are you sure that's all?" The look on his face said he wasn't buying it.

"Seeing Asher lying there like that it was.....it was too familiar," I tried to explain.

"I know. The thought of losing Asher it's well--,"

"Yeah," I said knowing exactly, what he was trying to say. The room fell quiet as we both got lost in our own thoughts. Asher was more than my third in command; he was like a brother to me.

"What do you think of what Ryan said?" I finally asked. Griffin took a few moments to think before he replied.

"If it had been anyone else, I would say he must be wrong, but I know how good of a tracker he is. Even without any formal training, he could probably out track half of our best guys."

"So you think he did find her scent out there?" I asked leaning on my desk. He nodded.

"I do, but there is something about what he said that is still bothering me." Griffin paused, his eyebrows knit together. "I think maybe these rogues were laying in wait. I think her scent being there was a trap." What he said made sense, but why. Who were they trying to lure out there?

"Who knows that Brandon is imprisoned?" I asked.

"Only Me, you, Asher, Brandon's mate and a few of the guards. Why?" He asked looking more confused than before.

"What if... what if they were looking to ambush him? He is one of our best trackers so it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that he would be one of the wolves out searching for the missing girls," I said. "If the rogues don't know that we figured out Brandon's betrayal, maybe they were hoping to tie up any loose ends." Griffin's eye widened as understanding took over.

"They were here to kill him?" He asked though his words sounded more like a statement.

"Yes, we need to speak with him immediately, but first I need to make a stop by the medical building," I said getting up from my chair. I need to check on Asher, to see with my own eyes that he was okay.

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

First I want to say, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Over 4,000 reads in less than three months. That is more than I ever expected. You guys are the best.

Do you think Logan's hunch is right? Was Brandon their intended target?

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