Red

"I don't know what to tell you, Red. I'm not sure why the wall is deteriorating."

Red exhaled slowly through his nose and stared at the Fae female before him. He'd known Lehna for years. They'd met when Red was a teenager and he'd come to visit one of the Courts with Henry and his father. Lehna had been curious about werewolves – in her 300 years of life she'd never encountered one – and the two of them had spent hours talking about their respective cultures. From then on, whenever Red needed to consult a Fae, he always started with Lehna.

They were meeting at a human park in Denver. It sometimes unnerved Red to be this close to the humans. He knew the history. Humans never got along well with things they didn't understand and werewolves...Well, they definitely fell into the category of things that weren't well-understood.

He was constantly checking over his shoulder, almost waiting for the moment that a human would come chasing after him, pitch-fork in hand. Red wasn't often paranoid but here...He was.

If it weren't for that damn wall breaking, he would never have stepped foot in the human city. But this was where Lehna liked to meet so Red braved the congestion of the city and the throngs of a species that had once hunted down his kind in such large quantities that many packs had been wiped to extinction.

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had been the darkest period in supernatural existence. Witch trials and werewolf hunts...All of it had sent the creatures of the night underground. Had led them to create fragile ties with each other for survival.

The vampires claimed cities and began hunting only those that wouldn't be missed.

The warlocks abandoned their magic for a period of time – emerging only when the idea of potion-makers and seers were things of fantasy, found only at a carnival for children to be amused with.

The werewolves vanished into the forests, staking claims to territories where they could live in groups that were unlikely to ever be found. Formed their own villages, their own communities, where they could pretend that they were human in case someone ever came looking.

And the fae...They disappeared entirely. Hiding in their Courts that existed in the pockets between realms. They emerged periodically, using their magic to create borders and barriers for protection and order, like the wall that encircled the Sanguis Ridge Pack.

It had only been in the last few decades that the fae and the warlocks had been able to rejoin society more fully. Humans and their ever-changing fashions had provided supernatural beings with some freedom. Crazy coloured hair, piercings and tattoos, bright contact lenses that could change the appearance of an eye and dramatic makeup...All of it helped supernatural beings blend into the human world.

Even Lehna, with her brown skin, unnatural glittering gold eyes, and vibrant green hair – which was made from small intricately woven leaves, only noticeable if one looked very close – did not appear to look too out of place.

"Is there anyone else you can think to ask?" Red asked as he looked down at her. Lehna was almost a foot-and-a-half shorter than he was.

Lehna considered for a moment and stared out over the small pond they'd situated themselves at. "There are fae in other Courts I could ask...I'll send a fire message as soon as we're done here. I wish I had an explanation for you but I haven't ever heard of the Old Magic breaking down. The magic was woven into the very essence of the pack when it was established hundreds of years ago. It should only change if the pack were to dissolve or expand in territory."

Red knew that this had never happened since the birth of the Sanguis Ridge Pack in the sixteenth century. It had existed in the same patch of land, not a single boundary line changing. He relayed as much to Lehna.

The fae female grimaced. "Then I truly have no explanation beyond someone trying to break the wall down."

"Why would anyone do that?"

"A war between packs?"

But Red was already shaking his head. It was common knowledge that all werewolves regardless of their pack allegiance were able to pass through the barriers that kept other creatures at bay without explicit permission from an Alpha. What this meant was that breaking down the wall would serve no purpose.

"No," he said to her. "It doesn't fit. The only reason to break the wall would be for other beings to pass through. Vamps or humans are the most likely scenario. We don't often have conflict with fae or warlocks."

"Hunters?" Lehna clarified. When Red nodded, she added, "We've been having trouble with them too."

"Really?"

This was interesting. The human hunter bands usually only went after the supernatural beings that caused problems. Normally, this meant that the law-abiding groups were able to co-exist without much hassle. Often, they didn't even cross paths unless they were actively searching for each other. Red could walk past a dozen hunters without them realizing what he was. Unless they knew how to detect a werewolf, he was generally safe.

Of course, this wasn't always the case. He still had never met a hunter that wasn't willing to kill a supernatural creature – even if it was one that wasn't creating strife. Many hunters hated everything that wasn't human on principle. Red's own mother had been murdered by a hunter when he was just a boy.

Lehna broke Red from his thoughts by speaking. "Three pixies were killed in Los Angeles two days ago and last month a few faeries disappeared out in Phoenix."

"Disappeared?"

"Yes."

"You're sure they didn't just run away? Join another Court?"

She ran her fingers through her leaf-like hair. "No. Narah and Aloïs were highly respected and exceptionally gifted within our Court. They would have never left. Besides, we've heard similar accounts from other Courts in the north and east." Lehna dropped her voice even though there was no one around to hear them. "There's talk of sealing the doorways for a while."

Sealing the doorways. It was something that had been done only once before, during the worst parts of their histories when humans had hunted them freely. The fae had locked themselves within their Courts and had emerged only when it was safe again.

"Your leaders...Are they sure it's hunters?"

"As sure as we can be. The pixies were definitely so. But no one is really torn up about them if I'm telling the truth. They were hunting human children. We were putting a group together to go handle the issue, but the hunters got there first."

"So for once, we can be thankful for them."

Lehna grinned but it was more of a feral flashing of her teeth. "I'll never be thankful for humans. Even if they do occasionally have their uses."

Red could only nod. "Look, thanks for meeting with me. I'll let Henry know everything you've said and if you hear something from any of the other Courts –"

"I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Lehna."

She winked at him and then climbed up onto the railing. Pausing only long enough to grin, Lehna jumped off the bridge into the water below. She didn't resurface.

Red snorted. "Dramatic exit like always, Lehna."

A few bubbles rose to the surface of the water and then they popped and she was gone.

*~*

The packhouse was surprisingly empty when Red arrived back home. Normally he would have enjoyed the long run to Denver but instead, he'd driven. It was more practical when he was meeting the fae in the middle of the city. Easier to blend in. The last thing he wanted was for a human to report an abnormally large wolf to the authorities.

He cut the engine and stepped out of the car. Distantly, the chatter of voices filled his ears. Farther away than he anticipated. He knew that some of his packmates were likely at the fieldhouse training but it sounded like there were others at the large clearing they used to play soccer and football and host other outdoor activities.

Red scented the air. The tracks were not quite stale yet. He was able to sort through them fairly quickly and determined easily that Henry was among those that had set out for the field. Without sparing a glance towards the interior of the house, Red turned for the forest and broke into a jog.

He dove into the forest, feeling the air whistle by him as he ran the familiar terrain. Autumn was his favourite season but he was fond of summer as well. He liked the brightness of the green and the sparkle of the wildflowers. Like the other day, he wished he had the time to Shift. Red made a mental note to go for a nice long run one of these days. Even if he had to go during the middle of the night, it was something that he felt he needed to do.

The babble of voices got louder the closer he got to the field. When he appeared at the edge of the clearing, he noticed that many of his packmates had convened for a soccer match. They had divided into two approximately even teams though many others were sitting on the sidelines, watching and laughing.

Red paused, leaning against the trunk of an old ponderosa pine. In moments like these, he always took a minute to breathe it all in. He liked to watch the youngsters in the pack – so joyous and carefree. Different from his own childhood in many ways. Better ways.

Henry was covering in the goalpost at one end with Monroe's Mate, Toby, in the other. The field was mostly overrun with children but some of the parents had joined in as well. No one seemed to care who was on what team. Red couldn't figure out any sort of order as he watched them. No real indication of who was competing against whom.

What was real was the laughter and the smiles.

A woman sidled up next to him. "Is there a reason you're skulking in the shadows instead of joining in on the fun?"

Red glanced down at the Alpha Female beside him, a smile already forming on his lips. He'd known Lucy for years. She'd been one of the first people he'd met in the pack when he'd joined. At the time, she'd only been the daughter of a skilled Healer, but even then she was strong-willed and infallible. That had never changed but as she'd grown into a woman she'd also become a fierce and confident leader.

Henry had been in love with her since before he'd learned they were Fated. It had even been clear to Red long before either of them were ready to admit it. Henry had watched her consistently, always pretending that he wasn't like only an awkward preteen could. It had been a relief to everyone when Henry had turned eighteen – two months after Lucy – and it had been official.

Mates.

No longer a pair but a family. Their daughter – Red's Goddaughter and favourite person in the world – was on the field playing soccer with her father. Annalise had inherited her mother's wild dark curls but her father's hazel eyes. Her colouring was the perfect blend between her father's light and her mother's dark but it was her smile that stood out the most. Uniquely her own. She'd inherited it from neither, wide and bright and innocent.

"I'm not skulking," Red said to Lucy. "I'm watching the fun. I don't want to interrupt."

"Bad news then? Henry told me you were going to see Lehna."

Red took a breath. "I did. She doesn't know why the Old Magic is failing. It shouldn't be which means that someone is intentionally breaking it down."

A furrowed brow from Lucy. Her hand unconsciously rested on her stomach, rubbing soothing circles. She was pregnant again but in the early stages. "Who?"

"Vampires maybe. The most likely scenario is them since they would need the help of the fae or a warlock to do it. The only others I could think of would be human hunters but no one would help them to do it. But hunters have been causing problems lately. Some pixies were killed in L.A. and fae have been disappearing. Lehna is sure they're responsible."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"We'll just have to be careful," he assured her. "Nothing to worry about as long as we don't draw attention to ourselves. If we do that and get the wall repaired as fast as possible, we'll be fine."

Lucy nodded but her eyes were still worried.

Red slung an arm around her shoulder and turned her towards the field. "Come on. Shouldn't you be sitting down?"

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

"Did I say you were invalid?"

She poked him on the arm. Hard. "It was implied in your tone. Ass."

Red snorted. "Fine. I'll just stop being nice to you. None of my famous foot-rubs when you're all swollen and achy in a few months."

A long pause. Red knew she was weighing her next words carefully. It had become well known amongst the pack that Red had been Lucy's saving grace during her first pregnancy with Annalise. Even Henry didn't give his Mate as good of foot massages as Red gave.

"I'll just shut up about it now."

"Smart choice," he agreed with a grin.

Lucy led him to a patch of grass where she'd been sitting before he'd arrived. A few of the other Pack members were relaxing near them, basking in the sun. They politely greeted him, some joking around and laughing as they watched the game.

"Henry said he spoke to you about taking some time off?"

"You mean the time off that you want me to take?"

Lucy didn't even have the nerve to look abashed. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "I'm just worried about you. That you're lonely."

"I'm not lonely. I've got you and Henry, Annalise, Monroe and Toby, and the rest of the pack to look after. I've got my hands full enough as it is."

She rolled her eyes. "So, you're satisfied with being alone forever?"

Red blinked. "I'm twenty-six. Last time I checked, that was hardly ancient, Luce."

"If you never leave the pack, you'll never find her."

"You don't know that. Maybe she'll just wander in here one day."

"Red."

"Lucy."

She shoved at his shoulder. Red leaned back on his elbows and squinted into the sun, watching as one of the kids took the ball and ran with it up the field. Not even kicking it. Full-on carrying it, squealing with laughter as he went.

Red looked to Lucy who was still staring at him, lips downturned, expression tight. "Look – I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me, alright? I'm content with how life is right now. If there's ever a time that I'm not then maybe I'll go and see what's missing from my life."

Lucy nodded and let it drop but he figured it was only because Annalise came sprinting over and launched her little self at him.

"Uncle Red!"

"Hey, kiddo!"

Annalise fell into his lap. "Did you see my goal?"

"Of course," he lied. "You did great. Having fun?"

"Yup." She smacked the 'p' sound at the end. "I like soccer."

"Who's better, you or dad?"

She giggled, the sound young and shrill. "Me! My dad sucks."

"Hey," Lucy started as Henry came over and plopped down beside her. "We don't say sucks."

Red could only grin because Annalise did not seem to care about what she shouldn't say. All she did was turn around and pretend not to listen to her mother, instead chattering to Red animatedly about her day.

If there were any moments in his life that made him long for more, it was one like this. When he looked at Henry, happy with his little family, and wanted the same thing for himself. Especially when Annalise was involved. She was going to be a handful when she got older, that Red knew already. Yet he couldn't wait to see the adventures she got herself into. He was already aware of the fact that he'd be the cool uncle she'd call whenever she needed help bailing out of a situation. It was a weight he would gladly bear.

Red looked out at his pack, listening to the sounds of laughter and cheer. One day, he thought, if I don't find her here I'll go looking. But for now, this is exactly where I'm meant to be.

***

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