"Um, Ellie?" Ashley asked, stopping a short distance from a decrepit-looking gas station.

There was one pump in front of a worn-down shack-like building. The once white paint was faded and peeling. A man sat out front sipping on something with a small dog next to him.

"Does he have a dog?"

"Yeah," Ashley muttered.

"Isn't that weird? A wolf owning a dog?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing about this place seems normal yet."

"Let's just go into town. Maybe we can find their Alpha or Beta. I mean, they have those, right?"

Ashley shrugged her shoulders again. "Who knows."

We proceeded slowly through the one-road town. It was vastly different than our metropolis at Moon Mist, which wasn't big when you compared it to the Royal city of Winter Lake or Silver Peak.

Small cottages dotted the roadway, leading to a roundabout that continued out of town. There was a town hall, what looked like an emergency station with a police/ambulance/firetruck combination out front. People lazily walked along the sidewalks, staring open-mouthed at us.

"I don't think they get many visitors," Ashley said.

"I don't think so either." I pointed toward the town hall. "I think that's probably our best option of finding anyone."

She nodded and pulled along the curb. "You think it's fine to park here?"

"Does it matter? I don't think we have to worry about anyone hitting the car."

'Where are you?'

"Harmony's texting," I grumbled.

"Oh?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah."

"What did she say?"

"She asked where I am."

"What are you going to tell her?"

I exited the message and stuck my phone in my pocket. "Absolutely nothing."

Ashley laughed while taking off her seatbelt.

We climbed out of her convertible and climbed the few steps to the doors. Inside smelled musty and dusty. There was a small desk in a corner with a young girl sitting there flipping through a magazine.

"Excuse me?" I said.

She glanced up, looking me and Ashley up and down, "Yeah?"

"Is your Alpha here by chance?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

"I'm Elanor. Moon Mist's Beta Kenrick's daughter and this is Ashley Gamma Arthur's daughter."

"Moon Mist? Aren't y'all far from home?" the girl asked.

"Yes. We're on our way to Winter Lake and decided to visit the other packs."

"Uh huh."

"Is your Alpha busy?"

"Let me check."

"Okay. I appreciate that."

She rolled her eyes and got up from her desk. We watched her walk to the first door in the hallway and pop her head in.

"Alpha Brutus, there are some girls here."

"We're not just some girls," Ashley mumbled.

"Shh."

I heard a muffled response and she whispered to him before walking back to us.

"He's not busy." She motioned toward the door.

"Thanks," I muttered, walking to where she came from.

We knocked and waited.

"Enter."

We opened the door and entered the small, cluttered office. Filing cabinets lined the walls with folders open everywhere. It was so much different than Alpha Anwar's more modern office.

"Who are you, ladies?"

"Oh, your receptionist didn't tell you?"

He shook his head.

"I'm Elanor. Moon Mist's Beta Kenrick's daughter and this is Ashley Gamma Arthur's daughter."

"Oh! Oh, she didn't say we had high-ranking individuals in town."

"I'm sure it was a mistake on her part."

"She's a surly type. She opted to not tell me. That's what happens when you hire your wife's miserable sister as a receptionist. Please, sit."

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh, we don't do those kinds of formalities here. We're a simply wolf in these parts."

I smiled and sat in the rickety chair in front of his overloaded desk. "I appreciate that."

"What brings you here?"

"We're on our way to Winter Lake. A bit over the border with Moon Mist there was an accident. A dump truck from Harry's Trucking crashed."

"Harry's Trucking? His shop is around the corner. Is Harry okay?"

"Is that who was driving?" Ashley asked.

"Either him or his brother Bob."

"I'm not sure. He was taken to our medical center in town."

"I'll have to tell his wife. I appreciate you letting me know."

"That's not the only reason why we came. Um, there was a weird wound on his neck. I couldn't quite place it, do you know if he was attacked by anything?"

"Attacked? By what?"

"I don't know. The wound was just very strange."

Alpha Brutus leaned forward, folding his hands in front of his face, and pursing his lips. "How peculiar. I haven't received reports of any attacks or sightings of any abnormal creatures."

"Okay. Well, keep an eye out."

"We will definitely do that."

I smiled and glanced at Ashley.

"Would you ladies like a tour of the town?"

"Yes, that would be great. Thank you," I answered.

"Alrighty, let's go!" he exclaimed, slapping his desk. "Not many people visit us."

"I noticed that the town is a bit..."

"Derelict?" he asked with a laugh.

"Not quite what I was going to say. It seems really empty."

"Yeah. We're the neglected pack."

"Pardon?"

"When Winter Lake does their pack auditing every year and doll out the tax funds for repairs to cities and extra funding we tend to be overlooked."

"I'm so sorry. Why is that?"

"They tend to hold a grudge. Ever since my great grandfather led the revolt against King Orsand's great grandfather we've been neglected."

"That doesn't seem fair. It's not your fault or your pack's fault for what happened 150 years ago."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Pretty soon there won't be a Misty Pines."

"What?"

"Our pack members have been defecting to other packs or going rogue. Nobody wants to live in a dying pack."

"Hmm. I see. What if I would inquire about a sit down between you and the King? And even Alpha Anwar?"

"You would do that?"

"Of course. You and your people shouldn't be punished for the sins of the past."

"I would appreciate that a lot, young lady."

"It would be my pleasure," I said with a smile.

He led us down the street and pointed out different sights to us. As we crossed a field a familiar metallic smell invaded my nostrils. My inner wolf whimpered again.

Calm down.

"Oh, Goddess, what is that smell?" Ashley asked, covering her nose, her eyes watering.

Alpha Brutus sniffed the air before letting out a small snuff. "I have no idea. I've never smelled that before."

"I have," I said, following the putrid scent of blood, old dirt, and old meat.

"You have?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah. Yesterday, on the border of our property in Moon Mist. It was a deer with a similar wound to what the trucker had. It was drained of blood and smelled horrid."

"What caused it?" Alpha Brutus asked.

"We're not sure. My father was having the animal examined to see if they could figure that very thing out."

We followed the smell well into the forest until we found the source. It was a person. They lay, naked, and dead.

"That is not a werewolf."

I shook my head. "I think it's a human."

"How the hell would a human end up in the middle of werewolf territory?" Ashley questioned, slightly panicking.

"I don't know. There's supposed to be a barrier between our world and humans. They're not supposed to be able to cross over." I pulled out my phone and scrolled to my dad's number.

"What are you doing?" Alpha Brutus questioned.

"Calling my father. Would you mind if they sent a team here to inspect the body?"

He shook his head. "No. We definitely can't handle this." He motioned his hands over the body.

"You're not ready to come home already are you?" dad asked, answering his phone.

I laughed lightly. "No, old wolf. We're in Misty Pines."

"How is it there?"

"Uh, that's why I'm calling."

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Listen, do you remember the deer I smelled yesterday?"

"Yes."

"They have the same smell here."

"Okay? Can they handle it?"

"No, and it's not a deer."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Human."

"What?" he yelled.

"Yeah. It doesn't smell like a wolf and it's in human shape."

"We're on our way. Stay there, Elanor. I'm serious."

"We'll wait for you."

I hung up and turned toward Alpha Brutus and Ashley. "So that was dad."

"And?"

"He is coming with a team."

"Beta Kenrick? He's coming here?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

We trekked back to Alpha Brutus' office and waited. Ashley and I waited inside while he pulled together his emergency employees to block off the body from anyone being able to tamper with it.

I sat in a chair while Ashley riffled through his papers.

"Stop snooping. That's Alpha business. Not ours."

"You're not even a little curious?" she asked.

"Of course, but those are probably official papers."

She shrugged. "Then I guess he should have filed them better, huh?"

I pursed my lips as she flipped through each page.

"Find anything?"

"Not yet. It's all basic town records. Arrests. A list of those who defected. What money has been spent where."

"That is actually interesting." I stood and looked at the papers, pulling out my phone to take a few photos.

"Now that is probably illegal," she said.

"Probably. But we might be able to use this later."

"On what?"

"I don't know, but it might be useful."

We waited for what seemed like forever before I heard my dad yelling at the receptionist.

"Little girl, I do not need your attitude. You will get your Alpha and you will find my daughter."

I stuck my head out the door from Alpha Brutus' office and waved to him. "Hi, dad."

He let out a low growl at the girl before storming into Alpha Brutus' office. "What is this mess?"

"The Alpha's office."

"Where is the Alpha?"

"He's with the body, making sure nobody disturbs it. He's really nice, dad. She's just awful."

He hugged me tightly. "Come with us."

"Okay. Did you get any information from the bear? Did the doctors call you about the truck driver?" I asked as we left the building.

"Yes. He's in the ICU right now."

"He's still alive?" Ashley gasped.

"Barely. You two saved his life."

"I'm so glad he's alright."

Dad and his team followed Ashley and me to the spot where the body rested.

"What happened to it?" I asked, staring at the aged body.

"What?"

"That's not what it looked like a few hours ago."

******

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