He trusted him. He didn't know why, but he did. Just because the man was his mate didn't mean that he should trust him with his warriors. There were a rare few that he would allow to take over in case something happened. Geo was one of them. He had trained hard with both him and Hiroko so that he could be just as ready for battle as they were. While Jin was great at silent attacks, Geo was the best at strategizing and finding the high ground. Miki was their defense, and usually took lead with the warriors that defended.

He hoped none of them got hurt. He knew what he would tell them all if he had stayed in the battle. But he wasn't there. He was in this infirmary recovering from bullets that he had failed to dodge. All he could do was hope that Geo did well in taking command.

It wouldn't be the first time. They had plenty of enemies that had tried to come onto their land. Sometimes Shiro would be stuck on the other side of the territory, and would leave the leading to Geo. When he had his sister to help lead the warriors with him, though, that was when they were at their best.

But Hiroko wasn't there at the moment. He wished she was. He wished she didn't have to leave all the time. The pack needed her just as much as they needed him.

He had learned a long time ago not to trust easily. Especially not with more important tasks. He trusted the ones who were completely loyal to him, for that was the only time he knew they would truly do the tasks in which he needed done.

But he had trusted Jett after only knowing him for a week. It wasn't like him. There was just something in those orange eyes that made him feel as if he could trust him. He could have tricked him into it by kissing him, though. But his face didn't show any signs of trickery, just worry. When he had ran into the room to get the doctor, he had looked like he was close to panicking. Shiro didn't like that. An Alpha panicking was a sign that something had gone terribly wrong. It meant that they were losing the fight. And Shiro had brought too many of his warriors to battle to not worry about them losing the fight as well.

But all he could do was lay in this bed and wait as the minutes felt like hours.

"How do you feel?" Alpha Young asked. He had gone in the room to give him company for the time being. He had asked about Ava before, but she was still sleeping.

"Better," he told him. He didn't want to be dishonest with Alpha Young. He had only truly met him once, but his memory had stuck with him. "Do you know why Alpha Jett was in a rush?"

"I'm afraid he didn't have time to give me the details," he sighed. "It should be fine, though, Shiro. We've gone through quite a lot, as I'm sure your warriors have as well."

His warriors had. BlackCreek forest was a magnet for supernatural beings. All of them were dangerous. While Shiro tried to warn some of them to leave or suffer the consequences, most didn't believe that he could do as much harm to them.

Some were nice. There was once a small group of witches who were merely trying to gather supplies. They were healers. Shiro decided it would be best to make a trade with them so that they could both get much needed supplies. They also taught him how to make some of the medicine that they had, while he taught them how to grow the flowers that they needed.

Most of the strangers that came, however, were there to have a lair so that they could cause harm to others.

"Beware even the smallest of dangers," Shiro said. "For every battle, no matter how small, can be detrimental."

"You were taught quite a lot from Munni," the man chuckled. "I bet you remember each and every one of his lessons, don't you?"

"Yes," he said. "To keep the memory of someone is to keep them alive."

"You know," Alpha Young shifted in his seat. "Him and I had a lot of late-night discussions like this one. One of those nights, I had asked him where he had learned all of this. Who he had gotten it from."

"His father," Shiro told him. "My Great Grandfather was the one who taught him everything he had ever known. These lessons were taught to every generation so that we might never forget the true meaning of leading."

"I see you asked him that question as well," Alpha Young smiled at him. "But he gave me a slightly different answer than yours."

"What did he tell you?" It wasn't like his grandfather to give two different answers to a question. He always gave his answers truthfully.

"He told me that his father taught him some of it," he said. "But the true wisdom that he learned was not from his family, nor his ancestors," he walked to open the curtain. "True wisdom, he told me, is achieved by listening to the Spirit of the Moon. For she is the wisest of them all."

He hadn't told him that. That must have been a lesson that he hadn't been able to teach him. Shiro looked out the window to see the moon shining down on them. It was crescent, but still bright. He wished he could seek out her guidance. But all he ever seemed to want to do now is hide from her. For he was ashamed that he was having to go against what she wanted for him.

"She's proud of you, Shiro," Alpha Young interrupted the silence. "She's proud of what you've become."

He doubted that. He couldn't even go to his warriors to help lead them. He couldn't even accept his mate for fear that he wouldn't gain his title. He couldn't even fight for his people so that they could be happy.

There were so many things that made him doubt that statement.

Before the conversation could continue, they both heard the sound of a car. It was driving down the long, winding roads, heading to the house with great speed.

"Stay here a minute, Shiro," Alpha Young said. "This shouldn't take long."

He did as he was told and watched as the man left the room yet again. He wanted to close the curtains to hide himself from the moon that was shining so brightly. But he also wanted to see who was in the van that had pulled up. He needed to know who was there. It was his only clue as to what had happened while he was gone.

He recognized Alex on the stretcher. He looked badly beaten. The hunters must have been well trained to have gotten a Beta of a pack in that horrible of a condition. But the one that made him truly happy to see coming out of the van was Geo. He looked a bit dirty and battle worn, but otherwise he seemed okay. He should meet him outside so that he could get a report. He was dying to know what happened.

A sharp pain quickly made him stop in his tracks. He would have screamed if he had not been taught a long time ago to keep quiet. He had forgotten about the wound in his leg. And his forgetfulness had made him lose concentration on blocking out that pain. He barely got himself back on the bed.

He felt weak like this. He absolutely hated it. An Alpha shouldn't be struggling to get back onto a bed. They shouldn't be in pain. They must show that they are strong so that their pack stays strong. Once their people and their enemies find that they are weak, then they are doomed a short life and a short leadership.

It only took a few minutes for him to hear a knock on his door. Jett entered with Geo right behind him. His friend looked relieved to see him. His shoulders showed an exhaustion that he had remembered seeing from their worst battles in their territory. The fight must have been a wicked one.

"Were you successful?" Shiro asked him. He was glad to see his friend, but battles required you to be serious so that you can focus on the task at hand.

"Yes," he told him. His shoulders straightened at the sound of Shiro's tone. He looked proud, though. That made him happy. "Down to the very letter."

"How many casualties?"

"Fifty total are wounded and seeking medical attention," Geo told him. "None are dead."

"Wait," Jett looked at Geo confused. "None of your warriors, with how many you brought with you, died from those hunters?"

"No," Geo shook his head. "We go in groups when we fight so as to defend ourselves when we need to." He then looked at Shiro. "We never go alone in battle."

What happened with Ava had been an exception to that rule. He had been the fastest to get to the alleyway that she was in. That was how he got badly wounded.

"What happened with Alex?" Shiro asked next.

"Scrap bombs," Geo told him. "They distracted us a few miles away from downtown so that they could plant them in the construction site. Once they had planted them, they lured as many of us there in an attempt to kill as many as possible."

"There weren't any deaths that I could see other than the hunters, though," Jett said. "Did any warriors die?"

"No, that's where Alex came in," Geo said. "He told one of my warriors about the scrap bombs and told us to get out of the area and catch the hunters as they were exiting. I was on one of the light fixtures to try and turn them off and give us an advantage when I got the message and decided to stay up there until I saw Alex. He was cornered by hunters right under the light fixture I was working on."

"So, you saved him from the hunters?" Jett asked.

"Yes," Geo nodded. He quickly filled them in on what had happened before Jett had gotten there. It was a good battle strategy. Shiro was proud of him. He made an amazing General.

A second later and the room was filling up. Dr. Bailey had come in to do a check up on Geo. It seemed that he was alright, just in need of some rest and possibly a shower. While he went to do one of those things, Shiro was shocked to see Alpha Nir walk into the room.

"It's good to see you again, Shiro," Nir nodded his way. "You missed one hell of a fight."

"It would seem so," he smiled politely at him. "I'm grateful that everyone is okay, though."

"Me as well," Nir said. "That reminds me, Jett," he looked towards the other alpha. "Roger is wanting to come over here for a quick briefing. His men took care of quite a lot of them at the city exits."

"We might as well," Jett sighed. "I doubt we'll be getting any sleep anyway."

When Geo came back from a quick shower, he was accompanied by a smiling Alex.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Nir smiled at the beta.

"And miss out on all the fun?" Alex said. "Besides, you need me for the briefing anyway."

Jett didn't seem too happy that he was here instead of resting, but he didn't say anything in protest. Shiro would have thought that he would, but he supposed that his input was necessary.

"Alpha Sakdah is wishing to come for this briefing as well," Geo told Jett. "I had just gotten a phone call from him."

Jett glanced over to him for a second. His face showed annoyance. It was easy to see that he didn't like his father. But that was besides the point. It would be disrespectful for him to not allow his father to come when every other leader would be there.

"Very well," he nodded. "But tell him to bring Ava's father. So that he can check up on his daughter."

Shiro smiled at that. Nikita hadn't been allowed off pack grounds in such a long time. He would absolutely love this place.

It was a flurry of things all happening at once. Shiro wished he could stand, but he needed to collect his strength for the moment when his father came. It was almost dawn at that point, and some of the people were already stirring to life and wondering what was going on. Dr. Bailey checked up on him from time to time. But there really wasn't much that a doctor could do anymore. He would simply have to wait the couple of days it would take to heal.

"You okay?" Geo asked. His face softened to show him his concern.

"I'll be alright," he told him. "I was more worried about you back there."

"We handled it pretty well," he told him. "Although Teddy was pretty worried about you. He wanted you to be brought to our house to heal up."

"I'm sure all of them thought that," he smiled at him. "I'm proud of you, though. You did a great job."

"Thanks," Geo's face lit up when he heard that. It was nice to see him happy for once. Usually, his father was always screaming at him. He barely gave him any room to breathe. It made Shiro all the more happy that he was going to be turning eighteen soon. Soon all of this would be over.

"GyuHyoung!" the door to the infirmary opened to show Beta Kenji storming up to him. Jett was following behind him. It seemed like he had gotten there before Shiro's father. He was probably delayed trying to get Nikita so that he could come with.

Geo stood up straight as soon as he heard his father's voice. His happy demeanor changed into one of a soldier getting ready to get an earful from his General. Shiro didn't like when Kenji did this. He never fought with the warriors, and had no clue how to give orders when it came to battle. His style of fighting was chaotic and easily wound up with more wounded than there should be. His brother was a better at strategizing and fighting than him, but to Shiro's father, that was merely an opinion.

Anger flashed through his eyes as he saw the man slap his son in front of Jett. Any issues that they had were always to be dealt with privately, at home. Not in front of the Alpha of another pack.

"You deliberately disobeyed a direct order," he told his son. "And came here without anyone's permission!"

"I was under orders to kill all hunters," Geo argued with his father. "I came here on orders of Alpha Jett's. During battles, our allying Alpha's can give out orders if there is no one of high rank to go against it."

"You weren't ordered to kill them all," Kenji said. "That's too violent and an unjust consequence."

"I was under orders to find them, and kill them all," Geo looked at his father with the same anger that Shiro had felt.

"And exactly who's orders were those?" Kenji looked at him suspiciously.

"They were my orders," Shiro spoke up. It seemed like Kenji hadn't even noticed him there since he came in. He was too concerned with embarrassing his son in front of an ally that he didn't pay respect to someone ranked above him.

Now his eyes flashed with a hint of fear as he took a step back. Shiro was sure that the glare he was giving the Beta was enough to melt the walls of this building. This wasn't just embarrassing to Geo, who had honorably saved everyone in the city, including Alpha Nir, but to the pack as a whole. This was an issue that needed to get dealt with at the pack house, not while they were guests.

"My apologies, Shiro," Kenji bowed a little. "But why would you give such a destructive order?"

"Because these people had hurt one of our own," Shiro started. "They were too dangerous to be kept alive."

"But-!"

"Not only did they cause destruction to the city," Shiro interrupted him. "Causing there to be a night of lockdown and fear. They were adamant about killing as many as they could. If one escaped, then they would come back. And the next time, it wouldn't just be an omega that they would capture."

"He's got a point, Kenji," Jett interrupted. "These were from the same group that killed five warriors from the Noble Pack. If it weren't for your warriors, the city would have wound up in much worse shape. And more people would have died."

Shiro didn't let up his gaze on the Beta. He locked him into place, asserting his dominance. For he might be wounded, but he would still fight if his power was challenged. Kenji was the second to the Alpha, but he was not the acting Luna, nor was he the General. Shiro's word went above all but his father when it came to just about everything.

Kenji lowered his gaze after a while, showing that he had no desire to challenge him. He had seen just how well Shiro fought. There was a reason why no one had done it before.

The room was silent for a moment or two. It only took that for more footwork to be heard from the hallways. Soon the room filled up more with his father and Nikita.

"Alpha Jett," he bowed at him. "Thank you for taking care of my son during the battle. Your kindness is not taken for granted."

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Shiro," his father mind linked with him. The sentence gave him nothing but dread in the pit of his stomach.

"It wasn't a problem," Jett told him. "I'll consider it paying him back, since he saved my life from those hunters the last time they came. He was also the first to discover the hunters in the city as well."

"I would expect nothing less of my son," he puffed his chest up. "Now then, with all this being said, why don't we go and start that briefing? Alpha Roger came just as I pulled in, and I'm sure we're all ready for some rest."

Nikita was behind him. As soon as Shiro saw him, he motioned for him to come over. The man had two bundles of clothes. One of them he was sure was for his daughter. The other one, he bowed and presented to him. He always tried to be silent when the Alpha was speaking.

"Go see Ava," Shiro took the bundle. "She's going to wake up soon. I'll handle getting dressed."

"Are you sure?" he looked worriedly at him. Shiro just nodded and motioned for him to go. He always tried to care for the two of them as well as possible. But Ava needed her father when she woke up.

"I'm afraid my son won't be coming to this briefing," his father gave him a sharp look. "He needs to rest from his wounds."

"I'm perfectly capable of walking," Shiro told him. "If you need me at the briefing."

"No, no," his father put his hand up before Jett could even speak his opinion. "You need your rest, son."

"I'll send Geo in my place then," he told him. "He was in the middle of the fighting last night."

"Very well," the man frowned.

As much as Shiro wanted to go, he knew it wouldn't be best to argue with his father. He hadn't been in this battle much at all anyway. That was why he asked for Geo to go. Knowing his father, the briefing wouldn't take too long. He hated these meetings and was always eager to leave.

He watched as they all walked out of the room. Jett gave him another quick glance. He seemed so curious at the moment. Shiro wished he could tell him everything. There was so much that had happened in the short life that he had. It would be nice to just once be able to talk to someone about it all. To talk to them about the beginning to the end. He longed for a good conversation in which he could say whatever he wanted to.

And Jett seemed to be the person in which he could. Yesterday proved that to him. He felt like he could tell him anything during that time in the carnival with all the flashing lights. It was freeing to be able to relax and enjoy the moment with him.

"Master Shiro?" Nikita popped his head into his room. "May I come in?"

"Yes," he told him. He hadn't even changed into his clothes yet, for fear that he would wind up in pain again. "Has Ava woken up yet?"

"Not yet," he sighed. "But the doctor told me that she's already looking better than before. I'm glad that she's under such great care."

"Me too," he told him. Nikita spared no time at all getting to work on him. He had already started to untie the hospital gown that the doctor had put him in. "What do you think of this place?"

"Not much has changed of it," Nikita chuckled. "I've been here with your grandfather plenty of times. The old Alpha here recognized me, which I did not expect."

"You always stick out," he told him. "It can be a good trait to have."