By the time Logan had finished working out, it was mid-afternoon and time for lunch. He sighed in satisfaction, thinking about how much more relaxed he felt now after his intense sexual reaction to the white wolf. He was in a better frame of mind now and was sure that he could handle any feelings for her. His mind strayed to her and he caught himself wondering how she was faring. He had to admit, he had been more than a little rude to her.

Pushing aside those thoughts, he rose from the bench and walked towards the door. He was an alpha, for crying out loud. It would be beneath him to feel remorse after telling off a lesser wolf.

He was walking out of the gym, whistling softly under his breath when he stopped abruptly. He could feel Casper frantically trying to mind link him again.

What happened? He asked immediately the link was opened.

Alpha, the worst has happened. Two of our wolves were found dead at the border during the afternoon patrol. You need to get here as soon as you can.

"Shit!" Logan cursed and raced away from the gym to the front door. Several wolves stared at him in bemusement as he ran outside and towards the surrounding forest, but he didn't pay any attention to them.

Casper had kept the mind link open, directing him to the site. He reached the edge of the forest and turned left towards the frozen creek. Several meters from there stood Casper, who waved immediately he sighted the alpha.

"Casper." Logan panted as he reached his beta "Where are they."

"It's a terrible sight, Alpha. I'm not sure..."

Logan glared at the other man in anger "Casper, I'm sure you did not call me all the way here for nothing. Lead me to the dead wolves now."

The beta nodded grimly and led Logan to the border, where a handful of other men were gathered. It was a few miles from where they had found the white wolf barely two days ago. Logan pushed past the men that were gathered and what he saw almost made his stomach churn.

Two wolves were lying on the ground, one black and the other a deep russet colour. They seemed to have died while morphing back into human form. Their legal and arms were human, but their torso was still furry and wolf-like.

Their eyes and mouths were open as though they had died screaming. Whatever had killed them must have been terrifying. Logan's eyes wandered down and he closed his eyes in disgust at the sight. 

Their bellies had been torn open by the monster that had killed them, their innards pouring out like thick wet spaghetti. One of the wolves had a huge gash on its neck, where blood was pouring out in rivulets. The wolf seemed to have put up a good fight before finally succumbing to death.

Blood had seeped into the snow and turned it a sickening pinkish colour. Logan looked up and saw that the men including his beta were waiting on him for instructions.

"Pack up the bodies and move them to the pack house. Arrange for a funeral immediately." He said briskly, then turned and walked away without another word.

That was the fifth death recorded in two weeks, Logan thought. Nothing in this world could get more depressing than that. He could feel the pressure from his pack members on his shoulders, urging him to do something about the deaths. 

By the time he got back to the pack house, news of the murders had spread. He could hear the whispers that followed him, the averted stares and harried bows as his pack members passed him. He knew they were waiting and wondering how he would handle the situation. He knew without them saying it out that they thought him too weak to protect the pack.

Logan walked back to his wing, feeling like the weight of the whole world was upon his shoulders. How was he to lead these people if they were beginning to question his authority? He sank into bed, closing his eyes as sleep overcame him.

Several hours later, he was jolted from his fitful sleep by the sound of a horn indicating the end of the day. He rose up slowly, realizing that he was still in his sweaty dress shirt and trousers. His beta mind linked him as he walked towards his bathroom.

Alpha, we're at the funeral site. Casper said through the link.

Alright, Casper. I'll be there in five minutes.

He took a quick shower and changed his clothes into something more appropriate for the event. The shower had helped to clear his head and had lessened the grief. The alpha walked out of his room feeling much better, and left his wing to the training field where the funeral was going to take place.

According to werewolf custom, a wolf must be buried as soon as he or she dies, usually depending on how the wolf's family wishes for him or her to be buried. Both wolves' families had preferred their dead one to be cremated, as Logan sighted two pyres that had been hastily set up.

Torches had been lit and set around the pyres, which cast an eerie glow over the faces of those that were present. Logan looked up and saw that the moon was high in the sky, a crescent that hung like a lantern among the clouds.

The bodies of the wolves had been wrapped in pure white cloth and placed on the pyre. The families of the deceased and other wolves in the pack had gathered around, silently waiting for him. When he got to their midst, they bowed and murmured greetings, and he dismissed then with a wave. He walked over to the pyres, where his beta and gamma were waiting alongside a number of other male wolves. He bowed silently to them and turned to the people.

"Another dead, another gone." He started "Our Lycan brothers have lived their lives for this pack, and they died protecting all of us. For this they will be remembered for as long wolves roam this earth. Their blood will not go unavenged, as long as the Goddess watches over us."

"As long as the Goddess watches over us." The pack members echoed.

Logan picked up one of the torches that were around the pyre and raised it over the dead bodies. He closed his eyes for a second as the wolves behind him began to chant in a low voice.

Soon the chanting got louder as the faces of the two dead wolves flashed before his eyelids. They had been loyal Lycans, had willingly volunteered to be on the patrol team even when some others were reluctant about it. And they had died fighting for his pack. Whatever had killed them was still out there, he knew, and it wasn't done killing.

He opened his eyes and lowered the torch to the pyre, watching the dead bodies lick up the fire like thirsty dogs. The fire spread across the pyre and soon consumed everything: bodies, wood and all. The blaze made Logan's eyes sting with tears and he stepped back and they all watched as the bodies of their dead comrades went up in flames.

As the smoke rose up into the air, their chantings turned to howls as each wolf began to morph into their respective wolf forms until all around Logan were wolves with different colours of pelt. They raised their snouts in the air and howled with a collective voice as a sign of their shared grief.

His mind flashed back to how his mother was killed, ten years ago. She had gone for her routine midnight stroll at the border and hadn't returned that same night. Search parties had been sent out to look for her the next morning, and her body had been found close to the forest, mutilated just like these dead wolves had been. As he remembered the sight of his mother with her face frozen in death, he gritted his teeth in anger and swore to find the killer of his wolves, even if it was the last thing he would do.

His eyes wandered over to where the white wolf stood among the howling wolves. She too, like him, hadn't morphed into her wolf form. Her eyes locked into his and he felt a sudden jolt of realisation. Like a puzzle piece snapping into place, all the random images began to come together in his head and his eyes widened as they finally started to make sense.

The dead wolves, mutilated and killed

His dead mother's body, found close to the forest

The white wolf, found unconscious close to the border

Her crescent tattoo.

What if all of these random events were somehow connected?