Moonlight Alpha

Cobblestone streets, carts full of bountiful harvests, beautiful architecture, perfectly polished silver, gold weightier than a fully grown man and gems that sparkled brighter than the fullest moon. Laredo pack really had it all -- an outsider's view point.

With the magical barrier that kept werewolves of other packs out of the inner circles of the pack territory every Luna cycle, it was easy to play the part of a happy and prosperous pack. The man behind the cabbage cart to Peter's right had a bright smile plastered on his face as though he hadn't seen a major loss in crops due to substandard fertilizers. The woman at the seamstress store to Peter's left acted all chipper as though she didn't have to pay ridiculous prices for her materials and ludicrous taxes to secure her shop in the outer circle. The delicious meals in the food stalls could never tell the story of the hunger of the people. The ever flowing ale and laughter at the pubs could never reveal the shut down of most of the brewery factories. The brawls at the gambler's den would never give an inkling of the poverty that gripped the minority without a position or dirty deed to their name.

It was all just a simple puppet show written and directed by one puppet master, Lincoln Fierce, the great Alpha of Laredo pack.

"Peter!" He heard someone call out his name and turned to answer. It was Ian, a Delta of the Skywalker Pack where Peter grew up.

"Oh, Ian. I almost lost you in the crowd," he answered. That was a joke considering how trained his sense of smell was.

Ian, being a huge guy with a height that was an added advantage for his job as a Delta, laughed at Peter's commentary because he knew that he hadn't been looking for him at all. "Man! This place is huge." He exclaimed as he came up to him and Peter laughed. This was not the first, second or third time they had come to the Laredo Pack and yet, Ian always marveled at the sight.

Peter shrugged off the excitement he was feeling. Ian's cheerfulness was always contagious. Because of his build, one would mistake him for a mean guy who got angry at the slightest provocation but Ian wasn't like that. Currently, they were both excited and for different reasons.

While Ian dragged him to every food vendor lined up with free tasting samples, he couldn't deny that his interest lied somewhere else - the section of the market where new inventions by random wolves were displayed.

"Where are you going?" Ian asked. He looked ridiculous holding three skewers in his right hand while stuffing his face with the meat bun he held on his left.

Peter smiled as he dragged his best friend forward, his own half eaten skewer forgotten in his left hand. There was a new invention on display and a small crowd was gathered there.

"Another invention?" Ian whined as he put the last of his meat bun into his mouth. He gave a satisfactory moan as he chewed on it. Glancing back at the food stall he got it from, he wondered if they could double back and get more. But Peter was already at the front of the crowd staring with amazement at the weird contraption being displayed.

"Wow," Peter exclaimed as the man showed them how it worked. He had no idea what this one was but he liked it. "Ian, check out the next stall," he whispered to his side without looking. His eyes were at the next stall where a middle aged woman displayed strapped socks that could hide tiny weapons.

Peter found himself at that stall. He watched her take out each weapon hidden in between straps in her socks. A tiny knife, a dozen silver needles, something that looked like a clamp and two daggers. Soon everyone was clapping and he joined them. If he had come here to actually shop, he would purchase those socks right away. They would be really useful even though they looked like they belonged more with a female.

"Man, you walk fast when it comes to these invented things. How do people even come up with this stuff?" Ian complained. He held one last skewer and it looked like he wasn't going to eat it.

"I told you that we should check out the next stall," Peter retorted, noting a shop owner with a straw hat signalling him beside the woman's shop.

"Told me? I wasn't even standing near you. How'd you tell me?"

Peter sighed the moment he saw the giant's signature annoyed frown. Let the nagging begin.

"This is what you do every single time we visit the markets. You always disappear whenever you enter the streets of Laredo. One minute you're beside me, the next you're off to God knows where-"

Peter zoned off, focusing on the man in the next stall where paintings were displayed. As he nervously fiddled with a paper having a worthless drawing, it was obvious that this was this man's first time acting as a beacon for the rebels. The illustration on the paper was about a building in a circle and stick figures were bent over around it. The man glanced at the crowd with a smile as children gathered around to mock the drawing.

Peter got the message. The laughing man along with the children would throw any investigator off. The little troublemakers probably thought themselves more of an accomplished artist than the shop owner. The ugly drawing was depicting a temple and he knew that was exactly where he should go.

He glanced at an armory store a few paces behind them. "Is that a ginger bread store?"

"Where!" Ian gasped. The only thing that would buy his attention without fail was a good snack.

As soon as the giant turned around, Peter masked his scent and blended in with the crowd.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Ian groaned, eyes searching the sea of bodies around him as soon as he stopped catching a wiff of his best friend's scent. "That's it. I'm going home," he huffed, knowing better than to embark on the fruitless exercise of scouring the market for the pain in the ass he was charged to protect.

Peter watched the poor guy pass him and slipped into the lonely roads that led to the dense forest that no outsider was meant to venture into.

These woods were familiar and he knew it like the back of his hands. A distant voice rode on the wind, sweet and calming as it strung a nostalgic melody on the leaves of the humming trees around him. Long wavy brown hair swaying fiercely, heavy pants and aggressive growls filled his mind's eye. The setting sun reminded him of the burning amber of a beautiful woman's eyes. A woman who had no choice but to leave an innocent child motherless because of the greed of a dirty old fool. A fool who would certainly get what was coming to him in due time.

As he went deeper into the woods, he drew up the hood of his cloak and fixed his mask correctly. Soon he got to the boundary where the barrier's force repelled outsiders. Effortlessly passing through, the familiar rumbling of the trees in the inner circle wrapped his ears in a warm caress.

Now in enemy territory, he set out on a jog, his next assignment clear in his head until he got to the abandoned temple. Scanning his surroundings properly to make sure no one was nearby, he placed his hand on the runes on the altar. He traced them, reading them out. Touching the outstretched hand of a statue of the moon goddess, his eyes glowed a vibrant emerald green. The statue shifted and revealed a staircase that led down into the tunnel. Having no time to waste, he moved down the stairs. The passages seemed to be lit with a never quenching fire. The smoke in the air smelt sweet.

He pulled out a cloth and tied his nose. He had learnt the hard way during his training with Hored Clayton that sweet smells were often deceiving. The little air he had inhaled was already affecting him. There was a drug in it that made one disoriented.

Where the passage ended, were two tunnels. Peter frowned when he heard voices and faint clanking sounds to tunnel on his right. He allowed his ears lead him to a deep open hole. He bent down, allowing his hands to touch the ground. He could feel the vibrations within the earth. There was a rocky circular path that spiralled downwards to whatever was at the bottom of the hole. He knew from experience that a drill was being used. It was the new mining hole that had brought him here.

Peter looked around, contemplating his choices. Even if he could go down there. There was only one way back up. If he was spotted, there'd be no way to escape without having to fight. That would only attract attention and either get him captured or they'd tighten the security. If that happened, the planned heist for this particular hole would be rendered useless.

"How are the preparations for the United Pack Competitions?"

Peter slid back into the passage, thankful that it was dark and narrow. He blended in with the dark area. Luckily for him, the two figures climbing the spiral pathway stopped at the beginning of the right tunnel. They faced each other and continued their discussion.

"Beta Embry-"

"Don't tell me there are problems, Gul."

Peter's eyes widened. Embry Davina, the ruthless Beta of the Laredo pack. She was known for her remarkable swordsmanship. She was a genius. A child protégé of Arete, the archery god of the werewolf world. They say he never missed a shot no matter what.

Peter craned his neck. He wanted to catch a glimpse of her. She was just nineteen years old and she had a lot of achievements under her belt. In the annual talent games hosted by the Laredo pack, she was always the representative for swordsmanship, archery, hand-to-hand combat, knife throwing and gun practice. She was good at malee, long ranged and short ranged competitions. At least, those were the rumored tales about her as the talent game was only for Laredo pack and its citizens.

"Beta, concerning the price money, the treasurer complains that the stakes are too high. All our resources go into machines for the mine. Mr. Bach is afraid that Laredo will soon go bankrupt before the end of the year. The people are complaining about the high taxes. They don't make much profits. Whatever gems we find in the mine are either given to the Alpha house and are only put into the competitions, or they are stolen by those rebels. Even the revenue we'll get from the competitions we're about to conduct won't go to the well being of the pack. The people are suffering. Soon, the uprising currently ongoing won't be as obscure as it is now."

Embry sighed, nodding her head. All these problems were not new to her neither was the Alpha's obsession with a legendary weapon that was to be found in a cave of gems. It was said that it would ensure them victory over any enemy.

According to the Alpha, such a weapon would guarantee ultimate success over the Skywalkers. Those treacherous bastards caused the death of their previous Alpha during the territory coup orchestrated by Hored Clayton. The coup failed but the Alpha and his family fell. Her parents died in vain protecting them. If not for Lincoln Fierce, their current Alpha, the pack would have been wiped out. Yet, when Hored was brought to the council of priestesses, they deemed him innocent for lack of evidence tying him to the death of the Alpha and his family.

Embry gritted her teeth. If she had the opportunity, she'd kill every single person from the Skywalker pack. They were so shameless. After everything they had done, they still attended every single Luna cycle in the outer circle. "The Alpha believes in the prophecy given by the chief priestess. If it says we will find the weapon here, then we'll find it. We'll just have to work faster and pick inventions that will make the work easier."

Weapon? What weapon? What prophecy? What could they possibly be looking for it for? Was it really in this mining hole?

Peter frowned. How long had he been in this tunnel? He was taking too long down here and was loosing track of time. He had to start making his way back up. Soon, it would be time for him to give a signal to the rebel scouts. It would not look good for 'Him' to disappoint them now.

Peter slowly started moving away from the two werewolves. He was careful not to make any sounds that would attract their attention.

"I understand, Beta. But what could we possibly do to increase revenue and distribute it better?"

"Gul, that's not our duty. We don't deal with finance, expenditure and revenue allocations. I understand your concerns but just do as you are told. I'll see what I can do to relay your concerns to the Alpha."

Gul nodded. "Beta," he saluted.

She nodded at him and dismissed him. She watched him go down the spiral once more. Turning around, she frowned when she caught a glimpse of someone sneaking through the tunnel.

"Hey, you! Stop there!"

Peter didn't look back as he ran. He had been too slow in slipping away. While he had spent time trying to be quiet, he didn't anticipate the possibility of Embry and her subordinate concluding their conversation and turning around to see him. Luckily, he was already at the end of that passage by the time she saw him. He looked back to see if she was following up but when he didn't see anything, he slowed down a bit to do a maneuver around a large tree just outside the abandoned temple. He stopped to catch his breath and looked around. He was on the right track.

If Embry decided that he wasn't worth chasing after, that would be great but the thought of her deeming him unworthy enraged him a little.

"Beta, I hear movements on the east side," someone yelled from the back.

So they were actually chasing him. Peter felt elated along with the adrenaline rush. He picked up his pace as he heard leaves and branches rustle not too far from him. He knew that Embry was fast but he was faster.

Embry gritted her teeth as she ran, using the shortest routes possible. How the hell did a rebel manage to open the blocked wall that even dynamites couldn't blow open?

'Beta, do we chase?' she heard Gul through the mindlink. As she sighted the figure running, she replied with a clear instruction, 'Don't. I'll get him myself.'

Embry didn't need to stop in order to catch her breath. She could go five long minutes while holding her breath. This was a child's play compared to what she usually ran. "Stop right there," she shouted again. She didn't really expect him to stop though. Who in their right mind would? The man turned but she couldn't see his face. He had a light mask on and piece of cloth tied around his nose which was smart because of the opium emission traps set by the old priestesses at the beginning of the tunnel for unsuspecting intruders.

Wait, that meant this rebel was either a frequent invader or someone with prior knowledge of the framework of the tunnels. If it was the former then she needed to tighten the security. If it was the latter, then he had someone helping him on the inside. That wasn't good at all. She had to get him. If she could catch him and find out who his accomplices were, she would finally be able to catch those thieves that gave their Alpha a headache and prove her theory that the Skywalker pack had a hand in this anarchy somehow.

Peter ran until he got to the barrier. He stopped to catch his breath before slipping past the barrier and coming up the alley. He continued running, just in case Embry was still in pursuit. While he turned to check his back, he bumped into someone.

"My lady!" A young girl shouted and he turned back to see who he had hit.

The lady in question was a young girl dressed in a long black skirt and although he couldn't tell what her complete outfit was, her silver cloak could not be missed. Definitely the daughter of some blockhead council member or wealthy businessman who cast his lot with the devil.

"How dare you hit the lady? You have no respect for royalty!" The girl who was most likely her handmaiden shouted at him.

Royalty? Is that what too much money and power made them think of themselves now?

The young lady in question didn't say anything, she just looked at him like he had five heads.

Peter felt awkward standing there for the few seconds he did and he could feel eyes on him. His pursuer was hot on his tail and it was almost funny how she hadn't caught up yet. Almost. Nothing was amusing about the fact that he had possibly ruined their chances of a successful heist with this screw up.

"I'm sorry, really sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "I didn't mean to bump into your lady," he said hurriedly to the maid then turned to the lady already walking backwards. "I have to get going. Use a carriage or something next time." He ran off.

"Ugh, what an uncultured brute," the handmaiden fussed, trying to dust off imaginary dirt from the lady's clothes.

The lady Peter had bumped into kept looking in the direction he had just passed. She couldn't see his face through the odd mask he had been wearing but his eyes had been a captivating emerald green. The dark lines surrounding his eyes made him look like he had put on the dark ink ladies wore to make their eyes beautiful. His scent...dear goddess his scent had been heavenly for a street rat like him.

The air around the lady shifted as the Beta of her pack whizzed past. She scoffed. "We have more important things to think of and she has nothing better to do than to chase a man? How pathetic," she spat, swirling around with graceful movements. "Let's go, Hannah. We'll be late."

Embry found herself in the marketplace. Whoever this intruder was, he was skilled and very fast. Not just anyone could leave her in the dust like that. She should have lost him by now but for some reason his scent, although faint, was so unique and distinctive. Her eyes scanned the streets as she followed her nose but the more she got mixed up in the crowd, the more she lost track of his scent.

The sky was getting increasingly dark and the streetlights were already being turned on when she finally caught a glimpse of the bastard in his deep purple cloak. He was already at the gates. The idiot had stopped running. He probably thought he was safe now. As if she would let her only lead slip through her fingers. With a new burst of energy, she pushed through the crowd faster, a wide smirk on her face as she tackled him to the ground.

The minute she pinned his hand to his back, she knew something was wrong. His frame was smaller, he was a few inches taller from up close and most importantly, his scent was marginally different and unpleasant.

Huffing angrily, she let go of the poor male and stood up. She had been played. Ignoring the disturbed people around her, she grabbed the boy's collar with a growl of frustration. "Who gave you that cloak?"

"I don't know, Beta. Someone gave me a pouch of silver to wear his cloak and give you this message," the boy trembled, shakily handing a white cloth to her.

Her eyes widened when she saw the message.

'Too slow, sweetheart.'

He even had the audacity to scribble a badly drawn wink face! Squeezing the cloth in pure rage, she let go of the boy.

"Beta, is there something wrong?" A soldier at the gate approached her.

Slamming the note against his abdomen, she spoke. "Find out what textile shop owns this material."