Alpha Dark Different

Adrian sat on the ground, silently looking at his surroundings, thinking about the next step. Should he continue his journey with these women until they reached one of the herds and leave them there? Or should he take them back to his own herd, where it would be safer? He considered all possibilities, but the fear that they might encounter the Rogues on their way occupied his mind. If that happened, they would all be in danger. He didn't fear for himself, but he felt a sense of responsibility toward these women. He had to get them to a safe place as soon as possible, but he couldn't leave them in any herd that might be attacked, and the same tragedy would happen again.

Adrian finally made his decision. He would take them back to the herd. He hadn't initially wanted to get involved in this responsibility, but the journey he had started was more complicated than he had expected. All he was looking for was revenge for his mate's death, and he was finally getting close to learning more about the person whose name and tattoo he only knew. He had to keep looking for that person, and for that, he had to go back.

Arkon sat down next to him and said, "Have you thought about what we're going to do now?"

Adrian answered, "Yes, we will take them back to our pack."

Arkon said, "But... we could be attacked on the way back."

Adrian replied, "I hope not. So we will leave this place before sunrise, and when evening comes, we will look for a cave or some place to hide until morning comes again."

Arkon nodded. "I think you are right. It's hard to fight with them with us. We have to keep them alive."

While they were discussing this, a little girl came out of one of the houses, looking very hungry. She looked at the supplies they had, and Adrian offered her some food. The girl awkwardly took the food, then began to eat it quickly, suggesting that she hadn't eaten in a long time. As time passed, all the women began to come out of the houses, with five other children besides the little girl.

Adrian and Arkon distributed the food to everyone until only a little remained.

Arkon took stock of the situation. There were twenty women and six children, plus his companion, and he knew that such a large number posed a great challenge for them. He didn't know how they were going to get them back to the herd; they were responsible for them until it was safe for them to return.

Adrian approached everyone after they had finished their food and said, "We should get going now. Before morning comes, we should be far enough away. We will take you to our herd. Klek's herd will welcome you among them."

The women looked at each other, and one of them asked, "What will happen if they attack us on the way?"

They whispered among themselves, and then Arkon replied, "We will try to avoid them as much as possible on the way, but this is the best solution for now."

Seeing that the women were convinced, Adrian said, "All of you, turn into your wolves. Let's start the journey now. It will take days if we walk, but if we run, we'll get there faster, so we have to be strong."

Arkon went inside and picked up his mate. All the women turned into their wolves. They carried the children and started running back.

As the sun rose, ten wolves arrived at the place where they had been. They found their comrades lying on the ground, their severely beaten bodies clearly visible. They approached them, only to discover that all but one had died. One of them picked him up and carried him back to where they had come from, while the others started looking for the women, but they found no trace of them. They split up, each taking a different route to try to get to them before everyone found out what had happened in the herd.

After they had traveled a good distance, the wolves began to get tired for the first time. They had been running for long periods, and the children were exhausted and hungry.

Addressing Arkon, Adrian said, "Fatigue has gotten the best of them. They can't go on. They need to rest."

Arkon quickly looked at them and said, "But we will be late like this. Surely, by now, they must be looking for them."

Adrian replied, "I know, but they need to rest. Let's find a safe place where we can rest for a bit."

Arkon nodded and started looking for a nearby cave. They couldn't stay exposed. Finally finding a cave, they set off in its direction, then stopped. Adrian motioned for them to sit down and telepathized with Arkon.

Adrian said, "I'll have a quick look around. Give food to the kids until I get back. If I sense them approaching and I don't come back, take off with them and don't stop."

Arkon replied, "Okay. Be careful, and don't worry."

Arkon gave the children food and sat down to rest. He looked at Lucy, who was sleeping. He lay down and put his head on his front paw, listening for any sounds coming from the forest. About half an hour passed, then Sivak came rushing back, saying, "Come on, we have to get out of here! They're coming."

Arkon got up and carried his companion, and then Sivak carried all the children thanks to his large size. They took off quickly when they realized that the Rogues were about to approach them.

Hours passed until darkness fell, and they were still running. The great distance that separated them from the Rogues gave them an advantage. Thanks to the cooler weather, the Rogues couldn't follow them. Despite the warmth provided by their fur, they began to feel tired and sleepy. Sivak stopped and set the children on the ground, then went behind a tree to change his clothes.

He returned a little later with some firewood. He lit a fire to warm them up.

Arkon was worried about his companion, who hadn't woken up yet. He left her next to them and went to look around, hoping to find something to hunt—perhaps to relieve his anger and sadness.

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