Jordan was an experienced General of the Spring Leaf pack. Normally, he would be in charge of strategizing, but this was a room full of high-ranked members, females outnumbered him heavily, and he didn't dare to act presumptuously.
No one told Jordan about the situation, but even with Luna Tatiana sitting at the center, everyone was looking at Talia, so he knew who was the boss here.
"What's the plan?" Jordan asked while looking at Talia.
Talia glanced at the people present, and she could see that Lulu and Pierce were communicating via mind-link. Talia approved. The more Pierce knows, the more useful he will be, and talking through mind-link was much more efficient compared to using words.
Talia summarized for the newcomers, "The guards who were stationed around the packhouse are not in their places and can't be contacted. We want to check the area and see what happened. Stay alert, as there might be enemies hiding. Since we have four additional people, let's form two groups. We will all exit through the main door. Jordan, Daria, Pierce, Lidia, Kalina, and Varya will take right. I will go with Ivy, Lily, and Lulu to the left."
Pierce objected. "I can't leave your side. I am your guard."
Talia disagreed. "Take care of your mate, Pierce. This is an order."
Pierce lowered his head, unsure if he should give in. He realized that he was in a tight spot. On one side was obeying Talia's command, and on the other was leaving her side, which meant that he won't be able to protect her. Can he come in the same group as Talia and bring Daria along? What if both Talia and Daria were in trouble? Will he be able to choose? Daria was his life, but if anything happened to Talia, Damon will skin him alive. And there was the blood oath that would force him to choose Talia.
'Don't worry, Pierce,' Lulu's voice sounded in his mind. 'I will take care of Luna. You stay with your mate. Finish your round quickly and then you can return to protecting our Luna.'
With this push, Pierce nodded in agreement.
Talia thought that this was a good division. Like this, every group will have an Alpha, and if four Wilkow sisters were together, they won't worry about each other.
In Talia's group, Ivy and Lily were not much of fighters, but Talia knew that if they encounter trouble, she will end up using her powers. At that point, it won't matter if she was on her own, or with an army backing her. Liseli was itchy for a fight, and Talia had no intention of preventing her wolf from releasing some steam.
Talia turned to look at Lulu. "You won't stop me from going out?"
Lulu blinked at Talia. "My orders are to ensure your safety. Not to keep you inside."
Talia liked this response.
"We will circle around the packhouse while checking the nearby forest for any signs of foul play. Let's hope we meet on the other side without any issues." Talia wished that the guards were drugged and left alone, and that it was all just a big prank by a drunk guest.
"Wait!", Tatiana exclaimed. "You can't go like that. I need to know what's going on. Talia and Meg can mind-link, but the second group will be in the dark."
"What do you suggest?" Talia asked.
Tatiana's eyes lost focus for a moment. "One Omega will accompany each of your groups. They will trail in the back so they are not in danger, and their task will be to communicate with each other and with me." By the time Tatiana ended talking, two females in their late twenties were standing at the door of the living room.
With this, they were ready to go.
Talia wondered if she should contact Damon, but she decided against it.
She didn't want to lie, and if she told him that she was going out, he would blow a fuse.
Besides, he was out there for a long time without contacting her. Surely, he can wait a few minutes. The fact that he didn't mind-link her already told her that he was either patient or busy. Probably busy.
Talia was determined to finish this task quickly, and then she will contact Damon and tell him that everything was alright.
Talia, Lulu, Ivy, Lily, and Mila (the Omega that Tatiana assigned to their group) were moving along the border where the forest met the clearing which circled the packhouse.
There was no scent of blood, and they didn't see any signs of fighting. Those were good things, but where were the guards? It was mysterious and unsettling.
Every step was unusually loud, and they could even hear their own breathing.
'CRACK!'
Ivy stepped on a dry branch, and everyone jolted.
"Sorry," Ivy said in a whisper. She was also startled.
Talia glanced at Lulu whose narrowed eyes were scanning the dark forest like she could see through it. Lulu was on alert, but not tense, and Talia guessed how that was due to her experience.
Talia admired Damon's warriors. There was a reason why the Dark Howlers pack was an untouchable existence for many.
Talia's head snapped to her right.
"Do you see something?" Lulu asked in a whisper.
"Yes. There are presences there. Two of them. No, three." Talia was confused. How come her sensing ability was off? Damon mentioned that rogues were concealing their scent. Was it possible that they concealed their presence also?
"Let's go and check it out," Lulu said and Talia agreed.
"Shouldn't we alert others?" Ivy asked. She was not a warrior and going into danger sounded reckless.
"Mila will tell them that we found something and where we are," Lulu said.
Talia was not much of a warrior, but it was not difficult to see that Ivy, Lily, and Mila were terrified. Talia couldn't blame them. Without training and without an aura to protect them, they would be foolish to look for trouble.
Talia thought of Omegas as strength in numbers. Five she-wolves were more intimidating than two, and Talia didn't want to split from them, however, they needed to see what was going on there, and if they forced three scaredy females to come, they would probably be a burden.
Talia quickly decided, "I will go with Lulu to check what's going on there. Ivy, Lily, stay with Mila here and wait for others to come."
Lily's eyes were open wide in panic. "Just the two of you?"
Talia didn't feel like explaining. "Just the two of us. Your task is to ensure Mila's safety, and to tell others where we are."
Talia glanced at Lulu who obviously didn't object to this plan.
The only thing Talia regretted was that she couldn't mind-link with Lulu. Like this, they would either need to guess what the other one was thinking or talk aloud and risk being overheard.
"How can you determine their location?" Lulu asked Talia.
"Just like any Alpha, I'm using my aura."
"Not any Alpha can do it," Lulu said. "It means that at least one of your parents was an Alpha."
Talia remembered that Lulu didn't go with them to the Midnight Guardians pack, so she didn't know the story about Valerian Moonrider. But Talia was curious about Lulu's words. "How do you know that?"
Lulu grinned. "My grandma told me. Only the ones born with an Alpha bloodline can they use their aura for more than suppressing others."
Talia thought that this was interesting information. If true, it meant that Tatiana and Kalina don't have that ability. Talia decided to discuss this with Damon later. Now she needed to focus on figuring out if those people there were friends or foes, and why they were just sitting there.
