Chasing Melody
TWENTY SIX

~Chase’s POV~

Running out of the pack house I can sense that I might have just hurt Melody more than I wanted to.

Melody is lost at the moment. Her mother is gone and her father is in pain. There is no way that she can be out here helping us.

She wants to help out her mother and all I do is lock her up in her room and runaway.

It’s for the best. She can get hurt out here.

Glancing back I see that her curtains are pulled to the side. She must have seen the bars by now. They were put up on the orders of the new replacement alpha. They put bars on all the windows so that her window does not stand out.

She must be angry with whoever did that.

I would be as well. If I were in her shoes.

Making my way through the trees I spot the pack. In a circular formation, I spot Ken in the middle of it all.

“Okay, so the rogue that attacked Drake has been apprehended. He won’t talk but one of our sources tells me that his scent is that of the rogue pack that wanders down through this territory and he thinks that they have been planning this for quite some time since it was a quick job.” Ken’s eyes scan the people around him and they land on me as I make my way through the crowd.

“What are we going to do?” A man much older than Ken asks and there is muttering through the crowd.

“As of right now we keep the hidden jewel safe, at all cost. There is no need for this pack to suffer anymore. As for the rogues, does anyone have any ideas that they want to say I’m fresh out and since I’ve never been in this status of leadership I am seriously lost.” Ken says dropping his shoulders in defeat. “I’m a good fighter but it was always Hunter and Melany that came up with the ideas.”

“I say we go in full force and get our alpha back,” a young male states rather enthusiastic.

“I say attack them with all we have!” Says an older man looking at the young male in agreement.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Ken narrows his eyes at them, “a child can see that that plan is a lost cause. What if they outnumber us? Then what?”

“We need someone on the inside,” I voice my thought without realizing it.

“What?” Someone behind me chimes in.

“Huh?” The young boy from earlier looks at me as if I grew a second head.

“What is this outsider saying?” The rumble in my chest lashes out of me before I can stop it. My head whips to the side my eyes locking on the young blonde male that I have seen a couple of times in town.

“Who are you calling an outsider? I earned my spot in this pack unlike you that is in because of your family,” my breathing is coming in rapidly and the warm hand on my back calms me down.

He is a friend, not a foe.

“Chase,” I turn around and come face to face with Ken, “can you elaborate some more?”

“What more do I have to say? The plan is quite straightforward if you ask me. We need someone on our side in the inside. Someone that has the full pledge to this pack but the rogues don’t know that.”

Ken arches an eyebrow, “someone like who? Everyone in the pack is either branded with the Moonless or Crimson Moon packs symbol and if not their scent would surely give them away.”

Don’t say what you’re thinking! They’ll have your head and mine.

Pushing my wolf down he is all but a whisper in my mind. “How about the hidden jewel?” I state rather coolly.

The other pack members look at themselves confused with what I said but the darkness in Ken’s eyes tells me he understands exactly what I mean. They know that there is something in the house that they need to look after most do not know what it is.

“He’s kidding,” Ken says loudly so everyone hears him, “excuse us a moment,” his hand grips my shoulder tightly and he pushes me through the people as they converse about their strategy. “Are you nuts? Kid, you must be missing some screws is that bulbous head of yours!” Shoving my shoulder away from him I straighten myself out and look at him straight into his eyes.

“Why the hell not?” I hiss at him.

“Because she’s the reason that we’re in this mess,” he glares at me and I swallow down, “they are trying to hurt our alpha’s but killing them ends the hurting all at once. Having their offspring will make sure that they die a slow and painful death,” he steps closer to me, “so your plan is out of the equation, understand!”

“She might be our only chance to get to Alpha Hunter,” I let the words sink in. “She might not have her wolf but she’s a fighter. She is our secret weapon!”

“She can get killed,” his eyes dart around as his mind tries to find another way.

“You don’t think she’s dying in her room knowing that her mother is out somewhere probably being tortured and her father feeling everything and she’s stuck in her room unable to do anything,” my overwhelming feeling to keep Melody safe makes me yell at him. My anger at what is happening is directed at Ken but it is not his fault.

“I can’t allow it, Chase. Hunter and Melany would surely have my head if they know I allowed their child to step into enemy territory,” he breathes out in frustration.

“Then say the truth!”

“What?” Ken looks at me and his shaky hand runs through his hair.

“I thought about it, I planned it alone, and I went behind your back and took Melody with me,” Ken shakes his head, “you prepare our pack to fight, train them long and hard. While Melody and I gather up information about the rogues that have our alpha and when I give you the signal you attack,” I take a step back.

“Chase, you’ll be banished if this works, you know how Melany is,” he starts.

“Yes I know and if it wasn’t for this, and you, I would be back at Kiero’s pack starting back from the bottom.” I shrug, “gather as many allies as possible and I will keep in touch with this bulbous head of mine,” I give him a weak smile.

“Chase, take good care of my niece, of our hidden jewel.”

“There is no way in hell that I am stepping back onto this territory without her. If it comes between one of us dying so the other survives she will live. She will live even if I can’t,” Ken bites his lip as he stares at me.

“You speak with so much courage,” he breathes, “you speak like a man that has found their soul mate,” his eyes soften.

“She is more to me than the girl I shadow,” Ken nods his understanding, “she’s my friend.”

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“Okay, mind link me if anything happens.” Turning on my heels I run back to the pack house, back to Melody. But before I go to her I have to grab some essentials.

Running into the pack house instead of heading into my usual direction I run to the back of the house towards the back door.

When I barely started working for Alpha Melany Hunter Andrew brought me into this very spot. Moving the doormat the barely visible outline of the trap door comes into view. My wolf allows my claws to grow out and they easily dig into the wood and lift the door.

The dark entryway does not stop me from lowering myself down my foot searches for the steps and once I find them climbing down is a breeze. Once my feet touch the floor my hand whips up and grabs the chain that hangs from the ceiling. Pulling the chain my eyes sting close.

I do hope you know what you’re doing.

I don’t have the slightest idea but I need to be prepared.

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