He found her on the northern trail leading towards the pack’s clearing and mountain shelter. As always, it was Roland’s duty to lead the hunt. He had headed out early that morning before anyone else had woken to search the surrounding area. Roland was looking for two things; prey and danger. There had been movement from neighboring packs and Nafarius wanted to make sure that none of them were ambushed while hunting for their food.
Roland lifted his head and sniffed the wind. His nostrils flared and instantly he was able to identify several surrounding scents including those of a rabbit, squirrel, and skunk. Noting which way the skunk had drifted he was careful to give the small animal a wide berth. No one would appreciate it if he came home smelling of the animal’s foul musk and Sam would likely make him sleep outside. Thinking of his mistress cause Roland to smile. Things had worked out well, far better then either he or Nafarius had ever imagined. Gertrude was the only one that still didn’t accept their leader’s mate but that was more a matter of wounded pride than anything else and she was smart enough not to tempt Sam’s anger again.
Turning his head Roland caught the scent of something unexpected. Death. While a natural part of life, especially theirs, it wasn’t normal for such a strong smell to linger. These woods were control by Nafarius and no other pack was allowed to hunt here without first acquiring the leader’s permission. None had been granted the right to pass onto their land in several months and their pack hadn’t hunted in this area for at least that long. Nafarius and Roland were careful to rotate their hunting grounds to give nature a time to replenish itself. The woods to the north had been left alone for sometime yet whatever was out there had been killed recently.
Roland stilled and listened to the sounds surrounding him. It was early and the forest was still quite but not unnaturally so. Moving slowly, careful to pay attention to where he placed each paw, Roland moved towards the scent. He was able to move without making a sound and the branches remained still, undisturbed by his passing. It took him several minutes but he was able to locate the source of the smell. He circled until it was in his line of sight but by then he knew exactly what he had found.
The woman lay naked on a pile of broken branches and crushed leaves. She appeared to be unconscious and what Roland had mistaken for death was at the very least serious injuries. He could see the slight rise and fall in her body that indicated breath, and life. But there was no telling how long she had been there or how long she would last.
Mindful that this could be a trap Roland sat back on his haunches and waited. No one could have known that he would be coming here today but that didn’t stop him from being cautious. There were many that would use such tactics as a way to snare an unsuspecting passerby but as he sat there listening to the woods around him Roland was unable to pick up the scent or sounds of anyone else.
Deciding that he’d waited long enough, he moved out from his hiding place and walked over to the where the woman lay still unconscious. As he drew closer another scent reached him for the first time. It was distinctly animal and it was coming from the woman. Not strong enough to carry on the wind she had the unmistakable smell of a lycanthrope but it was only after he had moved closer was he able to detect it. He couldn’t say for sure that she was a werewolf but there were no lycanthrope of other animals in this area.
Assuming she was from a neighboring pack, Roland gently rolled her over. Sitting back he grimaced at the sight before him. Her face was black and blue beaten beyond recognition. There was dried blood on her face, chin and neck and what was left of her clothes were torn into shreds. Through the ripped material he was able to see that most of her body had suffered a similar fate as her face. There didn’t appear to be an inch on her left untouched, undamaged.
Roland found himself growing red with rage. There was no reason in the world that could justify beating a woman to such an extent and then leaving her to die. Leaning forward, careful not to touch her, he sniffed and caught the unmistakable scent of blood just beneath the surface. Only this wasn’t a good sign, the blood was too close to the surface and indicated internal bleeding.
With a growl, Roland shifted back into human form and gently picked the woman up. No matter who she was or where she came from he couldn’t just leave her here to die. He would take her home and have Sam and the other women look her over. He was sure there was something that could be done.
Roland gave a low whistle of warning as he approached the clearing. He wasn’t sure how the woman had come to be beaten and unconscious in the woods and he wanted the pack on alert. At his signal several men disbursed; they would search the surrounding area looking for any signs of danger. It didn’t matter why Roland had called the warning, the fact that he had was enough to get everyone up and moving.
Nafarius stood waiting for him, Sam by his side. If Nafarius’ scowl was any indication Roland would have to say that the leader wasn’t happy to have his mate out in the open. Sam, with her arms crossed over her ample breasts, gave no indication of moving. She openly glared at her mate letting him know what she had thought of his order to remain inside with the others.
“What happened?” Nafarius looked at his second-in-command and waited.
Sam saw the unconscious woman and immediately moved forward to help. Before Nafarius could stop her she had called for Maddie and the two of them gathered the young woman and carried her inside.
Roland, for whatever reason, was reluctant to let the woman out of her sight and followed his mistress inside without answering his leader’s question.
Nafarius sighed; it seemed today was the day that everyone choose to ignore him. First Sam and now Roland. If he didn’t know any better he would have started questioning just who was in charge. Sam seemed determined to sweep in and take control however he knew that wasn’t her intention. He knew that she was a caring individual and her thoughts had only been getting the injured woman some help.