Dread hung heavy in the air. It loomed over everyone's head in a dark cloud of doubt, anxiety, and, most shockingly, determination. They knew what they had to do, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Do you want to call him?" Dillon asked his mate. A smirk fell across his lips as his little she-wolf crossed her arms over her chest and let out a growl worthy of a lion's.

"Oh hell naw, you call him. He's a royal pain in my ass." Alexandra said in a pouty growl. "He still won't get over it! It was an accident! He's such a drama pup; get over it already!"

Dillon let out a chuckle as he turned the phone over and over in his hands.

"Your Bean-Casserole left him sick for days." Dillon laughed. "He had to let his Beta take over for a while because every time he shifted, he would get sick."

"See what I mean!" Alexandra exclaimed, throwing her arms out in exasperation. "He's a baby! If I had been sick, I would have powered through it!"

"Yes, you would have powered through it like a champ." Dillon said, gently patting the top of her head.

"Stop it," Alexandra growled, swatting at his hand.

"No, not until you agree to call Trav-" He was interrupted by a loud, enraged howl from somewhere below him. Adeline was raging again.

"I got it!" Alexandra shouted as she tore away from her mate and darted out of the room as if the hounds of hell were on her heels. He could hear her retreating footsteps, but her laughter was loud in his mind.

'I'm going to get you back for that," He growled in his mind, knowing that his Luna was listening.

'I'll be waiting.' She purred back seductively.

????

"Travis Young," Dillon said into the phone as he reclined back in his chair, this was going to be a while. Travis Young was the Alpha of the West Pack, and was notorious for being a tough wolf to negotiate with. He always had a reason to reject attempted agreements, but with all of the natural resources in his home territory, others labeled him as selfish and closed off. Dillon agreed that Travis was selfish and a secretive wolf, but he had to admit that Travis was a smart wolf, and smart, cunning wolves made good Alphas.

"Dillon Manson." Travis's deep voice hummed, "What a surprise it is to hear from you. It's been what? A few months, a year even since we've last talked?" The Western Alpha's voice was cool, collective, and even a lazy drawl. Dillon's lip lifted in a silent sneer. He disliked when people talked to him in that manner, it radiated disinterest and even ignorance; it rubbed his wolf's fur the wrong way.

"Yes, it has been a while indeed. So . . ." Dillon was conflicted on what to say to this wolf before asking his needed assistance, he pondered on complementing Travis because he knew charm was an easy way to an Alpha's good graces, but Travis wasn't stupid. The centuries old wolf knew probably just about every tastic and trick in the book, and a wolf of Dillon's age wasn't going to fool the old Alpha.

"How's the pack?" Dillon asked quickly. That's good, he thought, get the old man to start talking about his Pack, that should do the trick.

"Good," the ancient wolf mused. Dillon could picture Travis standing in front of his large window, looking out into the golden hills of California as he pressed the phone to his tan ear. Travis didn't look a day over twenty-five, but he had seen multiple centuries, and centuries hardened and changed wolves. Dillon couldn't imagine living so long alone, but Travis had, and was managing that. He was unusually young to had found his mate, but he never took it for granted. Dillon had seen what being mate-less for so long could do to a male, and it wasn't pretty. Most of the time, the male would have to be killed.

"I have just welcomed two sets of healthy pups, and a few rogues into the pack about three months ago. I have three newly mated pairs, and two expecting a litter. It's been busy." Travis laughed. Dillon couldn't help but smile for him, their species had been dwindling in numbers for the last few generations, and the news of pups and newly mated pairs were music to his ears. Then, Dillon's smile dropped as he realized that while Travis's pack was booming in wolves, his own wasn't growing. Conceiving was difficult for their species, but it seemed that Dillon's pack was cursed. Just in the last year, he had only introduced one litter. Of all three pups born, all but one perished shortly after. It had broken Dillon's heart when he heard the cries of the pair, because, as Alpha, he was responsible for the protection of his members. But he couldn't protect the couple from the sorrow and pain of losing their pups.

"So I'm responsible on ordering all of that new baby crap, but let me tell you, never tell a mother that her pup is as ugly as a toad. She'll start crying then the next thing you know, there'd be a pack of she-wolves throwing and hitting you with things." Dillon let out a snorted laugh. He'd never say anything like that, but he had seen a few male wolves get their arse beat for something as simple as looking at a she-wolf wrong. She-wolves, in his opinion, were more deadly than any male.

"About that... I need some assistance." Dillon admitted. His wolf growled in anger and embarrassment. They were Alphas, and Alphas weren't supposed to ask for help. How pathetic he was.

"Of course you need help! Your Luna has toxic meals," Travis laughed full-heartedly. "She should be banned from the kitchen. I swear, she'll kill someone one of these days."

Funny. Real funny, Dillon thought dryly as the Alpha continued to laugh. Growling, Dillon's fought the urge to crush the phone in his fist. Only he was allowed to make fun of Alexandra's cooking.

"It's not about my Luna's cooking abilities," Dillon barked. "It's my daughter, Adeline."

The other end of the phone went silent. For a moment, Dillon thought the Western Alpha had hung up, but with his exceptional hearing, he could still hear Travis's soft breaths.

"What about Adeline?" Travis's voice was skeptical, cautious even. Dillon wanted to tell the Alpha to go screw himself then hang up, because in his wolf's eyes, this Alpha had no business being involved in Dillon's personal matters.

This is for Adeline. We are doing this for Adeline, Dillon reminded his wolf.

'This wolf is not blood, he is not pack. He is not entitled to this information, he could use it against us.' Dillon's wolf rumbled. In the wolf's eyes, family matters were to be kept within the family, and anyone outside of the pack could be spies.

I should have done this since the first attack. Dillon growled in his mind. I let you decide that Adeline didn't need help. You said that her wolf would settle by the time she was eighteen, but no. We have been waiting for nothing, and now she has attacked a second wolf. Dillon could feel his wolf's rage, but before the beast could respond, Dillon pushed the wolf's consciousness away and turned his attention back to Travis.

"Her wolf is violent, out-of-control even. Me and Alexandra have tried everything to dominate the beast, but it will not submit." Dillon said, his voice dropping a few octaves in anger.

"...And why do you need my help exactly? She's just a hormonal pup, her wolf will calm down eventually." Dillon let out a growl at Travis's lazy drawl. The damn wolf was really getting on his nerves!

"My daughter has been struggling with her wolf for the past three years! She attacked two members. TWO DAMN MEMBERS!" Dillon roared.

"Adeline isn't herself anymore! She doesn't smile, she doesn't talk. She hides out in her room all day in fear of losing control and killing someone. When her wolf takes over, we have to chain her up like an animal and inject her with wolfsbane to control her! So How dare you say that she's being hormonal and that it will go away!" Spittle flew from Dillon's mouth as he seethed. "We were waiting for her eighteenth birthday, hoping that her wolf would calm down, but she's just getting more violent."

"So what the hell am I supposed to do?!" Travis spat, fury and shock laced his voice. Travis probably was never talked to in that manner, but Dillon was enraged. He didn't give a crap about the Alpha's ego or his authority position. Dillon needed to get help for his daughter now because he failed to do that before. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

"I need Sasha-"

"Are you kidding me?" Travis laughed coldly, "There's no way in Hell that I am sending my Oracle across the country to see to a feral, violent wolf. You must be insane if you think I'd put an Oracle at risk, not to mention the only one in North and South America."

Dillon knew later that this was a assholish move on his part, but he was desperate.

"If you don't agree to send the Oracle to help my daughter, I will withdraw my wolves and the surrounding packs' wolves from the Annual Mating Ball." Travis's side went silent. Dillon knew he had struck a nerve, but it was also a dirty smart move. Many of Travis's wolves mated to wolves from the Southern Pack, and the smaller packs throughout the Midwest; but what made it such a sneaky move, was that Travis's pack was a very active party at the Mating Ball.

"You can't do that." Travis challenged, finding his voice again.

"Oh, yes the Hell I can," Dillon spit back, "I run the whole damn thing, and control the packs in the Midwest. I can call their Alphas right now, if you wanna bet." A deep growl was all that Dillon heard, but he knew that he'd have to push a little more to get his way.

"And while we're at it, I could pull out my Enforcers from Nevada and let you deal with the Rogues. It'll sure save me some money, so I have no problem doing that." Bingo, Dillon smirked, I have him by his balls.

"That's a low blow and you know it." Travis grumbled.

"It's your choice. I don't want to force you into anything." Dillon had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from snickering. The old Alpha would have no choice but to do as Dillon asked. The Rogue population in Nevada was booming, and with that, there would be fights between wolves trying to establish a pack and territory. If there was just that, then the Alphas wouldn't care much, but what got their attention was the amount of Rogues going missing and being found dead. Just in the last year, thirty bodies were found mutilated and severely beaten. Travis had explained to Dillon once, that he was worried that the violence would slip into his pack and that the Rogues might start targeting his own members. Travis would not tolerate his wolves being killed, but his pack didn't have a strong Defense Force, and Dillon's did. If Dillon pulled his Enforcers out of Nevada now, then the risks of Travis's pack being targeted increased dramatically.

"I soonest I can send Sasha is by next week." Travis said.

"Alright," Dillon stood up from his leather chair and walked around the large oak desk. "I'll up my security when she arrives and have warriors assigned to her, and Adeline will be restrained."

"Good," Travis mused, his voice tight in agitation. He was no doubt still bitter about how Dillon had challenged him. "Sasha, her mate, my Beta, and a few of my own warriors will accompany her also."

Who needs that much protection? Dillon wondered as he twisted the phone cord around his finger. Oracles were sacred and cherished by all supernaturals, but they didn't need that much protection. No one wanted or had the guts to hurt them.

'An Alpha who dosen't trust.' His wolf answered in his mind.

"Before I agree to this, may I ask why?"

Dillon frowned, "What do you mean, 'Why?'

"I mean, why do you think Sasha can treat your daughter? She can heal, yes, but nothing as major as a feral wolf, and what will her seeing result in?" Travis had a good point. Dillon didn't know exactly why Sasha seeing Adeline was such a big deal, but something in him was screaming that Sasha was important.

Lately, Dillon's skin had been crawling as if something big was coming, and he had a feeling Sasha and his daughter were somehow related. It was a sign from the Moon Goddess, he knew, she was trying to warn him about something. If only he knew what that something was.

"I have a feeling that it is necessary. What it is necessary for, I do not know. But-"

"Dillon, cut the crap." Travis growled, "I am not buying into your futuristic crap. If you do not need Sasha, then I will not send her."

"Don't you feel it, Travis?" Dillon asked, "Don't you feel the slimy substance coating our flesh? Don't you notice how ansty our wolves are? Don't you feel the looming shadow of something coming? Something big that'll change the course of history? I can't be the only one feeling all of this."

It was silent again, on both ends of the phone. Neither of the males breathed as they listened to their wolves, really listened. They could feel it now, the restlessness, the anxiety. The fear. Something was indeed coming, something big.

...And they weren't entirely sure that that something was good.