Alpha Kiel leaned back in his chair as Vera, Andrew, and Anabel sat in the chairs on the other side of his desk. I yawned and stretched out on the windowsill seat cushion where I had been enjoying the sunshine most of the morning.

"Thank you for coming," Alpha Kiel said. "I have some questions that I'm hoping you might have some answers to."

Anabel and Vera exchanged a look, confused about what questions he might have since their backgrounds were so different. Andrew seemed curious and patiently watched the Alpha.

"I've been thinking about what you told me. Do you know why some ferals were able to remember, while others weren't? Or can you tell me about any precautions to help our pack members dissuade the aggressive ones?"

Anabel remained silent and waited for her two companions to reply.

"There seem to be two main types of ferals," Vera slowly said, her eyes and voice distant. "Those who go feral from loss or heartache can usually come back. From what I have seen, those who went feral due to sheer rage, revenge, or a desire for blood had the hardest time coming back. I suspect the ones whom Julie couldn't help were among the latter group."

The Alpha thought for a bit. "I've heard of some people coming back after going feral, so I assume some manage to get through it. Considering how many Julie helped compared to the two that were too far gone, I'm surprised that more people don't recover from such a state."

There was a faint edge to Vera's voice as she replied, "Have you ever wanted to get better, but felt it was too impossible to even attempt? Or have you ever tried to do something and continuously failed? How many times do you try something excruciatingly painful and fail before giving up? I know I tried hundreds of times but didn't succeed until I had Julie's help. I had almost given up hope. Imagine the pain of seeing your own family slaughtered in front of you."

Kiel's jaw tensed at that thought, and I strengthened my aura to keep his Alpha instincts from shifting into a protective mode. He undoubtedly felt it, but didn't resist or even look at me. It was one sign that he was valuing my efforts to keep this discussion conversational.

He inclined his head. "I see your point. Earlier today, someone from the pack to the south passed by our borders and stopped to chat. They mentioned that several rogues were in the area and looking for a group that had recently been ferals."

Vera sat up straighter at this news. "I know we told a few groups of rogues that we had been feral, but they weren't in this area. What did they say?"

"The rogues managed to cage a feral, and they wanted to ask the former ferals how they could help him. It was one of the rogues' siblings, so I don't think they're going to give up their search easily."

Anabel murmured, "News and rumors spread quickly among the rogue groups, especially if they are the types to set up camps and linger in an area. We also stopped at several of those groups to ask for directions and to pinpoint exactly where we were on a map, so between checking with the stationary rogue groups and finding our camps and break spots, it was only a matter of time before this group caught up."

I sat up. "If we are thinking of helping this feral, I'm all for it if they can bring it to the border."

"The other consideration is that such a direct action will also make it widely known that the Darsha Pack now has a lot of former ferals," Andrew said thoughtfully. "It may create complications."

Alpha Kiel tapped a pencil against several papers in front of him. "That is my main concern. Your group has been fitting in well over the last two weeks, and while I would allow several more such people to join, I don't want a large number showing up right away thinking we're an easy pack to get into. That's a sure-fire way for troublemakers or thieves to slip in. I also don't want the other packs to see us as a possible threat and attack."

"Or try to kidnap Julie," Vera added darkly. "Some lawless rogues may think to use her to control the former ferals."

"That is a lesser worry, but still a possibility. It's days like this I wish we still had an Enforcer. Their abilities let them sense trouble and catch problems immediately. Never had to worry about theft or things like that back then."

"What happened to the past Enforcer?" Andrew quietly asked, knowing Conrad would be interested in that detail.

"He found his mate, and she wanted to remain with her pack. He was ambitious, and her pack was larger with more opportunities for training. It was painful to see him leave, but neither of them would have been content if they had stayed."

"What are we going to do about the rogues?" I asked.

"I have to think about that. It isn't wise to bring them here when we know nothing about them. Even telling them that any Comforter should be able to help the feral will have them tracking the messenger back to our pack. In the meantime, they don't know we're here, and everyone's scent clearly marks them as being part of this pack, not as a travelling rogue group."

"And most packs wouldn't consider taking in so many wolves, so it shouldn't cross their minds," Andrew added.

"Exactly. The feral is caged, so it and others around it are safe. We have time to think."

The Alpha continued asking detailed questions about ferals before letting us go.

"Why do you look so tired?" I asked Conrad as I clambered up his fur so I could sit on his shoulder. It was like climbing a mountain even though he was sprawled out on his side.

"Half a dozen of us went past the pack borders for a full-out sparring session."

"Why did you go past the borders? Isn't the training field big enough?"

"Some of us get a bit carried away, and it was easier to keep such a match out of the sight of the trainers. It also keeps us from scaring others when we fight like ferals. We made sure to go up onto the bluff where people never go, so no one will stumble across our scents."

My jaw gaped in a wolf grin. "Still trying to hide from Nora?"

He groaned at the reminder. "I'm positive that Omega is occasionally sensing something since she periodically appears along the edges of the training field."

"I thought your abilities were dormant?" Since I was sitting on him, I could dimly sense his rank hidden deep within him.

"They are, but they're trying to rise up now that I'm in a pack. She's possibly picking up faint flickers when I struggle to push them down, although she won't be able to pinpoint who it's coming from unless she comes into direct contact with me or I actually use them."

"The Alpha mentioned today that he really misses having an Enforcer in the pack."

"Vera shared that bit with me already. Alpha Kiel knows about my rank, and I also told him that my time as a feral could very well impact how reliable I would be as an Enforcer. My temper is noticeably shorter than what it was in my previous pack."

"You've never gotten mad at me, and that's quite a feat considering how many times I've pulled your fur."

"You remind me of a pup. Training people or breaking up bickering is a larger hassle, and that falls within an Enforcer's duties."

"Did you hear about the rogues and the feral?"

"Vera mentioned it. Then again, she also mentioned you had some crazy idea that I'm probably not going to like."

"I'm not sure why you think you aren't going to like it. It's not like I'm planning on switching the Beta's boiled egg with a pickled one at breakfast."

"That's a relief."

"I did that yesterday morning, but Beta Dawson seemed thrilled with the switch."

Conrad closed his eyes with a faint groan. "Just how did you get your paws on pickled eggs?"

"I'm talented and several people really like me."

"Do I dare ask what this idea of yours is?"

"I want to help that feral."

He opened an eye and regarded me gravely out of it. "And just how do you propose to do that?"

"That's the problem. I don't know. The safest plan is probably to take me to the caged feral so they don't approach the pack. I suspect this is something we are going to have to do on the quiet side, and ask forgiveness for if we get caught."

Vera remained silent, although the tension in her muscles reflected her dislike of my plan.

The black wolf under me exhaled slowly. "Do you realize that they will be able to determine which pack we are in by our scent? This will enable them to find us later."

"Can't we mask our scent like Anabel did?"

He was silent for a moment, possibly mindlinking her. "She is willing to help, and masking our scent should work. Technically, there is nothing wrong with going past the borders if we travel in a group. Letting others know where we are going is mainly a safety precaution in case some fighters have to come help us."

My tail began wagging gleefully. "I highly doubt we'll encounter something that half a dozen former ferals can't take on."

"A dozen," Vera corrected solemnly.

I howled happily. "Thank you!"

Conrad tilted his head to see the brown wolf better now that she had just admitted that she was helping. "I'm blaming this one on you if we get caught."

"And I'm blaming it on Julie since she is supposed to be the master of sneaking around without getting caught."

"It's really hard to get mad at a Comforter if we strengthen our aura," I added with a grin.

"This is going to take a bit of careful planning," Conrad said before his eyes went distant as he mindlinked other people.