Chapter 68 - 67. Something Weird

Eden squinted his eyes at the Soul Healer who was busy pretending that she wasn't giggling at them. The blond's ears had turned red, as had the rest of his face after hearing the remark from Connor who continued to bicker with Glen.

The male omega glanced at his mate, who was responding to the driver's taunts, his features contorted with annoyance. He noticed the light blush that spread on the alpha's cheeks and Eden's hand hid the smile that was starting to dawn.

With a clear throat, The Elder brought order inside the car. The old werewolf spoke in a tone that reminded them of the deadly nature of the situation.

"Is there a map somewhere? I would like to check something. "

She waited while Glen rummaged in the glove box. The compartment had opened after he barely touched it and the dominant peeked at Connor whose smile faded, replaced by an awkward expression.

"What? It's not like it's your car. "

Glen ignored the remark and continued to look for a map.

"It's here!"

Eden handed the woman sitting next to him a rectangle of paper which was stored in the storage of his door. The Soul Healer grabbed it, and simply nodded as a thank before unfolded the map. Bloodhood's territory was roughly circled and there was a cross made in an indelible marker where the pack's cave was located.

Connor and Greg had used this map during their plan to bring Glen back to the banquet and hadn't bothered to put it away when everything was done. The Elder put the map between her and Eden. With the tip of her index finger, she started from the red cross and moved north-east, very close to the border with the Black Moon's neutral zone.

"We're in that area," She started by making small circles on a portion of the map. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think the territory occupied by the Skinwalkers clan should be around here." Her finger slowly slid to the right about one inch before tapping the paper.

Eden observed the place she had just shown him and nodded gently. If the Skinwalkers had actually bewitched their land so that the werewolves couldn't enter it, the location indicated by the Soul Healer made sense.

It was an area where patrol teams always returned quickly, as they barely found any rogues despite the fact that there was an unclaimed land a little further away. 

Usually, unclaimed territories swarm with rogues. But the wildland next to the location of the map wasn't.

Rogue werewolves congregated in the unclaimed lands and used it as a base, although they remained predominantly nomadic. These territories, present all over the country, formed a network of safe zones for them where they could stay without fear of being driven out by a pack whose territory they would have crossed.

However, the reason why these lands were free and unclaimed was the hostile conditions.

The flora was inhospitable and the few living animals were neither suited to the habits nor to the needs of the werewolves. Rogues were doomed either to resolve to live in a city of humans only where they inevitably ended up attacking them or by making frequent excursions to the territories of other packs to hunt.

However, those who wished could also ask a pack to join them. Since the end of Big Bloodshed, the number of rogues has exploded with the disappearance of many packs, and to avoid their systematic killing, it was possible for them to join a pack if they wanted.

Nevertheless, werewolves are proud. Even with their pack wiped out, many refused to seek asylum. Most of them were high-rank dominants who hoped to revive their pack someday.

Sadly, the years have passed, turning their hope into an impossible dream. The new organization of packs across the country has grown to become almost untouchable, and the rogues earned their name by plundering barely enough to ensure their own survival and harboring resentment in safe areas.

"Where do we go?" Connor asked, flicking the rearview mirror to look at his passengers in the back.

The Elder let Eden speak since he knew his territory well.

"Continue for about three miles, there will be a road on the right that leads into the forest. We can take it for about thirty miles up to the sentry post, but I suggest you leave the car there if you don't want to damage it.

The path to get to the area shown on the map is too wild and difficult to access. It's better to walk from that point. " He turned to the Soul Healer questioningly. "Will it be okay for you?"

The woman answered his question with a puzzled look and the Omega explained.

"The place is not easy to get to so I would like to know if ..."

"How rude! Who do you think you are dealing with? That much is nothing for me, young man! "

She turned, crossing her arms and muttering incomprehensible words. She was noticeably more shocked by the blonde's well-intentioned innuendo, than by the WIA agent's nickname "Oldie" which Eden found utterly rude.

Connor brought back a neutral vibe by asking the Bloodhood Omega a question.

"Won't our hunting party be a problem? We left the bodies unconcerned, so I wondered what would happen if the sentries from your pack ran into them while on patrol. "

"Our guards are thorough, so they will definitely run into them. Probably before tonight by the way, but that won't be a problem. I left some of my pheromones there to let them know that I was the one who hunted them down. "

"You could have left a note that mentioned us too. You weren't alone. "The agent commented with a pout that Eden ignored as he rolled his eyes.

"They will burn the corpses and cleanse the area, so there is no need to worry. And of course, the guards know I'm not alone. My dad probably told the pack that I left with my mate. "

"And me ?"

Silence answered the light brown-haired man who scoffed but didn't insist.

After the Crescent Moon incident, Bloodhood had changed the way rogues were treated on their land. Any werewolf caught passing away their territory would be met with death. No clemency would be granted, no plea accepted. Although this seemed cruel to the rogues who, they knew, mainly entered their territory to hunt, since they couldn't do so in safe areas, they had to be adamant. The slightest sign of weakness could cost them dearly, and with Crescent Moon becoming more and more vindictive, Alpha Silver didn't want to risk the safety of his pack.

They quickly reached the path leading into the forest, and the car entered a much more uneven path than Eden had predicted. It looked like it hadn't been used for many months and the car's shock absorbers were suffering despite Connor's careful driving. After more than one hour's drive, they finally came to a shed that looked abandoned.

The log construction was a rustic cabin that served as a refuge for the guards who patrolled the area.

Connor parked where Eden indicated and the four of them got out of the car. The Omega approached the cabin and opened the door. The latter wasn't closed, as it was available to all patrollers and had absolutely nothing inside.

As he already suspected, there was no one there. When they approached, Eden didn't smell any of his packmates.

For a moment, he wondered what had happened with the Grey Wolf pack. They left when his father was planning to attack the pack. The Bloodhood's leader wanted to make them pay for their sly attempt. As Eden had been brought unconscious for the dead-end, he didn't have his belongings and his smartphone, and therefore no way of knowing what had happened.

A lump of anxiety formed in his throat and he felt Glen's hand rest on his shoulder and squeeze it gently. The alpha who had joined him smelled the confusion in his pheromones and tried to reassure him.

Eden smiled at his dominant before turning to the car where Connor and the Soul Healer had stayed.

"The path we're going to take is this way." Eden pointed a direction to the east of the shed. "From there, I guess it will all depend on our luck."

The silver-haired werewolf reached into the pocket of the tunic she was wearing and pulled out the two vials of potions she had brewed with the blood of Glen and Eden as well as a third. She tossed each of the werewolves a vial and kept the third one. Connor frowned as he saw his childhood friend and his mate each grab a vial and open it for drinking.

"What is it?"

"A potion to keep from falling under the influence of the spell that protects Skinwalkers' territory."

"Do you need it too?"

"I'm a werewolf so, obviously, I need it."

"I haven't seen you shift since we met, I guess it slipped out of my mind. " The agent retorted, shrugging his shoulders.

In response, he saw the woman's face half-transform. Her jawbone jerked out as her muzzle appeared, along with a beautiful silver-grey fur covering part of her face.

"Okay, okay! I'll take it back! Gulp me that quickly and let's go, Oldie! " Connor asked as he turned to the forest ready to go deeper into it.

The old werewolf's face returned to her human form and she smiled at the agent's request. The officer's insolence was refreshing.

The other Soul healers were all her students and treated her with the utmost respect, even the ones who had nothing more to learn from her and were already cultivating their own power to make it grow. The few werewolves who came to her like Alpha Silver did to help Eden, also acted with a deference which made the exchanges boring and soporific.

When the quartet was there, she had immediately found their honesty sympathetic and interesting. Even though Eden and Glen were respectful, they didn't hide their emotions and didn't hide behind a facade to address her.

Connor was the one who piqued his curiosity the most. Even putting aside the fact that he was a Skinwalker living among Humans and with a civilian partner, his closeness to his childhood friend who was a werewolf, reminded the Soul Healer of some old stories that she had read about in her archives.

She liked the agent's sassy behavior, ​​and she secretly reveled in their interactions that would appear rude to many werewolves. Of course, she would allow herself any teasing and provocation that came to her mind.

The Elder shook her head before stepping around the car and explaining to the man who locked his car to get ready to leave.

"I won't take my potion now. If the three of us take the potion, it's possible that we cross the territory without realizing it as we won't be under the spell that repels the werewolves.

We need a witness to know if we're in the right place. The best way to find out quickly is if I let the spell put its grip on my mind. If I do something weird, or if I suddenly turn back for no apparent reason, you'll know we've crossed the Skinwalkers' borders. "

She put the vial in her pocket and walked decisively to the edge of the forest.

"Let's go !"

The three followed suit without being asked twice. They walked in silence for several hours. When after three hours hunger made itself felt, Glen himself gave in and went deer hunting with Eden. Soon after, they returned with their freshly slain prey and Connor eyed them with a wrinkled nose, half envious, half disgusted.

He drew a knife from one of his hiding places and sliced ​​off a leg from the animal which he placed over the fire he had lit and soothed his rumbling stomach. They resumed their way immediately after they had finished eating. The sun was already starting to drop in the sky and night would soon be here and they needed at least one trail.

Eden sighed, stepping over a tall root, then stopped and turned to the Soul Healer to speak to her. The old werewolf who was still to his left less than a minute ago was gone and the Omega quickly turned to look around.

He spotted her tunic disappearing between two trees as she had turned back without saying anything. The blond called out to Glen and Connor who were a few steps in front of him.

"We found it! We are in Skinwalkers' territory! "