DF: New story! This is a story idea I'm testing out by writing a first chapter. Let me know if you like it and think I should keep writing the rest of the story!

Chapter 1

She stood in the valley. Her straight black hair swayed with the wind. A beaten jacket clung to her narrow waist. Her scars were itching again, but she paid them no heed. She should have been at peace because of where she was, but not this time.

She had always loved the mountains. They were always so beautiful in this season, and she had always dreamed of climbing all the way up to one of the peaks so that she could look over the edge and see all that stood below the towering hills. However, her favorite place to be was in the valley.

The valley was beautiful that day. The flowers swayed in the breeze; their aroma carried off into the wind. Picturesque mountains hugged the valley closely. They were snow-capped like the ones she saw on postcards. The grass was soft and thick like a gentle green blanket covering the ground.

But for all her love for the valley, she could not take in the sights. She was frozen in space. Her eyes were wide and staring, but her legs would not move.

Silver eyes stared back at her in the distance, cold and intelligent. They penetrated her soul and commanded her to go still. The figure's dark coat of fur made it appear as a shadow on the hill it stood upon. It gazed unblinkingly at her. Emotionless. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the lupine creature vanished.

She could only stare in shock. Was it a wolf, or just a figment of her imagination?

The kitchen phone rang.

Charles let out an annoyed sigh. He was laying on his back in bed and had been dozing when the phone had gone off. His mate, Anna, lay beside him fast asleep. Her root beer-colored hair was spread across the pillow as her gentle snores caused her chest to rise and fall evenly. He couldn't help himself when he leaned over and gave her hair a quiet whiff. Strawberries. She had been using the shampoo he had bought for her.

Charles rolled out of bed reluctantly when the kitchen phone gave another insistent ring.

With the modern era came many new forms of communication. Charles's favorite was the cellphone. It allowed him to communicate with others no matter where he was with the benefit of the many useful apps he could download off the internet. Most importantly, it meant that it was harder for people to disturb him while he was at home. Easier to silence a cellphone as opposed to a home phone. By now, most people had replaced their home phones with cellphones and preferred texting each other over phone calls. Unfortunately for him, old wolves were slow when it came to adapting to new technology and Aspen Creek was full of old wolves. Some of them still annoyed him with calls to his home phone.

He glanced at the time on the oven's built-in clock. It was 5 o'clock in the morning. That meant whoever was calling him had an emergency or was deliberately trying to disturb him. He reached for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Charles, I have work for you."

It was his father. Charles had expected as much. The old wolf had a cellphone but, for some reason, typically called Charles's home directly if he knew his son was still in Aspen Creek.

Still better than Da talking in my head, Charles grumbled to himself. His father's strange ability to speak to his wolves telepathically was a rather annoying quirk the Marrok had.

"Let me guess," Charles said dryly. "Another wolf got upset and tried to eat someone, and that made his alpha very upset."

Charles heard his father stifle a laugh over the phone. "Strangely enough, not this time. This incident is much closer to home. Literally. There have been reports of a wolf roaming the Cabinets. Its description doesn't match any of the wolves in Aspen Creek, nor any of the wolves that are expected to visit in the near future. That means it is either someone seeking help, or a rogue wolf."

Charles frowned. Rumors about a rogue wolf in the Cabinets was never good news. If word was getting around about the rogue, that meant that it was bold enough to let itself get spotted. Any werewolf that bold was a danger to humans, and other wolves by extension. Such a rogue would have to be contained and possibly destroyed.

"Is it a runaway from a pack, or is it a new wolf?"

"I'm not sure. None of the alphas I contacted said they were missing a wolf, so it is most likely a newly Changed one. Couldn't nail down a consistent description of the rogue. Just that it was a wolf that appeared unusually intelligent."

Bran did not bother to say more because Charles already knew. He had hunted rogue wolves dozens of times throughout his life. He would either bring them in alive or bring them in dead.

Charles had done this work so long that it had settled into a routine for him. With his older brother out of town and his father caught up in running all of North America's packs, that left most of the enforcement of the laws on him. He did not mind most of the time. A majority of the wolves he had dealt with were either bad people in general or wolves that had gone mad. Killing them had been a mercy. Only a few cases left him suffering from nightmares.

"I will be leaving later today," Charles said finally.

Charles heard a squeak through the phone, as if his father was leaning back in a chair. "Good. And Charles?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

His father hung up without another word, leaving Charles with his phone still resting against his ear.

"Goodbye to you too," Charles said blandly before replacing the phone.

Another day, another job. Charles went to the closet where he normally stored his gear. To save time, he kept most of what he needed for his jobs in one place. He pulled out a large blue bin and popped the lid off. Inside the bin was a backpack, a set of winter gear, and several granola bars. Charles packed everything together and threw the backpack onto his back before sliding the bin back into the closet. He patted his pockets, scrounging around for his car keys.

"Forgetting something? Or should I say someone?"

His mate, Anna, leaned against the kitchen counter. She was wearing the red sweater she bought for him last Christmas, though it was several sizes too big for her. His keys dangled from her index finger and she gave him a big smile.

"Thought I would remind you that you agreed to let me come with you when you go out on your jobs."

Charles walked up to her and planted a kiss on her brow. "Those were for out-of-state jobs. I'm only going into the Cabinets this time. It'll be quick. I promise."

Anna frowned. "Remember the last time we went out into the Cabinets together? I recall that we were looking for a rogue wolf that time too. That ended with us nearly getting killed by a witch."

Charles remembered too. And that was the main reason why he didn't want her to come. He didn't want her to get caught up in the crossfire if it turned out to be another witch.

"Let me remind you that the only reason your father didn't kill you was because I was there last time."

Charles grunted non-committedly. Sometimes, the mate bond they shared allowed some of his thoughts to bleed into Anna's mind. He considered it both a positive and a negative of being mated. Ease of non-verbal communication in one hand, and inconvenient mind-reading in the other.

"What about this?" Charles compromised. "You stay here. But," he held up a hand when Anna tried to interrupt him. "But I keep our mating bond open that way we can communicate with each other even while I'm away."

"That's what cellphones are for," Anna deadpanned.

"True. But a cellphone won't be able to tell you if I get injured or where I am. So, it's actually better than a cellphone."

Anna chewed her lip as she considered her options. "Very well. I will stay behind this time. But I still get to see you off."

Anna hopped towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She gently placed a kiss against his lips. Charles's fingers trailed through her brown hair as he returned the kiss. He gave a rare smile as she pulled away. He reached for the keys in her hand, but she stopped him.

Anna held up a finger. "First, you send me a text before you go out onto the trails." She raised another finger. "Second, you call me as soon as you run into trouble. If you can't get reception, use the bond instead."

"Yes, ma'am," Charles purred as he took the keys.

Anna smiled. "Good. I'll be making lasagna tonight for dinner, so make sure you don't get back late. I really want you to try my new recipe."

"I will," Charles nuzzled her head before heading towards the door. Before stepping out, he grabbed a wooden necklace off the shelf and placed it over his shoulders.

Charles had learned a lesson from his last outing. Just because a rogue wolf would be easy for him to deal with didn't mean that a rogue would be the only thing he would have to face. Last time he went after a rogue in the Cabinets, he ended up running into a black witch instead. This time around, he would be better prepared.

The amulet was a simple thing materially speaking. It was mostly hazel wood that had been carved into a simple figure. What mattered was the magic held inside it. The warding magic would help protect him from witchcraft, as would his usual protections. He tucked the amulet inside his jacket so that it wouldn't get in the way.

The air nipped Charles's face as he stepped out the door. Montana was a cold weather state, and today was no exception. The trees swayed in the cool breeze. Autumn had settled in and turned the leaves fiery reds and yellows. A pile of dried leaves swirled around the front yard in little circles as the wind tossed them around.

Charles sighed in irritation. He would have to rake the leaves when he returned. He had set up a compost heap in the backyard to help break down the leaves each year. However, someone would still have to gather up the leaves and move them there. Brother Wolf was as opposed to having Anna do it this year as Charles was and was determined to get it done without help. Faintly, he felt his mate nagging him for his stubbornness through their bond and he smiled.

He walked down the driveway to their car, a red Subaru Outback. Aspen Creek snowed heavily during the wintertime, and the car was better for maintaining traction on the wet, icy roads than most other car brands. He climbed into the car and turned on the ignition, placing his hands over the air vents as the car heated up. Once the engine was warm, Charles put the car in drive and pulled out onto the road.

As Charles drove out of Aspen Creek and into the Cabinets, the wooded surroundings were slowly replaced with mountains. In the summer months, the dirt roads were more heavily travelled and generally clear of vegetation. With winter rolling in, vegetation was still not an issue, but the ground tended to be muddy underneath a coating of snow.

Charles drove slowly as he made his way deeper into the mountains. He'd contacted his father along the way for more details and marked the rogue's last sighting on a map he kept in his car. Supposedly, the wolf had hid itself away in one of the more remote parts of the Cabinets. He would have to stick to the roads a bit longer and look for a route that left him much closer to the site marked on his map.

Charles gripped the steering wheel tightly when one of the tires caught a muddy patch and started skidding. The Subaru rattled as it activated traction control in an effort to control the skidding tire while Charles fought with the steering wheel. Eventually, the tire broke loose from the mud patch and caused the car to jolt forward onto the road.

Charles let out a slow breath as the car continued to merrily chug its way down the road. The Cabinets were just as unpleasant as he remembered.

Another hour of slow driving and Charles pulled to the side of the road. There wasn't a parking area nearby, but he figured that a clear spot beside the road was as good a parking spot as any. He glanced at his map and considered different paths he could take.

The Cabinets were littered with several trails. Hikers regularly visited the mountains and tramped down pathways that weaved through the hills. Even though taking these trails would have made traveling on foot easier for Charles, he opted to detour from the main route and let his senses guide him through the wilderness.

If a rogue werewolf is roaming the Cabinets, Charles thought, they will most likely avoid the trails to stay hidden.

Even better, in the presence of nature, spirits would be more inclined to talk to him. In most cases, the spirits only served to annoy him, making requests or sharing information that was utterly useless to him. They were part of the reason why he had added so much new technology to his house. The electricity and whirring parts drove away the spirits and drowned out their voices.

Here in the mountains far away from any towns and cities, the spirits were loud and numerous. They were hidden in the grass, hiding in the trees and lofting through the air. For once, Charles dropped his defenses slightly and let himself listen.

The spirits spoke of normal things, things that he would expect to find in the mountains. Wild animals, rivers, valleys. Nothing unusual. However…. Charles tilted his head with his eyes closed. There was just the faintest hint of something else. Something different. He couldn't tell what it was, but it had caught the spirits' attention.

He reached for his cell phone and looked for Anna's number. He sent her a quick text.

In the Cabinets. Just parked. Starting search now.

A couple seconds passed by, and Anna sent him back a thumbs up. Charles shoved his phone back into his pocket and set off into the woods.

Charles continued on foot until the trail got too wild for him to continue in human form. He cursed when his pants snagged on a thorn bush and tore. So much for his hiking gear. He tossed his backpack onto the ground and started stripping.

Change of plans. He would check the lowlands in wolf form first. If the rogue wasn't there, he would return for his gear and continue into the mountains in human form.

Shifting into wolf form only took him seconds. Either his shaman heritage or the fact he was born a werewolf meant that he had an easier time switching between forms than other werewolves. Also, strangely enough, clothes tended to appear on his body whenever he returned to human shape. No, he didn't know where the clothes came from. He thought it was strange too. Sometimes, the clothes weren't even from this century.

He shook out his red coat and stretched. His hearing and sense of smell in human form were more powerful than that of a normal human. But the wolf's senses were even stronger.

With his improved senses, Charles could hear the sound of squawking vultures accompanied by the scent of a dead deer. It could be a recent kill from a bear, but Charles figured it was as good a spot to start his investigation as any. He loped into the wilderness, eyes peeled, and ears pricked.

He found the dead deer in the valley below. Three turkey vultures were bickering over the remains and flew away when they spotted him. They circled in the sky as they watched Charles examine the deer.

Charles sniffed the remains of the deer carefully. The deer had been torn open and partially eaten. A couple dark feathers clung to the edges of the kill where the vultures had pecked at it. One of said vultures squawked impatiently overhead. There was a foreign scent clinging to the deer's remains. Charles sighed. His initial assessment had been correct. It was just a bear kill. Charles left the deer carcass to the vultures and continued his search.

He explored for several more hours. He searched the valley carefully but found no sign of the rogue wolf. No tracks, no scent trails, no wolf kills. It was getting near time for him to return to his gear and move his search to a higher elevation.

A quiet noise caused Charles to freeze. It was lupine in nature, but not the kind that he was expecting. It came again mere feet from him. A quiet whimper barely detectable from where he stood. He followed the noise using his sharp ears and came upon a startling discovery.

There in the long grass sat a tiny werewolf pup. The pup was silver-coated and lay curled up deep in the grass. Its eyes were still glued shut and its ears still folded over. It couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. When Charles bent down to sniff the pup, it lifted its wobbly head and gave another pitiful whimper.

Charles was stunned. He had never encountered an infant werewolf in his entire life. In fact, he had believed that he himself was the only case of someone being born a werewolf. The pup was much too young to have been Changed the traditional way.

Charles looked around but saw no signs of the pup's parents. He looked down at the pup as it weakly stumbled towards him. He could not leave the pup behind. Despite the warm weather, the pup was still at risk of suffering from exposure. Even worse, there were predators in the area who would have happily eaten an unguarded pup.

It was decided then. Charles would bring the pup to his father and let him decide what would be done.

Charles gingerly grasped the pup by its scruff and carried it back in the direction of Aspen Creek.

The pup had settled down quickly, either out of instinct or due to being in close proximity to an older, dominant werewolf. The pup, who smelled male to Charles's nose, simply dangled from the wolf's jaws like any normal wolf pup would. Before Charles could travel for more than a couple minutes, however, a shadow passing ahead of him caused him to pause.

A shape stuck out from above the undergrowth. A furry white head bounced up and down as the creature bounded through the tall grass in Charles's direction. Electric blue eyes settled on Charles and caused the creature to freeze. It met the werewolf's eyes before its head disappeared into the grass. Charles remained alert, trying to track the creature's movements. But nothing could have prepared him for when the white lupine suddenly burst out of the undergrowth.

It slammed into him with enough force to knock the werewolf pup out from his jaws. But rather than going after the fallen pup, it continued its attack on Charles. The werewolf quickly recovered from the surprise attack and stood to defend himself. He whirled around and slashed outwards with a large paw, scoring the attacking lupine across the muzzle. But the white wolf simply snarled and tackled him to the ground.

Despite the other wolf's smaller stature, it displayed overwhelming strength. Once it had Charles pinned, he was unable to force the other wolf off of him. The white wolf sank its teeth into Charles's shoulder and shook him like a rabid dog. Then it moved to his underbelly and tore away at his chest. It savaged him with a ferocity rivaling that of a berserk werewolf.

Despite Charles's struggles, he was unable to free himself from the wolf's pinning grip. Only after Charles had given up the fight and played dead did the wolf relent. It stood over him, breathing heavily, as it decided whether it wanted to continue its attack. Sharp fangs closed around Charles's throat and paused, as if waiting for the werewolf to react. Finally, after a long moment, it stepped back and turned its attention to the werewolf cub still lying on the ground.

The white wolf gently licked the pup on the head to quiet its crying. Then gently lifted it off the ground with its jaws and disappeared back into the undergrowth.

Charles continued to lay on the ground. He gasped for air, each breath sending a shiver of pain down his body. A creature with the body of a wolf, but the strength of a tiger. One that managed to stay tucked away within his pack's territory without anyone noticing until now. The Marrok needed to know.

He could already feel his father responding to his distress. The pack bonds connecting every member of the pack carried his pain and warned the Alpha about one of his fallen wolves. Charles guessed that it wouldn't be long before reinforcements arrived. Nothing to do but wait.

Charles grimaced. A wolf and a wolf pup. A wolf who did not smell like a werewolf but could give birth to werewolf offspring. This would make for an interesting puzzle.

Charles sighed and rested as he waited for the other wolves to arrive.