Just to let you know that this chapter is 5000 words long, so you can grab a drink or any food while reading this if you want and enjoy!

Chapter 22 : Unpleasant Reunion

The howling wind blew the shrouded trees, causing them to sway in motion like dancers. Humphrey, alerted by the horrifying howl, opened his eyes and found himself staring at the twinkling stars in the clear night sky. He got up on his four feet, not having the need of stretching his muscles or yawn which was strange, and found himself back in the dense forest with no signs of the others.

So… Rex has something else to tell me. Alright. He thought as he looked around and searched for any silhouettes.

Unfortunately, he searched for what seems like hours, and he couldn't find it which puzzles him; normally Rex would just reveal himself immediately if he has something to say. He sat down to catch his breath after his long search and the numerous circles he made in the forest, but what he didn't notice was a black figure stalking him from behind. It prowled towards him silently like a ghost and paced like a cheetah. It came to a halt when Humphrey stopped wiping off his sweat and noticed his ears twitch. It watched as Humphrey began to turn around slowly, and at that moment, it pounced and landed on top of him. Humphrey, completely caught off-guard at that moment, was lying on his belly as he was pinned to the ground and placed his paws over his head, shaking like a leaf.

'DON'T! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!' He begged, and he felt a sharp claw placed on his nape.

Sensing that this unknown foe won't let go of its prey, Humphrey calmed his frightened mind and recalled the counters that Rex taught him in a flash. He pushed away the claw with his paw as he turned around and kicked with his hind legs, which his opponent dodged it swiftly and made a front flip as he jump forward before landing infront of him. Humphrey immediately regained his balance and growled at his enemy, and he stopped once he caught sight of the wolf's grey pelt with a white underbelly and beautiful mane and muscular body.

'Rex?' He said as curiosity hits him hard.

The assumed-to-be-Rex had its back face towards him and it turned around to reveal itself, and it truly was Rex, wearing a smirk as he greeted him.

'Well, that took some time for you to counter my attacks.' He said as he trotted towards him.

'What was that for?' Humphrey asked curiously as he's clueless upon the purpose for such act.

'Have you forgotten what I've taught you?' He questioned with an eyebrow raised as he sat down infront of him.

'Um… sort of.' And Rex placed a paw on his face and shook his head in disappointment before looking back at him.

'Always keep your guard up at all times?' His expression returned to a raised eyebrow.

Humphrey scratched the back of his head for a moment before coming to his realization.

'Oh… right.' He said and Rex shook his head again in disappointment.

'You DO know that you're already dead by the time you had the chance to do your counter, right? You know, the time when you shouted, 'Don't! Please don't kill me!'.' He said sarcastically on Humphrey's pleads. 'Pleading your enemy won't do anything, Humphrey. That disappoints me deeply upon hearing it with my own ears.'

'Sorry. That won't happen again next time.' He lowered his head in disappointment of himself.

'Alright. I believe you will.' He smiled to lessen the hatred that Humphrey had on himself upon forgetting one of the most important rules in self-defense, although it IS deadly important to remember it as it relates to life-and-death situations, which helped really well as Humphrey looked back up and returned the same.

'Thanks. Anyway, why am I here again? Unless you have something else to let me know?'

'Yes, but this is gonna be short. I believe you'll be arriving at the Northern pack tonight, right?'

Humphrey looked down at his paws and made a few counts with his fingers before looking back and nodding so Rex could proceed.

'I'm sure you and the others will be staying there for the night; you won't be travelling back to you pack's territory as you and I know the dangers of making journeys in the middle of the night, and large animals like bears or nocturnal creatures lurking in the shadows hunting for food. So, all I have to say is you, Kate, Garth and Lilly or anyone else could sleep in Rose and my den if there aren't any more space left in the other dens.'

Humphrey was pretty surprised as this was the information that he needed to know; he was expecting another request from him instead of a simple invitation like this. Understanding by his expression, Rex let out a small chuckle.

'I know this is very silly, but in case you needed permission to sleep in my den.'

'I see. Alright.' He smiled. 'So… nothing else?'

'Hmm. That's pretty much it. Also, if you need more training, you can ask Kate instead of Garth; I'm sure he'll be busy with Lilly.'

'I understand, but I hope she'll be cured during that time.'

Humphrey looked back down on the green grass he sat on and Rex placed a paw on his shoulder which caught his attention.

'She will, Humphrey. Don't worry, I'll be looking after her from above. Remember, always think positively, and never on the negative as it only weakens you and causes the people you loved dearly to worry about you.'

'Thanks Rex.' He smile grew across his face. 'By the way, you said looking after her from above? How?'

'You'll know sooner or later.' He lifted his paw from his shoulder and maintained his smile.

'So, this'll be our last meeting?' And Rex nodded confidently. 'Oh, I almost forgot. Aren't you supposed to be with Rose by now, now that you're… you know…'

'Oh, well I should. But I can't be with her just yet, not only till you've fulfilled my wishes. I can't be with her in a restless state.'

Humphrey felt foolish for not knowing this and now clearly understood that he must hurry as he doesn't want to keep Rex waiting.

'Okay. I'll pace up the group.'

'Don't. Kate can't move too fast; your group's current pace is enough to maintain the heat inside her body. I know you fear that I may be impatient, but I assure you I'm not. Kate's condition comes first.'

'Yeah.'

All in a sudden, Humphrey's vision began to blur and he began to lose his balance.

'Oh-not again.' He said dizzily.

'Don't forget what I've taught you, Humphrey. And also, say my goodbyes to the others for me, since they didn't get the chance to do it back at your pack territory.' Rex watched as he collapsed like a doll and his eyelids began to descend slowly. 'Goodbye, Humphrey, and thank you for everything, so as mate, friends and family…' It echoed in Humphrey's mind as he lost consciousness.

Wake up, darling

Humphrey opened his eyes sleepily and found Kate beside him, shaking him awake.

'Get up honey. It's time to go.' She said gleefully.

'Ugghh. Is the sun up yet?' He groaned as he get on his four feet.

'Not yet. It's almost five o'clock.' And he looked at her wide-eyed.

'Five o'clock?!' And she nodded.

Well, I suppose leaving early is better than pacing up the group. He thought.

'Is the others awake yet?' He asked as he licked his paw and cleaned his face.

'Yeah, and they're almost set.' She replied, and they faced towards the group who were doing their own activities.

Eve, Sam and Rad were busy lifting the rocks from the corpses, Winston and Tony were having a discussion with the five selected alphas, and Garth and Lilly were having a conversation with the four female omegas.

'Well, they don't look sleepy at all.' He said as he turned towards Kate in surprise.

'Yeah, and that kinda surprised me too.' She replied as she looked back at him.

'Come on, let's go and meet up with Garth and Lilly.' He smiled as he stretched his muscle and she nodded before walking towards the couple.

'Morning, you two.' Garth, Lilly and the four female omegas greeted as Kate and Humphrey approached.

'Very early in the morning.' Humphrey stated on the word 'very'.

'I know, but it's Eve, Tony and Winston's decision that we should head out again earlier, but it's fine with me, as long as Lilly's not tired.' Garth said and nuzzled Lilly which made her giggle.

'I'm fine, darling.' She replied as she nuzzled back.

'By the way, here's a hare for your breakfast, Humphrey.' Candy said as she pushed a dead hare towards him.

'Who hunted this?'

'Sam and Rad. They've found a nest of them and killed them and brought them back here, one for each of us. So we've already had ours.' Sweets said gleefully.

That must've been a family of rabbits. I'm so sorry for them. Wait, what am I thinking? But I guess giving pity for them is better than letting them go and starve to death. He thought as he let out a sigh. Nature of wildlife.

He got out of his train of thoughts as he noticed their stares and felt awkward.

'Um… what?' He asked as he scratched his head.

'Were you thinking something?' Kate asked curiously.

'Oh, nothing at all.' He sat down and began to munch on his meal, and tried to change the subject, which succeeded unexpectedly. 'Anyway, I believe we'll be arriving at the Northern pack today?' He said as he chewed on the muscular leg of the hare.

'If my calculations are correct, we'll be arriving around eight o'clock night.' Lilly said and Humphrey's ears perked up.

So those dreams aren't faked. It really was Rex! He thought surprisingly.

Humphrey had a doubt on the reality of Rex's presence in his dreams ever since the first, and now that it has been answered, he was more stunned than ever.

'Your calculations are always right, honey.' Garth said with a smirk.

'Well, not always.' She replied and giggled.

'What makes you say that?'

'Do you still remember the first time you taught me how to pounce at a pinecone, and how I failed in the end?'

'That was your first time, so it's okay that you failed. But the way you looked like a turtle is so adorable.' Lilly began to blush brightly under her snow white fur and they laughed.

'Well, at least I performed better now after Rex's training, although it's not complete.' She looked towards Rex's corpse which was being lifted by Sam and Eve with a frown.

'I can teach you.' Garth said as he wrapped his paws around her to give her comfort in case she had the urge to cry.

'Thank you, Garth.' She rested her head on his healing chest and he patted her back gently.

'I guess you can teach me, right, Kate?' Humphrey asked as he munched on the other leg of the hare.

'Hmm. I can, but only after this drug wears off.' Kate said as she examined her examined her sweaty pelt.

'Don't worry, honey. I'm sure it'll wear off soon.' He placed a paw on her shoulder and smiled, and Rex's words echoed in his mind.

Remember, always think positively, and never on the negative as it only weakens you and causes the people you loved dearly to worry about you.

'Thanks honey. I appreciate it.' She smiled and placed her paw on his.

'Well, looks like we're ready to go.' Tony interjected as he, Winston and the five alphas walked towards them.

'Is mom, Sam and Rad done yet?' Kate asked as she looked at her mother who was placing the corpses on the logs.

'Almost-got it.' Eve puffed as she lifted Rex's corpse with Sam and dropped it on the log. 'There. Are you done with Lucas's, Rad?' She looked towards Rad who also placed Lucas's corpse on the separate log and received a nod before turning to her mate. 'We're ready. The corpses are back as solid as a tree trunk.'

'Excellent. Let's move out, and also don't forget that bag of rose seeds.' Winston commanded and motioned at the leaf purse beside Sam and Rad picked it up before putting on the vines which drags the log.

They picked up the eleven bundles of roses and the group of eighteen wolves continued onwards their quest for the peace that the corpses seek for. Surprisingly, they've encountered more ponds and lakes on the way, and they made a short stop on every encounter to re-soak the corpses, take a few laps to soothe their parched throat, and to cool Kate's drugged body before proceeding. Cool breeze began to blow from the East as they trotted down a hill during the evening, and a smirk grew across Humphrey's face as he came to a conclusion.

So… these lakes, ponds and wind are done by you, I believe. Thank you, Rex. He thought.

Their journey seems like hours, but when the sun dismissed for the silver moon to perform its duty of the night, Winston gasped as he caught sight of something under the moonlight.

'There! Can you see that, Tony?' He said in excitement as he motioned at something far away.

'Yeah… I think I see it. That's the pack border of the Northern pack, and I could smell their mark too. We're getting closer.' Tony replied with a smile as they finally arrived and had the chance to rest his old bones.

The others didn't know what Winston had motioned at, but predicted it to be a giant tree a kilometer away from them, and they could smell the mark of a wolf's territory, most probably the leader of the Northern pack, Aren. They continued to move forward, and once they've passed by the tree, Tony and Winston howled as they walk.

'What is dad doing, mom?' Lilly asked curiously.

'To let the Northern pack be aware our presence, of course.' Eve said gleefully as she turned her head slightly to the side as Lilly was following behind her.

They continued deeper into the territory of the Northern pack, and stopped when rustling of leaves caught their attention. They turned towards the rustling brush and out came a muscular brown assumed-to-be-alpha male wolf, staring at them with emerald eyes and spoke in a deep voice.

'State your business.' He stated.

'I am the leader of the Western pack, Winston, and here is Tony, the leader of the Eastern pack, which in the end merged to form the United pack. We're here for an urgent business that your leader, Aren, must know.' Winston stated with the voice of an emperor. 'And I believe he sent you here?'

'Yes sir, I am the newly appointed Beta of Aren. I apologize for my tone a few seconds ago. Please follow me to the leader's den.' He began to turn around and headed towards Aren's den with them under his lead.

They didn't had a clear view of what was infront of them at first, due to the large brushes beside them, but after a few minutes of peaceful walking, they finally arrived at a clearing full of wolf dens revealed under the moonlight. Some wolves sat outside their den and watched as they walked pass them while the others might be in their den either awake or asleep due to Winston and Tony's loud, alerting howl. They soon arrived at a large cave that was located a under a hill that has a clear view of the den grounds below, and the only way up and down is by walking on the road formed by hardened rocks. Seeing that they couldn't drag the corpses up as the road was too steep; the road's steepness is like an escalator, and the corpses would slide out of the log if they try, they came to a halt and the two leaders turned towards their party members.

'You guys stay here while I get Aren and Alexa out to see what we have brought here.' Winston commanded and they nodded before walking up the rocky road which led them directly to Aren's den along with Aren's appointed Beta.

Tony and Winston had already sensed a bad impression coming from Aren due to the corpses that would bring back horrible memories to the Northern pack, and as they walk, they exchanged looks that only both of them understands clearly; they've been practicing it since at their younger age as leader.

This is not gonna be pretty once he got down here to see what we had brought, Winston.

I know, Tony. Something tells me that this is gonna be a long night.

They stopped outside the den entrance and Winston and Tony waited as the Beta waits for the permission of its leader to enter.

'Come in.' An old, male voice called out from inside the den.

Tony and Winston both let out a breath to reduce the nervousness and fear of the anger and arguments that's about to rise once Aren have a glimpse on the corpses and they entered the den. Upon strolling in, they found Aren, who has a flaming red pelt with yellow eyes, and Alexa, who has a white snow pelt and sapphire eyes, sitting a few centimeters away from the entrance and watched as they walked towards them.

'Hello, Tony and Winston.' Aren and Alexa greeted politely.

'Hello, Aren and Alexa. Sorry to bother you this late.' Winston said as he and Tony sat infront of them.

'What brings you here? I've never expected you two to come at this time; I thought you would be sleeping like a pig just like me.' Aren asked and laughed, so as the other two leaders.

'Actually, I have an urgent business that you two must know, or I wouldn't travel two hundred miles from my pack to here for nothing that wear off our bones.' Winston said and Tony nodded in agreement, and they received puzzled expressions from the couple.

'What urgent news do you bring me?'

'I think it's better for you to see-' Winston came to a halt when growls and cries grew aloud outside of the den.

'What's going on out there?' Aren asked curiously, and they left the den in a hurry.

They stood in shock as they found a crowd surrounding the travel party, growling in anger, except for a couple who was mourning over the two corpses. They rushed down the rocky road and stood infront of the crowd in case a fight breaks out.

'What's happening here?' Aren asked sternly and the crowd came to a dead silence.

'These wolves saw Rex and Lucas's corpses and started yelling about 'Murderer' and 'Rapist'.' Eve said, and grunted at the crowd which caused them to whimper at her temper.

'Did you just say… Rex?' Aren said in shock.

Oh, this is not gonna be good. Winston thought as he saw Aren's expression.

'Why did you bring back this mutt?! He's not one of our pack. I'm sorry, but you'll have to take it somewhere else, Winston, or my alphas will do it for you. My Beta will lead you to the pack border.' He turned his back and was about to head back to his den when Humphrey shouted in temper that no one has ever seen before which caught his full attention and shocked everyone.

'He's not one of your pack? HE'S NOT ONE OF YOUR PACK?!'

Aren turned back and looked at him wide-eyed as he continued.

'DON'T YOU REMEMBER WHAT HE HAD DONE FOR YOUR PACK? HE HEALED ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, AND EXERTED AS MUCH TIME AS HE CAN FOR YOU GUYS BECAUSE YOU'RE HIS PACK MATES, AND NOW YOU'RE TREATING HIM LIKE A MUTT! WHAT KIND OF DOGS ARE YOU!' And that was when Aren had his temper raised and shouted back.

'DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE HAD DONE TO MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER! HE KILLED HER COLDLY, AND THAT MADE ME SUFFERED TILL THIS VERY DAY! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH PAIN I'VE FELT!'

'I DO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE REX SUFFERED THE SAME PAIN AS YOU! AND WHAT IF I TELL YOU THAT IT WAS YOUR DAUGHTER'S WISH TO DIE!'

Aren felt his temper dropped and stood in shock as he couldn't believe what Humphrey had just said; he never thought or believe that his daughter wanted to suicide, and if she did, she'd asked for Rex's assistance, but why would Rex do it? He sat down and watched as Humphrey lowered his head.

'You don't believe that Rex has suffered and you and your people never thought of the reasons behind it, do you? Now that Rex is dead? Fine, we'll speak for him!' He looked back up with fiery eyes that surprised Aren.

'One of my pack mates named Alex tried to rape my mate, Kate, while we were resting in the pond as my mate has the same symptoms as your daughter.' And Kate nodded to address herself before he proceeded. 'I was knocked out cold but luckily, Rex appeared before he could even begin and paralyzed him so Eve can torture him to death. At the same day, he noticed Kate's condition and decided to stay in my pack to monitor her till she's cured before he move on to other places.'

Humphrey stopped to let the others continue the story of Rex's performance back at their pack, and Garth stood forward.

'He was a good friend and spend a lot of time with us. There was a day when my friend's belly was ripped open by a Caribou's antlers during our hunt and Rex used all of his efforts to save him, but failed in the end. He ran into the forest and when he found him, he was crying and told us that he was disappointed in himself for not being able to save him. He even taught the seniors in my pack to fight for their family and the people whom they loved most.' He said, and halted for Lilly to continue it for him.

'Every time when he heard the word 'Rose', he would turn silent and walked away for a moment before returning back. During our Moonlight Howl, he stayed at the waterfall as he told us that he was a lone wolf, and he let out a loud and painful howl by accident which caught our attention. When we arrived, he was holding a rose in his paw with tears dripping down from his eyes. That was when he told us about his past, and the truth behind Rose's death. He said that he discovered the drug inside her body from the human who shot her and it was known as 'Heat-Inducing drug', which makes the female goes into heat and feels really hot. He told you that he tried to create a cure, and failed every time, but he never stopped. During midnight, he would wait for Rose to be asleep before getting up and continue to work on the cure. He also discovered from the human that the result for not being able to stabilize the drug till it wears off was a mental disorder, where she would either go crazy or stay silent forever. At that moment, he cried as he couldn't believe the unlucky incident that occurred upon her, and he worked even harder. But after the day when Lex tried to rape her, her body produced too much heat and caused her to turn mental. He told us that before the day when that occurred, she told him that she wanted him to kill her as she doesn't want you to see her behaving crazily, and with pain in his heart, Rex accepted because he loved her, and would fulfill her wish. In the end, he killed her and he howled for you to come to his den because he doesn't want Rose's corpse to rot before you found it.'

Lilly stopped and let Kate finish the last portion of the story, and she spoke without much effort so her body wouldn't produce much heat from it.

'He didn't forget about his and Rose's wedding anniversary, and he would groom himself and head towards the Howling Rock, where we celebrate the Moonlight Howl, to spend it there alone. We tried to cheer him up by sending my sister, Lilly, to make herself look like her and howl with him.' Kate looked towards her sister to let her explain the whole progress which she did.

'He seemed peaceful when I spoke of the word 'Rose' and he told me that their anniversary was the time when the memories of him and Rose changed from pain to happiness. He and I sang his and Rose's favourite song, and it ended beautifully. He thanked me and told me that he wanted to spend the rest of the night alone, and so I headed back to my den.' Lilly looked back at her sister with a smile. 'You can continue on, sis.' And Kate nodded.

'He made hunts for me and my mate every time as my mate is an omega, and he taught him how to hunt as my mate is willing to learn. Every night, he never slept as he was hunted by Rose's death and stayed outside of our den with a rose in his paw and admired the beauty of the moon. We once asked him to try to sleep as we thought nightmares never last forever, but we were wrong. He woke up in fear, his pelt completely drenched in sweat and told us that he still had nightmares before leaving the den. He remembered that he made promises to Rose, like having pups which isn't fulfilled in the end and he cried in despair and felt heavy guilt in his heart. He stayed in my pack for almost a month, and that's when a tragic incident occurred. Lust, known as Lex, had murdered your pack mates who had been searching for Rex to punish him for his crimes as they know the truth from us, and raped one of my pack mates. We weren't his match as he was too strong, so Rex stood bravely for us and looked after us till he take care of him. Unfortunately, my mate had a jealousy on him due to him having conversations with me regularly and I ran away as I was disappointed in him, which Rex grew furious and punched him in the cheek before chasing after me. I stopped at the pond and that was when Lust found me and before he tried to rape me, my mate, Humphrey, pounced in surprise and kicked him away. Lust made another attempt and as he pounced in mid-air, Rex appeared and kicked him, sending him flying even further away from us. Rex demanded truth from him for his behavior, and it turned out that he isn't Lex, but originally known as Lucas. Lucas was the twin of Lex, and he was adopted by other wolves. When he was a year old, he was married to a female lone wolf named Katrina, and their lives was pleasant until his father raped and killed her, slitting her throat which drove him mad. He killed his step-father and his step-mother was weeping over this, and she told him that in order to make her happy is to mate with her. In order to show love to his mother, he did and she made a request to him to kill her, which he did in the end. He lost everything, except for one; pleasure, and he raped and killed every female he sees. Soon he followed a couple who took his step-parents' corpse away and arrived at your pack. He stayed there for a long time and surveyed the daily routine of your pack until he came across the truth of Lex's adoption. Smiling evilly as he came up a plan that would lead him to more pleasure, he raped Rebecca and killed her along with Lex to take his identity to be in the pack. Furious about the death of Rebecca, Lex, Rose and all the females in his pack, Rex killed Lust by ripping his main artery and vein in his neck open, but he was stabbed in the chest at the same time. Humphrey and I was there, and he told us to help him fulfill his wishes before he passed away.'

Everyone was completely silent when Kate ended, except for the couple who were still weeping over the corpses, and felt guilty for the bad thoughts that he had about Rex, including Aren and Alex as they began to cry.

'I-I'm sorry, Rex… I-I misjudged you…' Aren sobbed as he hugged his mate to comfort her.

The couple who were crying next to the corpses walked towards the party and they assumed them to be Rex and Lex's parents; the male has a tan brown pelt with opal eyes and the female has a grey pelt with a white underbelly and sapphire eyes, which matches Lucas's description about the two wolves who took his parents away for Rex's dissection class.

'I-I am L-L-Lynx, and th-this is m-my mate, L-La-Lavender.' The male wolf sobbed as he tried to hold back his tears, so as his mate. 'I-I'm gla-glad to kn-know that my so-son's been a he-hero and a gr-great fr-friend to you and your pack.'

'Your son died like a noble warrior, Lynx. I assure you.' Humphrey said in depress.

'Th-thank yo-you. I al-always knew he h-had his own re-reasons for his ac-actions.'

'I believe it's time to fulfill his wishes, darling.' Kate said sadly and Humphrey nodded before turning to Rex's parents.

'May I know where Rose's buried?' He asked politely.

'She's bu-buried at their d-den. I'l-lead you to th-there.' Lynx sobbed and Humphrey turned towards Sam and Rad.

'Sam, Rad, follow me and drag the corpses along with you.' He said and they nodded before following them under Lynx and Lavender's lead.

They began to hear cries and weeps behind them as they left; they must be crying for Rex's death and begged for his forgiveness which Humphrey surely knows that Rex would give if he's still alive…

Writing the whole story of Rex's behavior in the United pack is pretty sad and hard, so I do hope that I've written this chapter well. Thank you guys for the supports so far; I really appreciate it and as usual, leave a review/follow/favourite. It helps me out a lot and I'll see you guys in the net chapter. Peace out. -LoverWolfs1121

P.S: I'm having 2 weeks of public holiday, so the updates might be faster than before, but it depends on the chapters. Also, you can PM me if I made any mistakes in this chapter and I've corrected a few errors in the last chapter. Have a nice day!

Edit: Corrected a few errors in this and the last chapter.