On the Outskirts of Manhattan

Ava paced around the large chamber that Riley had called his office. She was still in her wolf form pacing as he walked through a door and into a separate room. Her keen wolf ears picked up his movements which sounded rather like he was ruffling through clothes.

She tried to calm herself down but the irrational part of her mind kept yelling at her that Dawson had attacked her. He had let fifty other men attack her. She had been attacked. And she stopped herself from killing him. There was one part of her mind that was pissed off at Dawson for attacking her in the first place, but there was that other part of her brain—the part that she had always fought with—that was yelling at her for stopping herself from killing him. She hadn't killed him, but it was in her very nature every time she did anything wolf-like to follow through with every action she took—especially the violent ones. It was that part of her that scared her. It was that part of her that Riley wanted her to use. It was that part of her that she would have to use if she was going to take on an army of human eating werewolves.

“These were left from when you stayed with us in your hunt for Logan,” Riley was standing at the door holding what appeared to be a pair of jeans and a blouse she hadn't seen for a few years. Ava walked up to him and peered inside the room. It was a closet. He kept her clothes in his closet. She blinked at him.

“We kept them in case you wanted them back. You've never been in a very happy mood when you've met with me. It never came up,” he explained.

When Ava simply sat there, he put the clothes down and headed toward the exit. “I'll be in the hall. Come out once you're done changing.” And with that, he left. Ava peered curiously after the man. He was rather odd; sometimes he did things which showered her with ideas of affection and pride, other times, he pushed her away, forcing her to do things against her will and leaning towards total and complete hatred of her as a person.

Ava shifted quickly, getting into the turquoise jean capris and a simple white tank top blouse that Riley had produced. He had—of course—not provided a bra. The lack of undergarments didn't deter her, she had planned to head straight to the Base anyways. She had spent too much time away from her son in the past few days and even though taking care of the sane half of the werewolf community plus the entire human population was a relatively important job, so was her job as a mother. And she wasn't going to be one of those parents that ignored their child simply because the rest of the world needed her. Her child would be raised properly.

There was a knock on the door followed by a soft cough. Ava spun around to see a sleepy looking Dawson standing in the door. He held out a tiny object to her that she didn't recognize as her cellphone until she stepped closer to him. Just because her wolf was pissed off didn't mean that her human half was. Not entirely anyways. In fact, her human side saw the advantage to him attacking her and letting his soldiers attack. If anything, her human side saw the flaws in his attack. He should have constantly attacked her, not giving her an out or taking a break to watch how she handled everyone else. He was the strongest wolf there, he should have been training her to be attacked by the strongest wolf plus fifty others.

“Your phone's ringing,” Dawson supplied, rubbing his eyes. He was dressed in a tight fitting white t-shirt and navy blue boxers. His short hair somehow looked disheveled and his feet were bare.

The shrill ring echoed around the room as Ava rushed forward to take the object. Her whole body was going into overdrive. For some reason, the sound of the phone ringing along with Dawson's disheveled appearance set off alarm bells in her head.
“What?” she desperately asked into her phone.

“This is Alex. You need to be at the Base. Now.”

***

Nolan was feeling homesick. His Mommy had been away from him all day for more than one day in a row, he missed his bed at home and even though Jackson was trying really hard to make sure he was having a good time, Nolan simply didn't want to do anything Jackson suggested. He no longer wanted to play video games all day. He didn't want to bake cookies. He didn't want to go to the daycare and play with other kids his age. He didn't want to go to the park and play on the jungle-gym. And he most certainly didn't want to hang out with Alex. He wanted his mommy. And he wanted her now.

Nolan had spent his entire life with his mother by his side. She had never left him for more than a few hours at a time, but she had been leaving him for more than a few hours, and going places without him day after day. He wasn't used to it. No matter how much he liked Jackson or Blake or Alex, he just wanted his mother.

“Why don't we try to go for a walk to get your mind off of things? We can see how the house Alex is building you is going. I hear that it's almost done,” Jackson suggested. Jackson was desperate. He knew the child's likes and dislikes since they were very similar to his own: comics, video games and anything nerd related, however, it wasn't cutting it anymore. Anything Jackson suggested, Nolan shot down. He didn't want to play. He wanted to complain until he saw his mother.

“When's Mommy coming home?” Nolan's bottom lip quivered. He knew that it wasn't something to cry about, but he wanted her. No one else knew him well enough. No one else knew how to skip instead of walk to every single place they went. No one else knew when he was tired and when he was hungry and when he needed time to just do nothing. No one else.

“Not for awhile, bud. How about we go visit Alex. You had fun with him this morning, didn't you?” Jackson asked him. Hoping that Alex would have a way to distract the child from his absent mother, Jackson sent the boy a reassuring smile. If anything, Alex might be able to give the boy comfort. They had been staying in the same house together for a few days. That was familiar. That was good.

“No!” Jackson pouted at the man in front of him. “He yelled at me. But after Mommy started making breakfast he was really nice. I think he likes to get Mommy mad,” Nolan explained.

“Then lets go see him. Since you had fun with him after breakfast got started,” Jackson suggested.

Nolan set the pout more firmly on his face, but finally agreed with a nod. He'd go see Alex, but only because he was the next best thing to his Mommy.

***

“Sir? There's a group of men in the front office asking to see the Alphas of the pack,” Blake stuck his head inside Alex's office door. Typically, at least one of the Beta's usually hung around the office as a sort of secretary. Today happened to be Blake's office duty day. He generally didn't stick around the office at all, usually opting to set one of the newly appointed Beta's to take over for him. Today was the exception. Today he felt like he would relax, surf the Internet, take calls and watch the video feed. He needed a “day off” every once in awhile too.

He saw the four men enter the building the second they walked into camera range. They were all rather well dressed and muscular. They were wearing suits and one held a brief case as if they were there for a very important reason. Blake flipped through the appointment book that was always on the desk. Today was supposed to be a free day; a day that Blake could actually sit around and do nothing but surf the Internet and watch other people do what they did around the public areas of the compound.

“Alphas?” Alex asked, causing Blake to tumble back into reality. He had been thinking too much on the group of men and their appearance.

“Yeah, they seem to know that there's two of you. You and Ava,” Blake explained.

“Tell them Ava's on important business right now and they'll have to deal with talking to me. Send them to meeting room two,” Alex stood up, ready to head to the room himself when a small voice called his name.

“ALEX?!?” A little boy's voice called out loudly through the open doorway of the office.

“They're actually already in the reception area, now with Ava's son,” Blake explained.

Alex sighed, moving toward the door where there was the sound of a conversation going on.

***

Nolan didn't really care if Alex was doing something important. He had run ahead of Jackson to get to the building before him and have that extra time with Alex. However, as Nolan walked into the door of the office which was located just off of the main lobby, he noticed a few men in suits standing around. They looked important. And there was something engrained in Nolan that made him not want to interrupt whatever important business Alex was about to endure. However, his three-year-old mind soon gave up that idea and called out to the older man.

“Alex?!?”

The men in suits turned to look at him. All of them held the same look on their face: one of utter surprise and general pleasure at the sight of the boy.

“Hello there,” one of the men spoke up, leaning down to the boy. “Is your name Nolan by any chance?” he asked.

“Yeah!” Nolan grinned. “Who'd you know?”

“We're friends with your Mom,” the man explained.

“You know my Mommy? I miss her. Did you see her today?” Nolan asked.

“No, but we're going to see her soon,” another one spoke up.

“Can I come?” Nolan asked.

“Of course,” the first man smiled down at Nolan.

“Hello, what can I do for you gentlemen?” Alex asked, stepping out into the reception area of his office.

“Nothing at all. We've got what we came here for.” The man held onto Nolan's hand who had a happy grin on his face.

“Come here Nolan,” Alex barked, adrenalin suddenly coursing through his body. Something was wrong. No one had permission to take Nolan off the Base's property.

“No, I'm going to see Mommy,” Nolan explained, happily swinging his arm back and forth with the man beside him.

“If Ava gets here first, be sure to give this to her.” A separate man stepped forward, holding out a note to Alex. “We'll be on our way.”

Alex let our a growl. “You will not be taking that child without my permission. And I have not given it to you.”

“Good day Mr. Sterling,” the man holding Nolan's hand nodded at him and turned to leave the room.

Blake noticed the tension in the room. Unable to control the welling urge in him, his wolf burst forth.

Jackson was just walking into the room, noticing the tension, “What's going on?”

“Grab Nolan,” Alex ordered.

Jackson moved to grab Nolan's arm, however the man spun the boy out of the way as the men around him burst into their own wolves. They all growled, surrounding Nolan and the man holding onto his hand. Their transformation sparked Jackson's and Nolan let out a whimper at the growling going on around him. He had seen his Mommy in her wolf form before, but she was much more gentle and affectionate. All of the wolves around him seemed to be angry and about to fight.

“I want my Mommy,” he blubbered out.

“I'm taking you to her. I promise,” the man stated just as the wolves around him charged at each other. The man took that opportunity to tug Nolan out of the room and into the safe confines of the open parking lot.

There was a loud commotion as several wolves tumbled out into the parking lot behind them. The man pulled Nolan behind his back, keeping him out of harm's way.

Alexander's reddish-brown wolf burst from the group and, growling, headed straight for the man. The man swiftly pushed Nolan back and transitioned smoothly into a wolf of his own. He let out a growl and charged at the Alpha, biting at whatever he could grab as Alex tried to get in a position to protect the child.

He let our a bark once the other wolf's claw slashed at his leg and suddenly there was the sound of a painful cry. Alex looked over to see Jackson pinned under another wolf. His momentary distraction allowed the other wolf to ram into his side, causing several ribs to protest.

The sound of an engine starting caught everyone's attention. A window rolled down and slowly an arm stuck out the side. The windows were too tinted to see who was inside, but the object in the driver's hand was obvious and intimidating. The gun pointed directly at Alex who immediately stopped moving. No one messed with guns. The shot rang out, and Alex felt the blood rush to his head as his whole body was propelled backward. He landed with a thud just as the pain burst forth from his chest. He tried to keep his eyes open as the Beta's ran to his side and the other wolves transformed back into their human forms.

“No. G-get...get—” but it was too late. Nolan was grabbed up and shoved into the vehicle that sped away.

Alex huffed out, clutching his chest. “Call Ava.”

***

It seemed that Ava changing into new clothes was useless. The tone of Alex's voice had Ava changing immediately back into her wolf body. Her clothes ripped to shreds as she turned. Dawson blinked at her; she was always flawless in the way she transformed. His sleepy body took the time to admire her, and then as she aimed to run out of the room, his sleepy mind finally caught up to him. Something was wrong. And with that simple thought, he felt himself transform as well—somewhat of an oddity since he hadn't consciously told himself to change. He didn't take the time to question it before his wolf's body charged after Ava and out the doors of the Council's Chambers.

She was fast, he gave her that. He was having a hard time trying to keep up to her, in fact, she seemed to be going faster and faster and leaving him further and further behind no matter how fast he ran. He was using all of his running power to catch up to her when his ear piece buzzed.

It took his wolf ears a couple of seconds to understand the English coming out of the com, but he finally deciphered Riley's voice.

“Dawson, back to the Chambers. You're not going to catch her. You'll be faster if you use a vehicle. She's designed to run faster than you. Do you understand me Dawson?”

Dawson let out a growl and started running even faster. He didn't know how he was doing it, but she was still in his vision, and that gave him hope.

“Dawson. Back to the chambers. Now,” Riley barked out.

Dawson growled again and pushed himself even further.

“You're going to kill yourself trying to catch her,” Riley growled then sighed. “You're passed the half-way point. You might as well continue. Contact me once you know what's going on.” There was the sound of static and then silence as Riley quit communication with Dawson. Ava was getting farther and farther away until he could no longer see her anymore. The fact that he knew where she was heading was the only thing that kept his legs pumping and his adrenalin coursing. He could make it. He would make it. Soon. He hoped.

***

No more than two minutes later Ava burst through the gates to the Base. She let out a ferocious growl of her own at the group of people before her. Some, terrified, jumped out of the way. As she pushed through the group she came face to face with Alex who laid on the ground, bleeding profusely from a leg wound and was clutching his chest at what appeared to be several broken ribs. However, once Ava got closer she could smell the gunpowder and the blood. He was bleeding from his chest.

“I'm sorry. They...they took him,” Alex paused to swear and take a deep breath. “Blake,” he barked out. The man came out of the crowd of people, stepping around the nurse who was working quickly on Alex's leg wound and the other who was holding Alex's hands firmly in place over his gunshot wound. “Show her the security footage of them—” Alex was cut off immediately when Ava transformed into her human form. Several of the people around her were also caught off guard. Almost everyone knew that she was a very private transformer.

“I don't need to see pictures. I need their scent. And I need it now,” she demanded. She turned to the pack members that were around her. “I need you all to disperse. You're mixing up their scent with yours. I need you—Blake—to bring me through where they went, what they touched, show me anything they left behind. I need their scent,” she paused as the group around her just stared. “That was an order. Disperse. Now.” The wolves immediately moved, going inside the building. The nurses and finally the doctor stepped forward with a stretcher, putting Alex onto it.

“Don't get in my way.”