The Making of a Dark Gamma - Book 1
Time to hunt.

Getting to the pack border, Toni undresses, shifts and runs, imagining what life must be like to be free, she needs to think, to still the conflicting thoughts going through her head so she doesn’t make a mistake she will regret later.

It takes her three hours of running to decide that her gut feeling was the correct one, there are risks but when isn’t there?

At eight she’s back at her house and dismisses the guards, Louise is where she left her, in her room, door open, for a brief moment, Toni is concerned she may be catatonic, but slowly, her head turns to acknowledge Toni stood in the doorway.

“Gamma Antonia”

Holding out one of her cloaks to Louise, she watches as she just sits there on the bed not looking at Toni.

“The Alpha has decreed you will be hunting with the pack within the month, so either you move now, or I will make you move.”

The hardness in her voice is making it clear that she has no choice.

Toni could have commanded her, but in all honesty, she tries to use her command as little as possible, mostly the myth of who she was, was enough to ensure compliance and obedience, that and using body language.

Louise had the look in her eye that told Toni she was on the verge of testing that myth, clearly the events of the day pushing her to rebel.

Her survival instinct takes over at the last minute and she took the cloak meekly, even that annoys Toni, she’s an Alpha-born pup, there should be more fire.

“Yes Gamma Antonia”

“We are driving to the border, meet me in the car once you are ready, don’t keep me waiting.”

Her words are nothing more than a statement but Louise turns to change automatically following her instructions.

Stopping at the border, Toni minds link the Alpha, she knows from his command she can take Louise off pack land, but this will be an all-night run, and after what happened that day, she informs him to make her life simpler.

Stripping but leaving cloaks on, Toni throws the clothes into the bag she has, pulling the correct set of cords on Louise’s cloak and then on her own, they shift, Louise’s red-coated wolf far smaller than Toni’s, but sporting more muscles than before, sticks close until they come to a small clearing where Toni shifts and throw Louise’s clothes at the floor by her paws.

“Shift and dress”

She does so without a word, Toni’s anger is contained but it's there just under the surface as she waits, arms crossed until she has Louise’s full attention

“If you thought I wouldn’t smell or recognise your old pack's scent at the border, you were wrong, so very wrong, but they were sensible enough to stay on the Mountain Peak pack land.”

The look of panic on Louise’s face isn’t hard to read, she’s clearly wondering what Toni did to her family.

“Luckily for you, your texts backed up the fact you weren’t trying to run, only see them, or you would be in the cells facing punishment tomorrow.

And let’s not talk about the fact that you haven’t been given your phone back from the Alpha, so getting another is just plain stupid, if he caught you, Goddess you would be regretting that for weeks.

I’m guessing one of your friends helped you get it, or it would have been reported up, I won’t ask who, that way I don’t need to take action against them, consider this the only favour for your friends you will get from me.”

Louise’s eyes are red-rimmed, holding in tears, but the relief she hadn’t got her friend into trouble is clear.

“Did you not think to talk to me about it, to see if I could broach the subject with the Alpha, recommending a visit, or your phone back as a reward?”

Tyra is livid that Toni is even suggesting she’d be in the cells, but in reality, Toni is trying to help her avoid official punishment, but she knows that she’s partially to blame.

Louise talked about seeing her family again on the journey to the pack and Toni had closed it down, so of course she’s going to go behind her back and try and see them.

And the reality is, Toni knows just how hard it is growing up with no parents around, had she changed places with Louise she’d have tried to see her parents more frequently.

“No Gamma Antonia”

“But don’t underestimate how mad I am and how stupid you were, there may be three years in difference in our ages but you are so painfully naïve it’s like I am dealing with a cub.”

Toni hopes that by referring to her as a cub, equivalent to a human toddler, she’ll start to appreciate how idiotic she is.

“To do something like that in full view, so that anyone that passed could see, is lunacy, do you even know the patrol schedule.”

She stares at her until she looks down shaking her head. Toni can see she’s realising how close to being caught she was.

“If you think that just because you and they didn’t step over borders means you wouldn’t have got into trouble then your school grades must be faked.

Trying to manipulate things to suit you is the same as breaking a rule in this pack, one of the many lessons I know I taught you on the journey here.”

Louise’s eyes are now full of tears and a single tear rolls down her face, she may have had a traumatic day but for the love of the Goddess, Toni needs her to wise up.

“So don’t speak, follow me and stay close, getting lost in these caves is not advisable and will annoy me more.”

She stalks off, this is all Tyra’s fault for creating that bond all those months back.

Leading her into a cave system, they walk silently for twenty minutes through a maze of tunnels until they get to the other side, waiting there are Louise’s mother and all three brothers.

The shock and slight fear on Louise’s face are easy to read, as she hangs back in case this is a test.

“You have fifty minutes alone, you are safe here from prying eyes, the Gamma of this pack is ensuring no one else from the Mountain Peak pack will be in this area, not even patrols for that period.

In exchange, I will be patrolling their border.”

Toni turns to Louise making her hold her gaze until she feels her wolf submitting.

“I know today has been hell, but if you run, there will be repercussions and not just for you, do you understand?”

Toni’s words are gentler than they have been but still firm

“Yes Gamma Antonia”

Louise’s words are honest, and Toni can feel the truth

Toni turns to Louise’s family

“Tell no one of this meet up, otherwise she will have consequences, and trust me, you don’t want me on your bad side, nor her to face the whip, which is the punishment the Alpha would give her for meeting up without his permission.”

The shock at the mention of her getting whipped is apparent on their faces and it’s that one sentiment that she knows will keep them quiet, however harsh it seems, she’s trying to protect Louise, but feels like she’s failing after today.

Toni knows that if the Alpha finds out, she would be flogged until unconscious as a starter, but her life felt like it was over anyway, so what does she have to lose, at this point, it’s about protecting Louise.

Moving to the trees she pulled her cloak in and shifted, moving out to patrol the border for the Mountain High pack as she agreed with their Gamma, and hopefully find the scent of things they can hunt, saving them a little time later, as she heads out she can hear them commenting on how much she’s changed.

It’s been a little over four months since they last saw her and in that time she’s trained for four hours a day, six days a week solely with Toni, until yesterday, she’d probably last a reasonable time against her brother Kade in a fight, but for now, Toni concentrates on her job.

Fifty minutes later she walks into the edge of the clearing, fully cloaked once more, Louise is still there, as are her family.

“It’s time for me to go”

Louise surprises Toni with the firmness in her voice as she hugs her brothers and then gives her mum one long embrace, before turning to walk towards her, they start to head into the trees

“Gamma Woodfield” Louise’s mother calls out.

“Luna”

She bowed her head towards her, giving her the respect, she deserved, she wasn’t party to the Alpha’s arrangement, that much was clear when she’d had to take her daughter away

Toni knew when she had removed Louise, the Luna lost a little bit of herself, she disagreed with her mate that day and it had probably driven a wedge between them.

“Thank you” she pauses

“Thank you for looking after my daughter, saving my reckless sons, for everything.

You are a good person.”

It took all Toni’s control not to flinch at being called a good person, that someone saw through her façade.

“I know you are taking a risk yourself, in allowing us to meet today, Gamma Simon, the Alpha and your Grandfather made that abundantly clear to us.

That’s something I appreciate more than you can imagine.”

Her words are simple but heartfelt as she walks away to her sons something in Toni softens, she raises her eyes to the sky, sending a prayer to the Goddess, every meet-up increases risk.

“Luna……”

She takes a deep breath castigating herself over what she is about to do, she sees Louise’s mum turn back to Toni

“Louise has to be able to hunt with the pack within the next month.

For the next four days we will be passing here at the same time, there’s easier hunting over this side.

I believe you are staying in the neighbouring pack for a short while, as long as their Alpha agrees to the same terms and you can do it subtly….”

She shrugs not bringing herself to say the words

“but you need to use some of this before you hug her and command your sons to stay silent”

Toni’s eyes glance at them, throwing some of her scent masking spray to the Luna she turns and walks away, she doesn’t reply but there were tears in the Luna’s eyes and hope on her face.

Hope, it’s a dangerous thing and Toni doesn’t know if she is hindering or helping Louise’s mum by allowing the contact, will it break her heart more or give her peace, but she can tell from Louise’s more relaxed state, it’s helping her and after the trauma from today, she needs all the help she can get.

“We need to shift now, time to learn to hunt”

Toni tells Louise heading into the trees without a backward look.

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