Leader of the Pack by Leighann Phoenix

until they saw the look on his face. “Every able fighter, even the ones who didn’t plan on attending, need to gather in the garage and get out to the reservation. There’s going to be a raid tonight.”
    They all stood in shock a moment, not wanting to believe what he was saying. It made no sense. Why would there be a raid on a lycan reservation. Was the source of their troubles recently really that stupid?
    “NOW!” Cullen shouted when no one moved. Suddenly the room burst into action. An alarm that hadn’t been used in decades was sounded and the pack snapped into action with a confused chaos that gave Cullen a sick concerned feeling. There was a reason that the Arnauk enjoyed the peace they had. For a very long time this pack was at constant war and always ready and able to fight. As Cullen looked around he wondered if Keith was right. Maybe it was time for the peace to end. This was not how the Arnauk went into a battle. He would have to deal with this as soon as possible.
    A caravan of black vans and SUVs with tinted windows filed out of the parking garage at the Madadh-Allaidh Saobhaidh and roared down the road toward the reservation. The reservation was a 50 mile square of land that Cullen had acquired when he had first founded the pack. It was mostly wooded, with a small mountain range that bordered one side. A manor-like cabin was nestled into the forest at the foot of the mountain, and a number of older pack members had retired there. There were also a number of cabins that Cullen had allowed to be built in various locations around the forest. Most of those were the homes of lycans who preferred a solitary life for one reason or another, but still wanted the safety of belonging to a pack. The manor itself was just as elaborate at the den in the city, but it was also built to be self sustaining. There were not electrical lines that led out there and there were no cell towers that reached far enough into the territory for a signal. The manor ran on generators and solar power. The only outside contact was through a satellite phone in his office. The sat-phone only worked if it was taken outside and into the clearing, when the satellite it used wasn’t being blocked by the mountain. There was no way to call ahead and tell people to watch for an attack.
    The trip was only three hours long. But it felt as though it took all night. When they arrived in a rush of concern and warning, the people who were there were all stunned with disbelief. It just didn’t make sense. Who would be stupid enough to attack such a large group of Arnauk on their home territory?
    Cullen found the atmosphere of the entire place strange when he first arrived. There had been a number of bonfires lit and the celebration had started without him. Both things were completely out of the ordinary for a mating. Bonfires in general were out of the ordinary for the pack. These bonfires had an odd look and smell to them. They burned exceptionally high, had a greenish tint to the flame, and gave off a scent like burning flowers. That would be more than enough to scare all the local wildlife off. The pack preferred to not scare away any game that might be in the area. Especially considering that a hunt might occur as part of the celebration. Additionally, the fact that there were dozens of couples already undressed and rutting was also strange. That kind of thing should definitely have not started until Cullen and Jenna began their part. Cullen noted the oddities, but then dismissed them. His mind fought the idea of ignoring it briefly. But he decided that there were more important things to think about than the small problems with the ceremony setup.
    Then there was Jenna. The minute the announcement was made that the ceremony might be canceled she started screeching and didn’t stop. She followed along behind Cullen blaming the situation on him and accusing him of making excuses to cancel the mating. Cullen couldn’t help but wonder what had her