Chapter 6 Through the Forest, Into Fate
THROUGH THE FOREST, INTO FATE
“The wild does not beg to be tamed. It calls, and only those strong enough to answer will find their fate within it.”
— Vládan of ávera, Warlord and Mate to ánya
Theron
“Did you feel it too?”
Halfway through braiding his fur, Zephyr pauses, his gaze locked on me, eyes wide. Around us, the other warriors stand silent and ready, muscles tense, waiting for my command. The barrier has fallen.
But excitement cannot cloud judgment. “Listen all,” I growl.
As much as my heart races at the thought of what lies beyond, I know we must be cautious. We know nothing of the lands outside the border we’ve patrolled, nothing of the dangers they might hold. ávera must remain guarded.
We’ve prepared for this exact moment since we were cubs.
I have trained each of my warriors well, and each one knows their role and responsibility.
When I give the word, they will sprint to their designated positions at the edges of the forest. These locations were chosen with purpose, every one providing a clear vantage point to scan the surroundings and protect our land.
Each warrior must reach their post, assess the area, and return to ávera to report before anyone is tempted to explore farther.
Exploration will come later. First, we secure our home.
“You know what to do.”
Without hesitation, they spring into action, their powerful bodies blurring as they vanish into the forest’s shadows. This is what we’ve lived for, what we’ve sworn by the goddesses to protect. I, too, bolt into the night.
There’s a flood of new scents. They’re unfamiliar, impossible to sort through.
My snout twitches, searching for something recognizable, something that makes sense, but it’s too much and too fast. The air is thick with a thousand different aromas swirling together from the world beyond the barrier, a world we’ve been shut off from for so long.
I stumble to a halt, my breath catching in my throat.
My body tenses, and the fur along my spine bristles as I try to ground myself.
For the first time in my life, my senses feel out of control.
I shake my head. I’ve trained for centuries to stay sharp, to never let anything slip past me, even when I’m overwhelmed.
But then, there, hidden beneath the flood of new scents, something catches my attention. A hint of sweetness rises above the rest like a single thread of silk in a web of thorns.
I close my eyes, focusing on that one scent, letting it guide me. It’s floral, but not like any flower I’ve ever smelled. It’s soft and alluring . . . luscious, like a blue rose.
Everything else fades away. The overwhelming blend of new scents, the chaos of the barrier lifting, the uncertainty of what lies beyond. All I can focus on is that precious note in the air.
My muscles flex, and before I realize it, I’m sprinting through the forest, my paws barely touching the ground as I chase that unseen thread. Branches snap beneath me, leaves rustle in my wake, and I keep pushing.
It’s pulling me, guiding me like it’s tied to my chest, tugging me deeper into the trees. The scent grows stronger with every breath. I need to find the source. Now.
Then it hits me—a scent so powerful, so intoxicating, it knocks the air from my lungs.
My knees buckle, and my entire body shudders.
Heat rushes to my groin. Every inhale fills with a sweetness so pure, it’s like nothing I’ve ever known.
My blood roars in my ears. I’m paralyzed for a heartbeat, my claws sinking into the earth as I try to steady myself.
It’s her.
My mate.
My body is trying to push me forward, to follow, to claim what’s mine. Mine. Mine.
I surge through the forest. The scent is all that matters. It fills my senses, making everything else disappear. My human is here.
My blood burns hotter, my cock hardens with a need so fierce it borders on painful. My body responds before my mind can even process it. I can’t stop it, don’t want to stop it.
I burst through the thicket, panting, my chest heaving like the beast I am. Then I see a small scrap of tattered white cloth caught on a bush and fluttering in the breeze. My paws shake as I lift the cloth to my snout, and the scent floods me.
It’s her. This . . . this is what I’ve been waiting for.
I inhale deeply. My eyes roll back, and my body shakes with pleasure as her scent fills me completely. My cock hardens even more, pulses with every breath I take.
She’s close. So close I can almost taste her. I will have her.
I have to feel her.
My paws tremble, claws dig into the earth with each stride, the dirt sinks under my weight. Every step is a war between control and instinct. The want turns every breath into a struggle to keep from losing myself entirely.
Goddesses, it’s too much. My jaw clenches hard, fangs grinding together as I try to focus. I must control myself.
I lunge and sink my fangs into a thick branch.
The bark splinters beneath my teeth. The taste of raw wood fills my mouth, earthy and bitter, but it’s not enough.
I tear at the branch again, biting into it with more force, feeling it give way under the pressure.
The sound of it breaking echoes in the forest, a sharp crack like the bone of a prey animal snapping.
I have to calm down. I can’t show myself to my mate like this.
Slamming my claws into the nearest tree, I rake the bark with a growl, pulling chunks of it away in strips. The rough wood tears under my claws, splinters fly, but the frenzy inside me keeps building. Nothing—nothing—can soothe the madness. I snarl, snapping at the air.
Nothing helps.
My paws shake with every step as I keep walking, and I know no matter how much I fight it, I won’t be able to hold back much longer.
She’s close. Too close. And I’m barely holding on.
And then I see her.
A human female rises from near the water, bathed in the early morning sun.
The sight of her stops me dead in my tracks.
My breath freezes in my throat. The world around me fades into nothing.
She’s not just beautiful, she’s ethereal, like something the goddesses crafted in secret, hidden from the world until this moment.
Her long, dark hair falls down her back, the silky strands reaching her waist.
She’s . . . perfect. So small, yet there’s a quiet strength about her, something that radiates from her very soul.
I’ve never seen a human before, and I never expected anything like this.
Not the way she makes my body roar with need, nor this burning hunger.
My muscles tense, every part of me on edge. My claws dig into the tree beside me.
She lifts her face, slowly rising to her covered feet. Those are shoes. She looks around, and I take in her whole form. Small face. My paw could cover her whole head, front to back. Her eyes are swollen—why? What happened?
She moves back a step, and her clothing sways with the motion. Truly, there is no fur anywhere on her except for her dark brown hair and . . . eyebrows? Patches of hair above her eyes. We have them too. I don’t know why that part surprised me, but Elder A?na wasn’t joking. Humans are so different.
My little mate looks around, she’s wary. She moves slowly, trying not to make a noise. Smart female.
I grab my cock. It’s leaking, and I hiss as I squeeze it. If I just take a few steps, she will see her mate. She will see my cock.
But she is so tiny . . . Goddesses, how can I claim this small female?
It’s a fight to keep my body from lunging forward. My knees tremble from the effort. The tree groans under the pressure of my grip as I try to calm my need. I clench my jaw, but the sound of wood cracking fills the air before the tree crashes to the ground. Shit.
The little female takes a few more steps back.
With a shuddering breath, I try to calm myself, but I only inhale even more of her delicious scent. Wrong move.
I can’t scare her, but I’m so close.
She takes something out of her pocket. A weapon.
Right.
She doesn’t know me. She probably doesn’t even know what I am. I grit my teeth.
She’s human, so delicate, and I’m . . . I’m a beast compared to her. I have to approach her, but goddesses, I can’t. Not like this. Not when every part of me is screaming to claim her, to take her. My cock is hard as stone and dripping on the ground.
“Shit,” she whispers. Oh, that sweet voice.
We both said shit.
Slowly, I take a step forward, trying to keep my movements controlled, though every hair and every fiber begs to pounce. She moves her head to look to the side, exposing a new angle to me, and I nearly groan aloud from the pleasure of it.
I can’t lose myself. Not now. I can hear her soft breathing, the way she exhales, how fast her heart beats. She points the weapon in my direction.
Please, little human. Don’t run.
Because if you run, I’ll chase.