1. Levi
“Levi,” a distant voice calls.
I only hear it as a mumble. Standing at the perimeter of the village, I can’t stop staring into the forest that lies beyond. My eyes are not quite focusing on one thing alone. I can feel something out there. A pull I can’t explain.
A hand touches my shoulder, and my body reacts on its own. Spinning around and taking steps back simultaneously. My eyes focus on the face of my Alpha, Thorn. His brow furrows, and he takes a defensive step back as well.
“Are you all right, Levi?” Thorn asks, with concern in his deep voice.
It takes my brain a couple of seconds more to register what he said.
“Yeah, I’m good. What’s up?”
Thorn scans my face to make sure I’m all there. He comes bearing orders.
“I need you to take a team out and search the woods. I was hunting earlier and caught the scent of another shifter. Go find whoever it is and deal with it.”
Thorn’s voice is haggard, as if every word he spoke took energy. Since taking over the pack, he’s spent most of his days trying to fix all the shit Alistair fucked up. Along with his mate being pregnant, I’m sure his hands are full.
“How’s Abby doing?”
“She’s fine. Do you not think I can take care of my mate?” he says.
“Of course, I know you can take care of her. I was just showing concern,” I say with my hands up.
Thorn’s body relaxes, and he puts his hand on my shoulder.
“Sorry, things have been difficult. To answer your question. She is doing well. Just on bed rest.”
“That’s great news. Where did you catch this scent?”
Thorn pulls out a map of the area and shows me the location. It’s in a remote part of our territory. Usually used by teens to sneak off to and rut.
“What were you doing there?” I chuckle, giving him a fake punch on the shoulder.
“I hadn’t been there in a long time. Just wanted to see it.”
I nod. I’m sure there are a few places he missed. Hell, I’ve lived here my whole life and there’s still places I haven’t been to in forever.
“I’ll get the team together and take care of it.”
Thorn nods and heads in the direction of his cabin. I turn the other way and make a beeline to the barracks. We keep the newly trained wolves together there.
“Kiera and Gable, you’re with me,” I bark.
These two are the most promising of the new recruits. Kiera was slender for a wolf, but she was fast as lightning. Gable was huge. Around the same size as Thorn. He should be groomed as a potential Alpha down the road. That won’t happen because, unfortunately, he is as dumb as a box of rocks. But in a fight, he is a monster.
“Don’t worry about bringing anything. We are going out as wolves.”
Kiera and Gable both give me a look of surprise. Young warriors are notorious for not being able to fully control their wolf. This is a kill mission, though. Perfect for them to learn how to use control.
“Are you sure, sir?” Kiera asks wide-eyed.
“You’re never going to get to the point of controlling yourself if you never practice doing just that. Besides, we are meant to eliminate whoever this is. If you lose it, no big deal.”
They both give a curt nod. Turning to leave, it’s not lost on me how big of a deal this is for those two. A chance to show the pack they belong. Heading to the stables, I start to strip my shirt off. The structure has been here for nearly a hundred years. But it’s well-maintained, so we use it as a place to turn and still have a bit of privacy in human form.
I have long lost any shame of my naked body and take off my clothes in the main room. I shift and trot outside to wait for them. The pull I felt earlier is back. Only this time, a smell accompanies it.
Lavender and earth mixed in a way that sets my senses on fire. This must be the scent Thorn told me about. But why do I feel this pull? Kiera and Gable come up beside me and wait for me to start.
Not looking back, I run. Running always clears my mind. But I can’t shake the feeling boring its way into my head. I have never felt this before.
The scent gets stronger. A signal that I am closing in on my target. The smell of lavender is so strong I can taste it on my tongue. But it pales in comparison to the sensation of the pull. It begins to take over my mind. Everything focused on one thought: finding its source. My legs pump harder. The thought of Kiera and Gable getting there first drives me forward.
Coming into the area of a pack and not announcing yourself is a disrespect any wolf knows better than doing. So there had to be some kind of reason they would risk such an insult. We run along the natural game trails that prey animals made.
The closer I get to the scent, the more questions I have. Whoever this is I can tell they are a female. We come to a small creek, and I stop to let the young ones get a drink. I shift back into human form so I can speak directly to them. Communication in wolf form is possible. But talking is easier.
“Something doesn’t add up about this. This shifter is a female. Since when does a pack let a female wander around in another’s area?”
They both shift and are sucking in air as fast as they can. I wait for them to catch their breath and drink some water of my own.
“I don’t know, sir. But even I’m having trouble keeping up with you at this pace. Gable is on the edge of exhaustion.”
Gable lies there, barely conscious. My face shows concern. But inwardly, this is just what I need to get this wolf alone. I have questions. She better have answers.
“Kiera, stay here with Gable. I think I can handle this.”
I shift and start sprinting toward the pull. It’s far more accurate than scent. Besides, I know they are both leading me to the same destination. To whoever this wolf turns out to be.
I have to know. What is so important about her that I have this seemingly invisible attraction to her? I shake the thought away and focus on the task ahead. I have to find her first.
Which luckily for me won’t be that hard. Like a magnet, the closer I get to her, the faster I go. My paws barely touching the ground anymore; I feel like I’m floating. I’m not even sure how my body is maintaining this much exertion. I’m not even breathing hard. A realization that makes me feel like I am just a passenger along for the ride.
Then, nothing. My vision goes black. I have the distinct feeling that I’m not in control of myself. The pull I feel is like an attractor beam. Guiding me to where I need to go.
I don’t bother fighting it because I want to go there too. My vision returns all at once. I squint against the sun. I slam them shut, as it’s too painful to see any light.
What the fuck was that? The question reverberates inside my mind like a bell. My head spins like a top. Slowly, relief comes, and I chance opening my eyes again.
Regaining my bearings, I look around me. The pull in that moment is almost nauseating. She is close. Her scent is also just as strong. A sound behind me draws my attention.
The sound of dry wood snapping, accompanied by the scurrying behind a tree, tells me exactly where she is. Does she feel this pull too? I can’t imagine what other scenario would lead her to actually seek me out.
I shift back into human form. It’s a show of dominance for a wolf to shift back in a rival wolf’s presence. It basically means you want a fight.
“Come on out. There’s no use hiding.”
“How do I know you won’t just kill me?” she replies quickly.
I chuckle at the question. She can’t be serious.
“You don’t, and I may. But it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
I give her time for her situation to sink in. She’s a weak female. She has no option. If I want her dead. She’s dead.
“If you don’t come out, I’m definitely going to kill you,” I threaten.
She comes to her decision and steps out from behind her hide. She is definitely malnourished. Her long black hair tangled into knots. She is beautiful. Not only that, but I feel mesmerized by her.
My feet carry me toward her by their own volition. I look into her face and see what I can only guess is the same expression I wear. Confusion and wonder.
I know exactly what the pull means. We are mates. This woman, who is a reject from some other pack, is my mate.
The spell breaks, and I return to my senses. I take a few steps back from her, wanting more space.
“Did you feel that?”
She nods in agreement. Her face screams deer in the headlights. The lack of food causing her to take more time to regain her full balance.
Fuck. I scream inside my head. I turn away from her and start pacing. This can’t be happening. If she was rejected, she must have done something terrible.
“Why were you rejected by your pack? Why are you in our territory?”
Staring at her, I wait for her to answer. When she doesn’t, I throw up my hands and pace again. Fine, I’ll get her back to my place and make her comfortable. I’m sure some food will loosen her tongue. Or I’ll just tie her to a chair and make her watch me eat. Either way, answers will come later. Right now, I just want to get moving.
“Okay. We’ll shift, and you can follow me. I’ll get some food in you.”
“I can’t shift right now,” she blurts out.
“Why?”
“I only turned eighteen a few days ago. And I’m too hungry to control it. If I shift, I’ll run off. Or worse, I’ll attack you.”
I see her reasoning. However, why wouldn’t she just shift to feed herself? I’m sure she won’t tell me anyway, so I don’t press the issue.
“Fine. You can climb on my back, and I’ll carry you.”
“What?” she asks flatly.
I turn to her and say it louder.
“Climb on my back after I shift. I will run for both of us.”
In her current state, it would probably be faster, anyway. I’m honestly surprised she’s able to move as much as she can. It also means she weighs next to nothing. So carrying her won’t be that hard.
I shift and wait expectantly for her to climb on. I’m a large wolf. Not quite as big as an alpha. But not too much smaller. I feel her relent and try to climb up. She grabs handfuls of my fur and pulls painfully at them.
I reply by growling at her. Getting the message, she stops. With her firmly on my back, I start making my way back to the new guys. I have a lot to explain. But I will do most of that later.
Right now, it’s just going to be, yes, sir. As the creek where I left Kiera and Gable comes into view, I can see them resting on the bank, already in wolf form. Stopping just short of them, my mind is already flooded with their questions about the woman.
“Shut up.” I think.
Communicating in wolf form is essentially telekinesis. The problem is that there is a delay of a couple of seconds. So it takes a bit for the noise to stop in my head. This is also why talking as humans is preferred.
That’s not an option right now. The woman has fallen asleep on my back. Or passed out from exhaustion. Either way, I’m not answering questions.
“Go back to the barracks. No questions right now. Everything is fine. Don’t respond.”
I’ve learned over the years that small sentences are best when doing this. It doesn’t get cluttered, and it’s easier to remember. I don’t bother keeping pace with them. I need time to think.
What the fuck am I supposed to do? The question runs through my mind like a race car. She stirs on my back, my muscles tensing as she moves.
Deep inside of me, I feel something beginning to stir. A new sensation I have never felt before. I stamp the feeling down further and try to lock it away. Mate or not.
She is going to tell me why she got rejected. If not, then I will execute her myself. Either way, she will answer for trespassing on our territory. She’s still young. But she is an adult.
She must answer for her actions like one. A new scent catches my nose that makes me stop in my tracks. The lavender that accompanies her everywhere is still there. But there is a new edge to it.
Something feral. I try to locate the source by turning my head back so I can smell her better. She sleepily bats at my nose, which I’m sure is wet and cold. It finally hits me what the smell is. She is in heat.
At eighteen, she is incredibly fertile. It takes all of my energy not to see how fertile she is. To shift back to my human form and take her right here and now.
She is a reject and more than likely a criminal. I won’t doom my children to having a degenerate mother. I tell myself this over and over in the hopes I convince myself to not give in to my baser desires. I start to run. If I’m running, I can’t fuck her. As long as I don’t mark her, the bond won’t be complete.
But something tells me I can’t run forever.