I ran away from the party and the people with it. Sprinting away to the woods, I started to feel snapping in my bones, and I whimpered, making it to the clearing where I first smelled his scent after he left.
Letting go of my grief and pain, I screamed out, allowing the wolves patrolling and any others know I was there. My gaze went to the sky. The flower moon shone tonight as I fell to the ground, my bones starting to reshape into my wolf. We both lay on the ground in her form, not knowing what we looked like.
Sleep, sweet one. You have had a very trying couple of weeks. Lie here and take in this wonderful scent. I will be with you from now till the end.
Nolen
Sarge limped through the forest, his head low to the ground. We lost, and not only did we lose our position, but we about lost our life. The old Alpha thought he had killed me. I lay still in the pool of blood as his wolf stepped away from me, and everyone left me for dead. Axel and Lucas tried to come to me, but the Dolostone wolves kept them back, pushing them back to the packhouse.
Now, I lingered in the back of Sarge’s mind. I couldn’t understand what happened during my fight with him, and then it changed so quickly. The pack would never want me as the Alpha again, I tried to protect them by issuing the Alpha challenge, but it didn’t go the way I thought it would have.
Sarge came up to a creek and drank from the cool water. He had been silent, listening to the mantra of my thoughts since we were able to leave. Not knowing what to do or where to go. The Quartzite pack was the only other place I could think of, but if Alpha Wade realized I had not died, I’m sure he would go to their pack first.
We will have to stay rogue until we can become stronger and take back our pack, Sarge voiced as he glanced up to survey his surroundings.
I understand, but how do we become stronger? We trained with the best trainers, and yet he still somehow won.
I know. Sarge’s ears drooped along with his tail.
We need to find a place to stay and heal some more,I told him.
He took off into the stream, belly deep in the water to hide our scent. I started to gaze at my surroundings, I didn’t recognize any of this forest, but I had not really been paying attention to where Sarge had been taking us. He kept his guard up, his ears twisting and turning as he focused on what was before us.
We trotted through the stream for a few miles until we came to a beaver dam. Sarge jumped up on the embankment and went a few more miles through the woods until he came up to a massive tree. He started digging at the tree’s roots until he fit himself into the hole.
I awoke the following morning hungry. Opening my eyes, I gazed out of Sarge’s eyes which told me he was still in control. You can take control back at any time, Nolen. I figured since we didn’t have any clothes right now, you’d rather stay as me.
Yes, that is a good point. I’d rather not be naked right now. But we do need to find some clothes. And food.
I can find our food easily. Sarge climbed out of the den he made; shaking the dirt from our fur, he stretched out our muscles before putting our nose to the sky. Sniffing for something to attract our senses.
We trotted forward into the woods, avoiding low-hanging branches in the trees and the twigs on the ground. A doe stood in a small clearing. She had not heard or detected us yet. We crouched in the bushes, ready to spring, when a fawn came out from the other side of the clearing. I stilled Sarge, Let’s find something else. Sarge snorted, his ears against his head. Then it will be longer before we eat.
It’s fine. I don’t want to be the reason it loses its mother.
Moving from the brush, we pressed on, searching for food. Stopping by the stream, we drank our fill before continuing further into the woods. The feel of his strength as we padded away from the doe and the fawn still astounded me. I could grow used to being you.
A rabbit darted out, and Sarge ran after it. Pouncing on it, he took it into his strong jaws and broke its neck. He laid on the ground, tearing the flesh from its bones. The rabbit didn’t take Sarge long to devour, but it was enough to help us go forward.
My brother and I used to come to hunt in the woods; well, he did; I just helped him. I miss him still. He would be ashamed of me right now. The thought of Archer gazing down on me right now and being disappointed in me for losing the pack.
No. Archer would not, Nolen. He would never be ashamed of you.
We continued searching for more food; I mean, we were larger than ordinary wolves, and the rabbit was just an appetizer. Happening upon a small encampment, Sarge circled it, sniffing around to find out if anyone resided at the moment in the camp. We cautiously moved forward into the campsite after determining that no one was around.
Nosing around in the tents and bags, we found some clothes. Might be easier to make sure the clothes fit if we were human.
We shifted, and I rifled through the clothes, grabbing two shirts, a pair of pants, and shorts. Grabbing a bag, I put the clothes and a few things of food. Shifting back, Sarge grabbed the bag with his muzzle, and we ran for the den he made beneath the tree.
It had been a few weeks since I’d encountered anyone. Amora still plagued my mind; would she wonder where I was? Be sad if I didn’t return? I could never know. All I knew was that she was safe right now since my “death.”
Sitting up against the tree that had become my home. I sat there thinking how I would be able to get my pack back without an army of wolves to fight with me. There was no way I would go to Sawyer and ask him to risk his when I was too weak to protect my own pack.
He would not want a weak alpha with his sister. Even if we were mates. Sarge whimpered in my head. Once we acquired clothes, I started being more human than wolf, we still had to hunt, and I let Sarge out to do that; he loved the thrill of it.
We will get our pack back, our birthright back, and save your parents.
I don’t know if that will happen. I still have not figured out how to become stronger to defeat Alpha Wade. He’s older. He should have been slower. Delta Eric told me this would happen.