The Mist Wolves

Chapter 4

Blake

As the King of the Mist Wolves, I, Blake Thorn, commanded five packs: Bones, Mist, Green, Silver, and Pearl. Following my father’s death, I ruled them with a relentless authority, always aware of the lurking wolves ready to stab me in the back.

I kept the packs running efficiently and enforcing the law, but, from time to time, unexpected issues would crop up. In the cramped expanse of the Mist, the packs were in a constant battle for territory and sustenance. Encroachments were common, and I had to deal with them all the time. Apart from that, there were rebels who wanted to overthrow me.

Food was a problem in the Mist. Being locked up in it for twenty years had made us resourceful but incredibly frustrated. The Mist Wolves relied heavily on agriculture for survival. The Silver pack had control over the silver mines, and the Pearl pack near the lake harvested valuable pearls. But these were of little use monetarily because where would we sell the precious commodities? The local demand was limited.

The war pushed our packs into a dark period. My father was the reason the Mist Wolves had been imprisoned. They hated him, they loathed me, and my hatred for Alpha Hendrick Mallory was at its peak. I promised to annihilate him someday, yet a darker part of me longed to annihilate his heir.

With a group of ten warriors, I had come out hunting to feed the eighty Gammas and Omegas who worked in my castle.

“There’s a deer herd galloping in that direction,” Percy, my half-brother and my Beta, said, sniffing the air and pointing toward the south where the mist was dense. “I guess there are about twenty of them.” Percy’s sniffing abilities were impressive.

“How far?” I asked, narrowing my eyes to look through the mist.

“About a mile? But it would be dangerous to go there, Alpha Blake,” he warned me in a serious tone.

“Done be insane,” Tate growled. A strong undercurrent of hatred pulsed through Tate, my father’s older brother’s son, as he resented me for what he perceived as his rightful claim to the throne of the Mist Wolves. But he couldn’t do a thing about it because his father had taken an oath that he and his descendants would defend my father and his heirs. “You can get lost in that mist and never come out!”

Despite all the hatred, Tate was my closest companion other than my Beta and I trusted them both implicitly.

I didn’t have the luxury of letting this opportunity go. We needed food, and we needed it fast. “I’m going,” I declared. “Percy and Tate are coming with me.”

Tate let out a low growl of protest, but stood beside me as the rest of the wolves waited for my command. I didn’t want them to enter the mist. Percy and I could easily make our way out, but I wasn’t sure about the rest.

“Stay here and wait for us,” I commanded my warriors, urging our horses forward.

Before entering, we securely fastened the reins of our horses to the sturdy branches of the trees. Tate and Percy were close behind me. The mist hung in the air, thick, foreboding and dangerous. As we walked, we encountered skulls and bones, scattered every few meters. The scent of the deer herd grew stronger with each step we took, indicating that they couldn’t be too far away.

The tattoo on my chest scorched so hot that I had to slap my hand over it to choke a growl. Beneath my hand, I could feel the ridges of the scar rising.

Suddenly, I felt the mist shifting. Like it had slithered lower, soaking my boots. My heart raced. My blood thrummed, lighting up a fire of temptation and the deepest dark desires within my soul.

There was no way this could be possible.

Without a thought, I started running toward the edge of the mist.

“Alpha Blake!” Percy shouted. “Stop. Do you have a death wish?”

I ran and came to stand at the edge where a schismé had opened. Tate and Percy halted beside me, staring at the narrow bend that parted the mist, allowing us to see the territory of the Earth Wolves.

“f**k!” Percy rasped with amazement as I padded my way toward it.

My anger dissolved into a mix of surprise and shock. Adrenaline gushed through me. A gust of cool wind made the mist swirl, as if trying to fill the schismé.

A part of me wondered if I was imagining it, and whether or not this was the right thing to do. But I knew this was my golden moment to finally seek vengeance. “The mist has opened. We’re going out,” I said.

Memories of being held captive during the war, when I was fourteen, overwhelmed me. The scars I got from being whipped mercilessly burned on my back. I had failed my father then by going after him, but I wouldn’t fail him again. As a punishment, my father sealed my mate bond and branded the emblem of the Mist Wolves on my chest, to remind me I was to avenge him.

“We’ll destroy them,” I said in a hoarse voice. The Earth Wolves had us trapped, but I was about to break free. My only wish was to spill blood and raze them all to the ground.

My desire drove me ahead and, along with Tate and Percy, I crossed the schismé and entered the Yarlan Meadows. We were standing on top of a cliff. I watched the sky, where dark clouds loomed.

“It looks like they’re having some sort of festival,” Percy said in a low voice when he saw lights blinking from tents and shops dotting the plateau below. Four tall towers with spires punctuated the skyline, reaching toward the clouds. Waves from the angry ocean crashed against the cliff below. A little bonfire lit up at the edge of the cliff and I saw the dark silhouettes of two males and a female.

Wasting no time, we made our way down toward the meadow. The burning sensation of my scar was so intense that it felt like being scalded. I was sure it had gone crimson.

My instincts led me to the main shopping center where the sounds of laughter and merriment filled the air. As we reached the car parking area, I couldn’t help but notice the number and variety of cars. How much the world of the Earth Wolves had advanced. We were left behind, still relying on horses for transportation. All our technical equipment was rotting slowly. Fresh rage simmered in my chest.

Young male and female wolves walked around in groups, chattering away about the Mating Ball. The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted in the air but I caught one distinct smell: lavender and honey.

“They’re having the Mating Ball,” Tate said, his eyes darting around at the wonder of this world.

“That means the royals will assemble here,” Percy added.

Without answering them, I chased the scent that pulled me. Before I knew it, I was in a shop.

Her scent was strong here. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with it. And then I spotted her, at the back of the shop, looking at the masks.

I froze, spellbound, as words, breath, and thoughts tossed out of my mind. With her hair cascading like spilled flames and her peachy skin glowing, she had eyes that resembled the clear blue sky on a sunny day in the Mist. My heart twisted with a fierce desire for her. No matter how far apart we were, I would crawl to her, even if it meant traversing the ends of the earth. I didn’t understand the attraction. Didn’t want to. But this was the fiercest attraction I’d ever experienced. My wolf, Frost, wanted to shift.

Drawn to her like a moth to the flame, I stalked closer and came to stand behind the daughter of my worst enemy.

Maeve Mallory.

One who I vowed to destroy.