The Pack Survives

[13] Unexpected Visitor

Evan’s POV        

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                ‘Where are you? I thought you were coming with me for a run?’ I heard I my mind. I still couldn’t get over finally being able to mind link with my mate. Less than 24 hours ago I thought she wasn’t going to make it. Today, I am joining her for a run in the woods.

                She didn’t know it, but I was already outside waiting for her. I stood, slightly hidden behind some trees on the property line a few hundred yards away from the side entrance of the house. Gabe had informed me that they were moving, and he was going to come out this exit. I waited patiently for her to emerge, my nerves on edge.

                I promised not to dwell on her almost- death, instead be grateful that she survived, but the memories remained. The smell of blood, the sound of her erratic heartbeat and the blood gurgling in her throat, the way her mother screamed and cried in the hallway of the pack hospital when her vitals plummeted.

                Now, the sounds of her stable heartbeat and breathing are what keep me going through out my day. I still have a long way to go before I feel completely convinced that she won’t die, so in the meantime I have taken precautions – more precautions- to ensure her safety.

                I’ve tasked Gabe with that. He has taken the responsibility of assembling a group of our most trusted warriors. They are on a constant rotation as her security detail but when we go on outings like today’s run, they are all out with us. Overkill? Maybe. But I would do anything for her, to ensure her safety. To make sure she lives.

                “I am on my way. Miss me?” I asked, teasing her. It has become my favorite thing.

                “More than you know. Hurry, before I hunt you instead.” She replied, purring at me.

                “I will live and die by the sound of your voice, teasing and taunting, shall be my tethering and undoing simultaneously.” I said, as I approached her from between the tree line.

                Her head whipped around, a smirk appearing in the corner of her lips. “Shall we hunt?” she announced to the group, arms spread wide as if she was inviting us all to a grand ball. She had such a way for extravagance yet remained very humble. #7486 on the list of things I love about this fierce woman.

                We set out on a run and within seconds, Gabe’s men had shifted and began falling into place around us. Celeste, Erin, Norah and myself ran in the middle. Gabe ran in front of us with Lucas to his right. Flanked around the sides and followed up behind us were the remaining wolves, including Celeste’s own Warrior – Clarence.

                Running with my mate was extraordinary and I prayed to the great Luna that I would never grow tired of the rush that I felt with her. Dmitri was enamored with her, whimpering when he feared she was near falling, and purring and yelping when she overcame the obstacle with grace and elegance that would only befall a creature as majestic as herself. We nearly ran head first into a tree because we couldn’t keep our eyes off her.

                We ran for a while, and I wondered what sight the birds and forest animals saw as we rumbled through the woods. The earth shook thunderously under our feet and our group wasn’t quiet by any means. The males, while their sole purpose was protecting their Luna, found great joy in teasing each other and playfully nipping at one another. The sounds of heavy breathing, growls, and laughter filled the air as we ran full speed into the sunset.

                We slowed when we got to a small creek so the wolves could grab a drink. The creek was one of my favorites as a child as it pours directly into Ringing Rocks Park. Some of my fondest memories as a child were running through this creek with Dmitri, getting soaking wet and running back through the woods to the pack house, covered in mud and hearing my mom shrieking about the “muddy dog” ruining her perfectly clean linens. Dmitri and I snickered at the memory. I felt Celeste nearing me and the look on her face told me that she had heard my trip down memory lane.

                I didn’t feel ashamed, rather I felt bad trapping her in my “Oh my parents are dead, poor me” mind. Her concerned face turned to stone, her eyes flashed over and I knew she heard me.

                SMACK.

                “Ow babe! What was that for!?” I yelled, rubbing my paw across my snout. Dmitri was whimpering outwardly, but I was growling on the inside. “Because, BABE, that is not what I think when hearing your childhood memories!! I am not weak, I am not fragile. I can bear the burden of your saddest memories. And if you’re lucky enough, maybe I can give you a new memory at this creek.” She whispered through the bond. I could hear the words rolling off her tongue in a purr and suddenly, Dmitri was no longer licking his proverbial wounds. He was all ears.

                Suddenly, my mind was filled with images of her and I, rolling in the creek bed, fighting, playing, a chase. Dmitri rumbled with approval. There was no better show of affection and adoration to a wolf than a hunt. Nothing more rewarding for his mate to be at the end of that chase either. He could feel his muscles rippling, preparing to take off and make these images come to fruition, when he felt a sensation through the bond.

                It was a feeling of being forced open, something coming forth without consent. I remembered the feeling, but it had been what felt like eons since I experienced it. “She is turning. The first shift. No one must watch Mate! Everyone must leave!”

                With a roar of energy I didn’t know I possessed, and a force of authority I didn’t think possible, I urged our group to scram, and told Erin to grab Norah and Clarence and run them off, giving us a wide berth but keeping the perimeter tight on Celeste. I wanted privacy, but not at the sake of exposure.

                “Celeste.” I urged, as I knelt down next to her while she laid in the fetal position on the cold damp earth. I had long since shifted back and didn’t bother to put on any clothes. I needed to talk her through this, as a human. “Hang in there, the first shift can be painful but then-“ I was interrupted by a terrible scream that emerged from her tiny frame. I felt helpless, worried and a little excited. Dmitri was in my head, pacing calmly, waiting – ever the gentleman- for his mate to emerge into our realm.

                “Ev-Evan, she is telling me that, that she needs you to shift. It will be easier to bring her forward if Dmitri is here. Please…shift!” she gasped out. I didn’t wait another second, or rather, Dmitri didn’t wait, and within a heartbeat, we stood on all fours, standing tall above her body, encasing her.

                “Brother, I need to take over.” Dmitri said sternly. He wasn’t asking for permission.

                “As you must.” I replied.

                “Zasha. Come to me. I have been waiting for you. I am right here.” He commanded.

                He took a few steps back, allowing her space to move. I wasn’t entirely sure she would, or could, and was surprised when she began to slowly roll from her side onto her stomach. Pushing up on her forearms and bringing her knees to her chest, she began to pant. Slow at first, then heavier and heavier until her whole body was vibrating with energy. I have seen many shifts, as an Alpha, but this was not of the norm. Dmitri was growing impatient and let out a deep bark which seemed to set the catalyst.

                A white blinding light blasted us back and into the air quite a few feet, temporarily knocking us out. We laid there unable to move or see. It brought a feeling of bile and uselessness as I knew I needed to get up and get to Celeste. I began to regain feeling in my paws, my neck, my face. That is when I felt a big sloppy wet lick across my snout. My eyes shot open and were met with the most striking pair of violet eyes, I have ever seen.

                Though they were new, they were ringed with familiarity, I would know the colors of these eyes anywhere. Seas of silver and red swirled deep in the iris’. It looked like an ocean on a far away planet. Something an artist would conjure up. There was an artist here, The Moon Goddess. My eyes slid over to her fur. Instinctively we leaned in and nuzzled the fur, confirming that- yep- just like silk. Dmitri was almost purring. “Mate.” He forced out between labored breaths.

                In an instant he flipped up onto all fours, towering over his mate. He felt his wolf go stupid, staring over his mate as if he was just given the sense of sight for the first time in decades. “Mate.”

                He had been walking forward, prowling, when the voice in his mind stopped him dead in his tracks. Of all the years he’s been alive, wandering this earth with his human, Dmitri never heard a voice so sweet, so sultry, so breathtaking. He faltered only momentarily, then straitened up, pouring his confidence and aura over Zasha, showing her that he was a worthy mate. Her scent was of nothing he had encountered before, not even entirely like Celeste’s. She was in there too, but her wolf had her own signature scent. Rain. Dmitri LOVED rain.

                His head dipped low and he pushed into her throat, nudging and growling. His growls turned from deep and guttural, to yips. He was yipping at her! In the back of his mind, Evan was floored. He felt every emotion Dmitri felt all at once, but over that, Evan was proud of his wolf. He finally had his mate. Every other wolf in the pack finds their mate, and their wolf finds theirs immediately. Dmitri had been patient. He knew Zasha was in there, and he would bide his time. There was nothing more that a wolf loved, than a good hunt.

                Our wolves began chasing and jumping, rolling over and nipping at one another. They were like children with their playmates. Bounding through the woods and creeks together, hardly aware of the spectators they had. Our pack mates and friends stood with pride as their Alpha and Luna finally had almost all of each other. Little did we know, someone else was watching, and they had just seen more than they bargained for.

                “Zasha, my love, we have to go back soon. This was the best hunt of my life. Let us run together.” Dmitri said as we trotted next to each other. He stayed no more than 6 inches away from her at all times, like a large shadow. The rest of the group gave us plenty of space, no doubt Celeste’s and Zasha’s Luna aura was rolling off of her in waves, as will a Luna who has not been officially coronated, for lack of a better term. She needs to be introduced to the pack, intentionally, as their Luna. Otherwise her power will be uncontrollable to a fault.            

                “Yes, mate, this was the best first day of my life.” Zasha replied, playfully reaching up and biting into the soft spot right under his ear. The growl that emanated from his body made her shudder, he could see it.

                “I have much to show you, my love. I have been waiting for you.” And with that, they took off. Within minutes they were back at the pack boundaries and trotting over to the side entrance of the pack house. I began taking over control and ushered Zasha and Celeste to the side of the house where I set up a changing station for her and saw that Nic and Brittany were outside with their mates waiting for us.

                “I am sending Celeste in to get changed, allow us a moment and we can discuss whatever it is that has your face looking like that Brian.” I told my friend, who looked painfully frustrated. He shook his head.

                “We don’t have time, let Nic do it.” He signaled to Nic and I turned to Celeste.

                “Whatever they have to tell us can’t wait, Nic is going to conjure clothes for you. When you phase back, she will do it. No one will see your body.” I said, the last part coming out with a little more edge than I intended. She visibly flinched and I sent waves of regret through the bond. I turned back and nodded to Nic. Celeste phased and as she stood, was adorned with a gentle flowing, white cotton dress. She looked regal. I phased and grabbed a pair of sweats off the ground, but I could not take my eyes off her.

                I quickly realized we had garnered a lot of attention, word spreading fast that Celeste had her first transformation. All of the faces in the crowd were those of awe. I felt pride wash over me again, it was crippling. I never understood the mate bond, obviously until I experienced it, how could I? But how does someone live like this, where all they are is constantly overwhelmed with the love they have for another being? Take me now Goddess, this is how I want to die, draped in my mates love.

                “Evan? Chill love. Something is happening.”

                I instantly snapped back to reality, remembering Brian had something to tell me and it was weighing heavy on his mind. “Let’s walk. Tell me.”

                “When you were leaving for your run we had word that someone was attempting to cross our borders about 10 miles northeast. The opposite direction of where you were heading, which is why I did not alert you to their presence. Also, because Celete’s father asked that we didn’t. He wanted to go meet her himself.

                “Her?” Celeste piped up. “I saw my Father right before we left. He was making sure I was leaving, of COURSE! Why does he always do this?” She huffed.

                “He is an Alpha in his own right, love. Calm. I trust your father. Brian who is the unexpected visitor?”

                “Mario’s wife, Alpha. She is alone and she is also hurt.”