Rejection Trials

Herding Wolves

BETA HELENA'S POV CONTINUED

In the Death Falls pack, everyone is trained to fight from a young age. Except for that mangy mutt, thankfully we didn’t strengthen that demon. The mother wolves may sound like the last line of defense, but they are some of the best fighters. When a wolf gives birth, it gains more instincts and more strength to protect. This makes them the best warriors to defend the pack. They also make an incredible resource due to their instincts. The mothers have their own guild for lack of a better term. I rely on their counsel more than the pack elders.

I shift into my golden-colored wolf. Like most shifters, my wolf, Bella’s fur, matches my hair color. My wolf’s eyes are bright gold, retaining the symbol of an Alpha wolf. Bella was fast and agile, but she was also tough. When she first awakened, she was not keen on being a Beta wolf. Until she met Belvedere. I still remember how she hopped around gleefully in my head when she saw Bel shift into Tobias for the first time. Bella’s favorite thing to do was run alongside Tobias through the expansive woods around the pack. We spent so many afternoons running up to the Death Falls, an array of steep waterfalls that create a natural border to the north of our pack. We’d listen to the powerful sounds of the falls. Feel the water splash onto our fur. We watched the sun rise at the peak of the falls and howl into the morning.

My father told me the intense pull I felt towards Bel was because I was his rightful Beta broke my heart. My father told me I would feel a similar pull with every pack member once I took up the Beta mantle. And he was right: the day Bel became Alpha was the day I became Beta. The rituals were ancient and beautiful. That day, the new Alpha brought in his own counsel. Decan became our Delta, the third in command and Elenore became our new Gamma, the fourth in command.

Decan was an amazing Delta; he oversaw our borders and relations between other packs and our own pack members. Delta’s have the ability to charm others, and Decan was incredibly good at this. He was the best negotiator out there. He was in law school when Bel asked him to be his Delta. Decan was from an old warrior bloodline but wanted to pursue law. It was Tobias’ idea. Naturally, every good idea Bel has is actually Tobi’s idea. Decan is older than the rest of us, and he is the only one who didn’t inherit their role. Once he took the oath, and they finished the ceremony, he gained all the abilities of a Delta. I didn’t know that was possible. The previous pack Delta was Oliver and when he died, they didn’t replace him. Thankfully, Syrus left the pack, and we didn’t have to let that dumb dog inherit the mantle. Syrus is anything but charming.

I approached Section 32 and could hear the faint echoes of howls. I could smell the rancid smell. It was close to the smell of rogue wolves, but there was something else…something metallic almost. It was a similar scent to blood but foul. I snarled and gagged as Decan approached me.

“Squad 7 is ready for your lead Beta,” he said with a slight nod. Squad 7 was our best group of warriors. Ironically enough, there are seven of them, though most squads have more members. Squad 7 started as a group of trackers. All members scored the highest on tracking on their placement exams. They also all scored the highest in the fighting section. They were all relatively quiet people too. It could be eerie to be around them as they felt like clones of each other’s as far as personality goes, but their looks were all different. Seeing them all lined up waiting for my lead, they all looked bored. Not one of them seemed nervous.

Formation four. I commanded them through mind link. One by one, they shifted into their forms and fell into formation. I took the lead as we headed East towards the howls.

Something isn’t right. Erin, one of the squad members, chimed in. She had the best nose in the entire pack.

Shift to formation nine. I responded and they swiftly shifted around. This formation put Erin in the front, giving her the reins to lead the group, but it also allowed her to smell the ground before our paws tainted the scent.

The scent is overpowering. It’s like we are surrounded. Erin warned.

I don’t sense anyone, E. Oscar spoke this time. Oscar was another member of the squad known for his spatial instincts. I am not entirely sure how he does it, but he can always tell if there are others around and their specific location if close enough.

The howls sound like they’re moving around, but we have been going in the same direction. Surely, they wouldn’t send a honing howl then move constantly. Ava’s voice came through. Ava was obviously known for her keen hearing.

Suddenly, a black bird shot into the view, flying just above Erin. That bird looked oddly familiar. I guess black birds are everywhere. Then I felt an electric charge in the air. Everyone’s fur began to stand on end in response. Ew. I snarled, knowing that beast was around. It’s probably Syrus trying to lure us into some kind of trap.

I heard Oscar yip in the back of the formation. Then Ava also yelped out, who was on the left of me. The group steered to the side. I notice we’ve turned in the same direction as the bird is flying. Then I heard another yip from Jason, who was on the other side, and our formation shifted slightly. Again, following the direction the bird is flying.

We are being herded like sheep. Jason growled at the group.

This mutt has a lot of nerve to herd a group of elite wolves like we are some herd of sheep. I snarled and tried to break from the formation only to feel an electric charge buzz by my side. It felt like the side of my body was burning from the contact. My body naturally moved back into position. There was no doubt in my mind the small coyote-sized black dog currently steering us was Syrus. That cursed, retched dog. I felt a slam against my side as Ava’s body knocked into me, shifting our direction hard to the side as I heard a distorted-sounding growl.

I looked over in time to see Syrus tossing a wolf twice its size into a tree like a rag doll. The wolf had black foam discharging from its eyes and snout. Blood was bubbling from its mouth as it slinked back into the trees. Before I could turn and chase down the wolf that tried to attack my group, Syrus ran up to run beside me. The electric charge buzzed across my side again but this time it didn’t seem to hurt, but I could see my fur was still sticking straight up. Syrus’ wolf form was so bizarre looking, but their tongue was happily hanging out of their mouth as they kept pace with our group. For a moment, we held eye contact before Syrus dropped speed to redirect us.

We should follow the bird. I command. Realizing that is what Syrus’ intent is, for now it seems they are protecting our path.

I can smell toxins all around us. Someone has set traps in the ground. We’ve been weaving around them somehow. It’s like a minefield out here. Erin warned. It seemed like Syrus was leading us around them. How did Syrus know where the traps were? Does it have something to do with the bird we are following? I swallowed hard. The idea of trusting Syrus goes against every fiber of my being, but Bella is just following along. Bella has never encountered Syrus’ cursed ‘wolf’ if you can even call it that. Yet, Bella seems to innately trust them, which pisses me off.

The howls beckoning us were louder. The smell filled my senses violently. There was that rancid rogue smell with the odd metallic scent. There was the smell of the neighboring Swift River pack members. Then there was the potent unmistakable scent of blood. We were close.