The Lost Alpha

The Moon

FAOLAN

I took a few steps, feeling the leaves and dirt under my feet. I stretched out my claws and raked them into the cool ground. I was ready.

I took off at a run, leaping fallen logs and rocks, dodging around trees, breaking through bushes. My thick black fur protected me from harm.

I chased a stray rabbit back to its den. I wasn’t interested in hurting it. I just wanted to have some fun, and rabbits were extremely agile.

I didn’t know how long or how far I had run, but there was a break in the forest, and I came upon a large lake.

Blue Lake Pack was named for this very body of water. The glaciers high in the mountains fed the lake. And the natural filtration of the mountains made the water so that it was crystal clear, making everything inside the lake look blue.

The sky was clear, and the moon was full, casting its reflection onto the still water of the lake. I stepped up and began, putting my front paws into the water and began to drink, unaware of the movement of the moonlight until I was engulfed in it.

I slowly raised my head until I was staring into the moon. The beautiful white, round moon.

I knew it was just a big rock in space, held in place by the pull of Earth’s gravitational pull. I knew that it only glowed because of the reflection of the sun’s light. I knew all of this. But all the science in the world cannot prepare you for the wonderment and majesty of seeing the full moon on a clear night.

I felt my body goes weightless. I started to lift into the sky, my legs folding neatly beneath me. I wasn’t scared. I didn’t need to be scared. The moon goddess had me. And for the first time, she was talking to me.

MICHAEL

I was starving. I wandered to the kitchen to find a snack, leftovers, something. I had been so busy today, my father had kept me so busy that I didn’t have time to eat. Or I forgot to eat. One of the two.

I heard a back door open and looked out the kitchen window. Andy was standing in the middle of the backyard dressed only in an oversized tee shirt and shorts. Her feet were bare. She took a step and stopped. I couldn’t see her face, but it seemed like she was arguing with herself, or maybe her wolf. After a few minutes, her shoulders squared, and she walked towards the tree line and disappeared behind a tree.

I dropped whatever I was holding and ran out the back door. I hadn’t been all that far behind her, but when I reached the tree when she had gone, she wasn’t there. All that was left was the small pile of her clothes. I looked around, half frantic. She wasn’t supposed to be alone. We didn’t know who or what was out in these woods. She wasn’t supposed to be alone out here.

“I can find her.” Xaviar said.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” I responded. “She’s your mate.”

“Which means I’m more likely to find her than anyone.” Xaviar argued.

“If she’s in her wolf form . . .” I started.

“I know.” Xaviar muttered. “I know, and I’ll keep my distance.”

“Okay. Let’s go.” I took a deep breath. I stripped out of my clothes and closed my eyes. I had shifted so many times before that I didn’t even feel it. When I opened my eyes moments later, I was looking through Xaviar’s eyes.

XAVIAR

I scanned the forest quickly. There was no sight of Faolan. I knew she would be fast. She’s an alpha by blood. She’s naturally going to be stronger and faster than normal wolves. I raised my nose and sniffed. Lavender. All I needed to do was follow her scent.

I took off into the woods in long running strides. Faolan had zig-zagged through the trees. She wasn’t being chased. There was no other scent but hers. She was running for fun. This was probably the first time she had been able to run as a wolf, and she was taking full advantage of it.

As I got closer, her scent got stronger. I stopped at the edge of the trees, dropping down to remain undetected. I could see her, but I didn’t want to scare her.

She was standing at the edge of the water, her front feet in the water, drinking. As I watched, the light of the moon moved across the lake, until she was aglow. Her black fur shimmered in the light, no longer black, but the color of the moon.

Her front feet lifted first, drops of water making little splashes on the surface of the lake. And soon, she was six feet in the air, looking serene and beautiful. I stood and quietly padded out of the woods onto the rocks of the shore, watching her.

I don’t know how much time passed, but slowly, she was returned to the ground, and the moon light returned to the lake. But her eyes remained on the moon.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone.” I told her, a slight, annoyed growl in my voice.

“Is that how you speak to an alpha?” She asked, not looking at me yet.

“That’s how I speak to my mate when she’s put herself in danger.”

“And unfortunately for you, I am one in the same.” Her head turned to stare at me. A streak of white had appeared on her previously all black head. It was called the mark of the moon, and only certain wolves were blessed with it.

“Alpha or mate, you shouldn’t be out here alone.” I repeated, taking a step towards her. “It’s dangerous. You don’t know who is out here.”

“Shouldn’t that be my decision?” Faolan asked.

“It’s not that easy.” The wind blew, and I felt my ear twitch. It wasn’t something I could hear or smell yet, but there was something out there. “We need to get back to the house.” Whatever it was, whoever it was, was getting closer. The wind blew again, and this time I could smell them. It wasn’t a wolf from out pack. “We need to go now.”

“What is it?” Faolan asked, smelling the air. “What is that?”

“It’s a rogue, maybe more than one.” I moved around her to protect her back side. “Go, go back to the house.” I glanced back at her. “Run.”

Faolan took off. I was on her heels. I had to be careful not to outrun her, and more importantly, I had to be careful she didn’t outrun me. I needed to stay close to keep her protected.

I could hear pounding paws from behind me. Just one. Just one wolf, running after us. I opened the mind link and sent word back to the pack house.

“Back up needed in the woods!” I called. “Right now!”

I received back confirmations from at least five pack members. That would do, as long as she kept going.

“Keep running!” I yelled to Faolan. “I’ll catch up!”

“I’m not leaving you!” She yelled back. I knew there was no arguing with her. She was stubborn. More importantly, she was my mate, and she couldn’t leave me if I was in trouble.

I stopped and spun, waiting for what I knew was coming. I kept Faolan behind me, positioned as Alpha and Beta should be. I knew a rogue wolf was coming, but I was not expecting the size of the wolf who appeared. He was easily twice my size, if not more, gray, grizzly, scarred. This wolf had been in fights before, and he had won.

He leapt over me, totally disregarding my presence and aimed for Faolan. I didn’t have a chance to say or do anything, not that I needed to because Faolan instinctually knew what to do.

Faolan dropped to the ground at the last minute, sending the rogue wolf over her head. The two of us whipped around, shoulder to shoulder to face him, the three of us all snarling at each other.

The rogue wolf took a moment to decide his next action, but it was a moment too long. A red wolf from the pack appeared out of the darkness, leaping into the rogue’s side.

I’d know that wolf anywhere. It was Jax, one of the few wolves that I knew I could count on. He hit the rogue wolf square in the side, sending the two of them rolling.

“Go!” Jax yelled. I nipped at Faolan, urging her into a sprint.

“What about him?” Faolan asked just as two more pack wolves appeared.

“He’ll be fine.” I reassured her. Jax was an excellent fighter and with two more for support, they would have no problem defeating the rogue.

We were quickly back at the safety of the pack house. I waited until Faolan had shifted back and Andy dressed before I did the same.