The Stray Wolf

I swirl the perfectly spherical ice ball around in my glass watching the bourbon slosh around it. “Kate. Hello? Are you even paying any attention?” Jenna snaps her thing long fingers sharply in front of my face. There are few downsides to your best friend also being your Beta. Having her obsessively controlling all of the merge decorations and my dress being one of them. However I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve known Jenna since she was born, she is basically like my little sister. Just a few years younger than me. Freshly Twenty- One as of last month. She’s an average height, 5’8, but built to be a fighter and a damn good one at that. Bright emerald green eyes that could cut through to your core and light the way in the dark on our nightly patrols, they especially stood out on her with her perfectly tan complexion and long jet black hair. She was the essence of beauty but I’m also biased I suppose. “Yes, Jenna I’m listening. Tulle or Chiffon for the dress.” I playfully roll my eyes and set my glass back on the table. “Well? Which one then.” Oh good, shes started the tapping of the pen again impatiently. “Tulle.” “Oh absolutely not. The merger is a woodland theme in the forest. Your dress would be torn to shreds before the ceremony even starts!” Jenna c***s her head to the side and gives me a over dramatic shocked look. “Okay so Chiffon?” I raise an eyebrow in confusion. “Point proven.” She clicks her pen one last time and closes her planning binder. “Ah so it was a trick question after all.” I give her a smirk and she laughs as she collects her things and slides out of the booth we had been sitting in at our local bar. “I’ll see you later tonight. Keep thinking over your colors!” She saunters weightlessly out of the bar and I shoot the rest of the bourbon. The waiter glances in my direction and I nod to signal another drink. This would be my 4th bourbon in about an hour but Wolf Shifters need quite a lot of alcohol to really get drunk. We just ride a good buzz for as long as we can and it subsides the bloodthirst. Of course most Packs are natural hunters the way we were created to be without harming any humans. But blood is blood and hunger is hunger. You wait too long between hunting and it becomes hard to really know a difference between animal and human when all you feel is burning hunger. The waiter returns around the corner of the bar and slides the glass onto the table. I stare into the dark amber liquid and once again I’m lost in my thoughts. I am to be married in 6 months, to a man I hardly know, Markus Shylo, The Alpha to the Northern Pack. The Merge is to extend our territories and cover a larger space working together. It has been done for centuries. As the packs grow smaller and we emerge on another Century, the Witches who lead us form another Merge and maintain a healthy strong bloodline of Wolves. I’m Twenty-Five and my life has been planned for me since my father died 11 years ago. Of course back then I didn’t know it involved being in a arranged marriage because I was fourteen and that’s just not a casual talk you have with your parents. My mother was a human and though Women of Wolves have an attractive pull to Men of Wolves. There is always a more powerful force behind most choices in life. Love. The Witches don’t have laws against Wolves and Humans marrying so long as it’s not damaging their own agendas. Our sole purpose is to protect, and my father protected my mother until his very last breath. Where he then passed on the Alpha place to me. I am the youngest of my siblings. I have an older sister Nani, and an older brother James. I still can’t wrap my head around why my father chose me for Alpha over my sister. Maybe there’s something he saw in me that I’ve yet to see on my own. It’s what drives me to be a good Alpha to our Pack. My Pack. My sister stayed in town after I transitioned to Alpha because we have always had a close family bond and our mother needed us to be there for her. James however left in a fit of rage. I haven’t heard from him since. I think of him often and all the happy childhood memories we had. I’d always seen him as being next in line and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked about being chosen over him too. I guess whatever the Witches saw in my siblings was harmful to their agenda and so they simply couldn’t have it. now here I am, drinking away the complexity that is my life and wondering why Jenna would even ask me to choose between two fabrics when clearly only one fabric is superior enough to handle her ridiculously planned out ceremony theme. I down the rest of my drink and toss some money on the table, part of our Pack owns the bar so the drinks are free but I always leave a tip for the waiters who work here. I step outside and make my way to my Jeep. I climb in, turn over the ignition, my phone starts buzzing in my pocket. I pull it out and glance at the screen. Unknown caller ID. “Hello?” “Kate?” A Husky yet smooth deep males voice speaks. “Uh..yes?” “It’s Markus. I got your number from Bridget.” Ah yes, Bridget. My packs Witch. Our leader for the merge. “Right. Of course.” My stomach tightens into one large knot. “She wants to have a meeting tonight at the bar after patrol. I’ll see you there.” Before I could respond the line ends. I huff and drop my phone into the passenger seat. Rude. Arranged or not I am still an Alpha and I will be respected as one. I’m not much for small talk either but that was a bit much. I check my watch, 7pm. The sun sets at 7:40 so I still have some time to get home and change before patrol. I pull my Jeep into the yard of our pack house breathing in the fall breeze air as I make my way inside. “Go! Go! Go! Go!” I hear the twins in the kitchen shouting. Lane and Zain are arm wrestling over the island while Jenna and Gwen watch. The twins were Twenty-three and almost identical. The only difference between them was one had a white strip on the left front side of his dirty blonde hair. They were both tall and very muscular with brown eyes. They were both my most reliable warriors. They made a good team, quick on their feet and strategic in how they fight. Gwen was Zain’s fiancé, also one of our Pack members. She was the same age as him but very short with bright red velvet hair and dazzling blue eyes. She’s not much of a fighter but she’s stealthy enough to make a perfect sneaky lookout when we need one. A loud pop sounds from Lane’s shoulder and his forearm slams into the granite counter top breaking a corner of stone from the island and falling to the floor. “That’s 2 out of 3. Admit it. I’m the stronger twin.” Zain grins and pumps his arm in the air. “Really? How many times do we need to have the island fixed?” I let out a laugh and Jenna nods in agreement with me. “As many times as it takes for Lane to admit it.” “Not a chance.” “So we will always be in a constant state of kitchen remolding?” Gwen giggles. I grab a bottle of bourbon from the cabinet and jog my way up the stairs to my bedroom, the Alpha suite to shower and change. I Set the bottle on the edge of the sink next to the shower and turn the water on hot. Undressing while the steam builds up in my rather large bathroom for just me. I wonder what happens after the merge. Do we stay here? Do I return to his home? Is his packhouse built the same as ours with enough room to house everyone? This is my home and always has been, of course this house is fairly new. It was a gift for my twenty-first birthday from Bridget. She knew my mothers home wouldn’t accommodate this many people for our pack and after my father died I couldn’t just take his place in their bedroom, forcing my mother to a smaller room. That would just be painful for her and weird for me. It’s understandable and a massive gesture on Bridgets part. I let my hair down from it’s mess of a bun and glance at myself once over in the mirror between the two sinks. My hair has really grown over the years but I think I’ve come to like the middle of my back length over being short. My hair is a light golden brunette with those bright blonde natural highlights that change with the seasons. I’ve considered dying it to something more dramatic but then I remember how much my mother tells me she loves my changing highlights and I can’t seem to bring myself to changing it. I wash my hair and rinse off quickly, turning the shower off and wrapping a towel around my body. I thread my long wet hair into a fishtail ropes braid and let it rest over my shoulder. Clothes. What to wear when you’re expected to finally come face to face with your future husband? I pull open my closet and run my hands across the wall of clothes. Dresses? No. Not for a patrol. Honestly not for anything except fancy occasions. Dark black skinny jeans. Yes. Grey v-neck t- shirt with my black leather jacket? Also yes. Comfy ankle high black boots. Yes. Classy, sexy, and suitable clothing for the unexpected situations that could always come during a patrol. It’s been quiet since my father died but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how fast things can change. I meet up with the others downstairs and we step out the back door of the pack house and circle up by the edge of the forest. “Lane and Gwen take the southern section, Zain and Jenna will take the Northeastern and I’ll take the Northwestern.” The others shift into their Wolves and disappear into the foggy forest. I close my eyes and shift into my own White Wolf form. Thankfully the witches changed our shift spell where there’s no longer a need to strip of our clothes before a shift. Now our human spirit lies between worlds while we are our true forms as the Wolf. When we are humans our wolves stay with us always, not between realms. They loom over us like shadows and can always be seen by other wolves or witches but not by the human eye. I open my eyes again and see the world the way it’s meant to be seen. Crystal clear vision even in the dark of the evening. The birds, the bugs, the beautiful plant life that shapes the earth around me. The sounds of other animals crunching through the thickets, birds wings fluttering and all the little wild rodents squeaks as they communicate to their little ones. I take a deep breath in smelling the alpine rich air of Columbia Montana. It’s crisp, cool and refreshing as my paws thud against the damp earth. Another breath in and..Is that? The scent of another wolf? It’s not familiar so it’s not from my own pack. My ears flick from my sides to the front. It’s ahead of me. Up on the mountain side where Columbia falls is within our territory. Picking up the pace of my run I follow the scent up the incline and slow back to a low stalk when I hear the roar of the waterfall as it cascades into the springs below it. It’s alone. One scent, not hidden or masked over by the fresh water. Someone didn’t cover their tracks or even attempt to as if they wanted to be found. I lower my snout to the dirt only to find human boot prints. The scent following the boot prints. My heart begins to race. Wolves turning humans is rare but possible and either this human is in danger of being turned or just being eaten alive. I crouch behind the brush that lines the clearing to the springs and peak between the thick leaves. A man around my own age is kneeling by the spring and filling his canteen with water. A hiker, there are loads of them around here but there are no hiking trails this far up. He’s wandered from the path to adventure on his own. He’s tall, much taller than myself. I am 6 foot in human form so I’d say he’s 6’3. Short dark brown hair, Almost black, and amber brown eyes. No facial hair though it seems he must’ve missed a few days of shaving based on the shadow casting over his jawline. Just a man. No Wolf. If he had been a Wolf I would’ve seen his shadow, but this man is shadowless. I watch him for a while longer as he digs through his backpack and starts putting together a small fire to cook his meal. All clear in our section. Gwens voice speaks happily into my own thoughts. Good. Clear here too. Zain chimes in. You good? Jenna always with the questions. All clear. Just enjoying my run. Why did I just lie? There’s an unfamiliar scent but one alone is easy to handle. Unless I’m being ambushed because it’s a clear obvious scent. If they have finished their patrol have long have I watched this strange man? I want to leave but I feel as though I need to protect him. A human alone and surrounded by a stray wolf is dangerous but not enough so that they would need to know. As an alpha this is an easy nights work if needed. I stretch out to lay down and a branch snaps below my paw. The hiker jolts his attention to the bush where I’m crouched. “Hello? Someone out there?” His voice is smooth and light. It’s manly but not too deep. He stands from his little makeshift grill and walks straight towards the bush with a knife in his left hand. Fuck, okay. I leap from the bush and land a few feet from him. The sound of my feet slamming the ground causes him to stumble backwards and land on his ass. My ears peek forward as I stare deep into his eyes. “Holy shit.” His breath is jagged and his body is coated in the pheromones of fear. I step forward closing the gap between us trying to get a better scent of the unfamiliar wolf that has been following him. He jumps to his feet and crouches down waving a dagger in front of him. “Easy wolf.” He warns yet his hands tremble. Oh please, like you’re gonna do much with that. I lower my head close to the ground in a submissive manner to show him the best I can that I am not going to hurt him. He tilts his head in confusion and slowly slips his dagger back into its holder at his waist. He steps forward slowly and puts his hand out towards my snout and I turn my head away. “..I’ve never seen anything like you..” he whispers and his forehead wrinkles into his eyebrows as if he’s in pure amazement. I sniff the air again and the fear has gone. “I have to go..but I’ll bring you back something tomorrow night.” He gives me a shy smile and collects his things stuffing them into his backpack and jogging back into the deep forest. As intrigued as I am to know more about this curious man, you won’t see me again, but I will keep you safe. I walk up to where he filled his canteen and take a few laps of the cold refreshing water. I take in a deep breath..the wolf scent? It’s gone. I flick my ears back and I can hear his footsteps fading into the woods far behind me but nothing is following him. Whoever is watching you hiker knows that you saw me. Knows that I was here. Kate!! Where are you?! Bridget is gonna flip out if you don’t go to the bar. We’re gonna be late! Jenna shouts and I let out a huff. She’s so loud even in my head. I let out a long deep howl just to be sure whoever was here before knows I am still here and take off in a full run back down the incline towards the pack house. As I tear through the forest I can smell the hikers scent has gone further towards the eastern side of our territory. He’s back on the path and away from the packhouse. As I reach the edge of the woods I shift back into my human spirit and run towards my Jeep where the others are waiting. “There you are! What took you so long?” Jennas arms are crossed over her chest. “I caught the scent of a wolf. Just one alone but I didn’t see anything. Just the smell.” Zain looks puzzled. “One wolf alone? Someone’s watching us.” Lane matches Zains facial expression. “I don’t know that we are being watched. But I do know that I ran it off.” The boys nod and climb into the Jeep. “Is Gwen coming?” Jenna climbs into the front seat. “She said she would meet us there.” Zain smirks. I guess Gwen needed an outfit change herself. “So we’re ready to go then?” “Let’s do this.” The boys pump their fists. For everyone else it’s just another night to dance and drink. For me it’s a knotted stomach and tight chest because tonight I’ll meet my fiancé.