The Runaway Alpha's Feral Mate

Chapter Eight

Liam woke to warmth. Real, blissful warmth after what felt like hours of bone-deep cold. He pressed his face deeper into the softness surrounding him, unwilling to open his eyes and break the spell. Whatever he was sleeping against felt incredible—like the world's most perfect heated blanket, with a wild, pine-forest scent that reminded him of...

His eyes snapped open.

Silver-white fur filled his vision. Massive, dense fur that definitely wasn't a blanket. His hand was buried wrist-deep in what he now recognized as a thick wolf ruff, attached to an enormous animal curled protectively around his body.

Akira. In her direwolf form.

Liam froze, suddenly hyperaware of his position. He was practically wrapped around her, one arm draped over her massive shoulder, face buried in her neck fur, legs tucked against her warm belly. Like a child seeking comfort from a stuffed animal—except this particular stuffed animal was an ancient predator that could freeze a helicopter solid from half a mile away.

He carefully extracted his hand from her fur and tried to shift away without disturbing her. A low rumble—not quite a growl—vibrated through her body, and one silver eye cracked open to regard him with sleepy intelligence.

"Uh, morning," Liam said, feeling inexplicably embarrassed to be caught cuddling up to her. "Sorry about... this." He gestured vaguely at their position.

Akira's massive head lifted, silver eyes now fully open and watching him with that unnervingly direct stare. She made a soft huffing sound that might have been amusement, then stood in a fluid motion that sent Liam tumbling backward onto the cold ground.

"Thanks for the warning," he muttered, picking himself up and brushing snow from his clothes.

The direwolf stretched luxuriously, massive paws extending as her spine arched. Even after seeing her wolf form multiple times now, Liam still found himself stunned by her sheer size. At least seven feet from nose to tail, standing nearly four feet at the shoulder, she made ordinary wolves look like puppies by comparison. Her silver-tipped fur caught the morning light, giving her an almost ethereal appearance.

Then, without warning, she shifted.

The transformation was nothing like the painful, bone-cracking process Liam was familiar with. One moment she was an enormous wolf; the next, a very naked woman stood in the snow, stretching her arms above her head with the same casual ease as she'd stretched her wolf body.

Liam immediately averted his eyes, heat rising in his cheeks. "Jesus, Akira! A little warning?"

She made a confused sound, head tilting in that characteristic way of hers. "What?"

"Clothes," he managed, still looking determinedly at a nearby pine tree. "You need to put on clothes."

After eight years living among humans, certain social norms had become second nature to him. Public nudity ranked high on the list of things that made him uncomfortable—both seeing it and engaging in it. Werewolf packs had more relaxed attitudes about nudity by necessity (shifting destroyed clothes unless you removed them first), but even they typically kept some basic covering nearby for after shifting.

"Why?" Akira asked, sounding genuinely confused. "No humans here."

"I'm here," Liam pointed out, risking a glance in her direction and immediately regretting it. She stood completely at ease in the snow, utterly unconcerned with her nakedness. The morning light cast a golden glow on her copper skin, and—

Nope. He was not going there. He was absolutely, definitely not noticing how the cold didn't seem to affect her at all, or how the frost patterns that occasionally formed on her skin only enhanced her wild beauty, or how—

"Clothes," he repeated firmly, shrugging off his jacket and holding it out to her without looking. "Please."

Akira snorted—an unmistakably wolfish sound of disdain—but he heard her move closer and felt the jacket being tugged from his grasp.

"Human strange," she muttered as fabric rustled. "Hide skin. Always hide."

When Liam finally dared to look again, she had put on his jacket, which thankfully reached mid-thigh on her smaller frame. The sight of her in his clothing triggered something possessive and primal that he quickly shoved back into the darkest recesses of his mind.

"Thank you for... keeping me warm," he said, changing the subject. "I didn't realize how cold it was getting."

She shrugged, the oversized jacket slipping off one shoulder. "Needed sleep. Better wolf-form for cold."

Liam nodded, oddly touched by the protective gesture. "Well, I appreciate it. Should we get moving? We've still got a long way to go."

Akira's attention had already shifted to their surroundings, her nose lifted as she scented the air. "Humans gone. Not follow."

"That's good news, at least." Liam pulled out Eleanor's phone, checking the map. "We need to head northeast for about sixty miles. There's a town called Coldfoot where we might find transportation."

"Walk," Akira said with a decisive nod.

"Sixty miles is a long walk, especially in this terrain."

She gave him a look that clearly questioned his stamina. "Direwolf strong. You weak?"

The challenge in her voice pricked at his pride. "I'm not weak. But we need to be smart about this. The faster we reach Eclipse Facility, the better chance we have of getting Kova out safely."

At the mention of her son, Akira's expression sharpened with fierce intensity. "Yes. Cub first." She pointed to the phone. "Show map."

Liam held out the device, and she studied the screen with surprising focus, her finger tracing potential routes. For someone who'd spent most of her life avoiding human technology, she adapted quickly.

"This way," she said, pointing northeast where the forested hills gave way to more open terrain. "Faster path."

Before Liam could respond, she turned and began rummaging through the backpack they'd grabbed during their escape. They had limited supplies—some food, a first aid kit, a flashlight, and the clothes on their backs. Not ideal for a trek through the Alaskan wilderness in early spring.

Akira pulled out a protein bar, sniffed it suspiciously, then took an experimental bite. Her face scrunched with disgust.

"Not food," she declared, spitting it out.

"It's not great," Liam agreed, "but it's calories. We need to conserve our energy."

She shot him a look that questioned his sanity. "Hunt better."

"We don't have time to hunt."

"Quick," she insisted, gesturing to the forest. "Smell deer. Not far."

Liam hesitated. His stomach growled at the thought of real food rather than processed energy bars, and his wolf—increasingly vocal since meeting Akira—practically salivated at the prospect of a hunt. But eight years of careful restraint made him pause.

"We should stick to the plan," he said finally. "Get to Coldfoot, find transportation, reach Eclipse as soon as possible."

Disappointment flashed across Akira's face, quickly masked by a neutral expression. "Fine. Human way." She grudgingly took another bite of the protein bar, grimacing as she forced herself to swallow.

As they gathered their meager supplies, Liam spotted the pile of facility-issued clothes Akira had discarded before shifting. She noticed his gaze and followed it to the thin gray sweats.

"Not wear," she said firmly, nose wrinkling. "Smell wrong. Cage smell."

"You can't just wear my jacket for sixty miles," Liam pointed out.

"Why not?"

"Because it's... it's not enough coverage."

She looked down at her bare legs, then back at him with complete incomprehension. "Warm enough."

"It's not about temperature," Liam sighed, rubbing his forehead. How did he explain human modesty to someone who'd spent most of her existence as a wolf? "It's about... appropriate coverage. And my jacket doesn't provide that."

"Appropriate," she repeated, testing the unfamiliar word. "Human rule?"

"Yes. Human rule."

Akira seemed to consider this for a moment, then shrugged. "Stupid rule."

Without warning, she shrugged off his jacket and handed it back to him. Before he could protest, she shifted back to direwolf form, the transformation fluid and instantaneous. The massive silver wolf looked at him expectantly, as if to say "Problem solved."

Liam couldn't help but laugh. It was, he had to admit, an elegant solution. In wolf form, she could travel faster, stay warmer, and avoid his human hang-ups about nudity all at once.

"Alright, you win this round," he conceded, putting his jacket back on. "But I can't keep up with a direwolf on foot, especially not for sixty miles."

Akira's massive head tilted, considering the problem. Then she moved closer and crouched slightly, looking back at him with clear intent.

"You want me to... ride you?" Liam asked incredulously.

The direwolf huffed what was unmistakably an affirmative.

"I don't think—" he began, but Akira interrupted with an impatient growl, nosing at his leg.

Liam weighed their options. They needed to cover ground quickly. Walking would take days. And while the idea of riding on her back felt strangely intimate, it was undeniably practical.

"Okay," he said finally. "But if I'm too heavy, you let me know."

Akira made a sound suspiciously like a snort.

Feeling awkward but seeing no better alternative, Liam carefully climbed onto her back, settling himself between her massive shoulders. Her fur was incredibly thick, providing a surprisingly comfortable seat. Once he was positioned, she stood smoothly, adjusting to his weight with ease.

"This feels ridiculous," Liam muttered, grasping handfuls of her ruff to steady himself.

Akira's only response was to launch into a ground-eating lope that had him clutching her fur for dear life.

They traveled through the morning in this strange manner—a man riding an enormous wolf through the Alaskan wilderness. Akira moved with fluid grace despite her size and the extra weight, navigating difficult terrain with confident ease. She chose paths Liam would never have considered, following some internal compass that seemed unerringly accurate.

Around midday, she suddenly veered off their northeastern route, heading toward a small frozen creek. Before Liam could question the detour, his nostrils caught the scent of deer. Fresh deer.

Akira stopped and crouched, clearly indicating he should dismount. When he did, she looked at him meaningfully, then at the creek, then back at him.

"What?" he whispered.

She made a frustrated sound, then mimed drinking with one massive paw.

"Oh, you're thirsty," Liam realized. "Go ahead, I'll wait here."

Akira shook her massive head, then pointed her muzzle deliberately toward the creek again, then nudged him in that direction.

Understanding dawned. "You want me to go get water while you... hunt?"

An affirmative huff.

Part of him wanted to refuse on principle—they'd agreed to stick to the plan, after all—but another part, the wolf part that had been growing stronger since meeting Akira, practically drooled at the thought of fresh meat. His stomach growled loudly, making the decision for him.

"Fine," he conceded. "But make it quick."

Akira was gone before he finished speaking, a silver blur disappearing into the trees.

Liam made his way to the creek, breaking the thin ice to access the running water beneath. As he filled their water bottle, he found himself listening for sounds of her hunt. His wolf strained against his human restraint, wanting to join her, to feel the rush of pursuit and the satisfaction of a clean kill.

Eight years. Eight years of suppressing those instincts, of pretending to be something he wasn't. Of protein bars and civilized meals eaten with utensils. Of controlling his every thought and action to fit seamlessly into human society.

And now here he was, looking forward to whatever raw game a direwolf might bring back for lunch.

A twig snapped behind him. Liam whirled, water bottle forgotten, to find Akira standing at the edge of the trees. Human form again. Still completely naked. And holding a freshly killed rabbit in each hand.

"Catch," she announced with unmistakable pride, raising the rabbits like trophies.

Liam forced himself to maintain eye contact—and only eye contact. "That's... impressive. But, Akira, the clothes situation—"

"No humans," she interrupted, clearly exasperated. "Just you. Pack eats together. No clothes for eating."

"We're not a pack," he said automatically, regretting the words instantly when he saw something like hurt flash across her face.

"Fine," she replied, her voice colder than the air around them. "You eat human fake-food. I eat real meat."

She turned and stalked toward a fallen log, sitting down and immediately beginning to skin one of the rabbits with her bare hands. The ease with which she performed this task made it clear she'd done it countless times before.

Liam stood frozen, caught between his human sensibilities and the increasingly insistent voice of his wolf. Sharing food was fundamental to pack dynamics. Rejecting her offering was, in wolf terms, a serious insult—particularly from a potential mate.

Not that they were potential mates. Definitely not. The mate-bond was just a biological anomaly. A fluke.

Even as he thought it, he knew he was lying to himself.

With a sigh of defeat, Liam approached the log and sat down beside her, careful to leave appropriate space between them.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "You're right. Real food is better."

Akira glanced at him, her expression unreadable, then silently handed him the second rabbit and a small knife she must have taken from their supplies.

They worked in silence, Liam's movements more hesitant but guided by muscle memory from his pack days. Once the rabbits were prepared, Akira gathered some dry branches and, to Liam's surprise, used her frost abilities to create a small, controlled fire. At his questioning look, she shrugged.

"Know fire," she said. "Not just ice."

The fresh meat cooking over open flame smelled better than any five-star restaurant Liam had eaten at during his human years. His mouth watered embarrassingly, and beside him, Akira looked smug.

"Better than bar," she noted, poking at the cooking meat with a stick.

"Much better," he agreed.

When the rabbit was done, they ate with their hands, juice running down their chins. Liam found himself relaxing incrementally, the familiar ritual of sharing a meal breaking down some of the awkwardness between them.

"So," he said between bites, "how far can you travel in wolf form before needing to rest?"

Akira considered this, licking her fingers clean in a way that Liam absolutely was not watching. "Many miles," she finally answered. "Stronger than regular wolves. Faster."

"That's good. We might reach Coldfoot by nightfall then."

She nodded, then fixed him with an intense stare. "Cub close?"

Liam hesitated. "Not exactly. Eclipse Facility is still several hundred miles north. We'll need more than just my wolf-back transportation to get there."

"Fly-machine?" she asked, surprising him with her quick adaptation to new concepts.

"If we can find someone willing to take us, yes. A small plane would be fastest."

Akira went quiet, gnawing thoughtfully on a bone. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, less certain.

"Cub know me?"

The question caught Liam off guard with its vulnerability. "What do you mean?"

"Never see him. Never touch." She placed a hand over her heart. "Know him here. But he know me?"

Understanding dawned. She was worried her son wouldn't recognize her, wouldn't accept her as his mother after being separated since birth.

"Blood calls to blood," Liam said gently, pulling from old werewolf wisdom. "He'll know you. Maybe not consciously at first, but he'll feel the connection."

Akira nodded slowly, accepting this. "Good." She tossed the bone into the bushes and stood abruptly. "Go now."

Without warning—again—she shifted back to direwolf form, leaving Liam scrambling to his feet and pointedly looking away despite the instantaneous nature of her transformation.

"A little warning would be nice," he muttered, gathering their few supplies.

The silver wolf huffed what was definitely a laugh, then crouched to allow him to climb onto her back.

As they resumed their journey, Liam found himself gradually adjusting to this strange mode of travel. His body remembered the rhythm of wolf movement from his own days running in Alpha form, and he shifted his weight instinctively to help balance them on difficult terrain.

By late afternoon, they had covered remarkable distance, the landscape gradually changing from dense forest to more open country. Akira's stamina seemed nearly inexhaustible, her powerful muscles carrying them over hills and across frozen streams without faltering.

As the sun began its early descent toward the horizon, Liam spotted distant lights—the small settlement of Coldfoot appearing like a mirage in the wilderness.

"We're getting close," he said, leaning forward to speak near Akira's ear. "We should approach carefully. I'll need to go in alone—a man riding a horse-sized wolf might attract the wrong kind of attention."

Akira slowed, then stopped on a ridge overlooking the town. She crouched to let him dismount, then fixed him with a questioning look.

"I'll find us transportation north," Liam explained. "You should wait here, out of sight."

The direwolf's silver eyes narrowed with clear suspicion.

"I'm not abandoning you," he assured her, guessing at the source of her concern. "I promised to help you find Kova, and I will."

Akira maintained her suspicious stare for another long moment, then huffed and shifted back to human form. The sudden transformation left Liam momentarily speechless, both from the casual display of her abilities and, well, the other obvious reason.

"You come back," she said. Not a question, but a command.

"Yes," he promised. "I'll come back."

She eyed him skeptically, then picked up a stick and drew a sharp line in the snow between them. "Cross line. Make promise."

Liam recognized the ritual from old werewolf traditions—a physical representation of a binding oath. He stepped forward and deliberately crossed the line, meeting her silver gaze directly.

"I promise I'll come back for you, Akira."

Something in her expression softened almost imperceptibly. She nodded once, satisfied, then gestured to his jacket.

"Need that," she said. "Cold for humans in town."

"What about you?" he asked, realizing she was proposing to wait in the wilderness, in human form, without any clothing.

"Change wolf when you go," she explained with exaggerated patience, as if speaking to a particularly slow child. "Warm then."

Liam hesitated, then removed his jacket and held it out to her. "Take it anyway. For when I get back."

Their fingers brushed as she accepted the garment, sending that now-familiar jolt of awareness through him. She didn't put it on, just held it, her expression unreadable.

"Get cub," she said firmly. "Nothing else matters."

"We will," Liam promised. "Together."

As he turned to make his way down toward the town, he glanced back once more. Akira had already shifted, her massive silver form nearly invisible against the snow-covered landscape except for her glowing eyes tracking his every movement.

Those eyes would follow him all the way to Coldfoot, he knew. Watching. Waiting. Judging whether he would keep his promise or betray her trust.

Liam squared his shoulders and continued forward. Eight years ago, he'd broken a promise made to his dying mate. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

No matter what it cost him.