The Packless Wolf

Chapter 4

Reika woke up to a knock on her door. “Hey, Reika, wake up, we have 30 minutes,” Fiona hollered on the other side of the door.

    Reika jumped out of her bed and walked through the TV room to the door. The pack house was a 4-story high log cabin. The top floor housed the pack leaders, their offices, and any family members. Those rooms were set up like a hotel suit. They had a living room, a bathroom, a small kitchenette and bedroom. The alpha, beta and gamma rooms had extra rooms for their children. The 3rd floor housed the rest of the pack. Those rooms had a bedroom and a powder room. While down the hall were 2 sets of shared showers, one for men and the other for women. The second floor usually housed guests and the pack members who paid rent. These rooms had a bathroom, a bedroom, and a small kitchen.  The bottom floor was where the main kitchen and dining room were. It was big enough to allow all the pack members to eat, and to host any parties. The basement was a main recreation room, which had a projector and a gym. A little ways outside of the pack house perimeter, houses were scattered about for families and mated pairs.  The pack hospital was past the houses.      

   Reika always lived in the pack house. Since the packhouse was in the middle of the territory the pack felt the leaders needed to live there.  The pack always ate together, well, except those that worked in the human town, but they were expected to eat at least one meal with the pack. Every full and new moon the pack would have pack runs. Running with the pack was Reika’s favorite. The whole pack knew she had a male wolf, so she never had to worry about hiding it. This satisfied their wolf side, while having their own spaces satisfied their human side.  

     Reika could already smell a bombfire that had started. She opened the door, revealing Fiona. Fiona had on a black tutu that was ripped, a red and black stripped top that hung off her shoulder, a black corset belt, ripped stockings and knee-high black boots. “Damn, you are smoking tonight,” Reika whistled. “I wonder if Tyler will be there?”      

   “No,” Fiona pouted, plopping down on the couch. “I heard a couple of warriors talking and apparently he's up in Canada visiting some of the packs there.”

   Fiona scrunched her nose up in disapproval. Reika always felt that Fiona and Tyler were mates. When they had first met, they both just clicked, and Tyler was so protective of her. Luck would have it though, Fiona applied to a few different schools and the only one that accepted her was across the country. Both turned 18 and haven’t seen each other since.  Every time they came home from college, his father had set him off to find a mate.  

   “Why didn’t you tell your dad about your mate,” Fiona asked, changing the subject. “This ridiculous thing tonight will be torture for you.”

   “Ugh, I know,” Reika sighed, sitting next to Fiona. “It was going to be torture otherwise.” Reika leaned back. “Well, I guess I need to get ready.”

    Reika stood up and walked to her room. Hm, why did she let fear keep her from saying anything to her dad? Her mate was right there, in the pack house and they weren’t getting torn to shreds. Still, fear kept her quiet. Like Conri said, coward. 

~

   Reika sat at one of the picnic tables. She wore a black pinstriped waist coat, skinny jeans, a white button-up top underneath and her combat boots. She was doing a pretty good job of avoiding anyone.  Anxiety was consuming her and she wondered if this feeling was from her, or maybe Jasper? She did mark him, and while it was only one of the required steps to be fully mated, maybe the bond still opened a little. She felt a prickling sensation run across the back of her shoulders. She turned to see the man she most despised, well, one of them, mostly his whole family. The second son of the alpha of the Dark Moon Pack. She had heard the other alpha pups talk about how they treat their omegas, or anyone they didn’t like. The alpha had used his commandment to force one of the beta’s sons to reject an omega. Ugh, it made her sick. The alpha was there to protect and guide the pack, not abuse them. 

   “Merrick Black,” Reika said with venom. “Please don’t touch me,” she demanded.

   “Reika, sweety, we’re both 23. Neither of us had found a mate yet. Don’t you think it’s time that we face the inevitable and mate,” he cooed to her.

    “I’ve said this multiple times already and I’ll say it again. Even if you were the last wolf on earth, I would let our species die out,” she spat out.

     Reika felt the prickling sensation run along her cheek. “Reika dear-“         

     Reika grabbed Merrick’s hand and started to bend it backwards. “I told you not to touch me,” she growled, her eyes started to flicker between amber and black until they stayed black. She continued to push his hand back until she heard a crack. “Oops,” Conri said nonchalantly through Reika.

     Merrick glared at Reika. “What was that for,” he asked through clenched teeth?

     “I told you not to touch me,” Conri replied, standing up and starting to walk away then letting Reika have control.

     Fiona, can you come take care of this baby, Reika mind linked increasing her speed until she was at a full run.

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Jasper paced around the living room. The alpha wanted them to stay out of the packhouse while the other packs were visiting. It made sense. The rogues would put the pack and themselves in danger. While the Blue Ridge pack followed the law, not all of them did. The 5 rogues knew that. So, they were put in a cabin away from the packhouse.

    “Dude, you’re going to wear out the carpet,” Roland said. 

     “I can’t help it,” Jasper replied, not slowing down on his pace. He could feel Reika's annoyance through the mate bond, and it just seemed to have become worse causing Jasper’s pacing to increase. “I need to go for a run,” Jasper announced.

      “We were told to stay here for the night. Can’t it wait,” Tobias asked?    

       “I’ll be careful,” Jasper started. “I’ll mask my scent.” Jasper continued his pacing to the door. He whispered an inaudible word and went out the door. 

         Jasper took off in a run, shifting misstep. He stayed along the territory edge. The annoyance he felt over the mate bond was starting to dissipate. Not long after he left the cabin, an intoxicating scent of cherry blossom and sandalwood hit his nostrils. He inched closer. He found his mate lying by a waterfall. His mate’s head lifted in alert and started a low growl. Jasper whimpered as he inched closer. He wasn’t sure if he could unmask his scent just for his mate. His mate started to relax, and his mate’s tail started to wag slightly, signally it was ok for Jasper to move forward. Jasper continued to move forward until he was next to his mate. He licked his mate’s face submissively, then he laid down and rolled over. Jasper’s mate moved closer and laid next to him.