Chapter 5
957 Words
Liam POV
“Alpha, we have a situation” my beta, Mason mind linked me.
That phrase took me by surprise. We weren't in a time of war and hadn't had any visitors in a while. It had actually been pretty boring around here lately.
“Whats going on, beta?”
“Jordans on lookout duty and he says a female wolf is running up on our territory. Shes not here yet, but he says she looks exhausted. He said he’d be surprised if she makes it all the way here before collapsing”
I considered that. Could be a trap to get through our boarders. “Okay. If she does make it, let her through, but we will stop her before she gets too far into our territory. She isn't going to be much of a fighter if she really is that worn out. I'll come out and meet you.”
I am not going to lie. I was curious. We never got intruders. We had a big pack, but a quiet life far away from the chaos of the other packs. And honestly, most packs were too afraid to mess with us. The most that ever happened here is when Masons father, Sammy got too drunk and started flirting with all the men's mates. When we did go to war, we never lost. The decorations i kept made sure no one forgot that fact. A grin slid onto my face as I thought about some of my DIY "decorations."
I could hear the excitement of our patrol too in the mind link. It would be a break from the tedium of our lives. We really all needed to find new hobbies.
I discarded my shirt as i left my office and when I reached the edge of the forest, i kicked off my shorts into my usual spot and shifted into my wolf mid run.
“Ahhh”, Rakin sighed. “I've been waiting to stretch my legs all day”
I usually let him run two to three times a day, his training was just as important as mine, but it was busy today. Full of meetings and paperwork and we just didn’t have the usual time.
I could feel him perk up and ran slightly faster.
“What's up?” I asked him.
“I’m not sure...” he said just as confused. “I'm just feeling interested about this situation I guess”, but he didn't even sound convinced of his own reasoning.
We ran for a while, getting close to the pack boarders.
I smelled her before I saw her. It hit me like a wall and I had to wrinkle my nose in disgust. So much blood. And different wolves blood, too, I'd say at least four. What had she gotten herself into? I caught sight of her then, coming into pack lines at the edge of our border. I watched as she tripped and fell. I waited a second, expecting her to get back up and resume her run, preparing to stop her, but she didn't move. Jordan had been right, she was very weak.
I trotted up to her, but before i could get a good look at her midnight wolf, she closed her eyes and shifted back to her human form. I could hear Mason and some other patrols coming up behind me and stop in their tracks, just as stunned as i was.
Laying there on the ground was the most beautiful woman i had ever seen. She was lying on her side, curled up in a loose fetal position. Her long, dark wavy hair spilling around her and full pink lips slightly parted. She quite literally took my breath away.
Then I really got a look at her. Covered in blood, and definitely not her own blood.
“What the hell did she do?!” I heard Mason behind me.
I shifted back to human form. “We need some clothes!” I demanded, and a shirt was thrust into my hand. I pulled it over her head and scooped her into my arms.
The scent of blood and death was overpowering on her. I thought I could smell a trace of the most amazing scent of lavender under it, but it was so faint and so overwhelmed by the other wolves' blood that I couldn't be sure it was real.
I stood there for a moment, looking at her face and seeing the innocence and sweetness there. She looked so weak. I couldn't believe this beautiful woman was capable of murder or any sort of violence that would result in the amount of blood she was covered in. But then the logical part of my brain snapped back into place. What was I thinking??? As alpha and protector of my pack, I couldn't be swayed by beauty or an innocent face. I couldn't lead my pack that way. Stupid hormones. I shook my head. Innocent or guilty doesn't matter, and I don't care. She needs to be questioned first. She would have to go to our dungeons.
Our dungeons were known to be the harshest imprisonment of all the packs. My father introduced the idea and I continued the tradition. It was part of the reason other packs were so unwilling to fight us. But, it helped keep my pack safe.
Just as I came to this decision, I heard the soft thuds of big paws running our way. I'd guess five or six wolves. I heard them before my warriors did, my alpha senses giving me a slight advantage.
“Incoming, be prepared NOW” I mind linked my warriors.
We got into formation just as the wolves came into view.
- Writer
