Chapter Six
1092 Words
Before I could work myself into a proper panic attack, the alpha sliced through my pity party with his voice.
"You will come back to my lands, and we will discuss this situation further. The oracle is not safe out here, and if I had to guess, neither are you," Damien stated.
I raised a questioning eyebrow at the alpha, as I was still in wolf form. I'm sure this looked a bit silly, but he understood.
"You will not be harmed. You saved members of my pack, and you have my word as an alpha," said Damien with a slight incline of his head. My wolf purred slightly in my head at that. I have never heard her make such a sound. She liked the alpha's gesture, and I suppose I did too. He could have forced us with his alpha command but chose to reassure us and allow us to follow our own free will. With that in mind, we all turned north and headed toward the border. The closer we got to the imposing gate that marked the entrance to the Shadow Pack lands, the sun began to peek its head into the morning sky. Goddess, what an eventful night. As we approached the large entryway, the pinks and purples of the sunrise contrasted with the stark black gate and its adjacent, imposing guard post.
The soldiers on each side stood up straight and bowed at the sight of Damien. "Alpha, welcome back. There have been no recent reports or any rogue sightings," they reported while opening the gate. The massive black structure gave a low rumble and split in the center, revealing the Shadow pack territory inside. Once we walked in, we followed the wolves to a structure just inside. They each began shifting back and grabbing clothes from inside the structure. What a convenient setup. I wasn't sure if my last pack had this, as
I was never able to run with them. The Alpha looked over his shoulder at me, and his gray eyes met mine.
"You may shift back when you are comfortable," he stated and then helped hand out more clothing to the other wolves. It was strange to see how he acted with his fellow wolves. They were more comrades than soldiers and leaders. My ex-mate always had an air of superiority around him, even among his close confidantes. It was a refreshing sight, Onyx felt comfortable here, and the shift came over us easily. The shift came over us swiftly, and I stretched out my arms and legs now that I was back in human form.
I glanced up, feeling the prickly sensation of multiple eyes on me, and found everyone around me had stopped what they were doing and stared. Okay, I'm not self-conscious in the least bit, but having 30 pairs of eyes on me in my birthday suit wasn't exactly my idea of a good time. "Um, hey y'all, not to be that girl, but if you are all going to gawk at me, could I get some clothes first?" I said, placing a hand on my hip.
The flurry of activity started again, and the mother of the oracle walked up to me, holding some leggings and a crop top. "Sorry for staring like that. It's just your appearance has changed since we saw you fight those rogues last night, I think we were all a bit surprised," she stated bashfully.
Changed? What does she mean by that? I think as I put on the clothing she gave me.
"Uh yeah, about that. Since we shifted in front of other wolves, our true appearance has been revealed." Onyx's voice said in my head. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before now."
Well, that's one more thing to wrap my head around. Not only am I the one female alpha, but I look completely different now.
"Any more surprises I should know about, Onyx?" I asked, trying not to sound too betrayed. I didn't think we had any secrets, but it seems like there's more that I don't know than I thought.
The oracle's mother handed me a mirror, shaking me from my internal conversation with my wolf. I gasped quietly, lifting the mirror and noticing flame-red hair immediately. I caressed the red locks that replaced my once brown, murky hair. Continuing my perusal, I took in my pale skin that remained unchanged but startled a bit when I made eye contact with my reflection. Deep lavender eyes stared back at me. They were beautiful but unsettling. I no longer recognized myself.
The she-wolf beside me must have picked up on my discomfort because she gently took the mirror from me. "Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Mila, you know my husband over there is, Scott, and our special girl's name is Zenia. We appreciate everything you did for us, I owe you my life for protecting my family," she says, bowing her head in respect.
My heart warmed. I can't remember the last time someone said thank you to me. Not knowing how to handle my own emotions, I smiled at her as tears pricked my eyes. "Anytime I can put men like that in their place is a good day for me," I laugh. Mila giggles, patting me on the arm comfortingly.
Alpha Damien chose that moment to approach us. He eyed us curiously but didn't comment. "Follow me to my office," he commanded gruffly, making eye contact with me, so I knew who he was talking to.
"What, no, please?" I said, batting my eyes at the surly alpha.
He growls, stepping close to me. "You had better watch yourself, little wolf," he says, literally staring down at me because he was so dang tall.
Okay, normally, that warning and general domineering presence would have made me back down, but ever since leaving my old pack territory, I feel like a brand-new person, or should I say wolf. And we are tired of showing our necks and always having to look down. So I stared back, meeting those steel-grey eyes. I grin mischievously up at the big bad wolf and say, "Of course, sir."
He continues to stare into my eyes. The seconds feel like minutes. Everything around me blurs, leaving only those two gray orbs in focus. It felt like I was under a spell. But just as swiftly as it was cast, Damien broke it. Turning away, he headed to where I assumed his office was.
Scarlett one. Grumpy alpha hole zero.
- Writer
