Alpha’s Angel

Into the night

The forest was unnervingly quiet. Sage crouched low behind a thicket of brambles, her heart pounding in her chest.

The thorns sharp against her skin, some leaving little cuts behind.

The moon hung high, its pale glow casting a fractured light through the trees. Shadows stretched like claws over the uneven ground, and every rustle of the wind made her nerves tighten.

She was far enough from the pack house to be out of earshot, but not so far that she could relax.

Kael’s wolves patrolled these woods, their routes unpredictable. If anyone caught her now, she’d never get another chance.

Sage released a shaky breath and stood, her eyes scanning the darkness. A faint breeze stirred the leaves above, whispering through the branches like unseen voices. She shivered, not from the cold but from the suffocating weight of fear pressing on her chest.

Carefully, she reached for a fanny pack strapped across her chest, unzipping it with trembling fingers. She placed it on the ground beside her, double-checking that it contained everything: her savings, a small flashlight, and her clothes.

Her hands moved to the hem of her shirt.

The act of undressing in the open air felt wrong, exposing. The shadows felt alive, watching her with 10090 eyes, stretching toward her, and every sound; the snap of a twig, the distant hoot of an owl; made her flinch. She tugged the shirt over her head quickly, the cool night air prickling over her bare skin.

Leggings came next, the fabric clinched against her legs as she shimmied out of them. She folded the clothes hastily, stuffing them into the fanny pack with jerky movements. The zipper's soft rasp seemed unnaturally loud in the stillness.

Sage stood for a moment in her undergarments, her skin was a show as though the trees themselves were watching her.

The forest was dark, but her wolf’s instincts screamed at her to move faster. To be brave, to be animalistic.

But..

Vulnerability hung in the air like a thick mist, and the shadows pressed closer, wrapping around her like a predator circling its prey. She was afraid, she was always afraid, no matter how tall she stood it was just the fact she was tall and all she ever did was stand still, frozen in terror.

She unhooked her bra with fumbling fingers and added it to the pack, her movements frantic now. Her underwear followed, leaving her completely bare under the moonlight.

The night clung to her, cold and unyielding, as she crouched and strapped the fanny pack securely around her midsection. She was exposed, small under the vast canopy of the forest, but there was no time for hesitation.

Sage closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Her wolf’s anger stirred within her, impatient and ready. The change came quickly; a ripple under her skin, a shift in her bones. Pain mixed with exhilaration as her body reformed into its superior being, fur sprouting from her skin in a cascade of white that glowed faintly in the moonlight. Her claws dug into the soft earth, and her tail brushing against her legs as her wolf form took over.

She shook herself, adjusting to the weight of the fanny pack around her waist. It was snug but not uncomfortable; a necessity for keeping her things intact.

Ears twitching, Sage stilled, listening for any sign of pursuit. The forest remained quiet, but she knew better than to trust its stillness, her wolf was small but fast.

Without a sound, she started running, her paws barely disturbing the ground beneath her. The wind rushed past her ears, carrying scents of pine, wet earth, and something else; freedom.

But freedom was still miles away, and danger lurked in every shadow.