Visionary Wolves

Chapter 6: Is He Watching?

Evan nudged shoulders with Hadleigh and she welcomed his closeness. It felt amazing to sit beside her lifelong best friend and experience this new phase together.

Everyone asked Hadleigh to please shift into her new form so they could see it. When she did, loud clapping filled the room. For the most part, it was happy faces that surrounded her. When she shifted back, she could see Dinah's smirk.

'Is my red fur ugly or something?'

Hadleigh scanned for her mother, but she wasn't there. It wasn't surprising. Dinah had always been their mother's favorite. It was disheartening, still.

Since her father's disappearance, the last two years had become even further strained between her family. But this was her commemoration. She decided not to dwell on it.

Hadleigh went back to her seat with Evan and they continued enjoying food and conversation. Alpha James walked over to Hadleigh and congratulated her, then reminded her that they'd meet once night had fallen for the final ritual. Hadleigh thanked him.

***

That night, it was warmer than it had been. Hadleigh was dressed in her best clothes. It wasn't much, just a yellow sundress with spaghetti straps, one held on by a safety pin, sandals, and an old necklace given to her by her dad. While everyone waited for the moon to rise higher, Hadleigh tried to push away the thoughts of her father's absence.

'Dad, I hope somehow, you can see this.' Unexpectedly, her heart yearned painfully for Keiron to be there.

Everyone stood against the treeline of their territory in the nearby field. When the moon was highest, Alpha James and Luna Rainy began the ceremony. Several chants that were tailored for Hadleigh were recited by other pack members. James had her move in the middle of the large circle they had designed for her.

"Show us your shift again, Hadleigh!"

Hadleigh shifted and there was a noticeable difference in how she felt. The moonlight through the eyes of her inner wolf gave it new meaning. Hadleigh led with one howl and everyone followed. After three more howls, per their tradition, she shifted back and everyone congratulated her again.

Evan came over and hugged her tightly. Hadleigh giggled in his arms, bashful from all the attention. His strong embrace lingered longer than usual but finally, he released her.

In the woods, she noticed a flicker of light. She stared more deeply into the trees, then tilted her nose upward. The scent of damp earth and jasmine filled her nostrils accompanied by those familiar two-colored eyes. The rest of his body was completely in shadow.

Had he been watching her ceremony this entire time?

She pondered whether to regard that as creepy or supportive while making her way to the den. As she was about to step back inside, she heard a howl from the woods. When she turned around, Evan's eyes met hers. They both heard it again. Hadleigh scanned the direction it originated from.

"I think that's Keiron," Hadleigh commented. Evan's disapproving glance indicated how he felt.

"This is your night. Don't let him spoil it."

Hadleigh feared her desire for Keiron would be obvious to Evan. Her best friend had been there since she was a pup. It hurt her to imagine him feeling slighted yet Kerion's voice was still in her head.

Keiron howled one more time. The final shred of resistance Hadleigh had was snapped. She shifted, bounding off into the darkness leaving Evan behind. She couldn't resist the call of his alpha voice.

When she got to the edge of the trees, Keiron's scent was overtaking her senses. Once she saw his two different colored eyes flash, she followed the trail. After she was deeply into the forest, he revealed himself from the shadows.

Both shifted to humans. Keiron stood over her as he scrutinized her. His face was hard to read. There were no obvious "tells" about his emotion. If anything, he appeared stoic. Why was he here?

"Did you call me?" Hadleigh asked him. Her heart was pounding just being near him.

“Is there something between you and Evan?" he asked. Hadleigh couldn't speak.

"I was a little confused," Hadleigh whispered.

Keiron stepped into her space. Their bodies were nearly touching. The scent of him infiltrated her nose and overtook her ability to hold back. While she stared at him, she could feel his body becoming hot against hers.

Hadleigh wasn't sure if she might faint from being so close to his beauty.

"And now?" he asked.

She felt frightened that she had somehow let him down. At that very moment, she knew disappointing him was the last thing she wanted to do.

"I'm not anymore."

He smiled at her, in what appeared to be relief.

"Yesterday when you said we were mates, I didn't know what to say," Keiron explained.

"Why not?" Hadleigh asked.

She could hear his breathing pick up as their eyes locked.

"Because I've wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you," he said firmly with a slight whimper. "I wasn't sure what I would do if I acknowledged it."

He reached out and gently petted her head. When he pressed his chest to hers, their hearts were thumping in alternating beats against one another.

The scent of him branched over to her other senses. Visually, it came through as a light green, misty, aura that wafted outwardly from his center. Auditorily, the tone penetrated her ears like the perfect bass line in an old blues song intertwined with trance music. It began to touch her alongside his already feverish fingertips, mirroring his motion.

Hadleigh almost lost her breath.

He gripped her face, holding her warm cheek in his big right hand. She nodded for him to continue, her breath skipping. When he ran his thumb over her lips, she parted them ever so slightly and gently pressed her tongue to him. Her kiss was warm and wet against his salty thumbprint.

All of a sudden, he pushed her up against one of the nearby trees, hungrily kissing her soft pink lips. His hands began to travel along her collarbone down to her breasts in her fitting sundress. The pressure from his fingertips brushing her breasts constricted her skin, causing her n*****s to become erect.

"You belong with me," he said. Her knees felt weak as he ran his lips against her neck. Could this really be happening?

"Yes," she cried softly. "Please let me be."

The force that his eager hands had placed on the dress was too much for the older hand-me-down material. The safety pin holding her torn strap ripped through the small, thready cloth and then fell down, exposing her milky right breast. Keiron stopped all movement to admire.

"Oh, Hadleigh," he whispered while exhaling in awe. His lilting voice hypnotized her until all she could hear was him, in echoes, calling to her. Sweat began to run down the middle of her chest to her stomach, then between her legs. She pressed her back against the tree and pulled him to her.

Hadleigh gripped his face and touched her tongue along his. She heard him whine and then growl into her throat. Unable to control herself, she reached up into his hair, clutching it tightly. He gripped her throat, not leaving her welcoming mouth.

The sudden thumping of feet along the ground interrupted their tryst. Evan bumbled his way into the woods and then shifted to human. Keiron and Hadleigh turned to him swiftly trying to cover her up.

“What's going on?" Evan asked, but his nose picked up on the scent of pheromones. A sinking feeling in Hadleigh's stomach promptly dampened the momentary euphoria she and Keiron had shared. Evan stared angrily at Keiron.

"Evan," Hadleigh began. "I should have told you, he's my mate," she said, feeling horrible. Hadleigh watched as Evan's steely eyes shifted off Keiron to her.

"But you said you were feeling more strongly for me."

"I was," Hadleigh began.

"Now she wasn't," Keiron said to Evan.

"And you're a Hadleigh expert after only a few days of knowing her?"

Keiron stepped to him, trying to move Evan out of their space. Evan stayed put.

"You should leave," Keiron warned.

Within an instant Evan raised his fists and furiously hit Keiron. While their fight began in their human forms, that instantly changed as they simultaneously shifted. Hadleigh pressed up against the trunk of the tree unsure of who to side with.

Both wolves snarled and thumped against the ground. Blood was flinging into the air, spattering upon nearby leaves and felled trees. Evan's light fur was beginning to turn a closer shade to Hadleigh's red locks.

When Evan let out a loud piercing yelp, Hadleigh recoiled but Keiron stayed over him. Evan cowered in front of them but anger quickly overcame him and he lunged at Keiron again. One last gnash to his shoulder from Keiron got the message across.

Evan gave in and rushed away farther into the woods. Keiron shifted back. He was bleeding all over and panting, trying to catch his breath. When he came close to her again, he checked her for injuries.

Hadleigh stared up at him as he gazed down at her.

“Sorry about that," Hadleigh whispered. “I just didn't want to hurt him."

He smiled at her gently.

"It's over now. He knows the truth," he said. “Congratulations, by the way."

“You saw?"

“Of course. I had to."

Hadleigh pulled him to her and they kissed again, deeply.

All of a sudden, the woods around them became blanketed in white. Tiny pink feathers began to slowly fall in front of them. The two mates glanced at one another. Keiron reached out and took her hand.

“Come with me."