Lost and searching

Chapter 6- The claiming - Isla

ISLA POV

I'm standing at the starting line listening to Alpha Alexander explain the rules to all the girls in attendance. I can barely hear him I'm too focused on my plan. I have managed to partially mask my smell which will  help, an advantage of going to the institute meant I had learnt a few neat tricks including how to shift without taking off or ruining my clothes. 

Actually I had come across this skill accidentally whilst I was away, I had shifted without planning it and I didn't get the chance to take my clothes off and to my surprise my clothes were on my body and intact when I had shifted back. I had tried to look it up in the text books but I couldn't find anything nor had I seen any other wolf do it, but I didn't dwell on it. I decided it would be another thing to learn about when I went out into the world. 

Of course there is always the chance that I am worrying about nothing, maybe there wont be many males turn up and they will pick the other she-wolves. I could just be left alone and then be free to leave. That is just a chance I could not take, I had to make sure I would be free.

 With the claiming the males are kept separately until the she-wolves are set off, this is due to the fact that some males in the past had trouble containing themselves and fights broke out before the event even started so the decision was made to keep them separate until the event to prevent wars. 

I take a look around, there were a lot of beautiful she-wolves in lovely shift dresses. Shift dresses are worn so that the she-wolves could strip and shift quickly. I stood out in my leggings and sports top but luckily everyone seemed distracted with their own thoughts about how today would go. Most just looked excited. Why wouldn't they, most wolves dreamed of finding their mate, so today was their chance. I look at them and think about how much simpler my life would be if I was like them, but no matter how hard I try, even as I stand here with my dyed hair and my coloured contacts I'm nothing like them. 

"GO" Alpha Alexanders voice brought me out of my thoughts as I start to see the other she-wolves set off running whilst stripping out of their dresses and shifting. 

I set off running in my human for waiting until I get under the cover of the trees before shifting to avoid any of the spectators seeing Aria. 

I didn't have long, the males would already be making their way to the starting line. 

I pushed Aria constantly reminding her what was at stake. Our freedom! I could feel a small pang of pain in her chest. Not that she would admit it but I think she doesn't totally hate the idea of a mate. 

We weave in and out of the trees and across the terrain I know this area like the back of my hand. just as I make it to the clearing and see the base of the wall a few hundred metres in front of me I hear a chorus of howls coming from behind me. The males have started. 

I run faster than I ever have before as I make it to the base of the wall I shift and look up. I take a deep breath and begin to climb. I know I have to be strategical about this. I cant be flustered and make mistakes. I hear the sounds of she-wolves being claimed rise up into the sky pushing me on to keep climbing and pushing harder. 

"DON'T LOOK DOWN" I repeat this over and over to myself i'm about three quarters of the way up my arms feel like they are on fire but I keep pushing. I hear snarling and growling from below me. I'm so scared I cant fall now I need my freedom!

As I pull myself over the ledge at the top off the cliff I don't even have the energy to stand I just lay on the ground as tears fill my eyes. 

I did it! I'm not sure if they are happy tears of mine for manging to escape or tears of sadness from Aria at the missed opportunity to find her true mate. Either way I just laid there somewhere between happy and sad but mostly just exhausted. The stress of the day has absolutely taken its toll.