Howls of the Lost

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

            The forest was alive around me. Birds twittered away and mice scurried around on the ground, rustling the foliage that had fallen there. A soft breeze blew through the trees, ruffling the white fur that covered my body. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I allowed every muscle to relax. Over the years I had found that hunting required an immense amount of concentration. Opening my eyes, I exhaled and flicked my gaze over the six or so deer that stood around twenty feet away from where my pack and I were standing.

            The others stirred restlessly behind me as I continued to watch the small herd of deer. Hearing the noise, the largest buck raised his head and scanned the darkness of the trees that concealed us. “Would you guys shut up and stay still?” I thought to them as a low growl rumbled in my chest.

            “Sorry, Tor,” Ashlyn replied.

            Rolling my eyes, I glanced back at the three wolves behind me. They all stared at me, and Ashlyn gave me a lopsided smile as she wagged her cream-colored tail. My gaze travelled to David, who almost immediately lowered his head. A sigh dragged its way out of my mouth. He thought I was angry with him. David was like my brother, and he hated when I was upset with him in any way.

            But he was a big boy and he could deal for a few moments until after we had fed. Once I returned my attention to the deer, a tug on my tail caused me to yelp in surprise. In response the buck raised his head again, along with a few of the others. It was all I could do not to whip around and snap at the large brown wolf that had hold of my tail. Michael yanked on it again untl I pivoted to face him. A slight whimper slipped through his lips before he nudged me toward David.

            The tawny wolf’s head was still bowed and my ears flattened against my skull in shame. It hadn’t been my intention to make him feel. I shouldn’t have been so harsh. “Dave?” I called.

            His head rose as he stood. “Yes, Torian?”

            “You’re not in trouble,” I assured him. “Just be quiet,” I teased when his tail began to wag.

            He nodded before moving to his rightful place by my side. “Yes, Alpha,” he remarked, his playful side resurfacing. He bumped his shoulder lightly against mine.

            In return I simply rolled my eyes. Alpha. The term was loosely used. For all intents and purposes, I was our Alpha. For the most part we were all still independent. Our story was one of tragedy and woe that I would have to save for a later date. As Ashlyn moved to the side opposite David, I quietly sighed and faced the herd of deer once again. “On my signal,” I told my pack, preparing them for the attack. “One, two, three. Go!” Our muscles simultaneously released and we sprang into the clearing.

            Those poor animals never even saw it coming. Michael took down the largest buck while the rest of us picked off what we could. Ashlyn and David attacked a frightened doe together and my kill ended up being another buck. His neck snapped easily, so I was proud of myself for causing him as little pain as possible.

            Silence descended upon us as we ate. Being shifters, we could survive by hunting or taking on our human forms and eating normal food. For the past few months however, my pack and I had kept ourselves continuously in wolf form. While there were other kinds of shifters in the world, the majority of the ones I ran into were lupine, like me and my pack. Beyond that information and what I knew of mates, my knowledge of my kind was slim to none. I was born a shifter and it was all I had ever known, plain and simple.

            After a while, we had all ate our fill and we stood up. My gaze roamed over the other three wolves. We might have been a small pack, but they were the best and my only family. Thanks to the fact that Ashlyn and Michael were mates, our family was due to grow sometime in the near future. David and I were simply counting down the days until a fifth little wolf was added to our pack.

            The blood streaked through their muzzles finally caught my attention, alerting me to the fact that we should probably clean up. The fact that the same blood probably marred my own snow-white coat caused me to close my eyes and focus on my hearing. As it ranged out, I caught the trickling of a stream not far off in the distance. “C’mon, guys. Let’s wash this off,” I called to them as I turned in the direction the sound was coming from. I opened my eyes again. They needed no further encouragement before we took off at a dead sprint.

            The trees started to blur together the faster we ran. As the wind continued to blow through my fur, my eyes fluttered closed again. That feeling was one that would never grow old. My pounding footfalls against the ground matched the pace of my heart and everything else in the world fell away. The wind had an almost calming effect on the heightened senses that came with being a shifter.

            Crack.

            My body immediately fell to a standstill and I stood rigid. The others slowed to a stop around me as my gaze raked over the surrounding woods. “Guys, go ahead,” I told them, continuing to watch the trees as I backed up. “I’ll be right there.”

            David blankly stared at me. “Torian, we’re not leaving you,” he said, his timid demeanor falling away as he began to follow me.

            “I’ll be fine,” I growled out, irritation slipping into my voice. His ‘older brother’ mentality tended to come out whenever he was worried about my safety, even though it was my job to worry about his.

            “Tor . . .”

            “Just go,” I ordered, fighting with everything I had to restrain my Alpha tone. The last thing I wanted to do was use my authority against them. That was something I tried to avoid at all costs.

            After sending skeptical glances my way, the three wolves finally complied and ran off. Once I was sure they were gone I huffed and turned in the opposite direction. There was something – or someone – out there with us and I was determined to find out what it was.

            Time passed slowly as I sniffed through practically every bush surrounding the small area. Ready to give up, I shook out my coat and began to trot off after the others.

            Crack.

            The sound of another twig snapping caught my attention just before I was tackled. I flew through the air before my spine collided with the trunk of a tree, causing me to crumple into a heap at the bottom of it. Growling, I stood on shaky legs and faced my assailant.

            The blood red eyes of a vampire stared back at me.

            That fact alone was enough to alert me that he was a newborn. Vampires’ eyes stayed red for the first five years after they were turned before they faded back to their natural color. Had that not have been enough to convince me, the way his arms twitched along with his irregular breathing pattern would have. He was the stereotypical newborn that I had grown to hate. His blonde hair was dirty and disheveled, sticking up at random angles.

            His rabid snarl echoed in the silence and my own low growl mingled with his. As I advanced on him my growl increased in volume until it was reverberating off the trees in one continuous strand. The slightest flicker of intimidation flashed in his crimson eyes, but it was gone as quick as it came. With slow and deliberate steps, I inched closer to him. It didn’t take long before he leapt at me, and I met him in the air.

            When we crashed to the ground a horrific snap bounced around the woods. My startled and pain-filled yelp mixed with the vampire’s scream of agony, but I forced myself back onto my feet. He tried to stand as well, but his leg was contorted at an awful angle. Noticing his injury, I decided to use it to my advantage. Squeezing my eyes shut, I allowed sinew, bone, and muscle to shift as I took on my human form. His quiet whimpers fell on deaf ears as I stalked to a nearby tree and ripped a limb free. Not caring that I was completely bare, I advanced.

            He looked up at me through fear-filled eyes as I raised the make-shift stake above my head. “Rot in Hell,” I hissed out as I plunged it into his heart, killing him the only way I knew how. A screech escaped him as his pallor began to change from pale ivory to stormy gray. Within a matter of seconds there was nothing left of the newborn but a pile of ash.

            Shifting back to wolf form, I was greeted by an uneasy feeling. My stomach immediately began to roll around inside me. Something was wrong with my pack. They were too far away for me to hear them, but they were my responsibility. It was my job to protect them. And everything in me knew that they needed me.

            I began to run.

❃         ❃         ❃         ❃         ❃

            Logan Grey cursed silently as the timber wolf from his pack pinned him to the ground. “Rikki,” he growled at her. Training with her had been a bad idea and Logan knew it. She never fought fair.

            As she pulled back she flashed him a wolf grin. “So sorry,” she told him, sarcasm layering her words.

            He stood and looked around at the four wolves of his pack that he had with him. Each of them were immersed in their own thoughts, and Logan had to fight the urge to tackle the only other black wolf in the clearing, his younger brother, Dalton.

            Logan met his brother’s sapphire eyes with his own green ones and motioned the other wolf over. “Dalton, it’s your turn,” he said.

            Dalton trotted towards Logan, rearing for a chance to win a sparring match against his brother. It was one of their ongoing bets to see who could win the most fights in a month. A grin twisted Logan’s lip as he lowered himself into a crouch. They were just about to begin their fight when the rapid cracking of twigs caught the attention of both wolves. Logan growled low in his throat as he turned to the opposite side of the stream.

            The others jumped into the clearing with grace. He quickly noticed that there were three of them: one female and two males. The newcomers noticed him and his pack as they slowed to a standstill. He easily distinguished their Alpha simply by the brown wolf’s hulking form. “State your purpose,” Logan ordered, his Alpha tone laced through his voice. He knew it would have no effect on them, but it would serve to establish him as the one in charge.

            The brown wolf nodded his head as he spoke back to Logan. “Simply passing through,” he said, his voice calm. “Let us clean up and we will be on our way.”

            Only at the mention of cleaning did Logan noticed the blood that marred all three of their coats. That fact only put him on higher alert. As he began to speak again, a horrible screaming tore through the clearing. The nomadic pack exchanged worried looks before staring over their shoulders in the direction the sound had come from. Logan had to growl in order to regain their attention. “You are nomads trespassing on my pack’s territory,” he spat, his voice taut. “You cannot just leave.”

            “Puh-lease,” the small cream-colored female muttered.

            “What was that?” Logan snapped at her.

            “I said –” she started, only to be cut off by the supposed Alpha.

            “Ashlyn, shut up!” he ordered.

            “Michael, don’t tell me what to do,” she retorted.

            Logan couldn’t help but watch the small pack in amazement. Had she really just blatantly defied him? “You’d be wise to listen to your Alpha,” Logan informed her.

            “Michael? Alpha?” she asked, snickering. “Are you really that stupid?”

            Was she really mocking him? “Then who is your Alpha?” he asked, trying his hardest not to snap at her again.

            As if on cue a new wolf swept its way into the clearing. The white wolf surveyed the scene before her, her crystal-blue eyes glittering with curiosity as she immediately sought Logan out. “I am,” she said, her voice firm. No sooner had the words reached Logan than something inside him awakened. He was almost forced to the ground with the power of a single word.

            Mine.

            Logan had finally found his mate.

            “Excuse me?” he asked as realization finally dawned on him. She was the Alpha? That was impossible.

            She limped over to the other pack and Logan was distracted by her injury. Once she was standing in front of her pack, she turned to glare at him. Her eyes held no fear and she emanated power and authority. “I am this pack’s Alpha,” she stated, an Alpha’s tone coating her words.

            Logan was still skeptical. He had never heard of such a thing. “A female Alpha?” he questioned.

            “Yes, you i***t,” she answered with a roll of her eyes. “A female Alpha.”

            Her insult had caused his anger to flare and a low growl escaped him. “You will respect me,” he stated, sinking down into a hunting crouch.

            “I’ll do what I please,” she said, mimicking his position.

            He launched himself across the stream without a second thought and landed directly in front of her with his teeth bared. Her eyes widened in shock as she met his gaze, but her dark scowl was back in place so fast Logan thought he might have imagined it. She took a step towards him only to wince when she placed pressure on her hind leg. Logan heard her teeth grind together as she prepared herself to attack, but one of her pack stopped her.

            “Torian,” the tawny wolf called in a clipped tone. “You’re hurt. Fighting him right now is going to be useless. We all know that you could hold your own just fine, but please don’t let your stubbornness make you injure yourself any more than you already have.”

            “I can take care of myself, David,” she snapped, tearing her eyes away from Logan.

            “I know that,” he told her as his eyes gained a faraway look to them. “But I’m not about to risk losing you again.”

            Her features softened as their gazes met. “Dave . . .”

            “You’re not hurting yourself anymore,” he said with an air of finality. Logan was left to dumbly stare at the exchange that had taken place. She was letting him speak to her that way? She was his Alpha, not the other way around. So why was she allowing him to order her around? “Alright, David.” Her soft voice broke Logan from his thoughts. “Let’s go,” she said, glancing at Logan briefly before turning her back to him.

            “You’re not leaving,” Logan called.

            “Watch me,” she retorted, not even bothering to turn around.

            “Let me rephrase,” he said, running stand in her path. “You can’t leave.”

            “And why not?” she asked, trying to step around him. Every time she made a move, Logan had already positioned himself to block her. A low growl rumbled in her chest as she looked up into eyes.

            He melted under her gaze and all his irritation fell away. “You’re injured,” he explained. “I’m not going to let you leave just so it can get worse.” Or at least that was the excuse he was giving her. Truthfully, Logan just didn’t want to watch his mate walk out of his life the minute he had found her.

            Torian sighed in frustration and tried to move around him once again. She didn’t succeed. “I don’t want your help,” she growled, exasperation evident in her tone. “Why do you care anyway?”

            “Tor!” her pack chorused, cutting off anything Logan had been ready to say.

            She winced. “I hate you guys, you know that right?”

            The cream wolf walked forward and nudged the white wolf with her shoulder. “We know,” she murmured.

            The large brown wolf Logan had originally mistaken as Alpha crouched low in front of Torian. “Get on,” he told her.

            “Really, Mike?” she asked, staring at him.

            “Really, Tor,” he mocked in a horrible imitation of her voice.

            With a reluctant sigh she positioned herself on top of his back and once he stood, the brown wolf faced Logan. “Lead the way,” he said.

            Logan nodded before turning and wading through the stream with the nomadic pack following closely behind. His gaze fell on his pack, and he realized they were watching the other pack with apprehension. “C’mon, guys,” he called to gain their attention. “We’re going home.”

            The small gray wolf from his pack curled her lip. “You’re bringing them with us?” Brooke asked.

            “Their Alpha is injured and they’ll be staying with us until she feels she can lead them on.”

            “I can lead them on now,” Torian called, her voice causing him to stop in his tracks.

            Rikki – being the pest she was – didn’t miss the exchange. “Finally met your match?” she asked, her voice layered with faux innocence.

            “Keep your mouth shut,” he warned her.

            “Yes, sir!” she quipped before trotting on ahead.

            Logan could already tell it was bound to be a long, interesting day.