Chapter 3: My Mate
1090 Words
From that point, things flew into a frenzy. A large, determining factor was my wolf leaping to my defense. She had apparently had enough of my nonsense and seemed to take control. On impulse, I shifted and sprang away. In the same beat, the large man shifted and took pursuit after me.
It was lucky I was so small. It let me narrowly escape the grasp of his reaching claws. I dodged zig-zag to try not to get caught. At the same time, I called for my pack, after all. These other wolves clearly wanted a fight, and they were obviously set up for some kind of ambush, but the fact was that I needed help. In a big, big way.
I tried calling out through the telepathic pack link. “Uh, guys? Guys? Anyone?"
No response. I narrowly dodged another swipe from this giant wolf attacking me. It looked like patches of fur were missing where scars had built up over the years. If I didn't get help soon, this guy would probably eat me. And still be hungry when he was done.
I called for my pack again. “Guys!!"
This time, I might have gotten a muddled response.
Thing was, between my panic, my effort to avoid this behemoth behind me, and desperately calling out for my pack, I was running directly toward this dark-haired shifter I had been so enamored with. Except he was waiting in wolf form, ready for me.
His outstretched claws swatted me down, and I saw stars and felt a searing pain across my face. I felt light as a fly as the force of his blow pushed me to the ground and off to the side. I skidded to a halt and couldn't think enough to get up and run.
Then I felt it. It was unmistakable, because I'd been looking for it my whole life. Still laying on the ground, it was all I could do to glance up and catch this dark wolf in the eyes. They were penetrating, and his fur was about the blackest I'd ever seen. It would complement the stark whiteness of my coat of fur perfectly.
This was good, because there was a chance we'd be spending the rest of our lives together.
It was the mate connection. I felt it beyond a doubt.
But, even if I had been doubtful, I only needed to look into this midnight black wolf's eyes to see the truth. I knew that, behind those dark, piercing eyes, that he was feeling it too.
I had finally found my mate. And he had finally found his.
“Is that you?" I asked him through the new mate connection I could sense within. It was a clearer connection than I had ever felt with my pack mates. Looking at him now, I knew we could form a pack of just us two. It would be everything I'd ever needed and more.
“It is. I didn't expect to find you here." He said. His voice in my mind was far softer than the one he'd used in the clearing when we were talking in human form. Now that he wasn't trying to intimidate me, he actually seemed rather nice.
“AJ is my name." I said again. I still hadn't found the wherewithal to stand. All I could focus on was my mate.
“Maxx."
I would have said hi, or nice to meet you, or please let me have your pups, even though we're both guys. But his brutish pack mate interrupted us.
He roared as he lunged at me. I saw dark copper fur and improbably long fangs, and my life flash before my eyes. A dark shadow barrelled in from the side. Maxx slammed into the attacking wolf. They wrestled to the ground before fighting their way back to a standing position. Maxx hunched between me and the other wolf, fur bristled and teeth bared.
I couldn't hear their entire conversation, but with Maxx and I already so deeply connected, I could hear what he was saying to his pack mate.
“Back off, Aldris…"
“No, he's my mate…"
“Damned if you tell me what to do, Aldris! You're not the real Alpha. You leave my AJ alone…"
“Yes, he has a name! And he's mine...!"
“Wait. Wait. Shut up! You hear that? They're coming!"
I pulled my head out of the clouds, and away from the elation at having found my One. Yes, my pack was on its way. In fact, they were almost here. I tried calling out to them. I wanted to warn them that, while yes, I was in danger, I was surrounded and they were running into a trap.
It was no good.
Maybe the connection was muddled. Compared to what I felt with Maxx, it was impossibly jumbled. I might as well have been yelling through thick swamp water, murky and gross. I had never realized how poor my connection was to my pack mates. Else, that connection was fine, and the one I had with Maxx was just better.
In either case, my pack didn't seem to hear my plea. Two by two, they burst through the line of trees. They came out shifted and snarling. But for the life of me, I did not know what they were trying to say, if they were saying anything at all.
Then, with some sort of signal neither Maxx nor I had caught, a new shifter sprang from behind us. Maxx didn't have time to react before the new shifter snatched my neck in the clench of their teeth. I was little, and they were big. I was moments away from mincemeat. All it would take was a simple order.
Maxx whipped around in fury. “DAMMIT, STORM, YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
Maxx yelled it telepathically at the same time that he physically roared. His ferocity caught everyone off-guard. If I didn't know better, I'd say that even Storm was a little shaken, based on a falter in how tightly his jaw clamped down on me.
Aldris, however, remained perfectly cool. All he had to do was shoot Maxx a look, and my midnight wolf backed down. I don't know what was said, but Maxx looked at me apologetically.
I sensed that my mate would still fight for me. But I also knew that he was powerless to do so now.
Aldris was in command of the situation. I only hoped that he would let me go.
- Writer
