Sharp Edges

Unexpected Ally

I disappear into the tree line and repeat the actions from last night. Running as quickly as I can I crisscross and double back rubbing on everything I can without slowing down. I start to hear the other women in the woods around me and head for the creek. When I get there I waste no time rolling around in the mud.

Once my fur is covered completely I'm on the move again. Several women race past me. All of them trying to put as much distance between themselves and Hudson Manor as they can. It's a smart move, but only if you are trying to do exactly what the men expect you to do. With the odds stacked against me I know that I can't just be faster than the men. I have to be smarter and stronger also.

Hoping it doesn't bite me in the ass, I head back towards the manor.

When there is about a mile between me and the manor, I shift back into my human form. I pick a large tree with lots of branches, full of foliage, and climb up.  I sit and make myself as comfortable as one can be when sitting in a tree naked, and covered in mud. Once I am fairly certain I am not going to slip and fall to my death, I take deep breaths to slow my breathing and heartrate. Having put a lot of work into covering my scent I'd be pissed if it all goes to waste because they can hear my racing heart or labored breathing.

A few minutes after my breathing and heartrate have returned to normal, I hear the second horn sound. I smile to myself at the near perfect timing. I can't see the ground from my perch, so I close my eyes and focus on my hearing.

At first all I pick up is a low rumble in the distance. Seconds tick by, the rumble growing louder and louder. If you have ever heard the sound of a large heard of horse's hooves connecting with the earth, then you can imagine the sound that is vibrating my eardrums. The sound of approximately three hundred, large, male werewolves tearing through the forest. The vibration in my eardrums changes to the vibration of the tree I am hiding in. I tighten my hold on the tree and hold my breath as the wolves fly across the ground beneath me.

Well f**k a duck...My plan actually worked.

I stay in the tree long after the sound of the males has faded into the distance...Just in case. When all is quiet and the birds begin to chirp again, I climb down from my perch. I stretch my sore muscles and chose a path that will put me downwind from the other wolves. The mud is covering my scent beautifully, but being downwind will give me an extra layer of protection, and give me the advantage of smelling anyone who gets to close.

The woods are thick, packed tightly with trees and shrubs. There is a gentle breeze in the air, and soft ground under my bare feet. The wildness of my surroundings is making me feel more wolf than woman and for the first time in the last few weeks, I start to believe that I might be able to make it through this stupid mating ceremony without a mate. A thought only grows stronger as time ticks by and I encounter no other participants; male or female.

A rustling in the woods to my left causes me to stop. I focus on the direction of the sound attempting to gage the distance away or the size of the animal that made the noise, while I strain my eyes scanning the denseness of the forest. However, my human senses are not nearly as good as my wolf senses and I pick up nothing. I hold my breath for a few moments before turning away from the sound to continue walking.

I make it about five strides before I hear the sound again only this time it is on my right. I am contemplating shifting back into my wolf form in order to take advantage of those heightened senses, but I have some very deliberate reasons for staying my human form. One, it is much easier to mask the sound of two feet on the forest floor than it is four...especially when all those who are looking for me are probably looking for the alpha female wolf they saw explode into the forest at the sound of the first horn. Two, if I do happen to encounter any males, they will see my human form and underestimate me, which I will then use to my advantage. Lastly, if I encounter any females, they are less likely to see me as a threat if I am in human form.

There are ups and downs to both options, but before I can decide... I stop short. About thirty yards in front of me a black wolf only slightly larger than me appears. Even in human form I can tell the scent is male and I am inwardly cursing my luck.

He seems shocked to see me, so I take advantage of the momentary distraction, putting as much distance between us as I can with a deliberate step backwards.

Hands raised, I address him, "Look buddy, I don't want to hurt you so why don't you do us both a favor and just keep it moving."

I am not sure what I was expecting, but an eye roll and retreat into the woods was definitely not it.

Flabbergasted I watch the area where the stranger had retreated into the woods expecting some sort of trick. When a few minutes pass and nothing happens I take off, only to be brought up short again. While I was distracted with the first wolf, another had managed to sneak up on me.

The wolf in front of me now is larger than the one I just encountered. Obviously male, and while his fur is also black, it lacks the deep richness of the first, smaller wolf.

As much as I would like to curse my luck again, I know this time it is my own fault for getting sloppy. I let the first wolf distract me, and I have a strong feeling I won't be able to convince a second wolf to be on his merry way with my words alone.

But it's worth a try right?

Hands raised, I take a step back and repeat my earlier warning, "Look buddy, I don't want to hurt you, so why don't you do us both a favor and just keep it moving." I finish strong, muscles tensed and mentally praying for the same result.

You know that saying about lightning not striking in the same place twice? Well, apparently it also applies to male werewolves doing what the f**k I tell them to as well.

The newcomer seems to think I am amusing because he laughs at my statement.

He takes a step forward.

I take a step back.

After three or four paces he seems to grow tired of the game, and crouches down ready to pounce. Gaging the distance between us and the sheer size of his wolf I have no doubt he will close the distance easily and my muscles tense ready for the fight to come.

He lunges at me and I brace for the impact, only it doesn't come. Instead the large black wolf is knocked off course by the smaller black wolf, and they crash into the tree nearby.

It takes a moment for the shock of what is happening to wear off as I watch them fight, jaws snapping, paws kicking. The larger wolf clearly has strength on his side, but the speed and stamina of the smaller wolf begins to win out and he manages to latch on to the back leg of the larger wolf.

The metallic scent of blood washes over me, and I shake myself back into focus, before spinning on my heel and getting the hell out of dodge.

The sound of their fighting comes to an abrupt halt, and one of them begins to quickly demolish the distance I had managed to put between me and the fight. A surge of annoyance flairs up inside me. I scope the area for higher ground and wait. Stupid? Probably. When this thing started my main goal was avoidance. I was stubborn above all else and I was sure I could out maneuver the males until they all went back to the mansion with their tail between their legs... Pun intended. However, the longer this 'game' goes on, I am growing more and more irritated with being forced to act like pray. I am not the pray. I am a f*****g alpha female for crying out loud.

My human ears pick up the sound of approaching footsteps. Human footsteps, and I am surprised to see the handsome biker, Jacob, emerge from the trees below me. He was as naked as the day he was born, and under normal circumstances I would probably admire his physique. However, the small ember of annoyance had grown into a rolling furry inside my stomach and no werewolf s****l nature was going to displace it. My wolf side was ready for a fight even if it meant damaging Jacobs handsome face.

He pauses and raises his hands before calling out to me, "I am not here to fight, or attempt to claim you. I just want to talk for a minute."

He takes a cautionary step forward and I let out a warning growl before answering him, "Then talk."

He takes another step forward.

I swear this dude is either seriously underestimating me, or has no sense of self preservation.

The wind shifts and I can tell from his scent he was the smaller of the two wolves.

"Look, I never expected to find you here. I stumbled upon you by chance. I was not chasing you, and I do not want to claim you as a mate."

I c**k my head. Studying him. I can sense the truth behind his words.

"Maybe you weren't perusing me when we first came across each other, but you came back and fought off the larger black wolf, and you definitely perused me from the fight to here... Why do those things if not to claim me?" I ask him, still not letting my guard down.

"I wanted to participate in this mating ceremony about as much as you did. My father gave me no choice so I figured I would just hang out close by and lay low until it was all over. Then out of nowhere there you were. I was going to leave you to it, and headed off in a different direction. I caught my brothers scent and then heard you throw the same threat at him that you through at me. You should really work on your creativeness by the way. I doubled back out of curiosity. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch you wolf out and kick his ass. When I realized you were going to fight his wolf in your human form I had to stop him. Andrew's ruthlessness is matched only by his arrogance and since you have met my brother.… I'll let you do the math. Even if you had submitted, he would have tortured you simply to put you in your place for publicly refusing him since you arrived."

"Okay... So you did me a solid, and I am thankful... but what would you like in return?"  I ask, still not fully trusting him. His last name was Hudson after all.

"Well, I was thinking...What if there was a way for us both to get what we want and save us both a lot of trouble?" He replies.

"What did you have in mind?" I ask.

They say that curiosity killed the cat… I am really hoping that doesn't apply to wolves as well.