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Chapter 5. History 101

I walk the path towards the lake where every Friday night, there's a bonfire and it's where I spent time with someone other than Asher.

That realization suddenly made me even more thankful for my friendship with Emilie. Despite feeling like an outsider amongst most of my pack, I wasn't ever alone.

The night was eerily quiet for a weekend, the only sounds coming from my feet crunching against the gravel and the wind rustling through the trees.

I look over at the Alder tress that ran along my path. Our territory was heavily bordered by these tress as well dotted along throughout it.

Our pack name was derived from these very tress, their significance a permanent part of our culture.

It's said that these trees offer us comfort, strength and protection and that any enemy with ill intentions that passes through them will be riddled by bad luck.

Long ago, our territory was encoached on by a rival pack and though their numbers exceeded ours at the time, we were victorious. Our Elders said it was partially due to the trees.

Feeling drawn to them, I decide to cut through the forest a little sooner than normal. While most the others drive the trail that cuts through the forest to the lake, I usually opt for the direct route via wolf.

'You up for a run?'

I can feel Aanika immediately perk up and she was no doubt biting at the bit to stretch her legs.

'Is that even a question?'

I chuckle at her response and begin to head to one of the many clothing chests I have strategically placed and hidden within the forest.

I have to check them often thanks to Xaden. He won't admit it but I know it's him that finds them and removes the clothes, later discarding the clothes elsewhere on the ground. Aanika usually has to sniff them out.

As I maneuver through the trees, every so often reaching my hand out to run along the bark of a trunk, I find myself feeling a little lighter. I've spent a lot time in these forests with Aanika and maybe what the Elders say about the trees is true.

As I finally close in on one of my chests, Aanika shifts without warning. '

Aanika! Those were my favorite jeans!'

'I was feeling a tad pent up, the anticipation got the best of me.. and then.. poof.'

'Poof, Aanika?'

'Poof, there goes your favorite jeans.'

Before I can say anything more, she's off running, weaving through tress. The feeling is exhilarating and I soon forget about the jeans.

Despite humans and their wolves being two separate beings, it's as if we are one, connected both mentally and physically on a singular level with another.

Aanika gradually slows her pace, looking towards the ridgeline. She howls and it's instantly met with one somewhere in the distance. She picks up speed and moments later, a massive red wolf comes up from behind and runs along beside her.

I didn't recognize the wolf and that would usually raise an alarm for anyone else but there were quite a few wolves I wouldn't know on sight. There was no sense of a threat coming from her, only excitement.

'Who is that?'

'Fenrir, Xaden's wolf.'

Xaden's wolf?! Given that I avoid him when I can, it was no suprise I didn't recognize his wolf but she seemed content with it even though I was unsure.

They begin to playfully nudge one another, trying to out pace each other while running at full speed and dodging trees.

Shr pulls slightly ahead, quickly sliding into his path and cutting him off before running in a different direction.

Fenrir doesn't have time to adjust and slides, smacking into a tree before quickly regaining his footing and giving chase again.

He swiftly catches up and collides with her. They both tumble, nipping and growling at one another before she stands and pins him down with a stare and a fierce growl. Her stance is dominant and when he submits, she simply trots away.

The exchanges of dominance sent adrenaline coursing through my veins. Aanika has never once submitted to another wolf, not even Romulus. They would always end in a stale mate. Though I'm sure that will change once Asher is our Alpha.

She makes it a few steps away when she turns and looks behind her. All I can see is Xaden's naked backside walking in the opposite direction.

She turns back, immediately pulling me from the view.

'What was that all about?'

'Xaden didn't want his wolf following behind me like a lost puppy.'

I let out a small laugh. Not entirely what I meant but I'd be lying if I wasn't revelling in her victory.

'Have you spoken with Fenrir before?'

Her tone is terse, as if the answer should have been obvious.

'Of course. Wolves communicate just as humans do, just minus the bickering.'

Wolves weren't always a direct reflection of their humans, maybe Fenrir was sick of Xaden's s**t too. Just because I didn't get along with Xaden, didn't necessarily mean Aanika wouldn't with his wolf.

'I know that but you have never mentioned him before.'

Not that she really engaged in small talk often.

'Do you tell me about every conversation you have?'

'No but you can hear every conversation I have unless I shut you out, I can't hear yours.'

'As it should be.'

It's unfair if you ask me but I suppose it's because wolves can't actually speak, relying on mindlink with both their humans and other wolves. They can hear our conversations but we can never hear theirs.

While I can shut her out, I usually only do so for privacy and when I was younger, out of spite. She doesn't have the ability to shut me out, she can only retreat, essentially only dulling her link to me. If she couldn't do that, I'm sure she'd beg for me to shut her out more than I'd like to admit.

Wolves can also mindlink with other wolves over a certain amount of distance. It's said that we used to be able to mindlink with others in our pack in our human forms but long ago lost that ability.

The Elders call it natures curse. No one knows exactly why but many theories are that it's because of tainted blood and the upset in nature's balance.

There were wolves that broke sacred laws by mating with humans, in essence watering down the blood lines and no pack was immune to the consequences. Wolves became weaker, in turn giving our natural enemies, like vampires and witches an advantage.

To restore the balance, the Moon Goddess blessed us with mate bonds. Bonded pairs were not only stronger due to their connection but also produced stronger offspring in an attempt to negate any tainted blood.

Before I can dwell too hard on that fact and my future as an unmated wolf, Aanika intervenes.

'We're almost to the lake.'

She comes up to one of my hidden chests and then sits, anticipating my shift and when I do, I quickly pull the cut off jean shorts and black tank from the chest and get dressed. Just as I finish, I hear twigs snapping from behind me and turn.

Xaden approaches, pulling a baby blue tee over his head. I can't help myself and I sneak a glance at his toned chest and stomach. He has abs on top of abs and his ebony skin only accentuates them more.

His velvety brown eyes land on me. "Shouldn't you be home recovering from rejection?"

"And risk you not having anyone to harass?"

He scoffs, walking past me. "You're not special. I talk s**t to everyone."

With special emphasis on me. "Do you also go out of your way to f**k with everyone too?"

He stops walking and turns back to me. "I don't go out of my way to do anything."

"So being a d**k comes naturally?"

He smirks and moves to stand in front of me, neither confirming or denying before he quickly diverts. "Your wolf.. she's pure white."

I narrow my eyes. I was made aware of her rare coloring when I first shifted and when people saw her for the first time. Emilie calls her Snow White, much to Aanika's displeasure.

"She is and yours is red." I'm thrown off by the subject change and honestly the fact that he initiated a rather normal conversation besides his usual jabs at me.

He looks at me for a moment before nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. "I've just never seen one before."

"Rare but not unheard of, kind of like your ability to hold an actual conversation with me, as I'm finding out."

I bend to throw on my shoes and make a mental note to move and hide this chest in another spot later.

"You're awfully feisty tonight." His dark eyes are focused on my chest and without me having to look, I know my hardened n*****s are likely very visible through the thin tank top.

He doesn't even try to avert his stare, obviously not caring whether I notice and that only makes my n*****s pucker more. "Hopefully you're just impressed when we meet tomorrow"

His brows raise and he lift his eyes to meet mine. "What?"

I roll my eyes. "I'm definitely not soliciting your.. time. I start warrior training tomorrow and unfortunately, that means we will be seeing each other."

Xaden now heads up the warrior division, taking over for Zara. She will still help oversee selection and training but ultimately, whether I get a spot or not rests in his hands.

He snorts and sizes me up. "You realize that it will be you training and not your wolf, right?"

To be selected as a warrior, you have to be a strong fighter, among the best of the best in your pack without having to rely fully on your wolf.

I have flash backs to my years of training with Nikolai and while I may not have been able to secure my mate bond, I will make him proud. "I'm aware."

Xaden shakes his head in disbelief and walks away, not bothering to look back when he acknowledges my response. "Prove me wrong then."