Fated Enemies

The Capture

I had gone several months past her 18th birthday without a single whiff of my fated mates scent. Part of me was still holding out, hopeful. That was the wolf in me, I suppose, because I had been moping around and accepted my fate of never finding my true mate.

I realized how silly that was of me, that I had plenty of time. But I just spent so long believing that I would be one of those love stories, one of the girls that found her mate minutes after turning 18. Someone who would be swept off her feet at the stroke of midnight by her life long friend.

I felt my ears grow warm at that thought, ducking my head as I shuffled through the house and out the door into the biting wind. It was January, and while there wasn't snow on the ground there was a sharp chill in the air.

Sighing, I saw my breath float up in the cold air. It wasn't like I actually expected my childhood friend, Chase, to be my fated mate. Still, I had my fantasies every now and then. Everyone heard the fated love stories, after all.

But, no. That was seemingly not my fate.

Crunching through the frosty grass, I buried my head between my shoulders as I lost myself to my thoughts again. My mother and father were already out of the house, headed to the pack house for an important meeting. My father was the Beta and while I was supposed to be next in line for the title, my father decided that the responsibility would land on my brother's shoulders instead. My brother was a year younger than me, and while the eldest child would normally take it over, my parents decided I wouldn't be the best fit.

I huffed, remembering the conversation. It happened just two weeks after my 18th birthday, when they tried and failed to delicately tell me that the pack would be more receptive to a Beta that actually was able to find their mate. I argued with them for several days, but that just seemed to fuel their argument. I was 'disrespecting their decision' and not being 'logical' like a true Beta would be. I shook my head, muttering to myself as I walked.

"Illogical... pft. Illogical is breaking tradition," I grumbled, looking up and finally pausing in my journey. I had been distracted, going off in a direction that I hadn't meant to.

Turning in circles, I took in my surrounding of trees and the open field. It was near the edge of the pack boundaries, but it wasn't exactly uncommon for me to travel this way. There was a stream that ran through the forest, and at the end was a beautiful waterfall. It shouldn't be frozen over, even with the cold weather, so I turned and began to head for the stream. It always helped me clear my mind.

On my way, I heard something in the distance that made me freeze where I was. It sounded like running, and with the speed and sound it was definitely shifted footfalls. The padded echoes ricocheted off of the forest trees, making it slightly hard to locate where they were coming from. It disoriented me, making it take too long for me to identify that the running was coming from outside of pack bounds and from the sound, it was a whole pack. Maybe a pack of rogues?

My heart rate spiked as I immediately dropped lower, squatting and listening to my surroundings. They were getting too close, too fast.

'Run, run, now' was echoing in my mind from my wolf and it was the push I needed to turn and take off. I wouldn't get far in this form, so as I turned and began running I shifted as fast as I could, without a care for my clothing. They shredded around me midair, one second I was running on my human feet and the next I was landing on my paws and running as fast as I could. Luckily, I was slightly smaller of a wolf so I was a bit faster and could fit through tighter spaces. Without knowing what was coming, I had no idea how long I had.

I tried casting my mind out, trying to find anyone close by to link with and warn about the incoming danger. I was getting far too close to the pack grounds before I finally felt the link snap into place. I didn't even care who I was linking with, I just started yelling as loud and fast as I could. 'Intruders, intruders inbound!' I called across the link but what I received back made my blood go cold.

'It's too late, pup,' is what I got in return, causing me trip over a branch, sprawling to the ground. I whimpered as I righted myself, hearing the running from behind me get closer.

'Vi, we have to move,' my wolf urged me and I straightened again, running impossibly faster. At this point, I was starting to feel helpless but I just kept trying to cast out for my pack, trying to isolate the unfamiliar presence behind me. Eventually I was able to communicate with my pack but it took me too long, we were much too close to the center of town now. It was too late to get a proper response, I just prayed that I gave my pack enough warning that we were able to have a good defense. When I finally neared the pack house, I saw familiar faces and muzzles. I felt a wave of relief crash over me as I bounded over to my parents in their shifted forms. I finally paused for a moment, turning around in a circle to face the tree line as the intruders finally broke the line. Instead of running now though, they were predatorily pacing out of the tree line and stalking around. .

They were sizing my pack up, I realized. The Alpha to my one side let out a threatening growl, baring his teeth and snapping. The wolves coming from the trees seemed much larger than normal wolves, and I felt myself become nervous for the battle that I knew was coming. That didn't seem right. It sounded like there had been so many, maybe it was there size? The presence felt bigger when it was behind me.

This started moving too fast for me to keep up with, after that. My brother trotted up beside me in his shifted brown wolf form, nudging me with his nose before stepping in front of me in a show of protection. Seconds later, the intruders broke out into a run towards us, more coming out of the trees from the sides. There had been more.

My stomach dropped as the two sides started running towards one another. Me and another wolf stayed close to the pack house, acting as the last line of defense for the children that were being hidden away inside. The scent of blood became almost overwhelming instantaneously. I had no time to keep track of my parents or my brother, turning and snapping at the wolves that drew too close to the sanctuary. I let my wolf take over control, trusting her to guide my through this battle. It seemed to go well for awhile before I felt overwhelmed with the enemies. Looking around frantically, I saw several wolves laid out on the ground and I did not immediately see the other pack member who had been helping me fend them off of the pack house.

I was snarling and snapping out even as I was being driven back, my back against the wall. Suddenly, there were wolves and people surrounding me. I growled and tried to fight them all off but it was no use. Even if I had been an Alpha, there were just too many of them.

They were yelling to each other but I couldn't pay attention, the smell of iron in the air was making me dizzy. I tried looking around for anyone from my own pack, getting more desperate when all I saw were unfamiliar faces. In a last ditch attempt, I threw my head back and howled for help but that was the wrong move. I was tackled to the ground by one large wolf, another growling and snapping at me to make sure I stayed down. As a wolf stalked towards the house, I panicked and before I realized what was happening, I was shifting back. The weight of the wolf on top of me became almost unbearable in my human form but I had to try.

"Please! Please, leave them!" I begged, tears in my eyes. The wolf headed towards the house huffed but didn't slow down at all. "Please, they're just children!" I screamed, trying desperately to struggle against the weight.

Just then, there was a sharp whistle that pierced the air and all the activity died down. The alpha. It had to be with the way everyone seemed to stop and wait for orders. "We got what we came for," the deep voice said. I struggled, trying to see where the voice was coming from but it was no use. All I could see now was the dark grey fur of the wolf on top of me.

"Bring her," he ordered and before I even had a second to consider the 'her' was me, I felt a sharp pain in my arm. I yelped out, looking down in time to see a needle leave my arm.

"What.. What did you.." I trailed off, my head going heavy as I pondered the possibility. Poison. Wolfs bane? Something else? I didn't recall wolfsbane making you feel so tired, but I just couldn't seem to keep my eyes open anymore.