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Chapter 1
The moon shone bright and nearly full in the sky, its radiance giving the forest an ethereal glow. These woods were normally dark but the silvery light brought definition to everything, making the winding path through the undergrowth clearly visible.
Truthfully I didn't need the light of the moon to see. Not only had this path been worn down by the paws of many wolves before me, I also had extremely enhanced senses in my wolf state. My paws thudded against the ground in time with my beating heart as I shot through the forest. To a human observer I would just be an large silver blur shooting by, but there were no humans in these parts. Their natural instincts and fear of predators kept them away. Not that I had a particular inclination to feed on human flesh. It was forbidden by werewolf law, after all...or it was supposed to be. But a predator? Indeed, I was at the top of the food chain. The odd stillness of the surrounding forest, devoid of animal life as they crawled away in their holes to hide, was evidence of that.
Grinning a wolf grin, I finally slowed my pace to a quick walk. Now that I moved more slowly, my large paws made almost no noise on the thick bed of leaves below me. Although we looked like wolves, my kind was much larger and moved with an abnormal grace that natural wolves did not possess. All animals in the forest feared us, even the bears. A wolf even bigger than a lion could strike fear into almost anyone.
I stopped my walk as I entered a clearing, sitting back on my haunches and gazing up at the moon. It would be full tomorrow, I could feel it. Everyone in my pack could. The full moon did something to us; it made us stronger, faster, wilder as the blood burned through our veins. Most full moons we ran free in the woods, my entire pack, yipping and chasing each other like pups. Tomorrow, however, was the Meeting.
Thinking about it brought a strange mix of nervousness, fear, and determination. I had never been allowed to go to a Meeting before but I had been needling my father and the Beta for weeks, begging them to let me accompany them. I was pretty sure they were about to cave in at last. I was nineteen years old, after all, and my wolf was getting pretty strong. I should be allowed to go. Almost everyone else had had a chance.
Within my consciousness and my soul, I felt my Wolf's agreement. She was even braver than I and far more stubborn, and she'd been wanting to go for years. I mentally reassured her that we'd find a way this time. The curiosity was nearly killing me.
"SKYLAR!" I heard the voice through my mental link, cringing at my father's tone. He wasn't the Alpha of the pack, but he was well respected, being the Pack Doctor and all. He really could adapt the authoritative tone when he needed to.
"Coming," I replied irritably. "My Wolf and I wanted to run," I sounded a bit petulant, and wrinkled my snout, knowing he wouldn't like that. My father just sent an irritated noise through our mental link before closing it off, and I stood up, shaking out my thick silver coat before turning to head back to the pack.
All of us could communicate telepathically when we were in our wolf forms but direct family members (and the Alpha, of course) could willingly communicate mentally whenever we wanted to, even in human form. Came in quite handy when one of my parents needed to shout at me. Of course, our communication abilities took more effort at a greater distance, and I could always raise my mental barriers to block my parents out...if I wanted to get an even worse lecture once I lowered them again.
Sighing, I trotted again through the undergrowth, mentally apologizing to my Wolf. I knew she liked to stay in this form as long as she could, as she was more constrained when I was in my more "human" state. She grumbled a bit but subsided as we exited the thickest part of the woods and made our way to the set of houses sprawled across the large valley. At this distance, the pack village looked quiet and peaceful, lights winking in the otherwise impenetrable darkness. Every muscle in my body relaxed just looking at the tranquil scene. I was home.
---
"You shouldn't take off like that when you know I might need your help," my father scolded, though his eyes were fixated on the patient he was currently tending to. He was pressing a damp cloth against the small girl's forehead as she tossed and turned in her bed. Meanwhile, I stood in the corner, watching. I loved to watch my father work and I often helped out with the more menial tasks. I narrowed my eyes as I carefully observed. This seemed like a normal healing that my father had no need to use his Affinity for.
Pack Doctor was something a wolf was born into. As they grew up they would notice that they had an Affinity, or a particularly strong connection to the life force of the world all around us. In times of need, they could utilize the earth's energy to help with the healing process. It was a special and magical ability and only one or two wolves in a pack could have the Pack Doctor Affinity at one time, depending on if the Doctor had a child.
The Affinity was usually genetic to the first born child....usually. I winced as I thought about it. The majority of the time the gift would be inherited, but I had not received it. I was completely and utterly ordinary. It had been a source of great embarrassment for me for a long time and I was sure my dad had been disappointed but he never said anything. Others in the pack had made some cruel comments when I was younger before the Alpha put a stop to it. Some vestiges of the insecurity still lingered to this day.
Snapping out of my daze, I realized my father expected some sort of apology. "Sorry. I needed to run," I muttered. Even to me, my apology wasn't very convincing. My father turned to me and sighed, running a hand through his thick hair, which was a shade of color identical to my own dark brown curls.
"I didn't tell your mother," he admitted, and I smiled slightly. My mom freaked out over almost anything; she had always been the high-strung type. Which likely explained why we frequently butted heads. I was laid-back and much less assertive.
"Thanks," I replied, idly drumming my fingers against each other. "So...I, uh, wanted to talk about what we were discussing earlier," I finally said, eyes on the ground. I sounded nervous which I knew he wouldn't like, but I couldn't help that this was a sensitive conversation.
Sighing yet again, my father returned his gaze to the sick patient as he pulled out a few instruments to examine her further. "You've been bugging me for weeks, Skylar. I've been thinking about it. I discussed it with Jack."
I couldn't help my lips from quirking up. Jack was our Beta, one of my father's best friends, and he had always treated me well. This was a good sign.
"We finally decided to let you come to the Meeting tomorrow, and the Alpha gave the all clear after we told him," he finally mumbled, a bit begrudgingly. I could tell Jack had helped convince him. I took a deep breath, resisting the urge to jump up and down. "Thank you! I promise I can handle myself, I'm nineteen. I know it's dangerous but-"
His green eyes snapped to my face then, his countenance hardening as his jaw clenched. I froze, not liking the expression.
"Dangerous?" He asked softly. "Skylar, I know you're excited because you haven't gotten to go yet, but you're underestimating this. Dangerous is an understatement. The Black Mountains Pack is..." he trailed off, an expression of pure hatred flitting across his features. I could tell that my own expression had soured at the mention of our worst enemies.
Unfortunately, while the Black Mountains Pack was our greatest threat, they were the most powerful pack on this continent. They practically owned us and had for the last several years. Through threats (and not idle threats, either), bullying, and fear-instilling tactics, they had already taken over a large amount of our land. We called these twice-a-year reunions with the Black Mountains Pack "Meetings", but really, they were negotiations. Negotiations in which we attempted to prevent them from infringing upon our territory any more. Not that we could stop them if they chose to attack.
We still had miles upon miles of land, of course. It was plenty for our pack, but it was nowhere close to what it used to be. Our territory used to stretch all along the Rockies in Colorado, but now a huge chunk of that had been forcefully taken. Werewolf packs were scarce, so each pack was supposed to have a large swath of land, but the Black Mountain Pack's territory was ridiculously expansive, in my opinion.
Although, with all of those mouths to feed, I begrudgingly admitted to myself that they needed large hunting grounds.
Our pack, the Silver Woods pack, was powerful. We had about sixty wolves running with us. But their pack? They had well over a hundred, trained warriors all of them. They were relentless and cruel. They didn't restrict their hunting grounds to the forest, either. There were many rumors that some of them wandered into nearby towns and preyed on the humans. Completely helpless humans that should not be prey at all, according to werewolf law! The thought made a low growl rumble in my chest.
"Skylar!" I was aware that I had spaced out as my father snapped to get my attention. I shook myself of my dark thoughts and turned back to him, lowering my head. "Sorry. I just got distracted. You're right, I need to take this more seriously. I was just excited about finally getting to go." Although, admitting it to myself, I had been nervous all along.
He nodded, understanding in his eyes. "I know. But..." He trailed off, unsure what to say.
"It just isn't fair," I responded. "I hate them, for taking half of our land and killing those who opposed them. They make us live in fear, in our own territory."
"I hate them too. We all do. But we're no match," my father said sadly.
Chapter 2
"Why do they follow him?" I whispered quietly, not clarifying further, but he knew who I meant. The Alpha of Black Mountains Pack. He was as relentless and horrible as they came, according to my fellow pack members that had been around him. His name was Gabriel, but I knew nobody called him that. He had followed in his father's footsteps as Alpha four years ago when he turned twenty-one, and he was just as big of a tyrant as his father was...although, fortunately, it had been a couple years since the Black Mountains Pack had outright killed anyone in my pack. They seem to have eased up a bit on that tactic since Gabriel became the new Alpha.
There was a moment of silence before my father spoke again. "They're scared of him, but it's more than that. He's powerful. Intelligent. Ruthless. To us, he may be cruel, but to them? He's loyal to his pack and he leads them to victory, so I can only imagine he's like a visionary to them." My father said finally, and I could tell he'd thought about this before.
I looked away, my eyes burning in disgust. "Well I despise him. I wish we could run them out of our territory, and soon," I muttered spitefully, a manner in which I didn't normally speak.
When it came to the Black Mountains Pack, though, hatred coursed through the veins of my family and my pack. They had ruined our lives for the last fifteen years. I couldn't remember the time before they started taking over, I was too young. Some of the wolves that had been killed as punishment for 'territory infringement' had been family friends. My heart clenched as I remembered Dan, another of my father's best friends, whose neck had been snapped a few years back when he was found half a mile into the Black Mountains territory. And Ana, a rebellious young she-wolf who had shown disrespect at a Meeting and......I couldn't even think about it.
I turned back to my father, who had a half-smile gracing his angular features. "I don't blame you. You've got pride running through your veins. You're a werewolf."
I blushed slightly at his tone, which seemed to be leaning towards complimentary. My father wasn't exactly full of compliments nowadays.
There were a few more minutes of silence as he measured the girl's heart rate, pulse, and temperature again, a light frown on his face. I examined the girl for a moment. It was rare that any adults were in the infirmary; as werewolves matured, we developed immunity against nearly every disease and sickness in existence. As children, however, we were still somewhat vulnerable, like the pale girl trembling in the bed. My father began to put a few instruments away and pulled out a couple more. "You're good to go Skylar, I have work to do, and I don't think I'll need your help after all."
I looked at him a moment, then nodded, exiting the small room with the sick patient and leaving the building that housed the pack infirmary.
---
"There you are, Skylar!" My mom's relieved voice emanated from the hallway as I opened the door to our house. Closing the door behind me I forced a smile as she strode over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. Because she was tall, curvy, and blonde, I didn't look too much like my mom. Our eyes were the exact same shade of blue, but the similarities ended there. I was average height and skinny with almost no curves to speak of. My angular features and brown, curly (often frizzy) hair came straight from my dad. I wasn't bad looking; I knew that much at least, but I was no supermodel like my mother with her heart-shaped face and perfect hair. She was stunning.
She began to make her way up to the second story of our sizeable house, beckoning gracefully for me to follow. I grimaced but did so, wondering what this was all about as she led me down the hall into my room.
"So, I was out shopping in that human town today..." I proceeded to make a face behind her when she wasn't looking, "...and I just came upon this beautiful blue dress that will match your eyes perfectly!" As we entered my cozy room, she indicated the bed, and I walked over there warily.
'Just came upon,' I thought to myself with amusement. Right. As if it wasn't just as likely that she planned the trip specifically to find a dress for me.
The dress was knee length and silky, with a dip in the front. Skinny straps studded with gems would help hold it up on my shoulders. It was quite a pretty dress, really, but I didn't get the chance to wear them often.
I turned to my mother, raising an eyebrow. "It's beautiful, mom, but...when will I have the occasion to wear this?" I regretted my question immediately as my mom beamed a bright smile, eagerness plain in her expression.
"Well, honey...you're nineteen now."
I could see where this was going. "Mom..."
"And there are plenty of other packs around us with men you haven't met!"
"Mom....." I repeated, and I couldn't help but give her a wry expression. Other than the Black Mountains Pack, we were quite far from any other werewolves. My mother just wanted an excuse to dress me up like a doll. Not that I minded dresses, but she was relentless about it.
"Okay, perhaps there aren't a lot of others around, but still...you're over eighteen and haven't met your Mate yet! Don't you want something nice when you finally meet him?"
"I...." I was getting uncomfortable now, my cheeks burning. I didn't want to think about the Mate subject.
"Skylar, you know werewolves usually find their Mates within a couple years after turning eighteen! I want you to look presentable when the time comes!" She finished impatiently as I sank down on my bed, putting my head in my hands. Not this again. Every month or so since I turned eighteen my mom would get on the whole 'oh you can find your Mate now' topic. While my father just stared at me with a mixture of nervousness and amusement, she would ramble on about how I would find the perfect werewolf, the one that was born to be my other half.
I knew everyone had a Mate, although there was no telling why Fate matched us up. Our inner Wolves inside of us matured as we did, and as soon as they were old enough, they would recognize their Mate: the ideal specimen with which to breed. Survival of the species was the priority. It was true what my mother was saying, that most Wolves (although not all) were mature enough at eighteen to recognize their Mate. I was within the prime age range to find mine. It was actually pretty rare for Mates to find each other after their early twenties. Wolves liked to identify the compatible breeding partner and lifelong companion as soon as possible. Still, there were exceptions, where Mates found each other later in life.
However, I knew it ran deeper than just animal instinct. I had seen the glowing silver sheen in werewolf eyes as two individuals that were meant to be Mates met for the first time and the magic of the mating bond coursed through their bodies. The two wolves put together by Fate were destined to fall in love, to perfectly balance each other out and, of course, create the optimum bloodline. It was a beautiful thing, and everyone dreamed of finding their other half, for your soul mate was out there somewhere. I was just...nervous. Not completely ready, despite the fact that I was pretty sure my Wolf had matured enough to recognize her Mate when the time came.
A werewolf learned their most innate qualities and weaknesses when they met their Mate. A Mate could see right down into your soul, and after the two Mates Marked each other, they could telepathically sense one another's thoughts and feelings. I didn't know if I was ready for that experience. Besides, I'd had very little experience with men, so it was still difficult to believe that someone could think of me as the center of their universe.
"Skylar, at least think about it!" My mom's chipper voice brought me back to the present.
I sighed, looking at her glowing expression. My parents were so happy together, and I was glad, but the opposite was true too...someone that lost their Mate never truly recovered. Part of their soul was gone and they were empty shells, only able to communicate with their lost Mate during the First Moon ceremony, which nobody understood except the wolves who participated. I hoped I was never put in that position.
On top of that, there were a few werewolves that never even found their Mate at all, and they were left half-completed their whole life. This was rare, but what if I was one of them? Even though a large part of me felt that I was not ready for a Mate, I couldn't imagine not having one at all.....ever. It was a depressing notion.
I huffed out a breath. "Yeah, I'm thinking about it," I replied tiredly. This was how the conversation ended every time.
Her radiant smile returned and I looked away, not even wanting to know (although I could probably guess) what was going through her head. "I think I should go to bed now," I muttered, nervousness erupting in the pit of my stomach as I thought about the next day. I admitted it to my Wolf; I was terrified of meeting the Black Mountains pack and seeing their Alpha and Beta for the first time. My Wolf shifted inside of me, wondering aloud how she would manage to keep her fangs retracted during the Meeting. I saw her point, as I'm sure my pent-up hatred would rush to the surface as soon as I met the dreadful pack. I'd have to ask the others how they controlled themselves while in the presence of my pack's worst enemy.
I hugged my mom and kissed her cheek as she bid me goodnight and left my room, closing my door tightly behind her. I quickly hung the dress up in the closet, wondering when I would ever wear it. Then, returning to my bed, I leaned back, staring up at my boring, grey ceiling as I tried to find the courage for the next day.
What would tomorrow bring?
Chapter 3
--
My dreams were dark and twisted that night. I tossed and turned in my bed, my already hot blood running even hotter, burning and searing through my veins. It wasn't like I had a fever; no, I was burning in expectation. I just knew something was going to happen. As I was forced to give up on sleep around 6am, I knew it had to do with the Meeting.
I slowly sat up in bed, pressing a hand to my burning forehead. My Wolf was agitated; I could feel her growling and pacing deep within my mind. I attempted to reach out and soothe her, but I doubted it had much effect, as I was unsettled myself. I sat there for quite a while, breathing deeply and attempting to calm my burning nerves. What was wrong with me? Was I really that nervous?
I flipped on the TV and mindlessly watched the programs for a couple of hours, not really sure what I was watching, but anything was better than letting my mind take over. After a time, I felt my Wolf settle slightly, though she still felt a static anticipation. 'We must just be frightened of the Meeting. The Black Mountains Pack isn't to be taken lightly,' I whispered to her, feeling a lot like my father.
I swung my legs off of the bed and stood up, stretching. I padded down the stairs to meet the fresh aroma of bacon, eggs, and toast that was wafting throughout the house. I grinned slightly; we would have a long run to get there by evening, as the Meeting was at the far edge of our territory, and we needed all the energy we could get. Despite the fact that the Black Mountains Pack had encroached upon so much of our land, it was still a vast amount of distance to travel until we reached the location of the Meeting. It was a good thing we could run so much faster than normal wolves.
My dad tossed a smile over his shoulder in my direction. I observed him as he cooked, stopping only to greet my mother as she came downstairs. I noticed the tense lines in my father's broad shoulders, and the way his movements were stiff. He was nervous, too, I could tell.
Being Pack Doctor, he had to go. It was his obligation. Our Pack Doctors were trained in battle as well as healing, but it was a sign of extreme disrespect to attack one. My father was high-ranked in the pack and a good negotiator, but he needn't worry about being in danger unless the Black Mountains Pack wished to insult all werewolves by attacking him.
Then again, I thought as I chewed on my bacon, they didn't seem to care much about respecting our laws. They attacked humans, after all. Werewolves may be of superior strength and speed but humans vastly outnumbered us. If it came to all-out war we wouldn't stand a chance.
I scowled into my plate as another round of bacon was shoveled on. I shouldn't think about such things now.
"I think I'll go see Maria before we leave," I informed my parents after I was done with breakfast. My father glanced at me quickly.
"We are leaving in two hours. It will take us until after dark to get there, even at our speed. With you going, there are fourteen of us." I nodded, glad there would be so many of us but not too many to leave the pack unprotected. It was necessary with Black Mountains Pack's superior numbers.
I hurried upstairs and showered, putting on a fresh set of clothes and attempting to tame my frizzy, wayward hair before giving up and exiting the house. My best friend, Maria, was the Beta's daughter and lived several houses down in the valley. Her house was much larger than mine, being that she was of higher rank. It had never bothered me, though, as she didn't treat me any differently....unlike the Alpha's daughter. I growled under my breath at the thought, my Wolf feeling a surge of irritation. My Wolf didn't like Anne either. She took her rank very seriously, and was condescending to many wolves in our pack. Except Maria, oddly. I always wondered if Anne treated Maria more respectfully because the latter was the Beta's daughter, or if Maria was just so nice that their personalities did not clash.
Unfortunately, today was not my lucky day, for as Maria's mother greeted me and led me to her daughter's room, my sensitive nose picked up the dreaded scent there. I scowled, fighting back my irritation as I stood in the door frame. The two looked up at me then, Maria with a friendly smile, Anne with a smile that held thinly veiled contempt.
Maria had very dark hair and eyes with olive-toned skin. She was muscular and tall, unlike me. Anne was blonde and slender, though still taller than me, and her delicate and dazzling looks reminded me of my mother. Unlike my mother, she had quite a mean streak.
"Hey Maria, Anne." My voice sounded slightly different when I said her name, as much as I tried to hide it, and her eyes narrowed, noticing it. Unfortunately I couldn't disrespect her outright, as she was the Alpha's daughter.
"Sky!" Maria said excitedly, bouncing over to me. "I heard that you're going to the Meeting tonight!" She knew how much I'd wanted to go.
I smiled slightly, my nerves jumping into overdrive. "Yeah, they decided to let me," I replied. They must have heard my heart rate increasing because Anne smirked slightly while an understanding look appeared in Maria's eyes. Maria indicated her blonde friend. "It's Anne's first time, too," she said, trying to lighten the mood.
Anne stood up smoothly. "Fortunately, my father has been well preparing me for this for a while. Wouldn't want to go in scared," she said lightly, staring at me with a knowing expression. Her eyes flicked to Maria. "I've gotta go, Father will want me to help with the preparations. You know, higher-up stuff." She tossed me one more look, this one with scarcely concealed dislike, before exiting the room, leaving me to scowl after her.
"She's just wonderful," I muttered under my breath, my fists clenching. Maria rested a hand on my shoulder. "Ignore her. Let's watch TV until it's time to go." Smiling at her, I was grateful for the distraction and I eagerly lost myself in some crime show for the next hour and a half.
--
Oh, the joy of running.
Despite the sense of seriousness and nervousness that was pressing down on our group, I knew the wolves running beside me could also feel it. It was the full moon, and our senses felt even more alive than normal, our Wolves howling with joy within us. As I glanced up into its silvery brilliance I wondered if we were the only creatures that loved the moon so much. I knew instinctively that we were not the only supernatural beings in the world; I'd heard whispers of others, although I'd never encountered them. I figured they were rare and I would cross that bridge when I came to it. Still, I couldn't help but consider the idea of other powerful beings.
We did not bother to hide the noise our paws made as they crashed against the ground, for nothing would dare approach us. Instead, we took pleasure in each other's company, in the thrill of having large muscles and nearly endless endurance, in the thrill of being more alive than any other creature could imagine. My blood ran hot and my panting was loud but I welcomed the smells and sensations. One could almost have forgotten the reason for our journey during a time like this.
We had been running for hours now, stopping only twice to rest, eat, and drink. In our wolf forms we burned four times as many calories as a normal human and frequently needed sustenance. It was worth it, though, for we could run in Wolf form for a couple of full days without tiring when properly nourished and rested.
I knew we were only an hour away now, and as I thought about it I felt the nervousness rise despite the joy of my run. I glanced up at the moon, as if for guidance, but it did not hold the answers I sought. I knew a few other wolves had not yet been to a Meeting and I could smell their wariness around me. Even the veterans had reason to be scared.
I closed my blue eyes briefly and bared my long canines in irritation. I was a werewolf, for crying out loud! I should not be dwelling on weak emotions such as fear. I knew it was my Wolf that was guiding these latter, braver, thoughts but I didn't think she had convinced herself, either. I sighed and then turned my head, ears swiveling as a large brown wolf ran up to my side.
It was Will, a pack member about my age and one of my best friends. I had a crush on him when I was younger due to his innocent charming looks, but I had grown out of that phase and just considered him a friend, and a good one at that. I spent a lot of time with him and with Maria. They had never been cruel to any of the other wolves and had never thought it strange that I hadn't inherited my dad's Affinity. I could never appreciate them enough.
Will had his mouth open and his tongue hanging out in a wolf smile, and I returned the gesture.
'Nervous'? He asked me. I wrinkled my snout.
'That obvious?'
If he was in his human form, he would have shrugged, and I could almost sense the action. 'This is only my second Meeting. I was nervous my first time, too. Still am, actually.' My Wolf noticed that his Wolf grew slightly embarrassed at that admission. I made a huffing noise, amused, before quickly growing serious again.
'Is there anything in particular I should know? Any advice?'
Will's blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully for a moment and the only sounds were our beating hearts and the thudding of paws.
'Be careful about eye contact. Be careful what you say. We're werewolves, and we're prideful, and it's in our nature to hold our own.' I could sense my Wolf's agreement and pride before he continued. 'But whether we want to admit it, they're more powerful than us. Their Alpha...' He trailed off, and I sensed a series of dark emotions flitting through him, as my Wolf detected the fury of his.
'Yes?' I prompted, shuddering at the thought of the dark looming figure. Truthfully, I had no idea what he looked like, but I'd heard he was huge and frightening. Pretty much fit his actions.
Will's fear was palpable. 'I don't think he has a soul. When we made eye contact...there was so much rage. Hatred. It was terrifying. He snarled at me and I wanted to turn and run, werewolf or not.' Surprisingly, his Wolf was silent, and I was surprised that he would shoot down his own pride like that. The thought made tingles shoot up my spine and it was not a pleasant sensation.
'You'll be able to understand why their pack is so dark when you see them, especially him. Just...just don't look at him. I don't know how Alpha Brett does it.'
I nodded my head, accepting this. I wasn't plan on ogling the other clan. I wanted to observe what was going on, but I knew it would be safer to stay out of it.
Will was continuing, and I snapped back to attention to catch his words. 'They say he doesn't have a Mate. Not that he hasn't found one, that he doesn't have one at all. It would make sense why his soul is so fractured.'
Once again I shuddered. Sure, I wasn't ready for a Mate, but knowing there wasn't anyone out there was something different entirely. 'Okay, new subject,' I finally said, as my nerves were becoming explosive at this point. Shooting me another wolf grin, Will happily complied.
---
Finally, we could smell them. Over a dozen wolves, gathered in a clearing a few miles up the path. Judging by a low howl that came from the distance, they had discovered our scent, too. Front the front of the pack, Alpha Brett began to slow his pace. He was a dark grey wolf, larger than the rest of the pack, and a firm but great Alpha. I liked him, except for the fact that his daughter was...well, horrible. I noticed her sleek form standing next to him, her fur even darker than his.
'All right pack, it's time to stop and shift to our human forms,' He instructed calmly. Both sides chose to appear in their human forms because they were less of a threat and less likely to violent outbursts. In wolf form, our inner Wolves were much more difficult to restrain from completely taking over our human side. Also, while Shifting in front of your own pack was common, it was considered inappropriate to show a bare body to a wolf from another pack, especially an enemy pack.
Closing my eyes, I willed my human body back. I felt the dizzying and contracting sensation of fur and claws receding, my bones shifting and melding back into their original form. Originally the process had hurt; now it felt as natural as breathing.
We always tied our clothes to our ankles before Shifting, as the size increase in our ankles was less drastic between forms and it was the most convenient way to bring clothes along. Quickly, each wolf began to dress. I swiftly maneuvered into my bra and panties, followed by a loose pair of pants and shirt. We very rarely wore shoes, unless venturing into human settlements. I turned to the others as they finished the process. Once we were all clothed, we faced Alpha Brett. He was a large, muscular man with golden-brown hair and piercing hazel eyes that his daughter had inherited.
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