19

Aspen

In hindsight, this was probably not the smartest thing I'd ever done. My papa was partially right. I'd turned into a "city wolf" by lazing around these past few weeks and felt a bit out of shape. My beast wasn't fairing much better.

It's your fault for not letting me out in almost a month.

But I was a runner at heart and used to rougher terrain than this. Outrunning a pack was something I did for most of my life. I think I took the idea of leading the run too literally though.

It was hard trying to keep everyone in line from the front so I kept racing to the back and ensuring the females stayed together until we made it to the inlet.

My wolf growled again as we doubled back for some of the slower females. Sand flew from her paws as she spun around. Herding. Not leading. That's what we were doing. But the creek was just ahead and I had a plan.

My wolf looked over her shoulder to make sure we had left no one behind in the woods and to check nothing would attack in the open area of the beach. Cindy, Meghan, Lilith, and Edith weren't with us so that left fifteen females on the run with me. I didn't scent them, but they had to be somewhere. No doubt licking their wounds after Ranger told them off.

The camera drones continued to follow us as the first of the females made it to the creek. I raced ahead, showing them what I planned as I leapt into the shallow water. It was ankle-deep and cold as ice. My wolf's extremities had a lower blood temperature, keeping us warm despite the chill on her paws.

We trudged along a few feet, slowly, waiting for the rest of the females to catch on.

Smart girls. My wolf nodded her approval as the last of them followed us into the creek.

And then she started running again.

It wasn't my first heat. In wolf shifter culture, I was basically an old maid. Yet the thrill of this season was new. It wasn't the environment or slowing down to check on the other females or acting as a Luna. It was the fear and excitement pulsing through our veins.

A primitive part of our being realized we'd be caught this season. It reflected in the moon's brightness, the wind ruffling the leaves and my wolf's fur, the smell of rich earth surrounding us, and the icy clear water kicked up by our paws. There was a sweeter taste to the fresh air filling our lungs. The vivid sharpness of life. An ancient calling every female wolf indulged in. The freedom of the run. The thrill of the chase. The excitement of being caught.

I felt it all.

For the first time in my adult life, mating season wasn't something to escape. It was something to run toward.

But I wouldn't make it easy.

Another powerful howl sounded behind me. Ranger's wolf had been crying out since we left him in the woods. The strength of his wolf's voice seemed to shake the surrounding trees, sending the clouds gathering in the night sky to scatter and leaving the moon to shine bright on our path.

My wolf's heart beat faster as she nipped at the heels of the younger females, driving them around the bend of the creek. The echo of his howl still filled the night air. A promise haunting the forest.

He was giving us more time than Alpha Derek ever did. That made my heart race faster and my anger burn hotter.

Cocky, confident male who thought we needed help.

We'll show him. My beast was loving this, the freedom from my human skin and adrenaline from the chase. I'd never seen her more in her element than tonight.

I was born for this.

Her paws continued to splash through the stream as we made it around the bend, staying just behind Kimberly's and Ismelda's wolves.

Finally, we were out of sight from the woods. My wolf howled to let the females know. It was now that we could disperse. The water would wash the scents of our tracks to give the guys more of a challenge. My wolf didn't plan to leave this creek until the last possible minute.

I could tell the females who were eager to get the season started. Their wolves were barely wet as they climbed the banks, leaving the run and heading off on their own paths with the solitary scent of their trails left behind.

It was the ones heading deeper into the water I paid attention to. It sucked not having a direct way to communicate with them other than the growls and movements of our wolves. We weren't pack. We hadn't learned each other's mannerisms.

I should have paid more attention to the show.

But the females who kept trudging along through the water as our little makeshift pack dwindled were either hoping to hold out for a more dominant male or scared to leave the safety of the creek. I stuck close to them, scenting for whiffs of fear. I guess that was one skill I'd gotten from Nuva Pack. I was good at picking up on subtle clues from a crowd.

Fallon stayed in front. She was lost in her own chase and mind. I saw it in the others too as Keshia's sleek black wolf slid under a thicket of brambles on the bank, making a hard trail to follow. They weren't paying attention to the other females because nature was driving them forward. I felt the draw, but I was able to ignore it for the time being to make sure everyone else was okay.

Maybe I was cut out for this job.

Our little pack grew smaller the further we trotted and the creek spread out as the woods thickened on either side. Fallon's and Danielle's wolves were up ahead, followed by Amber and Ismelda. Kimberly and Sarah were the last in line. Or technically I was, but I was leading from the rear I'd decided. It made being a sheepdog sound cooler.

Sarah's chestnut wolf was soaking wet as she slowed her pace. Kimberly raced ahead to Ismelda. The two of them nudged each other before taking off in opposite directions up the bank.

I glanced over at Sarah, slowing to match her stride. She had none of the other women's youthful spunk as she looked around, searching for a good spot to exit the creek. There was a resigned hunch to her shoulders as we trudged along the water. Her wolf didn't seem to want to decide.

This is going to suck, I told my wolf, really wishing we had a pack link with the other females now. Give me a minute.

Too bad we haven't figured out how to shift with your head on my body.

Yikes. That sounds like a nightmare.

I took over my human skin so I could use my vocal cords. Holy ice tits it was cold. I was shivering, naked, and wet. Sarah's wolf looked up at me like I was crazy. I supposed she was right.

"What's wrong?" My teeth chattered as I spoke. I wrapped my arms around my body as my human feet slipped over wet river stones.

Sarah's wolf shook her head.

Guess she wasn't planning on shifting to chat.

A louder howl sounded in the distance, making me shiver for an entirely different reason. It was an announcement. I felt it in my bones. Our lead time was up.

He's coming.

Sarah's wolf whined as her ears pressed against her head and she charged through the middle of the creek.

It's… So… Cold…

"Is one of the males making you act this way?" I shook and shivered as I trudged alongside her. There was a shake of her head and another exasperated whine as she tried to go faster and slipped, soaking her chest.

"Not one male," I mused aloud. This would be so much easier if we could just share a pack link.

She huffed as she shook out her fur coat.

"All of them?" I asked, earning a look over her shoulder where I swore I could see the human shining through her eyes.

"If you didn't want to run this season, you should've told me." I grabbed her by the scruff. Righteous anger coursed through me, warming my skin as I remembered each season I'd run this far alone while worried my wolf would make a decision I couldn't change.

That wasn't going to happen again.

Not on my watch.

Sarah's wolf growled as she tried to shake herself free from my grasp. I held her steady.

"You're going back to your nest. Bar the doors if you have to tonight. A mated male named Beau will be by in the morning to drop off food."

A drone buzzed over our heads and I dropped to my knees, eyes widening as I held back a curse at the ice water lapping at my core.

I lowered my face to her furry ear. "Tell Beau Ranger said to get you off the mountain and somewhere safe."

The bark of relief and long tongue licking my face made me laugh despite the fact that my nipples were so hard they were going to break off.

"Don't thank me yet." I borrowed some of my wolf's strength, grabbing Sarah's hind and forelegs as I lifted her from the water. "Sorry about this, but I want to cover your tracks."

I spun to gain momentum, barely keeping us both upright on the slick rocks, and tossed her toward the trees. She landed on four feet though. Score ten points for me. I almost felt bad for throwing her as hard as I did, but I was buck naked and way behind the last of the females.

And I'd lost the long lead.

I could feel it. Like how the warm desert winds preceded a coming storm, an electric current in the air set my hair on end.

The hunt had started.

*

By the time I caught up with anyone else, it was only Fallon still in the creek. I'd long passed the scent of Amber's and Danielle's tracks where they'd left the bank together. My wolf was panting and soaked to the bone, but we were still ahead of the males.

It's just us then. My beast nudged Fallon's black wolf.

Fallon's wolf let out a shuddering sigh and continued to trudge forward. She was tired. I could sense it. But she didn't want to stop. There was a pride in making this hunt harder. And a sort of defeat she wasn't ready to meet just yet.

We didn't need words to share in this moment. I understood the unspoken language deep in my soul. As much as I wished I could help her through this, there was only so much pack could shoulder. At the end of the day, there were some paths you had to walk alone.

But she's still pack. My wolf pressed her body against Fallon's wolf, offering comfort and warmth even though we didn't share a traditional connection. It was a promise to run alongside her for as long as she needed.

Fallon's wolf scoffed, but she leaned against my wolf and made no motion to break away. They continued up the creek in silence. Our breaths fogged around us as our hearts slowed, breathing in sync.

The howls grew louder behind us and we could make out the first splashes of water in the distance. Still, we didn't break our stride.

It wasn't until the creek widened again and the clouds broke away from the moon, letting her silver rays shine on the babbling creek under our paws, that Fallon finally stopped.

The human in her eyes was determined. The wolf seemed to smile at me. She raised her snout to the moon and let out a feminine growl that sounded a lot like "Screw it," before turning to bolt up the sandy bank.

Satisfaction filled both me and my beast.

We'd done it. Our job as acting Luna was complete and we'd successfully led the females in our care to their own fate.

The deep, primal howl snapped us from our daze as the sounds of the chase grew louder in the forest. We'd have to celebrate later.

First, there was an Alpha we had to outrun.