It could have been my imagination, but when my lips first met his I could feel jolts of electricity at the contact. It was only for a second and they were gone. His lips were devouring mine now. His hands were exploring my body and I couldn’t pry myself away from him either. It was so raw and primitive… I didn’t understand it. The desire and urges… I didn’t have these with Denny. I felt the pull that he was my mate, and it was comforting, but not like this. With Sion there was this unquenchable thirst for him that continued to grow stronger. My hands gripped in his hair, holding him fiercely, not wanting to let go… not caring to stop. I didn’t think anything could break us apart.
“SEEKERS!”
A shrill scream echoed through the air. We instantly tore apart as Sion turned his head. His eyes glazed over as he began to ask questions and delegate orders. He looked down at me and I could see the turmoil in his eyes.
“Go!” I pressed my hands on his chest, pushing him. “Go help your pack.” His eyes were glued to mine, and I could see he was hesitating.
“Sion, go and help your pack or I am not staying here.” It was a bluff, but I didn’t want him to stay by my side over helping his pack. I appreciated he wanted to keep me safe, but I was only one person. There was a whole pack to look after. He growled slightly and shook his head.
“Head straight back to the pack house…”
I smiled and nodded my head. He looked at me once more before he sprinted away. He vanished almost instantly through the thick trees. Inwardly, I hated this. I couldn’t stand being stuck here and not out there helping, but right now I would only be in their way. I sighed and slowly began making my way back through the woods.
I was almost to a clearing when I could hear children’s voices. Why didn’t they go back to their homes? I knew Sion wasn’t going to be happy, but I turned and headed in the direction of their voices. I could see several children standing by a large fence. Sure, the fence could act as a deterrent, but it wouldn’t keep a werewolf out if they wanted in. It wasn’t safe for the children to be there.
“What are you kids doing?!” I asked and watched them turn their heads to look at me.
“We were playing hide and seek, and Clara said Zane went over the fence.” I felt my heart stop as I looked out in the distance. “He has done this before to escape from being found. Kai went over to look for him.” Ugh, Kai couldn’t protect himself right now either.
“You kids go back to your houses. It isn’t safe for you to be here. The pack warriors are out there. I’m sure they will find them. Go on.” I smiled at the children and watched them reluctantly walk away. There wasn’t anything they could do here and there was a risk. I turned and looked through the gate and pursed my lips together. What are you thinking, Clover? What can you do against a Seeker…? I can do a lot more than a defenseless little boy can do. What if Kai doesn’t find him and even if he does… Yeah, there was no way I was just walking back to the packhouse.
I climbed over the fence as I inwardly went over all the different scenarios in my head. It was dumb, but I also couldn’t ignore a child. It was a young kid and kids do stupid things. Apparently, I do stupid things too. Luckily, even without my wolf, my body was well trained. I climbed the fence easily enough and jumped to the bottom. I felt some mild irritation in my ankle, but I pushed the pain away. I was focusing on finding the child… which would be much easier if I had my wolf’s sense of smell.
Even without it I could track. I searched the ground looking for disturbances. I could see some leaves that looked overturned. This was my best clue to follow. I began following the signs at a slow jog. Ignoring the burning pain in my foot. This child probably didn’t go far. The main goal was to be out of sight from the fence. I began scanning the area ahead and my eyes found red hair in the distance. It was Kai and he had the boy with him.
I started to call out to him, but then I noticed how he was holding the child strangely behind him. Then I saw it. A shaggy gray wolf was staring at them, baring his teeth. The wolf was in between us deeper in the woods, but he was so completely focused on them that he didn’t notice me. The wolf took a step in their direction and that’s when I knew I had to do something. I’m sure it was testing to see if Kai would shift or not. As soon as it realized there was no danger, it would charge.
Physically, I am no match for this wolf. I was a battle strategist though. I knew how to fight and win against stronger opponents. Too bad I didn’t have a weapon. I frantically looked over the ground and found a few rocks. I didn’t hesitate… I didn’t have time. I gathered them in my arms and launched the first stone.
WHACK
The rock made direct contact, hitting the wolf right in the head. Hell yes! I had a momentary mental victory until the wolf snarled and turned his gaze upon me. I glanced over at Kai, who looked terrified for me. I looked at the child and nodded my head. He needed to get the boy in a safe situation and now. Hell, even if it was up in a tree, that was at least something.
The wolf was now moving in my direction, and I launched a couple more rocks to make sure he wasn’t changing his mind. I glanced around, trying to think of my next move. I wasn’t planning on becoming kibble for this wolf. There was a branch above my head. If I timed it right the first time he lunges for me I should be able to evade him. I wasn’t sure what to do after that. I wouldn’t have time to climb the tree to safety. One step at a time.
I watched the wolf's movements. I knew how to analyze his posture to see what he would do next. I glanced up and was relieved to see Kai and the child were no longer there. Good. At least they would be safe. The wolf's back claws dug into the ground. This was it. The move right before he would pounce.
He leapt for me, and I jumped for the branch, kicking the wolf behind the head before I landed. I know to a werewolf it was nothing, but for me it was like scoring another point. I turned to face him, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to jump above him again. He was anticipating it now.
A human with no weapon versus a werewolf. This was a no brainer. I couldn’t outrun him, and I was out of options. He dug his back feet into the ground, and I knew my time was up. I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
The wolf lunged again and this time I spun, rolling on the ground and grabbing a stick. I felt something warm trickling down my arm. I wasn’t quick enough and his fangs had pierced my skin. I held the stick up and braced myself. If I timed my moment just right, I could lodge the stick down into his mouth. I could try to puncture his esophagus or, if I am lucky, his lungs.
Then the sound of pounding began to fill the air. I watched as the werewolf’s ears laid flat and his tail curled between his legs. The thudding grew closer, and I watched the wolf dance around nervously searching for the sound as well. The galloping sound grew louder as a large creature charged through the brush. He kicked the wolf, sending him flying into a tree. A loud yelp echoed in the air as the wolf scrambled to get to his feet.
I looked up in shock at the furry centaur that charged at the wolf. He reared up and landed on top of the wolf before he lodged a silver sword into its heart. Then he turned and looked at me. His black fur moved in the wind as he walked towards me. He had no shirt on, just a leather strap around him that held his sword. He had black hair and dark skin. His brown eyes were pinned onto mine. I couldn’t move but I wasn’t afraid. There was something about this centaur that made things inside of me stir. I could sense Sheena again, though just briefly.
“What are you doing?!” The scruffy centaur finally said to me. I rolled my eyes and looked up at him.
“Playing fetch but he wasn’t grasping the concept.” I dropped the stick as his dark eyes bore into me and he let out a sigh.
“Why didn’t you shift?”
I swallowed and didn’t answer. He just nodded his head as if he already knew and looked me over. He frowned as he looked at my arm. But he didn’t ask more about it. He knew.
“Are they treating you well here?”
That is a funny question to ask me. It was like he knew this wasn’t my pack. So I deflected. “You are furry. I didn’t know centaurs were furry.” I looked at his fur really wanting to touch it. I feel like it is an unspoken rule. If you see a furry centaur, you have to touch it. I didn’t know much about centaurs and how they felt about being touched. I looked up and watched his lips curl up.
“They aren’t.”
“Hey! Don’t you touch her!” Kai yelled as he ran to my side. “Are you okay?” He asked while glaring at the centaur.
“Where is the boy? Is he safe?” I watched him nod his head. I instantly felt relieved. I guess I was more worried about the child getting to safety the whole time, more than I was worrying about myself.
“I was so afraid… I thought…” I could hear Kai’s voice quivering. I bet it brought back painful memories of when he lost his mate. His eyes moved to my arm, and he noticed I wasn’t healing. I heard him take a loud breath. “Damn.it and you came out here anyways?”
“So did you.” I grinned at him and shrugged. “I’m okay…” I put my hand on his shoulder and nodded my head in front of us. “Thanks to my new friend here.” I said, looking up at Mr. Shaggy centaur. I don’t know why, but I felt safe even though he was a complete stranger.
“I’m glad I got to you in time… my name is Demetri…” The centaur said and then he smiled. “Clover, daughter of Alpha Aron Williams of the Chaos pack.”
My lips parted in shock… he knew who I was. And not just me, he even knew my father’s name. I had so many things I wanted to ask him. Like what happened during the Dark War and were the Chaos pack really the bad guys? But before I could speak, he turned his head and sighed.
“Sounds like your pack is finally on their way.” He looked at me and began to back away. “I’ll see you again.” And he vanished into the brush. The sounds of his hooves hitting the ground began to fade as another sound was heard.
“Are you okay?” Kai asked and I pursed my lips, looking down at the ground. Was I okay? I was confused. I didn’t mind Kai knowing I was part of the Chaos pack. I planned to tell him tonight anyways. But I did wonder how he felt about it. I watched as he took his shirt off and pulled it over my head. “You don’t want them to know… keep it on.” He grabbed my other shoulder and pulled me into his side. He was doing his best to hide the evidence of my wound. I appreciated this more than he knew. Or maybe he did know actually. He knew what it felt like not having your wolf.
Three wolves charged towards us. They stopped and were glaring at me and then looked towards Kai. I didn’t think about the fact that they wouldn’t know who I was. I have only been here for one day.
“This is the alpha’s masseuse.” Kai stated clearly. “You can continue on your patrol, she is with me.” The wolves didn’t move, and I felt Kai’s body get tense. “Last I checked, I am still the delta of this pack. That was an order!”
The wolves slowly moved off, glancing at the dead rogue for a moment before trotting away. I heard Kai sigh, and I felt a wave of pain for him. He was the delta, but because he didn’t have control of his wolf, the pack members weren’t respecting him.
“We had better get back. They would have mind linked Sion… they don’t listen to me without his okay.”
“Is that why you really moved out…” I mumbled quietly as we walked towards the fence. “So, it looked like you are avoiding people for their own good but really…”
“It’s so I don’t have to feel pathetic. If I mentioned the real reason to Sion, he would punish every wolf who disrespected my position. I didn’t want them to respect me because they feared Sion.”
I understood him completely. Wolves respect your rank because you can back it up. But an officer without that strength…
“I guess you know why I haven’t accepted Sion yet,” I whispered, watching him nod his head.
“How long?”
“Only a few days…”
“Dear gods… are you okay? What happened?” Kai turned and looked at me full of concern. Everyone seemed shocked at how normal I was acting since I had just lost my wolf. I guess I should be more upset, but I haven’t had a moment to really think about the situation.
“I have only told Sion… but I was attacked by six of my own pack members. I was in bad shape. My wolf healed me and then vanished.”
“That’s a good sign she healed you though.”
“So, they tell me.” I gave him a crooked smile and he nodded his head.
“Yeah, the fact I can still shift is supposed to be a good sign too. Even if I do black out when it happens.” Kai chuckled and I snorted. These words meant nothing when you didn’t have your wolf. It was nice to have someone else that understood.
We approached the fence and my eyes landed on him. Sion was standing there; his dark unreadable eyes were locked onto mine. He looked furious. His arms were trembling with anger. I could feel the tension in Kai’s body as we got closer.
I had told Sion I would go back to the pack house and that it was okay for him to leave me. I didn’t mean to, but I lied to him. I would have gone back though if it wasn’t for the child. I wet my lips and stepped away from Kai. I noticed Sion’s eyes landed on my shoulder where the blood had soaked through. It was just a flesh wound but still enough blood to go through the shirt.
“I’m sorry—” I began to say when I reached him. His hand came out and brushed over my cheek. I could feel his fingers trembling and I was waiting for the explosion. Instead, he stepped into me and held my head to his chest. He buried his nose in my hair and inhaled my scent.
“Thank the gods.” His hot breath tickled my head as he held me in his embrace. I stood there in his arms, not saying anything. I had thought he was going to yell at me… maybe he still was. Right now though he was clinging to me as if I was going to disappear. I could hear the unsteadiness in his breath and realized he wasn’t angry. He was terrified… that something happened to me.
I leaned into his embrace and gripped onto his shirt. He was this upset because of me… “I’m so sorry.”