Maybe I should thank mom for all the training after all. Maddox is left far behind in the dirt as I tear off between the trees. I leap-frogged over logs and ducked beneath low-hanging branches. It is like an obstacle course tailored for me, and while I am flying through, my large pursuer isn’t having so much luck.
I glance behind me, watching him try to jump over a log, his back feet sliding on the smooth surface and sending him tumbling to the ground. My laughter rings through the air, bouncing off the trees. Adrenaline courses through me. My Big Bad Alpha won’t be able to touch me at this rate.
“What’s wrong Alpha? Can’t keep up?” I snicker through the mindlink. Maddox picks up his pace, his paws audible behind me, the crunch of his footfalls on the earth thud as he barrels his way forward.
“Oh, you better hope I don’t catch you,” he teases through the link.
“Don’t worry you won’t, I am pretty sure Mr. Master’s would have a better chance of keeping up,” I laugh. Mr. Master’s is the Geography teacher at the school. The man is as old as dirt and needs a walking cane.
“We’ll see,” he laughs at me with a growl in his voice.
I duck beneath another low-hanging branch before zipping between two trees when his scent hits my nose from the wrong direction.
“Boo!” He booms through the link.
The bushes beside me rustle and are broken apart by the explosive force of Maddox jumping through them. He lands in front of me, I don't need the link to know he's enjoying his triumph.
I skid to a stop on the soft soil, falling on the ground with a thud onto my hands and knees. He prowls toward me, stalking me, the same grin on his lips. I scramble backward, eyes on him. I'm grinning too.
Maddox growls playfully and pounces. My fingertips are brushing the dirt as I study his big hairy body flying at me. At just the right second I lean to one side so he misses me, and then I do a heel palm hit to his hip, throwing him off balance. His back end sways in mid-air, before his side hits the ground and he lets out a grunt. Before he manages to get back to his feet, I stick my tongue out at him before racing away again. I couldn't stop laughing.
“Brat!” Ezra calls through the mindlink and I giggle.
“Whatever old man,” I respond, picking up speed, excitement bubbles in my chest when I crest a hill and the Packhouse comes into view. I don't get time to appreciate the twinkling lights coming through the trees. The heavy paws of my pursuer are not that far away.
The Alpha's voice has changed in the link. I can almost envision him sputtering. "Old man? Old man?" he snorts. "You did not just call me old! I'm only seven years older than you!" The last word comes out with a huff of indignation.
I smirk, this is too much fun. "I can tell you're already falling behind. I guess you need to train on your stamina," I tease him.
His mental voice becomes a growl. "You just wait until I get my paws on you. You're going to regret every word."
Strange. Despite the growling, I am not worried. If anything, I'm amused. He's teasing me, and I love it. "Gotta catch me first, Grandpa," I add with a giggle.
I glance over my shoulder to check on his progress, he’s only several feet away. Scrambling between the branches of two thick trees, I squeeze through to the other side. The trees are thick in that area, he'd have to squeeze through as well, or jump the trees or something.
Maddox snarls behind me at the obstruction. He claws at the trees, trying to shimmy his way through.
I cover my mouth with a palm. There’s no way he'll fit. If he tries, he'll get stuck. He wriggles back and forth, butting his head between the trunks and his claws scrape against the bark.
"Tough luck!" I sing to him with a grin before turning back round and racing back to the Packhouse.
The ground disappears beneath my feet. I shriek and fall into a narrow pit. Hitting the bottom with a soft thud, I wince and rub my ass. Why was it always my ass getting hurt?
A chuckle from the top makes me look up. Sticking his furry head over the edge Maddox peers down, his tail wagging.
Ezra laughs in my head. "Aww, is the little mouse trapped?" he taunts. His tail wags far too much for any self respecting wolf.
“No!” I huff stubbornly. The walls tower above me, a good six feet above my head. I grab at the wall and scowl. Instead of soil I can try to get a grip on, it’s so deep that the sides are lined with smooth stone that my fingers slide right off of.
Who digs a hole like this? I snort, trying to reach out to both sides of the hole and shimmy myself up. It doesn't work, I fall back down, on my ass again. I am going to look like a reverse Rudolph with all the pain I’m inflicting on my poor ass. It will be glowing red soon if it’s not already.
The laughter above me makes me glare at him. “Quite the predicament you have found yourself in,” Ezra continues to mock me. Maddox sticks his head down the hole and lies down at the edge, keeping an eye on me.
Huffing again, I stare stubbornly at the walls. Why can’t magical handles just appear for me to scramble my butt out of here? I try climbing up them again, but the smooth wall gives me the exact same result.
I press my lips into a line. Not wanting to ask for his help, but knowing it is the only way out of the hole. “Argh, can you help please?” I ask, looking up at him.
“What was that? I can’t hear you, forgot to put my hearing aids in. You know, being a grandpa and all.”
I put my hands on my hips and glare up at him. Maddox pants, his giant tongue hanging out the side. He looks very pleased with himself.
“Ask nicely, and I might think about it," Ezra offers.
I suck in my cheeks and grit my teeth. This is painful but better than being stuck in a dumb hole. "Please, can you help me?" I demand, folding my arms over my chest.
“Maybe, what do I get if I help you?” He asks, and I raise an eyebrow.
Maddox continues to watch me with interest, his ears flicking at my every word. A thought blossomed. "Maddox," I coo. He whines at me. "Can you help me, please?"
He sniffs the air and growls. Ezra struggles to keep control of his beast and his advantage over me. Maddox moves closer, the edge of his paws curled over the hole and he barks at me, ready to jump into the hole.
Perfect. It's working.
“Maddox, come here, come on boy,” I call, patting my thighs as if trying to get a puppy to come to me.
Maddox whines again and digs at the top of the hole showering me with dirt. He purrs, ready to dive in to get me.
"Fine!" Ezra's voice was exasperated. "I'll help, but stop calling him before we're both stuck down there."
I grin in triumph. He disappears for a few moments and the air is filled with the sound of snapping bones. I cringe, I always hate that part.
“Here catch,” Ezra calls, before tossing a long vine into the hole. I grab it with both hands and look up. Ezra has it wrapped around his forearm. Hmm, the smart thing to do would be to tie it around a tree. I am just going to have to teach him a lesson. Smiling with a mischievous grin, I yank the vine hard and twist it around my body for extra leverage.
Ezra didn’t expect that kind of force and he tumbles into the hole, falling onto the ground beside me. I giggle at his glare. “Well, that worked," I muse.
"You," he points a finger at me, "did that deliberately." He stands up and dusts himself off.
My cheeks turn to fire, and I glance away the best I can. Thank the Goddess for the dark. The last thing I need is for him to see me reacting like this.
From the corner of my eye, I spot him getting to his feet and staring up at the opening of the hole. He pauses to throw a glare my way and I look away, clapping a hand over my mouth before I dissolve in a fit of giggles.
Ezra growls playfully at me in response and waves me closer. "Come here," he grabs my shirt and jerks me against his body. He bends down to give me a quick peck on the lips before cupping my face in his hands. "You brat."