josh
AND
I chased the double scent trail deep into the woods, where it intersected with those of a herd of deer and a hound, and then I lost it completely. By now, the smell was hours old, and it was tainted by other animals, a hunting party, and the onslaught of rain.
Damn it. I landed under a tree, digging my paws under me and furiously licking the mud from my fur in a vain attempt to hide my frustration. The chase took most of the day. The sunlight was gone, covering the forest in a gray twilight.
Something else was bothering me, mostly about the wolf that attacked Allora last night. He smelled familiar to me, like I'd met him before. But I didn't recognize him. Dad and I met very few other wolves — that was the point of hiding in the Black Forest — and he was definitely not one of them; the red stripe on his back was distinctive, I would never have forgotten. So where had I seen him before? Déjà vu tugged at the corners of my mind, but every time I thought I grabbed recognition, it slithered out of my grasp.
I needed to get back to camp so I could watch over Allora for
at night. That wolf had felt my mark on her. He knew she was my mate. And that meant he'd probably come back to try to take her again.
I started back, picking my way through the trees. After half a mile I came to a small stream. I headed down the valley, scenting a path I'd taken before when I was scouting this area. As I skirted the edge of the creek snaking its way through the limestone bed, making its way through the ancient rock, a powerful scent lingered in my nose.
The wolf from last night. He was here.
I scanned the rocks, looking for him. My gaze settled on a small crevice between two jagged stones. Two glowing eyes glowed from within, their eyes fixed on mine, full of menace.
Her scent blanketed the area, tainted by every rock and branch. I found out where he was hiding. I put my paws wide, flattening the back and lifting the tail. I pulled my lips back, revealing my teeth. Its head emerged from the darkness, the red band along its back gleaming in the waning light. He bared his teeth at me, his jaw muscles bulging with rage.
Werewolves communicate telepathically in their wolf form, though bared teeth, aggressive demeanor, and erratic breathing get the job done. But this wolf and I had matters to attend to.
- What are you doing here? I growled.
The wolf didn't answer. His eyes burned into mine. He gave a low growl.
“You don't belong here,” I tried again. “This is my territory. My mark is everywhere in this forest. Fight me if you want, but you'll lose.
"I've come to take what's mine."
His voice echoed in my head, its strength so powerful it almost threw me backwards. I braced my paws on the rock and held the position.
"What do you mean, what's yours?" You have no right to anything here.
"I want the caves," he said. “I saw him take a crowbar into the caves. You intend to destroy what is mine.
"Have you been watching me?" "How did I not feel his presence?" He must have been upwind. With all the bad weather we've had it would be possible to disguise the smell. Maybe he'd soaked his fur in mud to make it even harder to detect.
The wolf offered no explanation. He cocked his head.
“I wanted the girl, too.
“You attacked her. She is my mate. This is an unacceptable insult.
“I didn't mean to hurt you. I would just take her, but she fought me. A true wild spirit. Would make great puppies.
“She is not at your disposal for mating. She's already engaged. My whole body was throbbing with rage, Who does this guy think he is?
The wolf backed away, lips curling into a smile.
“I don't think I need to worry about you. She will choose the strongest of us to father her cubs, and it will be me.
- I doubt. “He wasn't going to go near Allora with those paws, not if I could say anything about it. “I'll challenge you for her if I have to, but you'll lose.
The wolf jumped off the ledge and began circling around me, its back low, ears laid back.
“You're in my way. This is your only warning. Remember if. I know where your mate is and you can't be with her all the time.
With that, the wolf headed into the forest. I dashed after him, diving into the river and swimming to the other side. The current pulled me downstream and by the time I emerged on the other side, the wolf was gone. I put the muzzle to the ground, picked up his trail and followed.
My chest tightened with fear when I realized where he was going. He was running towards the camp.
Allora. I increased the speed. I needed to get to her as soon as possible before it was too late.
For four hours I ran through the woods, my limbs screaming in protest as I brought my body to the brink of exhaustion. Three times I crossed the path of the other wolf, but I didn't go near him. He must have been very fast to get so far ahead of me.
I emerged at the edge of the camp just as the moon set above the trees. Lights were on in the trailer, but a quick glance at the window revealed that only Frances was awake, poring over the cave paintings. I took a walk around the camp, my nose itching every time I sniffed the wolf through the breeze. But he remained unseen.
Allora's tent remained intact, the entrance open enough for me to slip inside. I lowered myself onto my front paws and climbed through the opening, wiping my paws on the fabric as best I could.
“…is that you, Josh?” Allora murmured from beneath the layers of blankets. My heart ached to see her, fine and intact, her brown hair falling over her beautiful eyes.
In response, I nuzzled his face with my muzzle. My legs were shaking from the effort of staying upright. I gave up trying and collapsed next to her on the bed.
"You're all wet," she protested, but didn't move to push me away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around me. Even when I was cold and tired, her touch renewed my strength. I caressed his shoulder, taking a deep breath and smelling him. Allora was alive and mine. That was all that mattered. No red-furred direwolf would change that.
**
allora
he is here.
Relief flooded through me. I'd come to bed early, my mind still processing what I'd seen in the paintings. But have
For hours I would stare at the ceiling in my sleeping bag, alternating between sleep and wakefulness, my mind wandering to Josh in the woods, alone, with another wolf hot on his heels. I pictured him dead, fallen off a cliff like Ben, broken to pieces on the rocks below him. I imagined myself having to go to the morgue to identify his body, running my fingers over his cool skin, trying to explain to the coroner why my boyfriend had a tail.
And now he was here, wet to the bone and panting. He looked like he ran the marathon to get here. He came back to me.
“I'm glad you're here. I buried my face in his skin, taking in the delicious scent of him, the sheer power of masculinity emanating from his body. He didn't move to push me away, instead placing a huge paw on my back. I pressed my cheek against his rib cage, feeling the rise and fall of his ragged breathing.
“Josh… I figured something out today. I can't believe others haven't seen it yet... it so clearly dates the paintings to a more modern era.
But I think when you have BBC documentaries and money in your sights, you only see what you want to see.
He rested his muzzle on my shoulder, letting out a deep, raspy sigh. I stroked his fur, enjoying the softness that ran through my fingers.
“Your grandmother must know who really killed that baby. She painted on the pictures. It was a priest. He was tearing the child to shreds, making it look like he had been attacked by a wild animal. It was one of the Peytons. They killed the baby to incite the town against his family. It's right there in the painting. His family was completely innocent.
Josh's weight pressed against me. He didn't make a sound of movement to acknowledge what I just said. I poked him in the ribs.
"Josh, did you hear me?" Your family is innocent. All the shame your father carried, all the dishonor the Lowe pack suffered, was for nothing. And one way or another, I'm going to help you prove it.
Josh's chest rose and fell, rose and fell. From its snout came a loud snort.
I sighed, cradling his huge head in my arm.
- Good. We'll talk about that in the morning. Good night, my beautiful wolf.
As I fell asleep, I thought I heard a faint voice inside my head, a voice that wasn't mine that whispered, Good night, Allora. I love you.
**
josh
Dreams assaulted me in technicolor, the frantic images of past hunts, of running with my father from rangers and hunters, of hiding in caves and hollow trees. Always in movement,
always running from something, my father's face always closed and sad.
Beep-beep.
Something shrill woke me from my dreams. I shook myself awake, looking around for the source of the noise. Allora's cell phone. I tapped my muzzle in a vain attempt to shut him up. One of the downsides of being stuck in my wolf form… no opposable thumbs.
“Urrrgh. Allora rolled over, throwing an arm out and hanging up the phone without opening her eyes. I felt a flash of shame at myself. I fell asleep. I should have been guarding Allora, but I was so exhausted from the night before and the whole run… but Allora was fine. She was still alive. That was all that mattered. I swore never to let my guard down again.
Allora stroked my cheek.
“Hey, Josh.
His voice sounded hoarse with sleep. The eyes fluttered open, the long lashes sticking together. Her lips curved into a perfect bow. Fuck, I couldn't wait until I was out of my wolf form, and I could throw her on the bed and take her however I wanted.
Instead, all I could do was pet her hand and give her my puppy dog eyes and wait for her to go get me some bacon from the kitchen.
Allora leaned forward and removed her nightshirt, exposing her bare breasts on display. I growled low in my throat as the sight of those glorious orbs sent a wave of desire through me. Soon, soon. It wouldn't be long before Allora and I could pick up our relationship where we'd left off—naked and tangled up in each other's limbs.
I put my paw on her thigh. Her skin was so smooth and soft.
“Josh, you have to go. Allora buttoned her bra in the back and pulled the pink thermal underwear over it. “Frances and the others will wake up soon. You know they can't see a wolf walking through camp.
I shook my head. She was right, of course. The thought of leaving her weighed heavily on my chest, but today I wouldn't go looking for the wolf. I would stay as close to the caves as possible, watching and waiting. That wolf was close by and I wasn't going to let him near her again.
- Go! Go! Go! Allora pushed me out of the tent door. I glanced across the camp, scanning the trees for movement. I sniffed the air. He came close last night, a few feet from the tent. But my presence must have stopped him. Once again, I mentally condemned myself for falling asleep. Frances' tent flap moved. I dared one last long look at Allora, her pretty face drawn with concern.
She kissed the top of my head.
- I am fine. Now go.
I ran into the trees just as Frances emerged from her tent and stumbled in the vague direction of the cafe. I figured if she hadn't screamed in terror it was because she hadn't seen me.
As soon as I saw Allora successfully reach the trailer, I ran across the ridge, following the night trail left by my wolf visitor. I didn't want to go too far from camp, but I needed to have some idea where he went.
After a few miles I tracked him back to the creek and a small cave in the rocks. His path didn't deviate again, so he must still be inside. I didn't follow him into the cave, not wanting yet another confrontation. His scent soaked the rocks and trees. I had found his lair.
There was no point in sticking around. I followed the rocky seam back into the forest, towards my family's cave. When I reached a rocky outcrop overlooking the cave entrance, where another film crew had gathered, I sat down and folded my paws in front of me. I tried to change back to my human form, but I couldn't. The moon was still full.
NASA defines a full moon as lasting just a few moments when Earth is directly and mathematically between the sun and moon. However, I was a werewolf, which meant the technicalities didn't apply.
I watched the camera crew set up their gear. Frances was running back and forth, helping the men carry their heavy lights into the cave. Ruth sat on one of the rocks, balancing an umbrella awkwardly in the crook of her arm while trying to compactly touch up her makeup with the other. I followed Allora as she walked through them all, answering questions, handing out spatulas to use as props, and genuinely being her usual welcoming, beautiful self.
A scent floated to my nose, sharp and pungent, carrying the distinct scent of wolf. But it wasn't the same wolf from yesterday. This was the second wolf, the one whose path the red wolf and I had followed yesterday. He was here.
Shit.
I jumped to my feet, all senses on high alert. I stuck my nose in the air, trying to figure out where he was. His scent told me he was close, probably right on top of me, but I didn't see him hiding among the rocks. How did he get so close without me feeling him first? It didn't make any sense.
I heard the sound before I felt the hit. A sharp inspiration. The sound of a paw against rock. And then something hard hit my body, and I fell through the air. I struggled to catch myself, but found nothing but fur and teeth.
We leapt across the rock face, claws digging into each other. My back crunched against the rocks. I rolled over and hit my shoulder hard. Pain shot through my body. My grip loosened. The wolf dug its claws into my back.
For the first time, I got a good look at him. Its fur was dark, an almost black band across its thick back, fading to gray over its massive belly. His long face looked up at me, eyes so dark they were practically black into mine with a cold, calculating look. This wolf didn't just want to fight me over territory, he wanted to grind my bones between his teeth.
"You were warned to stay away," the wolf hissed inside my head as he spun me around and slammed my body against the jagged rocks. My body screamed. Red welts flew across my vision. “You should have listened. More will die if you don't listen.
More will die.
Panic rose in my chest as the wolf's claws circled my neck, and he slammed my head against the rocks. My brain jumped inside my skull, which was now throbbing with terrifying urgency.
Who was this guy? What did he mean by "More will die"? Did he kill someone? Is Allora okay? And when did he notify me? Did he mean the warning the other wolf gave me? Were they working together? Was the other wolf around?
With two of them behind me, I'd be a goner. I had to move. I gathered all my remaining strength and put it all in my legs to jump. The wolf squealed in surprise as it fell off my back. Ignoring the pounding in my skull, I charged, slamming his back against the rocks. I slammed my jaws into his face. He snapped back. I pulled away from his gnashing teeth, raking my claws across his cheek. He howled in rage and lunged at me. I leapt back, releasing my claws into his fur. Its claws ripped chunks of fur from my shoulders as I backed away, but at least I wasn't in danger of being bitten anymore.
I couldn't against this guy. He was more than twice my size and he was pissed off. I needed to get away. But how could I lose him?
I leapt across the rocks, landing on all fours. The impact shuddered through my legs, but I didn't have time to recover. I ran away, diving over the rocky ledge of trees.
Get to the river. He can't follow me into the river.
My feet stamped against the earth. It was the second time in a few days that I
I saw running from a wolf. This was not ideal. I'd rather bite than run.
Behind me, trees rustled, paws tapped the wet earth. A voice in my head screamed.
"You can't escape me, Lowe!"
The creek loomed ahead, the banks swelling with recent rain. I took a deep breath and dove in. Icy water rushed over me. The open wounds on my shoulder burned and my head throbbed in the sudden cold. I paddled along with the current, allowing it to drag me downstream as fast as possible.
I looked over my shoulder, but the water tossed me around so that I couldn't focus on what was behind me. I couldn't see where the big black wolf had gone. I didn't smell him either. All I could see, taste and hear was the rushing and churning water.
The icy water stabbed at me like thousands of tiny needles. I slammed my way through jagged rocks and over foaming rapids, plunging into water and twisting madly as I struggled to gain control. I still couldn't see the wolf anywhere, and his voice had left my mind. I couldn't smell anything but water and fish.