On and on they ran. Her Wolf’s paws eating up the ground and showing no signs of tiring, no signs of easing up her pace, her goal was set and she wasn’t giving up for anything. Not even when there were scents of rogues off to their left, she didn’t falter, didn’t veer off to check them out. No. She stayed on her course until finally they broke through the trees and they saw the waterfall before them.
At last! Her throat was burning from the hours of running. Ray’s huge hulk ran ahead, scanning the area before dropping his snout and lapping up the cool water to quench his obvious thirst. And what did her Wolf do? Did she join him? No. She circled around an area where the remains of a carcass lay and many paw prints and scents abounded. But above them was the most glorious of all . . . one that assaulted her senses and sent her into a frenzy. One that had both Sheba and her beast reacting to it like . . . well, Sheba had no words.
It was intoxicating, exquisite, and downright out of this world. Her heart soared with emotions, so many that she couldn’t even name them all, but first and foremost was pure and adulterated love. How could that be? How could a lingering scent invade her being with an emotion as powerful as love? It was impossible . . . wasn’t it?
Unless this was the one thing she’d never believed in before this moment. This was the scent of her mate. The one sent to her by the Goddess. The one meant to be by her side forever. In this world and the next. The one that made her whole. The one that completed her and . . .
“Sheba, what’s going on?” Ray tore her out of her wondrous revelation, bringing her back to the here and now.
“My mate, Ray, his scent is here and we have to find him.”
“Is that you, little one? Or is your beast still in control?”
“It’s me, big guy. I’m back, but I’ve got a sense of urgency coursing through me. I feel he’s in danger. We need to hurry.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Ray, I have to tell you something first . . . he’s not a Wolf . . . he’s a . . .”
“A Lion, yes, I kinda figured that out earlier, Sheba, but if he’s your mate it makes no difference. He’s your mate, that’s all that matters, now let’s go find him.”
“Thank you,” she replied, never loving her friend more than she did right at that moment. Her nose raised, using her enhanced Alpha power to hone in on her mate’s unique scent, then took off after it as quickly as she possibly could.
Fox had slept fitfully, hunger lapping at his belly, and dreams of a sleek white Wolf with emerald eyes haunting him throughout the night. She was always running before him, but whenever he drew close enough for him to touch, she’d disappear in a hazy fog. It was so damn annoying and he’d woken in a foul mood.
“Food, I just need to eat,” he spoke aloud. Something he did often. Being alone didn’t mean he liked silence all of the time. He would have conversations with himself, even argued at times, although those never ended well. But food was definitely the first thing on his agenda, after his woeful blunder yesterday, when he was so focused on filling his empty stomach and he’d allowed those filthy mutts to creep up on him, well, he’d not make that mistake again. No siree, he’d keep his wits about him and hunt down some prey and bring it back here to eat in peace.
Sending out his senses to double check the area was clear, which it was, Fox undressed before leaving the safety of his temporary home. Stretching his cramped muscles, he ensured his injuries were completely healed before transforming and heading off in search of food. Today, he hoped to eat what he brought down without damn rogue Wolves snatching it from him. Once he’d had a good feed, he would need to think about moving on. This land was no longer safe for him. There were too many renegades wandering around and he didn’t want to get caught up in a war between them and the Pack whose land they were encroaching on.
Not his problem. So he’d stock up on fuel, pack up his meagre belongings and find somewhere safer for him to stay for a few weeks. Once safe, he would decide what his next move was going to be. Maybe he would move into a town for a bit. Get a job and some money to restock his dwindling funds and resources, or go back to basics and just hunt for everything. Damn it, he enjoyed some home comforts like his coffee in the morning, and he had a penchant for chocolate that never seemed to go away. Guess he’d be finding a town, and a job, for a little while anyway, but first he needed to hunt and eat, as his stomach growled loudly to remind him of that fact.
Fox cracked his neck, side to side, then called his beast forward, reveling in his shift as his transformation overtook him. He welcomed the momentary flash of pain as his body stretched, muscles and bones realigned, his Lion form appearing in mere moments. His ability to transform as quickly as his King had always been a bone of contention within his Pride and was just one more reason for him to butt heads with the man. And one of the reasons he had to leave before he ended up gutted in his sleep.
He knew it would happen. The man was not one to risk his position by throwing down a challenge with the risk of losing
