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Smoke

last update Last Updated: 2025-01-06 02:00:02

*Chet*

The rising sun beats down, warming my dark fur as I rush across the open prairie. Mo, Kan, and Takoda keep up with me, but just barely. We left our packlands late yesterday and have been running all night. I don’t plan to stop running until I see Unega again.

Yet, that feeling inside of me that something is absolutely wrong has died a bit. I still sense that she is in danger, but it is a slow ember burning in my gut, as it has been since the moment she told me she was embarking on this journey across the great ocean of grass. The prairie is every bit as dangerous as the sea, and here, sharks hide in every shadow.

The scent of smoke hits my lungs, and I slow, lifting my head to take a deep breath. Something is on fire. I come to a stop and inhale a few more times. The scent of burning timber registers. This isn’t a grass fire. It smells like the forest after a lightning strike. But there is no forest near us. It has to be a struct

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  • Alpha of Smoke   River Runs Deep

    *Isabella*Tension is palpable as we stand next to the wagon on the edge of the river, listenin’ to Sanders and Burns bark out orders to everyone. It’s rained a good spell the last few days, and the river was too swollen for us to cross when we expected to.It’s irritatin’, bein’ here on this side of the water when we all wanna be on the other. Whenever I complain, Pa just tells me to get used to it. Such is life. It’s gonna be this way all along the path that leads to our new home, and that’s one a the reasons that wagon trains never make it on time.There are others–like everybody dies…. I try not to think on that one too much.The rain let up late last night. This mornin’ Pa and the alleged leaders of our group went out to check out the situation. Pa still thinks the water is too high and we oughtta wait. Sanders and Burns disagree. Since my pa ain’t actually in charge, he

    Last Updated : 2025-01-07
  • Alpha of Smoke   The Acceptance of Drowning

    *Isabella*Ma ain’t playin’ as she drives the horses across the river. Our wagon is probably the lightest of all of ‘em except for maybe Sanders’s which he emptied into other folks’s wagons to prove a point of how easy it is. Even with his luggage in the back, we are floatin across pretty easy. We don’t use the guide rope neither. Ma just keeps drivin’ until the horses can touch the ground again, and then it’s easy to drive them up the other bank, despite the steepness and the ruts in the ground.My pa has a distinct clap I can hear all the way across the river. Loud, booming, and methodical, it hits my ears, and I turn to see him standin’ near the cattle watchin’ Ma take the wagon up to join the other six that have already made it across. I let out a sigh of relief and hop down as soon as she pulls it to a stop.Fully expectin’ to see Genevieve’s family makin’ their way

    Last Updated : 2025-01-08
  • Alpha of Smoke   Open Your Eyes

    *Chet*The deluge slows our progress as I rush across the prairie in my human form. We stopped to shift and get dressed before we headed to the river, hearing the commotion of crossing wagons, but I know something is wrong when I hear shouting. Abandoning my friends, I pick up speed, a thousand questions flooding my mind–like why in the world were they crossing here and not up river where it’s narrower?All of those questions fade from my head when I hear Unega’s voice. I don’t understand what she’s shouting, but I know she’s nearby–and I know she’s in danger. I see a flash of white-yellow hair in the water before she sinks under.Fear grips my soul as I leap into the angry water, propelling myself toward where I last caught sight of her. I see another girl floating nearby, but she is not my concern right now. Red water tells me exactly where to look, and I dive down beneath the murky surface to see my mate floating limply next to a large rock. As swift as an eagle in flight, I wrap m

    Last Updated : 2025-01-08
  • Alpha of Smoke   Fiery Spirit

    *Chet*Mrs. Mackenzie looks like she’s about to blow my head off with the shotgun she grasps in her trembling hands as I kneel next to Unega. With no pressure on her wound, the fabric I was pressing against the gash turns a brighter shade of red by the moment.“Get back.” She swings the muzzle of the rifle toward the water.“We mean you and your daughter no harm,” I assure her, my voice calm, and hopefully, reassuring. “She hit her head on a rock. It needs–”“I’m a nurse, I know what it needs!” she shouts. “Get away from her.” She looks toward the river. “Where’s Mac?”“He’s looking for the other missing woman,” I tell her as I do what she asked and scoot further away from my bleeding mate.“You spoke to my husband?”I nod. “He checked on Une–Isabella–before he went to look for the other woman.”She tilts her head to the side and narrows her left eye at me. I see now where Unega gets her fiery spirit. “How do you

    Last Updated : 2025-01-09
  • Alpha of Smoke   You Gotta Pay the Toll

    *Isabella*A train has hit me in the skull and splintered my bones into a thousand tiny pieces that wiggle and squirm their way deep into the crevices of my brain.At least, that’s what it feels like to me. I take a deep breath and lift a hand to try and make the pain go away as I blink a thousand times. When I touch my noggin’ I feel a bandage, and a flood of memories comes back to me.I sit up way too quick, and the world spins. I’m in the back of the wagon, wearin’ a different dress than I had on before. Outside, the sun is settin’, paintin’ the sky in pink and gold, and my head feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.Off in the distance, I hear the soft murmur of prayers and cryin’--in French. “Genevieve,” I murmur, my stomach dropping like a rock.I should be dead, but I’m here.She must not have made it.The cloth in the back of the wagon is open so I can

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  • Alpha of Smoke   Her Fighter

    *Isabella*“What the actual fuck?”Billy leaps back so fast, I’m sittin’ there with my lips puckered not touchin’ nothin’. Not that I’m complainin’, but it seems a little odd. But then my eyes lock on the dark pair peering at me from the shore of the river, and an excited smile lights my face. Even though Chet looks angry as a bear bein’ attacked by a swarm of bees.“I do not think she wanted to kiss you,” he says, walkin’ over to where Billy is standin’. I don’t know what he done until he pulls a tomahawk out of the back of the wagon and slips it into his belt.Now, I bust out laughin’ because I realize Chet threw a weapon at Billy’s privates to get him to leave me alone. How he knew I didn’t wanna kiss the cowboy, I’m not sure, but he ain’t wrong.“Who the hell do you think you are?” Billy asks.

    Last Updated : 2025-01-11
  • Alpha of Smoke   Speak the Truth

    *Chet*The stares from the people whose group we’ve infiltrated grow more intense as the sun begins to set, like they are afraid we are really here to rob and butcher them in the middle of the night. Mr. Mackenzie, who insists I call him Mac, but I can’t wrap that amount of informality around my mind yet, has told them all we are there to help. Some of them seem to believe him. Others not so much. After all, they just met him not long ago, and while I’m certain he’s proven himself trustworthy, these people have left oppression from Alphas in foreign lands to come here, so they are a bit skeptical.I look at Kan and Mo and know that they are skeptical, too. They do not want to be here, but they are here because they are my friends.Takoda, on the other hand, has a different problem. He’s so love sick and worried about the girl, Ginny, as they call her, that he has hardly blinked for the last hour. He sits near the fire, staring at the flickering flames as if he might see a premonition

    Last Updated : 2025-01-12
  • Alpha of Smoke   Mates

    *Isabella*Ma’s voice is shoutin’ in my head. She’s a yellin’ at me to head back to the wagon. She don’t want me out here with these “wild men,” not because she’s afraid they’ll hurt me. Hell, Chet already done saved my life. No, she’s afraid of what the others will say.Well, to hell with them.I ignore her and hone in on what Chet has just told me. I feel my stomach tighten up in a knot and a funny feelin’ lower than that, like parts of me are alive and on fire I ain’t never paid much attention to before.“Are you going to say anything?” he asks in that quiet, even voice that always makes me feel so calm.“I would, but I reckon I ain’t sure what to say,” I admit. “And my ma’s screamin’ at me in the mind-link to get my ass back to the wagon.”He chuckles softly, shaking his head enough to make his long

    Last Updated : 2025-01-13

Latest chapter

  • Alpha of Smoke   Journey's End

    *One year later**Unega* A cool autumn breeze rustles through the valley as I step out onto the porch of our cabin, wrapping my shawl tighter around my shoulders. The sun is setting, casting the land in golden hues, the sky streaked with soft pinks and purples. Smoke curls from chimneys, the scent of roasted venison and fresh bread filling the crisp evening air.We made it.One year ago, this place was nothing more than an idea—a hope, a dream, a distant possibility. Now, it is home.Chet steps up behind me, wrapping his strong arms around my waist. I lean into him, breathing in his scent—woodsmoke, leather, and something uniquely him. His warmth seeps into my skin, grounding me.“How’s he doin’?” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my temple.I glance down at the bundle nestled against my chest, our son wrapped snug in a soft wool blanket. His tiny body rises and falls with each peaceful breath, his little hands curled into fists. Takola.He is everything good in this world.“He’s finall

  • Alpha of Smoke   All That Matters

    *Chet*The fire rages, turning the sky into a hellish inferno. Smoke burns my throat, and searing heat licks at my fur as I weave through the battlefield. I can barely see through the chaos—wolves locked in combat, blood staining the dirt, rogues moving like shadows in the haze.And then, through it all, I see her.Unega.She lies on the ground, her white fur streaked with crimson, barely moving. The rogues have surrounded her."No. No, no, no!" My heart pounds like war drums in my chest.I lunge forward, tearing through the wolves in my way, my fangs finding flesh, my claws ripping through fur and muscle. A rogue snaps at my flank, but I don’t feel the pain. I can only think of her."Hold on, Unega! I'm coming!" I send through the mind-link.Nothing.Dread sinks its claws into me. The world blurs into a storm of blood and fire. I kill anything that gets between us, but the rogues are relentless. They seem to know what she means to me.I push forward, my vision narrowing to only her.

  • Alpha of Smoke   Gone

    *Isabella*October 1885 For nearly a month now, two Chyara warriors, Avoon and Hotoa, have been livin’ among us, huntin’ with our pack, teachin’ us new tracking techniques, and sharing stories around our fire. Their presence has been a comfort, but also a constant reminder of the warning their elders gave us—the fire wolves are near.I think back to the first time I heard the name spoken among the Chyara. When we traveled east to visit our friends, they did not hesitate to tell us of the rogue packs who use fire as a weapon against their enemies. The same wolves that Chet saw once before, burnin’ an entire village to the ground."They do not fight like normal wolves," the Chyara elder had said. "They hunt not just for food, but for destruction. They leave nothing but ashes behind."That alone was enough to make my stomach twist, but then the elder looked directly at Chet. "You have seen them before, have you not?"Chet’s jaw had clenched, his hands curled into fists at his sides. "I

  • Alpha of Smoke   Thank the Moon Goddess

    *Chet*Mo’s breathing is shallow. His once-powerful body lies limp on the ground, his dark fur matted with blood. The wound on his throat is deep—too deep. Unega’s mother, Reba, and my Luna are working frantically to stop the bleeding, but the life is draining from him too fast.I kneel beside him, my hands clenched into fists, helplessness clawing at my gut. He has been my brother in all but blood since childhood. I cannot lose him now."Mo, stay with us," I urge through the mind-link, but his eyes barely flicker.Unega’s hands are steady, her expression calm but focused as she applies pressure with a clean strip of cloth from Reba’s satchel. Her mother mixes a poultice from herbs she gathered weeks ago—yarrow, comfrey, and goldenrod. The scent is strong, bitter, but it will help."His pulse is weak," Reba murmurs, her brows furrowed. "We need to get the bleeding under control before we do anything else.""He’s lost too much blood," I say, my voice hoarse. "He needs time to heal, but

  • Alpha of Smoke   The First Strike

    *Chet* The alliance with the Chyara has been a blessing to our pack. Over the past several months, we have learned valuable lessons from them—about the land, the migration of game, and the dangers that lurk beyond our borders. The knowledge they have shared has made us stronger, but it has also opened our eyes to the reality that we are not alone in this vast wilderness.Tonight, we have invited them to join us around our fire. One of the elders, a small woman with long white braids, sits behind Alice, weaving her hair into a similar braid while sharing wisdom about the land.“You have settled well here,” she says, her voice calm but firm. “But danger still circles like a wolf on the hunt.”I glance at Unega, who stiffens beside me. “What does she mean?” Unega asks through the mind-link.The elder gestures westward, her dark eyes sharp. “There are others,” she says. “Wolves who have no home, no honor. They take what they want, destroy what they cannot. They do not fight for survival,

  • Alpha of Smoke   Neighbors

    September 1885*Isabella*Wyoming’s harsh land has slowly shaped itself into a home. It has been several months since we first staked our claim, and the settlement has transformed. The cabins, once just rough-cut logs stacked in hopeful piles, now stand strong, their stone chimneys curling with the smoke of warm fires. The scent of cedar and fresh-cut wood hangs thick in the air as the final few homes are being built.Autumn’s chill is creeping into the evenings, hinting at the winter to come. The fields we cleared in the summer now hold the first true crops—corn, beans, squash—thrivin’ under the wide Wyoming sky. What once was dry, cracked land now bursts with golden hues, swayin’ tall in the breeze. The hunters have done their part too, bringin’ in plenty of meat, dryin’ strips of venison and buffalo to last through the cold months.Everything is changin’—for the better.But despite all we’ve built, Chet and I know we need more than just strong walls and full stores to keep our peop

  • Alpha of Smoke   Buffalo Hunt

    *Chet*The rain has finally passed, leaving the land damp and rich with the scent of earth and renewal. The morning sun peeks through the dissipating clouds, casting golden light over our encampment. It is a welcome sight, one that signals a shift—a new beginning.As I step out of our wagon, the air is crisp, carrying with it the promise of hard work and progress. The storm may have disrupted our scouting efforts last night, but it also left behind the perfect conditions to resume building.I find Unega already awake, speaking with her father and a few of the men about the cabins we have begun constructing.“The soil’s soft now,” Pa notes, inspecting the ground. “It’ll be easier to get these cedar trees cut and the foundation set.”“We got lucky with that rain,” I remark, and Unega nods.“Lucky or blessed,” she says with a small smile. “Either way, I’m just glad it let up when it did.”“We should thank the Moon Goddess,” I agree. “She has watched over us since we left Tennessee.”The

  • Alpha of Smoke   Bad Neighbors

    *Isabella*The scent of sweat, dust, and blood thickens in the air, settlin’ heavy in my lungs. My paws press into the damp earth, muscles coiled tight as I follow Chet’s lead through the darkened forest. We are nearly done checkin’ our perimeters, but somethin’ feels off.Then I hear it—the distant clash of weapons, the guttural war cries of men locked in battle.Chet slows beside me, his massive black wolf blendin’ into the shadows. “Do you hear that?” he asks through the mind-link.“Yeah. And I smell ‘em, too.” The metallic tang of blood, the musk of too many bodies movin’ at once—it all comes together now.Takoda and Ginny, just behind us, tense at the same time.“Two groups. Both human,” Takoda confirms, his wolf’s ears twitchin’ forward.I peer through the trees, eyes lockin’ onto the scene just beyond the ridge. Firelight flickers against the wet bark of the trees, castin’ eerie shadows over the battlefield below. Warriors, fierce and determined, clash in the open space, their

  • Alpha of Smoke   Escape

    *Isabella*The scent of fresh-cut cedar fills the air as axes swing and saws cut through the sturdy trunks. The rhythmic thunk of wood hittin’ the ground echoes through the trees, minglin’ with the voices of our packmates workin’ together to build our new homes.It feels real now—this land, this future we’re claimin’ as our own.Chet stands beside me, sleeves rolled up, sweat glistenin’ on his skin as he directs the men on how to lay the foundation beams. The strength in his arms, the way his muscles move beneath his tanned skin, sends warmth spreadin’ through my chest. My Alpha. My mate. My future.“We’ll have the first cabins framed before nightfall,” he says, his tone full of certainty. “Once we have a few homes built, we can start work on a meeting hall and a proper cookhouse.”I nod, feelin’ the weight of what we’re creatin’ here. “It’s gonna be a beautiful place, Chet.”His eyes soften as he glances at me. “It already is.”I smile, restin’ my palm against a newly stripped log, b

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