Chapter 5 | Dare

As I listened and used my Omega senses to figure out what was going on above, I tried to keep my panting quiet and slow it down a bit. My Omega abilities have been put to sleep for a while because I hadn’t seen many wolves roaming in no man's land – and I always avoid the place where they train and practice hunting – I’d gotten out of the habit of constantly using my Omega senses. These senses were likely to be rusty from disuse, like stiff muscles that needed to be limbered up, but I could still tell and sense that all four had gathered around the small bush and were inspecting it. The bramble bush wasn't much bigger than the average wolf, so I wasn't sure how effective it would be as a deterrent for them. They were aware that I was present, and their attention was still drawn to me and the burrow underneath the bushes.

I noticed one of the wolves shift into a human form. Not long after that, I noticed a rope pass through the burrow entrance. As I heard the bramble bush shake and crack, my heart began to race once more. The man grunted as he and one of the wolves hauled on the rope that had been looped around the plant's base. Another wolf joined in, and the bramble bush was uprooted from the thin rocky soil with a rustle of leaves and loose dirt.

I could see blue sky through the entrance a few moments later. A black wolf peered into the burrow, blocking my view. As he measured the distance between us, his sharp brown eyes locked onto my terrified eyes. He took a step back before beginning to dig at the tunnel's entrance. As they widened the tunnel, the dark brown wolf joined him, and their powerful legs made quick work of digging out the loose dirt and pebbles.

I wriggled against the wall behind me and desperately looked around, but I was at the very end of the tunnel and there is no way out. As they got closer, I began to tremble and made a low growl. There was soon insufficient space for the two wolves to dig, so the black wolf backed up and let the dark brown one takes over the entire digging operation.

I whimpered in terror, knowing that he was close enough to reach me with his paws if he tried. He sat back on his haunch seconds later, inspecting the tunnel's remains. As he shifted, I blinked in surprise. When he leaned forward, I pushed myself back against the dirt as far as I could.

"Come here, you..." he said, reaching a large hand into the tunnel, but my wolf form didn't stand a chance against the large man, so I snapped my teeth in warning. It didn't seem to bother him as he reached for me again. I swatted his hand with my paws, attempting to dig my nails into it. It wasn't like a scratch would deter a werewolf in either form, but there wasn't much else I could do. I growled, this time it is loud, trying to make it a serious warning as he reached deeper into the burrow.

I swung my head around to bite his hand as his fingers brushed against my shoulder. My teeth clamped down on warm skin, and the faint taste of metallic blood indicated that my teeth had pierced his skin. He grunted in surprise and jerked his hand upwards, out of the tunnel, as an automatic reflex. My head hit the top of the tunnel as a result of that biting scene and was somewhat stunned by that hit, pushing me to let my guard down. He skillfully grabbed the scruff of my neck, taking advantage of my dazed, stunned state.

I yelped in terror, trying to scratch him with my claws because I couldn't land a second bite from the way he was holding me. As he dragged me out of the tunnel, my claws scrabbled against his wrist and forearm in fear. I writhed in his grip, trying to break free.

There wasn't enough space to shift, and even if there was, it wouldn't help me much against four skilled fighters. He quickly pinned me to his chest with both arms, a well-known tactic for preventing runts or young pups from reverting to their larger human form. I struggled in his grip, but it was futile.

He backed out of the hole he'd dug before turning around to face his three human friends standing behind him. They all appeared to be in their twenties, and they were beaming with pride at their success in locating me. The guy holding me chuckled as he told them, "Sure has sharp claws, for a moment I was beginning to wonder if I had managed to grab a feral cat."

When the previously tan-colored wolf took a step forward, I redoubled my efforts to break free. But the man who was holding me had me firmly pinned in his arms, and my struggles didn't bother him. The approaching man blinked at my terrified attempts before saying, "Easy there.” He said in a comforting tone as he tries to pacify me. “Calm down.”

He drew his hands closer to me and I could almost bite them but I practically froze in disbelief when he began to softly pet my fur, despite the fact that not much of my fur was visible due to the way the man had me pinned. I examined the man, still in this disbelief. They had ambushed me for half an hour, chased me halfway through no man's land, dug me out of the ground, pinned me tightly so that I couldn’t shift and escape, then one of them told me to calm down? Go easy? What the hell was wrong with these guys?! I made a low growl, low enough to still allow the man to pet my fur.

He blinked in surprise. "Wow, this kid has a lot of soft furs."

The guy who was holding me snorted. "Well, those teeth and claws aren't exactly soft."

Another guy came in closer and tilted his head in confusion as he examined me. "Uh, guys, I don't believe that's a puppy."

The other two looked at him as if he were insane before returning their gaze to mine. They mistook me for a puppy? They clearly needed to have their heads checked. Pups were like dogs with oversized paws and tails. My body proportions were normal for a mature wolf; I was just a lot smaller. To be fair, if they were in wolf form, I was about the size of an eight-month-old child. But I don’t believe I look like a pup or maybe they have never seen a runt before?

They all turned to face me, their expressions varying from disbelief to confusion. One of the men sniffed. "Well, he hasn't got any scent."

Puppies didn't have any real scent until they reached adolescence, but they missed the obvious fact that I smelled like the forest rather than having no scent at all. That made a significant difference for those who were paying attention to what was going on around them. I tried a little twisting, but this guy was clearly much stronger than me. Another guy approached, and I pinched my ears back even more with a growl.

"Some rogues can camouflage their scent. Look at his ears, they aren't oversized like a pup's would be. Come to think of it, a pup would not have been able to evade us like that. He had far too much coordination and pulled far too many evasion tricks for a pup."

The man who was holding me looked down, surprised and unsure. "However, a runt would be unable to survive as a rogue..."

When the fourth guy approached, the other two backed up to let him pass. I froze in terror as my Omega senses detected his Beta blood. He wasn't an actual Beta, but was likely the brother to one and definitely had Beta parents, as well as the added strength and speed that the bloodline gave him. He suddenly leaned his face close to mine, and I bared my teeth in a silent warning.

He glanced up at the guy holding me as he commented, “And how about these sharp teeth? Obviously not the typical baby teeth, eh?” Someone off to the side started laughing, then the man with Beta blood in front of me spoke again. "If we put you down, can you shift so we can properly apologize for our actions without you inflicting scratches and wounds on us?"

My growl lowered down until it faded, my ears somehow relaxed. I blinked slowly, but it wasn't like I had much of a choice when I was surrounded by four of them – one with Beta blood. It was a little surprising that they wanted me to change positions so that the apology could be delivered face to face. It was a more respectful gesture than simply apologizing to me while I was in my small wolf form.

They wouldn't have asked me to shift if they didn't intend to harm me, right? Because I am certainly carrying weapons in my human form and could use them, in case they harm me. I gave a wary nod to the man who had been speaking. The person who had pinned me had already loosened his grip. He knelt down to gently place me on my feet before standing up and taking a few steps back to make room for me.

Was it true that they thought I was a puppy or was this a trick? They clearly had the upper hand over my wolf form. They had also identified me as a rogue at this point, and rogues were known to have tricks up their sleeves in case they were cornered in human form. Rogues could be quite unpredictable at times, so he was understandably cautious about my actions, even if I was a runt. Before shifting, I took a look around at the four people around me. I blinked, felt my wolf form shifting to human form, and moments later, I found myself standing on two feet. As I shifted my weight and considered my possible escape routes, I kept a wary eye on the four people around me. The guy who had pinned me was turning bright red, and they were all stunned. I took a look at myself, but I was dressed normally. Why were they embarrassed and their face turning into almost a red tomato?

I, once again, look at myself from head to toe and thought of the weapons I have. I wore a heavy belt knife and carried a bow and arrows in my backpack. I was aware that I had a number of slim blades balanced for throwing hidden in various sections of my clothing, but they were well hidden from view.

I returned my gaze at the four of them. With all four surrounding me, I wasn't going anywhere unless they let me go. I have a half-chance of escaping, running into the nearest tree and using the forest highway but… damn it, I surely know they would still catch me. I wish a feral wolf could ambush us so that I can run away.