Chapter 7: Wolf Pack

SELENE POV

The dream from the night before kept flashing in my mind and every time it made my stomach flutter. I don't know if the erotic dream was due to all the time I spent isolated in my cabin or if Tor was really unearthing these hidden primal emotions within me.

I took a cleansing breath as I approached the hunting party. The sun was barely beginning to illuminate the tops of the trees, so the mountain air was still crisp. I wrapped my cloak tighter around myself as I walked toward the seven male shifters.

Two of them were sparring with one another and I had to jump out of the way as they rolled through the dirt in a tussle before springing to their feet. I watched as they wrestled one another with wide eyes.

"You'll get used to it."

I turned towards the voice to see Cassius had approached. He smiled at me before continuing. "Especially those two, they are constantly going at it."

Cassius let out a laugh when the taller one got the upper hand on the other and pinned him to the dirt. The winner of the spar stood with a good-natured grin and held out his hand to the other.

"Still the champ! Arlo, you always let your pride get in the way," the tall shifter said with a laugh.

Arlo took the tall one's hand and hoisted himself up. While he seemed annoyed about his loss he still smiled good-naturedly.

"One day Sage," Arlo mumbled, tossing back his shaggy brown hair. That was when Arlo's gaze landed on me and he broke out into a grin. It seemed all of these shifters had dazzling toothy smiles that showed their prominent canines.

"You must be the witch," he said while walking over to me.

"She has a name, Arlo," Cassius scolded, shaking his head.

"Nice to meet you, Arlo, I'm Selene," I said holding my hand out in greeting.

Arlo took it and flashed that carefree grin again.

"So proper," he teased. "Nice to meet you, Madam Selene." He gave a mock bow. I couldn't help but smile at his rambunctious energy.

Cassius cleared his throat before addressing the group. "Everyone, listen up! This is Selene, if you haven't heard this is the Alpha's guest and she is to be treated with the utmost respect."

The group nodded and a couple offered me a wave or a nod.

"Miss Selene, I don't expect you to remember these mongrel's names, but this is Grayson, Kian, Nasir, and Sage," Cassius pointed to each of them, "and you've already met Arlo."

I gave them a small smile.

"Hello," I said nervously to the group.

It was then that Arlo snuck behind Sage and gave him a wack to the back of his head. Sage let out a growl and chased after Arlo who was laughing as he danced away from him. Cassius sighed and shook his head and I couldn't help but laugh as I watched the lighthearted wrestling match start again.

"All right, round up everyone!" Tor's commanding voice came from behind me, causing me to freeze. Tor stepped to my side and gave me a small smile. "Good morning."

It took all of my gumption to act casual as I nodded my head at him.

"Morning," I said in a small reply, hoping my voice didn't betray the desire that his mere presence elicited. It didn't help that the dream was still fresh in my mind's eye. Tor scanned the group of shifters who had assembled in front of him.

"Ok, boys, the intel we gathered is saying that the burners are coming from the west. I want the alternating teams of scouts to make their way west and to return the night after with reports on what you find. The first team of scouts is Grayson and Arlo," Tor said pointing to Arlo and Grayson.

Arlo let out a whooping howl and Grayson, a tall stalky man with a sleeveless fur vest and a scar over his left eye nodded solemnly.

"Head on out," Tor said gesturing with his chin to the woods.

Arlo slapped Grayson on the shoulder before taking a bounding leap into the air and shifting into a red-furred wolf with the agility and smoothness of a bird of prey, then galloped away from the group. Grayson followed suit, and I watched in awe as he shifted into a gray wolf and disappeared into the trees.

"They are so fast," I said quietly with admiration.

Tor nodded. "They will be able to give us plenty of headway on any sightings of the burners."

It was then that the reality of my situation hit me. We very well could confront the witch hunters relatively soon, and while I was hungry for answers, I was also getting nervous at the prospect. But one look at Tor as he spoke to Cassius sent a warm sensation of security through my body.

Tor's eyes met mine and I swallowed down a blush at the fact that he had just caught me staring at him. He shot me a bewitching smile.

"You ready little witch?" he teased.

I lifted my chin and nodded.

"Lead the way, Alpha."

***

TOR POV

As we made our way through the forest, it took all my concentration to keep my mind on the mission. With Selene's scent carrying through the air around me and her sweet laugh echoing in my ears, I barely managed to respond to Cassius when he spoke to me. It didn't take long for him to notice my distracted state.

"She is an interesting woman," he said casually, weighing my reaction. I took my eyes away from her as she chatted lightheartedly with Sage about different herbal remedies.

"She is," I said, giving Cassius a sidelong look.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I am still surprised that you let her tag along," he said casually.

I was not willing to share with Cassius the reasons for doing so because I was still trying to figure it out myself.

"Something in my gut is telling me to keep her in arms reach," I responded noncommittally.

"I can only imagine what that gut feeling is saying," Cassius said with a chuckle.

I scoffed. "Well, don't overthink it," I muttered.

Yet, that was exactly what I was doing. Cassius knew me well enough that he was probably thinking about the same thing I was. I was overdue for a mate. While most alphas chose their mates well before they were my age, I had yet to find my Luna.

Though Ava had tried her very best to find my match, none of them called to me as Selene did. And the fact that she wasn't a shifter was a whole other issue altogether. Scrubbing my chin, my eyes found Selene once again.

She was holding a bundle of leaves underneath Sage's nose for him to smell and a low unsolicited growl rumbled in my throat. I heard Cassius chuckle again. Right then Selene turned to glance in my direction, almost as if she could sense my gaze.

Her smile was intoxicating as she turned toward me and held up the greenery.

"Do you want to smell? It's an herb called Watermint," Selene said brightly.

Cassius walked ahead and threw his arm around Sage's shoulder and spoke quietly into his ear, but I could still hear what he said.

"You almost got your *ss kicked."

Sage raised his eyebrows in confusion as Cassius laughed good-naturedly and lead him away. Bringing my attention back to Selene, I wrapped my hands gently around her fingers and lifted the mint to my nose. Selene's lips parted and I didn't break eye contact as I took a deep inhale of the herb.

"It kind of reminds me of your scent," I said releasing her hands. Her sharp intake of breath was barely audible but loud enough to bring a satisfied grin to my face. Selene let out a small laugh as she wrapped the herbs in some cloth and placed it in the leather pack around her shoulder.

"Is that so? A young girl told me that I smelt like waterfalls," she said sheepishly.

"That is not far from the truth," I remarked as we continued to walk together. A calm settled over us and I spared a glance in her direction and noticed the soft smile on her face. I had a feeling that she felt the serenity same as me.

We walked in silence until she looked at me.

"Why did you agree to let me come with you?" she asked.

The question surprised me. For the countless time that day, I tried to come up with a reason beyond just wanting her near me.

"Didn't you want to come along?" I asked, dodging the question. Selene watched the others as we walked.

"I did. But I didn't take slowing you down into consideration," she said as she wrung her hands together.

"Don't fret, little witch. It won't hurt these mongrels to slow down and take in the scenery every once in a while," I said nonchalantly.

"You all seem like you are very close." Selene smiled when Cassius gave Sage a playful shove.

I followed her gaze to my pack.

"We would lay down our lives for one another," I said.

The six of us walked through the day and into the evening, stopping only to rest or eat. I made sure to stop more than was necessary for any of us so that Selene would not become fatigued. To my surprise, she took it all in stride and did not seem to be tired in the least.

The sun had just descended over the trees, so I called for the team to make camp for the evening. While Kian and Nasir made their way through the trees for firewood, Cassius and Sage went on the hunt for dinner. That left Selene and me to start a fire.

I brought together a pile of tinder and dry leaves when Selene crouched down beside me. She blew gently into the leaves and they erupted into flames that fed hungrily on the pile of tinder. I had never seen magic like this before, so I was fascinated by the trick.

Selene sat straight and smiled at my expression of shock. Then the wicked creature gave me a wink, her beautiful face illuminated by the firelight. I could have taken her right then and there if it wasn't for the sound of someone approaching.

I stood when Arlo and Grayson came into view. The two of them shifted from their wolf forms as they quickly approached Selene and me.

"What did you find?" I asked, my brows coming together.

It was Arlo who answered between deep breaths.

"We found the burners."