two

I shouldn’t be here, I know.

I shouldn’t be doing this, I know.

I shouldn’t be thinking about this, I know.

But I was.

My wolf was driving me crazy. It had barely been three hours since Amanda rejected us and he started having withdrawal symptoms. I mean, come on, I thought we didn’t care about her. And we didn’t. But it was a full moon, and it was a time when wolves needed their mates more than anything. And I needed mine.

I was wrong about Amanda being unable to cross over my territory in time. I suppose running for your life could heighten your abilities. Dante, my beta, informed me of the presence of other wolves waiting for her just outside our borders. And that there was some male wolf who was oddly protective of her. This was the part that angered me. I knew fate had wrongfully mated us. She had an affair with another wolf all along! I couldn’t say I cared at that moment, but the effects of the moon were starting. I wondered if she needed me. I highly doubt she did. Whenever there was a full moon, we would spend the entire night having senseless sex. Then we would wake up the next morning as strangers, ignoring each other and acting like nothing ever happened.

Maybe that's what I needed right now. A good fuck, then once the moon had passed, we'd go our separate ways and pretend nothing had happened.

I didn’t bother putting on a shirt as I pushed open the golden doors to my balcony. The cold wind slapped my exposed torso and muscles. The moon was exceptionally beautiful tonight. It single-handedly lit the entire sky with its cool white glow. There were no stars in the dark blue firmament, but they weren’t needed. The moon has always been my favourite thing, as a wolf and as a person. It gave me a comfort that not even my own mother was able to provide.

Breathing in the cool night air, I ran my hand through my thin, dark hair and relished this moment. My senses have never been more active than the way they were tonight. I could feel everything. I could feel the wind, the joy of the family who had just been blessed with a child, the sorrow of the hungry, the jealousy of different mates, the lust. This was the downside of being an alpha. You could feel the pain and happiness of your whole pack, but I was different. I never felt my own pain; I never felt my own happiness. It always felt like all my emotions had been given to someone else, but who? It certainly wasn’t Amanda. If it wasn’t her, I have no idea who it could be.

Or maybe I was born without emotions.

I took one last glance at the moon before filling my lungs with air, and then I let myself go. I let my wolf take over as I resided in the background. I knew he was happy to finally be free, because I hardly ever let him out. He always did things that I normally wouldn’t approve of, but we got rejected today. He deserved to have some time to be irresponsible and make his own decisions. 

He flexed his muscles and stretched his back, all while prancing around the balcony. His eyes met the moon and he released a thunderous howl. My pack began to follow in his lead and soon every member was howling at the beautiful ornament in the sky. This was a very rare occasion, seeing as I hardly ever let my wolf out, and my pack almost never got to howl together.

I could feel their happiness now that I had let my wolf out. We howled at the moon for a good five minutes. It was a special moment that signified unity and tranquility in the pack. It was the least I could do after they had just lost their Luna.

Once we were done, my wolf did not waste much time before leaping off the balcony. My bedroom was on the third floor, but he landed on all fours like it was nothing. I guess it was one of the perks of being one of the strongest wolves in existence. My wolf sniffed his surroundings briefly before racing through the woods and into enemy territory without a second thought. The cool night air pushed his fur and he loved the speed at which he was going. He loved the thrill, the rapid beating of his heart. The feeling was the closest thing we would have to excitement.

He came to a stop at the river separating my land from Damini’s. I knew he was having second thoughts about crossing. After all, our mate wasn’t even worth it. But he was at least going to give it a try.

He dove into the water and the cold liquid soaked his midnight black fur and sent a chill through his body. The river was a bit large and it took him over two minutes to get across. Once he was on the other side, he shook his body rapidly to get the drops of water out of his fur. I knew he was tired, which was why I agreed to switch. It was probably for the best. I was able to hide my scent better in my human form anyway. My eyes fell on the heavy woods ahead and I started to consider turning back, but my wolf would never let that happen, so I walked ahead.

I became one with the darkness, blended into the shadows and moved with the wind. If there was something else I was known for, it was concealment. I could be standing right in front of you in a dark room and you would never even notice.

I sniffed the air, desperately trying to get a whiff of Amanda’s scent. I could hear two people chatting from a distance and put in even more effort to make my presence unknown. They appeared to be guards, judging by their bulky muscles and uniforms, but luckily they did not notice me. But that was mostly due to the fact that they were talking about their mates.

I was very deep in Damini’s territory when I finally caught Amanda’s scent, but something was different. It was mixed with someone else’s, a male’s. But something was screaming at me to go back, but my wolf was urging me forward. Soon, my ears picked up on the sound of moaning, and I recognized one of them as Amanda’s.

I did not need to go any further before I got a good glimpse of her. I never thought I would catch her in this position, in the middle of the woods and under a full moon.

She was completely naked and perched on top of some guy. She was riding him, and I could see perfectly how their faces twisted with pleasure. I knew I should be angry at what I was seeing. She was my mate, after all. But it wasn’t like she was cheating on me; she did reject me. But it was only five hours ago. She should at least feel something. A hint of remorse, regret, and uncertainty. But I could see none of that on her face as her moans only got louder. The unknown wolf grabbed her fairly large boobs and pinched at her hard nipples. Amanda tilted her head backwards as her body began to tremble with ecstasy.

I wasn't going to stand there and watch her cum for another when she couldn't even for me.

This was humiliating enough as it was.

I turned away from them and returned to the trail I had come for.But that was when I caught it.

The scent of blood

I knew I was running out of time. I needed to get out of here, but my wolf was starting to struggle. My skin was crawling and I wanted to slash my skin with my claws. I knew I should go in the other direction. I should get out of here before Damini gets a whiff of my scent, but I couldn’t. It was like I was under some spell. I moved towards the scent slowly until my ears caught the sound of a wailing child. That was when I ran towards it.

I did not know when I had let my wolf take over. All I knew was that I was growling and running faster than I would when I was in my human form. The metallic scent of blood grew stronger and it was almost suffocating.

That was when I saw it. 

A pup was laying in a pool of his own blood as rogues encircled him. Their canines and snouts were dripping with the young one’s blood, and I had never felt so much rage. My growls were thunderous and ground-shaking. My wolf’s body began to tremble with rage, and they halted their attack to meet my livid, hellish black eyes.

I was at least five times bigger than they were, but that did not intimidate them. They lunged at me together, but I was quicker. I dodged their attack and sank my canines into one of their legs, snapping their bones almost immediately. His howls of pain filled the air, and his partner was quick to avenge him. He charged at me and sank his teeth into my back, but I clawed him off me and wiped his left eye with my claw, immediately tearing open his left eye. The two rogues howled in pain, and before I could initiate my next attack, they were running off into the woods. I wanted to go after them, but the pup’s whimpers caught my ears and I quickly rushed to his aid.

I turned back to my human form and picked him up. His light brown fur was soaked with his own blood, making it appear almost black. He was trembling in my arms, and his body was incredibly cold. His wolf had undergone so much damage that it would be excruciatingly painful, if not impossible for him to turn back to his human form.

"It’s okay, little one. I’ll find your parents," I said to him, and he only whimpered in response. His blood was starting to soak my bare torso and I knew I had to hurry. I rose to my feet, and I knew I was about to sentence myself to death if I went around with an injured child in the bloody canines. But I couldn’t just let him die.

I set him back on the ground and transformed back to my wolf. That was when I heard it, the snapping of a twig. My head snapped towards its direction and my eyes fell on over ten wolves glaring at me through the darkness.

Damini was one of them.

Her eyes glanced between the bleeding pup and I. I wasn’t one to feel many things, but for the first time in my life, I think I felt a hint of fear.