Tidal Wave

Oliver 

I pulled into the gas station parking lot, next to Trevor’s car. Rose was standing with him, leaning against the trunk. They were somber. I was sure Trevor had filled her in on the recent happenings. Rose had already gotten the rundown of who Lya was, why things needed to be followed up, but I don’t think she expected the girl to truly be as resistant to everything as she was. 

“Any leads?” I asked while getting out of the car. 

“North, along the river,” Trevor said. “I made it a good three or four miles, but turned back when Rose got here.” 

I nodded. “Let’s go. Get out of town and then we will shift. It’ll be faster that way.” They were quick to follow, and soon enough, we were shucking our clothes and shifting. 

Wolves tended to mimic the appearance of their human counterparts, resulting in some very interesting wolf colors. We can’t gain or lose weight when we shift, so our wolf weight corresponds with the human weight. Adair was on the small side for an Alpha wolf, which made sense, given my only average height. His black fur seemed to soak up the light. Trevor’s wolf matched his dirty blond hair, and Rose’s seemed to have just as scandinavian features. 

A common misconception with werewolves is that we are remarkably fast. We aren’t. We are of average wolf speed, average wolf hearing, average wolf sight. So yes, we do have inhumane abilities… because we aren’t human. Even still, we pushed ourselves hard to try and catch up with Lya. She was easy to follow, given how fresh the trail of her alarmingly distinct scent was. Trevor was right about her scent, though. She didn’t quite smell wolf, didn’t quite smell human. I wondered if that was due to how much she repressed her wolf. I certainly had questions for the Elders when I got back. 

Adair was pushing us hard. We had made it about five miles in only about 15 minutes. Her scent was overwhelming; she had to be close. 

'She couldn’t have gotten very far at all,' I said to the others.

'What do you mean?' Rose asked. 'This trail is hours and hours old, and she isn’t close.' 

'Maybe it’s because her scent is so unique,' I tried justifying. The further we got, the stronger the lilac and pine smelled.

'You’re right,' Rose agreed. 'The human wolf combination certainly sticks out.'

I reached out to Adair, hoping he’d have a better idea as my senses were clearly off. 'Any idea how much further?'

'A ways,' he muttered, pushing harder. Rose and Trevor were struggling to keep up. 

Twenty more minutes of hard, hard running, and Adair skidded to a halt. The smell of lilac and pine had to be her; it was only getting stronger. 

'She’s in trouble.' Adair was furious and antsy.

'Then go!' I encouraged him. He leapt off into a run again. 

'Be ready guys,' I said to the others. 'We have company.' 

As we crested the hill, the smell of humans wafted over to us. Humans and silver. 

'Hunters,' Trevor gasped. 

We all pushed harder. I hardly had time to process the scene we came up to before Adair was leaping through the air, landing on the back of a man with a gun pointed between the eyes of a small, auburn colored wolf. Our claws dug down the length of his back, fangs sinking into the back of his neck. We leapt off his back. He wasn’t quite dead, but he was human. He wasn’t long for this world. I lunged around, launching at the youngest one. We almost felt bad as we ripped through his throat. He was only a kid, a life full of hopes and dreams ahead of him. But the silver bullets in his rifle proved he was already a hunter.

I turned around to assess what to do next. Trevor’s form had bitten the arm clean off one man, quickly ending it for him with a swipe across his chest. Rose’s wolf zigged and zagged around the last man standing before digging her claws deep into his side and sending him careening down the 30 foot drop into the river below. 

Adair came and stood over the girl. The injuries had caused her wolf form to let go, just leaving a petite, naked girl. Her lilac and pine scent was overwhelming. 

'Mate.' 

Adair was so certain. I shook my head; it couldn’t be her. 

'Mate,' he said again. There was no debate. And I knew he was right. Adair leaned down and nuzzled her neck, sparks zinging through his muzzle. 

Trevor had shifted, rushing over to Lya. Adair stepped over her and growled. Trevor’s head snapped up, looking at us. He backed away, hands raised as if he were guilty, giving us a knowing look. 

I shifted back as well, leaning down to tie a shirt pulled from one of the hunters around her bullet wound. 

“Rose, go back and get my car. It'll be better off road than the Lincoln,” I said, not taking my eyes off of her. “Come back and meet us. We need to get her back to the pack.” Her wolf nodded and she was off, leaving quicker than we got here, if that was possible.

Trevor was dumping bullets into the river. If someone found these guys before we got clean up, homemade silver bullets instead of factory-made would just raise questions and send more hunters our way. 

Gently, I picked up the girl, keeping one hand pressed firmly against her side, trying to keep in as much blood as possible. I looked at Trevor. “Let’s go,” I said. 

Trevor fell in stride with me. “Will she make it?” he asked. 

“I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t.” I gritted my jaw. I refused to think of that possibility, no matter how probable it was right now.

“A human hospital maybe?” he suggested. 

I shook my head. “She will need blood.” 

“You know, her wolf is so locked away, I don’t know how well she heals,” he said.

I mulled the suggestion over. It wasn’t something I had thought of, and I wasn’t completely certain how right he was, but he did have a point. I looked down at the jagged cuts along her arm. They were older than the fight she had just endured, and my lack of familiarity with human healing gave me no premise to guess how old they were. If she were a wolf, I’d say a couple hours. “Silver bullets. Her wolf wouldn’t be able to heal injuries from silver, anyway,” I reminded him.

He shook his head. “No,” he said slowly. “Her wolf has started to be able to overpower silver.”

I stopped and looked at him. “What?” 

“She can’t heal it, but she isn’t repressed by it.”

I breathed out. There were so many questions, and I didn’t know if anyone would have the answers. 

We walked in silence for a bit, before Trevor spoke up. 

“So mate, huh?” he asked, a smile stretching across his face.

I nodded solemnly, refusing to get excited until I knew she’d survive this. 

“So what’s it like?” he asked. 

I couldn’t help the smile. “Electrifying,” I said. “Like everything has snapped into place. Worth the wait.” Truthfully, I hadn’t even had time to think of it. Nothing other than I would die before letting harm come to her. And at that, I had already failed. 

Trevor looked a little grim. He was a couple years younger, but had grown up like a brother to me. I really tried to make him my Beta, but he refused. He wanted to find his mate more than anything. After spending his whole life in the pack, he was certain she wasn’t there. 

I was 28, and definitely a few years past the prime age of finding your mate. Most, by my age, would have chosen one, but I had stayed resolute in waiting. I had just hoped it wouldn’t take this long. Now, with just moments of experiencing the presence of her, I couldn’t imagine ever taking a chosen mate. I wondered how my brother had. 

The pack had gone eight years with me as Alpha. Eight years without a Luna. They were anxious for one, whether she was chosen or destined. Concern flickered in the back of my mind, though. 

“Do you think she will accept this life?” I asked, my voice breaking. If she couldn’t live with her wolf, she wouldn’t accept us. Selfishly, I didn’t know what I would do if that happened. 

Trevor clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Give her time,” he said softly. 

We walked in silence for a while. After what felt like ages, I heard the roar of my Land Cruiser. We picked up our pace, stopping just before Rose screeched to a stop in front of us. 

Trevor hopped in the front seat, and I slid in the back. Rose tossed clothes at us. I pulled on my jeans, and navigated the shirt over Lya’s head. Trevor popped open the glove compartment, tossing rolls of kerlix and gauze pads. 

Rose looked back at us. “We’ll get her home, Alpha.” 

The closer we got to the pack, the more likely a highway patrol would be one of us, so speeding became more excusable. The miles dragged by. I didn’t even look up at my surroundings to judge how far away we were. Wherever we were, it wasn’t close enough. 

Her breathing was uneven and heartbeat faint when we pulled up to the pack hospital. Trevor had mind linked a doctor to make sure they were waiting as soon as we were close enough. Adair whined as she was pulled from our arms and deposited onto a gurney, but followed after as far as we were allowed.

The doctor turned to us before swinging through a set of double doors. “Alpha, we’ve got it from here,” he said.

“But-” he cut me off.

“I know,” he smiled. “But we will be able to do our jobs better without a distraught mate who just might kill us if we fail hanging over our shoulder.” 

I gritted my teeth and turned. Trevor and Rose met me at the door. We got in my car and drove in silence back to the packhouse. 

We trudged through the door, making our way to my office. 

“What are you going to do now?” Rose asked, her voice low. 

I scrubbed my hand across my face. It was only about 8 at night, but the day had been emotionally draining. Sleep, however, was the last thing on my mind. 

“I need to talk to the Elders.” My voice was gruff, lending credence to my exhaustion. “Trevor, how long do we have you here?”

He looked up. “As long as you need me.”

I nodded. “Keep me up to date with… things… at the hospital. Rose, I’ll let you know which location I need you at most tomorrow.” They turned to leave. “Thank you, both,” I added.. 

The door clicked closed behind them. I headed to my office, determined to get something done, but all I wanted was to be by that girl’s side. It wasn’t right that as her mate I wasn’t there, and Adair was not happy being so far away. But if she woke up, she wouldn’t understand why some stranger was hovering and obsessed with her. Best to keep my distance right now. 

I turned to look at the bookcases around the office. I had so many questions, and not a clue of where to start.