Spirit hearts

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

( Cane's pov )

The sun was setting soon, and tonight should be quieter than our regular full moon nights spent fending off hellhounds. For up to three days at the beginning of the lunar cycle, they would spawn.

My pack, the Achak Lupus of the Black Willow Forest, has been decreasing in number like flies. Although we occasionally claim victory, most nights we are outnumbered by 200 or more.

My warriors have been undergoing daily training, and I've been teaching them new methods to combat their enemies. No other packs want to help because they believe the land is cursed by witches and demons who long ago tried to claim this land as their own.

According to legend, because of their use of power, darkness spreading throughout the land, the moon goddess bestowed upon each of the few chosen ones the power to conquer and guard this sacred old land that once belonged to the shining moon above. My pack is one of the oldest packs still standing that exists today.

Typically, a challenger will step up to take on the pack's leader and challenge them for the title. If they are successful in killing the alpha or he abdicates, the challenger takes over as the new alpha and has the option of changing the pack's rules and name.

The majority of rogues come to challenge me, but no one has been successful in doing so before. Everyone who has gone before me has not failed to lose to that challenge.

When I became 18, I inherited the role of alpha; although my father was still capable of maintaining it, he had determined that the time was right for me to do so.

Since I was a kid, my father has taught me in every aspect of being an alpha. I have earned my way into that position, and in order to demonstrate my skills, I had to battle my pack mates all the way up to the toughest higher ranking warriors, and then my father. If I hadn't distracted him during those crucial times, my father, whose bones were made of steel, would have been in a close win.

Shifting into my beast, my paws hit the ground, heat coursing through my body with an increasing sense of energy flowing throw me, causing me to make a run around the edge of the forest tonight. While running, my ears picked up sounds of upcoming footsteps in the distance. Slowly I began to approach, feeling my heart beat in my chest, a bundle of nerves being held back wanted me to act on it.

Drawing closer, a strong sweet scent hits my nose, my hairs standing on their ends to send where my mouth watered to crave for that scent. I questioned what I was feeling in that moment, a sensation that never entered my body before, hit me all at once.

My eyes trailed down to a human girl, watching every movement she made. She had her flashlight on, gripping her phone and giving off the impression that she was terrified.

Running over to an withered large broken tree, my bones began to shift and crack into place, my form shifting into my human flesh and blood, leaving me completely naked. Grabbing a pair of spare clothes to immediately get dressed into.

Walking towards the girl slowly, I ended up stepping onto a branch that snapped, catching the girl's attention. " Who are you!? " she shouts out of fear, raw panic was in her voice.

In an attempt to make it less frighting for her, I used a calming tone and lifted my hands upwards,"Calm yourself, I mean no harm."I narrowed my eyes at the bright light shining at me. When I looked closely at her, I realized that I knew who this girl was. She wasn't just any girl, she was Samuel's daughter, I believe her name was Sage.

Samuel recently came here with his daughter, because he learned that we were in a war with Hellhounds. I offered him a place to live here. My dad knew him and they were close friends, more of like brothers.

Samuel and his wife proved to be incredibly helpful during our pack's time of need. We hadn't seen him for a long time because they had moved to a place in the city where he and his wife could have a calm and quiet life that did not involve our world.

However Samuel had a hard time living in the large city and finding a good job to take care of his family. It's not surprising that his marriage eventually ended in divorce after he was unable to find success.

Before they arrived here, we wanted to ensure that his daughter stayed away from this forest. The forest is not as peaceful as it used to be because it has changed and deteriorated over time due to the damage caused by the hellhounds.

Sage either didn't understand the message or chose to take a risk and test herself. She resembled her father a lot, with eyes the color of chocolate and light brown hair with streaks of blond showing. Her eyes were similar to her mother's, big, rounded, soft eyes. Her facial expression indicated a deep sense of fear, similar to a deer caught off guard by approaching headlights. Despite wearing a jacket, scarf, leggings, and rain boots, she still felt cold.

That smell was very enticing for some unknown reason, I ignore any of those thoughts that came to mind though. "I am Cane Draxton and I am in charge of both this town and the forest. I come here for walks when I can't sleep well. I saw you from afar distance so I thought I'd see who it was. I'm sorry if I frightened you. You shouldn't be here, though. "

"So...that means you must be the owner of this place, my father stated he was close friends with a man who used to own the town and then turned it over to his son?"

She stared at me for a second before her eyes uncomfortably shifted to the ground." I'm assuming you're him. By the way, I'm Sage...I'm sorry for coming here. I was curious to find out what was making all the noise in this forest. It sounds like a pack of wild dogs fighting. "

She guessed accurately, and after realizing who I was, she relaxed. I nodded in return. "Regarding those noises, yes, that's correct." They do live close to this forest, and I was the one who chose that house for them to move into, so I despised myself that it had drawn her attention. "I'm sorry that the nearby coyotes have been troubling you; they occasionally fight over food. We have a few coyotes in the area.

We try to keep them away, but as you can guess, they keep returning." She took a nervous step back in response as I approached her and spoke softly.

"Sage, Can I walk you back to your house? I believe it would be less frightening if you had someone else with you. You shouldn't be out here alone."

She froze, obviously considering the situation a little too much, and gently nodded no, saying, "No that it's okay, I know my way back, I'll get going now, thanks for offering anyways!" She took off for her house, and I silently followed her to make sure she got there safely. After taking a brief pause to glance back at the forest, she went inside her home.

Sage...I can still trance her scent from here, hopefully she'll stay out, a human shouldn't be wondering about. My senses around her felt alerted; protective of her almost, a need to make sure she wasn't harmed, it piqued my interest in Sage. I intend to speak with Samuel to ensure that he keeps his daughter under closer watch.

( To be continued)

This chapter is longer! Hopefully I'll get a few more chapters out! Let me know what you thought of this chapter ^^