Howling Heart

Chapter 7 -The Ride

I wasn't sure if my heart had stopped or if it had just started beating at that moment. A ride? With Mae? It was almost as sappy as the teen vampire movie that everyone was oddly obsessed with in high school. Almost as if it was too real to be true. All I could do in the moment was nod.

It was such an odd feeling. I was the alpha's daughter, I was always in control, and for whatever reason, anytime I was around this woman, I seemed to lose it all. After all, she was the omega. In all reality, I could demand anything of her.

But that didn't feel right. I wanted to be soft with her, hug her, kiss her. My brain reminded me that it wasn't allowed. After all, next week was going to be my proposal weekend. While I wasn't happy about the hunters in the area, I silently thanked them for giving me a few more weeks to figure out what I was going to do about all that.

Even if I was alpha, it's not like I could change pack law to allow me to be a lesbian...or could I? It might just be easier if I had run away instead. But I love my family, my home, my friends, and I couldn't think about abandoning them.

"You comin'?" Mae was already on the freshly painted bike.

Shoving my own brain aside, I rushed over to the bike and climbed on behind her. "Let's ride."

"Alright, make sure you hold on tight."

I swear that I could see a smirk on her face as she kicked the engine alive. It roared, but I could hardly hear it over the pounding of my heart. My arms wrapped around her waist, and I wrapped my fingers around my wrists to lock myself onto her bike.

The world seemed to melt away under the tires of the motorcycle. Roads were empty as the sun passed over. People would be getting off work in a few hours, but thoughts of normal life slipped away like the road.

I could smell Mae. Not just her hair, however, that did smell amazing as well, but I could smell her skin mixing with leather, grease, and gasoline. It was the most intoxicating mix as it hit my nostrils. The wolf would have curled her lips, but I was lost in the heavy scent.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I fought the urge to snuggle into her back. As I opened my eyes, I realized we had left the town far behind us. The river was off to the left of us, and the deep woods were ahead and slowly wrapping around us as we drove.

"Where are we going?" I shouted over the wind and roar of the engine.

"I figured we don't get enough fresh air." Mae's voice called out and carried back to my ears. "Na, I was going to drag you to my favorite spot in the woods."

"Sounds amazing!" I laughed at her sarcasm. But deep down, I was so excited. I knew every inch of these woods, at least I thought I did, but this might be a hidden gem. No matter where it was, it was special to Mae. It's borderline a date.

Ugg date. Deep down, I wished it was. I wanted to take her places and share experiences. I wanted to know her every secret. But instead, I was going to have to entertain some odd male. The pack rules didn't give me much of a choice, and all I could ask was that if I did pick someone, my father backed him. Again, Ronan was my best chance.

We slowed down as we crawled up the side of the foothills. I could hear the roar of a waterfall off in the distance. Finally, she pulled the bike to the side of the unpaved road and shut it off. She swung herself off the motorcycle. "We'll walk from here." She held out her hand to stabilize me as I climbed off the metal beast myself. "Let's go."

It wasn't a long hike until the waterfall roared in front of us. Its mist cast a brilliance of colors against the rocks as we looked up. "Are we going up?" My eyes were drawn to the crest of the ridge that the waterfall spilled from. It was a breathtaking sight. I turned to look at Mae.

"Of course we are. Unless alphas daughter is too tired." She poked me in the side as she started climbing up the rocks.

I rushed after her. "Not on your life." A smile was plastered on my face as I chased after her. My fingers dug into the rocks and dirt. It felt like I was a kid again, climbing these same rocks with Ronan, but this was different. My heart hammered, and it wasn't from the physical exertion.

Mae reached the top and stood there looking out over the path they took up here. I paused as the wind blew through her long dark hair on the one side. Only a few seconds had passed, even though it felt like hours. I shook my head and pulled myself up the last few feet.

"I can never get enough of this place." She exhaled the fresh hair.

"My father used to bring me up here when I was little. It's been a long while." The real truth was that this old dusty memory of a place seemed to have a new magic about it now that I was up here with Mae. "Thanks for sharing this with me."

Mae walked over to the edge and plopped down on the rocks, her feet hanging over the edge. "Come sit." She patted the grassy spot next to her.

I silently walked over and took my place next to her. It felt so right. As if I was supposed to be there, it felt like where I belonged.

"You said your father used to bring you up here?" She prodded for conversation.

"Oh, yes." I saw this opportunity to actually talk to someone. Being the alpha's daughter came at a price. I normally keep to myself. But after all, I was going to lead the pack one day, and to be a good leader, they needed to trust me. "He actually used to tell me stories. One of my favorites was how he became a wolf."

Her eyes never left the waterfall. "I've actually never heard any origin stories about the pack. Lore of wolves, yes, but never ours."

I smiled and looked over at Mae. "I'm surprised, but let me try. It won't be the same as when he told it, but I'll do my best. Buckle up."