Forever Luna

Pursuit

noun ~ the action of following or pursuing someone or something

PHOENIX

The moment Charlie opened his mouth to speak, the wolf was charging at him. I jolted forward, ready to take her down as her snout ended inches from his face. He froze, staring at his mate with wide, shocked eyes. The chains holding her rattled, shaking as the wolf tried to reach Charlie.

That was not a good reaction.

Her eyes were dark and wild, her teeth chomping on air as spit flew from her gums.

She was angry.

That wasn't Calida.

"Charlie..." I called.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." He squeaked, scurrying back a few feet.

The wolf tugged and tugged, fighting against the chains that bound her. Nova fretted nervously beside me, and I curled her into my arms as we watched her friend fight against herself.

"Shit. She's wild." Charlie huffed.

"It's the first shift. The wolf tends to be wild." Nova shook her head.

I don't know. This didn't seem... right.

We watched her struggle for ten minutes with no change. There was a vacancy in Calida's eyes and mind that shouldn't be there. One I only recognised in rogue, feral wolves.

A perfectly matched wolf had a presence. Their wolf had a mind, a soul; one you could speak to even without the human present. But Calida was not Calida.

She was a rogue.

Calida was...gone.

"Charlie..." I murmured.

"No. Don't even go there. She's fine." He snapped, standing to his feet.

His new height made the wolf stagger. Her eyes pinned against her skull, she took two steps back and snarled at Charlie. His brown eyes were pained as he watched his mate try to fight him, and I focused on his beast as well.

A wild Charlie plus a wild Calida?

No, thank you.

Charlie took a step toward the wolf, but then, without warning, a cuff snapped. My eyes widened with shock, just as Nova screamed in terror. Within a split second, the second cuff snapped, and the wolf was free.

It pounced.

Charlie fell to the ground, his forearm forced into the wolf's face as it charged him. I cursed, pushing Nova behind me as I jumped into action. I forced Calida away from Charlie with a sharp growl, and the wolf released his arm with a sharp yelp. She collapsed to the floor, and I widened my stance, growling at her.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

Charlie cursed, staring down at his bloodied arm. "Fuck no. She... What... I..."

Calida charged again, and with a sharp grunt, I threw myself into the fight. It was easy fighting a person in wolf form, but rogues were hazardous with their unpredictable fighting technique. This wolf was acting purely on instinct, something that could be deadly if you were not swift.

She landed a swipe to my back that instantly burned with pain. Cursing sharply, I turned around and punched her in the snout. Her head spun with a whine, and she staggered back a step. I was shaking with the need to shift, ready to keep fighting.

The wolf lowered its head, growling as it eyed all three of us. When her eyes glanced at Nova, I snarled in warning. Surprised, it looked at me in question, but then an understanding came over those dull eyes, and she turned to Nova.