WITH THE ALPHA

Part 6 ; Our Eyes

I slipped through the open back window and landed silently in the thick bushes below. Up front, the pack guard assigned to watch me paced the doorway, only bothering to check the perimeter when the mood struck him.
Taking a deep breath, I reached inward and called upon my wolf. My vision expanded as my bones cracked, shifted, and snapped into place, molding me into my four-legged form. I slunk through the underbrush until I hit open land, then exploded into a full-sprint stride. It wouldn't take long for the guard to realize I had vanished.
My honey-colored fur whipped in the wind as my powerful muscles flexed and drove me forward. Dust and dirt kicked up behind my paws with every thunderous step. It had been far too long since I'd run in this skin, and the world burst alive in a sensory overload. Colors vibrated, sounds echoed with razor sharpness, and the rich scents of damp soil, pine needles, and stagnant water filled my nose. I let out a sharp howl of pure, unadulterated liberation.
Still, as euphoric as it felt to be free, I couldn't let nature distract me. I had a mission.
After hours of relentless running, the silhouette of the central pack house finally appeared in the distance. Exhausted and gasping for air, I collapsed onto my stomach in a secluded clearing to catch my breath. Laying my head against my paws, I closed my eyes, letting exhaustion pull me toward sleep.
A sharp twig snapping nearby jolted me awake. I whipped my head around to find a small rabbit hopping through the tall grass. The second it caught my scent, it darted into the shadows. Reassuring myself, I lowered my head back down and finally drifted off.
A sudden, intense warmth wrapped around me, comforting and thick as if I were cradled in the softest fur, shielded from the biting cold. I fluttered my eyes open, instantly meeting a wall of snow-white fur.
My heart hammered as the massive wolf raised his head, locking his brilliant copper eyes onto mine. They seemed to peer straight into the deepest trenches of my soul. A sudden surge of profound, overwhelming joy flooded my chest—feelings that weren't entirely my own, but belonged to my wolf. A wave of panic hit me as the undeniable reality set in: this was my mate.
I scrambled to pull back, but he immediately pressed his heavy muzzle against me, forcing me down. I blinked in shock at his gentle dominance, glaring at him. I tried to stand again; he let out a low growl. I growled right back.
Recognizing my defiance, he stepped back and let me rise. I shook my honey coat, trying to shake off the emotional pull, but a sharp ache bloomed in my chest. Part of me screamed to throw myself back into his warm fur. But my life was a complicated mess. I was pregnant with Alpha blood. I needed Damian's approval to keep my pups alive once they were born—because I knew, deep down, that a mate would instinctually view another male's offspring as a threat to be eliminated.
I took a few steps away, ready to fade into the midnight shadows, but he surged up beside me, sensing my departure. He towered over me; I had to tilt my neck back just to look up at his towering frame. His wolf was unnaturally massive.
Realizing he wouldn't let me leave without a fight, I decided to shift back to human form to reason with him. My bones crackled and rearranged until my toes met the cool grass. Standing naked before him, I reached barely half his height.
Normally, I'd strike a provocative pose without a second thought, but my usual games felt completely out of place here. I crossed my arm over my chest and wrapped my leg over the other, a sudden, unfamiliar blush warming my cheeks. Under his intense gaze, my usual bulletproof confidence wavered.
The white wolf stepped forward and gently nuzzled his broad head against my chest. Instinctively, my hands came up to rest atop his head. He froze, holding entirely still as if terrified to break the magic of the moment. I slowly stroked his fur—soft, silky, and thick. A genuine smile touched my lips. His brilliant copper eyes locked onto my dark obsidian ones, and a painful knot tightened in my throat.
Leaning down, I pressed a soft kiss to his temple.
Deep within his chest, a low, rhythmic vibration rumbled out. I let out a breathless chuckle. "Do wolves... purr?"
He nudged my hand, nudging me to keep petting him. As I stroked his coat, I caught his scent—distinct from our pack's signature smell. He carried the deep, smoky aroma of charred pine wood mixed with the sharp sweetness of wild berries. He smelled hot, sweet, and completely intoxicating.
I don't know how long we stayed wrapped in that quiet moment, but as the night air turned ice-cold, he suddenly jerked his head up, startling me. He leaned forward, licking my hand, then my cheek, staring at me with a look of desperate longing. There was regret in his eyes—but also a silent promise that this wasn't the end.
Without another sound, he melted back into the dense forest. I stood frozen in the dark, watching the shadows swallow him. Why had he left so abruptly?
"Hey! Who's there?" a harsh voice barked from the tree line behind me. "Deviana?"
Derick.
My breath hitched. The white wolf had heard Derick approaching long before I ever could. What kind of elite rank or senses did he possess to spot an approaching Beta from that distance? A master scout? An elite fighter?
Derick burst into the clearing, stopping dead in his tracks as his eyes swept over me.
"What the hell are you doing out here?" he demanded, his jaw dropping. "And why are you naked?"