Forever Luna

Vanquish

verb ~ to conquer or subdue by superior force

CHARLIE

I distinctly remember falling asleep in the small stream last night. What I don't remember is climbing out of it.

At first, I thought perhaps I had slipped in a drifted down stream, landing on the grass, but I was in the same place. With only my tail swaying in the water, I could've sworn I didn't wake up at all.

After the gentle surprise of warmth and dry fur, the immediate panic came from realising I had slept all night. Jolting up to full height, the lack of aches pleasantly surprised me. My fur bristled, testing out the scrapes from last night's fight as I looked around for Calida.

I expected her to have killed me.

I expected her to have left me for the pack of wolves to abuse.

I expected her to have ran.

I did not expect her to be staring at me from the other side of the tiny clearing.

As we made eye contact, her ears and nose twitched, watching me lower my defences with relief. Her dark eyes peered at me, glancing at my form before huffing at me. Dismissal never came too gratefully; it meant she was back to level-headed rogue wolf Calida, and not the murderous hunt chasing rogue-Calida.

Speaking of.

What the fuck.

What the double fuck.

Last night was fucking mental.

I have no idea what just happened.

No idea how we are still alive after a full night's sleep. Most packs will chase down the murder of two wolves in their own land, but... not this pack.

The terrified man's eyes stared back at me when I glanced at Calida's wolf. Although calm and thoughtful now, the terrifying hunger to her murderous gaze tarnished my memory of her. I feared I'd never be able to purge that from my mind, nor how horrified her father looked. The glimpse of recognition in his eyes, moments before his daughter killed him, would haunt me for a long time.

But how?

Why?

How did Calida's wolf know that was her father? The wolf and human were disconnected. My mate was not there. A brand-new baby soul met one nearly thrice its age and somehow knew who birthed her.

It made me wonder if this was Calida's wolf's plan this whole time.

We have travelled to the east coast the entire time we've been on the run, and the past few days, as we grew closer to this pack, she grew more intense. Did she know we were close? Did her wolf recognise the pack scent?

How did the wolf know?

Turning a human to a wolf is a brand new experience, and for a moment, I wondered if as they connected; if the wolf gained insight into the human's past. It was the only logical explanation, but I suppose it would make transforming a lot easier. But we'd never know, not unless Calida came back. Even then, it's likely any trauma erased her memory.

Damn, the brain was a complicated thing.

Blinking back to the present, I did a small semi-lap around the area we slept in. Keeping my attention on my mate in the background, I wondered what she was doing as she scraped behind a tree. But then the sudden awkward awareness washed over me, and I quickly trotted away to the opposite end to give her some privacy.

I could smell fresh blood nearby, and curiosity ate at me. I felt fitter and healthy enough that if Calida bolted, I could follow, but the reminder that she stayed with me last night was a comfort that she wouldn't today.