Alpha Mate

Chapter 16

((I'm back! Yay! Anyway, I'm not sure how my writing skills are today, and I am starting out small to get myself back into the story and back into the groove and mindset of the characters. Plus, I need to find my cheat sheet for all the characters again or else I'll never keep who has what hair color straight. Or names. XD Anyway, here ya go!))

Your POV

You woke up, hearing the annoying chirping of birds outside of your window, your eyes shut as you moved around. Why is my bed so hard? Opening your eyes to a dim room, you gazed at an opening in the rock wall behind you, light flittering in along with the sound of birds. Sitting up, you began to panic before the events of yesterday flooded into your mind and you got up, stretching before crawling out of the cave and looking around.

The clearing was rather busy, people moving back and forth as a group of wolves left the camp, you recognizing Tessa's red fur as she left the clearing. Looking up, you saw Drake perched on top of a rock, looking over the people in his pack, sniffing the air warily. When he spotted you, he slid off of the rock, falling nearly seven feet before landing nimbly and walking over to you.

"Glad to see you're up and moving. I was wondering when you were going to wake up. Life starts early in the pack, but I'll give you some time to adapt to our schedule." You nodded thankfully, grateful that Drake was being so kind, but you knew that eventually he would grow more aggressive after you had found your spot in the pack.

"Is there anything I can do to help out?" you asked, looking at him questioningly. "I'd hate to be useless. Drake shook his head at you.

"No. Tessa went out hunting with a small group just as you woke up. We'll eat then we'll be off. We'll have two resting areas between now and our territory, but we can't wait too long. Most hunters can be pretty determined, and I'm sure he's already searching for us." You looked down at your feet, ashamed as you thought of your father and felt like it was your fault for them having to move. Drake nudged you lightly, almost as if he could read your thoughts and said, "Hey, it's not your fault. He was probably on our scent anyway. And if he wasn't, then he would've been able to track us anyway shortly after getting home."

"I just can't help but feel guilty, though. I could've told you then ran. Or at least tried to lead him away from you, but instead you're taking care of me." Drake smiled and chuckled lightly.

"You're a part of our pack now, and the pack cares for each other. We're family." You smiled up at him before patted you on the shoulder, shifting into his wolf form before your eyes, sitting patiently as he waited for Tessa whose head appeared in the clearing.

"We've got two," she stated coolly, the two deer being dragged in as Drake took the first bite before the rest of the pack dug in, Crow walking over to you just as you managed to shift.

"Well, come on, pup. Let's eat." You smiled at him and walked over and ate next to him.

Rhydian's POV

I trotted next to my mom, both of us following the scent of the pack. I could smell (Y/N)'s scent mixed in among all the different ones, my fur raised as I saw that Crow appeared to be constantly by her side the whole trip so far. My mom looked at me sympathetically but continued moving on.

"We need to keep moving if we're going to make it." I nodded, snorting lightly.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just upset."

"Still? You need to think of something else. Look, we'll hunt down a deer as soon as we can and eat. We can only rest for a little while knowing that (Y/N)'s father is probably hot on our trail. Now focus." I lowered my head, whimpering lightly.

"I know. Sorry. It's just that I'm worried about her too."

"Well then stop acting like a pup and act like an alpha. You are your father's soon and maybe you don't want to be the alpha of the pack, but you still should act like you're the son of one." I looked at her with a sideways glance, meditating on her words as we kept walking.

Eventually, we came upon the clearing that the pack usually used for rest stops, the scent of the pack strong and fresh, a half-eaten deer carcass laying off to the side and another one fully eaten next to it.

"They were just here," I noted. My mom nodded, heading over to the half-eaten prey and beginning to eat, me padding over and joining her in eating.

"We'll head out after we rest. We've been working all night to get the hunter off our tails, so we need some rest if we're going to catch up with and stay with the rest of the pack." I growled.

"Yeah, I know." I snorted before continuing to eat, grumbling quietly to myself about Crow. He was always getting into my business and stealing anything that I enjoyed from me. I bit a rib bone off of the carcass and walked into the den with it, gnawing on it angrily as I fell asleep.

*~*~*

When I woke up, my mom was resting next to me, her calm breathing reverberating through the den as I padded over to the entrance, sticking my head out and sniffing the air. Dusk was just beginning, the sun casting an orange-red glow across the sky as I looked around, my ears pricked for any sounds. I didn't like something about this.

I growled and backed into the cave, going over to my mom and nudging her awake. "Come on, mom. Something doesn't feel right. We should go." She yawned and looked at me, stretching her legs before she got up. Even though she was my elder, she trusted my judgement as we both made our way out of the clearing, running as we heard cussing from behind us and a stone being thrown at the rock wall of the den's outer walls.

"Good instincts, Rhydian," my mom praised. I smiled and nodded as we both ran off, heading for the rest of the pack, our paws barely touching the ground almost as if we were flying.

Dad's POV

I cussed loudly, kicking a stone as it collided with the rock wall in front of me, running a calloused hand through my hair as I looked around, the sharp scent of fresh meat hitting my nose as I looked over at two deer carcasses. "It looks fresh," I muttered to myself, nudging the meat, stiff, yet with a little give to the flesh.

I readjusted the gun strap over my shoulder, looking at the ground around the two carcasses, plenty of paw prints dotting the ground, but all of them still heading in the same general direction as I grinned to myself, feeling the silver blade flaming with hunger on my thigh as I began to walk again, eager to catch up with my prey.

Daughter or not, she had chosen a path of sin and it was my job to take her out of this world for the devil to drag her under into his ghastly embrace.

Your POV

You felt amazing. Moving with the pack was such a wonderful feeling, feeling the rumble of the ground beneath your paws as the pack moved together, working like a well-oiled machine, the thunder of paws like a constant rhythm encouraging you on.

Crow ran next to you. Ever since you had run away from your father, Crow seemed to be determined to protect you. Or at least get to know you. I wonder if he thinks me and Rhydian are going to be mates...maybe that's why he's so friendly...You shake your head lightly to clear your thoughts as Drake leads the pack over a small hill, everyone jumping down before you all slow to a stop, looking around at the next resting stop, the scent of the pack very faint around this area.

Tessa went out again to hunt with three other wolves and brought back two deer again and you all feasted and went to bed to rest for tomorrow's journey.