Alex

Chapter 2

I woke to the soft, barely audible sounds of howling in the distance.

My head sprung from the snow immidiately and located the direction of the howl. I felt my belly stir, and stiffened but relaxed as I remembered the boy. I got up and shook the fur from my aching body, finding the wind died out and sky blank again.

I nudged the pup and watched him blink at me sleepily then wearily as he remembered where he was.

I grunted and whined peacefully as I looked to the direction of the howls. I heard him stand and he stood beside me, his glazing eyes telling me he was trying to mind-link, but couldn't. I shook myself and I compared our forms. I was twice as large as him, but ten times skinnier.

He had chocolate fur with red highlights. The fur of a regular wolf or rogue, while my midnight fur was the pelt of an alpha.

Your destiny and place in a pack was decided when you shifted. Black wolves were alphas, Dark grey wolves were betas, white wolves omegas, and other shades were gammas, or regular pack wolves. Having red anywhere on your fur usually meant you were destined for rogue life.

I led him towards the finished howls silently. The kid followed slowly, then perked when the scent of a pack's territory hit our senses. He began to wag his tail and go a faster pace. The open landscape began to become more and more crowded with trees.

I expected him to just go on ahead and leave me so I could go on my way, but he waited for me and would whine if I tried to turn or stop.

We crossed the border and a few yards in I refused to go farther. The pup whined then barked when I slowly turned and began walking away. He barked loudly, trying to get me to stop but i ignored him and headed back towards open country. Back away from his pack.

Before I could cross the border, the kid stopped barking and before I scented them, I was surrounded by five growling wolves. Regulars except for a dark grey one I recognized as a beta.

I crouched low, snarling in warning, snapping my jaws at them. I had done nothing wrong, but still. I was a rogue, one who had just trespassed at that. And one who was with a missing pup of thiers.

They circled me, baring teeth and growling before the kid jumped in and got the glazed-eyed expression.

I was larger than them all, but i was in no shape to fight. I had no muscle or energy to spare to carry me out of it.

Soon they stopped growling at me but I remained in my defensive posture, glancing at the kid as he walked up to me and wagged his tail in a semi-comforting way.

I put my teeth away but remained crouched and weary. I was frightened and scared with these strange wolves staring at me quizzically, with reason to be, might I add.

The kid nudged me freely, probably underestimating the fact you shouldn't do such things to unpredictable rogues. He couldnt trust me, even if he was alive because of me.

I moved were he pushed, watched everything around me in worry as finally I followed him, the other wolves right behind me, closing off any chance for escape. I prayed to the goddess I would either be let go or granted a painless death.

The trees became a forrest and suddenly parted to reveal a very beautiful and large three story brown house nestled in the snow.

Several wolves raced over to our party, watching me wearily. They greeted the kid with whimpers. Some darker wolves shift to humans, and I can see they have few numbers, even if there are a dozen, theres no sign of others. Most packs, especially at the heart of territory, would be carpeted by pack members and warriors. Most of the wolves right now are men, in every shade of pelt.