What It Means To Be Me

Cliff Royal

An abrupt shove began to wake me up but evidently not fast enough, since it soon turned into biting.

"O-Ow!"

Shhhhh. Get up and get in the closet, now.

I was going to argue, but Cole was bearing his teeth at me and holy shit did he look pissed. There was no retort from me as I quickly jumped up and ducked inside his closet, closing the door behind me before replying back, what's wrong? Did I do something?

No. Stay there and don't move.

What the hell.

~Cole~

Why in the world did they still have a tracker on Tanner?

There was no other reason there would be a member of the Cliff Royal pack on my doorstep, much less their master tracker, Kine. Rowin and Orlando were right behind me when I opened the door to greet the man with a forced smile. He had short, dark blond hair and was dressed in a simple pair of maroon and black basketball shorts and a black wife-beater, but he wasn't fooling anyone. Trackers often dressed like that to be able to shift quickly, 'take care' of what they found, and then head home without tearing up their clothing too much.

"Hello, Kine. What brings you to my territory?" I asked with a calm yet stern tone. I had met this man two other times while he was tracking through the area, but he hardly ever spoke and was always business. Thus, it didn't surprise me when he quickly pulled out a photo and held it up so we could see.

Tanner.

It was a picture of him at one of his concerts a few weeks back. Hmph, darn trackers were fast. I was kind of hoping the Cliff Royal pack would forget about Tanner or at least let him be, but if they have Kine on his trail, that was extremely unlikely to happen.

"I'm looking for Tanner Royal. I tracked his scent around this town, but it is strongest here. I would like to avoid any negative issues in this assignment so if you would please let him know that he is to come with me back to his pack now."

Shit. We need to figure out how to call this guy off.

Alpha, you know the Cliff Royal pack doesn't just leave tracking targets alive by request. They probably see his escape as a shame to their laws, especially since he has somehow survived. If they knew that you are the reason for his actual survival, they may make you their next target.

Rowin's thoughts made sense, but I already knew that Kine likely wouldn't simply leave. The Cliff Royal pack was extreme and were set in their ways to the point one could often end up dead, if they got in the way or started a dispute.

"I—"

"Think wisely, Alpha Cole of the Moon pack. I know he is in this home, and you know the repercussions of denying me my tracking target."

Shit. There is no way I can hand Tanner over to his death, but if I don't, I am condemning myself.

His dark brown eyes narrowed on me, making the blood in my body chill several degrees.

"Make your decision, Alpha Cole."

"If I decline..." I paused to think of the correct, and safest way to say what I needed, before continuing, "I alone will be the target of your pack's anger, correct?"

Kine nodded once, sternly. "You will likely become my next target, though whether it is for an elimination or retrieval track is up to my alpha. Your pack, however, will not be of interest unless they try to hinder my ability to procure you. Then those who interfere will become marked for the next track or killed immediately."