The Heart of the Shadow

18. Little One

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Ryka's POV
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"Scarlett you have to calm down." I plead with my wolf.

"They disrespected me. They don't deserve to live. No one should be able to disrespect me." She responds.

"It's okay. Harley didn't mean it. He was just protecting his mate."

"His wolf Harem is very weak. Yet he hates being on the bottom of the ladder. Harem has no power. If he wasn't mates to Damian then he would have no power over anyone."

   "Scarlett I promise he didn't mean it. If we had our mate wouldn't you growl at the person who was being mean to him?"

   "Of course I will. Mate is mine. No one hurts mate."

   "Then don't be so mad at Harley if you would do the exact same thing."

   "Harem still disrespects me. It does not matter if he likes me or not. I am the higher power and he will respect me."

   "Can we stop this conversation. I get it you're all mighty and powerful and he's not. I'll inform Kayden of his disrespect."

   "Damian is too hung up on his mate to do anything. Just let me handle it."

   "No I won't let you handle it! You will blow everything way out of proportion! You will just make it worse!"

   "I will deal with this situation however I want to and you will let me."

   "I will not let you hurt my friend Scarlett! I'm done talking to you." I push Scarlett to the back of my mind and start running faster.

   I was too distracted by Scarlett to realize that I had some company. I don't realize that there are wolves surrounding me until it is too late. At first I think they are rogues but then I realize they belong to a pack, and they are on my territory. I growl viscously at them but only a couple of them back down. There has to be at last 30 of them. One by one they each come to me and attempt to fight. All it takes is a swipe of my paw to kill them. By the time I get to the last one I'm out of breath and I really want to go to sleep. The last wolf is the biggest. He is solid black, has a jagged red scar over his left eye, and is about the same height as me. A piece of paper falls from his mouth and then he smirks and runs off. I growl and resist the urge to chase after him.

"Ryka! Where are you?" My father links. I look around and realize that I'm not in my territory. During the fight I must have moved across the line. Due to my packs customs I can't just run across the border. I have to be let in by the Alpha. Rouges aren't supposed to be able to get in but somehow they find a way.

"Um, I'm on the wrong side of the South border." I answer. The guards must've alerted Mark that I was on the wrong side of the border.

"Did you notice any guards when I was fighting?" I ask Scarlett.

"I didn't smell any of them. I guess the rogues took them out." She responds.

"Those weren't rogues. They have a pack. The Alpha has the scar over his eye."

"Mark is on his way." Father links. I lie down and wait for Mark to come to me. It's going to take at least 45 minutes for him to get here.

"Ryka, the paper!" Scarlett yells in my head.

"Oh yeah! Thanks Scarlett." I shift to my human form and walk over to the crumpled paper on the ground a few feet away. I grab the corner when I see it is covered in wolf slobber. The handwriting on the page is almost illegible.

I see you have your powers Little One. Finally, the day has come to have a worthy opponent. I am very excited to finally demolish you. I will return to you on the night of the next full moon. This means war Ryka. Get ready to be destroyed my little one. Hell is on its way. Tata now!

A fierce growl rips through me as soon as I shift to my wolf. I hear a whimper from behind me and see Mark on his back bearing his neck to me, the ultimate submission. I pluck the paper off the ground and trot to Mark. I lightly touch my nose to his neck, as a sign of acceptance. He stands, and allows me back in the territory. I immediately sprint back to the pack house.

"Do not run from me pup, you may be stronger but I am still your Alpha." Mark growls in my mind.

"Sorry, Alpha. I just have to do something urgent." I answer.

   "I'm trusting you with this problem Ryka. It seems like it's personal and I believe you can handle it."

   "Trust me, Mark. It's a lot bigger than you think it is."

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12/30/18
8/22/19