His Claim

Chapter 5

Kaia's POV

My wolf slips from me easily, and my feet are soon replaced with unsheathed claws as I pick up speed. She's just as mad as I am, short growls seeping from her throat every second. The smell of the forest comforts me, it brings a sense of peace to my mind. It only reminds me that I was able to triumphantly escape a cardinal Alpha with ease. My wolf scoffs at my thoughts.

She licks her chops with satisfaction, only focusing on the path ahead of her. Her paws kick up some of the dry dirt, sending a thick cloud of smoke into the air. Her mind seems to be completely blurred with anger, wanting to run back and challenge the unruly Alpha.

I come to the surface, quickly regaining control as she turns her immense head to the side, suddenly wanting to give the Alpha what he deserves. Her eyes blaze with anger, digging her paws into the muddy ground as she snaps her jaws in the air in front of her. Only frustration runs through her veins, masking the deep and utter sadness that our own mate invoked into us. How could he let us go? Didn't he love us?

She sinks her head downward and feels the slow burn of betrayal. Every ounce of forced respect I ever had for Quinton had vanished. He was no longer the strong Alpha I had been blinded by. My eyes burned with tears as I pressed my nose into the dirt, shuddering from the cold air.

My claws sunk into the ground, holding us like anchors in to the forest bed. My wolf felt completely diminished of any anger or sadness she had assumed before, just absolute apathy.

I wanted to get up, but I had no reason to. In a short span of a few hours, I had become nothing more than a packless wolf. The once high-ranking title I withheld with pride had vanished.

My wolf closed her eyes, pressing her head against the tree in front of us. The cold air had a bit of a sleep-inducing effect, the feeling slowly beginning to lull us into a deep slumber.

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"Who are you?" A deep voice rumbled. My eyes immediately fluttered open as I turned my head to the source of the voice. I took a deep breath, but realized my nose was completely engulfed in a pile of dirt. With a sharp sneeze, I shook my coat and turned to face the person behind me.

Fear is supposed to protect you, shield you from the things you don't want to see. I felt nothing, like I had been emptied of any emotion I had once felt. My heart had sunken into a small pile of shards in the midst of my chest cavity.

I slowly rose to my feet, gathering my senses as I met the surprised gaze of a strange male. His lips were curled up in shock, tinged with hints of disgust. My fur was probably grotesquely matted and caked with mud, so I didn't blame him for being judgmental.

I lowered myself to the ground again, lifting a paw upwards and licking the dirt from it gingerly. The unknown male continued to observe me hesitantly without saying a word.

When I was done washing my coat, he cleared his throat and shifted his weight.

"Are you a rogue?" He asked with a tilt of his head. I turned my head to the left and he raised an eyebrow.

Was I a rogue now?

Unless the northern Alpha happened to find me, I'd probably be dead. If I returned to my old pack, where I dug my roots and where I grew from the land, then I'd be Pack again.

The Wolfsbane pack was settled far into the West, where the trees grew thin and where the dirt kicked up high into the sky. The sun blazed down onto the mud, hardening it and cracking it once it aged enough. You could dig out the clay once it was soft, molding it and shaping into whatever you wanted.

I grew up where the sun sent brilliant streaks of crimson across the desert sky, dipping below the barren horizon line as a kestrel cawed its song into the night.

My heart began to ache at the memories and I regretted digging them up from the depths of my mind.

I nodded slowly, watching the male's face grow concerned. He approached me, and slipped the strap of his bag from his back. He retrieved a small cut of meat from a cooler, tossing it onto the ground in front of me hesitantly.

I wasn't sure what I did to deserve the stranger's kindness, but I immediately lapped up the steak ravenously. I licked my teeth with satisfaction, thumping my tail against the forest floor as my stomach clenched.

"I can tell you're not from around here. Need a place to stay? There's a lil' cabin a few minutes walking-distance, but probably one minute by wolf." He said slowly.

The male gave me a sincere smile as I stared.

I couldn't just trust a random stranger I found in the woods, miles away from any sort of civilization. My gut feeling burned with hesitance, so I shook my head.

He shrugged and looped his arm through the hole of his backpack, slipping it onto his back with a wave of his hand. I furrowed my brows in pity. His loneliness was contagious, making me pity for him as he turned his back to me. His head dipped forward as he trekked deeper into the forest, eyes casted downward at his feet.

I wanted to apologize, but I remained in place, watching as the male grew farther and farther away from me until I couldn't see him anymore. His scent lingered in the air-foresty, masculine and rogue.

I rustled through the leaves as I began to go in the opposite direction. I brushed by the tree I slept by, thanking the moon that it wasn't the Alpha that had stumbled upon me. I brought my nose to the air, inhaling the natural aroma with a bit of happiness.

A smell struck my nose, impossible to ignore that had me frozen in place.

My eyes widened as I crouched to the ground with fear. The forest grew eerily quiet, the spicy and wild smell growing more potent by the second.

I'm dead.
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