More Than An Alpha

The Family

I breathed in the fresh crisp air, letting it fill my lungs completely before I let it out again. I did this repeatedly on my personal guided tour of the pack grounds, unable to take in enough of the mountain air. Houses had been built at the bottom, all built by grandparents of the pack in their young days. The towering mountains created a great sense of security like nothing could break it down. I felt safe.

Oskar had been kind enough to point out whose houses were the frequent water holes and which places to look out for. He pointed out which stores were owned by him and gave me a general rundown of how the community kept in touch with the rest of the world. Occasionally just plain humans would enter the town looking for lodging but were always turned away. It was hard to keep such a big secret so secret if they were allowed. There were too many pups that would give it away or even the occasional scrounging rogue.

He held my hand firmly in his, giving it a gentle squeeze every time my mind drifted away. I decided that I like him then, in spite of the mate bond we shared he was just the person I needed. He was good, that thought was soon shut down and another side of him broke through. Each time we passed a member of the pack they all inclined their heads or bowed but Osckar wouldn't respond in any way to say he acknowledged it. He even went as far as stopping me halfway through a greeting.

"That's not how we do things here." He'd said and that was that.

The stories I'd heard of him could very well be true, a ruthless killer was just simmering below the surface.

Finally, we came to a stop near the edge of the woods, no one else was nearby but I was startled when Osckar began to take off his shirt.

"What are you doing?" I asked, but my eyes were drawn to his drool-worthy abs.

"I'm going for a run." He said as if it was obvious and maybe it was. "Care to join me?"

Being more reserved than him I hid behind the nearest tree undressing as quickly as I could, I folded them neatly and placed them by the roots for when I came back. I willed myself to shift and the rush of my bones changing thrilled me, my muscles changing and flexing as they transformed. On my all fours I trudged out of my hiding place and slightly stumbled when I saw Osckar.

He was huge! Osckar was larger than any male alpha I had ever seen making me feel small, his black fur rippled in the sunlight as he took a step towards me. I raised my head higher as I approached, just to get on his nerves I walked around him pretending to inspect the goods. Wolves need to feel accepted in both forms by their mates so as I took too long to approve he nipped me on the ear as I made a full three-sixty. I huffed showing him my approval before taking off.

I could feel him right on my tail and that excited me. I leapt over fallen logs and this time I was not running for my life but out of pure joy. My hackles raised in a warning and I instantly knew I was about to be pounced on so I ducked as Osckar soared above me before landing on his feet. In the blink of an eye though, he'd pinned me to the ground so that I was on my back. At this moment I wished I could mind link with him right now but I wasn't yet officially part of his pack. Only then after the acceptance would I be able to communicate with him.

The moment was over as quick as it had come because he went rigid and his head turned as if he was listening to someone. Osckar let me up and gestured for me to follow, I was worried now. We ran back to our trees and changed, Osckar met me once I emerged, our hands tangling together as I held onto him. His face was grim, the joyous man I saw moments ago was gone, now replaced by something fierce. This was the man that lived up to the reputation of being Alpha of the Shadow Pack.

He walked briskly and I had to jog to keep up.

"What's wrong?" I asked, desperately trying to get some answers.