Mini

The Tree*

"Come on, hurry up!" I yell to the four running with me.

"Wait up, Mini!" Riley calls back. Riley is the Beta's son and tries to be our leader. I slow to a stop and turn to them. "Wow, it's not fair how fast you are!"

"Maybe in human form, but I could beat her if I shifted." And that's Danny, Riley's best friend and a pain in my neck. "Right, Mini? no match for a real wolf, are you?!"

"Knock it off, Danny. You know why we're here and it's not to pick on Mini." Riley says.

My name is actually Marie, but at 5 ft... well, if I wear the right shoes, I am probably the smallest werewolf in existence.

"Do we really have to do this?" Anne asks, looking back where we came. "It seems like a stupid idea to me... what if we get caught?"

"It is a right of passage... come on, if we're careful, no one will even know we we're here." Riley says.

We are about 5 miles outside our territory in the no man's land between our pack, the Dark Clay pack, and the Black Water pack. We are tiny only 20 members. Black water, on the other hand, is the 4th largest in North America and our only remotely close neighbor.

"About 2 miles to the border... slow down will ya Mini, " Riley says. I roll my eyes and let him take the lead as we continue to run.

"Alright!" He yells, stopping us by a large boulder. "See that tree?... it's about twenty yards into Black water's territory. We touch the tree and run back, easy as that."

"I don't think we should." Anne shyly says.

"Everyone does it!. We're 18... adults... come on, it's not that hard." Riley answers.

"Quit being a baby!" Danny adds.

"I'm with Anne," Beth whispers, looking around. "It seems dangerous... if someone catches us, they will kill us!"

She's right. If we get caught, they could kill us... force us to join their pack... lock us up... beat us... basically whatever they want and be within their rights to do so.

"How about this." I suggest looking at both girls. "We go together... strength in numbers... they can't catch all of us... not that they will anyway. Riley and I have been watching the patrols for the last week. They haven't changed. You don't have to do it if you don't want to... but I'm going."

"Me too." Both boys add.

"Fine... I guess I'll do it." Anne says, and Beth nods.

"Ok, 2 minutes, and they are as far away from us as they will get." I say, looking at my phone.

"On your mark...get set..." Riley starts.

"Go!" I yell, pushing off and leaving them in the dust. I sprint as fast as I can touching the tree and turning around, passing through my pack mates on my return trip.

As I run, I never look back, but I don't have to. Soon, I see four wolves scream past me.

"They saw us!" Riley links as he runs past. "Run!"

I pick up the pace, moving as fast as two legs can. Soon, I am tackled to the ground. A large man pins me down with my hands above my head and my legs trapped beneath him.

"Hry little one, your friends just left you... how rude!" He smirks. The three men around him laugh.

"Get off of me, you baboon!" I yell.

"Baboon?! Really... I don't look like a baboon... no little girl... I'm a wolf!" He says as he leans down and bites me.

I try to get free and can feel him laugh as I wiggle under him. His teeth sink into me, and when I can't push him off on instinct, I use the only defense I have and bite back. I grab ahold of him with my teeth and feel his blood in my mouth. I tear my head sideways, trying to cause as much damage as possible. He immediately jumps off of me.

"What the!?" He yells, holding his hand to the bite, his collarbone covered in blood. "What did you do?!"

I get up as quickly as I can and run, leaving the stunned man behind. Once safely in my pack's boundaries, I am ambushed by my four friends.

"What happened, Mini!"

"I'm so glad you're ok!"

"How did you get out of there?"

They begin yelling as soon as they see me. Wrapping me up in a group hug.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I got away, and I'm back... we all made it. No one knows!" I say.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" A voice echoes behind us. We jump in line facing the Alpha.

"So who wants to tell me what happened?" He asks. Leaning against a tree.

"Nothing, Alpha." The others say.

"Not buying it, guys." Is his response.

"Nothing you haven't done yourself, Uri!" I yell at him.

He stands up straight and walks over to us.

"It's not her fault, Alpha!" Riley says. "I led the group. We got caught, but we're all safe now."

"Really Riley?! Do you not see the blood on my sister's neck and face!?" He yells, grabbing me by my shoulder and turning me around. "You are going to be my Beta in a couple years start acting like it!... you can't even keep this from..." Uri yells, moving my hair to show my bloodied shoulder. He stops dead and lets me go. "Mini!? What happened to you?!"

"Well... I got tackled by this big brute, and he bit me!" I start but pause when I see the looks everyone is giving each other. "What?!" I ask.

"He marked you." Uri says in a hushed tone.

"No... he can't have!... there was no ceremony!" I yell.

"Get out of here, you four." He orders, and they scatter with one last slack jawed look at me. "Come on, Mini... we need to talk." He grabs my arm and drags me to the house.

"I need to know exactly what happened, Mini." Uri says as we get inside. I throw myself on the couch.

"He bit me. I got away. It's over!" I say.

"Or not." He responds. I look at him confused. "I got a call,"requesting" a meeting from Black Water's Alpha.""

"Marie, I need to know everything." He whispers.

"He bit me... he had me pinned so I couldn't move... I tried to get him off of me, but I couldn't, so I bit him. I guess I hurt him because he got off of me quick." I tell him.

"Dang it, Mini, you are so naïve!... Why did you have to do that! He would have let you go once he was done!... this is not good!" He says.

"Once he was done?! What all was I supposed to let him do? How far did my big brother want me to let it go!?" I ask, screaming at him.

"He wouldn't have gone that far, Mini... he was just messing with you. He marks you and sends you home. It fades in a few days. It's embarrassing, your emotions go haywire, but it doesn't last." He says.

"Ok, so what's the problem? I wait a few days and..." he cuts me off.

"You marked him!" He yells. My jaw drops.

"I didn't! No! No way! I couldn't have!" I ramble.

"Think about where you bit him, Mini!" He responds.

"No! Mom always said you had to go through the ceremony!" I say.

"Because she wanted you to do it right!" He tells me he stands in front of me looking angry. "If you marked each other, that's it! He's your mate! It's like eloping you two are now mates!"

"No." I whisper. It starts to sink in. Everything that happened. "I don't even know his name."

Uri sits down next to me and wraps his arm around me, comforting me. "What did he look like?"

I think back. "Well... he has black hair shortish longer at the top, an annoying dimple when he smiles, and is probably 6'5" if I had to guess. He has a scar across the left side of his chest. I don't know he looked maybe 20? 21?"

"Oh no!" Uri says, standing up and pacing. "No! No! No! No! No!"

"What, you know him?" I ask.

"Yeah... I know him... I'm so sorry, Mini." He says.