Permission to escape - The Rogue Pack

Chapter 4 - Tree House

Every year the meeting took place during the first weeks of summer, just before the heat hit the mountains. Once the meeting was concluded, the packhouse opened its doors to newcomers of all types, welcoming them to the freedom of the mountains and lakes. With its extensive forests and lush surroundings, it was a perfect spot for wolves to roam during the mating season, and the Rogue Pack was more than happy to welcome them all for the month. Some of the rooms on the second floor of the house had been converted into dormitories for the newcomers, each room dedicated to a different pack, and the income from the month helped fund most of the pack's activities for the coming year. It also meant that packs from throughout Canada were brought together, greatly increasing the chances of finding mates and friends. Although the mating season happened at the same time for all wolves across the globe, the Rogue Pack was the only pack to organise a common meet within Canada.

This year would be the third meet that the Rogue pack had run and Sam was surprised that the previous two years had been huge successes. Many packs had already reserved rooms, and Sam was having to put some of the applicants into tents due to the insufficient space in the packhouse. They would definitely have to extend the building before next year's meet, and Sam had even considered creating a new outbuilding specifically for some of the larger packs who didn't fit into a single dormitory. But because of the increased popularity, Sam felt more and more pressure to attend the event that she avoided every year.

This meant that one of the keys points of the annual meeting was discussing the newcomers and what adaptations would need to be made to make the year's meet run as smoothly as possible. Another point they'd need to approach this year was finding a better name than 'meet' Sam grumbled to herself as she sat in her office.

She was half-way through one of her essays for uni, and her motivation seemed to be considerably lacking. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the subject, she just hated having to follow instructions that didn't make sense. Shouts of glee reached her through the open window as other members of the pack enjoyed themselves in the lake next to the house.

The lake had been converted when the pack had moved in, and with the addition of a diving board and obstacle course (which had been put up with the excuse that it would be used as a training exercise but, let's be honest, it was just fun to push other people into the water), it was one of the many features of the house that had made the members fall in love with it.

Steaming, Sam slammed the window shut, blocking of the noises from the party below, before turning her attention back to her essay. Focusing on her work, she quickly bashed out a few words and ideas, knowing that once she had something written, the re-writing would quickly become easier. Finally finished with a first draft, she decided that enough was enough. She had become frustrated while sitting there and decided that a run was definitely needed to release some of her energy.

Once outside, she hid behind a tree where she stripped off her clothes. She quickly bundled them up and shoved them into the roots of the tree. Leaning back, she let the sun stream down onto her face, embracing its warmth. She reached into the depths of her mind, before she reached a barrier, it shimmered and resisted but she pushed through, welcoming the shift. She felt her limbs extend with the familiar stretching sensation, as her body morphed and contorted. She no longer felt the pain that used to come with her first shifts, having shifted so many times that her body had adapted to the sensation. Honestly, she wasn't really affected by physical pain any more, she hadn't been in years and couldn't help but wonder whether that made her stronger or weaker.

Her paws pounded through the dirt, the wind whirling through her ginger coat and her ears pinned against her skull as she gained more and more speed. She loved the feel of being a wolf, loved the freedom and speed it gave her. It made her feel safer from the judgments of society as well, and her constant need to escape seemed to diminish, no longer the main focus of her mind but a small afterthought that she could easily push aside.

She ran until she reached the treehouse, a small cabin nestled into the side of the mountain. She'd built it with the boys a couple of years back, and as much as she loved the house, this place was her true sanctuary. They had used it as a place to live whilst the main house got redone by the contractors. The summer she had spent in the treehouse was the first time she had ever felt truly happy. It would always hold a special place in her heart.

The boys. Even thinking the phrase sent a rush through her. In her past, she had never been one for friends, although considering her upbringing she was hardly surprised. As the daughter of the Alpha, her father prevented her from mingling with any random wolf pup. Instead, she was expected to be friends with the wolves higher up in the hierarchy. And honestly, she hadn't got on with most of them. Then, when she'd been forced out of the pack to endure those years of torture, the people around her had never been there long enough for her to be able to form a friendship. So when she'd met the twins at uni, she constantly expected them to leave her. Now, two years later, she'd finally started to accept that they might be there to stay, and every time she thought of them, she couldn't help but feel that sense of happiness that she finally had people in her life who loved and trusted her.

"HEY SAMMY!!!"

Sam peered up through the leaves to see a grinning face waving down at her. Liam!

She quickly ran to the treehouse, still in her wolf form and grabbed a spare t-shirt from the pile of clothes that had been left at the bottom of the ladder. She shifted and yanked the material over her head before dashing up the ladder, eager to see the other twin.