Healed by the Alpha (Hunted Book Two)

Chapter One

Emily

Paws were pounding on the ground behind me, the trees were flying by in a blur, I had to outrun them, if they caught me... I knew I wouldn't get another chance at this. My paws were wet and muddy from the melting snow, invisible ice layered the grass and made it almost impossible to stay upright. I could hear the blood pounding in my ears as my body propelled forwards. My ears were moving in every direction, following the slightest sound that the forest made. I was close, I could smell him now... my job here was to survive, to escape and to get back to him.

I was concentrating on the thought of him so much that I didn't sense when a big shaggy wolf tried to come at me from the right. His teeth were sharp and his claws were stretched out towards my chest, he was aiming for my heart, he wanted to kill me. I kept reiterating that thought to myself, forcing my legs to work harder and to keep moving no matter what. The wolf had narrowly missed my right calf and slammed head first into the trunk of a particularly big tree, the tree splintered and snapped at the impact.

"Wherever you go, we will always find you!" One of them roared, the frozen earth shook beneath my paws. "I'm so close, I can make this," I told myself, pushing my nose forward. I hoped that streamlining myself like I'd be taught would give me more of a boost, but I was starting to lose hope as the sun rose higher and higher. It took me a split second to look up at the brightening sky and it took the wolf in front of me a split second to collide into my weakening body. His jaws were near my throat and the drool from his hot breath was dripping on my fur. I growled low in warning but he was insistent, my wolf was stuck, I was stuck in this form. We were helpless.

The snapping of twigs behind me shifted the wolf's focus momentarily and I took advantage of the opportunity. My paws kicked out and I managed to catch his exposed skin with my claws. He howled out in agony, I rolled slightly and kicked back, managing to remove him from the rest of my body. I didn't look where I was going, I sprinted forwards trying to get away from my attacker. I sniffed the air, I could smell him, his scent invaded my nose, curling around my mind like a blanket. Looking around desperately for any sign of him, I suddenly noticed the ways the trees arched and realised where I was. The rocks making a circle around the space calmed my beating heart. I'd made it.

The rays from the sun were melting the frost so fast that as the steam evaporated, it started to create a layer of misty fog around the circle of stones. My wolf was so weak, I knew she couldn't hold on for much longer. My wolf howled up into the sky one last time before I shifted, wrapping my arms around myself as the cold hit my bare skin. Something moved to my left and my body took up a defensive position. I was crouching on the floor, one hand on the floor, back arched, ready to attack. The fog swirled and I could make out the outline of a dark figure as it grew closer. Around me I started to notice more shadows forming in the light of the sun.

I kept my eyes trained on the biggest and darkest shadow directly in front of me. The fog parted seamlessly like ripples in an ocean and the only thing that assured me that this wasn't an actual shadow, was the leg that came out of the fog shortly after. The body that followed was one I knew well. I knew those sculpted thighs that lead up to the hardened abs, the muscles in the forearms that I'd trained with and that cocky grin plastered across the godly face. "You helped me cheat." I scolded him. His smile spread further across his face, the early morning sun making him look ethereal. "I didn't help you. I tripped and it made a noise, little varg."

Behind me, the rest of the Rising Dawn wolves emerged looking battered. The Alpha of Dawn looked over my head to something behind me, "you ass!" Malik shouted, his feet stomping through the crunchy leaves, he was leaning to the side and holding onto one side of his abs. "You distracted me on purpose. I had her!" he complained. Dom laughed, stripping off his jacket and placing it around my shoulders, I pulled it together, hugging myself against the phantom warmth. "It's not my fault you leave yourself vulnerable, you've always had a problem with your blind spots and if anything, this should be proof that you need to train more." Malik stopped a few feet away from Dom, his whole body language changing, "I especially hate it when you're right, asshole."

The pair smirked at each other and Malik turned slightly to me, "next time don't get so distracted. You might be tired, but you can't afford to let your guard down." I nodded back at him, in understanding. I had known myself that I'd messed up, but at least I'd managed to get out of it. They had been putting me through the same intensive training for weeks now, living with the Rising Dawn pack meant early mornings and tough challenges. I understood though, living in this pack was essentially putting a target on your own back. We still hadn't found the Midnight Moon's former Luna and there were a lot of questions about the rogues still hanging in the air.

I looked over to Dom who was instructing the rest of the pack on their morning patrols, Jake was standing next to him, his eye caught mine and I mouthed a "sorry" before he looked away again. He was looking a little worse for wear, then again, I would bet the tree looked a lot worse right now. My thoughts were interrupted when Malik clapped his hands together, "everyone roll out. We don't have long this morning but that doesn't mean we can be slacking with the thoroughness."

As the wolves walked back out of the circle I made my way over to the alpha, "how was your morning with the witches?" I asked him, he kicked at the sodden leaves with his feet, "do you really want to know or are you asking me for intel on my sister?" My eyes widened, "I... I don't care-" Dom held out a hand, his eyes searching mine, "if you are about to tell me that you don't care please don't." His hand moved towards my face as he stroked a thumb against my cold cheek, "I don't want to hear lies from your beautiful lips little varg." I gulped. I hadn't spoken to Whitt since the mating ceremony three weeks ago. She had been back and forth from the Midnight Moon pack every now and then, but I'd always kept out of the way when I knew she was around.

Dom sighed, "I'm not going to fight her battles for her, but what happened couldn't be helped and deep down you know that too." I looked down at the floor, my heart suddenly aching, like it did every time I thought about that night. "Now isn't the time." I whispered, my voice weak. In the way only he seemed to, Dom noticed the shift in my mood, "come on little varg, let's get you home." A sense of relief washed over me.

Home.

That's exactly what this pack had become in such a short span of time. As Dom put his arm around me, leading me back to the pack house, I knew that it was where I needed to be right now.