The Wanderer

Chapter 12

Nikolai and I both pretend that moment never happened as we mentally prepare for the hunt.

Walking out of the house beside Niko, I keep my head held high as I get stared down by the pack. They may accept me, but they do not trust me. I haven't done anything to gain their trust yet.

Meeting up with a group of men and a few women at the edge of the territory, we all walk through the cave tunnel. Niko and I lead, him telling them rules of the hunt. "Don't get too close to the human's hunting grounds. I don't want any of you being shot. We will hunt in groups of two or three, divide amongst yourselves. Meet back at the cave with your kills by sundown, do not eat any. This meat is for the pack."

The way Niko talks is so authoritative, making everyone automatically listen to and follow his commands. I know none of them would dare to cross him. They respect him too much.

We reach the end of the tunnel, breathing in the fresh air of the forest, not the muggy air of the cave. It's a nice contrast, making me grateful that I can breathe fresh air all the time.

The hunting party splits up into groups, me going with Niko. I smile at him as we walk away from the rest of the pack members. He gives the one last lingering look before hiding behind a tree a considerable distance away. Following suit, I strip behind a tree, shifting into my silver wolf easily.

My wolf form comes so naturally to me that shifting is almost painless. However, the same can't be said for shifting back into human form.

Walking out of behind the tree, I see Niko's large black Lycan form standing, waiting for me. His eyes and nose are working overtime, trying to smell out prey. As soon as I step by his side, he starts walking away from the pack.

Following him, I hone in on my sense of smell, trying to sniff out an animal to bring back. I veer off to the left, catching the scent of a deer. By the smell it is giving off, it is a male, meaning more meat for the pack. Continuing to follow it's trail, I don't notice that Niko hasn't seen that I left.

Keeping on the path my nose is leading me on, I hide behind the bushes as a twig snaps a few feet ahead of me. My eyes quickly dart in that direction, the buck standing tall and proud in a small field. Crouching down low to make myself smaller so as to not be noticed, I sniff the air, only to find another wolf's scent ahead of me.

It doesn't smell like a werewolf. It must be a wild wolf.

My eyes fall onto its smaller form that is in the bushes directly across from me, preparing to lunge. Deciding that this is my kill, I get ready to attack.

Lunging gracefully at the buck, I jump onto its back, tearing out its throat.

Trying to ignore the ache in my chest at the loss of life, I bring my attention back onto the wolf.

It is slowly coming out of the bushes, body low to the ground to show it is not a threat. It rolls onto its back once it is in front of me, fully submitting in hopes of getting a meal.

I automatically feel sympathy for this wolf, knowing how hard it is to hunt when you are hungry. The wolf is severely underweight, its ribs showing and skin hanging off its bones. Feeling pity for this wolf, I step off my kill, letting it approach the deer, a hungry but grateful look in its eyes.

One last glance at me, making sure my larger form doesn't attack, it starts to dig into the deer ravenously. I watch it eat, laying down and putting my head on my paws. My heart warms knowing this wolf won't starve to death like I almost did. We are so similar, yet are two different kinds of wolves.

The wolf eats for a while until it is content, before walking up to me, blood covering its muzzle. My head lifts off my paws, curious to what this wolf is doing.

It comes closer, moving low to the ground at my dominant aura. It knows I am to be respected.

Once it reaches me, it licks my face once, before running off back the way it came. The act warms my heart even more, knowing that I just saved a life and that they are grateful.

The deer has already been torn into, but not wanting to waste the leftover meat, I bring it back with me to the cave. The trek back to the cave is an annoying one, having to drag the deer beside my body.

Once I reach the cave, I find Niko standing there, his face red and hands clenched. I might have made him angry.

Dropping the half eaten deer in front of him, he snarls out, "Where did you wander off to? Your face isn't covered in blood, so where did half of our meat go?" He sniffs the air once, his face turning angrier by the second. "And why do you smell like another wolf?"

I walk to the tree where I left my clothes before painfully shifting back. Slipping on Niko's white t-shirt, I slowly step back to where Niko is waiting on me.

"There was a starving wild wolf who was hunting too, and I let it eat my kill. I felt bad, knowing how painful starving is. I wanted to help the wolf get a meal, like I wish someone had helped me." I sigh, running my hands through my thick hair. "I'm sorry, I know the pack needs meat. I'll go get more."

"There is no need. I understand your reasoning, but as Luna, you need to put our pack before everything else. A random wolf doesn't matter as much as our pack. Do you want our pack to starve?" He asks harshly.

Snapping back at him, rage bubbles in my chest. "I know I am new to being a leader, but I also know when to help someone in need. That wolf had no one, while we have plenty of hunters out right now getting food for our pack. Half a deer isn't enough to be a detriment to the pack. It just sounds like you are coming up with an excuse to push me away." I turn around to walk away, yelling over my shoulder, "It's working."

Taking off the shirt and shifting into my wolf, I hunt, my anger getting the best of me. I slash and tear at these poor animals that I track, letting my rage out. I can't lash out at Niko, so I lash out at these innocent animals.

Bringing back my kills, I see I am the last one to arrive. The sun is setting as everyone looks out into the forest, waiting on me to show up. I drop the three rabbits and one deer in front of Niko, his face showing a hint of pride before his emotionless facade is back up. Dragging the dead animals into the cave with everyone else's, I ignore Niko as he says, "Good work everyone. Some pack members will retrieve the meat and cook some of it tonight so we can eat it while it is still fresh, preserving the rest. You can all go relax until then."

The rest of the pack members leave, while I am left to grab my clothes in my mouth, walking away from Niko. Stepping into the cave, I notice he has waited on me. I hoped he would have just left me, but that does not seem to be the case.

I decide not to shift so I don't have to talk to him. Even though I know relationships are better with communication, the anger is still present, making me want to start a fight. I'd rather avoid fighting with my mate. I still want to be there for him, even if he constantly pushes me away.

He seems as if he wants to say something, but he holds himself back. After looking like a goldfish, opening his mouth and closing it multiple times, he mutters curses. Acting like I don't even know he is there, I continue looking ahead at the soft light that is getting closer with every step.

By the time we arrive at the house, the sun has fallen. A large fire is in the middle of the territory, people standing around it, seeming to already be cooking some meat. They must have had some leftover meat from the last hunting trip that they are cooking for tonight.

Some people come back with one of the deer I killed, cooking that as well.

Wanting to help, I walk into the forest to get some privacy to change. Once my clothes are on, I make my way to the fire where some women are standing over the large fire, cooking the meat.

"Can I help?"