Finding My Destiny

Chapter 4 - Lea's POV

It had been two days since Dylan's rejection and the pain was still there but not as strong as yesterday. Within the next month I knew the mark on my neck would fade and leave no trace of what I used to have. I no longer felt his presence in my head. I haven't felt anyone push against my mental barrier in almost a day, I assumed they stopped trying because they just didn't know what to do with the situation.

I made my way through the trees in the direction of the northern most part of the territory near the edge of the other side of the mountain range. The woods seemed quieter and calmer as I walked between the trees. The quiet didn't bother me, it allowed me to think and focus on what I wanted to do. I settled down in a patch of sunlight that streamed through a patch of trees as it made its way across the sky.

I contemplated going back to the Light Wolves but I knew going back would cause problems in an area where I knew I was needed the most, back at Blue Rock. I stayed there a little longer before getting up and heading further into the trees, I could smell rain in the air and wanted to find shelter before it started.

Once I made it deep enough into the trees, I continued on my course and walked for another hour or so before making quick work of a rabbit and settling into the roots of a nearby oak. The rain started shortly after and I drifted off to the light pattering of rain on the leaves above me and the occasional hoot of an owl.

————

The scent coupled with the presence of someone or something woke me up in the early hours of the morning. I lifted my head just in time to see the retreating backside of a large animal. I waiting to see if it would come back. After several minutes the padding of footfalls met my ears and a body walked partway into view.

It was another werewolf.

While I could tell he wasn't a pack wolf, he didn't look like a rogue either. His nostrils flared as he took in my scent most likely trying to figure out who I was. He sat down and cocked his head to the side as he watched me, but judging his reaction I assumed he didn't know who I was.

I placed my head back on my paws and fell back asleep. It probably wasn't the best idea with the strange wolf so close but I was still tired and I just didn't care, besides I'd hear him if he moved so I figured I was fine.

Another few hours had passed before I woke up again to the early morning sun as it rose.

The wolf was still there except he was mirroring me with his head on his paws as he continued to watch me.

I stood up and shook the rain from my fur before stretching. I put my nose to the sky for any hope of catching the scent of breakfast but no such luck. With my back to the sun I began walking in a north westerly direction, I could catch a meal or two on the way and still reach my destination by nightfall.

Movement behind me made me look back to see the wolf had risen and had followed me a few feet. I could see that he had tied clothes to his hind leg before he shifted. I glanced over him, he couldn't be a rogue he was too well fed and healthy looking to be a rogue and yet he had no scent of a pack on him.

I decided to ignore him. If he wanted to follow me that was his decision. I gave the nearby territory a wide berth to not draw attention to myself. I knew this pack knew who I was and I had no interest in a confrontation.

As I made my way up the steep hillside which slowly turned rocky as it changed into the lower peaks of the mountain range my companion never left. He always stayed behind me and when we stopped for food he caught his own meal for which I was thankful for since I didn't want to share the rabbit I caught.

When I stopped at a nearby stream for a drink I almost thought the wolf was going to shift back but he didn't. Though he did look at me as if he wanted to ask a question. We continued to the top of the peak we had been hiking which rounded out and would have made a perfect campsite if not for the nearby pack. It was well enough away from the pack that they couldn't smell us but looking down the mountain I could still see faint lights and the echoing of voices as the noise bounced off the mountain.

I settled down with my back against a rock to wait for night to come. The sun had already started to set and the vantage point we had made for a speculator view of the mountain range going both to the North and South.

The strange wolf settled down a few feet to my left and seemed to be a little on edge. He would occasionally shift his gaze to me to try to figure out why we were here. It was no mans land, not even the rogues ventured this far up the mountain due to smaller prey and scarce shelter.

Once the sun was gone and the stars started to appear I stood up and took a few steps forward where there was a ledge that dropped off a few feet. I looked up and had to take a guess that the time was somewhere around midnight. The wolf raised his head and watched me, waiting for something.

I took one last look at the pack below before pointing my nose to the sky and howling. There was no message in it, just a low howl. I held it for a moment longer before cutting it off and letting it echo off the mountain. There were more lights on in the valley than there was before I started howling, and the faint chatter that could be heard had stopped.

I turned and instead of a wolf there was a man probably a few years older than me sitting in the spot the wolf was. He wore a faded pair of blue jeans and black zip up jacket.

"I shifted while you were howling." his voice was rough as if he didn't use it much. He tossed a t-shirt in my direction. "It's an extra large so you should be fine if you feel like changing. I'll turn around to give you a little privacy."

I picked up the shirt in my mouth and moved a little ways off behind a boulder. Even though Lena was still blocking herself, I could still take our human form with enough concentration and focus. The guy was right, the shirt came down around my knees and hung loosely on my shoulders. I walked back around to where I left the man and found him attempting to start a fire.

"Thank you for the shirt." My own voice was hoarse and I inwardly grounded at how bad it felt.

"No problem." he leaned back from the pile of wood once it finally caught flame and watched as I sat down at the ledge letting my legs dangle over the side.

"Can I ask why you were howling?" he asked coming to sit next to me.

I paused for a minute.

"It's ok if you don't want to —"

"This pack is the reason I'm out here. My mate rejected me because of a decision I decided to make in the current situation. I'm just here to haunt him for his choice before I move on with my life." I spoke up.

His response was visible as he shifted next to me on the ledge. "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be, not your fault." I paused, "But I do want to know why you're following me."

"Left the pack I was in after my first shift and never looked back. They weren't my family or my original pack. So I left to try and find them and when I did I wasn't happy with what I found. Since then I've been on my own occasionally staying with a few clusters of wolves who had been cast out of their packs. They were forced to become rogues, it wasn't a choice for them." He fell silent after that.

"One more question, what's your name?" I asked turning to look at him.

"Spencer. No last name since I don't have a family anymore." He turned to look at me and flinched. "You're the wolf aren't you?"

I nodded, my amber eyes must have given me away, "My name is Lea. My other name is Lena, she blocked herself off after the rejection."

We sat in silence for a while longer. After several moments I got up again, keeping the human form was starting to take a toll on me. I went back to the other side of the boulder to shift. When I came back Spencer was still sitting with his back to the fire.

I settled back next to him as the night continued and the fire slowly died.