Alpha's Blood

Chapter 6

Within half an hour, Lilliarna had made her way back to the hotel, leaving her bags with Jayden to send upstairs. It had taken little convincing on her part to make him give her the keys to Cairon's car and now she was well outside of city limits. Wind rips through her hair as she speeds down the road, leading deeper into the city's surrounding forest. Pulling off and down onto a small gravel road, she drives for a few moments before parking on the side. Cairon had shown her the area the first time her wolf had been begging to get off, and it was now, by far, her favorite place to run.

She steps out, throwing off her shoes as she lets her feet connect with the forest floor beneath her. Stripping down, she leaves her clothes in the car before shifting quickly into her wolf. Immediately, she takes off, the cool evening air whipping around her. Her legs pump harder, feet thundering off the ground as she pushes herself, blazing through the forest.

Pine needles crunch underneath her feet as twigs sporadically snap with every couple of steps. Eyes shine as she runs, the freedom of the night making her body feel more alive with each step. Breathing in deeply, she imagines herself outrunning everything that had been chasing her, the problems she could not escape for months.

The nearby pack's border comes into view, signalling her to slow her pace. The air was light, void of the scent of other wolves, including that of nearby patrols. Now walking, she skims the territory's edge, careful not to cross their boundaries. The Okami pack was usually tolerant of rogues coming close to their border. Crossing was an entirely different story, however.

Nearby brush rustles, causing alarm as her hackles raise at the sudden intrusion. A low growl emanates from her throat. She readies herself for an ambush. In human form, she had been weak, easily captured, but her wolf was a form to be reckoned with. Bracing herself, she peers out into the dark.

A familiar brown wolf, speckled with gray from age, appears from behind a large pine tree. Clothing dangles from his jaws as he walks towards her. Lilliarna relaxes, silently letting out the breath she'd been holding. He drops the small pile in front of her, motioning back towards the trees with stern eyes.

Lilliarna rolls her eyes as she grabs a few items. Retreating, she shifts behind the same tree as which he had emerged. She throws a men's shirt over her body before pulling up a pair of large shorts and tying the strings as tight as they can go. Waiting, she listens as the popping of bones grows loud before silently fading away, signaling the end of the wolf's shift. She emerges from her spot as the man calls out that he's decent.

"You didn't have to scare me like that Amos."

His face appears tired as he looks back at her. The wrinkles on his forehead seem more pronounced than they had earlier in the day. Like he had been in a constant state of upset that had driven them deeper.

"Amos? Is everything ok?"

He stretches his arm out, waiting for her to step closer to his side.

"We need to talk, Lilliarna."

Lilliarna frowns. Amos had never been so serious with her. Even when they had first met, his warning to her about the surrounding packs had been light. In fact, the only other time she had seen him so serious was just a few hours prior, when he had told her not to follow the scent.

"Is this about me not listening?"

"No."

She follows him as they walk in silence away from the border. When they're finally a respectful distance away, he speaks.

"What do you know about mates?"

"Just the basics, what my mom could tell me before the uh- incident."