An Alpha's Alpha

Freedom

She waited patiently until the wolves had all filtered out, except for one. The one that had been nominated as her guard

She hadn't been aware of much, but knew it was dark outside, the moon high in the sky, calling to her wolf.

She tried not to move or give away that she was awake. The Alpha from this morning had taken his pack on a hunt, leaving her with his Beta. A chance, she thought, to escape.

Knowing she needed to put some distance in between herself and this pack, for their sake as much as hers, she'd decided to try to sneak out without the beta realising.

However, as he picked up a magazine and began to noisily flick through the pages, she realised it probably wasn't going to be that easy.

—

A flash. Quick and darting. Unreachable.

Jake's wolf stopped in its tracks, paws skidding through loose undergrowth. A scent, soft and sweet, filled his nostrils as his wolf drank in the familiar smell.

His she-wolf.

Taking off at a pace, his wolf abandoned the deer he'd been chasing, leaving his pack whining behind him.

She was fast. Very fast. Faster than him.

But this was his territory. He knew it like the back of his hand. For the last 30 years he'd hunted these woods and so he knew first hand how disorientating they could be. His she-wolf didn't stand a chance of escaping him.

Leaving her running north, further into his territory, Jake took a sharp left and headed west, knowing he could cut her off by the lake.

Sure enough, as the glistening water came into view, silvered by the moon light, the she-wolf appeared from the tree line, slipping, tripping and tumbling as she tried to stop herself from hitting the water.

Seizing her moment of confusion, Jake launched himself towards the she-wolf, teeth bared and claws out stretched she turned to meet his leap.

Thudding into her side, he sent the two of them flying through the undergrowth where they grappled for dominance until Jake was finally able to pin her down.

Refusing to submit, her wave of power sent the wolves that had followed him, skidding back a few steps. Jake matched it was his own, but in the back of his mind knew this was not what he wanted. He didn't want to battle the she-wolf, he realised in that moment, he wanted to keep her.

Slowly, steadily, Jake released the she-wolf and gave her some space. Once a fair distance away, he transformed back into human, his bones and joints popping back into place.

After a few disorientating moments, Jake was human again. Sensing the predator in the she-wolf, he raised his hands in surrender and calmly told his pack to back off of them, via the pack link.

The world beat slowly between them, as time trickled by. After what felt like an eternity, the she-wolf's fur began to recede, until a human body remained.

Wide, hazel brown eyes drank him in, before she spoke, her voice ghosting across his skin.

"I'm Cassidy. Cassidy Alma. I'm the Alpha of the Rootbridge pack."

Like a teenager, Jake stumbled through a hello, cursing himself at the pathetic wave he followed it up with.

He cleared his throat, "I'm Jake. It's a pleasure to finally, properly, meet you."