The Two Alphas

Chapter Eight

I wake up the next morning, sprawled across my bed with Rylan curled up next to me. I laugh quietly and remove her arm from around my waist. I walk into the bathroom and notice my gown from last night still hugging my body. It has shifted and is slightly uncomfortable. I groan at my snarled hair, still slightly braided atop my head. I begin to work through the tangles with a sigh.

Not long after I begin, I hear Rylan groaning from the other room.

"Kira. What happened last night?" I laugh and finish brushing my hair. Grabbing a bottle of headache medicine, I fill a glass of water and walk into the bedroom where Rylan sits on the bed. I hand her the glass and toss her the bottle.

"Well, you got hella drunk. And passed out as soon as we got back here." She nods and gulps down a few of the pills.

"That explains the headache." I laugh and walk into the closet.

"Hey Kira? Why are we up so early?"

"Because today is the start of the ceremony, and we are going out for our patrol."

"Shit! I completely forgot!" She jumps off the bed and rushes into the bathroom, bumping into the doorway on her way in.

"Wait, didn't your dad say we couldn't do those?" She asks, stepping out of the bathroom.

"Yes, but he should be too busy to notice us today." I say, searching through the closet for my leathers.

"Should..." Rylan grumbles from the bathroom. I laugh quietly to myself and find a leather fighting outfit. Slipping into it, it fits like it was made for me. Which it was.

Rylan rushes into my closet and slips on her own matching outfit. I walk into the bedroom, tying my hair into a high ponytail. Rylan meets me at the door and we hurry down the hallways.

When we reach the front door, I nod to the guards and we continue on to the shed at the edge of the forest.

I open the door and Rylan steps inside.

"Should we really be doing this?"Rylan asks, glancing toward the castle. I sigh.

"You can go back if you want to, but my wolf will be calmer later if she gets to run now."

"I guess you're right." She says, a small grin quirks her lips upward. I close the door tightly and strip from my clothes behind the screen. Rylan does the same and we lay our clothes in neat piles. I step out from behind the screen, and feel the bones beneath my skin cracking, breaking in all the wrong places. I let out a small whimper as my body shifts, from human to wolf.

Beside me, Rylan is going through the same transformation. After pushing through the pain for what feels like forever, Rylan and I stand side by side in wolf form. Her wolf is smaller than mine, with curly brown fur and hazel eyes. My wolf is big, big for even an alpha. My wolf has grown bigger than even my father's. Her fur is a pale, silver color, and her eyes are the color of tree sap.

My wolf nuzzles open the door, and inhales the scent of the forest. The deep, mildew scent is overlayed with the newly grown needles. With a yip of excitement, she takes off into the underbrush, Rylan hot on our heels.

The two weave through the trees, searching for anything new. But the only thing that stands out is the faint scent of the rogue on the air.

They continue running until something makes Rylan stop in her tracks. Something is off. The forest breeze carries the scent of at least a dozen wolves. My wolf growls as the sound of paws thundering against the ground reaches our ears. I turn to face the oncoming pack as they explode from the underbrush.

A sniff tells me it is one of the lower packs. There is at least two dozen wolves in front of me. They all carry a bit of salt water smell mixed into their fur. This must be the Rising Tide pack. They live on the coast, constantly being soaked by ocean water. Apparently, most of them have never been in a forest before. And from some of the excited yips I was hearing, that seems to be true.

One wolf steps forward, obviously bigger than the rest, but still smaller than Rylan's wolf. He lowers his head respectfully, and I acknowledge him with a nod. He shifts into his human form and stays quiet. When he meets my gaze, but doesn't speak my wolf growls at him. With a flinch, the alpha opens his mouth and talks.

"Your father gave us permission to go for a run. You know most in my pack have never seen the forest." I nod to the wolf. My wolf knows we are not supposed to be out here, but this alpha clearly does not.

My wolf stalks closer to this alpha's wolf, Rylan following closely behind her. My wolf's head comes several feet above the alpha. He lowers his gaze, not looking in my wolf's eyes. But she only tosses her head to the side, dismissing him and his pack. He let's out a sigh of relief and sends a yip to his pack.

Before he follows his pack, he exposes his neck to my wolf is a display of submission. She snorts and turns away. I take off through the underbrush, away from the pack, leaving Rylan rushing to catch up.

The two of us run the rest of the perimeter, dodging the other wolves who are supposed to be patrolling. When they get back to the shed, something sets off my wolf's senses. Her hackles go up at the unease trickling down her spine. The scent of my father lingers in the shed, he probably came by earlier looking for me. Though, he has been long gone now. The scent of his anger permeating his normal scent.

I nuzzle open the door with my nose and steps inside the small space with Rylan following. The space in the shed is small, especially with two people in it. But with the two wolves, the room feels as if there is no space at all.

My wolf and Rylan's both shift back, the sound of breaking bones echoes through the small space. When I stand up, I roll the tightness from my shoulders. I sigh and slip back into my leathers. When Rylan has done the same, we step from the shed. My wolf curls up at the back of my conscience, happy that she was able to run.

The sun streams down upon the grass, and I snap my gaze up toward the castle. I see my father striding towards us, an angry look pinched upon his features.

"Well, shit." Rylan says from behind me. I nod in agreement. We are completely screwed.

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