.touch.

13

Hi loves, sorry I've been gone so long.... I just I had no idea where to take this story. But now I do. I have been working with the most amazing girl in the world and she helped me write this chapter and I love her so much for it. If you guys are reading "The Art of Survival" then you already know we work well together. I hope you love this as much as I do.

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"I can't lose you. The pack can't lose you."

My fathers words echoed in my on an endless loop. He had a point when he said those want about me. Accepting Lauren's drama and drown myself in it definitely put me at a high risk of going rouge along with her.

But with my pack- who trusted me to lead them and have their well being at the forefront of my mind- I would be simultaneously endangering them while endangering myself. Putting my pack in harm's way was something I refused to kept happen if I had anything to do with it.

I couldn't give up on her. Not while there was so much she still didn't know. Not without there being a chance for things to work out in our favor.

The temperature started to drop a couple degrees. My fur kept me warm so it didn't bother me. In actuality it was refreshing.

I got up on all fours again, preparing myself to run some more... maybe I could go to the Cabello house and tell her now. Judging by the sky, it couldn't be any later than ten pm.

I was moving my paws at a slow trot, slowly making my way in the general direction of the house on the crunchy brown leaves that carpeted the forest floor, when I heard howling behind me.

My ears perked up at the familiar pitch. And accompanied by the sound of running paws my first beta's scent also reached my nose.

I thought about sending her a picture of the house to make her return back home, but who better to advise me than Ally?

I stopped walking and let the cool wind blow my fur about as I pictured my first beta in her true form. Images of the honey blonde and snow white fur and her vibrant blue eyes flow around in my head and I called to her.

Within seconds Ally emerged from the darkness, the smell of worry evaporating off of her as it replaced itself with the sweet scent of happiness.

She walked up to me and I licked her face. Her tail wagged back and forth endlessly as did mine. I guess the trip to Lauren could wait till morning.

Ally sent me a picture of two digital clocks. One showed 5:30pm just about the time I'd ran off. The other showed 11:00pm and I lowered my head slightly in apology, knowing how frantic she got when I disappeared like that and for so long.

She laid down next to me and kneeled down on my front legs so that I could lay down as well. We transformed back into our human forms and I gave Ally the run down of the days discoveries.

"What are you gonna do then?", she questioned carefully as she drew figures in the sand with her index finger.

"I'm going to tell her. She'll be in shock, but she trusts me now.", I told her in a voice much more confident than how I inwardly felt. The aroma of fear began to from her and I assumed it was doubt.

"Speak your mind.", I urged her although I already had an idea of what she would say..

Ally turned her body to face me and spoke softly, avoiding my eyes, "What if she doesn't? What if she doesn't understand? Or even worse what if it scares her and she rejects who she is? Or us? It could put the entire pack in danger. ...Where would that leave us?"

"Then I'll think of something. I'd never want to endanger the pack.", I said.

"With all due respect Alpha... can you trust that Lauren can voice the same while under her mother's spells?", she countered softly.