Chapter 2

Celeste ran us deep into the forest, by the time she came to a stop it was approaching midday.

“You wouldn’t be able to use that gifted nose of ours to sniff out some of my clothes could you?” I asked Celeste. Usually I was pretty organised and undressed before shifting, but I’m the type to be prepared for anything so I had hidden a few sets of clothes throughout the forest just in case. It wasn’t on my agenda to return to town naked, although at this point I wasn’t sure I’d be returning to town at all.

“Already ahead of you” she replied. We padded over to a nearby tree before shifting. Whilst I could see hints of warm sun and blue skies through the canopy, the tall trees blocked out most of the heat, so the forest floor still felt cool and moist from the night before. I reached down to a small nook in the tree and retrieved the clothes I had left there months prior, pulling on the grey tracksuit pants and t-shirt, thankful that I wouldn’t be wondering the forest naked.

“So, are we going to talk about what the fuck happened last night?” Celeste asked.

“My guess is as good as yours. He knew, didn’t he? He knew I was a werewolf. How is that even possible?” I had been thinking about the look he gave me when I tried to push him off in the bathroom, he definitely knew more than he had ever let on.

“He seemed so normal though, what did we miss?” Celeste pondered, I could tell she was feeling like she should have picked up on whatever was wrong before it got to this point.

“There was no way of us knowing. And unless we want to see him again, which I don’t, then there’s no way we’ll ever know. I think we lay low in the forest for a while, forget all of our stuff at the apartment. We’ll start again like we did before” in summary, I was proposing we run, again.

“I think so too. Well, where to next warrior princess?” She giggled as she referenced the nickname she gave me after a fight. I laughed out loud, loving the way my voice was lost in amongst all the happenings of the forest. From the bugs buzzing through the air, to the small animals hopping from one place to another in search of food, to the faintest sound of a waterfall in the distance… the forest was peaceful, but never quiet.

“Let’s just enjoy being back home” I smiled to myself. Living as a rogue was rough, not going to lie, it was a matter of days before I would start to smell and catching our own food was often a challenge - even with Celeste’s impeccable hunting skills, but I felt more at home here than I had anywhere else. The first few months were difficult, I was wracked with the anxiety of not being able to protect myself. So I trained, as a wolf and as a human, and gradually built up a thick layer of muscle, wrapping around me like a shield. Though the constant walking and running kept me lean. Celeste also became stronger, and her agility was, so far, unmatched. My technique was sloppy, the only experience I had to go off was my own fights and to say it was difficult to learn as I went was an understatement, but I managed well enough. Other rogues or wolves running the perimeter of their pack would underestimate me, being so young and female, it gave me the edge to catch them off guard. It wasn’t long before Celeste began referring to me as ‘Warrior Princess’.

I roamed the forest for hours until I approached a small swimming hole, surrounded by large flat rocks and wild flowers. The water was so crystal clear that I could see the tadpoles practicing with their newly acquired legs at the entrance to a stream which trickled down to a second pond, its melodic sound almost lulling me to sleep as I stretched out on one of the rocks. I stayed like that until the sun started to disappear and a chill settled into the forest.

“I’d say it’s time for some dinner” I murmured.

“About fucking time” Celeste puffed. I wasn’t sure if it was my stomach or her that growled but either way I got the message. I quickly undressed, stashing my clothes in yet another tree, and called Celeste forward to shift. In an instant, I was looking down at our four massive paws. In the sun our fur was a rich chocolate brown, but at night it almost looked black, making it easy to blend into our surroundings. The only way you could see us under the cover of darkness, was if you spotted our eyes. As a wolf, my eyes lost the grey ring that they had in my human form and instead were purely the colour of ice on a sunny day - white, with the faintest hint blue if you looked close enough. Most prey were transfixed by them, an omen of death glinting in the moonlight, stopping them in their tracks.

Celeste set to work searching for something she could brutally murder. Just kidding - her practices are humane I promise. The sun had set and darkness blanketed the forest in a way that no light could penetrate. We listened to the hustle and bustle going on around us, night creatures were waking and day creatures were scampering into their dens, spiders were weaving webs and owls were searching for prey. Unfortunately for us, we hadn’t come across anything that would prove big enough to be our meal for the night. Another hour had gone by before Celeste stopped.

“Do you hear that?” Celeste asked.

“No… wait, I don’t hear anything…” I replied, my voice laced with unease.

“Maia, I think we may have trespassed” Celeste replied sheepishly.

“Fuck, not again. There isn’t meant to be a pack around here” I grunted, surely I couldn’t be lucky enough to land in this much trouble in one weekend.

“It’s okay, I can barely smell other wolves so it must have just happened, I’ll circle back.” Celeste mumbled.

Celeste lifted her paw to turn around before a snarl erupted from the trees in front of us. Our head snapped up to see the outline of the largest wolf I’d ever seen, and whilst it stayed partially hidden behind the shrubbery, I had no doubt that if it came into the light it would resemble the size of a full grown grizzly bear. It’s eyes followed our every movement, two glittering balls of fire etched into a mass of fur staring us down, commanding submission. It took all of Celeste’s willpower not to let out a whine and bow her head.

Suddenly, the trees ruffled and the giant bear-wolf was gone. Still frozen in place, we watched as a man in low hanging tracksuit pants emerged. Clearly all werewolves have the same wardrobe choice.

“And what do we have here, little wolf” his voice was low and quiet, demanding that we pay attention. Celeste stood tall and huffed, showing him that we would not submit. He let out a short laugh and stepped forward into the moonlight. If we weren’t trying to size him up right now, I’d say he was fucking hot. His chestnut hair was short on the sides but long enough on top that he had to push it back to keep it from falling in his eyes, which were blue by the way. His jaw was so strong I wondered if it had its own training regime, contrasted by soft lips that were currently turned down in a rather disinterested frown. The rest of his body was… well… large. His thick arms rippled with corded muscle and sat crossed over his chest, which was covered in a neat layer of hair that extended down his torso and over his impressive eight-pack. He exuded strength in a way that I’d never seen in another man.

“There’s something else about him…” Celeste murmured. She was right, but I couldn’t quite place it.

“Little wolf, I don’t have time to be out here all night, trespassers come with me” he grunted.

“He’s big, there’s no way we’re getting out of this in a fight. I say we make a run for it, he won’t be as quick as us” I muttered to Celeste. This guy had so much muscle weighing him down, I was confident he’d hardly put in for the chase. It seemed Celeste agreed.

“Done” in an instant, Celeste bolted. Manoeuvring through the forest with such speed and grace that I was already thinking up what her new nickname would be.

That was, until his teeth sank into our neck.

Celeste let out a high pitched yelp before falling to the ground. The bear-wolf was back, his jaw clamped down on our neck, not enough to draw blood but enough to send us a warning. One move, and our head would be on the floor. I spared a glance into his eyes, which weren’t blue at all like his human form, they were a coppery-gold that danced with excitement. I had been sorely mistaken, not only did this guy accept the chase, he was practically salivating over it.

He added slightly more pressure into his bite, questioning whether or not we would submit. With our tail between our legs, Celeste let out a low whine and tilted her neck ever so slightly. He released us immediately, giving us a final glare before jogging back the way we came from. Before I could hatch another escape plan, Celeste’s voice ran through my head.

“Don’t even think of it. He’s a fucking Alpha.

“You’re sure? I wouldn’t expect us to have lived through that if he was…” Alpha’s aren’t known for their compassion or patience, if this guy was an Alpha, killing a trespasser like us would require the same amount of effort as putting his pants on every morning.

“I felt the command. He’s an Alpha. A strong one. Let’s just hope the reason we’re alive isn’t because he likes torture.” Celeste gulped as she followed our captor.