Amaris I ran and ran, staying in wolf form and putting as much distance between myself and Kenton as possible. My wolf is angry at me, not wanting to be away from her mate at all. And here, I am, wanting to be on a completely different continent than the one that he's currently on.I run for the majority of the night, noting how much sharper my eyesight is now that I have my wolf, compared to how it was before my shift. Before, I was practically night blind. And now, I can see just as well as if it were broad daylight out, I think, peeking through her eyes as we slink through the next town over. The cover of darkness, thankfully, keeps me hidden from any of the townspeople.The neighborhood dogs barking unnerves me, making me afraid that they will cause their owners to come out and see what is causing all the fuss. I make my way through the last part of the town, constantly looking over my shoulder, pausing at every vehicle that creeps down the road, and hoping to get back to the c
AmarisThankfully, instead of shifting, the siblings lead me across the clearing, through another small wooded area, ending with us emerging at the beginning of a road that has several buildings on either side of it."Where are we?" I ask, glancing around the area resembling a small town with people milling about, the laughter of small children playing in the jets of water that keeps spewing from the ground catches my attention, drawing me in their direction.I stop next to one of the buildings and just watch with a sad smile on my face as they play, laugh, and have fun, not having a worry or care in the world, trying to imagine where Axel and I would be, if he would still be here, if we had grown up in a place like this, in a pack."Amaris," the sound of Zach calling my name draws my attention away from the children, and back to him and his siblings. Zach and Zara are wearing matching sympathetic smiles, while Zane just looks annoyed as I make my way back over to them."Sorry…" I mut
Amaris"So, there are how many packs?" I ask, my head beginning to hurt at the amount of information that has been being hurled at me over the last half hour."Within the United States alone, there are almost fifty packs. In the world, there are more than a hundred different packs," Glendon, the Alpha tells me."Are there only wolves and humans that reside on the earth?" I ask, glancing between the four people around me."No," Zach says with a grin. "There are other shifters—bear, feline, dragon.""Dragons?" I ask, stunned."Oh, yes, Dragons," Zach says with a wag of his eyebrows. "You definitely don't want to get on the wrong side of a dragon shifter," he warns."Zach," Zara cuts in before he can say anything more, "let's not scare the girl. She's only just become a part of this world.""Fine," he sighs as he says this as though not talking about it is a serious letdown for him. "Guess it's a good thing that dragons aren't found in the U.S. There are also Kitsune and Selkie. Then, th
Kenton It’s been a week and there’s been no sight or scent of her. Asher, Boone, and I are on our way to the Leavenworth pack to the southeast of us, to see if maybe she’s made her way in that direction. Both my wolf and I are desperate to find her, feeling as if half of us is missing without her here with us. “God damnit!” I growl, slamming my hands down on the steering wheel as we drive down Highway Two through the mountains, not even able to appreciate the beautiful scenery due to the late hour, as darkness surrounds us from all sides. “You okay there?” Asher questions from next to me, eyeballing me warily. “I feel like I’m going out of my fucking mind!” Shaking my head, I blow out a frustrated breath. “I can’t explain it. I just need to have her back. I can’t concentrate on anything but finding her. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. Shifting and running don’t help because I just end up trying to find her.” “Having a fated mate sounds like it sucks ass,” Boone mutters from the backs
Amaris “Ugh,” I groan as I land on the dark gray mat covering the floor of the gym within the training grounds. “Come on, Princess,” Zach goads, knowing that I absolutely hate that nickname. “If you can’t stay on your feet while fighting me, how do you plan to take on our enemies, or any other threat?” “Fuck you!” I snarl as I flip, landing back on my feet and immediately charging him, launching into a roundhouse kick, barely holding back a laugh as he drops to the floor with a groan of his own. Ever since early this morning, something has felt off, like something is wrong, but I don’t know what. My wolf has said nothing, but I know that she has retreated to the far recesses of my mind. Kenton. His name echoes through my mind, just as it had early this morning when the feeling hit me out of nowhere, but I wonder if the thoughts of my mate have something to do with my wolf’s longing to be with him. I’d dreamt of him after finally falling asleep this morning, but it was more like
AmarisAs I close the distance, I shift back to my human form, smoothly transitioning from running on four paws to two feet. It’s been less than twelve hours since I first got the feeling that something was wrong, but I still fear at what I’m going to find when I make it to the Range Rover.Climbing up between trees, I wind my way over to the driver’s side and lean down, looking into the window to see if there is any sign of life within the vehicle.Gasping, I quickly pull the door open, Kenton’s large body falling out onto the ground with the action.“Kenton,” I shout, moving to stand over him just as I hear the other three pulling the two more doors open.“There are two more in here,” Zach calls, his voice echoing slightly in the cab.Crap! Crap! Crap! I mutter over and over again as I try to find the pulse in Kenton’s neck. “Oh, thank Christ!” I say with a relieved sigh when I find a strong pulse beating against my fingertips.“He’s alive. I think he’s just knocked out,” I say as
AmarisAs we make our way back toward the Midnight pack lands, I finally dredge up the courage to ask Zane something that’s been bothering me since we left Kenton. *How did you know who Kenton was?*He turns his sandy blonde head in my direction, his blue eyes appraising as if he’s trying to figure out if I’m trying to hide something. And I guess I am, but I’m not going to let him know that.He chuffs, then turns to face back forward again. Part of my alpha training is to know who all of the Alpha’s and upcoming Alpha’s are in all packs, as well as their beta’s.That makes sense. So, you knew who Asher was too? I ask, curious.Yes, he says simply. Then, without another word, he runs to catch up with his siblings, leaving me behind to ponder my thoughts.After seeing Kenton today, and now knowing more about shifter life, and having come to grips with the fact that I too am a shifter, I can’t deny that I’m drawn to him. That I feel things for him I’ve never felt towards anyone else be
AmarisWe cover the distance back to the pack quickly, so quickly that to my still trying to acclimate mind, it shouldn’t be possible to cover so much ground in such a short amount of time. By the time Glendon meets the four of us at the tree line, the sounds of the battle fought are long gone and are now replaced by the painful cries of the wounded, and the anguished wails of those who lost friends or loved ones.Glendon’s appearance is broken and full of sorrow-as the Alpha, he feels each loss on a level that only other Alpha’s who have also experienced loss can understand.The streets that, just yesterday were filled with kids playing and families enjoying time out in the sun together, are now littered with the bodies of both friends as well as those that attacked them.“Dad,” Zach says, coming up to his father, but the Alpha merely holds his hand up to stop him. It’s only by that action that I realize that his entire body is shaking. Looking at him closer, I take in his closed, pi