Chapter 20: Alpha Rising

Josh pulled the rake across the leaf-strewn ground, mumbling the entire time about the stupidity of having a bonfire in the middle of summer and raking the woods. He stood, staring at the ground. I'm actually raking the forest floor. This is nuts. Yet, he kept raking the leaves into a pile off to the side, making sure there was a cleared area where Dimitri could have his silly fire. Even in the heat, it beat the thick sulfur smell of the pulp mill he had to endure every day back in Draven Falls.

After a while, he heard shuffling off to the side behind a small set of birch trees. He had been so focused on his grumbling, he almost missed it. He stood straight, holding the rake with both hands as he wondered about the sanity of being alone in an area filled with coyotes who wanted him gone. He took a sniff of the air, trying to detect…a wolf? He only knew of one wolf in the area so far. Alanna. His panther purred within, and Josh felt a stirring in his groin.

With a deep breath, Josh rela